Heavy (The Weight Of It All): A LitRPG Fantasy Adventure

by J. J. Thorn

  In my time at the Guild, I would always try to get adventurers to study their monsters more, but they never did. So, I decided that I could try with you all instead. Fresh minds and all that.

  So that's a bit about me. The class is pretty demanding on your time, I'll let you know that in advance. There are thousands of known monsters, and even though I don't expect you to remember all of them, I want you to be aware of general trends.

  Now, let's start here. Class, why might it help to know about a monster before fighting it?"

  I thought back to my hunt with Uncle Tom of the Armadon. He had spoken a lot about the monster's habits and had used that knowledge to track it down pretty quickly. Plus, he's known that the scales would be worth a lot and would make good armor.

  While I thought of the question, several others had already raised their hand.

  I decided to do the same.

  Lance picked a girl in the front.

  "Yes, you young lady."

  "Knowing the monster might let us know any strengths or weaknesses the monster could have."

  "Yes, if I have to go kill a Monkin, a monster that is actually quite common in Krader's Dungeon, I'll need to know that its tail is both it's biggest weapon and it's greatest weakness. It uses the tail to hang from trees since it is an ambush predator. If you know what to look for, you're infinitely more safe while traversing the forest. Good contribution, thank you. Anyone else? Yes, you young man."

  Another student had raised their hand.

  "It might let you know when they are in the area. Like some monsters only come out at night."

  "Yes, some monsters are nocturnal. Based on this information, you can choose to either avoid them or know when to hunt. Anyone else?"

  He pointed at me.

  "Monster parts, knowledge of the monster might let you know what is valuable."

  "Yes, very good point. If you are hunting monsters as a career, it is very useful to know what you can take back. As a habit, you should always try to scavenge what you can. The fur, scales, and claws are always safe bets, but a lot of alchemists request organs or blood. In fact, the brain of some monsters is actually sometimes their more valuable component. For the right buyer, of course. Your geography might make a part less valuable as well. Great contribution, thank you."

  The Professor requested answers from a couple of other students but eventually stopped to continue the lesson.

  The other students had brought on discussions about food and weapons.

  "Great contributions everyone, thank you. I hope this gives you an idea of how additional knowledge on a monster can actually help you. Even just knowing knowledge about monsters in your local vicinity can be invaluable.

  Enough Dungeoneers forget this and leave invaluable resources to rot as they try to move on.

  While we are all trying to become more powerful, we must not forget that Dungeoneering is a career. Sometimes, sustaining ourselves financially can be rewarding in itself - something a lot of Dungeoneers have a difficult time being successful at.

  There are two things I'd like to also bring to your attention that weren't raised.

  First, no one mentioned orbs, which is probably a correct thing to leave out but should not be ignored. We do not discuss them greatly in this course, but monsters do sometimes have orbs within them. Dungeon monsters are known to have them more often, but some monsters are known to have them in the wild as well.

  Generally, a monster that has been alive for a long time will have an orb. If you can find an Alpha in the wild, you might be fortunate enough to get an orb. They are valuable for either your own personal growth or to sell since they are so rare.

  Secondly, we do not talk about animals much in this course, but you should know there is a discernable difference between the two. Simply put, monsters are beings that have internal energy, similar to all of us in this room.

  This difference manifests itself in many different ways, which we'll discuss, but some monsters are able to even use their own Skills. Even without Skills, they are infinitely more powerful than their animal counterparts.

  It is believed that this internal energy actually draws humans and monsters together in conflict. They tend to be more aggressive and attack people with internal energy more readily.

  Are there any questions before we move forward?"

  The question was posed to the class after the professor was finished speaking.

  The professor spent the next hour going back and forth with students on some of the previous points made in his speech. At times he would give examples of monsters in the world, using his knowledge to tie into what we had discussed.

  A lot of what he said made me think back on the Armadon and even the rabbit that had attacked me.

  Mom, Elise, and I had walked through that field countless times. Did I get attacked because of my internal energy?

  Dad had come with us over the years, but I can't recall him ever being attacked.

  The Professor eventually stopped the conversations as he moved onto the next topic.

  "Ok, great discussions all around. Thank you for your participation. Before I explain your assignment for the week, I'd like to introduce you to the book you've all seen me standing beside for the last hour.

  This is the same book that exists in every Guild Hall. As such, we are truly fortunate to have it.

  In fact, the book gets updated every few years with a new version. Due to our proximity to the Kingdom and Krader's long-standing reputation we always get the latest version.

  The book provides details on thousands of monsters across the continent of Terna and beyond.

  It is sorted alphabetically and attempts to segment monsters by type, location, size, and more. As the Kingdom receives information from Dungeoneers, new details are added and the book is updated. There is actually a long-standing bounty for information in every Guild Hall. It doesn’t give a lot of money, but it is a significant amount for any new information you can provide.

  Professors only have a couple of copies, but there are several older versions available in the library for you to research.

  And that is your first assignment. You are to find 3 monsters and present them next week. You will let the class know about the monster's habits, physiology, and anything else you might find interesting. Of the monsters, you must choose at least 1 sentient monster. It is expected that you will use more than just the Monster Guide to find your information. The Guide is not always descriptive. It is your task to find additional details.

  For the rest of the class, we'll be discussing sentients. Now class, can anyone start off by explaining what a sentient is."

  The rest of the class went on like that, discussing monsters and sentients, specifically.

  I learned that there were countless monsters in the world that were sentient.

  In fact, some had even created their own towns and traded with humans.

  This caused some stir among the class when the Professor asked if they still were worthy of being called 'Monsters'. If they were sentient, did they still warrant this title?

  The Prost Kingdom was made up of only humans, but did that mean other Kingdoms might not be?

  Overall, I found the class VERY interesting. The three hours went by very quickly as I learned more and more about the monsters of the world.

  On my day off tomorrow, I couldn't wait to rush to the library to get started.

  I also needed to figure out how to see my internal energy.

  Plus, I needed to keep training my body and my affinity.

  Plus, I needed to consider Professor Valk's question from Morna's morning class.

  This was also disregarding the time I wanted to spend with my new friends and the letter I had to send home.

  Before I could do any of that, I really wanted to go check out Field C!

  Chapter 18

  Sword’s Folly

  I got back to the dorm and found that Zane was still out, probably at the library. I was going to join
him, but I knew I had the whole day tomorrow to get started on researching monsters tomorrow.

  Instead, I found myself walking towards Field C. Ever since speaking with Gaunt, I really wanted to see what was available.

  As I walked through the different training fields, I once again noticed the number of people training. Several people were in their full armor, using the opportunity to spar. Different elements were being thrown about while people practiced - fire, water, and earth could all be seen.

  These people couldn't be first years, so these must have been the people who would still pay the school yearly to use the facilities.

  Would I stay in Krader after the year was over? It had only been a couple days, but I had never been so excited in my life. Ever since gaining my affinity, a whole new world had opened up to me. One that I couldn't wait to discover. My life in Huag had been wonderful, because of my loving family, but I knew I wasn't meant to stay there forever. My life was meant for greater adventures or in towns like Krader where most of the people had an affinity as well. Like these people, maybe I'd stay in Krader, using the opportunity to keep increasing my own power.

  Whatever, something to consider for the end of the year!

  I walked into the building beside Field C and was thrilled to see that Gaunt had understated how awesome the place would be!

  One side of the room was completely lined with wooden training dummies. Near the dummies was a rack of different wooden weapons. On the other side of the room was a surplus of weights. They all looked similar to my dad-made versions, but they got MUCH bigger. I used my Skill on some of the weights at the end.

  View Weight.

  100 pounds! 150 pounds! 200 pounds!

  I can't imagine getting to the point where I would be able to lift those.

  I started making my way through the building towards the other side where the training dummies were. Gaunt had made it clear that I wouldn't have the ability to train swords in any of my classes, so I would need to do it myself.

  No better time than now.

  I reached the rack and took one of the many wooden swords available.

  Other students were already making use of the training dummies, but I found one available.

  I stood in front of the dummy... and realized I wasn't really sure what to do.

  I thought back to Elise and my playing with the bush in front of the house. I thought back to Uncle Tom’s stance before he attacked the Armadon. Do I just hit it?

  I bent my arms back so that the sword was to my right.

  I swung towards the side of the dummy, aiming for its torso.

  As soon as I connected, I felt a sense of pain in my hands, which caused my grip to falter on the sword. The sword dropped out of my hands, clattering down onto the ground.

  "Hahahaha"

  I heard some laughter from behind me.

  Turning around, I was happy to see that it was Jen!

  "You weren't kidding, Ren! You really do need to work on that," she said, walking closer to me as I picked up the fallen sword.

  Luckily, no one else had noticed my floundering, and it was just my new friend.

  "Ya, I really didn't have much time to practice growing up, I'm really trying to make up for lost time now."

  "I agree. Well, then lets at least work on the fundamentals first!"

  Startled, I wasn't sure what Jen was referring to.

  "My affinity is SWORD dummy, and I can't have anyone in my group unable to even hold one properly. My parents finally gave up trying to stop me from giving it a shot when I was younger and instead helped me learn. Because of that, I'm going to help you out."

  Why would she do this? This girl really is too much.

  "But why? I understand I'm on your team, but I can learn by myself as well, I don't want to be a bother."

  "Well, you're the one who told me about this place. I don't have General Training until Thursday, so this way I get a head start. Plus, I think you're forgetting the most important thing!"

  Jen moved me out of the way as she positioned herself in front of the dummy.

  She was strong for someone her size.

  "Wh-what's that?"

  "We're friends, stupid," She said as she looked me in the eyes and smiled. "Ok, so look here at my legs. You always want to have them slightly bent. Look at where my feet are positioned. If I'm planning to strike the dummy like you did before, I want to make sure my body is turned slightly, to make the best of my core strength."

  I started watching her as she prepared herself to hit the dummy. I watched her movements carefully, trying to set them to memory so I could try to do them as well.

  Friends though. I really hadn't ever had friends that would just do things for me like that. I'll have to make sure to do something for her as well. What a...

  "Hey, Ren! Are you paying attention? At this point, you're just staring at my legs, and this is training time!" Jen startled me out of my thoughts.

  "Ya, sorry. Go on, I'm paying attention."

  "Ok, good. So, now that I've explained my body positioning, I'm going to grip the blade tightly, like this. Once you're ready, you'll swing the blade towards the dummy. Now, you're training, so you shouldn't be using all of your power. Also, try not to overextend your arms. Think of this one hit as the beginning of a conversation with your friends. If you're telling them huge news, you don't start right away with the news, you lead up to it. You draw in their interest, before letting them know all about it! Same thing here. Save your energy. If you want to do big hits, save it for the end."

  Jen stopped talking and swung her arms hitting the dummy in its torso like I had intended to do.

  Afterwards, she didn't stop there. She continued to hit the dummy all over, hitting its legs, thrusting the sword towards her stomach, and even hitting its head a couple times. Throughout it all, the dummy did not move, but the attacks were both fast and powerful.

  After a minute, Jen drew back the sword and stopped her attack.

  I caught myself with my mouth open as she looked towards me again.

  "See, easy, right?!" She laughed while winking.

  "Your turn buddy, make me proud."

  I can't follow her after that. She can't really expect me to do that, can she?

  I took the wooden sword from her hands and stood in front of the dummy again.

  I positioned my legs and feet as she had mentioned while tightening my grip on the sword.

  I looked at Jen, who gave me a nod of reassurance.

  I looked at the dummy and turned my body as I drew back the sword. After what felt like 30 seconds of just waiting, I eventually swung the sword. There was still slight pain in my hands, but this time I held my grip.

  After the successful hit, I tried executing some of the moves I had seen Jen do.

  I started to wack the dummy with the sword. I say wack because my attempts were nowhere near as graceful.

  The dummy was hit with the broad side of the sword more times than not. It sounded like I was slapping the dummy, rather than trying to injure it.

  By my fifth strike, Jen was once again laughing, but this time she was almost on the ground.

  I turned around, embarrassed, and waited for her to finish.

  She sat up and gave me another big smile.

  "Ren, you're hilarious. I see we honestly have a lot of work to do. Let's actually step away from the dummy, we'll work on that another time. For now, we're just going to try swinging at the air. I actually used to do this all the time and still do it sometimes for my own training. It helps you get a feel for the sword."

  We made our way to one of the mats in the room and picked a spot secluded from others.

  I tried to hand the sword to Jen, but she waved it away.

  "No, it's ok, if we're doing this, I'll use my Skill."

  I was going to ask Jen what she meant when she said a word under her breath while holding out her hands. She held her hands out in the same position she had held the sword before hitting the dummy. In
moments, a beam of light started to appear within her grasp. The light eventually coalesced into what looked like a sword. The edge of the sword looked extremely sharp, while the length of the blade was as long as half Jen's torso.

  "Holy shit Jen, that's amazing. Are you Rank 2 already, how can you create something like that?"

  Jen looked at me, still holding the sword out.

  "No, not even close. This is still my Rank 1 skill. And don't be too impressed, it's actually not all it appears to be."

  "What do you mean?! My Skill lets me look at the weight of things! You get to conjure a literal sword! I thought Rank 1 Skills were meant to be useless!"

  "Like I said, it's honestly not what you think. Here, let me show you. Don't move, I promise this won't hurt."

  "Hurt, what do you..."

  Before I could finish my thought, Jen took a step towards me and in the same way, she had attached the dummy, she slashed at my torso.

  I widened my eyes, as I couldn't believe my FRIEND was about to kill me. The sword's edge looked incredibly sharp as it pierced my flesh.

  I wish I hadn't, but I screamed. I fell to the ground as I started to feel at my side where she had attacked me.

  "Ahhh! My side, you cut me, it... it nothing. It doesn't even hurt. There's no cut."

  For the third time that day, Jen started to laugh. Her laughter brought me out of my frenzy as I determined that nothing was wrong.

  In fact, the sword was now gone entirely as Jen looked at me again.

  "Why does nothing hurt? I definitely saw you cut me."

  "Haha, ya, that's exactly it. The sword is completely made of light. I'm hoping it becomes more when I Rank up, but for now, it couldn't hurt anyone. Also, as soon as the light is broken anywhere, the light scatters and I need to use my internal energy to bring it back."

  Damn Rank 1 and it's useless Skills. There's no way I'll be able to answer Professor Valk's question, Rank 1 Skills seem completely useless.

  "Oh, that sucks. So, you can't even use it for much?"

  "I wouldn't say I can't use it at all. When I can, I use my sword to practice my form. In fact, it comes in pretty handy because I can use it to train anywhere without having to carry around a clunky training sword. Goddess knows my parents used to hate when we'd go away, and I brought my sword with me."