The Curse of Traditional Knowledge

These days, if you ever say "larboard," people will presume you have a speech impediment. That can be handy sometimes, but be honest: You sometimes think those dullards need to be controlled by someone like you, don't you? Then, when you search for rebuttals, you realize there are none. Well, that's all true, but it's not as if you can do anything about it. Not till you level up a few times at least.

Visible Progress

"These things that aren't fish."
"Yeah?" Neither man halted for the conversation. They had hauling to do.
"How come some of them have eight leg-thingies and others have more?"
"You don't know?"
"Would I have asked if I had? Your voice isn't that lovely. There, you've had enough time to make up an answer."
He shook his head. "No, everybody knows this one. We're just finding out you aren't an everybody. Sort of an outsider, if you will. They've got more legs because they leveled up more."
"That makes sense." The man looked closer at the squids and octopodes caught in the nets. "Yeah, it's not impossible, but . . . Whoa!"
Strong as they were and used to the work, the next load demanded from them almost more than they could give. They braced and they heaved, braced and heaved, and after more time than was reasonable, they hauled up a creature of the deepest sea so thick with appendages that they could be counted only after death stilled their owner.
"Tell me if you were kidding before, because if you weren't, this guy must be . . ."
"The one who killed the Nightmare Emperor!"
The fishermen bowed to the slimy hero and released him.
Finis

A Long-Delayed Progression

We have to level fantasy up into fantaser or even fantasest. My suggestion: Dragons only, no humans. They have dragon swords!

Addendum

I hope the secret isn't just that he's strong. That's boring.