(POV - 3RD)

Smoke continuously rose up from the charred forest, its once lush dark green undergrowth and leaves now burnt to ashes with no movement within the masses except for the blowing soot and dust from the breeze that swept through the darkened trees.

This section of the forest certainly had seen better days, just like (Y/N) who is seen sitting down on a toppled tree trunk, rubbing his head despite the [Fatigue] being non-existent.

The majority of his burden came mentally... especially with the last few memories that stubbornly clung within his mind- that gaunt expression, the dead eyes, the loss of will-

(Y/N) exhaled harshly as he leaned back, [Player's Mind] was a blessing and a curse now that he thought about it longer, the more he fought against enemies that were a danger to his new life, be it Grimm or human, his emotions were forcefully suppressed.

Meaning he couldn't even vent out the thoughts and emotions he'd felt when he saw the Faunus' body or face, the [System] simply purged them all, giving him no room for reprieve.

He felt like vomiting but he couldn't, he felt like crying but remained impassive, he felt like fainting but his body remained firm and steady despite the intense nausea.

His entire being was in a turmoil and he couldn't do anything about it, leaving only himself to fend for all the raw emotions wrecking havoc within his body, causing him to almost stumble.

It wasn't until several silent and tense minutes passed when he (Y/N) got up to gather the proof of the bandits' elimination, a.k.a; their decapitated heads which he stored into a sack he had previously emptied out the contents within earlier.

Most of them were goods that came in the form of cloth, spices and some fruits and raw materials which he'd stored them all into the [Inventory], he figured no one would need them unless they specifically asked for it so he'll hold onto them for the time being.

He also saw fit to remove any valuables the bandits have from their corpses, they won't need them anymore so better yet for him to take it, not that they deserved the Lien in the first place.

It didn't help when (Y/N) stops abruptly every now and then, breathing in deeply as his mind uncontrollably drifted back to the Faunus' bodies, desecrated and dead.

(Y/N) sighed inwardly, reality or fiction, why can't we have nice things?

Well, this is a world based on a predetermined animated series extending into several seasons but still, knowing things like this occurs when the main characters of RWBY just goes on with their day and the plotline just feels... wrong no matter how much he rationalised with himself.

Not that he could do anything unless he chose to actively interfere in the timeline which he won't until he finds a proper bearings and so far, without any news from across continents and specifically news from Vale, he's practically walking blindly into another tomorrow.

Yes, he had only leveled up once which he proceeded to invest the new points into [Intelligence] since it was the only stat that was falling behind despite his lack of need for more [MP] considering most of his [Skills] are not as Mana-hungry.

However, would that be enough? Call him paranoid but he'd rather not die again.

He wouldn't know until he'd tested himself out in combat but for now, he has a bounty to complete and a village to return to so he began hauling the sack of heads out of the area.

For the rest of the bodies... he simply left them as it is, bandits that rape and kill and rob others deserve no peace, not that he intended to give them any in the first place but at the same time, he couldn't help and question everything he had done in the past minutes.

Killing Grimm was one thing and killing bandits was another... he felt no remorse for what had happened but he also felt no joy from doing so... would it be logical to say he is changing? He had felt the same when he slaughtered the blood-drunken hunters in the Yharnam dungeon but this is technically reality for him, not a simulation of fiction.

Whether for the worst or best would remain to be seen but he is positive about one thing, the [Player's Mind] not only assisted in forcing him to remain calm, it also severed his emotions off from the acts he will commit later on against enemies.

(Y/N) sighed as he continued walking, he is not Sung Jin-Woo or any other "Players", it should be safe to say whatever he had witnessed in the past moments would traumatise or scar anyone unfit to see such scenes and as for him?

He had a bounty to complete and mission to do.

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Lincoln didn't know what to expect next after he'd attached all three bounties to the board regarding the tasks given to the village by the major cities and the corporations within but after much discussion with the guildmaster, hoping for the best is the only thing he could do.

This village was his home for his entire life, he knew everyone in this place including an exceptional few that came and went in and out the village, so he knew there was hardly anyone in this place that could come remotely close to completing one of those three impossible tasks.

It wasn't until the door to the guild burst open as everyone in the vicinity turned to look at the newcomer only to pause in utter shock at the mess on him, he was covered in blood and dirt from top to bottom of his outfit, leaving only his eyes to look back at them.

Lugging behind him was a large sack that dripped blood every now and then but if he's correct from what he's heard from Clarene, those should be the proof of the elimination of the bandits but before he could say anything, the sack was dropped right in front of the counter.

"It is done..." (Y/N) stated, staring at the receptionist girl who jolted from her momentary daze of the former's quick return.

Usually eliminating bandits or anyone should take days or more but him? He just came back not even a day later so surprised and shocked was an understatement but that didn't deter her from proceeding with the bounty result.

"R-right, so the proof are the... supposedly heads..?" Clarene listed off before adopting a pale look on her face which Lincoln soon stepped up.

"Actually, why don't you let me handle this? I know you're not too comfortable with this much... detail and blood." He requested insistently, taking the notes from the receptionist.

"Are you certain? I can still-" Clarene began but the guild scout shot her a look that only expressed his decision to which she sighed before leaving to fill out other forms.

"Sorry about that, she isn't really that great with grizzly stuff but let's continue on, you have explicitly stated that the proof you've brought back are... heads, correct?" Lincoln asked.

"Heads, all of them belonging to the bandits." (Y/N) curtly answered back, opening the sack just by a tiny margin which the scout peered down only to jolt back hastily from the sight before speaking again. "Alright... good to know, usually bandits are a more tricky bounty to eliminate but it looks like you got them all... your reward will be handed over in full amount."

"There were also two Faunus attacked and killed by them, they could have been merchants." The Player added.

"I see... did you happen to find any identification?" Lincoln inquired but only received a blank gaze from (Y/N) who shook his head and replied. 

"Buried them after finding them, then I hunted the bandits down."

"Got it then have you at least marked their graves?" The scout asked again, writing down more notes for later submissions while (Y/N) stated. "With a wooden cross in the direction of the bandits stronghold, won't be hard to miss." 

"If that's the case then I should be able to find them soon enough... anything else?" 

"...They were deer Faunus, a father and daughter... the daughter was... raped to near death and asked me to put her out of her misery." (Y/N) slightly snarled out with gritted teeth behind his mask as Lincoln's face turned grim and angry himself before breathing in harshly and nodded. 

"Can I leave now?" The Player bluntly questioned, handing the sack of heads over to Lincoln who returned a large stack of Lien to him and shook his head.

"Yeah, you're free to go... you clearly look like you need rest." 

(Y/N) didn't reply back, he was too fatigued with all this blood and stench clogging up his senses so he quickly entered the forest again and out of sights of the villagers before discarding the Hunter's Garbs and replacing them with his original clothes.

Once he'd placed the last of the bloodied clothing into his [Inventory], (Y/N) took one of them out again experimentally only to see the hat itself clean of any blood, which was good news since he didn't need to go all the way out to wash the clothes himself.

His trek back to the cliffside inn was quick and simple before he booked the same room once again and dropping himself onto the bed in a prone form, quietly taking in the renewed scent of the bedding that was insurmountable times more better than that of blood.

(Y/N) turned his body around, letting the salty breeze cool his body down on the bed as he just laid there with a glazed look on his face for no matter what he thought about, his mind always drifted back to the bodies before he buried them.

"Damn it..." He muttered, gripping his hands tightly onto his head, covering his eyes as he gritted his teeth, allowing emotions to swell up again only to be quelled.

Why is he agonising over this so much?!

He tried to clear his mind but it didn't work so he tried again and again, focusing on nothing but the sounds surrounding him being the waves crashing onto the shores and cliff face repeatedly as well as the breeze blowing into his room.

Whether or not it was effective in calming his mind down, he didn't know as he let the noises lull him to sleep, his eyelids dropping slowly as his thoughts went into a haze before finally, he breathed quietly whilst lying on top of the bed.

If (Y/N) had to worry about any individuals with ulterior motives then his [Sense] could assist him in watching out for any intruders despite him resting, although he was all but awake with his stats tuned up so high, it would only take the creaking of the door to stir him up.

So he slept on until the sun in the sky disappeared down the horizon and the shattered moon rose up in return, illuminating the village in a soft glow of blue and white and with no one to wake him up, (Y/N) slept until midnight.

However, it was the instinctual feeling to wake up that made him get up with dreary eyes as he looked out the window to see the night sky and its stars shining high above.

"Was I that tired..?" Is all he said before he groggily stood up, stretching his body as he paused in his steps to recount everything.

Unfortunately it also recounted why he wanted to sleep away for the day but (Y/N) only sighed to that before leaving the room and the inn afterwards, he didn't feel hungry at all though it's probably for the best that he'd eat something later from the [Store].

Right now however, he didn't exactly know why he left the inn to sit near the edge of the cliff while looking at the rolling waves down below, he certainly isn't feeling guilty to the point of suicidal, that would be idiotically contradictory of him.

So he decided with no more sleep left in him, (Y/N) opted to just sit there... perhaps meditation could do some good, call him silly but his childhood around other children did consist of isolating himself from everyone else to find a small corner and listen to the silence.

...Now that he think about it, he really was a weird kid back then.

"What's gotten a boy like you down in the dumps?" A gruff voice suddenly questioned from behind him and the Player turned his head to see a rather elderly man.

He didn't look anything special, donned in a set of simple clothes that offer comfort and warmth from the night temperatures with a jacket wrapped around his shoulder rather than wearing it, in his hand was one of those old tobacco pipes that made smoke pool out of his bearded mouth.

(Y/N) simply assumed he was one of the villagers who just happened to be taking a walk at night so he answered back, seeing no harm in doing so.

"Thinking..." Was the word, he never was great at keeping a conversation.

"Oh? And pray tell what are you thinking of that requires you to brood in this place? People could get the wrong idea." The old man retorted.

"Are you one of those people?" (Y/N) rebuked back, seeing no reason to vent everything in his mind out to the elder, he didn't need to listen to his rant on morality and death.

"No, if you want to die then you can die but not when others will see your body..."

"Wow... not what I was expecting..." The Player thought, his mulling momentarily disrupted by the sheer bluntness of the old man's words who simply continued.

"...Is what I would have said if I was younger but now? It's best to let whatever's inside you out before it hurts you further and I'm not going to assume... but you must have been through quite an ordeal to be sulking here." 

"...Ordeal is putting it lightly." (Y/N) replied, staring further at the sea as the old man behind him sighed heavily before sitting on a bench nearby as he leaned forward. "Just tell me." 

"I had to bury a father and daughter, one of which was raped to near death... she was a deer Faunus and begged me to end her suffering." 

"...Well damn... I wasn't expecting that but from what I've heard at the guild today, I guess that confirms it." The old man said, exhaling a large puff of smoke.

"You happy now?" (Y/N) demanded a tad bit too harshly, not wanting to think more about it only to receive a rather obvious comment from the man. 

"Certainly not... and you don't seem to be capable of dealing with the aftermaths of such cases." 

"No shit." The Player grounded out, earning another sigh from the elder who raised his hands in placating manners while chewing on his pipe.

"Take it easy, I'm not mocking you or anything, just stating a fact but I gotta ask, are you still going to be sticking around with the huntsman businesses after that?"

"...Yes, but I will clarify that I'm not registered as one nor am I thinking of doing so." (Y/N) answered, twiddling his fingers at the thought for his next steps as he listened to more words.

"If you're going to be walking into fights with a preoccupied mind... then you're not going to survive on the long run." 

"Then what do you suggest?" Sighing, (Y/N) relented and turned to the old man who simply looked at him blankly before answering him.

"Get used to it." 

"...Is that seriously all you got?" The Player then asked, an edge creeping into his voice as he glared at the man, wanting nothing more but for him to leave if he isn't going to say anything useful, something the latter seem to pick up from (Y/N)'s expression.

"Listen here and listen well, child because I'm saying this once." He began, putting an extra emphasis on 'child', voice deepened and more gruff as he glared back.

"I never said to like it, in this world it's kill or be killed, work or starve, fight or die, succeed or fail. The entire world is one holistic shithole that forces us to do our best just to survive and let me tell you, that's what you and I will both do because no matter how many bodies fall your way, at the end of the day, you will still be living and breathing."

"That's..." (Y/N) started but he was cut off before he could even get another word in as the old man continued, ignoring his interruption.

"Am I being cruel? Yes, but does that mean I don't care for others? No, because at the end of the day, you can't be there for everyone but you can still be there for the ones right besides you."

"Take my words with a grain of salt or not, I don't care but if you gloss over the same thing without changing, you'll fail yourself quicker than you fail others and in this line of work? You're going to die in no time."

With his last statement, the old man took one last puff of his pipe before standing up and examining its contents with a frown as he began to walk away but not after shooting (Y/N) one last look from a pair of eyes that showed experience and wisdom.

"Remember, just because you failed one thing doesn't make you any less of a person, if you've learnt from this experience then good for you but mulling over it won't make you any better until you accept it has already happened."

He then sighed once more, eyes and face more wistful.

"If it makes you feel better, some of us are just as unlucky as you were or even worse but at the end of the day, we got used to it because it made us stronger in a way... I did not become the guildmaster just by getting handed the title on a silver platter, I had to work through so much shit just to get the chance of becoming one." 

"..." (Y/N) honestly had nothing to say, what could he say? Besides the fact that he was now speaking to the guildmaster of the village that provided him Lien and jobs?

"Trust me, you'll get used to it because that's what will happen, it's not good but... what choice do we have when we're working with this type of career?"

With no more words, the old man- the guildmaster then walked off into the dark streets of the village, leaving (Y/N) to his lonesome as he sat there still overlooking the cliff and sea waves, mulling over the words of the former for a rather long time.

Time which would pass until the sun rose over the edge of the horizon.

===================================

(Y/N) walked through the forest once more though this time rather than hunting either Grimm or bandits, he is simply hunting as commissioned by the local butcher of the village for some fresh venison which meant he is searching for deers.

Deers that are animal renowned to bolt at the slightest of sounds yet not move at the face of a hundred tonnes truck roaring into their faces, deers which will inevitably prove to be a difficult hunt... that is for ordinary people without inhuman abilities.

As of now, the Player soon found himself perched on top of a thick branch that can support the weight of his body and the weapon case strapped to his back as he spied closely on a small herd of seven deers grazing in an opening of the forest floor.

The commission had requested a minimum of three deers but it never said he cannot hunt down more than the required amount so he suppose he'll be catching them all, the biggest issue would be the animals running after he'd killed one so the only solution to that would be [Shadow Lock], assuming he can immobilise all seven deers.

Since the objective was the hunt the deers, using [Shadow Orb] to kill them all would be completely detrimental to his mission right now if he messes up the power input which would inevitably and literally wipe them out of existence.

Well... no time like the present.

(Y/N) leapt down from the branch and right in front of the herd which almost bolted off had the former not deployed [Shadow Lock] in time, freezing them all in place with his shadow extending to the deers' own, trapping them to their demise.

He didn't say anything else before walking up to each individual deers and piercing his sword right through what he'd assumed is their heart and lungs, the blade slicing through meat and bone with ease as the animal leaked out blood from its mouth and wound.

The lack of sound did made the entire process somewhat eerie but (Y/N) rather not hear the cries of deers dying to his hands despite this entire commission requiring him to do so, which he did to the rest six deers which easily marked this job done.

Unfortunately, he wasn't sure if killing non-designated targets counted towards his level but it didn't really matter at this point since it's better for him to take a break from bloodshed though he wouldn't mind dealing with more Grimm.

While (Y/N) didn't carry anything to help him carry all the carcasses, the butcher in question was generous enough to provide a small cart that had enough space to fit at least two or three deers but with seven deers in total? This is going to be troublesome.

Dragging the carcasses back to where he left the cart, (Y/N) then proceeded to pull the entire thing back the way towards Magnolia Village, making sure to avoid any bumps and stop the bodies from falling off lest he has to waste time to pick them back up.

His little trek took more than an hour though it didn't extend over two or three thanks to his [Skills] so going into the forest and back to the village wasn't taxing for his fatigue, completing the procedure while saying hello again to the receptionist girl took less than a minute.

Before he knew it, (Y/N) was knocking on the doorway to the local butcher store which a gruff and almost guttural voice called out from within the building, prompting him to open the entrance and let the scent of raw meat and blood leak out.

(Y/N) scowled just very lightly but he didn't make any comment on the smell before he dragged his eyes over the multiple cuts and slabs of meat hanging from hooks or being displayed in windowed racks powered by what he knew as ice Dust.

He doesn't recall if there were any technology in RWBY that wasn't powered by Dust but he didn't dwell on it any further since he had deers to sell and speaking of which, his eyes then fell on a large Faunus with scales running down his exposed limbs and face to a large reptilian tail that extended to the floor.

Despite him entering, the Faunus' eyes didn't leave the large chunk of meat that currently had a large cleaver slamming down upon it repeatedly but he did speak up to the Player.

"Got the job done?" He growled out though there was no negative tone in his voice, mostly due to his alligator genetics overtaking most of his body.

"Got four extra deers while I was at it." (Y/N) answered back, gesturing to the cart outside.

"Hrmph, drag 'em into the storage, don't mind the blood."

Afterwards, one by one (Y/N) took the deer into the back of the shop which was also powered by ice Dust freezing a myriad of skinned meats from various animals, he made sure to walk carefully as to not slip on any frozen blood and ice on the floor before all the deers were stored.

"Done." Was all he said to the butcher, having finally finished cutting up the meat on the board.

"Quick... good, here's the rest of the payment." Commented the butcher, whipping off his gloves before opening a box to pass out a large wad of Lien.

"Thanks..." (Y/N) said before leaving the store.

Clearly both of them weren't eager talkers but that suited them best since words were quite unnecessary for a straightforward task such as this, just do this and that and it's done.

As he pocketed the newly acquired Lien into his [Inventory], he then glanced at his current stats which didn't increase by any amount including hunting down the deers and prior dungeons.

===================================

[Name] - (Y/N) (L/N)

[Title] - Beast Hunter

[Race] - Human

[Level] - 33

[Health Points] - 3400/3400

[Mana Points] - 3990/4000

[Fatigue] - 0%

[Currency] - 99,920

-------------------------------------

[Strength] - 52

[Endurance] - 30

[Agility] - 35

[Intelligence] - 24 (+5)

[Sense] - 40 (+5)

[Luck] - 29 (+5)

[Available Points] - 0

----------------------------------

[Player's Mind] (Passive) - MAX

[Player's Body] (Passive) - MAX

===================================

If he is correct to think so then increasing another seven levels would have another quest for him to undertake though the real issue is gaining EXPs when Grimm are becoming more and more redundant as a method to do so which meant he'll need to switch targets or grind.

Considering the growing lack of Grimm in the forest meant even if he grinded the region to the ground, he'll probably gain an insufficient amount of EXPs that won't even help him level up so finding new targets to hunt down will be the only alternative.

That or he could try and find a "stray" dungeon for him to traverse into but once again, the Player wasn't so sure if his [System] functioned the same as the one in Solo Leveling, that and also if the occurrences of "gates" would transpire in this world.

However, he won't overthink it too much if he's going to be performing the same routine over and over again, just wake up, eat, hunt and work, grind and level up, eat and then sleep.

Sounds easier than it looked but he couldn't do anything but accept reality as it is, just as he had to accept the fact that he'd failed to save the Faunus duo from the bandits.

He had already felt the need to stomp out any naivety and ignorance he still had in this world, it won't help or get him anywhere in a place like this, if becoming stronger is the way for him to grow and find whatever the "anomaly" of this world then so be it.

Fighting and eliminating targets with the restraint to hold back and rein in his kills would be difficult but as he monologues now, when life gives you lemon, make some damn lemonade.

(Y/N) walked back into the guild with the intent to make countless cups of lemonade, it's going to take a while or even a long time but why should he stop when he's already this far ahead?

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This chapter didn't really serve much purpose other than being a filler chapter to make aware of the MC's personality growth which I've noticed was something that was extremely lacking in the original fic which I just made them kill and kill without the need to worry for mental repercussions. Part of me wants this story to expand on the MC's own growth so that he won't appear to lackluster or generic in terms of Gamer fics though I wouldn't count on it too much. Oh yeah, sorry for the wait if any of you are still doing so, hope you've enjoyed and stay ever-more patient for more chapters to come.