A/N: Ugh. Sorry for the delay. I've been sleeping busy after exams ended and catching up with my original biological clock. Shames on me!
At any rate, I will post the chapter and once again, I ask of you all who even dared to read this series. Is the story interesting? Is there any loophole? is there something lacking? But of course, this chapter may well be full of mistakes especially at the end. Now then.... once again, please hold your horses and wait for another chapter. The explanations will appear after this chapter.
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*DING!*
+5 Intelligence!
*DING!*
Congratulations! Your ‘Speed Reading’ Skill Mastery has leveled up!!
*DING!*
Skill Name:Skill Level:Skill Experience:Speed ReadingBeginner V37.01%This Skill enables you to read and absorb the content of a book faster than the norm. Also, the more books you read, the bigger bonus there is to your Intelligence and Wisdom stat!
Effects:
3.2% increased performance of your brain when reading
2.4% increased memorization of the content of the books you have read
x1.6 times of your reading speed
Yuuya soon sighed. He laid his back at the chair and he groaned as he stretched his arms above. Inside Weinford’s Local Library, the beginner Voyager was delving in the way to become a mage and he was truly diligent in reading that he received more bonuses at fast pace.
However, Yuuya was light-headed and he was sleep deprived. He has been reading nonstop when he gained his free pass to read and he went straight to the field of magic. He crammed the knowledge he wanted from the very basics, including Fairytales, History of Magical Civilization, Origin of Mana and Creation, Elemental Spirits, Magical Treasures, Mythical Creatures and so on and so on and so on and so on……
For three days and three nights. Straight with one-day-one-time-meal of rye bread and water from a fountain near the town’s square.
To be honest, Yuuya was about to die by having his brain matter goes exploding but he knew that he was just having intense headaches. Even if a day has passed in BWO, only 6 hours have passed in RL. The brain’s procession was accelerated and when an hour passed in RL meant four hours have passed in this game.
(Well… this enabled me to gain more knowledge faster. I have New Player restriction set on me so I can’t leave the town for a month. I have no Class yet and three days have passed here. Only a day has just been wasted. Nothing to fret about.)
Unlike ordinary people, Steve’s body has low metabolism performance. He also rarely worked out and it’s no wonder he looked thin in several areas. But if this went on he would be forced to disconnect and he would be banned to log in for a day as safety measure. The irony of having a capsule that monitors one’s own health could become a bother when in crucial times. Steve, or rather, Yuuya musingly in his mind as he closed the book entitled with ‘The Guide for Magic’.
“…now then. Before I start my magic training, which System should I use so that I can maximize my potential?”
There were three different methods to research magic. This Method was commonly known as System and the three were collectively called as Trinity. Made up from three main ways to activate a magic.
First was Rune. It is basically a writing method to make up the chants of a spell and though common to use for Enchanters and Scribers, Rune possessed a unique language hard to understand by common people. But the power of a single Rune can be used as a counter and its strongest factor was its Delayed Activation. Usually, only hard-core mages wannabe would delve in this outdated Magic System.
Next, Hex. Instead of writing chants, Hex System utilized the drawing of magic circle to draw out mana for a spell. This System relied on external mana so mages could reserve their internal mana more efficiently. While the effect of a spell casted from within a magic circle was tremendous, the preparation stage to draw the complicated patterns often burdened the mages for accuracies and calculations were badly needed for maximum effects.
The last was Aria. A very common and easy to use method by using voice incantations. Usually, most would take this System because of its cheap cost of activation and usually, there were no long incantations until one reached Advanced mastery. However, it was said that Aria could be combined with other Magic System and should the incantations replaced by Divine Language, a single spell could wipe out an entire piece of land from vegetation.
“Each of them has their own merits and demerits. Rune for full-technical battle relying on wits, Hex for bombardments, and Aria for general uses. Over these methods, I can only pick one as I have no confidence to master the whole Trinity. And the fields they work on are as black and white as they could be.”
Yuuya pondered for a while before he heard a faint footstep and—there was sudden darkness.
“Who is it the one behind you now~?”
“……Margaret, can you cut it out with this… outdated joke?”
Indeed, he could feel two hands blocking his point of view and despite there was nothing in front but table and rows of chairs, there was darkness. He concluded he was blindfolded and Yuuya expected no one other than the big-breasted librarian to ‘attack’ him in such a crude manner.
“Boo~! How come you noticed already!?” the voice complained as vision was restored for the Voyager.
Yuuya sighed internally though. For the past three days he has been visiting this rundown library and since this town was a frontier town in the middle of nowhere, not many Voyagers have entered this place. Well, there were several but most of them only wanted to ogle on the majestic chests of the Head Librarian.
(Sickening perverts are out there. And this woman with a husband is teasing me as if it’s the most obvious thing. What if we were found out? I will definitely die out of misunderstanding.)
For a note, Yuuya has never died ever since he logged in. He also never logged out and thus treating this world as his own world. The Greatest Coward simply took a seat and hollered himself in the library while sometimes borrowing the bathroom to take a shower. Not that his virtual body could be smelly but he took the precaution to not cause troubles for his own goods.
Then, Yuuya interacted only with Margaret for he badly needed books and he devoured all of the magic theories from the simplest to the most complex. The Head Librarian fortunately can be relied upon when the time comes but he must endure the teasing and harassment she could offer before he could remember the book shelves location.
*BOING*
“-----!!?”
“Heheheh~ you look grumpy, Yuuya~? Want to have some healing?”
What the fuck is this!? Margaret shamelessly approached the Voyager from behind and she even wrapped his head with her huge chests. And they’re huge! So huge that he would for sure lost in them!!
Yuuya’s face could never be redder as he struggled to get away from the temptress. Sadly, his fate has to be seized by her due to him being a Noob with only 100 Intelligence Stat and 10 for other physical stats.
“Ohohoho~ How do you like Lady Margaret’s special-made cushion? Isn’t it warm? Isn’t it exciting?”
“Ga-gaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhh!!! Let me go, you slutty librarian! I-I’m not excited by your shameless attempt!!”
Che! So not fun, Margaret complained as she released Yuuya from being killed out suffocation. Hell, he was one step away from death’s door and it would be pretty funny for him to die by being buried in the breasts of a woman.
“Damn it… Can’t let my guards down even for one second. Margaret, have you found what I am looking for?”
“Uhn, it took me times but yes. What Yuuya ordered are books regarding Binding Magic, Mana Crystal and Ritual Magic Theories. Also, knowledge regarding Wards and Magical Treasures. They’re wide in varieties and with your rank as Yellow Library Card holder, you are permitted to even access the library’s deeper section.”
Then the Head Librarian presented a cart full of books. The amount of books in it was enormous but Yuuya did not bat a tired glance. Instead, his face lit up in energy and he shouted inside him.
(Now I can achieve it faster! I can take a step further to my objective!!)
For once, Yuuya was excited to the point of looking like a child. Seeing his childish behavior, Margaret could not stop her giggle as she said.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
“What an energetic boy you are. Yuuya, are you aiming to become a Magic Scholar?”
“Eh—? Ah, well… about that.” Stammered by the sudden question, Yuuya looked away in cold sweats.
Of course, as if he could tell other people about his objective. It would be weird for him to say ‘I wanted to commit suicide so I will learn how to do it right’. Margaret would laugh at it or admonish him for his selfishness and he was certain a piece of Angelica could be seen in the Head Librarian.
It was also a wonder for Steve. His elder sister was never talkative again and yet she achieved her diploma in two and a half year. What’s more from IT course and she suddenly sent a FDG for him. Either she worked as a millionaire or she was involved with CYBERION corps, the shut-in could never know. And he didn’t want to know too.
He didn’t need a family. He didn’t need friends. He didn’t need any lover. All he needed was Death and death alone could save him from the darkness which was the cruel reality of the world no matter which world he traversed into.
For the enemy of his self was present everywhere, every time and they were ready to devour his soul for the entirety, once and for all.
“It’s… just a research. I’m researching magic because I wanted to know its true power.”
“Hee~ So you wanted to become the strongest mage? Or are you aiming to become like the predecessor of magic? The Mage of Beginning?”
“Well… both, perhaps? And why do I feel as if I’ve heard that title somewhere before?”
“Hahah, such a greedy boy! But I like it! This Head Librarian will help you to the utmost then, Yuuya!”
Once again, Margaret Stuart flashed a wide smile. The smile was innocent, lovely and also alluring. The woman possessed charms that even Yuuya could understand the man who became her husband was definitely blessed by having her around.
(…….However. I don’t like it. I don’t need that smile. I hate it so stop showing that expression in front of me.)
Unknowingly, the Seeker of Death despised the vigor of those who lived their life to the fullest by helping others when in needs.
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At the afternoon of the same day, Yuuya reached a conclusion after reading half of his own shares.
“Hm…… I don’t know the practical work of magic. I’m not even sure if this body can respond well to my command. For now, maybe I should go outside the town and see my own strength.”
As an Aspiring Mage, Yuuya was capable enough to cast magic (or so he believed) and he needed a practice target. Also, as a mage, that meant he has no need to buy armors and heavy equipment that have no effect in boosting his magic power further.
“All I need is to use magic to drive the monsters away. But where can I even practice in a small town in which not even Guilds are present?”
Just as he mulled while returning the books he borrowed, Yuuya found himself being stared at by Margaret.
“Oh my, are you going out, Yuuya? Can I entrust you a small favor?”
She gave a whimsical smile as she accepted the returned books.
Perfect. The Head Librarian gave the first Quest and it was simply because of an afterthought slipping out from his tongue. Now I’m thrilled.
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Quest is similar to a job. NPCs would give these jobs that were rewarding to the risks and Voyagers could gain favors when dealing with special type of NPCs that could give hidden quests. There were also various types of quests such as Gathering and Collecting, Exploration, Subjugation, including Chain Quests for an Event.
In Daedalus, Voyagers were obliged to clear Quests for they awarded items, coins or interests that could assist their adventures. Sometimes the content of the Quests could get extremely dangerous but that was the sole reason why Voyagers took them up. To overcome the impossible and bringing new changes to this augmented world was the Voyagers’ destiny after all.
And so—Yuuya conceded to break his rules for once. He who stayed a shut-in even in this world chose to venture outside the town. The Quest was as follows.
Bring Me Parchments! Difficulty: E Description:Goals:Margaret the Head Librarian of Weinford is in need of high-quality parchments for library uses. Please buy the parchments at the Woodcutter house in the forest next to the town.
* Buy White Parchment x5
* Deliver the parchments safely to Margaret
* Deliver the parchments before the day ended
Quest Rewards:
* 10 silver coins
* 3 Healing Potions
It was a blessing-in-disguise for an anti-social beginner such as Yuuya to receive a Quest. Even more, it used the loophole where as long as the Quest needed to move from place to place, it bypassed the New Player Restriction which was to stay in the town for a month IGT.
The rules were pretty much saying the Voyagers must get used to the society based on medieval setting for a period of time. However, subjugation Quests sometimes needed the players to move from a spot to another. Whoever said that one cannot leave the town? Well, Yuuya must return once he cleared the goals of the Quest and should he fail, he would be teleported back to the town according to the system of the game.
“……well… guess I can do this. All I need is to go to a woodcutter house inside the forest to buy a few parchments. Huh, that’s strange considering this is a fantasy world. Does Margaret has a need to use white paper? Isn’t that expensive? And what kind of woodcutter is this to be able to produce white papers?”
As expected, even the strongest insensitive, foolishly cowardice bastard of humanity was intrigued by the details of the Quest. While it’s true that delivery quest in a starting town was rated as easy, the rewards were very tempting to the broken Yuuya.
What’s more, there was a time limit. Perhaps she wanted to write official letters or mailing her husband due to tight schedules. Yuuya sighed dejectedly knowing that such a whimsically abysmal Fair Lady was already in someone else’s grasps.
(…whatever. safety comes first and it would leave a bad taste if I can’t even clear this kind of Quest. Forest is over there… huh?)
Yuuya was perplexed at first. Because it was the first time he had gone outside his hideout, he has never paid any attention to the surrounding. He didn't even bother to buy a map for worse scenario... which, in fact, his first mistake for pondering all by himself.
Then again, why would he thought of it as a mistake? Well……
“………Where am I…?”
What surrounded him was tree, tree and trees. Humongous trees which possessed very wide trunks and height beyond dozen of meters. They have mosses growing on the trees as well as the grassy grounds, and there existed no paths born out of frequent stepping.
The air was cold to a chilling degree. Probably because of the canopy made up by lush leaves covering one another. And there existed various vegetation such as a mushroom as big as a two-story house, flowers with exotic colors, glowing fireflies with the color of spectrum of rainbows.
At one glance, it could be said that Yuuya had derailed from the correct path. Assuming he walked for several hours, then it meant he had already entered the depth of the forest which usually meant stronger threats in present MMORPGs. But what perplexed Yuuya the most was right in front of him. That is…
—A creature that smelled like a corpse with the size as tall as Yuuya if not a head shorter. It had the outline of a skinless man whose flesh was left rotten and burned. Every part of its joints were coloured as dark as the night sky and there was nothing to hide the horrifying face which seemed as if both flesh and skull was plastered together to make up what had been lost. However, what was even more terrifying would be the pair of beaks which clicked and rattled in front of the exposed, uneven brown teeth and the hollow, lidless eyes foretold strong resemblance to a creature which appeared in one Dragon Rider Novel.
“……………you’ve got to be kidding me.”
When he uttered those words mindlessly, the rotten flesh colored monster jumped at Yuuya. Blades of sickles emerged from its arms and a vicious screech harbouring mad killing intent sliced the wind apart.