Nestled between rolling hills and surrounded by thickets of ancient oaks, the quaint village of Emberfall resided.
Cobbled streets lead through the heart of the village, lined with timber-framed cottages. The cottages were simple, most of them made with wood and decorated with vividly blossomed flower boxes and small details that gave each cottage a touch of individualism. Wisps of smoke wafted from the chimneys of many buildings near the center of the village where most villagers were bustling with life.
The villagers took note of the newcomers that passed through the wooden archway, but most didn’t pay much attention to them. They continued to move on with their life and finish their business to get ready for work.
The first Players stepped into the quaint village, their first settlement and home in the world of Forgotten Lands, granting them a first glimpse into a world that seemed too realistic to be a mere game.
A chorus of hammer strikes and the rhythmic clinking of metal echoed through the narrow lanes in Emberfall. Multiple smithies, each with a thatched roof and sturdy wooden beam, were scattered throughout the village, where the blacksmiths – masters of their craft – worked diligently. Their anvils created a melody that resonated with the villagers, turning into the heartbeat of the village.
The rolling hills were the perfect source for the metals sought after by the blacksmiths, whereas the rapidly growing ancient oaks surrounding the quaint village turned into the perfect place for several families of loggers to earn enough to live peacefully.
That was Emberfall, the village of Blacksmiths and Loggers
Zayn took a deep breath and turned in all directions. He recalled a few incidents related to Emberfall. It was not as much as he recalled about the Silverwood Village, but Zayn was glad that he spawned in a place he’d heard something about. He could have had it a lot worse.
He stepped into Emberfall and noticed quickly that the Players around him rushed through the village mindlessly. They had no directions and nobody had given them any introductions into the game. Therefore, everyone moved through the village in the hope of finding an Instructor or someone who could answer some of their questions.
Zayn looked down at his body. He wore ordinary clothes that didn’t provide any protection. All it did was make sure that he wouldn’t have to run around naked. The only two items that were somewhat valuable were the pair of leather boots and the leather pouch tied to his pants.
‘It should work like this…’ Zayn mumbled to himself, tapping the leather pouch lightly.
A small screen appeared in front of him, providing some simple information.
Finances: 10 copper coins
Other than the copper coins inside the leather pouch, Zayn found two milky-white streams floating around. The milky-white streams vibrated when they came in contact with Zayn and burst out of the small opening within the leather pouch.
The milky-white streams hovered in front of Zayn for a second before shooting into his chest, where they disappeared just like that.
Two Soul Essences have been absorbed.
The two Soul Essences and 10 copper coins were all every Player would receive at the start of the game. Soul Essences were similar to attribute points in other games. Soul Essences could be invested into the Foundation Orbit to increase his Foundation Stars. That was equivalent to attribute points being used to increase one’s stats.
Unfortunately, the Foundation Orbit was only something that would get unlocked after they slaughtered their first enemy. The condition to unlock the Foundation Orbit would spread rapidly through the forums after the first few monsters had been slain, showing the Players all over the world that they would have to create communities, forums, and other platforms to share and gather information.
Information would quickly turn into one of the most important assets in Forgotten Lands, creating several new ways to earn money using the VRMMORPG. It was interesting to know that not every Player had to fight to earn money in Forgotten Lands. One could explore unknown lands to collect information about the environment, monsters, and dangers, create beginner guides, or teach others how to fight the monsters of the Forgotten Lands. Numerous occupations would come into existence not long after the game was launched.
Why? Because it was simple to earn money in Forgotten Lands as long as you knew what you had to do.
100 copper coins were equivalent to 1 silver coin. Meanwhile, 100 silver coins could be exchanged for one gold coin.
During the first month of the launch, Forgotten Lands would keep the exchange rate for one silver coin to one Credit. It didn’t matter whether one would purchase or sell coins. The price would be the same. That meant one had to collect only 10 gold coins a month to earn 1000 Credits – which was enough for many single players to make a living and focus on Forgotten Lands.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
It was not enough to make them rich, but it was certainly enough for many gamers to take the chance and dip into Forgotten Lands as full-time gamers.
That meant the copper coins one received to start with were not worth a fortune, but it showed the tremendous potential to make a living or become wealthy overnight. After all, certain Cards and equipment exceeding a certain threshold could be sold for hundreds if not thousands of gold coins.
It would take a few days before everyone would note the value of equipment and Cards in Forgotten Lands, but once that was the case, most Players would be willing to invest their hard-earned money to purchase in-game currency. Their intentions were obvious. They would purchase high-quality equipment and Cards to make hunting easier and re-earn the money they’ve spent on the game.
This tactic would quickly change the dynamic of the game. The exchange rate would adjust rapidly after the first month of the game, turning a game that ought to be played for fun into a business that attracted large-scale corporations alongside business tycoons.
Zayn was aware of all of this, but he had to take one step at a time. That was also why he decided to ignore the center of Emberfall and move to the outskirts where a brittle building came into his view. Nobody had tended to the workshop’s facade for years and the smell that filled the air made Zayn wonder when the workshop owner cleaned the last time.
‘Am I really correct here?’ Zayn wondered for a moment as he stepped inside the workshop. The door pushed open with a silent creak before it tapped against a bell that chimed loudly through the brittle room. The inside of the workshop didn’t look much better than the outside, except for a bunch of weapons that had been tended to now and then.
Zayn’s eyes lingered on a piece of parchment that had been attached to the wall behind the decayed wooden counter. It was a picture of a rough-looking man, whose face was half-burned. In the picture, he glared as if he was about to jump out of the picture and rip out your throat. But that made sense. After all, parchment showed a wanted murderer.
“Customers? I didn’t expect that anyone would come visit my shop. Which desperate soul did I attract on such a miserable day?” A hollow voice rang through the workshop.
Zayn looked outside for a moment to take a look at the weather. It was warm, the midday sun shone brightly, and the lively atmosphere within the quaint village was contagious. It made most players feel like they were welcomed in Emberfall. The day was great, amazing even.
Of course, that was not the case for the owner of the workshop. Zayn’s eyes flicked back to the middle-aged man who emerged behind the counter from the room in the back. His eyes were hollow, void of the will to live, and a mug filled with beer rested in one of his hands. He had a beer belly, and gray hair, despite his rather youthful appearance, and neither his clothes nor his hair were kept in order.
The workshop owner looked like a lost soul.
“I want to purchase some things, but the main reason for me to visit your esteemed shop is something else,” Zayn spoke in a polite tone, “I am here to fulfill your wish.”
He pointed at the wanted picture on the wall, the corner of his lip uptilted, “I can kill him for you.”
The workshop owner sobered up in an instant. His eyes regained an ounce of spirit and he put the mug down on the brittle wooden counter. His eyes locked onto Zayn, moving up and down to appraise the youthful customer. His expression contorted in disappointment and a heavy sight escaped his lips.
“Why did I get my hopes up,” He murmured under his breath, anger surfacing from the bottom of his heart, “A lanky greenhorn like you should focus on studying, or training. You don’t even have a weapon on you. How do you want to kill Scarface Peter? Don’t even think about it. I don’t want more people to die because of him!”
Despite being angry, the workshop owner showed concern about Zayn’s well-being. That was not something an ordinary NPC would do in an ordinary game. Fortunately, Forgotten Lands was far from ordinary.
“Scarface Peter is known for murdering and…violating… more than a dozen youths around your age. Don’t end up like my daughter, and always keep yourself safe, okay?”
Zayn nodded inwardly. He recalled correctly that a wanted criminal moved through Emberfall in the early days of Forgotten Lands. Scarface was known for killing more than a hundred players over two weeks. The combined efforts of two teams had to hunt down Scarface until they found his hideout where they found the horrifying sights of the mass murderer’s disgusting torture ‘games’ alongside the victims’ belongings…and remnants.
This didn’t reach the local news but the incident in Emberfall spread across most forums. That was also how Zayn found out about the game in his past life.
“I haven’t seen the wanted picture anywhere else yet. Did you create it?” Zayn asked all of a sudden.
“I did. But nobody cared about that criminal. As long as his existence doesn’t affect them the villagers won’t do anything about him.” The workshop owner said through his grit teeth. He clenched his fists and looked at the beer mug.
“In that case, you should prepare the rewards. I will be your vengeance!” Zayn declared.
The workshop owner stared at him with furrowed brows, “Did you not hear what I said? You’re just a greenhorn without a weapon. Don’t even thi–...”
“You can solve my weapon problem easily. Please give me…this dagger, these two glass vials, and the small diary with the wooden pencil there,” Zayn picked out a bunch of items, seemingly randomly, and put them down on the brittle wooden counter.
He smiled at the workshop owner and retrieved his entire fortune, a total of 10 copper coins.
The workshop owner wanted to say something but he saw the determination and stubbornness glimmering brightly in the youth’s eyes. He sighed deeply and shook his head before looking at the stone dagger, the two fragile glass vials, and the set of a diary and wooden pencil that were put away immediately
Everything combined cost around 12 copper coins, but the workshop owner didn’t care about the missing coins. He took the ten copper coins, continued to shake his head, and hoped sincerely that the youth wouldn’t die.
“Just survive, okay?”
Zayn retrieved the goods he purchased just now and put them away. He flashed a smile toward the workshop owner and turned around.
“Of course, I will. Just wait for me. I’ll be back soon!”
It was time to hunt a wanted murderer.