The Anime Trope System: Stone vs. Viper # 1, a LitRPG. (ATS)

by Alvin Atwater

  [QUEST COMPLETED. You have received 20 EXP and $20!]

  [Congratulations you have reached level 2! Your stats have increased!]

  His phone beeped.

  [You have received a text from Harumi? Do you wish to respond?]

  Clyde viewed it. An invitation to lunch. Well, it wasn’t like he had anything else better to do, so he accepted it. The internal map helped him find cafeteria with ease. He caught sight of a book on the ground, right in front of the entrance to the cafeteria. He picked it up. No one seemed to be around to claim it, so he mentally made it vanish into his inventory, which appeared as a grid with many items. He’d return it to the Lost and Found later.

  Kazumi ended up joining them for the lunch period. Clyde wanted to just sit back without contributing to the conversation, but the overly enthusiastic girl wouldn’t give him the chance. She practically drowned him with questions. Eventually she stopped upon realizing the last of her sweet cakes were gone.

  "Nooooooo," she said in a fake dramatic voice. Clyde expected the fake anime tears to come poring from her face like rivers. No such thing happened. When she looked at him with a sly smile, he immediately knew. Harumi interjected at that moment.

  "You don’t need any more sugar," she said. "You’ll get fat."

  That seemed to strike a hidden nerve, because her smile dropped.

  "Am I fat?" she said, looking at Clyde

  "No," Clyde said tiredly, finishing the last of his burger. It costed a measly two dollars. "In fact, you should tell me your secret some time. Not sure how you can manage to eat copious amounts of sugar and look good at the same time. It’s unfair."

  The anime girl gave a gasping blush, causing Clyde to give her a blank stare. He didn’t mean anything by the remark, except that some people had the ability to eat whatever they wanted and not gain even an inch.

  [Your relationship with Kazumi has changed from friendly to curious.]

  Clyde did not like where this was going, so he gathered his things.

  "Anyway, I’m off," he said then left before Harumi had the chance throw away more of her time. The girl was too nice, but at least not nice enough to let that rich guy get close to her.

  Clyde’s last two classes flew by nearly instantly. Sciences and Crafting wouldn’t get hands on until they met Wednesday.

  Now was the moment of truth. Could he dodge the walk home with Harumi? There was no way in hell she knew of his location—he didn’t show her the schedule. A buzzing in his pocket caught his attention. To his surprise, it was Chika wanting to meet in the library right away. She had plans in the evening. Clyde tried to get her to accept his offer to just forget the tutoring session, but she refused.

  For some reason, no one was in the library except a girl, presumably the student aide. She paid them no attention, preferring to vigorously tap at her phone.

  Chika led him to some private study room, shut the door, then placed the history textbook in front of him. She taught him the unit, but in a very distracting way. The boobs over the shoulder way. In fact, it almost seemed like she was either enjoying the tease or completely oblivious. Clyde had a textbook on his lap, but when Chika noticed, she swiped it.

  "I’m only teaching this once, so no distractions."

  He shot her a blank look. She either pretended not to notice or once again was completely oblivious to the torture she emitted. Suddenly, she blew on his neck, causing him to tense.

  [Your relationship with Chika has changed from classmate to curious.]

  "Is that a banana under the table or is someone happy to see me?"

  He glared at her.

  "So, you are doing that on purpose," he said.

  The girl shrugged.

  "Doing what?" she said innocently then pointed at the book. "Read the last paragraph and you’ll be caught up."

  He sighed then turned back to the book. Chika boldly leaned against his back enabling him to feel full softness.

  "A pleasant distraction, but are you expecting me to finish this paragraph or not?" Clyde said.

  "I don’t care really," she said. "I’m bored, you’re handsome and fun to tease." She surprised him by grabbing his horn. "No one’s around. Want my virginity?"

  His eyes widened. "I’m just kidding." She let go and sat next to him. "It’s wrong to cheat on someone from an arranged marriage, right? Don’t answer that. It’s not like my stupid father’s going to change his mind anyway. I’m just something he can sell off to seal a deal between companies." Clyde said nothing. Chika wiped tears from her eyes. "Sorry."

  "It’s okay," Clyde said then closed the book. He almost added it to his inventory when he realized the text belonged to Chika. And the last thing he needed was to explain how he made objects disappear. The magician excuse wouldn’t work.

  Episode 2 (Part 3)

  Chika stood up.

  "Don’t tell anyone. I don’t need anyone giving me pointless looks of pity. It’s bad enough that I’d rather give myself to someone I barely know than that jerk." She banged a fist on the table. "Thinks he can just do whatever he wants with me—I don’t enjoy his touch." She sighed. "Maybe this is the pot calling out the kettle. I touched you without your consent with a dumb reason called revenge."

  Clyde knew he could invoke a silver tongue. He could take advantage of the poor girl in her momentary weakness just for pleasure, but he wasn’t that kind of person. He didn’t want to get into anyone’s affairs…but a few wise words could change a weak heart. That’s what his grandma taught him.

  "First of all," he said, "don’t do this to anyone else. I’m letting it go because I was caught off guard. Attractiveness aside. Someone could do something terrible to you. Second, is there anyway you could talk to your father, tell him how you feel. Tell him how that jackass persistently violates you. Eventually it would come to rape. If your father truly cares for you, he’ll do something. If he doesn’t, tell another relative, a mother or someone to see if they could help. If that doesn’t work, then grab some things and move in with a friend. Let your father know you’re not some bargaining object just to expand his company. Hell, if you have no friends, you could live with me. I don’t care. Don’t just take your fate lying down. You don’t want to be at the point where you’re doing…you know, just to get back at them."

  Chika stared at him for a while, eyes intense, then nodded.

  "No one’s…no one has ever just sat down and talked with me like this before," she said then looked down. She nodded again as if confirming something within herself then made eye contact with Clyde. "Thank you. I’ll end this tonight." She stood. "Study session’s over I guess. Just text me if you need anything else. You’re a pretty cool guy, so I don’t mind hanging out with you. "

  She strolled out the door, her last words being, "see you in the morning."

  [Quest completed. You have earned 20 EXP but also a bonus 30 EXP for moving Chika’s heart.]

  [Your relationship with Chika has changed from curious to friendly- associate.]

  [Congratulations, you have reached level 3! Stats increased! You have learned the passive skill, Heart Protection!]

  Clyde smiled, eager to get home to see his stats, but before he could do so, he’d have to return the book he found. He pulled it from his inventory. The title of it made him flinch.

  [You have found the book of Magic Line, Energy. Item value: mysterious. Opening this book will teach you the Magic attack: Energy ball. Warning, it will vanish after one use.]

  Clyde’s eyes widened. He had found a way to defend himself at last. At least in the case of a fist fight being impossible against certain enemies. Possible monsters like in the games.

  He opened the book. It shimmered, turned into golden sparkles that resembled the most amazing snowflakes, and then he knew everything. Just like that.

  He wanted to try this power out but restrained himself. No need to cause a stir. He smiled, feeling giddy. All his life, he wished he could shoot powers from his hands like a Dragon Ball Z character or
a superhero. The knowledge to do so was now in his head. He’d practice as much as possible to level it up. The only problem now is to get out of Harumi’s sights so that he wouldn’t risk being spotted.

  He took the time to read over a few of his other books before tossing them back into his inventory. He made sure not to leave the book Chika took off his lap. Thinking of that moment made him chuckle. This world was insane.

  When he arrived at his apartment, he locked all the doors, showered, then got comfortable. It was tie to at last view his stats for the day.

  Name: Clyde.

  Level: 3

  Type: Main character/ Stone.

  HP: 100%

  MP: 100%

  Attack: 8

  Defense: 6

  Speed: 10

  Luck: 5

  Will: 8

  Intellect: 13

  Form: 0

  Special: ???

  Special Abilities: none.

  Skills:

  -Athlete: 10% bonus to speed and Will [passive].

  -Hostile Detection 1: detects hostiles within a certain range of you. [passive].

  -Heart Protection 1: you’re 25% less affected by unwanted mental magic or skills from enemies. You gain a 10% bonus to your ability to convince others to do anything that would protect their hearts. [Passive].

  Magic:

  -Energy Ball. Type: spiritual. Class: mysterious. [Cast]. Cool down: 2 minutes.

  Talent: Main character stuff.

  Bonus:

  10% boost to relationship stats with Harumi and her friends.

  Inventory:

  $133

  Map of Lot City, Satovia.

  Smartphone.

  Key.

  Reminder for practice- note.

  Classes: (year1).

  Satovia History 1.

  Romance Literature 1.

  Sciences 1.

  Crafting 1.

  Phone numbers:

  Chika.

  Harumi.

  If things continued to go this well, Clyde would get to a respectable level in no time. He could even skip school and set off to find the Viper…Or use the internet, send a calling card, and ambush it.

  He returned Harumi’s goodnight text then laid back. What if there were more things for him to do besides killing the Viper?

  One step at a time, Clyde supposed. He’d overcome this trial. Get home. Forget this all.

  Episode 3 (part 1): I Will NOT be a Kirito!

  Tuesday. Week 1. Year 1.

  No alarm sounded on this day off, but Clyde was up anyway, enjoying a breakfast of sausage, bacon, and eggs, and watching the news. A strange story made him a little nervous, as things in a real-life anime world could be unpredictable.

  "We’re still getting reports on sightings of strange creatures after dark. Authorities advise everyone to simply stay inside after dark until they can find the underlining cause of these events."

  Clyde took that as a sign. Progression. Experience points. He needed to learn how to fight before going after the creatures. Maybe the Viper was responsible. The final boss before he could go home, saving the earth without anyone knowing. What a thankless burden. Is this how Superman feels? As if agreeing with his conclusion, a prompt appeared in his mind.

  [Quest: learn combat. Practice your abilities. Reward: 25 EXP. This quest is mandatory and cannot be refused.]

  [You’ve unlocked quest log!]

  Clyde wasted no time. Dressed in casual clothing, he set off to explore the city a bit. There was nothing special about it, just a Tokyo-styled or even New York-styled place of chaos. How would he pay for martial art lessons, anyway? His measly money wouldn’t even teach him not to shit himself upon sight of a monster. Screw it. He’d simply watch, maybe come across a discount day or something for aspiring students. As if.

  It took Clyde about an hour to find a dojo. To his surprise, they were having official matches this day and admissions were free. He enjoyed himself, nodding to some attacks, taking mental notes without even realizing it. The combatants moved with rhythm, performing a dance that spoke words Clyde could not yet understand, but appreciate. A poem of motion, a song of grace.

  Something amazing happened when he left.

  [Congratulations, you’ve learned basic combat. You will be able to attack enemies with technique, albeit standard, beginner-level. +5% damage for a physical attack. You can now combat nonhuman foes without immediately succumbing to the fear status. Let it be known that you can only raise your combat level once per day and if you’re at the right level. Raise your combat level to achieve new styles and forms.]

  [Quest completed! You received 25 EXP.]

  Clyde couldn’t believe it. He only had to watch to raise his combat level! This was amazing, groundbreaking, relieving. He just knew. Now the only thing he needed to do was find a place to practice his magic.

  He had no luck with this. By late noon, Clyde decided to research remote locations. He found grasslands a few miles outside of town, but without a printer, he couldn’t print the map. His measly money would not do.

  [Quest: Buy a printer. Optional step: raise the money. Current status: $133/300.]

  Clyde nearly had a heart attack. THREE HUNDRED DOLLARS FOR A PRINTER? What kind of shit was this? The world would force him to buy a ridiculously expensive printer for maps…. Clyde muttered curses for nearly three minutes when a store caught his attention. Equip Masters. Not a name he would’ve chose but why not?

  The clerk was a big boobed anime girl with long black hair, carrying a bored expression. She quickly finished oiling the long sword she had on the table before addressing Clyde. The incredibly organized and clean shop made him reconsider buying for a second simply because he’d feel a little guilt at disturbing such order. Also, he didn’t want to bother with a sword. Why use a sword when guns existed? If this was a stupid sword-wielding cliched anime, he’d flip. He would not be a Kirito. He’d rather be an overlord or something.

  Clyde pushed dark references out of his mind to determine what he could buy.

  "See anything you like?" the shopkeeper said. Clyde gulped, averting his gaze away from the young woman’s tight shirt and curves, and holy damn what was wrong with him. He also couldn’t ask for a gun—what would that look like? He didn’t see anything but air rifles anyway. Not very useful against freaking monsters. He…. was going to have to become a Kirito. If anyone called him an idiot or baka, he’d lose his shit.

  "How much for that katana?" Clyde said, pointing at the sheathed blade hanging on the back wall.

  "Four hundred," the shopkeeper replied.

  Clyde sighed.

  "I guess I should’ve expected that. Anything priced at a hundred or less?"

  The girl glared at him. Clyde quickly saved face. "I plan to buy more, but you know, waiting on payday and all."

  "Oh," she said, face lighting up. "You’re looking for something to hold you over, eh. Hmm, I could give you a discount on a beginner’s sword. At exactly one hundred. But…you’ll need to sign up for the membership."

  "A membership?" Clyde said.

  "Oh, it’s free," the shopkeeper said. "…With your purchase. I like to keep my regulars or would-be regulars in the loop. The more you shop here, the happier I’ll be, and every now and then I’ll throw in a discount or two."

  The smile on her face didn’t give him much confidence, but he took the paper, skimmed it, then signed away. She showed him a well-polished short sword. "It even comes with an instruction manual, though I doubt handsome collectors like you really have a need for it, unless you plan on killing people."

  "Sorry to disappoint you there," Clyde said. "Just a collector, not a ninja."

  The shopkeeper shrugged with nonchalance.

  "As long as you take of my beauties, you’re welcomed here."

  Clyde handed over the money. In a way, ouch. That left him a measly thirty-three left, but it was better than being unarmed. A prompt appeared to reward the young man.

  [Congratulatio
ns, you are now equipped. You have unlocked the equipment screen. With this, everything you wear will determine extra stats and perks. You’ve unlocked the secret sword and martial arts combination passive skill! You received 30 EXP.]

  [Congratulations, you have reached level 4! Stats increased!]

  "Maybe one day I’ll teach you how to properly use your other sword," the shopkeeper said then laughed at Clyde’s expression. "I’m just kidding." She winked. "Now if you don’t mind, I’d like to take my lunch break."

  "Yeah, yeah," Clyde said then muttered, "maybe close the shop. I’ll show you how much my other sword—" He stopped when the shopkeeper’s triumph smirk declared its victory. "Never mind."

  "You’re not that good, yet, but I almost considered it." The shopkeeper laughed as she locked her register. Clyde waved her off as he left.

  [Your relationship with Clare has changed from neutral to curious.]

  When he stepped outside, he opened the instruction manual. The pages shimmered then burst into a display of dust and he just knew. Clyde smiled. With this, he now had the ability to defend himself. This was an impressive super power. The power to learn anything and use it to strengthen himself.

  Just then, he noticed a red outline surrounding a man like radiation. Like a small aura. A man who walked toward him. Not wanting to stick around for that, Clyde started for a bus stop, but the man continued to follow him, grinning.

  Clyde stopped and analyzed the creeper. A red prompt showed up this time to his surprise. The description was different from normal too.

  Common street thug.

  Level 14

  Type: enemy of the city.