I feel the breeze on my cheeks. For me, it feels like measly a breeze, but I am leaving a particularly menacing windstorm in my wake. I stand atop my Darkbringer as if I am surfing on the open seas, but instead of crashing waves, I have clouds to accompany me.
Skill— Sword Stance: Sword Flight
If I have this when I am Vanaheim’s Mirror, I will be able to farm so much faster. While players heavily abuse quick travel to go to places, there are maps that are inaccessible to quick travel.
Quick Travel is a gamer mechanic where a player just presses over a map, and within a blink of an eye, they will spawn to that area. It beats physically journeying there on foot as there will be lesser annoying monster encounters that way.
However, there are special maps where quick travel doesn’t work. For example, Quick Travel will not work on Secret Evergreen. That is why mounts have become popular in the game especially for max-level characters as by using a mount, they can grind so much more efficiently.
The problem is useable mounts for high-level players are extremely rare. For Tier 8 players, for example, riding the common horse mount has become more of a chore than a benefit when they are faster than their own mount. It has come to the point that players prefer just running their character to the other map than using a mount.
That is why I have high praises for this Sword Flight skill. Moreover, this skill actually has more potential than it lets on. For example, I can use this to escape and break through if I am surrounded.
I will be defenseless though against enemies who have the same level as me as I will not be able to use a sword. Still, learning this will not be a loss to me as I have unlimited Skill Slots being an Arc Warrior.
It only takes me a day to learn this particular skill as its requirements are far easier than I imagine. As I have become more on-hand, it appears that my ability to interact has allowed me to unlock my full potential. I can still recall the befuddlement of the EverGuardian and the EverLord when it only takes me a day to learn this skill.
Meanwhile, the EverLord takes almost a week for understanding the preliminary concepts of Ghost Step. But as a Tier 9, he doesn’t disappoint as he is able to show some level of success before my departure.
The Barren Gorge is fairly remote as it is on the further east side of the continent while the White Peaks are on the far west. I come to Blumend to resupply my Inventory with rations and some signatory proof of my connection with Blumend which Liza is able to help me with a great deal.
I plan on connecting Barren Gorge to Blumend. While I did not receive Sofalia’s permission and am pushing through personal connections, I should be able to have some clout as I have been her advisor for a long time. Point in case, I will just have to compensate her.
I am intent on helping Kruff achieve Tier 8, and in order for it to succeed, there must be no accidents. I have that much common sense after spending five years learning how to act as part of the nobility and the greater world. Most often, I simply use my experience in Vanaheim’s Mirror as a reference on how I act as that too is part of who I am anyway.
Finally, I arrive at Barren Gorge. I hover on Darkbringer while I watch the ravines empty of any activities. I am not expecting anyone from Banner of War to come around, but I am at least expecting some monsters. However, there are none of them.
It looks like, they really have annihilated the monsters around Barren Gorge.
The Warrior’s Nest, my owners decide on that name with the intention of filling it with Warriors. It is essentially a place where we grind Player Avatars so that we can sell them on the market. It is also the place where we keep our treasure horde.
The members of Warrior’s Nest are divided into four parts.
First. There is me on the top who is the Guild Master and the Primary AI who implements the best resource distribution.
This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.
Second. Standing in the middle, there are the Secondary AIs which are cultivated from my data and are configured by my owners on specific formats. They are the Seven Disciples representing each Aspect of the Seven Deadly Sins.
Third. At the bottom is the Banner of War which is full of Player Avatars called the numbered and serves as the products we AIs manage.
Fourth. Lastly, there are the NPCs who the Guild rules over.
Essentially, we are a Mercenary Guild that offers the services of its warriors. This is the Warrior’s Nest’s background story. In player terms, however, we sell Vanaheim Accounts to interested players. I know this much because it is part of my responsibility to spam advertisement promos online and through various channels within Vanaheim.
In terms of scale, the Warrior’s Nest is about the size of a small independent Kingdom with a single city-state.
In my search for the hidden Warrior’s Nest, I see several fortresses from a distance with the Warrior’s Nest’s flag— a crossing of sword, spear, and axe. I approach the nearest fortress, gliding just on top of it.
“Bring me the person in charge.” I coldly tell them.
From below me, I see numerous Numbered Warriors, every face is unfamiliar to me. The only indication that they are the Numbered Warriors of the Banner of War is their in-game ID. They are literally named with numbers.
I find it curious what their personalities are like since they are not driven by AIs and have no core personality. We AIs simply remotely control them through basic commands. I recall having to micromanage half of the Banner of War myself while I do my own share of grinding of skills, levels, items, and gold.
I have the strongest AI from the Warrior’s Nest and have the best-evolved algorithm thus the heavy responsibilities on my shoulders. When I am just but a humble AI, I recall being quite an expensive cannon fodder for the Numbered Warriors as it is company policy to protect the goods even at the expense of the Tier 9 character I am working on.
The penalty of death in Vanheim is incredibly strict for Tier 9s, and it comes naturally to me as part of the hazards of the job.
For the company that owns me, it is only logical that I protect their goods at the cost of my player avatar. Vanaheim is a very strict game where alternate accounts are deemed illegal. Only the company I am under is capable of creating dummy accounts and giving other players a way to rest their character into more strengthened versions of themselves. That is why it is of my highest priority to safeguard the Numbered Warriors even at the cost of my own life. But now, I don’t think I will be able to do the same as I now fear death just like any creature out there.
The warriors below me come to kneel one by one as they recognize me. I sense worship and reverence in their actions. I chide myself for overthinking as perhaps this is just the prestige that comes with me being Tier 9 and Guild Leader of the Warrior’s Nest.
But a Numbered Warrior quickly proves me wrong.
“Guild Leader!” Short unkempt hair adorns his head, while his longsword sways from his waist on his every step. A Tier 7 SwordMaster kneels in my presence just like the others, his passionate gaze driving me insane. “I am No. 6 of the Banner of War! It is my utmost joy for you to grace us with your presence!”
No. 6 cries with a river of tears.
I am speechless. I am not ignorant of over-exaggeration. I learn of them the first time when Marcus continues to repeatedly approach me while kneeling. At first, I think of them as just one of Marcus’s programming, but after I share the story with Sofalia, she quickly corrects my understanding of it that it is actually out of respect for my martial prowess.
To be honest, they are bothersome.
As I said, I now possess the ability to feel. Awkwardness. Excitement. Bafflement. And so on.
The past five years on Blumend doing office work is a very valuable experience for me. For instance, my range of emotions has increased a manifold. I recall the Doctor who is responsible for checking up on my system daily from my past life. Unlike me, that guy hates office work... yet he has so many emotions now that I think of him.
“Rise,” I tell the Numbered Warriors. “There is no need for you to kneel in my presence. Warriors only need lower themselves in death.” I add, feeling mighty proud of the Warrior’s Honor I come to understand and philosophize.
The Numbered Warriors heed my words as they rise up as one. I am counting fifty of them. One Tier 7, dozens of Tier 6, and the rest are Tier 5.
“Bring me to the Nest.” I address the Tier 6 Swordsman who is standing beside No. 6. I assume her to be the second in command as she stands beside No. 6 and has the second highest level and rank among those who are present. “You don’t mind, No. 6, do you?”
“No, Guild Master!”
“No. 15! Tier 6 Swordsman! Reporting for duty!” No. 15 adds almost shouting.
No. 15 has sky blue hair reminding me of Sofalia and carries a rapier in her waist too just like the Sofalia I know. The only difference No. 15 has is that she has a pair of fiery red eyes uncharacteristic of the cold beauty I know. On top of this, No. 15 is sporting a ponytail, unlike Sofalia who just lets her hair cascade down whether it is a formal event or a fight.
“Hmmm…” The Warrior’s Nest is only accessible to those who have their Aura imprinted on its gates, so I will need someone for safe measure. The Gate Guardians will not be able to recognize me anymore as I have been away for five years. It is a Guild-Specific countermeasure that a player has to sign in to their accounts on the Guild every year so that the sold accounts will not be able to infiltrate the Guild and ransack it from the inside. “Guide the way, No. 15. I will need to renew my access with the Gate Guardians…”