~~~(POV: Justin Xander)~~~

~~~(Location: Haleen's House, Geonia City, Aeternitatem Genesis)~~~

~~~(Day, Date, Time: Friday, April 12th, 4:02 PM PST)~~~

~~~(Age: 19 Years)~~~

She waits patiently and sips her tea as she watches me. Her eyes are soft and red. She seems to have some nobility about her, or she's just more sophisticated than what I've experienced so far in AG.

Last Descendant is a quest that mysteriously appeared a little after I logged in for the first time. Looking around at the time, I saw I was the only one who got the system message before getting the quest itself.

Before I ask about the quest, I might be prudent to ask about the ranking system. Knowing that will help me decide whether I should ask her about the quest I've got.

"So far, in the one day I've played, I've seen rarity grades Common and Uncommon. What are the other grades in the rarity rankings. I've been flying blind there, too."

I'm not gonna tell her or Sir Rehan I've come across the Rare and Epic grades on my first day. No reason to share that information. It's something that could prove risky to my life.

Every VRMMORPG is different in grading its weapons, items, skills, etc. Some have a lot of grades in the rarity ranking system. Others only have a few.

"I was wondering how long it'd be until you asked that."

She stops drinking her tea and takes a shallow breath.

"There are nine grades in the ranking system of rarity."

Wow, a total of nine. That's a large and distinguishing range of power. It makes you wonder how strong the items would be at the top of that list.

"I'll start from the bottom and work up."

She holds up both hands so she can start numbering them off for me.

"Common and Uncommon you've already come across."

She lifts two fingers.

"The grades that follow Uncommon are Rare and Unique."

Unique isn't a grade I've come across yet. That means the Epic grade blueprints I've got must be worth something.

"Once you've reached the Rare grade, you're dealing with objects worth a minimum of 8 Gold pieces. With the exception of some things like titles and bound gear that can't be traded or sold."

This means the value of the objects increases exponentially with grades.

"After Rare and Unique, it's Epic grade."

Ah, we've reached the grade the blueprints I've got has attatched to it. She opens her eyes and lowers her hands, looking to give a longer explanation.

"Epic grade is when life and death come into play. If people discover you have an Epic grade item, you become a large target. Players and NPCs, as you'd call them, start hunting you."

I'm glad I decided to learn about the grades in the rarity rankings before asking about my quest.

"That being said, nobles and kingdoms will pay large sums of silver, gold, and platinum for whatever you're selling at the Epic grade."

That's more information about the currency system, too. A nice little bundle of information there. I'll ask her about it more specifically after this.

"If you come across Epic-grade items, be sure to keep that fact hidden and safe until you're ready to deal with the consequences of possessing such an item. Goes without saying that powerful individuals carry such items. They can fend off those who'd steal it."

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Yeah, that's a natural path. The stronger the NPC or player, the better some of their gear would be.

She raises her hands again, preparing to continue.

"After Epic grade comes the Ancient grade."

Ancient is more a grade of time than it is quality. Makes me ponder why such a grade exists, but I won't interrupt her. Again, she lowers her hands, preparing to describe.

"You're probably wondering why Ancient is a grade. It's the gatekeeper grade."

Well, that's a better description than what I thought it'd be.

"At the Ancient grade, items start becoming one of a kind. Things that can't be replicated. One-offs."

Their value is something that you can't put into numbers. That's what I'm getting from what she's saying.

"Kingdoms and their rulers have gone to war for such objects of power. Thousands have died in the pursuit of the power these objects hold."

Man, that's some lore I wouldn't mind finding out someday. As time goes on, I'll naturally learn more about AG, but it's gonna be a while before I can waste time pursuing history. Right now, getting stronger is more important.

Her hands raise again, and I'm on the edge of my seat here. It's the gamer in me, wondering what it'd feel like to have something like that in my possession. I'm already starting to feel it. The grade of my quest hasn't come up yet.

I know, at this point, I have something special.

"What follows Ancient Grade is Legendary Grade."

Wow, the grade of my quest still hasn't come up yet. My chest is pounding more the longer this is going on.

"Legendary graded items and objects hold power to affect the lives of millions. Change the direction of a Kingdom or Empire. Only a few are known today, but the ones who carry them are considered living Gods or heroes."

At this point, my heart is racing as she watches me. I'm doing my best to hide my excitement. I think she's taking it as my eagerness to learn.

"The next grade is considered the height of the rarity rankings."

She's doing this on purpose.

"Divine grade."

A lump forms in my throat. Through the process of elimination, the quest I've gained is the only grade higher than this one.

Wow.

Just...

Wow...

"The items within this rank can change the world. There is only one Divine object known today, and it's held by the Church of Ziranda. Locked away to protect the world."

Never heard of the Church of Ziranda. Something to look into when I've got the time. I can only imagine the history of such an item.

She seems to stop and take a sip of her tea. The counting of her fingers ending with it. No interest in going any further.

"What comes after Divine grade?"

The pure excitement and curiosity in my voice amuses her. Raising an eyebrow as she watches me at the edge of my seat. She sets her tea down and leans back in her chair. Forcing the tension to rise.

"Items in the final grade have never been found. People question if they existed at all. If something in the last grade were to exist, I don't know what would happen. If Divine grade can change the world, what limits can there be?"

Sweat rolls down the side of my temple and down my neck. It feels like the temperature in the room has risen 10 degrees.

"Oh, for God's sake. Just tell him, Haleen."

Sir Rehan is still resting on the couch with his eyes closed and in a relaxed position. Haleen gives me a small smile.

"Mythical grade."

...

"Aptly named since no one knows if anything existed here at all."

The solemn tone in her voice falls on deaf ears.

I can't believe it.

I've got a Mythical grade quest.

What does that even mean for me?

However, from the sounds of it, Haleen doesn't believe in the grade. Not that I blame her. But this means I can ask her about the first step of my quest. She won't get suspicious about it. She might think it's high-quality, but nothing like it truly is.

I'm not wasting another second. Screw the question about how the currency system works.

"What does 'find the waters that stand still' mean to you?"

She gives me a quizzical look. Not sure why I'm asking her something like this. She adopts a thinking expression and, after a second, stands up and walks over to an older-looking bookshelf. Pulling off a rough and old-looking book.

She cracks the book open, and flips through the pages. Eventually, she lands on a page near the back.

"Of all creation and all of life, nothing is more beautiful than those who live it. To understand more than what you see and feel, find the waters that stand still. Only there can you comprehend what has been unrevealed."

She looks up from the book and stares at me for longer than she needs. She closes the book after a second, and I just look at her dumbly. Hoping for a deeper explanation.

"It's a book of old poems. Describing times of an age lost to us. All I know about the term is it's a metaphor. Water is another word for blood, and what it means by stand still is unchanging."

All I can do is wait and pray she keeps talking.

"Unchanging blood or blood unchanging is another way of saying passing on from one to another. Like father and son or mother and daughter. Basically, it's bloodlines."

I immediately start thinking about the quest and what it means. Does it mean my bloodlines? I don't have any in AG. The difficulty and rewards are question marks; the only thing I can go off on how hard this'll be is the Mythical grade attached to it.

Does it want me to find unchanging blood?

"If you want to check the ancestors or relatives in your bloodline, you can always go to the Church of Darina. They have magical devices that tell you you're family history."

As those words leave Haleen's lips, I can't help thinking it's a dead end. I'm from another world.

But at this point, it's the only thing I have to go on. No harm in checking it out.