The Extra-dimensional Pioneer Of Fiction [Draft]

[Radiance Square Mega Mall: Pioneer Training Facility, 1st Floor]

"One more thing," Arlo said, wiping sweat from his brow. "Where can I practice shooting? I acquired a gun yesterday and need to get familiar with it."

Aria raised an eyebrow. "A gun, huh? Branching out already?"

"Figured it couldn't hurt," Arlo replied with a shrug. "Any recommendations?"

Aria raised an eyebrow. "The Residential District has a club called Bullseye Brigade. Lots of gun enthusiasts there. Good facilities, proper safety protocols." She paused. "Just don't mention my name. They're still upset about the incident with the explosive rounds."

"Do I want to know?"

"No." Aria's tone made it clear the topic was closed.

"Got it. Thanks," Arlo said, stretching his arms. "So… are we done for the day?"

Aria nodded but added, "Yes, but don't forget to study the materials for your upcoming quest. Being physically prepared isn't enough. You'll need the knowledge, too."

Aria nodded but added, "Yes, but don't forget to study the materials for your upcoming quest. Being physically prepared isn't enough. You'll need the knowledge, too."

Arlo gave her a mock salute. "Will do, Ma'am."

Leaving the gym, Arlo headed toward the shopping District Train Station. The automated voice announcing arrivals and departures echoed through the platform as he stepped onto the sleek train bound for the residential district. The ride was smooth, the cityscape of Ataraxis zipping past in a blur of neon lights and futuristic architecture.

.................

[Residential District: Bullseye Brigade]

The train ride to the Residential District gave Arlo time to think. His muscles ached from training, but his mind was sharp, probably thanks to those extra Intelligence points. The station's holographic maps guided him to a modern building with a stylized target logo.

When he arrived at the shooting range, Arlo was greeted by a simple, industrial-looking building. A neon sign reading "Bullseye Brigade" flickered above the entrance. Inside, the lobby was bustling with activity—people chatting, checking equipment, or queuing up to practice.

Approaching the front desk, Arlo asked, "Excuse me, where can I practice my gun?"

The attendant, a middle-aged man with a clipboard, gestured toward the payment terminal. "Five credits gets you access to the range." Arlo transferred the credits. His BrainLink chimed with the confirmation, and the clerk finally looked at him. "Lane seven's open. Standard safety protocols apply."

Arlo complied, the soft beep confirming the payment.

[Transferred: 5 Credits]

Arlo look at the amount he have, he sighed 'I'm becoming poor again' 

The Bullseye Brigade was an expansive hall lined with individual booths, each equipped with targets that could be adjusted for distance. The shooting range was state-of-the-art, with automated target systems and holographic distance markers.

Arlo took out the Skill Card: Firearm Mastery then a notification pop-up.

[New Skill Cards Detected]

Do you want to learn this skills:

[Firearm Mastery] - Accept? Y/N

All the information about firearm flow to his mind but luckily it was not as bad as the first time. He only felt slight dizziness then Arlo was ready.

Arlo took position in lane seven, retrieving the Pit Viper from his inventory. The pistol materialized in his hand, its weight familiar yet strange.

"Alright," he muttered, taking a deep breath. He pointed the pistol at the target, recalling a quote from a movie he'd watched back in his old life: 'Nine-millimeter Pit Viper. Twenty-one round capacity magazine with a built-in compensator for virtually no muzzle flip. Fiber-optic front sight, ambidextrous safeties, flared magwell for faster reloads, two-pound extreme trigger.'

Grinning, he aimed and pulled the trigger. The shot rang out, clean and sharp. The recoil was minimal, the trigger pull smooth as butter. Arlo adjusted his stance, firing again and again, each shot hitting closer to the bullseye.

BANG Center mass.

BANG A bit left.

BANG Better. 

"Damn," he muttered. "The Bowery King wasn't kidding. This thing's got some ferocious fucking fangs."

Hours passed as Arlo worked through magazine after magazine. He practiced drawing from different positions, reloading drills, target transitions. The two-pound trigger became an extension of his will. Each round found its mark with increasing precision.

Eventually, a soft chime sounded in his mind.

[Notification: Firearm Mastery Leveled Up to Level 2.]

The notifications brought a satisfied smile to Arlo's face. Progress was progress, even if it was just the beginning. His arms were tired, fingers slightly numb from the recoil. Arlo exhaled, a satisfied grin spreading across his face.

"Level 2 already? Not bad," he said, slowly putting in his inventory . He stretched, feeling the fatigue settle into his muscles. "Time to call it a day."

Leaving the shooting range, he made his way back to his apartment, the adrenaline from the practice session still coursing through him. By the time he reached his apartment and stepped into the Quantum Cube, he felt a deep sense of accomplishment. Resting on the couch, he closed his eyes, his mind already planning his next step.

One skill down, a thousand more to go, he thought with a smirk.

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

Arlo blinked awake, the soft hum of his Quantum Cube's systems filling the quiet morning. Stretching, he winced as sore muscles from his training with Aria reminded him of yesterday's grueling session.

"Guess no pain, no gain really is the motto," he muttered, sliding out of bed and pulling up his BrainLink screen.

Arlo sat cross-legged on his apartment floor, surrounded by digital screens projected by his BrainLink. After yesterday's intensive training with Aria and his shooting practice, he'd decided to focus on the mystical aspects of being a Seer. The familiar blue glow of the screens illuminated his face as his fingers danced through the air, navigating through the HUBnet version of the internet.

Arlo searched for resources through HUBNet.

The HUB's vast inter-dimensional knowledge database put Earth's internet to shame, but finding relevant content could still feel like digging for treasure in a dungeon crawl.

"Divination arts, huh?" he muttered, scrolling through search results. "Being 'naturally talented' doesn't mean much if I don't know what I'm doing." His medical background had taught him that talent without proper knowledge was like having a scalpel without knowing anatomy – dangerous and pointless.

"Let's see what the experts have to say," he murmured, scrolling through thumbnails of self-proclaimed mystics. One caught his eye—a video titled 'Mastering Divination: What They Don't Teach You.' Clicking play, he leaned back as a bearded man in a robe began his lesson.

The VideoHUB platform proved to be a goldmine of information.

Arlo found himself watching videos from various practitioners, each explaining different methods of divination. Tarot readings, astrology charts, pendulum dowsing – the variety was overwhelming.

"This is like med school all over again," he chuckled, remembering his first-year anatomy classes. "Except instead of memorizing bones, I'm learning how to read fate in coffee grounds."

He paused a video about palm reading. "At least I already have the analytical mindset for this."

Arlo look at the time it was almost 3 hours of studying non-stop. "Three hours? Damn," Arlo stretched, his joints cracking. He'd fallen into his old study habits without realizing it. The same intensity he'd once applied to understanding medicine was now directed at comprehending the patterns of destiny.

Switching gears, he turned to ritualistic magic. He'd always been intrigued by its potential, but there was a caveat: unlike divination, rituals required external forces such as entities, objects, or locations of power.

Pulling up references, Arlo scanned excerpts from Lord of the Mysteries. "Klein had the Sefirah Castle," he muttered. "I've got... nothing. Not exactly even footing."

Still, knowledge was power. Even if he couldn't use ritualistic magic fully yet, understanding it would prepare him for when the time came. He jotted down notes, categorizing rituals into types and their corresponding risks.

"Rule number one: don't summon things you can't banish," he quipped.

Arlo remember that to digest the potion, the acting method for a seer is required. The Acting Method demanded Arlo practice his Seer role actively. That meant divining for others. The idea made him nervous. On Earth, he'd been a med-tech guy, not some mystical counselor. But in the HUB, personas were as fluid as game classes.

As he delved deeper into his research, Arlo's thoughts turned to the Seer's potion digestion. The concept of 'reverence toward fate' kept appearing in his searches. He leaned back against his couch, contemplating.

"Reverence toward fate..." he mused. "It's not just about seeing the future or reading signs. It's about understanding that everything – every choice, every coincidence – is part of a larger pattern." His mind went to his own situation, transported from a normal life into this strange new world. "Even random events have their place in the grand scheme of things."

The realization hit him like a diagnostic breakthrough. Just as diseases followed patterns that could be understood and predicted, fate too had its own logic and flow. His BrainLink chimed suddenly.

[Notification: Seer's Potion Digestion Progress: 10% Complete]

[Notification: Enhanced Memory has reached Level 2]

[Notification: Spirit Vision has reached Level 2]

[Notification: Danger Intuition has reached Level 2]

[Notification: Divination Arts & Ritualistic Magic Mastery has reached Level 2]

"Now we're getting somewhere," Arlo grinned, dismissing the notifications with a wave. "Though I bet Hippocrates never had to deal with leveling up his divination skills."  

Standing up, he walked to his window, looking out at the futuristic skyline of Ataraxis. The city lights seemed to twinkle with new meaning now. "Everything's connected," he murmured. "Just like how symptoms lead to diagnosis, signs lead to destiny. Maybe that's what real divination is about – seeing the connections others miss."

Rising from his spot, Arlo closed the holographic screens. "Time to put theory into practice," he decided. "But first, coffee. Even Seers need caffeine." He headed to his kitchen, already planning how to test his enhanced abilities. After all, what good was understanding fate if you couldn't do anything with that knowledge?

Looking at his reflection in the kitchen window, Arlo smiled wryly. "From med tech to mystic. Life really does have a sense of humor."

His BrainLink pinged with another notification about a recommended divination video, but he ignored it for now. Sometimes, the best way to learn was through practice, not endless study – that was one lesson from his medical training that still held true, even in this new world.

"Tomorrow," he promised himself, "we'll see what these upgraded skills can really do."

For now, though, he had enough theory to process. Besides, his head was starting to hurt from all the mystical terminology. Some things, it seemed, were universal – whether you were studying medicine or magic, information overload felt the same.

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

After his deep dive into divination arts, Arlo switched gears. His fingers moved swiftly through the holographic interface as he pulled up Pioneer forums and strategy guides. "Time to get practical," he muttered, creating a new folder in his BrainLink's memory banks labeled 'Survival Strategies.'

The forums were a goldmine of information. Veteran Pioneers shared their experiences, tactics, and hard-learned lessons. Arlo's medical training kicked in as he systematically categorized the information: combat techniques, resource management, terrain navigation, and – most intriguingly – quest mechanics.

"Wait a minute," he paused, leaning forward as a particular thread caught his eye. The post detailed something called 'hidden quests.' "This is like finding an unmarked pathway during clinical rounds – you only spot it if you know what to look for."

The concept was fascinating. While the System provided clear main quests, hidden quests lurked beneath the surface, waiting to be discovered. These weren't simple side missions; they were complex challenges with specific trigger conditions. The rewards, according to the forum posts, could be game-changing: rare skills, unique items, or substantial power boosts.

"So that's why some Pioneers advance faster than others," Arlo mused, his enhanced memory cataloging examples from various posts. "They're not just following the main storyline – they're finding the secret routes."

A wry smile crossed his face as he considered his unique advantage. Years of consuming media across different genres – TV shows, movies, anime, games – had taught him to recognize patterns in storytelling. Combined with his newly boosted Intelligence stat, he could potentially predict these hidden quest triggers.

"Every good story has its secret paths," he muttered, pulling up a blank document. "The hero who saves the village doesn't just complete the main quest – they find the old woman's lost locket, help the blacksmith's apprentice, investigate the mysterious tracks in the forest..."

His fingers flew across the holographic keyboard as he began compiling a list of potential scenarios to watch for. His enhanced memory, sharpened by the Seer's potion digestion, made connections faster than ever before.

He created a systematic approach: common tropes in fantasy settings, recurring patterns in RPGs, typical side-quest structures from games he'd played. With his heightened Intelligence, the information arranged itself logically in his mind, forming a framework for identifying hidden opportunities.

"Knowledge really is power," he mused, saving his notes. "But knowledge without application is just trivia." His eyes drifted to his status window, confirming his impressive Intelligence stat. Combined with his Enhanced Memory skill, he could process and retain information at an unprecedented rate.

Looking over his compiled research, Arlo felt a sense of preparation he hadn't experienced since studying for his board exams. "Main quests might be the obvious path," he said to himself, closing the holographic windows, "but the real opportunities lie in the details others miss."

Standing up to stretch, he glanced at the time. Hours had passed, but his mind felt sharper than ever. "Time to put this theory to the test," he decided. "Next quest, I'm not just following the marked trail – I'm finding the hidden paths."

The city lights outside his window seemed to pulse with possibility. Somewhere out there, hidden quests waited to be discovered. And thanks to his unique combination of skills, knowledge, and enhanced capabilities, Arlo was ready to find them.

"Med school taught me to look for what others might miss," he reflected. "Time to apply that lesson to a whole new field."

Tomorrow would bring new challenges, but for now, Arlo was satisfied. He had a strategy, he had the tools, and most importantly, he had a plan.

The soft hum of his Quantum Cube accompanied his thoughts as he prepared for bed. His BrainLink organized the day's research into neat categories, ready for quick access when needed. As he drifted off to sleep, patterns and possibilities swirled in his mind, each a potential path to power in this complex new world.

A final thought crossed his mind before sleep took him: in both medicine and pioneering, success often lay not in following the obvious path, but in finding the hidden ones that others overlooked.