3 Southern Air Temple

"Well, uh... how am I going to go about this?" I asked myself. The captain took me to the island where the Southern Air Temple resided but... It was on top of a mountain.

'It seems my deeply and carefully thought out plan was neither deep nor thought out,' I chided myself.

'I guess I should start climbing? No time like the present,' I told myself, mentally preparing for the grueling task of climbing a mountain.

I had made sure to stock up various supplies within my inventory. Food, water canteens, a sleeping bag, compass, map, and stuff like that.

I stared at the mountains for a little longer. 'Those are some really steep inclines...'

...

At the start, it wasn't all that bad. I even got the skill, Climbing. Which increased my stamina and strength when I was climbing, as well as increased grip strength.

I just needed to reach the Patola Mountain Range, and then I'll have a quick and easy path to the Air Temple. How would I find it? I had no idea. But I had time, plenty and plenty of time.

...

Eventually, I managed to find a small little indent in the mountain. A place to rest for the night. As I sat there, staring out into the distance at nothing in particular...

I thought, 'What the hell am I doing?'

I was out in the middle of nowhere, climbing a mountain. A fucking mountain! The most I ever climbed in my past life, was a few flight of stairs.

"Haa..." I rubbed my face on the palms of my hands. This still all felt like some surreal, feverish dream.

'But it isn't... is it?' I questioned. I thought back on everything that's happened, it all went by so fast.

I woke up here, I escaped the life of a fire nation grunt, and then... I barely remembered anything. As if it were a blur. I didn't remember the boss of the small restaurant and the boss of the tea establishment's name. A month and a half, and I barely remembered a thing.

'Actually, what was even that merchant guy's name again? I'm sure he told me, but...' I couldn't remember for the life of me.

'Is there something wrong with me?' I asked myself.

'Am I in shock? Or is...' The most I had gotten riled up, wasn't over the fact that I was in some random person's body. It was the indecision between choosing which Bending Style I should choose.

'Why the hell am I not worried about the fucking war?! Am I crazy? Is ther-' Just then, a pop-up appeared.

[You have deduced your personal flaws, your INT has gone up by one!]

[Due to noticing the difference in your mental and physical state, your WIS has gone up by one!]

[You are suffering from Flaws, {Depersonalization}, {Repressed Emotions}, and, {Emotional Detachment}!]

"... Haha... yes, yes. I guess it's normal to... develop three mental conditions after being torn from all your friends and family," I told myself with a sigh of relief.

'Yes, I'm normal.'

...

So, apparently... Repressed Emotions completely halts the growth of my vitality stat. Because... well, repressing emotions is unhealthy. No wonder why it's never gone up.

Depersonalization was vague, but it's one of the reasons why I haven't really been physically suffering. Like, feeling the burn, aches, and pains, from working out constantly. It also sort of distorts my perception? But it didn't say how.

For Emotional Detachment, that seems to be the reason I've avoided people mostly and forgot some of the few people's names I did know. So that if I'm suddenly whisked to another wonderland, I'm not hurt like I was this time for being torn away from people I care about.

...

Time passed by as I absentmindedly climbed. The exhaustion my body was suffering, not really affecting me. It was like I was a robot, an unstoppable, climbing machine.

But that sensation wasn't meant to last, as finally... My hand touched flat ground.

"Huh?" I woke up from my zen. I pulled myself up with what seemed to be the last of my strength. Sitting up after lying on my back for a few minutes, I looked around.

A path, seemingly carved into the mountain by unnatural means. "Welp, guess that's it for climbing," I murmured to myself, and stood up.

All that climbing was really good for endurance, pushing my stamina up to forty five, outclassing strength which was at forty three. Strength had gone up two from all that climbing.

Name: Elliot (Kai)

Level: 15 (Next Level: 400/1,500)

Class: N/A

Title: Fire Soldier Grunt, (+25% EXP to Weapon Skills, Can't Bend) Adept Swordsman, (+100% EXP to Sword Skills)

Age: 14

HP: 2,470/2,470

CHI: 345/345 (1.1 Per Minute/66.55 Per Hour)

STR: 43

STA: 45

VIT: 20

DEX: 28

WIS: 18

PER: 18

INT: 17

LUK: 6

Attribute Points: 75

Perks: {Sword Genius}

Flaws: {Depersonalization} {Emotional Detachment} {Repressed Emotions}

"Yup. Definitely great progress," I told myself. Sword Mastery was at level seventy-eight. I was planning to max it out before getting rid of my grunt title. Climbing climbed to a good fifty-one.

"Hm. I need more combat skills. Maybe...?" I took a lousy stance from what I saw of boxing those few times. I jabbed, and then...

[Due to repetitive actions, the skill, {Unarmed Combat}, has been created!]

{Unarmed Combat} (Passive)

LV 48 (-48% EXP Gained)

EXP: 100/4,800

Increases Strength and Stamina Unarmed by 96%

Increases damage while Unarmed by 96%

"Hm. Basically the same as Sword Mastery," I shrugged. I then began walking along the path, practicing punching as I walked.

There wasn't much force behind my punches due to my arms being tired, but it was better than nothing. Also, I noticed that, unfortunately, Unarmed Combat did not count as a weapon skill. So it wasn't being buffed by fire soldier grunt.

...

There I saw it. In the distance, in all it's glory, the abandoned Southern Air Temple was there. A winding, thin path lead to the doors of the monastery.

'There's the airball... arena? What would you call that?' I then began wandering around the temple. It was lifeless, cold as well. The snow compressing under each of my steps the only sound accompanying me besides the blowing wind.

I thought on all I knew about Airbending. Freedom. Flexibility. Balance. Following the path of least resistance. Negative Jing.

'But... I'm not an Air Nomad, there's no reason for me to follow their life philosophies,' I mused to myself as I searched.

Eventually, I found it. In some room, which I presumed to be an archive, countless scrolls rested in the shelves.

'I'm surprised the fire nation didn't just burn it all,' I thought. But, then again, if all Airbenders are dead, no reason to do that.

I began perusing through the scrolls, searching for The One. It took a little while, but I finally found it.

[Airbending Scroll]

A scroll about the Ancient Technique of Airbending taught by the Airbenders to their young.

[Do you wish to learn {Airbending}?]

[Y/N]

I pressed no, again. Shoving it into my inventory, I pulled out my sword and began swinging. I'd be staying here for a while, and I needed to make the best of it.

...

A few days passed as I solely focused on practicing my swordsmanship. I got better and better as it's levels went up. In my time spent, I also decided to clean the place up a bit. The skeletal remains of it's previous occupants, I buried whenever I came across one.

...

My strength got up twelve, stamina fourteen, dexterity seven, and intelligence and wisdom also both increased by one, by the time I finally mastered Sword Mastery...

Or at least, by the time I THOUGHT I mastered Sword Mastery.

Just like that, two weeks passed.

[Proofread on April 18th Tuesday, at 3:25 P.M.]