The scan on your iris and vein has determined that you are an unregistered user. Do you want to create a new account?
“Yes”
Select the name of your Avatar
‘Hmm… I never considered this before. Lets see, what would my avatar be like. Then remember the figure sitting on his desk… Crane, no what kind of lame name is that. No one would choose a name like Crane’
“Lets go with Jake.”
Select your gender from male, female or neutral
“Male, no question.”
Royal Road has forty-nine races. You may select your race from the primary thirty-two races that are currently available.
“Human”
You may alter your appearance using the index.
In front of him appeared a mirror rendition of his body. Average height average build with curvy straight black hair and dark brown eyes. Everything as average as can be for a guy with a permanently crippled right leg.
“Fix up my right leg.”
Before his eyes his right leg increased in muscle mass until it fit his left leg. His deformed foot smoothed all blemishes and his ankle was set straight again.
‘Ah, how long has it been since my leg last looked like this?’
Your account has been created. Your stats and class shall be determined while you are playing Royal Road.
Select a city and Kingdom you want to start.
“Random.”
Welcome to Royal Road.
A blinding light flashed before his eyes. When his vision returned he saw before him a world that could never exist in the real world. A giant cathedral standing before a plaza filled with new people appearing with flashes of light. People of all kinds with all sorts of hair colors and body shapes. Even people with pointy ears and short, stout people.
But all this was lost on the protagonist’s eyes as he was standing. It had been years since he last stood correctly and the fact that in this world injuries are not permanent only made it better. If he takes a leg wound it would recover when his hp was full. His unlimited bad luck would not affect his game play nor would he let it. He started running, at a slow jog at first. Soon he was speeding down an empty road and had no intention of stopping. Eventually he tired himself out and he stopped. The bar in the corner of his vision, presumably the stamina bar, was glowing red.
Jake collapsed with his back to the wall, gasping for breath. He hadn’t felt a rush like this since middle school and even then it was not as intense as this. The memories of times gone flooded him and brought tears to his eyes. Then he remembered, this is a game and he had a purpose.
He opened his inventory and searched for anything he might have and found a few pieces of bread and a water canteen. Munching on a piece of bread to stave off the hunger he walked through the street browsing the selection of stores cramped onto together. Eventually he found a decent looking general store and walked in. After searching for an hour, he was only able to find some rough parchment. There was no paper to be seen. He asked the clerk and learned that only the rich were able to afford such a luxury good.
‘Kinda like the real world’
Moving through the city he found that the center of the city had better quality streets and larger shops. Unfortunately all the stores only sold parchment. Not a single sheet of paper was on sale.
‘A premium good like paper can only be purchased by the rich and privileged. It must be really good quality since I’m having such a hard time finding it.’
Eventually Jake wound up in front of a store just a block away from the cathedral he had first seen. He walked in and received a handful of glares from the other shoppers. As a beginner he was unwelcome here. He quickly walked browsed through the tradable goods and finally found what he was looking for. There was a stack of paper on sale. Jake was beyond surprised. The paper that was only used by nobles and kings was uneven and rough. It was also thick and would be impossible to get into proper squares for folding. Little did Jake know, because this town was actually on the frontier, the goods were not up to quality as the central. In the central they had varieties of paper because of the influx of scribes. Rich people with too much time on their hands would spend ours writing and reading so the paper industry had evolved around this purpose to indulge the people with too much time.
Leaving the store extremely disappointed, Jake decided he would make his own paper.
-------
Logging out, Jake went to his computer and browsed forums and looked on the old databases. He found every piece of information on papermaking and every kind of paper. Unfortunately the information he found was lacking, as people don’t make much paper nowadays. The process was mostly automated. He was able to find the basics for the process, getting wood, making pulp and drying it. It would take a lot of experimentation before he was able to make proper paper to fold with.
Next he searched for information on the game. Jake was especially disappointed that he would have to spend a month in game before he could leave the city gates to find some trees to make paper. Logging back into the game well-prepared Jake first went to the training hall to practice cutting trees.
‘Swinging an axe at a scarecrow can’t be much different from cutting down a tree,’ he thought as he moved to take a wooden axe. He could not have been more wrong. Moving on from the training hall after two weeks of practice. Jake had earned a few skill points in strength and vitality he needed to swing an axe. He also gained the axe mastery. The main reason he left though was so he could earn some copper to buy an axe and supplies to make paper. Of course at this time, Jake missed out on the fact that completing basic training would provide him a weapon of his choice and bonus stats. He would return to the training hall in a week after finding out the fact that making money was a lot harder than it first seemed. Also upon visiting the blacksmith he almost fainted at the ridicules price of an iron axe.
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After hacking away at scarecrows with a wooden axe, he was finally able to complete basic training. The instructor came up to him and gave him an iron axe.
You have completed basic training
Strength rises by 1. (+1 STR)
Agility rises by 1. (+1 AGI)
Vitality rises by 1. (+1 VIT)
Fame rises by 20. (+20 FAME)
Life rises by 100. (+100 HP)
"Status Window"
NameJakePrimary ClassN/AHealth200Mana100Level1Strength40Agility31Wisdom10Intelligence10Vitality22
Axe Mastery[5] 5%
+50% ATK +15% ATK SPD
The Instructor said, “You swing that axe pretty well. You need a job, cause I’ve got an opening for capable people like you.”
Little did the Instructor know, Jake finished the basic training because he needed an axe to cut down trees. If the instructor found out, Jake would be kicked out of the training hall and his axe taken away.
“Sorry but I have urgent business to take care of.”
Jake quickly gave a vague excuse and made his way out of the training hall. The instructor probably won’t welcome him back because of his reclusiveness but Jake wasn’t planning on coming back.
‘Oh, well. I got the axe I need and some great stat boosts.’
Jake carried on with his plan. Although it was slightly delayed, he could now cut down the trees he needed for the paper. Also since it had been a month, he could leave the city.
Stopping on the outskirts of the city, he visited a variety of shops along the way finding the best prices he could. He only had a few copper from his week at work and he had a large shopping list. He was able to purchase a cheap copper knife, a rusty metal pot, and some questionable bowstrings. He also bought a few extra canteens for water and extra bread just in case. Now broke and equipped with everything he needed Jake ventured outside the city for the first time.
Outside the city gates he saw vast fields full of beginners hacking away at rabbits. Needless to say Jake paid no attention to this and carried on. After walking for around an hour, he found the forest. He had read online that the forest was full of high level mobs that would kill beginners in a second. Jake just had to be careful and stay at the edge, or so he thought. Unloading his supplies, he set up camp. He would be here for a while. Picking up his axe, he went to the nearest tree and started his work.
The trees in the forest were massive. They each had a truck of at least a meter and their bark was as hard as iron. To cut tree like these a special technique was needed. Jake brought his arm to the side and swung the axe with all his strength. The axe hit the bark of the tree and bounced off with barely a scratch. Unfortunately for Jake he had hit the tree at the wrong angle with the wrong technique and the recoil of the axe hit him straight to his core. The axe dropped from his hands as he was sent flying a good foot in the air.
You have taken 5 damage
Your axes durability has decreased
‘What happened’
Jakes vision cleared up as he saw his axe on the ground a few feet away from him and the tree was perfectly fine. If he had not taken the basic training, he would have been a lot worse. Also the pain damper built into Royal Road saved him from further injury.
“Damn tree! These are too hard. Guess its time for more research.”
Logging out Jake looked online for tutorials on how to chop trees down. Fortunately the resource of the Internet was able to provide the information that Jake needed to cut down such monstrous trees.
Returning to the forest a day later, Jake swung his axe at the tree in a crisp arc and after a few jolting tries the axe finally struck the tree with a clear sound of metal defeating wood. Trying to replicate that sound Jake continued to hack at the tree day and night. After a week had passed Jake was able to make the clear sound ten times in every twenty swings. And the tree finally gave way and fell. The ancient tree, that had weathered a thousand winters fell to the ground and would not take in anymore of Sol’s grace. The proud member of the forest had fallen from the group. As the trees wept for their fallen comrade, Jake got a message
Due to your repeated actions you have earned a skill
Wood cutting [1]
Allows you to chop down trees, and carve wood. Careful where you do it, environmental forces with be mad.
You have gained the endurance stat.
Endurance
Reduces damage taken from enemies and increases health a little
“Yes! Finally I cut a tree down”