The next morning, when Ryan stepped out of his house, he found Jack already complaining.
"Aargh, I'm sick and tired of fruits and vegetables. Can't we just have meat for once?" Jack groaned.
Ryan raised an eyebrow. "Do you even know how meat tastes?"
"No, that's why I want to try it. It's gotta be better than vegetables!" Jack said, rolling his eyes dramatically.
"We don't even have a cook," Ryan pointed out. "How are we supposed to prepare meat?"
"I know that, but we'll get one soon." Jack puffed out his chest like he had it all figured out. "You know what? I'll at least get some cattle. The farmers can breed them and take care of them. When we do find a cook—boom—meat feast!"
Ryan shrugged. "Suit yourself."
Jack hoisted his pack onto his back. "You guys will be fine, right? There's two of you. No problem protecting the village."
"Probably," Ryan said. "How long will you be gone?"
"I don't know, a few days. I'll set out now."
Just then, Jamie pushed open the flap of his tent, blinking at the morning sun. He noticed Ryan then the empty space where Jack usually stood.
"Uh… where's Jack?" Jamie asked.
"Gone for a bit," Ryan said. "So it's just you and me for a while."
"Oh. Uh… okay." Jamie's voice shook a little.
Ryan tossed him a sword. Jamie tried to catch it—and immediately dropped it in the dirt.
Ryan stared. "Do you have any skills?"
"What's that?" Jamie asked, genuinely confused.
Ryan closed his eyes for a moment. "Great. Okay. We're going to train until you unlock a skill. Any problem with that?"
Jamie quickly shook his head.
"Good," Ryan said, cracking his neck. "Get ready, because I'm coming....I could've phrased that better but you get the point."
Ryan didn't give a warning.
He stepped forward once and then lunged.
Jamie yelped and raised his sword way too late. Steel tapped against his guard and the force nearly knocked the weapon out of his hand.
"Move your feet, Jamie," Ryan said calmly, already circling him. "If you stand still, you're already beaten."
Jamie shuffled back, panicking. Ryan struck again, this time with a controlled sweep. Jamie blocked it by accident more than skill.
"Good. Do it on purpose next time."
Jamie tried to swing, but Ryan leaned aside effortlessly, placing a hand on Jamie's shoulder and pushing him back.
"Think," Ryan said. "Don't flail."
Jamie tried to breathe, tried to focus, but Ryan's pressure didn't stop. A strike,blocked. Another,barely dodged. Another,Jamie stumbled backward until his back hit a wooden fence.
Pinned.
Ryan stepped forward to finish it
and that's when it happened.
Jamie's eyes widened. A sharp echo rang in his head, like distant carnival bells. Then a laugh.
A clown's laugh—high, taunting, echoing like it came from every direction at once.
Ryan paused mid-strike. "Jamie? What—"
Jamie wasn't hearing him. In front of him, for just a moment, he saw a distorted clown face flicker into existence,smiling too wide, too brightly.
Then the world around Ryan went black.
Ryan blinked, confused. Everything past a meter in front of him was swallowed in darkness, like someone cut off the sunlight.
Jamie fell to his knees, gripping his head. The laughter faded, and the world snapped back to normal.
Ryan lowered his sword slowly.
"…That," he said, "was a skill."
Jamie looked up, shaking. "W-what did I just do?"
Ryan exhaled, impressed despite himself. "You blinded me. And… gave me the creeps, honestly."
Jamie stared at his hands, still trembling.
"So… that's good, right?"
Ryan smirked. "It's terrifying. Which means yes,very good"
"What does the skill say?" Ryan asks
[Laughing shade]
[Proficiency 0%]
Description:An opponent who can't see is a blind opponent and an opponent who can't see or hear is a dead opponent.Isnt that hilarious?
Benefits:Blinds the opponent,when the user hears the bells ringing it alerts the user causing senses to be heightened and speed to be increased by 1.5x
Disadvantages:Could damage hearing
Note:When proficiency increases to a certain amount the target will not only be blinded but will constantly hear the carnival ringing.
" That's broken" Ryan thinks to himself as he reads the description from jack's status window
"Wait,new idea!Let's train your skills proficiency and while we do that I want to learn a couple more skills by using yours and even max out my beginner swordsmanship!" Ryan suggested
He looked at his beginner swordsmanship proficiency:[76%].He wonders what will happen when it's maxed out.Will it just stay at 100% or will he get something new?
"But it's scary" Jamie says
"Too bad.Nothing good comes from doing anything easy! We'll stop for a bit if your ears start to hurt but for now just continue to use that skill while improving your swordsmanship!"
Jamie nodded
Jamie activated Laughing Shade again.
The bells chimed...soft at first, then sharp. The clown's giggle hissed around Ryan like it circled him.
And once more, the world went dark.
Ryan exhaled through his nose.
"…Alright. Let's see if I can handle this."
He stepped forward blindly, sword raised, listening. Jamie shifted his stance nervously,Ryan could hear the grass crunching beneath Jamie's boots. A tiny sound, but right now it felt loud.
Ryan swung toward the noise.
Jamie yelped and barely blocked. The impact rattled his arm, but his proficiency ticked upward.
[Laughing Shade proficiency: 3% → 7%]
Jamie used the skill again.
Darkness crashed over Ryan, heavier this time. A normal person would've panicked. Ryan didn't. He steadied his breath and focused again.
There—Jamie's breathing. Fast. Scared.
There—the slight tremble of Jamie's sword cutting through the air.
There—the faint shift of wind pressure when Jamie stepped right.
Ryan reacted.
Steel clashed in the dark, sparks flickering like stars Ryan couldn't see. His body moved faster than his thoughts, almost like instinct was pulling him along.
Jamie blinked. "H-How are you still hitting me?!"
Ryan didn't answer.
He was too focused.
Too… aware.
The bells chimed again, but this time, instead of confusing him, something clicked in Ryan's mind. The darkness didn't feel like a wall anymore,more like a thin fog.
And then
thump
A pulse ran through Ryan's body like a heartbeat being echoed by the world around him.
A notification flashed in front of his eyes.
[New Passive Skill Unlocked]
[Heightened Senses]
• You can now perceive movement, pressure, sound and presence in dark or blind conditions.
• Blinding effects are weakened or negated.
• Sensory input (hearing, smell, touch, sight, taste) slightly increased.
The world slowly returned, but Ryan realized something wild
he could see through the darkness now, even while Laughing Shade was active.
Jamie's eyes widened. "W-What? Why aren't you blind!?"
Ryan stepped forward, his movements suddenly smoother. Sharper. Controlled.
And then the second notification appeared the moment he struck Jamie's guard cleanly, the force pushed Jamie backwards into the dirt.
[Beginner Swordsmanship: 100%]
Skill Evolved → Intermediate Swordsmanship
• Movements become cleaner and more efficient.
• Stamina consumption reduced.
• Power and precision increased.
Jamie stared up, stunned.
"You're evolving mid-fight?! Who DOES that?!"
Ryan grinned. "Me."
Jamie scrambled up and used Laughing Shade again, determined to keep up.
This time the bells sounded louder—sharp, echoing, almost desperate. A ripple passed through Jamie's body as the skill strengthened from repeated use.
[Laughing Shade proficiency: 7% → 14%]
The clown's laugh became clearer.
The darkness spread wider.
The ringing lasted longer.
Jamie stumbled; the ringing pushed against his ears too hard. Ryan stepped forward and grabbed him before he fell.
"That's enough," Ryan said, steadying him. "Your ears okay?"
Jamie nodded weakly. "Y-Yeah… just… dizzy."
Ryan smirked. "Good. Your proficiency's rising fast."
Jamie smiled nervously. "Are you… proud of me?"
Ryan patted his shoulder. "Very. You're getting dangerous."
Jamie blinked. "Is that… good?"
"Absolutely."
Ryan rolled his shoulders, eyes sharpening with his new passive skill.
"Tomorrow, we go even harder. If we keep this up, neither of us will stay weak."
Jamie gulped. "Oh… yay?"
Ryan laughed. "You'll thank me later.Take a break you deserve it"
"Thanks" Jamie says and collapses onto the ground
Ryan remembering that he saw another message in the status window decides to open it
[Would you like another skill?]
Ryan looked at the message with confusion.What did it mean?Why is it asking me that?Should I accept it?What if there's a catch? are all thoughts going through Ryan's head but he decides to take the risk and says "Yes"
[Processing skill that would best suit the user...]
[Process complete]
[You've learned the active skill — possibilities]
[Message from the admins:Good job!Continue to entertain us!]
Admin? Ryan thinks to himself.What's that and what does he mean by entertain "us"?Are there more than one of these guys and the fact that they can give a skill so easily means that they're probably very powerful"
Ryan knows that looking for Answers now will probably lead to dead ends and will waste alot of time so he puts the admin story aside and decides to look at the skill he got
[Possibilities — Active skill]
Description:There are so many possibilities out there but which one is the right one?Where do you think that sword swing is going?Where do you think that arrow is most likely to aim for?So many possibilities!
Note:Allows you to see all the possibilities.Most possible outcomes will show green,almost likely outcomes will show orange and an outcome that most likely won't happen will show red.Allows you to see every possibility and prepare ahead of time giving you an advantage
This is like a cheat skill, especially when fighting one on one,Ryan thought.
"Whoever this "admin" is must like me alot to give me this type of skill!" Ryan loudly states