Chapter 9
It was July 30th, Sunday. The day after we got the money back and I spent a bunch of it on supplies.
Since summer vacation had started, we had to switch up our training schedule. Tsuyu had to spend more time with her siblings. So Mom had stepped up and watched them three days a week while Tsu and I trained. And, at least for the past two weeks, I had taken the three Asui siblings out one day each week. First to an amusement park, and once to a water park.
As Sunday, it was one of our normal training days. We were done, so now we were working on our summer homework. Mom was cooking dinner. And the kids were playing Mario Party Delta on my Nintendo Destiny.
At least we told the kids that. They didn't seem to realize that being from different schools, our assignments would be different. In reality, we were looking at Tsuyu's menu, invisible to anyone not in my party.
See, when we were training today, Tsuyu had reached fifty in Agility. The three bonus talents had been an easy choice. One offered 10 levels and a limit break for 'Ballroom Dancing'. The second was the same, except for 'Acrobatics'; a bit more useful. The third Talent was 'Free Runner', so she selected that. Which, in turn, put her over fifty in Quickness, bringing up another option window. This one was much less obvious, so she let it sit there until we could rest and talk about it.
[Congratulations!
Quickness has reached 'Peak Human' tier. Please select a bonus Talent.
Tongue Cannon
Makes your 'Prehensile Tongue' faster.
Sidestep
Makes your 'Dodge' faster.
Speed Strike
Special attack when moving quickly.]
When I Analyzed the Talents, the first two were the same, except for the Skills they changed. In both cases, they changed the skill from a pure Agility skill, to a hybrid Agility/Quickness skill, and also limit broke the skill. Speed Strike had a cost of 5 Stamina per attack, but increased the power of a punch or kick if you were moving faster than 25 KPH.
"I don't know about this last one," Tsuyu admitted softly, "It has a good bonus for the cost. But even though I can run faster than 25 KPH, I would have to gain some distance and accelerate to meet that speed. Realistically, I could only use it once or twice a battle."
"Maybe not," I whispered back, "After all, it only says you need to be moving at that speed, not running. I don't know what your top speed is for a single jump, but if it is over 25, then this might be a good attack for you..."
"Hmm, maybe," Tsu mused, "But I don't want to pick it, only to find out my jumps are too slow and it will take me forever to make them fast enough."
"I think you should buy the dodge power," Mom offered, bringing dishes over to the table. I set down my pencil and started distributing the bowls. Plates would have to wait until Tsu and I put our books away.
"You just say that because you want us to stay safe," my friend immediately pointed out, though she did not sound upset by the fact.
"That is part of it," Mom admitted wistfully, "Maybe even most of it. But the fact is, as Heroes, you won't be able to help anyone else, if you are hurt yourself."
Mom considered for a minute and then added, "And I don't really understand why 'Dodge' is not tied to Quickness to begin with."
"If you are too fast," I explained, "You might move too far. Or lose control and hurt yourself. Speed is important, but flexibility and control are more important."
Then I smiled sheepishly, "And from a design perspective, just tying Dodge to both Agility and Quickness might be overpowered, but spending a Talent to get that, isn't?"
"This isn't a game," Tsuyu pointed out.
"Tell that to my power," my smiled grew slightly
"Well, I was leaning toward 'Tongue Cannon'," my friend continued, "but now I'm back on the fence."
"Your tongue is one of your biggest advantages," I said thoughtfully, "I can see why you would take any chance to make it better."
"What would you do, Izuku?" Tsuyu asked me.
"Honestly?" I said, "I would probably flip a coin between 'Tongue Cannon' and 'Speed Strike'. 'Speed Strike' is the most powerful of the three, but you are right about the drawbacks, especially if there is a chance you can't jump fast enough or jumping didn't work with it. But having your tongue be faster and being able to go past 100 in the skill is almost too good to pass up."
"I'd research my jump speed," Tsu said, "But I'm not sure if there is any sort of limit on the selection. It has been almost two hours, but what if after four hours it just picks for me? So I'm going to go with 'Tongue Cannon', and I can maybe get the other ones later."
She tapped the top panel. And then she looked at me firmly.
"What about you, Izuku?" Tru prompted, "You have two Talent points now, right? Don't you think you should spend at least one of them?"
"I want to," I said, "But I also worry that I might miss out on something better. Or there might be a time when I suddenly could need a Talent I didn't buy, and now I can't..."
"You are stilling thinking about the storm," Mom noted, bringing the salad bowl over. Today she was making a more western style meal; wolf steaks, fresh bread, and a light salad with tomatoes and strawberries.
"Yes," I agreed, even more softly than our current whispers.
"Then why don't you get 'Ki Apprentice'," Mom suggested, "So you have Ki Healing?"
"What if I encounter a situation where Ki healing isn't enough?" I countered.
"In that case, Psychic healing wouldn't serve you any better," Mom reminded me.
"Why not?" Tsuyu asked, "You never told me what the difference is."
"Ki healing is basically like natural healing," I said, "Only a little better and a lot faster. For example, if someone had taken a hit that damaged their lung, Ki healing could restore it, because lungs can regenerate under the right circumstances. But if your whole lung had been removed, there is nothing Ki healing could do about it. Psychic healing could, though. It can heal pretty much anything, if the patient is alive. The counter is Psychic healing is hard. It takes six Talents to even unlock the Psi-biology tree. And then, like a doctor, you have to know what you are doing. Plus it takes a lot more Energy, from what Talents and Skills I can see right now. Ki healing only takes two Talents, and takes less Energy. And you don't have to know what you are doing. At least not from a medical or biological standpoint. You just send your Ki into the target with the intention of healing, and the target's own cells and Ki do the rest."
"It sounds like it would be good to have both," Tsuyu said.
"It would be nice," I agreed, "but to have both types at a reasonable level would take a lot of Talents. And Skill levels."
"And in an emergency," Mom pointed out, "Buying a Psychic healing power is going to be less useful than a Ki one. Improving an existing one is another matter, but you are not there yet, Izuku."
"Hmm," the frog girl considered, then said, "Well personally, I was going to suggest you take Tactile Telekinesis."
"Why is that?" Mom asked her.
"Because, when we apply for UA, we have to tell them what our Quirk is," Tsuyu answered, "And Izuku could list Tactile TK as his Quirk."
Then she turned and addressed me, "That would cover most of your powers. Ki Reinforcement is only slightly different than Telekinetic Aura, right? If you don't get hurt because of Gamer's Body, it could just be attributed to your TK defenses."
"If I accidentally use regular Telekinesis," I continued her train of thought, "I could just say that my power is growing or something. Even Ki Projection, in its current state, would be like me forcing a burst of air away from me."
"It will get you closer to Psi-biology. Since you have to have either that or Microkinesis, right?" Mom reminded me and maybe explained to Tsuyu. Tsu hadn't known about The Gamer as long, and with our training schedule it was harder to just sit down and talk about powers; hers, mine, or others.
"And if you do it now, that will give you around seven months to practice it for the exam," Tsuyu said, "And decide on names."
"There is that," I agreed.
"I don't know why you two are so fixed on naming your moves," Mom sighed.
"There's a bunch of reasons to name your attacks," I said, and they told me later my eyes started twinkling, "Names act as a mnemonic device, conditioning our minds to perform the move, making it easier. It also can serve like a kiai, helping to distract an opponent and regulate breathing. And if you become famous and your moves are well known, you can call one move and use another to catch your opponent off guard. That one is a bit harder given the mnemonic conditioning part. Plus you can't do it too often, or the Villains could get wise to it."
"It's also for branding," Tsuyu added, "Think about how much more you pay for an All Might doll..."
"Action figure," I interjected.
"... that says 'Texas Smash'," my friend ignored me, "when you push the button to make it punch."
"That makes sense," Mom relented. Then she looked at me, "What are you going to do, Izuku?"
"I guess I will still have one left if I need 'Ki Apprentice'," I murmured, "and it would be good to get used to those powers... Okay."
I flipped over to the Talent screen, and scrolled down to the Telekinesis tree. Mom and Tsuyu both watched as my finger hovered over the button. I thought I had decided, but it wasn't an easy thing.
"Is it time to eat yet?"
I flinched forward as Satsuki's voice called out right next to my ear.
[Talent 'Tactile Telekinesis' acquired.
Overall Psionic Rank: 2
Overall Telekinetic Rank: 2
Skill 'Telekinetic Armor' available.
Skill 'Telekinetic Aura' available.
Skill 'Tactile Telekinesis' available.]
'I'm going to have to stop doing that,' I told myself.
The next few months seemed to go by very quickly. Especially after summer vacation ended.
We settled into a new routine. Instead of going to Endoru on Monday through Saturday; Tsu, Mom, and I went into Dungeons. It saved Tsuyu and I the bus trip out to the park, and was shorter for her going to pick up her brother and sister, so we had more time. We still went to the park on Sundays in September and October, but by November it was getting a bit cold for Tsuyu. Then we switched to a Dungeon on that day, too. But I removed Mom from the party first, we always used the Pencil of Solitude, and I invited Mom again as soon as I saw her. That was how I was able to confirm that Party Invite only worked on line of sight. I pondered if one of the hidden menu tabs was a friend list, but nothing happened, so I guess there wasn't an easy way to add people to my party remotely...
When I say Dungeons, they were all pencils. My mom bought a giant pack of cheap, plastic pencils, and every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, the three of us cleared one of them. The enemies and environments varied, and the monsters were a lot weaker and the drops a lot lower than the Pencil Of Solitude. We still won between 100 and 150 thousand yen in each Dungeon, but monster drops and meat were rare, and we didn't get anything else.
We had tried going into one of my weight sets, once...
We found ourselves at the edge of a castle courtyard.
[Dungeon Entry - Training Weights
Mooks: 58/58
Mid-boss: 1/1 (unspawned)
Boss: 1/1 (unspawned)]
We were mostly hidden behind a crumbling wall. Which was good, because in the middle of the broad, flat courtyard there were seven lizardmen. Each was at least two meters tall, and wore a metal breastplate. Each had a scimitar in their right hand and a flintlock pistol in their left.
"Analyze," I whispered.
[Weight Reptilian
Way above your weight-class.
Level: 21
Health: 347/347
Stamina 273/273]
I scanned the second one, just in case. Then I quickly hissed, "Exit Dungeon."
Mom and Tsuyu were both nodding vigorously as we vanished back to reality.
We decided we might try again, later. Like when Tsuyu and I were both at least level 25.
Even though they were weak, the various types of pencil enemies were still useful. Kobolds and goblins fought stupidly, except the bosses, just charging and directly attacking, and usually getting confused when Mom or Tsuyu took their weapons. Orcs were a bit smarter, and had some technique. Wolves, slimes, lizards, spiders, and bats were not intelligent, but posed their own interesting challenges.
On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, we went into the pencil I got for my birthday. It remained empty, but the pleasant internal weather and variety of terrain made it good for the sort of training we had been doing in Endoru. Mom and I bought a cheap table, chairs, and bookshelf, and we moved them inside via Inventory. Once in the dungeon, the furniture didn't move or vanish. We steadily built it up into kind of a hidden base, and I started referring to it as our Pencil of Solitude.
We couldn't bring ourselves to eat the orc meat, so we sold it to a butcher as scrap to make dog food. But the wolf and lizard meats were both delicious and unique, while the bat meat tasted like high grade turkey.
With the weaker enemies, Tsu and I had each only gained one more level, but our Skills and Attributes continued to go up at a reasonable pace. And I still hadn't beat Mizuno-san in the exams rankings, but I was firmly entrenched in second place at Aldera.
So the end of the year approached, and with it the customary festivities.
"You seriously bought my siblings each their own Destiny," Tsuyu said flatly, looking at me in disbelief, "Are you trying to bribe them to like you?"
"Maybe a bit, with your brother," I admitted, "But actually, those are also partly for you and Mom. You mentioned that they complained about not having games after they started coming here. And if they each have their own, Mom won't have to put up with them arguing over what game they play on mine."
"And the truth comes out," Tsuyu looked at me, "You are just sick of them messing with your save games and settings."
"I can't deny that, either," I dropped my head in defeat. Then I looked up at her sideways, "But it is Christmas."
"You never really struck me as Christian," Tsu noted.
"Mom and I aren't," I told her, "But my grandma was, so I got used to celebrating it."
"Well, it's too late now," she relented, "if I made them give them back, I'd be the bad guy."
"Does that mean you don't want the present I got you?" I asked nervously.
"I never said that," she told me quickly. Relieved, I handed her the box before she could change her mind. She meticulously removed the paper and then opened it.
It was a silver chain charm bracelet. There were five silver charms on it, a large frog with synthetic emerald chips for eyes, a smaller frog, a small salamander, a bear, and a squirrel.
"Me, my siblings, your mom, and you?" she prompted.
I nodded vigorously, "I was looking for a charm for the other friend you mentioned, but I couldn't find a mongoose."
"Actually, that's just her name," Tsuyu told me, "She looks somewhat like a snake, and her Quirk lets her stop someone for a few seconds."
"Oh," I blinked at the irony, "Well, maybe I can find one for your birthday."
"Thank you, Izuku," she said, buckling it on.
"You're welcome, Tsu-chan."
I thought we might be done, but then she opened her backpack and took out a clumsily wrapped gift.
"For me?" I asked. She blushed slightly, and nodded.
It was a soft package, and inside was a t-shirt. It had a stylized picture of All Might, in a suit jacket with an upturned collar and a tie with broad diagonal stripes. Next to the picture was the caption, 'No matter where you go, I AM HERE!'.
"I've never seen you wear that one, so I thought you probably didn't have it," she explained, "It's supposedly a reference to some old movie."
"It's great, Tsu-chan," I told her, "And no, I haven't seen this one before. Thank you."
I hugged her, and she quickly returned it.
"Izuku, honey," Mom said tentatively, "There is something I want to talk to you about."
It was New Year's Day, just after our shrine visit. We had met the Bakugous there, but Tsu and her mother and siblings went to a different shrine. Their mom was only in town for a day, so they were spending it with her.
"Sure, Mom," I tried to sound upbeat and confident for her, "What is it?"
She closed the door behind me, and walked into the living area of our apartment's main room. She sat down, and I sat opposite her.
"It's a couple of things, but they are also sort of the same," she danced around the subject. I just nodded silently, not pressing her. Trying not to show nerves and silently praising Gamer's Mind. Still, I considered looking for an acting or poker face skill to help out.
[Intuition +1, Charisma +1]
Thanks.
"It's just... I was thinking, if we started to go into a new pencil every day, maybe two sometimes, or maybe even something harder, we might be able to make enough money to support ourselves."
She didn't look at me as she said that. She felt guilty enough about the money we had made off the Dungeons, of making money off her son's power. She was still a bit dubious of it. And also afraid what might happen if the government or a Villain found out. So the suggestion was a bit of a surprise.
"Are we having money trouble, Mom?" I asked carefully, but inside I was both panicking and calculating how much money we could make off a ten-pack of mechanical pencils. Ninety thousand was the lowest...
"No," she shook her head quickly, "Your father actually got a good bonus and a raise. But I have just been thinking, if he and I were to get a divorce..."
"Do you want a divorce, Mom?" I suddenly realized where this was going.
"Your father and I agreed not to discuss it until you were at least in high school," she said, "We would stay together until then for you. So you would have stability, considering..."
"Considering I didn't have a Quirk," I finished.
"And I didn't want to have to go back to work, I wanted to be there for you," she said, "And if I'm being honest, I was afraid. Afraid of being truly, finally alone. Afraid I wouldn't be able to support us."
Then she looked at me intently, and added, "Not that I intend for us to live off your power. I have been taking classes in design and materials, and brushing up on my sewing and math. I have put out some designs, and there's been some interest. I also have some costume ideas for you and Tsuyu, not that you'd probably be interested in them when UA has some of the top designers... Anyway, my point is that I potentially have a job lined up, and I was just thinking of using Dungeons as a supplement while I'm starting out, or in case things go wrong..."
"Mom," I cut her off, seeing again where I got it from, "I don't mind if we live off The Gamer. I don't mind if you go back to work. And if you want to make your separation from dad into a full divorce, I'll support you all the way. Also, I'd like it a lot if you designed my Hero costume."
Then I thought about it, and said conspiratorially, "In fact..."
"I'm still not sure about this," Mom said softly, "These are still just prototypes, made of normal materials. And remember what the weights were like? This book might be worse."
"I don't know," Tsuyu countered, "The weights were a lower quality than the Pencil of Solitude, and yet the pencil was much easier. It seems like there is more than just quality and rank involved."
I nodded, "We'll check it out, Mom. And if it is dangerous, we will retreat. Same as before."
Mom had put together test versions of the costume designs she had worked out with the two of us. They were made out of normal lycra and cotton, but if we liked the design and the fit was good, we could turn them over to UA to be remade from armored fabrics and with some gadgets added.
To make sure we didn't damage them in this test, we had also cleared the Dungeons for the prototype costumes. They were about the same as the Pencil of Solitude in terms of challenge, except we were stronger now. My costume had been populated by skeletons, and Tsu's was full of goblins and wolves.
Tsuyu's costume was like a dark green and very form-fitting wetsuit. It had a lighter green triangle downward from her shoulders to her breasts, and a line of the same color running from her palms, up the inside of her arms, and down her sides and legs to where it meshed into her integrated shoes, which looked somewhat like swim flippers. There was a cutout in the back of the cowl for her hair, and a pair of heavy swimmer's goggles. Since Tsu didn't need them, they were parked up on her forehead. There was also a black harness, belt with some pouches, and gloves, the gloves and belt having the lighter green as accent colors.
"I don't like the goggles," Mom fussed over Tsu, partly as a perfectionist and partly as a delaying tactic, "But they were the best I could find. And these parts..."
She ran her hands over the lines down Tsu's sides. My friend giggled slightly.
"In the final version they would have a thermal gel, to help combat your cold issues," Mom concluded, "You'd be able to control the temperature from controls... Maybe on gloves, or the harness?"
My new costume was a blue-green shirt and pants, not quite so tight as Tsuyu's. It had a trio of white chevrons on the chest, biceps, and the outside of mye thighs. There were also tan leather pauldrons, with matching gloves and work boots. The boots were steel-toed, and the gloves had a metal panel on the back of the hand. Finally, my costume also had a belt with pouches, but in white. And mine left my head uncovered.
"The fit is good," Mom checked me over, "I left it a little loose, considering all the muscle you've put on over the last seven months, and since you are getting a bit taller, too. But otherwise, I think it looks good. What do you two think?"
It wasn't the first time she had asked that, but I knew she was nervous.
"It's really great, Inko-oba-san," Tsuyu confirmed, "I like the design, and the fit is good and easy to move around in. But I do agree about the goggles. Maybe the school will have something with night vision or polarization or something."
"I like it a lot, too, Mom," I reassured her.
"Okay," she seemed mollified. Then she looked down at the table and sighed, "If we are going to do this..."
On the table was the Kung Fu tome from my birthday. I had finally met the requirements for Wing Chun Quan, and Tai Chi Quan. Both required 30 in Agility, plus a total of 30 levels in other unarmed combat styles. Between Basic Karate and Boxing, I had met the latter goal back in October. But I had just hit 30 Agility before Christmas. That was when I decided we should try diving into the book before I used it. To see what a ranked up skill book did, if anything.
"Analyze," I confirmed it again.
[Tao of Kung Fu
A master's tome, comparing and contrasting two martial art styles.
Durability: 22/35
Quality: 5/7
Rank: ****]
I touched the book, and then hit 'Decline' with my other hand, when it prompted me to use the book.
"Create Reflective Dungeon."
[Dungeon Entry - Tao of Kung Fu
Students: 77/77
Assistant Masters: 2/2 (unspawned)
Master: 1/1 (unspawned)]
"Izuku," Mom said nervously.
The dungeon was a dojo. Bright, clean wooden panels and floor, with a padded mat in the center. Sunlight filtered in through the shoji walls. Wooden panels, etched with combat techniques, were hung on all sides. At the end opposite us was a door, leading further in.
It wasn't just the number of potential enemies that had Mom concerned. There were already twenty opponents in the room. Ten seated along either side wall. But unlike the previous dungeons, while they were obviously aware of us, they were not moving.
As the dungeon was unique, so were the enemies. They were humanoid, and human sized. But they were made out of paper. Folded paper, like large origami dolls.
Holding up a hand to tell Mom and Tsuyu to stay back, I walked carefully and deliberately over to the mat. One of the paper figures stood up, and walked over to the opposite side of the mat.
"Analyze."
[Kung Fu Origami
A student of the dojo. Looking for a fair fight.
Level: 10
Health: 125
Stamina: 55
Ki: 100]
"May I ask the rules?" I asked, drawing on the knowledge my karate book had implanted in me.
The student seemed to struggle for a moment, and then nodded.
"Yes or no questions only?" I prompted.
It gestured apologetically, but also nodded.
"May I use my skills?"
It nodded. Then shook its head. Then shrugged.
"Too generic? I can use some skills, but not others?"
It nodded.
"Can I use Ki skills?"
Again it repeated the uncertain gesture.
"Some of them?" got me another nodded.
After a few minutes, I had the rules figured out. We could use skills that used Stamina. We could use melee or personal enhancement Ki, but not ranged Ki. Psychic powers were prohibited, even Telekinetic Aura. Unarmed combat only, not that we brought any weapons. And the fights were one on one, but Tsuyu and I could switch between rounds. And Tsuyu's tongue was allowed.
Mom wouldn't participate, but took the first-aid kit and some of the snacks, to administer to whichever of us was resting.
I stepped into the ring, and was immediately interrupted.
[Dungeon Quest Alert
Dojo Invasion
Defeat the students and masters of the dojo in martial arts matches according to their rules.
Rewards:
Bonus Boss
Rare Item drop
Failure Penalties:
Varies depending on reason for failure. Losing a match will not have additional penalties. Violating the rules will result in all remaining opponents attacking.
Time Limit: must be completed in a single dungeon excursion
(Accept) (Decline)]
I hit 'accept' almost immediately, worried that we might get swarmed if I did not. Then I moved up to the line on the mat, bowed, and then dropped into a fighting stance.
Despite being higher level, and having better technique, the first group of origami students went down pretty quickly. They were not terribly strong or tough. And they had very little mass, so it was easy to control the flow of battle. A solid hit would put them seriously off-balance, and Tsuyu's kicks could send them flying.
They also seemed to flutter whenever we took a moment to eat or drink. I wondered if they were jealous.
When defeated, they bowed before vanishing and left the normal pile of money. All bills this time, no coins. But they also had not dropped anything else.
Tsu and I split them between us, five at a time. And then we took a short break and let Mom worry over us, before proceeding to the next room.
It was the same as the first room, except one of the origami creatures was more detailed. It immediately turned to face us.
"Well done in making it here," it spoke, shocking me, "However, my personal apprentices will be far less easily waylaid. To make it more fair, and to better test ourselves, we are willing to lift one restriction. Would you like to use your full range of Ki abilities? Or have access to your Psionic personal enhancements?"
I frowned thoughtfully. I hadn't used any powers in the first room. At least not to fight. I had regenerated some Health.
"What if I said neither?" I asked. The construct tilted its head in surprise.
"That is acceptable," it said, "May I ask why?"
"Well, two reasons, I guess," I told it, "First is that my partner doesn't have Ki or Psionics, so it is more fair to her that way. And second, we are here for martial arts, so it feels better to focus on that."
"Very well," its voice sounded impressed.
I scanned them. The students were level 11, while the ones in the first room had all been level 10. Their Health and Stamina also suggested higher Attributes. And the Assistant Master was level 12.
"I'll go first this time," Tsuyu told us, stepping towards the mat.
"Okay," I nodded to her. She stepped onto the mat, and assumed her crouching, frog-like fighting stance.
The first origami student approached Tsuyu. It bowed, and she inclined her head.
It charged forward with a flat punch, only to find Tsu hopping up and slightly forward. Her foot planted in its chest, and the lightweight opponent fluttered backwards. It kipped up, and took a more defensive stance. Asui didn't hesitate, her tongue shot out, followed closely by a second kick.
The third room was similar to the second, the students one level higher and a bit stronger. However, we took a moment to rest, and to munch. So we were in good shape, and took them down just as easily.
The final room was somewhat different. Namely, the master of the dungeon looked human. He was also level 15, and noticeably tougher than his assistants.
After we defeated the students, he made the mistake of inviting us to fight him, three on one and no holds barred. Mom immediately gestured towards the back wall. She pulled the plaque illustrating a certain kick to her. Unfortunately, the master's head was in the way. Tsuyu did not hesitate either, hitting him with her tongue.
"Ki Reinforcement: Strength. Telekinetic Aura," I activated both. I darted forward, punching him in the chest. The master grimaced slightly, but I...
[-25 Health]
"Ouch," I shouted, feeling like I had possibly broken bones in my hand or forearm.
"Ki and Psionics do not naturally meld, young man," the master instructed as he blocked Tsu's next kick, "It is not enough to simply learn them, or even master them individually. Especially when focusing them on your strength or speed."
"What do I need to do?" I asked, and switched to, "Ki Enhancement: Endurance."
"How should I know?" he shrugged, "I'm not a Telekinetic."
I realized he had the voice of Master Oogway. Or at least something close. It didn't matter, but it distracted me for a moment, and his elbow nearly hammered my side. I intercepted with my arm at the last instant, but still took some damage and was pushed back.
Before he could capitalize, the wooden instructions for a backhand strike smacked into his spine. Then Tsuyu slid in, trying to sweep his legs. He jumped over her. I fired a right cross at his stomach, and Tsuyu's tongue shot at his left temple. He blocked both, but lost a few HP and tumbled back. Mom, meanwhile, crept around the border of the room, getting the next plaque in line.
"I would prefer if you would stop that, young lady," he told her, "This may be a temporary dimension, destined to be subsumed by your son's power, but I still feel like I will need to clean up around here later."
"Young lady?" my mother giggled and blushed.
"What?" I stopped, and backed off.
"Don't fret young man," he said kindly, "I am not real. No native of these dungeons is. You are not killing me, if you win or use the book. My intelligence is formed from fragments of your self, and the origin of your power. That's why I talk like a movie character."
"That's good," Tsuyu said, driving up with a double inverted heel kick. She connected firmly with his jaw, lifting him off the floor and taking off a good amount of HP.
"Yes," I agreed, "I don't have to feel guilty about this. Chicago SMASH!"
I thrust my hand forward, and ball of silvery ki, larger than my head, shot forward with the speed of an arrow. It hit him in the chest, keeping him airborne.
Then Mom recovered, and the third plank smacked into the back of his head. That brought him down to 48 of his original 512 health. He landed, and held up a hand.
"Hold," he requested hastily, "I surrender."
We stopped, but Tsu and I both held our stances.
"Our dojo has been menaced recently by an ancient terror," he said, sounding less alive than when we were fighting, "My students and I have been unable to defeat it, or even drive it away. But I believe you may be able to do so. Will you save us?"
He smiled and winked, and then waved his hand in an innocent manner, but one that just happened to indicate the window that popped up .
[Final stage of 'Dojo Invasion' Quest.
(Proceed) (Give up)]
I looked at Mom and Tsuyu. Both nodded.
'Proceed'
"Thank you," he said. The master walked over to the back wall, which had appeared solid. He pressed it, channeling his Ki into it, and a door opened. Then he disintegrated into flecks of paper, leaving behind more money and two very fantasy like parchment scrolls.
Before we could properly examine them, a roar shook the room. Mom took the money, like always, while I stored the scrolls. Something struck the back of the dojo, cracking the wall. We hurried out, before we could get trapped or crushed.
[Paper Dragon
It may not breathe fire (obviously), but don't underestimate it.
Level: 20
Health: 1000/1000
Stamina: 300/300
Mana: 300/300]
"Isn't this a bit much?" Mom complained.
"No," I realized almost immediately, "It's a puzzle boss. Use the right trick, and it will be an easy fight."
"But we don't have fire," Tsuyu noted.
"Not fire," I told them, materializing a third of my inventory. Two large jugs of sports drink. One gallon of water. And two twenty ounce sodas I was keeping in there.
"Broadway Smash," I declared, using my Telekinetic Attack to fire them at the dragon as it swooped back around. The containers all exploded from the force of the impact. The liquids soaked into the paper, and the soda and sports drink made it sticky. The dragon tried to flap its wings as it went into a nosedive from the sudden increase in weight. But the parts of the left wing stuck together. Without it, the dragon crashed into the ground hard. The wet paper tore more easily, and it lost almost half of its HP.
"Chicago Smash."
The Ki orb easily punched through its soggy chest. Mom's worry faded into almost disappointment. Tsuyu walked over to the floundering monster, and tore off its front right claw. With each second, the water spread, weakening it further.
In the end, it took us less than a minute to dismantle it.
[Level Up!
Level: 8
Attribute points: +7
Skill points: +3
Talent points: +0]
[Tao of Kung Fu Complete!
Defeated 20 enemies: Rank+
Defeated 40 enemies: Rank+
Defeated 60 enemies: Rank+
Defeated 80 enemies: Rank+
Defeated mid-boss: Rank+
Defeated mid-boss: Rank+
Defeated boss: Rank+
Defeated bonus boss: Rank+
Level I cleared: Rank+]
Mom and Tsuyu had also gained levels in last fight. And the dragon had dropped an item as well as money. The drop was a weapon, a tonfa made of purpleheart and reinforced with blackened titanium. The metal did more than just strengthen it, it also gave the club the look of stylized flames. It was a beautiful weapon with impressive stats, but none of us had a use for it, so it went back into storage. That felt right, like I might find a use... or user(?) for it later.
Instead we were all focused on the other items. The book, and the two scrolls the master dropped.
[Tao of Kung Fu
A master's tome, comparing and contrasting two martial art styles. Mysterious annotations provide additional tips and advice. Relic of 0||k bv5z.
Durability: 47/60
Quality: 5/7
Rank: +***
Rank Bonus:
Added Skill Levels]
[Scroll of Kung Fu Fundamentals - Tsuyu Asui
A rare drop found only in true skill books from 0v1su. Acts as a skill book for the bonded individual.
Durability: 1/1
Quality: 0/7
Cannot be strengthened.]
The second scroll was the same, except with Mom's name. And different garbled characters. When I Analyzed the book again, that mix of kana, romaji, digits, and other random characters had changed.
"Well, are we going to do this?" Tsuyu asked. We both looked at Mom.
"You aren't concerned at all?" Mom countered.
"No," Tsu said without hesitation, "I trust Izuku, and I trust his power. Besides, I really want to know what using a skill book feels like."
Mom looked at the screen I had left up again.
"If you want, I'll go first, Mom," I told her.
"Izuku, are you sure?"
"You bought this book for me, Mom," I reminded her, "Before we dove in it, it didn't have this redacted information. So if I hadn't insisted we go into the dungeon, I would have use the book without ever seeing this. And it's not like it's the first time The Gamer has held something back. I didn't have the Quests tab right away, and there are still the three hidden ones."
"Hmm," she shook her head, "I'm letting you two show me up again. Okay, let's all do it together."
We each touched our respective books. Then hit 'Accept'.
[Skill book used.
Skill Kung Fu Fundamentals (lvl 3) unlocked.
Skill Meditation (lvl 3) unlocked.
Skill Wing Chun Quan (lvl 2) unlocked.
Skill Tai Chi Quan (lvl 2) unlocked.]
Mom clutched her head slightly, while Tsu looked blankly at something only she could see.
"That was definitely something," Tsuyu commented when she came back to reality.
"I know Kung Fu," Mom said with a hint of wonder.
"Are you both okay?" I prompted in spite of their statements.
"I think so," Tsuyu nodded.
"I have a bit of a headache," Mom confided.
"Can I get you something?" I asked.
"Let's count the money," she shook her head.
Three and a half more months passed like the blink of an eye. Tsuyu's birthday, the new charms I got her, and the custom t-shirt Mom made her. Lots more training. A few more skill books, but all just normal ones. And we had both gained one more level putting me at 9 and Tsuyu at 10. She teased me a bit about using another talent, but it was already the beginning of March by then, and I didn't want to spend the last bit of time trying to level up more new skills. Better to work at the ones I was comfortable with. And that I thought I was getting pretty good with.
And it wasn't like she had spent her 9th level Talent point yet.
Now was the day. Tsu had come over for breakfast, and we had traveled together. We were standing before the gates of UA. I held up a fist, and she bumped it.