The Gamers

[Renose]

Lunchtime at Gekkoukan: Meet the Gamer

Soon enough it was time for lunch. The Gamers now knew where they could find the mysterious white haired boy that Jin had told them about. The rooftop. It was actually off limits, but this rule was never really enforced. If anything, delinquents actually never really came up here surprisingly enough since they knew that it was a good place to get caught if they ever decided to hang out and do 'delinquent' activities there. Of course, there were very few delinquents at Gekkoukan High since it was quite the prestigious high school. One of the best in the country.

Assuming that Selina and Ryuunosuke would soon enough meet up once lunch began, it was time to go meet this potentially more experienced Gamer. When the two walked up onto the roof, the area suddenly seemed to change. The door behind them didn't close, but rather seemed to already be closed. Any sounds that they have been hearing whether they be birds or possibly any students that happened to already be on the rooftop when they got up there were silenced. The area was... silent. Just like back in the Business District. Only this time there was a strange feeling, as if actions here were a bit more strenuous than usual. A clear physical and mental strain was put on the Gamers here. A window even appeared here.

Alert

Entered a Training ID

Stamina, MP, and HP Depletion increased by 50%. EXP Gain and Skill Leveling boosted by 25%.

The rooftop was pretty large. About thirty yards away was a boy with white hair in a black jacket, jeans, and a white t-shirt. On his hands was some kind of 'glove' like weapon. Above this boy's head was the following.

<The Gamer>
Rei Amagi Lv. 18

There were several items littered about. What looked like about three stone clubs and a couple sets of bronze armor. Across from Rei was a strange looking dog like creature wearing some armor and wearing what appeared to be quite a heavy metal club. Above its head was the following.

Kobold Lv. 14

The creature charged forward at quite a fast speed, letting out a powerful snarl as it appeared to attempt an overhead smash on Rei. Rei, however; appeared to be in a stance ready to defend. Right when the Kobold got close, Rei called out "Guard!" in a voice that sounded somewhat softer than expected, or perhaps not really unexpected since the boy looked to be quite short, probably shorter than Selina even. The boy raised up his arms to block the attack as he shouted this.

The club seemed to hit what appeared to be a thin, light blue small shield sized barrier and was then parried aside with a 'blocking' motion of the boy's hand, the attack effectively blocked and parried. The boy then suddenly called out "Repulse!" What appeared to be a wave of sort of 'ring' like wave of energy burst out with the boy at the center after a blue glow appeared from a ring on his finger. The Kobold was suddenly thrown backwards about ten feet, landing on its back on the ground.

"Disruption!" was the next word the boy called out, a red glow coming from that ring before it surrounded the creature. It let out a yelp as its body suddenly went rigid as the glow 'affected' it. It was stunned.

The boy now aimed his hands towards the creature and chanted one more Skill name. "Giga Spiral Bolt". Suddenly a very large sphere of glowing blue energy seemed to appear in front of the boy. It was not only growing bigger as the seconds ticked on, but it was starting to spin faster and faster as well. The Kobold, as the next ten seconds ticked on, was not able to move at all as the sphere grew until it was about a four foot tall sphere that was spinning quite rapidly.

The creature now got up, but Rei seemed to launch the sphere as soon as it did. The creature tried to dodge, but was unable to in time as it stumbled a bit as it was getting up. The sphere seemed to collide with its body, obliterating it completely in a matter of moments, before it continued onward, tearing through the fence that surrounded the roof and kept going for about five more seconds before it finally dissipated.

Rei now sighed softly, looking in front of him, before he turned to see the two other Gamers there. He just looked at them for a moment before he went about picking up the various items that were littered about, the Items disappearing as he was most likely stuffing them into his inventory. Armor, a couple clubs, and even a couple of bottles and a couple stacks of money were all put into there before Rei raised his hand up to the sky. "Restoration ID". A strange shimmer seemed to move over the sky, and suddenly a strange feeling of soothing comfort would go over the bodies and minds of the Gamers as a window suddenly appeared.

Alert

Entered a Restoration ID

Stamina Restoration increased by 50%
Healing increased by 25%
HP and MP Regen increased by 25%

This Gamer seemed to be quite experienced judging by the apparently powerful skills he was throwing out there, that last one looking like some kind of super attack that could easily destroy most things. The boy gave off a small sigh as he sat down on the ground and looked at the other Gamers. "Hello. I figured you all would come and try to find me soon enough". He seemed to actually give a small, dissapointed sigh in his rather soft voice. "I was hoping you would have some form of experience though".

Suddenly though a window would appear before the other two Gamers.

Quest Complete

'Others Like Me' has been completed.

Rewards
6 EXP
Possible information on 'The Gamer' power.

Rei seemed to remove a bento from his Inventory, as it appeared in his hand suddenly, and began to eat now, meaning the Gamers could now ask whatever they needed to ask Rei now that he wasn't talking.​

 

[Heyitsjiwon]

Ryuu did his best to hold it in. Throughout the fight he watched, he wanted to burst out in admiration. The skills that this Rei had were just plain awesome. He wanted to learn them really badly and wanted to ask Rei if they could be taught to him. But, Ryuu knew that there were other more important things to ask before he went on babbling about how awesome those skills were. Ryuu composed himself and asked "Well then, it seems you already know quite a bit about us, Amagi-san. So, would you mind telling us exactly what is going on? I mean you can already tell that this is new to us, and how we have so many questions and questions that we don't even know of yet. So, I guess let's start out with the basics and it would be great if you can fill out any of the blanks. What is this... Gamer? Why do we see all these interfaces and game like mechanics? The heck is with these areas where thing suddenly are dead silent and empty but monsters like imps pop up randomly to attack us? Also, Gaia? What's with that ancient god of the earth? Seems like we bump into the influences of Gaia a bit too much for it to be a coincidence."

 

[★Under The Stars★]

When the lunch bell rang, Selina checked her bag to see if she had grabbed her lunch this morning. Though, she completely forgot to pack it. Ah!!! How could I be so stupid?! I was so preoccupied with finding weapons this morning that I completely forgot to pack a lunch! Selina quickly ran down the stairs toward the school store. She, luckily, noticed that she hadn't had her lunch quickly. Plus, she was a decent runner, so she moved faster than most kids. If she was a slow kid, in this kind of situation, she would've been stuck behind a wave of other students. As she arrived at the school store, she had to take a deep breath before she spoke to the lady at the school store. She quickly looked at the menu. And she was utterly shocked. O-ONE THOUSAND YEN FOR A MELON BUN?! T-THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS, but... Selina's stomach grumbled. UGH! "One... Melon... Bun..." She slapped the 10,000 ￥ bill onto the counter and tried to ask the lady to hurry because she could hear the wave of students behind her. The lady behind the counter gave her a melon bun and her change. One thousand yen?! These people must be extreme swindlers.

As Selina reached the roof with Ryuu, the air became exactly like when they were fighting the imps. Except something was significantly different. She got an alert that said that the area they entered was a training area. There was also a white-haired boy there. He was fighting a LV14 monster. A... A LEVEL 14?! H-How strong is this guy? And Selina saw exactly how strong he was. H-He uses magic... I-I should learn a thing or two from him. I mean... She looked at his name and level. Rei Amagi is a LV18 and he's super strong. Selina felt jealous, but was sure that Rei may help her if she... coerced him into helping her. She switched into her innocent mode and tried to act super impressed by the time that he had finished his battle. "W-Wow! A-Amagi-san... T-THAT WAS AMAZING!" And then Ryuu decided to speak to Rei. Selina looked over at Ryuu with an innocent look. I was about to put the moves on this guy, you bitch. Don't you go and interrupt me like that again or I'll tear you apart. Then, she turned her attention back to Rei to see what he'd say to both Selina and Ryuu.​

 

[Renose]

Rei Amagi

Despite being a year younger than him, they were addressing him quite respectfully. It was kind of... gross... to be honest. Sucking up was quite unsightly. Rei just sat there and ate though while they spoke and continued to do so after they finished speaking. A sort of awkward silence enveloped the area as Rei ate and didn't respond to them at all. Soon enough he put the bento into the backpack he was wearing and stood up. He spoke finally, but not to them. "Equip Set 1".

Suddenly Rei's outfit seemed to change almost instantly from the clothes he was wearing now and the cestus he had on his hands to the normal male Gekkoukan uniform without any Cestus on his hands. "Have you heard of the Living Earth Theory?" It was sometimes a theory that appeared in a couple games, where the planet was alive with a will of its own. Whether or not they heard of it was irrelevant though as Rei continued speaking as if they had never heard of it.

"The theory states that our planet is alive, with a will of its own. This... is true. This 'Will' has many names. Like God, Fate, Destiny, Truth, and the most commonly used one... Gaia". Rei now sat down once again now that his clothes were changed, reaching into his Inventory as now suddenly a black case appeared in his hand. He unzipped it, pulled out a PFP, and began to play on it while still talking to them, his eyes looking at the game rather than them.

"We are what is known in the Abyss as Natural Ability Users. We obtained our 'Natural Abilities' from Gaia, usually based around something about us, like a person who had some experience with fire, whether good or bad, acquiring a pyrokenisis style ability. Of course, there are also people known as Acquired Ability Users, those who train to get their supernatural or above human abilities". Rei paused as he continued to click away at the game he was playing, sort of just going through the questions that Ryuunosuke was asked in whatever order he felt like going through them, speaking rather absentmindedly about them as if he really didn't care for their company.

"As for the space we are in. Its called a Pseudospace. A sort of... 'picture' or 'copy' of an area created by Gaia for the sake of combat since normal people can't enter and you could pretty much blow up anything you want and it wouldn't affect the real world. If you do plan on training, knowing how to create this space is essential as if you use supernatural abilities to affect the normal world Gaia, the will of our very planet, will kill you. This is the Interference Law. So if you want to live, don't let people see you using powers".

Rei was in thought for a moment as he continued to tap away at the buttons, playing a more fast paced game at the moment. Feeling as if Ryuunosuke's questions were answered, he spoke once again. The entire time he spoke his tone was soft, but cold and uncaring towards them. "If that answers your questions senpai then you can stop sucking up to me and leave, unless you are going to introduce me to any of the other Gamers you know, if you know any others". He was, of course, referring to both of them in his statement with how they were speaking to him so respectfully and formally. He was younger than them, a first year, yet they were being formal as if he was in some important position by adding 'san' instead of something like 'kun'. Rei wasn't interested in them essentially if they didn't have anything good to offer him, that much was obvious. So if they wanted his help, they would have to think of something good, like completing the quest for instance.​

 

[★Under The Stars★]

Selina looked at Rei as he explained the whole 'Living Earth Theory'. At first, she had no idea what it was, but then when he uttered a few words about it, she remembered it. That's the theory sometimes used in some video games that I've played. Most of those games deal with a more... 'Alternative' feel, I guess... I didn't like them all that much, but... It seems that it's probably a good thing that I played them at some point. Selina continued to pretend like she seemed really interested in the kinds of things that Rei had to say. Rei explained what it meant by natural ability users and acquired ability users. Selina seemed a little confused by the whole ordeal, but she understood the most basic aspects of it. Then he went on to talking about the space they were in, which he referred to as... A 'pseudospace'. A 'copy' of the real world. So that's why when the pseudospace shattered last time, everything seemed completely normal. Nothing took place that affected the real world. That makes sense. And then there was the 'Interference Law'. So that's what Jin meant by not using our powers wrong or Gaia would have to destroy us. That makes sense now. Luckily, I haven't used it in public yet. And then Rei coldly answered both of them. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH THIS BRAT?! HE THINKS THAT HE CAN JUST TELL US TO LEAVE, WHEN WE WENT THROUGH ALL THE EFFORT OF FINDING HIM?! Selina became so angry that she actually lost her alternate personality. She looked Rei in the face. "Listen. We've completed that fucking quest and we've met all the other gamers. We did that on our own. And now you're asking us to go and fucking get the other gamers so that you can just sit here and eat your shit in peace? I don't think so." Selina started breathing heavily as she paused. "You know... I thought that it would at least be in our best interest to find you, but now... I... I don't think that I want to fucking deal with you. You might know some strong fucking magic, which I am so damn jealous of, but... I worked my ass off not to die fighting some fucking imps and worked my ass even harder trying to find all of these goddam people. I don't want to be spoken to as if I'm relying on you to get anything fucking done. Because, put simply, I fucking don't need you to get any shit done." Selina realized that she had made a huge-ass mistake speaking to Rei like that, but that was what was on her mind. She knew that Rei was probably going to end up killing her, but she'd be fucking proud to die standing up to some prick who couldn't give two shits about the people he was interacting with. Selina looked Rei in the eyes and took a deep breath. "Alright. I'm ready. Take a shot at me, you prick."​

 

[Renose]

Rei Amagi

Rei just continued to play his game as Selina went on her tirade. She knew the type, she had dealt with it before, so she wasn't really all that surprised that Selina had this 'other face'. Still, it wasn't really a 'bitch' face, but more of a face that could get angry. A face that was hidden beneath a mask. This... Rei found much more appealing. "Why would I kill you? This isn't a PVP death game, we aren't fighting one another, and I am not a murderer". After making this very obvious, matter of fact statement in a tone that spoke with rationality, Rei stood up and returned his PFP to his Inventory. "Anyway, if you want to avoid walking into Pseudospaces and want to live your life peacefully, go to your Options menu. Under 'Game Settings' should be an option for 'Auto Entry'. Turn that off, and you'll never be forcibly taken into a Pseudospace again. You'll be notified on when you encounter a Pseudospace and can choose whether or not to enter it".

Rei stood up now, it starting to near the end of the lunch period. "If you want to enter this 'Abyss' then meet me after school. Ill teach you what you need to know to start leveling up in exchange for bringing the other Gamers you found along". Yes it was a fair exchange, but Rei still had no idea why she was offering to help these people. Perhaps it was because he wouldn't be able to sleep at night if they got themselves killed not knowing how to fight monsters properly. Sure Rei didn't care for their company, but Rei was also not heartless. Plus... she didn't want more lives to be lost because they were fighting battles she could have prevented.

With that, Rei raised his hand towards the sky. "ID Escape". As when Jin had done so, the sky began to crack and soon enough, shattered like glass as the world around them returned to normal, the big hole in the fence and the various cracks that were on the ground gone now. Truly this Pseudospace concept was quite amazing. One could probably blow up the entire school if they wanted to. After breaking the Psuedospace, Rei began to leave the rooftop now, unless of course either Gamer wanted to stop him. If not, then there would be nothing else to do for the rest of the day until school ended, which would give Selina and Ryuunosuke the option to decide whether or not to ignore this and live the rest of their lives in peace or enter what Rei called the 'Abyss' since they could turn off their ability to automatically enter any Psuedospace they stumble upon and be given the option of whether or not they wanted to enter them.

Of course, before Rei left Rei did turn around to look back at Selina. "If you decide to come, leave that mask of yours behind. Your real face is more appealing". It was possible that Rei was referring to her 'mask of innocence' that she put up, but it could also be a remark to her face. Given Rei's intellect though, it was much more likely the remark to her 'surface' personality.

With that, Rei once again began to walk back into the building, unless any of the two Gamers wanted to stop him of course.
​

 

[Renose]

After School

Even if they did want to stop Rei for more talking, Rei was already heading back to class. If one noticed the time, lunch was almost over, so they would need to get to their next class as well. With Rei being a first year, Selina a second, and Ryuunosuke a third year it was unlikely that they would encounter each other again for the rest of the school day.

Soon enough, the school day was done. The four newbie Gamers could meet up now and discuss whether or not they wanted Rei's help or not. On one hand, Rei had experience and was willing to give them information. On the other hand... Rei wasn't really much of a people person as seen before by Selina and Ryuu back on the rooftop. It couldn't be denied that he was strong though and knew much, much more about their power than they did. That information was valuable, so perhaps there would be a benefit to seeking Rei's help after all even if it meant dealing with Rei's less than stellar cold attitude towards other people.

Rei, in the meantime, was up on the rooftop click click click. It was a pretty good place to train since the various tables that were actually up here for students to eat lunch upon, when the rooftop wasn't off limits as that rule only came into play last year and still really isn't enforced, and the small little 'higher' part of the rooftop, or the top of the rooftop, where the door was provided excellent environmental advantages when fighting monsters. Rei wondered if they were going to come or not. If they were, he would get 6 EXP. If not, then he wouldn't have to bother with them anymore. Either way a win-win scenario in Rei's own personal opinion.

For now he waited and practiced his Mana Manipulation while in his Training ID, figuring he would get a bit of extra Skill grinding in while he waited.

Lucian and Caleb could probably enter the campus now if they didn't want to wait for Selina and Ryuunosuke. Although they would have to try and be discreet about it since they weren't technically students there.​

 

[Sairoh]

[Fieldbox="Caleb Miroffe, green, dashed, 10, Courier New"]
After his, disastrous attempt at using the crafting skill, Caleb took a good chunk out of the day simply fuming the whole apartment. With windows thrown open and dishes of vinegar out to absorb the smell, the teen warily sat at his desk once again. 'So,' he thought to himself, 'It looks like there's a decent chance to fail while crafting. Making an object right without any rebounds sounds like a hit or miss...' He sighed, ruffling his hair. Then his eyes strayed over to the clock. "Its already that time?!" Caleb exclaimed. Jumping up and toppling over his chair, he swept up his green backpack off the floor and raced towards the door. After fumbling with his keys for a moment, he managed the lock the door and race down his apartment streets. If his clock was on time, it meant that school had just ended at Gekkoukan, meaning that it was time to hopefully meet the last gamer.

Caleb had managed to make it to the Port Island district in a timely manner, so by the time he was at the school gates, there were still a few students loitering around. And there was where the problem started. Technically, if he were in school there was a 100% chance that he would have gone to Gekkoukan and would have had no problem going into the campus. But frankly, this wasn't an alternate universe and he wasn't a student there. In fact, the few students that were now taking their leave were already eyeing him suspiciously. At this point though, all Caleb could really think of was how to get into the campus. He pulled out his phone and set up a group chat for all the gamers, figuring that it would be easier to communicate that way. Hey guys I'm at the front of the school. Anyone know how to get in without looking like a terrorist? he sent the message, before looking around once again. The loitering students had taken their leave and the school front was fairly empty. If there was any time to make a run for it, now seemed to be optimal.

Biting his lip, Caleb made a run across the front of the school, making it inside the campus without being stopped. Once inside he immediately came across the student shoe lockers. 'Right, indoor shoes...' Frowning, he decided to just take off his shoes and hold them, it would be quieter anyways. As he padded his way around a shoe locker for cover, his breath hitched at the realization that there were voices talking in the hallway. Daring a peak, the teen sighed in relief to see a pair of teachers walking down the hallway with their backs turned to him. This infiltration was likely to be the death of him. But still, finding either Ryuu or Selina took top priority, so... Caleb raced out from his cover and made a break for the corner. Once around it, he made another daunting realization. There were students who were A) still in clubs and B) on clean up duty. And he would have to evade them all. That, or find a place that there were no students...

As Caleb wandered around, his eyes caught sight of a notice tacked to a bulletin board. Apparently the roof had recently become off limits to students. "Well, then, lucky me. I'm not a student," he murmured to himself with a smirk. It seemed simply enough - just look for stairs and make it to the top of the building without getting caught.

It was not that simple.

On his way to the top, he had knocked over a girl while rounding a corner and ran away before she could get a good look at him, thrown himself under a stairwell after thinking he had been seen by a teacher who had been walking down, and that wasn't even counting the one time he ducked into a restroom and locked himself in a stall while saying his prayers. One of the more interesting times he had nearly been caught included hiding right behind a corner, while two people walked right past him. More interestingly, he heard a few recognizable names. "That's what I'm saying! I heard that Shiba-kun and Miura-san are going out now! He asked her to talk about something and she came back looking all giddy - so what else can it mean?" Couldn't be the same person, right? The second voice began to reply, "Hm, you know what else? I heard that Kyousaka-kun and Selina Rosenberg are becoming an item. Apparently she was crying today...". Yup, it couldn't be the same people. Simply impossible.

By the time Caleb had finally reached the roof access, it seemed like a god sent message. With a half hearted smile and a shrug, he pushed open the door... Only to be greeted by some tables and chairs. The teen slumped a little, before realizing that there were sounds coming from the raised portion of the roof where the door was. Making a 180, he turned to see none other than a white haired boy on the roof, clicking away at a game.

<The Gamer>
Rei Amagi LV. 18​

The boy's starkly white hair and blue eyes seemed to blend in with the sky. "Aether..." Caleb thoughtlessly blurted out.[/Fieldbox]

 

[Renose]

The Rooftop

The moment Caleb got onto the roof, the area around him seemed to change. It seemed... even more silent. The door behind him was closed now, rather than how it was opened before. It was almost the same sensation like back in the Business District yesterday, only something was different. A clear physical and mental burden, which was shown to him by a window that suddenly appeared before him.

Alert

Entered 'Training ID'

Stamina, MP, and HP Depletion all increased by 100%

EXP Gain increased by 50%
Skill Leveling speed increased by 50%

The boy did indeed have white hair and a sky blue eye. His other eye, however; was a bit more interesting. It was a deep purple and seemed to be indeed gazing at a game he was clicking away at. However there was something else going on. The boy had beads of sweat dripping down his forehead, his eyes seemed to be partially opened as if he was in deep concentration between playing the game and some other task. That task was most likely related to the strange blue energy that was moving about him.

He was most likely manipulating it, having it take on various shapes and forms. That was, until Caleb thoughtlessly blurted something out. Rei's eyes opened a bit as he now gazed down at the other Gamer. The clearly more experienced Gamer sighed softly as he raised his hand to the sky. "Empty ID".

As he said this, the sky seemed to shimmer for a moment and the physical and mental burdens upon Caleb were gone. Of course, the moment Caleb did spot this other Gamer, the following window appeared before him.

Quest Completed

The Quest 'Other's Like Me' has been completed.

Rewards
6 EXP
Possible information on <The Gamer>

"So your one of the other Gamers huh" spoke the boy as he returned to clicking away at the game he was playing, now not bothering to look at Caleb as he spoke. "I take it you must be friends with Selina-senpai and Ryuunosuke-senpai?" Rei wasn't even questioning the boy's clothes, so either he didn't figure out that Caleb wasn't a student here or didn't even really care.​

 

[Omnial]

Lucian stood up from his seat and placed his books neatly into his rucksack. His classes had just ended for the day, and he still had time left to head over to the highschool in hopes of finding experienced Gamer. Loafing around whilst riding the train, he wondered how he was going to go about searching in the highschool. He had slippers in his bag, because, who didn't, but the fact that he was a smart dressed young man, would make him stick out in a building full of kids, even if he was only a few years older then them. Maybe I should ask one of them to meet me at the front? I can act like I am touring the place to insure it is up to my family's standards as a sibling plans to attend the following year? He looked down at his tie, and adjusted it slightly, Yup, based on the ignorance of judging one based on appearance, that would be easily pulled off.

He sent a quick text to Ryu and Selina. "Hey, I am on my way to your school, Can one of you meet me at the front? I'll act like you are showing me the place so that I can know if it is acceptable for my younger sibling. I mean I do look the well off and snobby type that would do such a thing." He clicked the send button, and couldn't help but smirk.

 

[Sairoh]

[Fieldbox="Caleb Miroffe, green, dashed, 10, Courier New"]
Caleb took a moment to close the notification window before facing the white haired boy. "Senpai...? Oh, they're your upperclassmen, right?" he chuckled. "Well, I wouldn't say that we're friends since we actually met just yesterday, but yes, I do know them," he mused. "And yeah, as you can tell, I'm a gamer," he added, pointing up at the area where the gamer title was. The teen paused, scanning the roof area. Besides the tables, chairs, and the both of them, it was completely devoid of other things of people. "By the way, where are they...? I thought that since they go to school here, they'd be here first, but it doesn't seem like they're here," Caleb noted.

He faced Rei, examining him up close. He was quite a bit shorter than himself, even with his own slouched posture. Upon first meeting him, Caleb had thought that he had blue eyes, but upon looking closer, he realized that one was actually a deep violet. 'His level's nothing to laugh at either... A full seventeen levels ahead of any of us' he thought. Upon some inside pondering, Caleb remembered a tidbit of information that the Messenger of Gaia, Rin had mentioned the previous day. "You've been a gamer for a full month now, huh?"[/Fieldbox]

 

[Renose]

The Rooftop

Rei just continued to click away at his game. Indeed, despite the fact that Rei was on higher ground and was sitting down it was possible to tell that he was indeed quite short, pretty petite even as his Gekkoukan uniform looked a slight bit too big on him. His hands barely emerged from the sleeves even. Rei just continued to let Caleb speak, not really responding until the last statement the bad postured boy spoke caught Rei's interest. How did he know that? Rei hadn't told anyone about his power. There were only two possible ways he could have known that. The first was if he was someone with those people. The second was if they had met the other person who knew of his power.

"So I take it you met that Messenger of Gaia, Jin". It would make sense in how they knew to find him here. He encountered Jin while wearing his uniform and it was Jin who taught him how to make a Pseudospace in the first place. "You are somewhat correct. A month and a week actually". Of course, a month was just as accurate, but a month and one week was a much more exact measure of time in how long Rei had this power.

"How many other Gamers are there?" This was a question that was on Rei's mind, as he still hadn't completed the quest yet. Selina seemed to have found them if the statements in her frustrated tirade could be trusted. This 'unique power' was starting to seem less unique in Rei's eyes if a bunch of people were just going to start popping up with it. Rei decided to stand up and jump off of the raised part of the roof now to the regular rooftop area below. Luckily it wasn't really that far of a fall, Rei deciding to change positions as he figured it would be more comfortable to sit at one of the tables if he was just going to play games rather than train, so he just walked right over to one of them, sat down, and continued to click away at the PFP in his hands without waiting for the answer to Caleb's question. It seemed that Rei wasn't one who cared for the company of others judging by this rather... cold and antisocial behavior.​

 

[★Under The Stars★]

When Selina was done with the school day, and she was pissed and ready to take on that cold, unsocial otaku bastard. Alright... Let's show Rei what we've got. As Selina was about to head over to the roof, she got a text from Caleb. The text had asked how he could enter the school without looking like a terrorist. Well... If you'd fix your hair a bit and looked like an actual student... That would probably help you a little bit. Though, she refrained from texting that to him. Sorry Caleb, but I've got no idea how you can't! Good luck trying to get inside~ And then when she made a bit more progress to the roof, she got another text. Except this time it was from Lucian. Oh great. I wonder what he has to say. Let's see here... Selina looked at her phone and saw that Lucian had said that he needed one of the two students to help him get inside. He planned on getting inside by showing his sibling around. Selina sighed, but decided that it would be better for her to accept since a lot of people knew Ryuu and he was about to graduate. Ryuu, I'll head over to Lucian. You just get to the roof. Selina suddenly walked in a mad huff because apparently the boys who were gamers couldn't fucking figure out how to get into the school without getting caught.

As Selina exited the school, she saw Lucian in the courtyard. "Onii-chan!" Selina cheered as she switched her personalities. Selina ran over to him and hugged him. As she smiled and cuddled Lucian's arm, she said something which didn't fit the personality at all. "Don't you dare fuck this up. If you get caught, I won't hesitate to leave you by yourself." Selina pulled Lucian's arm. "C'mon Onii-chan! I want to check out this school!" Yeah... You follow me you fucking bitch.​

 

[Sairoh]

[Fieldbox="Caleb Miroffe, green, dashed, 10, Courier New"]
Following Rei's lead, Caleb decided to take a seat at one of the various tables that were laid out on the roof. "We got to meet him yesterday after a little skirmish," he replied dryly. The thought of the previous day still left an odd note to Caleb. While it was certainly eventful, it wasn't very fulfilling to think about. "Um, including you and me, the total number of gamers is five now. I'm assuming since the quest for finding the gamers is complete for me, that's all there are," he said, counting off people on his fingers. "Oh, and assuming that the others and I got the whole gamer mechanic at the same time, we've only had it for four days now," he added. The whole conversation seemed to be somewhat one sided. While Rei was indeed responding, his attention seemed to be completely focused on the game he had in his hands. Caleb didn't particularly mind - he wasn't to big of a people person himself if his history of homeschooling said anything. Still, he figured that if the gamers were meant to stick together as implied by the quest that they had been given, it wouldn't hurt to break the ice.

Caleb bit his lip a little before scooting his chair a bit closer. "What are you playing?" he asked casually. The teen was wary of Rei's personal space, so he could only really see a small corner of the console's screen.
[/fieldbox]

 

[Heyitsjiwon]

The bell, which signified the end of class run. Ryuu practically jumped out of his seat and starting stretching while releasing a satisfactory sigh. He felt his cell phone buzz in his right pocket. Ryuu reached into it and pulled it out. Looks like everyone had found their way here and that they were going to meet on the rooftop. Things seemed to finally be heading in the right direction after days of confusion. Ryuu said bye to his classmates and friends. Right when he was about to leave, Ryuu was stopped. Miura came up right to him and asked "Shiba-san, what are you up to now? You aren't a part of any clubs, right? I have nothing to do since my club meeting got cancelled." Ryuu replied "Sorry, busy. I have to go see some people. Bye, Miura-san." and took his leave.

Ryuu quickly walked up stairs towards the rooftop. He was excited to learn more. Especially some of that magic stuff that he saw Rei use. Right as he arrived he loudly said "Yo!" in greeting as it appeared that Caleb had arrived before hand. Ryuu continued "I would introduce you two, but it's kind of pointless since we can see each others' names. Oh, but feel free to call me Ryuu. That's what everyone calls me." Ryuu then paused "Hmm looks like we're waiting for two more people. Selina, and... Lucian I think it was? Either way, looking forward to this!"

 

[Omnial]

Mentally, Lucian face palmed. This was not quiet what he meant, he meant that they would act like he was touring the school to report back to parents and a sibling, but, he would humour Selina, she didn't seem to view his opinion highly anyways. "Children shouldn't swear, it shows a lack of intelligence as you cannot seem to articulate yourself in dignified manner." Arms still linked, he continued on, and acted as if everything was normal and natural. He didn't even blush this time being linked with Selina, then again, after getting to know her a bit, plus the whole acting like siblings, why would he?

After a short 'tour' of the school, and by tour, being dragged along at a speed neither fast, nor slow, but just at that uncomfortable pace, they finally made it to the roof. No issues had. No one saw them, to his knowledge.

"Finally." Lucian opened the door, to see that they were the last ones to arrive. He freed his arm, and brushed off his sleeve.

 

[Renose]

The Rooftop

When Lucian and Selina arrived, Rei looked up for a moment. Most likely looking at a window that appeared for him. Probably the one for completing the quest now that the Level 18 Gamer had seen Lucian. Rei put his PFP away now, it disappearing back into his Inventory. "Hello" he stated as he looked at the newest arrival. Now he stood up from his seat, sighing softly as he did so. "Well I did promise to teach you guys a few things if you helped me complete that Quest... so lets go ahead and get started".

Rei wasn't one to go back on his word, plus again he didn't want themselves getting killed by their lack of knowledge. So he figured in the end it was a win win for everyone. Rei began to think, before coming up with the first thing to teach them. "Well I guess the first thing you need to know is how to make a Pseudospace. This is pretty simple actually". Rei walked to stand in a position to where he could better be seen by everyone, raising his hand up towards the sky, palm upward, once he was in the appropriate position.

"Simply raise your hand like this. Then focus, clear your mind. Jin taught me how to do this, and he told me that you have to go in deep and find the 'energy' within you. Once you find it, you then have to slowly pull it out, sending it up your arm. You then connect this energy, and your own will, to the will of Gaia. If you do it right... you should create a Pseudospace, get a Skill that lets you do so freely, and hopefully a Skill related to using Mana like I did".

Giving the instructions, Rei used "ID Escape" to break the current Pseudospace they were in. He knew that no one really came up here, and no one else was up here, but just in case he went and locked the door. Now he waited for each of them to begin one at a time, attempting to locate their energy and then using to break said Pseudospace. Of course, all of Rei's instructions were relayed in his rather quiet, smart, but still somewhat cold tone of voice.​

 

[Sairoh]

[Fieldbox="Caleb Miroffe, green, dashed, 10, Courier New"]
'A pseudospace... So that's what all these weird atmospheres are called,' Caleb thought as he put together Rei's information in his head. It seemed simple enough - raise a hand and find some energy, connect it to mother earth... Yup, totally easy. Or not. It wasn't particularly like he phoned Gaia every morning to talk about the weather. Up until just recently, Caleb never even really danced with such a seemingly baseless theory. Yet, he'd seen the imps. He'd felt the pseudospaces, as Rei had called them. He'd literally just witnessed the creation and destruction of one. So, he reasoned, it couldn't be entirely impossible to make one himself.

Caleb finally put his shoes back on, lacing them up nice and tight before standing up. He stood at a small distance from everyone else before raising his hand, palm up, to the sky. He closed his eyes (though it was impossible for anyone to tell beyond his fringe) and breathed in. Behind his eyelids, Caleb envisioned a bubble, full of energy. The joyous, yet calm kind that he felt whenever he listened to the whirring and clicking of well made spring. It was an energized feeling, the full heft of satisfaction and pride. The bubble seemed to grow, its walls reinforcing as it took the shape of his own body. From there it grew larger into an impregnable space that encompassed the immediate area around him. 'Grow,' he urged silently in his head. Caleb focused the whole sensation into his arm, willing it to expand, to circumscribe the roof, the building, the city...
'Gaia... If you're there, then please answer me now'
[/fieldbox]

 

[Heyitsjiwon]

Ryuu was a bit unsure as to what exactly he was supposed to do, but for now he went with it. He raised his hand and reached as if he were reaching for the next ledge on a cliff. Ryuu closed his eyes to focus. He tried to clear his mind, but it was easier said than done. So, he decided to try and focus on an image. The one that he settled on was sight of a Venetian Water Fountain that he saw in Italy. At its foundation was a beautiful, sculpted maiden made of white marble. Despite its aesthetic beauty with its smooth contours and frail ripples, the sculpture still gave off an impression of strength. It was well made that it seemed like it would continue standing for generations to come, both everlasting and ephemeral.

From the figure's outstretched hand, a gentle, but steady stream of water was flowing out. The stream shot up, but then parted at its apex into a clear bloom. It was as if a thin crystal dome was encasing the figure in a world of its own. This was the image that Ryuu focused on and tried to use as a base to drive his own attempt at creating his own personal world. But, he first had to find the "energy" within him. Thus, Ryuu somewhat tensed up. He mentally went through the motion of pulling himself up and focused on the sensation that he got when he harnessed all the energy from his body and focused it into his arm.

Ryuu then felt the gentle afternoon breeze. He pictured his surrounding, and started to wish for everything around him to be preserved forever and become unchanging. He wanted to draw the energy out of him so that he could allow it to bloom around him. He wanted to create his own world and encase it so that everything beautiful, like the statue, will be preserved.

 

[Renose]

Caleb's Attempt

Caleb went first, Rei watching as he attempted to summon forth the energy from within to connect to Gaia so that he could create a Pseudospace.

Calling forth Energy: 42 - 6 Focus = 36

Caleb could feel the energy inside of him, bubbling up from within him the 'sphere' of it rising and growing in him, his hand starting to glow and shimmer lightly with a blue glow.

Connecting with Gaia: 23 - 6 Focus = 17

This part was a bit easier. Connecting his will, his desire, to the will of Gaia. Suddenly the area would change as a Pseudospace was created through Caleb's efforts. Several windows would appear before him now.

Skill Get

A Skill has been created through a special action. Through learning to manipulate and call out your energy a Skill to utilize your Mana, Mana Sphere, has been created.

Mana Sphere

Mana Sphere (Lv 1: 0%) (Active: 10 + 2 MP/Second)
You create a sphere of Mana that you can grow in your hand to make it more powerful, then throw once you feel it is fully charged. The initial sphere deals 5 - 10 + 10% Focus Damage. For every second you charge the sphere you increase the Damage by 1. You can charge the sphere currently for five seconds. To Level: Throw Mana Sphere, Throw a Charged Mana Sphere, Defeat an Enemy, get a Critical Strike.

Skill Get

A Skill has been created through a special action. Through practicing the creation of Pseudospace, the ability to more freely do so; ID Create, has been created.

ID Create

ID Create (Lv 1: 0%) (Active)
Creates a Pseudospace in which you can use special powers in freely. Current Instances Available: Empty ID, Imp ID. To Level: Create an ID, Clear an ID, Create a new type of ID.

After Caleb had created his Pseudospace, Rei broke it using ID Escape once again. Then let the next person begin. That next person...


Ryuunosuke's Attempt

Was Ryuunosuke.

Calling forth Energy: 96 (Fumble)

Unfortunately Ryuunosuke did not have as great of a time calling forth his energy as Caleb did. Perhaps he wasn't focusing right, but as he attempted to call forth the energy within him he would feel something like a blob swell inside of him. It was painful, very painful, and was growing quickly. Suddenly it would burst inside of him, his HP and MP bars appearing in the corner of his vision. His HP was drained by half as his MP suddenly was now at 0.

A window would appear before him after the 'explosion' in him had settled, a sort of spiritual draining being present in him. His body would feel a bit sluggish, his mind not entirely clear at the moment. These feelings would probably pass, but what was described in the window probably wouldn't pass for a long time.

Alert

The loss of control of your Mana has given you 'Mana Backlash'

Mana Backlash: Your spirit has been damaged by the loss of control over its energies. Your MP Regen and MP have both been reduced to 0 and you can no longer utilize any abilities that rely on your spirit or Mana until you recover from said backlash.

Rei looked at Ryuunosuke now, eyes widened slightly in concern. "Are... you alright?" he asked. Sure he may be a cold, apathetic person, but he wasn't completely heartless it seemed as he did sound genuinely concerned.​