After erecting the barricade, I assigned rounds of two persons each hour to watch over it, in case the wolves decide to attack us. With the 60 students of the dormitory, it gives most quite a bit of rest while we try making weapons. Our weapons right now amount only to brooms without the head and knives from the second floor’s kitchen. We are now working on making spears out of the brooms, but with only kitchen knives, it’s a lot of work.

At least, we got a weapon for 50 of us. But finding 20 knives usable in a fight is really being lucky I would say. I am one of the ten without any weapons, we will only get them when it’s our round turn.

Meanwhile, I asked John about all of his conjectures on the system, but except from the fact we might be stronger with the Classes and his interrogation about Aspects, Form and Paths, we got nothing.

I also inquired everyone about their stats. It’s how I made the rounds groups, composing them of someone with a good perception stat and someone with a low one. If the perception stat really let Lea see the wolf from such a range, John and myself supposed that it could be useful to notice on-coming assaults.

According to the high Perception group, they saw more than one wolf in the forest. The initial one that Lea saw going our way came back toward the forest after roaming a bit around the campus. They might not be as territorial as normal wolves, but they apparently act as packs if you forget about this one.

Now, Lea and myself gotta do our round. I slept 2 hours in the last 29 hours. I don’t know why, but everyone decided to trust me as a leader, and as one, the planning of everything, down to the food rationing. Maybe this trust comes from the Leadership skill? It got up to level 7 with all my commanding around.

…

It’s been 4 days now. Four calm yet tense days. During this time, the Watchers noticed that the Wolves have a pretty obvious pattern in their way of roaming the forest. They seem to circle it, sometimes one going out to look around the campus a bit and then coming back.

Maybe we’ll be able to hunt something in the forest, seeing how easily they can be avoided, our food isn’t really high and we’ll have to find new sources if we want to survive.

And so, that’s why together with John and Paul we planified a work-out routine for everyone. John because he told me there might have an easy way to defend ourselves when directly in front of danger. By training our physic and martial arts. So I approached Paul, one of the most physical of us, practicing Kickboxing, Climbing, Natation and regularly going to the gym. He then designed a training regime for everyone to follow, together with some teaching classes he gave face to face.

Thanks to this regime, we got to obtain the Fitness skill and the High and Low Kick skills. Some even got some variations apparently, having a better understanding of the practice.

The Fitness skill is just an utility one, we lose less Stamina overall. And the Kick skills are pretty straightforward as in it does just what it says it is, but with less flaws than before we had the skills.

And apparently, Paul also got a teaching skill thanks to all that.

And all that planification also made my Leadership level go to 10 making a new window appear, but not one unknown, because Lea already got the same when her Eagle Eyes skill got to the same level.

Congratulations! Due to special actions, you now can advance on the Leadership path.

Such was the message. Making me able to choose between 2 paths:

You currently have 13 CP.

Choose your path

Basic Human (5)

Leadership (25)

Upon seeing the cost exceeding the total CPs I had, I was a bit bummed out. But thanks to Lea’s experimentation and John’s input, it was revealed that using CPs into a path without completing it directly wasn’t necessarily a bad thing. When Lea invested her CP, she got even more Perception every 5 used.

Leadership 13/25

Your path is not one of fighting. Yours is one of Leadership, guiding your kind through hardship and prevailing.

So was the message when I pumped all CPs in the path. It also gave me 2 Control and 1 Intelligence upon reaching 5 and 10 CP in.

Talking about stats, working out apparently gave people under 5 stats in Endurance, Constitution or Strength some points in them. Maybe if we continue working out I might gain some too.

…

It’s the sixth day. One day before the Class thing, and there’s still no movement from the wolves. Our food was running low so I sent Paul and his round comrade to hunt outside. They’re the best team we might have. They were both friends before all this, Paul is our strongest asset, and Bill, his friend, has the second best Perception, after Lea, coupled with a great Agility.

No one doubted my decision, yet again. Anyway, it looks like most of us went into a trance of training. It’s a good thing, I guess, it might help us all survive.

“Lea, can you see them?” I ask the blond girl looking out of the windows, towards the forest.

“Don’t worry, they successfully killed an oversized rabbit and the wolves aren’t approaching them at all” She answers back, glancing at me for a bit. “You should rest for a bit David. I know you’re doing your best, but our leader shouldn’t fall because he’s tired.”

I wince. “Please Lea, you know I don’t really like being called a leader. It looks like I’m a fluke, using the System and its skills to control you all.”

Lea turns back toward me, staring into my eyes: “No. You’re not. You were the one acting on the spur of the moment and took the role of the leader. You executed yourself so well, and with your reputation as one of the best students, it was natural to make you our leader. If we didn’t want you to be, don’t worry we would have found another one, we are in a university that trains future politicians, after all.”

After her tirade, she looks back out of the window. “They’re coming back, they got 4 of the rabbits, it might be enough for 1 or two day, if we can conserve them.”

“But without electricity, it will be hard…” I sigh. “You should rest, too, our round is in 4 hours. I’m gonna check on the 3rd floor guys.”

“The ones who got the hunting related skills?” She asks, yawning a bit. “Okay, I’ll sleep…”

“Yes, I think one had the Skinning skill, maybe they’ll be able to prepare the game. And maybe if they’re briefed on what’s in the forest, they’ll be able to hunt more than Paul and Bill.” I say, reaching for the door handle. “Sleep well.”

“Thanks.” I hear her reply behind the now closed the door.

…

After explaining to the student before me what I expect of them, they nod, agreeing.

“I mean, it might make us even stronger. We don’t really know how those Classes will be managed, but the stronger we are before obtaining one, the more chance at survival we might have.” Louis, the group’s “leader”, supplies.

I guide them towards the 2nd floor kitchen, where Paul and Bill are waiting as I asked them when they came back in the dormitory.

“So guys, I want you both to learn from each other, Paul, Bill you two are the strongest and will need to learn even more about how to hunt if we want to survive until we can try moving through the forest. And you guys,” I turn toward Louis and his crew, “I want you to learn the most about the forest and prepare the food from what the guys hunted.”

Everyone acquiesce to my declaration and directly go to work.

Congratulations! Your Leadership skill is now Lv13.

And with that new skill level, I can now reach 20 invested CPs into the related path. Giving me the same stats as the three times before.

I’m becoming more and more fit to be a leader, apparently.

Health:

60/60 (+5.43/h)

Stamina:

60/60

(+2.22/min)

Mana:

101/101 (+5.61/h)

Identity

Name:

David Louis

Age:

21

Sex:

Male

Class:

?

Lv?

Human

Stats

Strength

6

Agility

4

Perception

4

Intelligence

10

Control

16

Constitution

6

Endurance

6

Dexterity

4

Concentration

5

Aspects

Form

Skills:

Sang-Froid (U) Lv4; Leadership (U) Lv13; Fitness (C) Lv5; High Kick (C) Lv1; Low Kick (C) Lv2

Paths:

Leadership 20/25