Cultivation Online
With a flash of pale-blue light, my surroundings changed. Darkness morphed into colours, which in return turned into a variety of shapes.
Suddenly, I was no longer in my bed; I was standing in a large plaza, wearing a surprisingly scratchy grayish-white tunic and a pair of brown cloth pants which offered little to no protection.
My outfit was obviously not rare since every other person standing on the plaza alongside me wore the same thing. Even the girls did.
“Wow, look at the graphics!” A nearby man said, waving his hand around in front of him.
“Bro, did you feel that? Did you feel the breeze just now?” Another young man said, excitedly caressing his cheek.
Similar phenomena were occurring all over the plaza as new players struggled to acclimatize to the most technologically advanced VR game of the century.
“It's like another world.” I thought as I looked up at the sky, where I saw three birds with four wings flapping away in the distance.
I really was in a fantasy world.
Deciding to move on before the starting plaza became too crowded, I walked in the first direction that struck my fancy.
On the way, I disturbingly took note of the fact that the NPCs working in the background had no indicators differentiating them from players. Consequently, one wouldn't be able to tell if someone was a player based on their appearance alone.
A red-eyed teenager with unnaturally crimson hair ran past me in excitement.
“Okay… maybe I was wrong.” If all players had designed their characters as flamboyantly as that guy, it would be easy to distinguish them.
Just as I was about to exit the plaza, however, a notice board filled with fliers grabbed my attention.
Joining the small crowd in front of it, I read the notices.
“The guards are employing new trainees huh, that’s sure to attract some attention.”
The next piece of paper had a cat drawn on it.
“Someone's lost their cat and is looking for it.” I smiled as I recalled the similar notice I'd recently seen in the real world. “This smells like a quest.”
In fact, the majority of the numerous fliers on the board contained information about a variety of different tasks and potential occupations.
Yet, the notice that grabbed my attention was naturally the largest one, with an ornate crest of a white tiger embellished on it.
“The White Tiger Sect is recruiting new disciples.” I read slowly. “Age requirement: between the ages of thirteen to eighteen.”
Suddenly, I understood why the character customization had insisted on creating a teenager.
It was so we would be eligible to join sects.
Shaking my head I memorized the time and place for the recruitment and moved on.
Even without excited players clamoring around, I reckoned that the city would still have been bustling with activity. Now, with the flurry of players running around, the streets were nearly impossible to traverse.
Initially, it had been a novel experience, but the longer it took for me to get anywhere, the more annoyed I got.
And I wasn't the only one.
Three times I had already witnessed angry NPC guards apprehend mischievous players. Some of whom were behaving very childishly.
“At least they act their current age.” I smiled to myself. I reckoned I was a lot older than the majority of these players, heck, I even had children of my own playing somewhere in this virtual world.
Reminded of my children I awkwardly opened my friend tab.
“There doesn't seem to be a way to send friend requests without being physically present…” I noted to myself. “I guess I will have to talk to them later and ask where they wound up.”
According to the guide who'd helped me with the character customization, players were spawned according to their real life location. And since I lived in a different country, it was probably safe to conclude that my children would be far away at the moment.
Finally, I reached the city’s outer gate. Even here, players were scurrying around, probably looking for lost treasures and hidden quests.
As far as I could tell, Cultivation Online was a hyper realistic VR game. There were no actual quests or classes, instead, one progressed by cultivating a mystical energy called qi.
As someone intimately familiar with the Wuxia/Xianxia genre, I was incredibly excited about the prospect of cultivating, defying heaven, and grasping immortality. I dare say more so than my children, who were more interested in the adventure that the new online game heralded.
Even if it was all in the VR world.
Naturally, first on my priority list was learning how to cultivate. The urge to sit down in the lotus position and blindly grasp in the dark was strong, but I reckoned that even if I somehow managed to create my own cultivation method (which I strongly doubted) the quality wouldn't compare to a cultivation method taught by an established sect.
And so far, I'd only heard of the White Tiger Sect. A prestigious name, at least from a Xianxia perspective.
The new recruitment would occur in a remote village called Durnatel, located two days away from the starting city of Easton.
“But which way do I go…” Opening my inventory, all I found was a stale piece of bread and 10 copper coins. The value of which I didn't know, but I reckoned it was low.
Approaching one of the more angry-looking guards standing by the gate, I balled my fists in greeting like I had seen other NPCs do to people of repute.
“Excuse me sir guard, would you be so kind as to give me directions to Durnatel?” I asked, figuring it wouldn't hurt to show a bit of humility.
The guard scoffed in response.
“Another lad with a deathwish?” The guard clicked his tongue in irritation. “Be gone with you, not any street rat can become a cultivator.”
Opening my inventory, I stealthily flaunted a pair of copper coins, betting on the nature of human greed.
Again, the guard scoffed in response, but he took the coins nonetheless.
“It's your life.” He shook his head in disapproval before continuing. “Go to the eastern gate. There you should find a caravan headed for Durnatel. Look for a merchant called Quan Zan. Tell him Guard Yang sent you. Now be gone.”
I didn't forget to ball my fists in gratitude before I left, two copper coins poorer.
As soon as I went away, two other players rushed the irritated guard who I had just left behind.
…
Finding the eastern gate took some effort, but thankfully I found a nice old grandma who didn't mind giving me directions for free. When she heard I was heading to Durnatel, all she asked for in return was for me to keep an eye out for a young lad called Ye Feng. Apparently, her grandson was also aspiring to become a cultivator.
Offering her my heartfelt gratitude, I naturally promised to do so.
To my surprise, the eastern gate was a lot more bustling than the southern one. Not only were there more players here, but several caravans were either entering or leaving the city, bringing people and goods with them.
After asking around for a bit, I eventually found the caravan with a merchant named Quan Zan in it.
“Greetings Quan Zan, Guard Yang told me to approach you for passage to Durnatel.” I said, balling my fists in greeting. The gesture had worked for me so far, and until it didn't, I figured it was as good as any.
“That miserable old guard did?” Quan Zan looked me over with a pair of bushy, raised eyebrows. “What a surprise, you must have left quite the impression on the old geezer if he sent you to me.”
Hearing the merchant’s words, I looked back on the encounter I had had with the guard and the two copper I had handed him for the information.
“I definitely didn't leave any sort of impression.” Nevertheless, it would be a blunder to correct the merchant's misconception since it suited my current objective nicely.
“I heard your caravan is heading for Durnatel; I'm willing to serve as a guard if you let me accompany you.”
The merchant looked at my arms with a raised eyebrow.
“You know how to use a sword?” He asked.
Remembering all the years I had spent learning kendo in my youth, I nodded.
“I'm decent.” I said.
The merchant responded with an amused smile; he didn't seem to believe me.
“Since you're recommended by old Yang, it would be foolish of me not to humour your request. Fine, you will join our caravan as a guard, but know that there will be no reimbursement unless you prove yourself useful. Is that clear lad?”
Nodding my head I balled my fists in gratitude.
“Good." Quan Zan looked at the rest of the bustling caravan. “We will leave in two more hours, and we won't wait for you if you're not here by then.”
“I won't miss it.” I promised easily. It wasn't like I had anything else to do.
Quan Zan dismissed me with a nod.
After looking around for a bit, I eventually found a nice, secluded shade from which I could observe the happenings of the gate.
I still couldn't get over how lifelike the game was. The NPCs acted incredibly naturally and behaved indistinguishably compared to real humans.
Treating them like mindless NPCs would definitely be a blunder.
Suddenly, a group of players ran past me, heading for the gate.
“A guild?” I smiled as I remembered all the time I spent with my old gaming buddies. As I grew older, more and more real-life responsibilities meant that I didn't have as much time to play videogames anymore.
Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.
“I wonder if they are also playing CO.” I thought to myself. Maybe I should try reconnecting with them?
Nibbling on the bread in my inventory, I realized I actually did have tasks to complete before I headed off.
And so, with eight whole copper coins to my name, I searched for a place to procure some provisions.
…
After a lot of haggling I was left with a measly two copper coins. In exchange, however, I had procured three loaves of stale bread, and a second-hand waterskin with crisp water sloshing around in it.
Looking at my inventory, I nodded satisfactorily. It wasn't much, but if rationed properly, it would get me to Durnatel.
I hope.
With a bit less than an hour left until the caravan left, I decided to quickly logout and catch-up on some real life chores.
After a visit to the bathroom, a cheese-and-ham sandwich, and some text messages to my children, I was ready to log in again.
Disappearing from my quiet one-bedroom apartment, I reappeared in the bustling street of Easton.
When he noticed me, Quan Zan greeted me with a nod before returning to the conversation he had with two other men, probably merchants.
When the horse-led carriages began rattling and moving, I couldn't help but to feel a childish sense of wonder course through me.
“Amazing.” I smiled as I walked alongside one of Quan Zan’s wagons.
Outside the gates, multiple wide-open fields with some form of grain growing in them stretched into the distance. With a clear blue sky blanketing the city and its surroundings, it truly seemed like I had traveled back in time.
Now that we were leaving the city, it quickly became clear that I wasn't the only resourceful player who'd found a way to join the caravan.
After some surveillance, I counted at least a dozen teenagers who I thought were potential players. Without any indicators, it was all guesswork.
The caravan itself consisted of around twenty carriages and around forty horses. Riding on the carriages were the merchants and more affluent people who could afford to.
Excluding the players, there were at least twenty swordsmen tasked with protecting the caravan and its wares.
After about an hour of sightseeing, a sudden prompt appeared before my eyes.
[“Attention! This is a world-wide announcement congratulating player Fishbones for being the first person to successfully create an original cultivation method!”]
“What the fuck?!” Another player exclaimed behind me.
I couldn't hide my envy either.
“Damn, should I have tried cultivating by myself after all?” An original cultivation method, who didn't want to create one for themselves?
Ultimately, however, when considering the thousands upon thousands of players logged in right now, someone was bound to do the impossible.
“No,” I shook my head. “I'm doing the right thing.” Even if I beat the odds and successfully created a cultivation method, I still wouldn't have the resources to advance my cultivation without a sect backing me up.
In the long run, joining a sect was definitely the best option I had available.
After six more hours of uneventful traveling, but with beautiful scenery, one of the caravan leaders announced that it was time to take a break and feed the horses. Helping the rest of Quan Zan’s workers set up a temporary camp, I was surprisingly rewarded with a copper coin afterwards.
“I guess this is another way to prove myself useful.” I smiled as the coin joined two of its new friends in my inventory.
“Oi boy!” I looked around only to realize that the “boy” the approaching young man was referring to was me.
“Oh right, my character is fifteen.” I smiled at my forgetfulness.
Seeing the smile on my face, the young man smirked challengingly.
“I heard from Mister Quan that you're supposedly handy with a sword.” The young man rested one of his hands on the sword tied to his waist. “Personally, I’d be surprised if a scrawny little rat like you can lift, much less swing, a sword.”
“Fortunately,” I answered slowly, realizing that there was a small group of swordsmen watching our interaction in amusement. “My proficiency with the sword isn't contingent on your approval.”
Shock turned into laughter as the group watching heard what I said.
The young swordsman in front of me wasn't laughing, however. Instead, his previous smirk had turned into a displeased frown.
“Oi oi oi, you started this young man.” I thought inwardly.
“Oh?” The young swordsman forced a smile. “Since you're so confident, you would not mind making a little wager, would you?”
Raising an eyebrow at his words, the young man continued.
“A spar. If you can last twenty, no, ten bouts against me, I'll give you a silver. How does that sound?”
Intrigued, I looked between the young man and his friends who nodded, urging me to agree.
“And if I lose?” I asked simply.
The young swordsman smirked as if he'd already won.
“Dont worry, I'll go easy on you. If you lose, you will just have to do my chores for the rest of the caravan.”
Just as I was about to agree to the wager, he added, “And you will refer to me as your grandfather.”
Immediately, the observing group erupted in laughter.
Personally, it took me a few seconds before I realized that it was an insult.
“I don't mind sparring with you, but don't you think the terms of your wager are a bit too one-sided?”
“Oh?” The young man raised an eyebrow in response.
“My grandfather is worth more than a measly silver coin.” I shook my head exaggeratedly, in reality, my grandfather was dead. “Instead of a silver, if I win, I want your sword.”
Again, the group watching cackled as if what I had said was the most hilarious thing they’d ever heard.
Even the young swordsman chuckled in response.
“Fine, if you can last ten bouts, I'll give you my sword. Though I doubt you can carry it.”
Realizing I forgot something I quickly added.
“Oh, and I'm also going to have to borrow a sword.”
…
Feeling the heavy metal sword in my hand, I looked around at the crowd that had quickly gathered. Apparently, word of our little bet had spread like wildfire in the caravan.
“I guess everyone wants a bit of entertainment.” I remarked inwardly.
On the opposite side of the clearing stood the young swordsman who looked like he really enjoyed all the attention he was getting. Like most NPCs, the man was tanned and fit. It didn't exactly take a genius to conclude that the young man was stronger than me.
“I can do this.” I hadn't held a sword in what felt like ages. And I had never actually fought with a sword capable of shedding blood before.
An older swordsman stepped forth, glancing at me before focusing on my opponent.
“The spar will be until first surrender or until ten bouts have elapsed. No permanent injuries are allowed. Is that clear?”
“Yessir.” My opponent said.
I just nodded.
“Last chance to back out.” The older swordsman said, looking at me. When he realized I wasn't caving in, the experienced swordsman shook his head in disappointment.
“Begin.”
Immediately, a couple of players began howling at me from the crowd, but my focus was glued to my opponent.
Approaching with a smirk, he attacked with an overconfident overhead swing.
Holding my one handed sword with both hands, I parried the sword aside before stepping into his guard.
Shocked at my boldness, the swordsman didn't have enough time to react before I swiftly bashed the pommel into his sternum.
Retreating two steps, the young swordsman clutched his chest in agony. I didn't doubt for a second that his chest hurt excruciatingly.
However, I wasn't one to give my opponents time to recollect themselves.
Swinging the heavy sword with both hands, I took advantage of his bad composure.
Unfortunately, the young swordsman wasn't completely useless.
My hands vibrated as metal clashed against metal. However, realizing that my opponent, who had only used one hand, wasn't faring much better, I swiftly repositioned before kicking him in the knee.
Ignoring the painful scream that erupted from my opponent, I swung my sword again.
This time, the young man failed to react in time.
And thus, holding the shaking sword with two hands against his neck, I waited for someone to announce my victory.
Only to remember that it was a fight until either surrender or ten bouts, and if I remembered correctly, the fight had ended in four.
“Surrender.” I said to my opponent, unwilling to shed blood if I didn't have to.
When the young swordsman gritted his teeth, I recognized what he was about to do immediately.
Stepping aside, I dodged the disorganized lunge and kicked him in the other leg.
This time, my opponent keeled over.
Resting the heavy sword against his chest, I looked the young man dead in the eye.
“Surrender.”
A glint of unwillingness and hatred flashed in his eyes, but when he felt the weight of the sword against his still aching chest, the young man reluctantly closed his eyes.
“I… surrender.”
...