Chapter 3: Grinding Time
Day 14, March, 282 ADQ
This was how Izuku found himself sitting on the sand of Dagobah Beach. After collecting himself and feeling the heat of embarrassment from his overactive hormones, he had had to have a talk with both All Might (it was still weird calling him that) and the hot redhead. Toshinori had tried denying that he was All Might, but given Izuku's Quirk and Itsuka calling him Yagi gave it away.
"So anyway, I started blasting."
"What are you talking about?" All Might asked with an eyebrow raised as the trio sat on the sand.
Izuku just looked over his shoulder at something only he could see and shrugged. "Just needed a segue. You asked how I knew? It's an aspect of my Quirk."
Both Itsuka and All Might tilted their heads and Izuku just sighed. "First, to tell you the most of my Quirk, you need to tell me you will never tell anyone. It's a secret I don't like to share. You need to say it three times."
They shrugged and, unbeknownst to all three, his Quirk was already working. Ritual words, older than time itself, poured from their mouths as they spoke three times, indicating that what was told there would stay a secret. Thunder boomed ahead but was quickly forgotten.
"Thrice heard and witnessed. Anyway, the gist of my Quirk is that on the surface it's a simple booster. But the more I use it, the more I unlock skills. One of the first I learned is Observe. I'm sure you can figure out what that means. I used it on you when you saved me from that Sludge Guy."
Itsuka just hummed as she thought about it. "So you're an RPG character? What level are you?"
"Er, Level 2…" Izuku replied, flush with embarrassment.
Meanwhile, Yagi was thinking as well. A Quirk of that magnitude was on the same level as his own. Powerful, great for heroics, but also dangerous if anyone knew the truth. He himself had only met one other in the past with a Quirk that was, as the HPSC classified, as Omega. Deciding he needed more information, he asked the boy and Izuku told him about the attributes, skills, and his new spell-like ability, although Izuku had said he didn't totally understand it. Itsuka choked on air when Izuku had said he could cast magic and begged him to cast the single spell he had, of course the boy folded almost instantly. The greente formed his hands into strange symbols and spoke a word of power Toshinori swore was Latin, before a purple glow surrounded his hands and a ghost-like tail appeared at the base of Izuku's spine. The boy's form also seemed off. It was physical but when Itsuka decided to 'test' it by smacking the back of Izuku's head, the hand went through his body, although Izuku still reacted as if he HAD been slapped.
"Your Quirk is certainly interesting, young Midoriya. I have a theory, if you don't mind?" Yagi stated, thinking back to some old pen and paper games he played back when he was in high school.
"O-oh yeah, sure!" The fanboy said, both he and the carrot-topped girl looked at the Number One Hero.
"Strength should be obvious, it's a measure of your physical output. Like in my hero form, I imagine my STR, as your Quirk identifies, would be massive. Dexterity is a bit tricky, but I believe it's hand-eye coordination. Throwing the perfect pitch in baseball, or tossing a knife would be something DEX related."
The two students just nodded, listening.
"Constitution is your overall health, I imagine. The higher your CON, the more damage you can take, theoretically. Intelligence is obviously the power of your brain, so it makes sense that your…spell-like ability scales off of your mindpower."
Seeing the two were still paying attention, All Might continued.
"Wisdom is a bit tricky but I think it covers common sense, and application of your brain. You could have infinite INT but if your WIS is low you're a naive baby. So maybe it's a manifestation of your body's conservation? That way it affects the regeneration of your mana. Luck is, obviously, luck and affects many things. Finally, Charisma can be seen as is your leadership qualities and good looks. The former is probably why it scales your summon damage."
As the blonde man finished his theories, Izuku was feverishly taking notes. He'd have to experiment later of course but it made sense to him. Itsuka meanwhile was almost lost, she was more of a sports girl and didn't partake in too many video games outside of DDR. After Izuku was finished with his notes, something came to his mind.
"Ah, All Might, why are you here with Kendo-san and why does she know you're…well All Might?"
The other two shared a look and decided to tell him. Whether it was a side-effect of Izuku's busted Quirk, or the fact that Izuku gave off the aura of someone trustworthy, no one would ever know.
And this was how Izuku found out about Itsuka training to inherit One for All. The sheer implications that a Quirk could be transferred left Izuku in a mumbling spree until the redheaded girl flicked his nose. Itsuka had also shared her own Quirk, Big Hands, which as the name implied, let her Quirk grow her hands to almost half the size of her body and Izuku wondered about the implications of that. Yagi was pulling some papers out of a bag as the girl with big hands turned to Izuku.
"Anyway, in order for me to accept the Quirk, I need to get stronger and put on more muscle!"
Izuku just looked at her body. "You look fine to me…?"
She flicked his forehead a bit. "My eyes are up here, tiger. But yeah I know, you can imagine the power One For All has though."
All Might returned, handing Itsuka a couple of papers which she looked at. "It's true, if she used my power at her current state, her limbs would likely blow off her body."
Izuku winced at the thought, images flashing in his head. When he saw the girl's grimace at her papers, he looked over and choked on air. That was a LOT of exercising, it even carried a special diet plan. Izuku was glad he didn't have to do all that, and Itsuka glared at him as if she read his mind. He just smiled. His smile…lasted until he saw All Might cough and look at him.
"Since you're here with her, I want you to do the same exercise as her. You're pretty thin yourself."
Izuku shook his head, waving his hands in the air as if to protest but deep in his mind he knew he was now stuck working out. In the corner of his eyes he saw the girl next to him adopt a smug, almost cat-like expression. So Izuku channeled his inner Katsuki. "Yeah yeah, laugh it up. I'll get it done faster than you."
The redhead grinned at the boy. "Challenge accepted, moptop."
They had ten months to get Itsuka ready for the entrance exams but thanks to the girl's already trained body, they were able to shave off about half of that when adding in Izuku's intellect which helped to optimize. Halfway through the 5 month period however, something happened.
Izuku had finished his set of 50 pushups and his arms hurt. Over the past two months, he had gained plus one to both STR and DEX in that time thanks to actually working on his body for an extended period of time, so he felt like he was making progress. He had even gone up a live, placing 4 points into INT, and 1 into luck! Seemingly, so did the universe.
You are now strong enough to enter a dungeon. This is an instanced area randomly generated for you, the holder of your Quirk. Unlike in real life, if you die in dungeons you do not die for real. Instead you can be resurrected or be placed back at the dungeon entrance. Keep in mind, the more times you die, the stronger enemies will get as a result.
Since you are familiar with Dagobah Beach, a dungeon portal can be accessed. Will you open one now? Yes or No.
His eyes lit up at the prospect. Dungeons meant loot, and loot meant more power! Of course it ALSO meant monsters but he was fairly certain that he could handle it. He told Itsuka and All Might, the former of whom was pulling the latter on top of a fridge about it.
"I'm going with you!" Shouted the girl, who was now sporting more pronounced abs and an inch or so in height unless he was seeing things.
Izuku furrowed his brow and looked at All Might who was stroking his chin. "It should be fine, I would be worried if there was any mortal danger, but the two of you should be enough for your first dungeon."
The greenette just raked a hand through his hair and adjusted his collar as he looked at Itsuka before relenting. "Fine, you're probably tankier than me anyway."
She just grinned.
Itsuka Kendo has been added to your party!
You can now view Itsuka Kedno's stat page!
+100 Relationship Points with Itsuka Kendo.
Total Relationship Points: 1100/2000 (Friendly)
Huh, that was new. Probably a perk of reaching Level 3. He used Observe and looked at the girl's stats.
NameItsuka Kendo TitleOne Punch GirlLevel: 6Age14HP: 190/190ClassN/AMP:100/100XP13000/14000Stat ModifierSTR188DEX122CON166INT100WIS133CHA111LCK166Out of combat health regen: 6ps
Out of combat mana regen: 0ps
Her strength was a good 7 points higher than hers, and her attacks, while low when untransformed, did more damage than his own when he used his staff. Sure, he had made it out of simple wood and as a result gained the crafting skull about a month ago, but still! That wasn't even factoring in her Tea Aficionado feat, which apparently let her heal more if she drank tea. This of course implied food and drink was capable of healing, so he'd have to look into that later amongst other things. He turned his head back to the messenger in his mind's eye and mentally selected 'Yes'.
Right in front of him, it happened. A swirling portal of green energy opened up and the smell of the sea intensened. In his head, he saw the prompt above the portal, which stood about 8 feet tall and four feet wide, but it was not he who spoke. Instead, Itsuka did.
"Salt Slime Shores, Level 3? Ugh of all things it's slime monsters? At least it's not octopi."
He blinked. "Wait…you can see that?"
She just nodded as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "Yep, as soon as you accepted me into the party, I got a bunch of holographic messages and can even see my stats! Man, your Quirk sure is a weird one!"
Filing away the fact that his Quirk could also interact with other people, he just nodded. "Right so I guess we just walk in then?"
Not even bothering to answer him, the redhead cracked her knuckles and back before sprinting into the portal and disappearing. He flailed just a bit before rushing in after the melee fighter.
When he entered, he saw what looked like Dagobah beach but slightly different. The smell of salt was much more dense, and at the end he could barely make out what seemed to be a cave with another portal, this time red. Only problem was there were at least 100 slimes between the two and the portal. He sighed. "Fuck."
"Don't be a spoilsport, tiger. They're just slimes. With your mind and my fists, we'll have this beach cleared of mobs in no time!"
And then she was off, activating her Quirk and punching the nearest slime. He, in the meantime, used Observe.
Level 3 Salt Slime
HP: 25/25
Attack: 1-3
Baby's first hentai monster!
XP: 100
Izuku did the math and thought. If they both cleared the beach, they'd gain about 5k experience each. Not bad, it would take him to level 4, and Itsuka to Level 7! He pulled his staff from his back and pulled it out before activating his Magical Tail feat, going through the motions and applying Displacement on himself. "These guys got 25HP and have a suicide move where they latch onto you and drain HP. Hit fast, don't stay in one place." Itsuka nodded as she killed the first slime. Then, they got to work.
Wet squelching sounds could be heard with each punch, kick and staff attack. All the while it almost seemed like a dance the two were doing. Luckily for now, it seemed the slimes were easily dispatched. With only 25 HP, it took just two punches from Itsuka and a whack from Izuku's staff to make them explode into congealing ooze.
About an hour later, they had finally found their way towards the portal. Most of the loot was just some copper and silver coins. Seeing as they weren't yen, Itsuka just told Izuku to take them. To which he shoved into the pockets of his tracksuit pants.
Coin obtained: 14s45c
He really needed to figure out how inventory worked with his Quirk. Aside from that, he found a few neat items.
Obtained:
Bracers of Strength +1
Spell Tome: Weak Thorn Spikes
Gel x200
The gel felt like bouncy balls in his hand and were about the size of a quarter, so he used his windbreaker to hold them for now. The bracer was given to Itsuka, who now had an additional +1 to her STR, making her attacks just a little bit stronger. He himself took the spell book and he opened it. When he did, magic power flooded his body and he knew.
You have learned Weak Thorn Spikes (Nature).
Damage: 3-6 per spike. Plus 1 per caster level up to a max of +5.
Mana Cost: 10
Cooldown: 1 second
Shoots three spikes in a small cone that travel 100 feet before disappearing. Enemies hit by this spike take piercing damage. With a large enough enemy or specific feats, multiple spikes can hit a single enemy.
A spellbook tab appeared in his status page and he smiled. Finally, he could do something other than hit things with his staff! Sure he had his ring, but that and Displacement were daily spells. Looking at both his XP and Itsuka's he saw that both of them had shot up two levels! Granted that was because both of them were close enough to the first to start off with but still! He saw Izuku dump 5 points into STR, 3 into CON, and 2 into WIS. She also added the feat Quickstep, which let her use 10% of her mana to dash forward at an enemy within 30 feet. He wasn't sure if his Quirk let her use these sorts of things outside of his party, but he'd hope so. It would help her close the game should she need it.
As for his own attributes, he thought a bit before shrugging. INT has worked for him so far, so he might as well keep at it. Putting 3 into WIS to help Mana Regeneration, he put the other 7 into INT.
As always he had more cues to take a look at in his vision and focused on them as Itsuka finished her own allocations and drank a bottle of water.
You have learned the skill Nature Magic.
Whether by living in a forest or by pure chance, the skills of Gaia herself are at your disposal.
Your enemies will be tripped by roots, strangled by vines, and stabbed by trees.
Level 1. +1% damage to spells with the nature tag.
Your Observe skill has leveled up to 4!
New trait: Can now see more stats.
Your Staves skill has leveled up to 5!
You have unlocked the Unarmored skill! +1 Defense when not wearing any armor.
Interesting, he thought to himself. He knew from Katsuki that casters normally didn't wear armor since it got in the way of gestures and stances needed to cast magic in most game systems, so he was glad he got natural armor at least. The Nature Magic skill was added likely due to learning Weak Thorn Spikes, and more skills were always a bonus! Standing back up, he brushed some dirt off his clothes and looked at Itsuka.
"Ready?"
"You bet."
Together, they entered the red portal and a boss bar appeared in both their visions on the bottom. Izuku used Observe on the being before them.
Giant Salt Slime (Boss)
HP: 1500/1500
Attack: 40
Defense: 5
Skill: Propagate (Cooldown 10s) - Summons 3 Lesser Slimes (Hp 20, Attack 3).
Skill: Enrage (At 50% HP) Does 25% more damage and grows tentacles.
Why, oh why did it have to have tentacles? Izuku turned to look at Itsuka as he relayed the info and her face matched his, paling a bit. "Right so uh, I guess we just have to dodge like our lives depend on it. I mean I guess it kinda does.
Izuku buffed himself with Displacement as the redhead steeled her nerves before rushing forward. The boss didn't have a massive moveset, mostly it just seemed to jump towards the two of them. Though given it was at least fifty feet wide and 30 feet tall, getting hit would HURT a lot. The green-haired wannabe mage started to cast Weak Thorns in rapid succession when he could, it only did around roughly 10 damage per hit but it DID hit three times given how large the boss was. And thanks to Itsuka's Dodge feat she could easily maneuver around the slow hitting boss. Izuku kept pelting the giant thing with spikes, and when it reached 750 HP it started to attack faster, spawning appendages and shooting out smaller slimes. Luckily Itsuka at her current damage could one shot the mobs, but her DEX was only 12 and she soon found herself grabbed by slimy tentacles. Before the hentai monster could do anything weird, Izuku jolted forward and slammed his staff into the appendage, severing it easily. "You okay?"
"Yeah, got carried away, sorry." She said with a small blush before wiping some slime off of her skin.
Their small moment didn't last long when the boss started to teleport around, and it was only thanks to Izuku pushing her out oif the way that she didn't get hit. Izuku however, was hit with a critical strike, dropping his meager HP by 80 points and sending him flying.
"Moptop!" The girl cried out before activating Quickstep and beginning to punch the slime repeatedly. As a non-caster, her large fists could do much more damage in succession. As it turns out, unarmed damage was rather small, but with Itsuka's current modifier of +14, she could dish out 32 damage per punch using her Quirk. Considering she could throw two punches a second if his math was correct her DPS was about 64, Much more reliable than his current DPS of 8.5-12 per spike, it only amounted to a max of 32 IF all three spikes hit. Picking himself up off the ground and bleeding, Izuku raised his hand and uttered the word of power needed for his current spell and began to fire in order to finish off the boss.
"Mittent Spinam!" Three spikes per second were conjured as he held his hand up and depleted his entire mana bar, watching as Kendo took the brunt of the damage but her Dodge gave her 2 to AC and Reflex Checks, so at most she would take 38 IF she got hit. But she wasn't skilled for nothing, after all. She was a black belt in karate after all!
In the end, Kendo had been taken down to 90 HP before the boss exploded in slime, covering the both of them in pale gray ooze that smelt like salt, and leaving behind several items. Itsuka shivered at taking most of the slime when it exploded and jumped into the nearest body of water. Izuku didn't blame her so he just moved over the shining pile of loot.
You have defeated a boss! +1000XP to all party members.
You have found:
Gold Coin x5
Ritualed Skill Tome of Pactio 1
Rarity: Unusual
Mana Cost: None
Cast Time: N/A
Form a bond with a willing participant through the exchange of any bodily fluid. Doing so will create a pactio card, allowing the Master and Partner to telepathically communicate for up to 1 mile, increasing as the skill levels up. The duo can sense when one is in danger, and at higher levels, the Master can summon the Partner. The Partner gains a special magic artifact based on their soul and personality that can give any kind of boosts and effects that can be used by holding the ritual card and speaking the word, 'Adeat'. The artifact can be turned back by stating 'Abeat'.
While the artifact is active, the partner gains 10% of the Master's HP, MP, and stats as a bonus
Nahyndrian Crystal x 1
Rarity: Unknown
A strange purple crystal the size of a human palm.
Uses: Unknown
Spell Tome of Mana Reave 1
Rarity: Unknown
Mana Cost: 75% of total mana
Cast Time: 20 seconds
A strange spell that borrows power from a dark god. Deals 10-20 magic damage, plus 75% of your total mana. Requires 30INT to learn.
Amulet of Natural Armor +3
Rarity: Uncommon
Grants +3 to defense, does not stack with armor.
Izuku blinked as he looked at the gear. The necklace was the most normal item but the two spell tomes just seemed weird, especially the Pactio one. He activated the book and absorbed the knowledge then looked at Mana Reave. That could be a powerful spell, but the cast time was incredibly long. Still it would be a good opener at least, but he needed 30INT to even read the damn thing! That's when he looked at his stats and he slapped his face with a muffled 'ow' when he realized that he had forgotten to apply his feat from level 4! He had also just eeked enough XP from the boss to level again. So he took a look at his stats and dumped 6 into INT, putting him at 30 now and the rest into CON. Opening the Mana Reave tome, he learned the spell, holding his head at the influx of knowledge before black and green lightning surrounded the book. Huh, weird.
He shook his head before turning to the crystal. He was drawn to it and his hand reached out to touch it. When he did, he felt a wound on his chest, near his heart, appear and he began to bleed. But he did not take damage. His heart pounded and he was unable to think. Where was he? Why was he here….what…? As soon as the feeling started, it ended and the blood disappeared. Izuku frowned, this didn't bode well. Still he shoved the gold and the crystal into his pocket and stood up wobbly as Itsuka approached.
"Anything good?"
Izuku shrugged. "Some spells and stuff, I'll take it . Oh, you can take this."
He handed the currently wet girl the necklace and she raised an eyebrow. "Normally jewelry comes AFTER a date, you know."
Izuku choked and nearly fell down. "Wait no!"
"So I'm not dateable?"
"No you are! I mean…augh."
Itsuka giggled and took the item before equipping it. "Man, you're still such a wreck, we've known each other for almost three months now!"
"That's barely any time!"
"Whatever, tiger." She said, now beaming as she wore the necklace and increased her defenses by 3.
The boy sighed as he looked at his TWO feats, pondering what to take. Well, it wasn't too hard to figure out. He grabbed Point Blank Shot, and Precise Shot.
Point Blank Shot
+1 to hit with ranged and projectile spell attacks when the target is less than 30 feet away.
Precise Shot
+4 to hit with ranged and projectile spell attacks against a target engaged in combat.
He hadn't missed yet with his spells but it would only be a matter of time he assumed. When he was done, he made sure to mentally hit Apply this time before he turned to Itsuka."Ready to head back?"
"Ugh yes, I can still feel the slime."
He just laughed and mentally selected 'Leave Dungeon'.
When they got back, All Might was still there and apparently, no time had passed. Right, spatial distortion, busted overpowered Quirk, et cetera. All three of them decided to not dwell on that. The two told their story to All Might, leaving out the messy climax that left the both of them covered in white stuff.
"So I got two spells and some levels out of the dungeon, not a bad hall. Mana Reave seems like a mana stacking opener or a nuke. The cast time is insane but the Pactio is something classified as a ritual."
All Might told him to elaborate and Izuku recalled what he had read from the description. The Pro Hero nodded, mentally thinking about how it seemed similar to how he was passed One For All, albeit a much smaller boost that wasn't exponential. Itsuka, meanwhile, hummed. Then she turned to him. "Make a pact with me!"
"E-eh?"
"Oh come off it, we're like friends now. So it shouldn't be too hard, right?"
Izuku looked torn before seeing the look on her face and he sighed, he was a sucker for pretty girls. He couldn't say no to that face.
So they stood off to the side and Izuku invoked the spell. Almost immediately, a large magic circle appeared on the ground beneath them, lighting up the evening sky.
Words came from the boy's mouth, older than time itself.
"I, the magister of this pact, humbly ask you, Itsuka Kendo, to become my partner and partake in the sacred contract. My power shall be your power, your strength, my strength."
The circle flared and the girl spoke in turn, words escaping when she didn't even know she was speaking. "I, Itsuka Kendo, accept you as my master. For as long as our goals align, we are joined by the ritual."
"Magicae, rituale, combinatio, participes/magicae, rituale, combinatio, participes!" The two spoke these words at the same time three times and thunder boomed as the universe witnessed the pact.
"So now we need to exchange bodily fluids? You know if you wanted to kiss me, you could have just asked."
"Eh?"
Without warning, she leaned forward and down a bit, as she was still a few inches taller than him, and planted her lips onto his for a few seconds. Like a flashbang, the circle PULSED and the pact was sealed. When the light died down, Izuku was bright red and a triumphant Itsuka was holding a magic card in her hand. It looked like her in a battle pose, but in a teal qipao and large gauntlets the size of hands when transformed attached. It read:
Itsuca Cendo
Spiritus Pugnator
Virtus: Decus
Directio: Felicitas
Artificium: Ver-onustus Caesta
Mentally activating the card, she summoned her artifact, the gauntlets magically appearing as they seemed to almost move on their own, a blue gem near the center of the back of her hand and puffs of steam coming out of the rivets. She looked down and smiled. "Two gifts in one day? You shouldn't have!"
All Might shook his head at the scene. Just when he thought he understood the boy's Quirk, it got weirder and weirder. In the back of his mind, he made a note to call David and fly him over at some point to do some tests on the greenette.
The next couple of months flew by real fast. And it wasn't long before the day the entrance exams would start.
Izuku stood with a staff, overlooking the beach, and he heard a loud roar. He turned his head to see Itsuka atop a mound of garbage. She had truly gone above and beyond. While neither of them had leveled up or gained any stats since the dungeon those months ago, both of their bodies had adjusted quite well enough. She stood at a whopping six feet tall, and looked like she was a roman statue come to life with how her muscles and body had filled out. Izuku himself was about five-foot nine currently, just a bit shorter than her with less muscle but he wasn't the twig he was when he had found Itsuka and All Might.
"Holy freaking supercrap!" Came a loud voice as Toshi9nori walked up to the beach, activating his Quirk, only to vomit blood again.
Itsuka jumped down from the pile of garbage, body just a tad wobbly and Izuku helped her get to her feet. "Don't overdo it again!"
Ituska stuck her tongue out as All Might buffed up again and walked towards him. "You were already pretty strong when I chose you, young Kendo but you really went plus ultra, hahaha!"
The redhead had the nerve to blush before she spoke. "Jeez sensei, it's thanks to you and Izuku here that I was able to overdo it."
"Nonsense! You did all this hard work yourself, don't try and deny that." Izuku replied, looking up at her.
"Young Midoriya is right. There's a big difference between being born lucky, and earning your keep." Toshinori said as he plucked a strand of hair from his head.
"Take this to heart, you earned this power with nothing but guts and hard work. Now…" He said, grinning as he looked at Itsuka.
"Eat this!"
The two would-be students blanched.
End of Chapter Sheets
NameIzuku Midoriya TitleHero AspirantLevel: 6Age14HP: 160/160ClassN/AMP:400/400XP13500/14000Stat ModifierSTR111DEX111CON144INT3020WIS133CHA111LCK100
Feats and Skills:
Staves 5 | Nature Magic 1 | Writing 9 | Studying 10 | Observe 4 |
Tenacity 2 | Magic Tail: Displacement | Point Blank Shot | Precise Shot
Spells:
Mana Reave 1(10-20)+75% of Max Mana | Weak Thorn Spikes (3-6 per spike (max 3)) + Nature Magic Bonus + Int Bonus
Gear:
Simple Staff (8-10)
Out of combat health regen: 4ps
Out of combat mana regen: 15ps
NameItsuka Kendo TitleOne Punch GirlLevel: 8Age14HP: 235/235ClassN/AMP:130/130XP18000/21000Stat ModifierSTR2313DEX122CON199INT122WIS155CHA111LCK166
Feats and Skills:
Unarmed 8 | Dodge 2 | Kiken Style 1 (+1 to unarmed attacks) | Tea Aficionado (+10% healing from tea.) | Quickstep (-10% Mana, dash forward towards an enemy within 30ft.)
Gear:
Bracers of Strength +1
Necklace of Natural Armor +3
Pactio Card
Unarmed (2-4 damage)
Big Fist Unarmed ((2-4)+STR Mod) damage)
Out of combat health regen: 9ps
Out of combat mana regen: 25ps
Chapter 4: Entrance Exam
Day 241, February 26th, 273 ADQ
Izuku jogged his way towards UA Academy, having woken up late. Luckily he didn't have toast in his mouth or he likely would have bumped into someone like in a cliché anime scene. The sprinting caused the cool February air hitting his face and he moved past citizens and civilians on his way. Eventually, he reached his goal and stood upright.
"Alright this is it, Izuku. Time to get your game on."
"Quit talking to yourself, nerd."
A light hand smacked him upside the head and he flinched a bit before turning around, only to groan and roll his eyes at the assailant.
"Do you always have to hit me on the head, Kacchan?"
Katsuki was now the one rolling his eyes, the spiky-haired youth cracking his neck to the side. "Until you learn how to dodge? Yeah, no hurry up or you'll be late."
As his friend walked off with a casual stroll, Izuku contemplated why he was friends with such an asshole but just sighed. He then hyped himself up and rolled his shoulders. His first step into his heroics career, this was going to be great! Unfortunately, Izuku's foot hit the side of a protruding piece of concrete and he started falling. Or he could just die, he said, waiting for the inevitable crush to his face.
A hand however, stopped him from falling, making him choke on his collar from the sudden action.
"You know, usually it's the girl who falls and the guy who catches her."
Izuku hung his head as he recognized the voice. Soon, he was hefted upwards and looked at the owner. It was Itsuka, standing STILL taller than him, and dressed in a windbreaker and jogging pants, her long orange hair tied in a ponytail at the left side of her head.
"My shame is immeasurable, you should have let me fall."
She snorted and let go of his collar. "And ruin your pretty face? Nah. Now hurry up, you know Loudmouth will be pissed if you're late."
Izuku just rubbed his face. Over the past month or so, he had introduced Itsuka to Katsuki and the two got along fairly well. The Bakugo had teased Izuku about finally getting a girlfriend and Izuku protested, much to Itsuka and Katsuki's glee. "Fine, fine. I'll see you there?"
"If we're lucky. No idea how the exam is structured but hey, you can always just summon me with the kissing card if you need my muscles."
"It's not a kissing card!" He sputtered, before turning red as a few heads looked at him, snickering.
"Sure thing, tiger. You and I totally didn't trade spit for magic powers. Anyway, I'm off! Oh, and you still owe me a date!"
With that, she jogged off at a brisk pace, Izuku forcing himself not to look at how her…assets bounced as she did so. Nope, he was not a pervert. Gathering his bearings, he stepped forward again, this time making sure NOT to trip like an idiot.
"Hellooooooo listeners, and welcome to today's live performance. Can I get a 'HEY!'?" A loud voice literally BOOMED across the auditorium.
The response was less than enthusiastic, only a few cricket chirps could be heard.
The yeller coughed to himself before continuing. "Well, that's cool, my listeners! I am here to present to you the guidelines of your practical exam, are you all ready?! Yeah!!"
More awkward silence followed, a cough could be heard in the corner of the area.
"Oh wow, it's Present Mic, I listen to his radio station everyday! I wasn't aware he was a teacher here at UA!" Izuku muttered to himself, before he started rambling.
Katsuki, who was conveniently sitting next to him, just rolled his eyes and chose not to focus on his friend's fanboying.
"Anyway, this is how the test is going to go!"
The pro hero listed out the objectives of the exam. A mock cityscape was erected nearby, and they were allowed to bring whatever tools they wanted, but they would be unable to team up with kids they knew from middle school, that way it was randomized. So no Dynamic Duo antics from Katsuki and Izuku.
"Each site is filled with three types of fake villains, disable them to earn points! Attacking other students is prohibited and will result in a loss of points!"
"Excuse me, may I ask a question?!" A stern voice called out before continuing. "There are no less than four villains in the data sheet here! An error of this caliber is unbefitting of the topo academy in Japan! And you, curly-hair!"
The boy's gaze sharpened and turned to Izuku.
"Stop muttering, if this is a game to you then leave immediately!"
Izuku's response was a sound middle finger, causing the boy to cough and sputter while Bakugo just started laughing.
"Calm down everyone! You are right, Examinee 7111! But the fourth villain gets you no points at all, more of an obstacle really! Kinda like a Thwomp in Super Mario. There's only one in each sight, a gimmick if you will. So avoid it if you can!" Present Mic explained as he adjusted his glasses.
"Well that's all for me, little listeners. I shall leave you with the school motto! As Napoleon Bonaparte once said, 'True Heroism consists of being superior to the ills of life.' In other words, Plus Ultra! Break a leg, everyone!"
Soon enough, everyone had filtered out to the exam area, and it was much larger than they would have expected. Had Izuku not been training and grinding the past ten months he would have been nervous. Now though, he was just amped up.
No sooner had he got his bearings than did he hear Present Mic announce the start of the exam, and Izuku and a few mothers burst forward. Much to everyone's surprise.
"What are you waiting for? There's no green light in real life! Go go go!" Present Mic boomed with his Quirk.
As soon as Izuku entered the gates, he received a prompt.
You have been given the quest, "Go Beyond!"
Objectives:
Gain at least 50 villain points
Bonus Objectives:
???
Rewards:
1000xp
Access to inventory
Random Familiar
Bonus Rewards:
???
Penalty for Failure: Death
Well that certainly wasn't mortifying. Still, he was fairly certain he could pull it off, pulling his staff off his back and jumping at a one pointer in his way. With great accuracy, he jumped high and slammed the butt of his weapon into the robot's eye, frying its insides from the inside and gaining one point. A wicked grin spread across his face, this was going to be easy.
He ran through the zone, occasionally helping out people who were stuck or weren't looking beyond them. He was going to be a hero after all, so Izuku just did what was natural and helped, much to the chagrin of some arrogant pricks. A few minutes later, and almost near the first part of his quest, he saw some guy with purple hair and eye bags look around the zone with a frown on his face. Izuku dropped by the other guy and used Observe.
Hitoshi Shinso
Title: Sleepwalker
Level 5
Age: 15
The now named Hitoshi saw Izuku's stare and frowned. "My Quirk doesn't work on these damn bots."
Izuku nodded, having expected that. Emitters and physical Quirks were the best against robots, it was a bit biased. "Well, there's a shut off button on the left leg of most of the robots, so try and aim for those if you need points."
"Why are you helping me?"
Izuku tilted his head. "Isn't that what heroes do?"
Then, he was off to gain more points for his Quest.
Meanwhile, various teachers were watching the students form a hidden booth, looking over the prospects.
"A wide battlefield combined with a time limit, huh? It should bring out the best in them."
"Those who can assess situations, to gather intelligence. Mobility experts, decision makers and natural-born warriors. These abilities and more are needed to preserve peace in our cities."
A small creature sipped tea giddily as he watched one student, almost spilling his drink. "Quite the bumper crop, yes? But still, this should tell us more."
Placing his tea down, he pressed a paw down on a switch labeled "Yaruki" and a loud boom could be heard across the battlefield.
Everyone stopped to look up, a zero pointer had appeared, visible to every zone due to its giant size. Many tried running, but Izuku just stared at it definitely. His legs couldn't move and the logical part of his brain wanted to run, but despite all this, logic went out of the way when he saw a pink-skinned girl with…horns, trapped beneath some rubble. He ran and slid next to her.
"Are you okay, can you move?"
The girl just shook her head. "Sorry, I can't. Used up too much of my Quirk and my acid levels are low."
Izuku frowned and stared at the looming monster. There was no way he could fight that thing, and he had already completed his quest. And yet, what kind of hero did he want to be? One that would run from a strong villain? No, he was going to be the best.
'Izuku, what are you doing…?' Itsuka's voice came out from their mental Pactio connection as she sensed his danger.
'What I have to.'
Izuku closed his eyes to sever the connection for now and used Observe.
YARUKI ZERO-POINTER
Title: N/A
Level ???
He couldn't even see its level but that didn't deter him. Izuku had one spell that could work and he judged the distance. It would be close, but he had to make it count. Izuku closed his eyes and opened his mind's eye to cast.
"Blackness beyond twilight, viridian beyond forests that grow. Buried in the stream of time is where your power grows."
Black and green energy swirled around Izuku like an aura as the wind as he unknowingly called upon the power of Fumeiyoshi.
"I pledge myself to conquer all the foes who stand, before the mighty gift bestowed in my unworthy hand. Let the fools who stand before me be destroyed by the power you and I possess!"
Izuku threw his hands forward as a crackling orb formed in palms. Then in an instant, it shot forward. Black and green energy surged forward like a missile and streaked the zero pointer. Still it kept moving forward even from the massive power.
"Need more…more…power!" Izuku growled to himself as he pumped more mana into the attack. Unbeknownst to him, he unconsciously started to draw ambient mana from the air.
In the booths, Nezu cheered as several smiles grinned at the act before them on the screen. The biggest of which was All Might's, who was in his skinny form.
"Young Midoriya, you…"
With a final guttural roar, Izuku unleashed a pulse of mana so deep it felt like his body would explode and the roots of his hair began to turn white from the sheer pain of mana overloading. Then, with a final mechanical creak, the zero pointer exploded into chunks of metal and fell to the ground. Luckily, the area was clear behind it by now so no one was hurt. Well no one except Izuku, who looked dead on his feet, eyes unfocused before he fell to the ground unconscious.
Congratulations, you have completed the quest, "Go Beyond". You defeated enough robots to gain access to the UA Hero Course! You have completed the bonus objective and defeated a zero pointer. You have received 1000xp, access to inventory and a familiar is now capable of being summoned. You have received the bonus reward of +500 relationship points with Principal Nezu and +1 Level. Due to your actions you have unlocked the tree for Essence of Magi.
You are now Level 8, you have 10 unspent talent points.
Your relationship level with Principal Nezu has changed from Neutral(0) to Intrigued(500).
Know this: Drawing on raw mana is a technique that has been lost to time. You are on the first step to unlocking the hidden ability, Cultivation.
Be warned, the more you grow in power, the more denizens of other planes will seek you to end your life before you become too powerful. Tapping into the dark lord's, Fumeiyoshi's, power without any safeguards has changed you. Only time will tell how this mark on your soul will affect you.
Chapter 5: Progression
Day 242, February 27th, 273 ADQ
When Izuku woke up, he was in the UA infirmary. He looked around groggily as he hissed suddenly at the pain, biting back a hiss. Well this was a pin in the ass. Sighing, he figured that for now he'd just look into his prompts. He quickly opened his state page and allocated points. It was better to be well-wounded rather than solo focusing on a single stat, so he put 4 points each into STR and DEX, and the final two into CON. Putting him at 15, 15 and 16 respectively. He furrowed his brow as apparently the principal of UA was now Intrigued by him, and that set him off a bit. Still, Nezu was a hero so it couldn't be all that bad. His eyes hovered over the word Cultivation and he hummed, he'd have to look into that later, whatever it was. Next were the warnings, making him freeze in place. He had tapped into a dark lord's power but when…ah, the Mana Reave, he must have accessed some otherworldly power to save that pink girl. Well, he was going to be strong so what's a few demons anyway? He said to himself, mostly to cope with the fact he might have invited demons or some other things to enter the world. He would just have to focus on getting stronger is all. Next was the inventory. He mentally called out the name and a window with 24 empty slots could be seen. One of those was taken up by a small box, and he hovered over it.
You have found Small Etheric Salamander.
Would you like to summon your familiar? Note: Only those with a high affinity in mana or who are in your party can see your familiar.
Yes or No?
The greenette clicked yes in his head and as soon as he did, he felt a stinging sensation in his very soul. The pain lasted for a second or two before it faded and a red light emerged from out of him. Soon it took the shape of a red lizard with red and black scales, the size of a small housecat. It also had small wing-like protrusions on its head. The familiar looked up at him and tilted its head. Immediately, Izuku felt his brain get stuffed with information as another prompt appeared.
Etheric Salamander
Level: 1
Name: Unnamed
Etheric Salamanders are a baby-stage familiar that grow in power as their masters do. Denizens of the Ethereal Plane, they are adept at mental attacks as well as fire-magic.
Abilities:
Psychic Cry I (Unlocked at Level 1): Deals 10-15 mental damage in a small cone, 5% chance to stun targets.
Mental Bond I (Unlocked at Level 1): Allows communication between master and familiar.
Drain Energy I(Unlocked at Level 5)
Reigappei (Unlocked at Level 10)
Izuku blinked at the info before nodding and reached to pet his new familiar. Only for said familiar to nip his hand before skittering around and grabbing a sliced apple on the nightstand next to him.
"Ow! What the fuck?!" He glared at the lizardling who just looked at him.
'Hungry.' A female voice came into his head and he blinked again.
Of course his familiar was female, just what he needed. Teenage boy attitude he sighed and just watched his new familiar eat the apple messily, spraying juice all; over before it attacked another slice. Soon enough, it ate the entire plate before it hopped onto his stomach with a light weight and curled up much like a cat, hell it was even purring.
"Now, what to name you…? Almighty?"
The salamander hissed as she opened her eyes. Okay, scratch that. No fanboy names. Izuku thought about it. Salamanders were related to fire right? Even if his familiar was based around mental attacks she was still a salamander, so he finally found a name.
"Alright, how about…Igna?"
She simply purred louder, showing she was content with the name. Izuku reached down to pet her neck carefully this time and she preened at the attention. Well, he had always wanted a pet anyway. Soon a knock came at the door and an old lady, who Izuku recognized as Recovery Girl, walked in.
"Ah finally awake, dearie? Well you should be all set, you had a nasty case of Quirk overuse but you seem to have healed rather nicely all things considered."
Izuku nodded as Recovery Girl took out some gummy bears and handed them to the boy.
You have received Healing Gummies x5. Heals 50 points of HP and Stamina over 5 seconds.
Sweet, an actual healing item, he wondered if he could reverse engineer these somehow. His musings were cut short when she dismissed him and he left the bed. Igna let out a squawk as she was dislodged, but Izuku saw that Recovery Girl had not heard anything, so he was glad. His familiar skidded up his body and laid on his shoulder as he stepped outside. It would take a week for the news about his exam results to come in and he had some grinding to do.
Making his way out of the infirmary and out of UA for now, he eventually made his way home. It didn't take long before he was at the apartment complex he and his mother lived in before he spotted a portal near the building. He grinned and went towards it as he looked at the portal's name.
Apocalyptic Wastes
Level 5 Dungeon
Will reset in two weeks.
He grinned and walked into the portal, eager to grind some levels.
When he exited the portal he saw he was in the same place. Or rather something similar. The key difference was many of the apartments were destroyed. Well that and the myriad of zombies shuffling over the place.
One with a sword rushed towards him and he smacked it upside the head with his staff before his familiar hopped off
his shoulder with surprising agility before blasting it with her Psychic Cry, finishing it off. The warmth of XP entered the both of them and Izuku saw that he had gained 200XP for the kill. Looking over the walking dead, he counted at least 40 if not more and a smile crossed his features, a shadow falling on his eyes and covering them if you could see it.
"You ready girl?" Izuku asked his familiar before he picked up the sword and brandished it.
Igna just gave a small, almost cute roar as she hopped up back onto his shoulder. This was going to be fun. With his new weapon held high, he stashed his staff into his new inventory and got to work.
A good two or so hours later Izuku, covered in zombie bits and blood, stood victorious. He debated entering the boss arena but decided against it. He had used three of his four gummies and only had two left. The best news however, was that with killing the zombies by himself he didn't need to share experience and now he was Level 10. So, Izuku looked at his prompts.
You have reached levels 9 and 10. Congratulations, you have unlocked the Class System!
You have reached levels 1-6 in Swords, +6% damage with swords.
Your have reached levels 2-5 in Nature Magic! +5% damage with Nature spells!
Your familiar has reached levels 2-5. Your familiar has unlocked the ability:
Drain Energy: Slowly consumes the mental and physical energy of a target. If a target dies under this effect, you and your familiar gain 5% of their accumulated experience of the slain enemy.
This was certainly a game changer, now he could personally power level so long as the enemy was close to dying! And experience wasn't the only thing he had found, he also grabbed a few new items as well.
You have found:
Ring of Health
Weight: 0.1lbs.
Craftsmanship: Average
Rarity: Uncommon
Adds +30 to your total HP pool.
Militia Wakizashi
Weight: 1.9lbs
Craftsmanship: Average
Rarity: Common
Durability: 90/120
16-24 Slashing Damage
Total coins: 2g10s3c
It wasn't much but it did seem like he'd need the coins for something. Luckily his inventory auto-sorted coins by itself so he had no need to manually go through everything. He quickly discarded the rusted sword he had grabbed from the first zombie and replaced it with the one-sided blade as well as equipping his new ring. Then, he put 5 points into CON and 5 into INT. Only three things left to take a look at and he could do that at home. Izuku left the dungeon for now, he could clear it later. Now outside, he took a quick dip into the nearby river to get rid of any blood and guts before walking back and up the stairs to greet his mother.
After speaking an abridged story about his exams (he had left out burning himself dry of mana), they ate dinner as usual before he headed out to his room. Once there, he opened the feats window of his status page and looked through the various kinds. What he really needed was defense, and he saw something that looked neat.
Draconic Aspect (Kobold)
Your scales take on the color and minor resistance like that of a chromatic dragon. Choose a type and gain 5 resistance to that energy type.
He wasn't sure what would happen if he took this, he hadn't gained fur when he chose the Kitsune feat but that was magical in nature, but trial by fire, he guessed. Thanks to being the holder of his Quirk he could ignore racial prerequisites. Mentally he clicked it and chose Red, not too long after soon parts of his upper arms and chest began to burn and he crouched over against his bed and ripped off his shirt. Igna, who had been sleeping at the foot of his bed looked up in concern.
About ten seconds later Izuku felt the pain go away and he looked at himself in shock. Red, shiny scales were now placed on his chest between his pectorals and a large patch was on each of his upper arms, in the size of his hand with some spreading outward slightly. He poked one and found it warm to the touch. He blinked and gathered his bearings as he looked at his familiar. She just gave a happy yip of approval before going back to nap.
Despite being named a salamander she was almost more like a small Komodo dragon if you ignored the wing-like protrusions on her brow. Apparently she liked that her new master had scales just like her. Izuku rolled his eyes at the lazy beast before sitting down in a lotus position and focusing on the Essence of Magi, which appeared as a small sigil near the corner of his screen. Opening it brought up what looked like a variety of stars, ten forming the shape of a staff almost (think Skyrim perks). All the stars were dull and grey save one at the very top.
Essence of the Magi, Dao (Beginner)
All great sorcerers and wizards start somewhere. Hone your body and spirit, and make use of knowledge to progress this Essence.
Current Level: 1/10
Effects: Increased Mana Flow, +1 WIS, +1 INT per level.
Progress: 0/100%
Dao, huh? He recalled hearing something like that on the internet, something about meditation, harmony and focusing your inner spirit. It had sounded hogwash to him when he was younger, but if this was possible….then he could rapidly increase INT and WIS every time he leveled up! Still, he had a feeling it was difficult to increase given the vagueness of the description. If he had unlocked this by overpowering his Mana Reave, then he probably could progress it by doing the same thing, albeit slower so as to not overexert himself.
Next he went on to Class, which was now selectable.
You have not selected a Class yet.
Calculating best choice by skills, feats, and essences…
…
…
Class found: Bladetracer (Rare)
A mage skilled with both magic and weaponry. They are capable of high burst damage and some support.
Roles: Frontliner, shocktrooper, vanguard.
By choosing this class you will learn the following:
Class Ability: Reinforce: Strengthen the atomic bonds of physical materials, adding +1 to final weapon damage per level of this skill, or +10 durability to other items.
Blacksmithing Level 1: Basic knowledge of metallurgy, forging, and smelting. 1% increased creation speed of metallic items.
Imbue 1: Imbue a chosen weapon or material with a spell, the weapon's damage will change itself from physical, to the element of the spell chosen. Mana Cost: 100. Duration: 1 hour per level of this skill.
Would you like to choose this class?
Yes or No
Izuku hummed to himself as he looked over the class. Well he WAS using magic and he had used a sword just fine against the zombies. He only mulled over it for another two minutes before selecting it. A rush of knowledge made his head throb and suddenly, he knew. Basic sword forms etched itself into his mind, and the knowledge of metals and forges soon joined as well as how to reinforce and imbue. Minutes later, sweat dripping down his face, he slowly stood back up and sat on his bed.
He looked at his sheet in full now.
NameIzuku MidoriyaRace: Human (F) TitleHero AspirantLevel: 10Age15HP: 295/295ClassBladetracerMP:505/505XP24500/25666Stat ModifierSTR155DEX155CON2111INT3727WIS155CHA111LCK100 Feats and Skills:
Staves 5 | Nature Magic 5 | Writing 10 | Studying 10 | Observe 5 | Tenacity 3 | Blacksmithing 1 | Swords 6
Point Blank Shot | Precise Shot | Magical Tail: Displacement | Draconic Aspect (Kobold)
Dao:
Essence of Magi (Beginner): Increased Mana Flow, +1 WIS, +1 INT per level.
Spells:
Mana Reave 1(10-20)+75% of Max Mana | Weak Thorn Spikes (3-6 per spike (max 3)) + Nature Magic Bonus + Int Bonus | Imbue 1 | Reinforce 1
Gear:
Militia Wakizashi (16-24)
Ring of Health: +30 to max HP pool
Ring of Shining Light
Out of combat health regen: 11ps
Out of combat mana regen: 25ps
After looking satisfied, he laid his head down and let sleep take him.
The next few days passed by and soon, his mother had checked the mail, one letter addressed to him.
"The letter, Izuku! It's here!"
Indeed, the wax seal of UA was stamped on it and he snatched it before running to his room. Almost immediately, he ripped open the envelope and a hologram disk dropped onto Izuku's desk.
"I am here as a projection, hahaha!"
Izuku choked on air as he watched All Might in some cheesy yellow striped suit appear in the air. "Wait what? I thought this was from UA?"
As if answering his question, the holovid continued."It's been awhile and there is a lot to talk about and…oh right sorry! I am only in town for one reason. I am here to teach at UA."
All Might looked to the side as the camera crew urged him to continue on. "Get to the point? Ugh fine, lousy media…anyway. You passed the written portion with ease! You're a smart one, as for the practical you managed to score fifty points, which is enough to pass right in the middle. However, that's not the end of the story, boy!"
Izuku perked up at the next words.
"Allow me to entertain you, and watch the screen."
The scene switched and it showed Izuku helping Hitoshi, and a few others, then another scene started to play.
"Hey uh teach, that broccoli-haired kid who shot the laser? Could you maybe give him some of my points? I don't know how many points he got but he spent a good minute or so wasting time saving me!" A bubbly voice called out.
"Oh, the pink girl!"
Present Mic was shown, who looked at the girl before laughing. "Ha, don't worry about it., listener, he'll be okay."
"As you can see, your actions have inspired others and you even saved that girl from an enemy you could have easily run from! And well, we'd be a pretty piss poor academy if we only graded on combat skills! ANyone with a gun can take down robots, but it takes a true hero to persevere in the face of adversity! Hidden rescue points were also a factor, you see! 75 go to you, Young Midoriya, and while we are at it, 40 points for Mina Ashido! This brings your points to a whopping 125, putting you in first place and just under my own score when I was your age, 140! You have passed!"
All Might held out his hand as if he was handing something to the green boy who let a wide, childish grin spread across his face. "Welcome, to your Hero Academia!"
Unknown Location, Mustafu
Night settled and all was calm. Save for the subtle cracks in reality as seven shadowy figures that escaped. They melded in the dark of the night as they searched for hosts, feeding off of resentment and jealousy of anyone in the vicinity before possessing them and destroying their soul. They had only one objective.
To kill the Pathfinder before it got too strong.