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

~~~(Location: Sir Rehans Office, Guard Barracks, Aeternitatem Genesis)~~~

~~~(Day, Date, Time: Friday, April 12th, 3:47 PM PST)~~~

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

"Congrats, kid. You proved me wrong and did it in style."

As those words leave his mouth, several system notifications show up. He raises an eyebrow as he sees the amount I've gotten.

"You're lucky I like ya, kid. Take your time, and go through it. Gods above know I went through the same thing when I was young."

I'm glad that Sir Rehan is being more tolerable, but that's probably a result of clearing the quest and getting the reputation reward. I don't want to waste his time, so I start going through all the system messages.

[+4000 EXP toward your player level for turning in the quest (Goblins Nest) and clearing the bonus step in the process.]

[+1000 Rep with Sir Rehan.]

[You're now acquaintances with Sir Rehan.]

[You've learned a new skill!]

[Chain Ability (Rare)]

[Info: A skill that allows you to repeatedly chain physical or magic skills without recasting. You must cast this skill to gain its effects. Effects occur after casting.]

[Duration: 15 seconds]

[Cost: 25 Stamina/Mana]

[This skill doesn't level up.]

This skill is the real reward of doing this quest with the bonus step. The hurdle I had in the dungeon was having to recast the skills again and again. This stops me from having to do that now.

For 15 seconds, but that's a long time.

I didn't gain any player levels due to having 5000 EXP needed now, but I'm close to the next one. Aside from that, there isn't much left to check. So I dismiss the player interface, and he takes that as me being done.

"Alright, I'm all done. Now, you said you'd answer any questions I had if I came back from the dungeon alive."

I can't help the teasing tone in my voice from leaking through a little. Being the youngest of three, sometimes it comes out without you controlling it. He stands up from his chair and starts walking for the door.

"Yeah, I remember. Follow me, kid. I can answer some of the basic questions you've got, but after seeing what you've done so far. I know there will be questions you ask I can't answer."

Following his orders, I leave his office with him. Strangely, we leave the guard barracks we're at. We're walking down the street, and some players stare at me. Staring at Sir Rehan as well. From the tick mark on his forehead. You can tell he doesn't like this.

Whispers are circling around as we walk. They're along the lines of how I managed to get help from the NPCs and how they might be able to do it, too.

Around 15 minutes of walking, we reach a plain looking building. Sir Rehan walks up to the door and knocks on it. After a few seconds, someone comes to the door and answers it. It's a woman wearing magical robes.

"And here I thought you'd be busy killing all these new arrivals. What brings you to my humble abode, Rehan."

She doesn't address him as Sir Rehan, so that tells me they're friends of some sort. She's on the taller side and has short black hair. I'd say she's around 34 or 35, but it's hard to say.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Said new arrivals are what bring me, or just one in particular."

The woman's attention turns to me, and I feel like she's checking my information. This is the second time I've felt this before. I think this is substantial enough evidence to tell me there are some inspect-type skills that you can get.

She folds her arms and cocks her head to the side. Looking away from me and back to Sir Rehan.

"Sure, he's leveling up fast for a new arrival, but nothing else about him stands out. Why bring him to me, Rehan."

Instead of answering her, he steps up on the doorframe and enters. All the woman does is sigh and look at me. Inviting me in with a little wave. Once inside her home, I soak in the house she's got.

The bookshelves are filled with scrolls, papers, and books. On the walls are paintings and portraits of people I don't know.

"I made the kid a promise, Haleen. Told him I'd answer any questions he had, but since you owe me. I figured you could help me out."

He plops down on the couch in the living room, and he rubs the fact she owes him in her face. Sir Rehan has a unique personality; I'm sure I'll meet more in my travels around AG. The woman in question, Haleen, pinches the bridge of her nose as she moves over to her desk.

"Just because you bailed me out on the tomes I got into the town doesn't mean I'm at your beck and call. Last month, you came here asking for a potion that I'd rather not describe with company."

I give Sir Rehan a curious and amused look. He ignores her as he puts his feet up on the table. Interlocking his fingers behind his head and leaning his head back.

"Yeah, yeah. Wake me when you two are done."

Haleen's face turns slightly red, and I see her ball her fist. She's trying hard to keep a pleasant face on, but you can tell she's angry. After a few seconds, she takes a calming breath and turns to look at me.

"Take a seat; I'll help you however I can."

She indicates for me to sit down in a chair across from her, and I do. She crosses one leg over the other and interlocks her fingers. Letting them rest in her lap as she waits for me to start.

"I'll do my best to answer any questions you have. Please, may I have your name?"

She must've not seen my name when she looked at me earlier. Maybe the inspect-type skill she has only allows her to view basic information. Names not included. But there is no way for me to know. I might ask her about it.

"My name is Zaediel."

She squints her eyes ever so slightly, but nothing other than that.

"It's nice to meet you, Haleen. I'm sorry that Sir Rehan has inconvenienced you by bringing me here today. I'm in need of information like the rest of my fellow players, as you can see."

She nods her head a few times. I think she appreciates that I'm being polite. After a couple of seconds, she snaps her fingers. In a puff of smoke, two cups of hot tea appear.

Not wanting to seem ungrateful, I take one of the cups and have a sip. It's delicious. Better than any tea I've had in real life. She closes her eyes and takes a drink as well.

"I'll commend you for your manners, Zaediel. Your parents did an excellent job raising you. Now, ask me what you want to know."

There are so many things I want to know, but the first thing is finding out where I am in AG. Knowing where I am will help me a lot.

"Where am I? I don't even know the name of the town I'm in."

The slight self-deprecating tone in my voice forces her to smile and release a light chuckle. She places her tea on the stand beside her and looks at me.

"You're in the CITY of Geonia. We're not small enough to be called a town."

Nice to know, there will be locations smaller than this called towns or villages. And places that are larger, too. But Geonia is a large city. It's got plenty going for it.

"As for a broader answer, you're in the Kingdom of Edaria. We're near the heart of the peninsula the kingdom calls home. To the Southeast and Northwest are oceans."

The Kingdom of Edaria.

"Would you know how to get my hands on an inspect-type skill or a map that I can use to get around?"

These are next on the need-to-know list. Without an inspect-type skill, a player is pretty much blind. You don't know how much health an enemy has, and that's very important. Among other things that are missing without an inspect-type skill.

As for a map, I'd like to find out where nearby locations are so I can go exploring. That's one of the main things about VRMMORPGs. Doing quests and exploring the world you're in.

She looks impressed at how thorough I'm being about all this.

"Inspect-type skills aren't an everyday thing. Most of the time, they come with a class. And they come in varieties. However, it's possible to find them without having a class. They're costly if you decide to buy them instead."

Wow, that's incredible. Lancer Inc. has decided instead of just giving everyone an inspect-type skill or an easy route to get one. They're making it a valuable part of the player base and in-game market.

"As for maps, you can buy them or make them with cartographer equipment. Once you have the map, you can click on it in your inventory. Once you do, you'll figuratively consume it and gain the knowledge of the map. It's like a minimap in your head."

Talk about a new way to play the game. Instead of it being apart of the hud, it's something you see in your mind. Like in real life. The hud doesn't exist for the most part. It's empty. When you walk around and look, it's like real life.

"Anything else?"

Yeah, time to find out if someone knows anything about 'find the waters that stand still.' I'd like to make some progress on the mysterious quest I've got.