Duncan puts away the items I bought according to his requirements and turns back to me.
We sit opposite each other with a table in between us. It's a small but cozy-looking restaurant owned by one of the locals. The prices are ridiculously high, so I just order the cheapest drink and take some food from my bag, and nom on it while we wait for Duncan's order.
“Damn, I haven't eaten in over a day,” he says in between bites of some mystery meat. Turning to me, he asks, “What's your name?”
“Can you pick a name to register in rankings here?” I ask instead.
“Nope, the system will use the name you picked for the Community.”
“In that case, it's Noname. By the way, why are there aliases for the Community? Is there a reason to hide your real name?”
“You don't have to if you don't want to, but some people prefer to hide it, and the system gives you the option. Your world is already changing, and it will change more after the tutorial, so there’s not really much point.” Duncan shrugs and takes another bite.
As he chews I continue asking questions, “You said the world will change, tell me more.”
“I can’t say much because of the system’s censorship. You know about the First Generation?” He watches my reaction and continues before I answer, “Good, you seem to have heard about it, and the system didn't censor it, so I can tell you a bit more than normal.”
He talks with a full mouth and even calls the waiter to order more.
Turning back to me, he explains, “There are 10 rounds of the tutorial. Each round gets 2 thousand people in Easy, 1 thousand in Normal, 500 in Hard, and 250 in Hell, and 10 of those can enter Beyond. You guys will be the First Generation of your planet with access to the system. While you’re gone, your world is awakening, and there will be changes. The changes are very individual, and I don't know anything about your planet. When you return and the first person of the First Generation steps back onto the surface of your planet, the system will slowly awaken for the others. I don't think I can say more than that.”
“Got it. About Beyond…”
He lifts his finger, “This kind of information is even more restricted and expensive, and your handler probably told you most of what I can.”
“I was curious about rankings, guilds, trading, dungeon, surface, and similar stuff.”
“Huh, your handler didn't tell you? Who did you get? What do they look like?”
“Humanoid, woman. Pale skin, black hair with bits of red mixed in. Pale brown eyes. Gray clothes.”
“I haven't heard of her. But it's not like I know every handler there is. I could answer these questions, so what would you like to know first?”
“Guilds.”
“Got it! Guild rankings are one of the live rankings. Before you ask, there are rankings that change over time and some that are static. For example, guild rankings update once a year according to the performance of guilds. Currently, first place is held by Bloodline, they’re one of the oldest guilds, at least a few hundred years old? Some say they’re older than that. They have rules they follow and always find a powerful Beyonder to lead it for the duration of the tutorial, and before they leave, they find a good replacement. Things have been that way for a long time.”
I lean closer, carefully listening to Duncan’s words, and when he finishes the sentence, I ask, “Is there any sense in joining one of the guilds or keeping them up for so long?”
“There are some advantages to being in a guild. Even more, if they’re one of the higher ranked groups. From what I know, they’re used to cultivate relationships that endure beyond the tutorial. If you want, I can go deeper into this, but I will ask for another epic item.”
“That should be enough for now,” I say, quickly refusing his offer. What is this guy? Third stage Greed sub class, Master of Greed?
Actually, could he be?
“Why are you looking at me like that?” Duncan asks, confused.
“Nothing, so what about other guilds in the top 5?”
“Primordial Knights some say they’re even older than Bloodline. You need to have primordial energy to join. Lately, they’ve been hit with a rough patch, and they’ve gradually lost their 1st place spot over the past hundred years or so. They’ll probably drop out of the top 5 the next time the rank resets. Where Primordial Knights look for people with primordial energies, Bloodline cares more about powerful traits. I would like to point out how rare it is for a guild to stay at the top of the rankings for so long. Just imagine how many hundreds of guild leaders must have put forth a massive amount of effort to keep them there. Bloodline and Primordial Knights are the only two I know out of the top ten. Frontier is a group of rising stars focused on exploring the dungeons and surface. Crimson Forge got three amazing crafters recently, Eldrin, Isolde, and Silverweave, so they jumped a lot. No one knows where they came from. The last one in the top 5 is Astral Brotherhood, and their guild master has been using Beyond to create alliances to reel in powerful people. He is very rich too.”
I make sure to remember most of the things he said.
My unreliable handler can stay right where I found her. Explore on your own and enjoy the adventure, she said. Where the hell is the adventure in paying for information?
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
“I want to ask more about some guilds, is that within my budget?”
“You are surprisingly polite for a rookie, they tend to be cockier after clearing the 3rd trial,” Duncan smiles. “But sorry, I’ve already said a lot, and I don't want to go into details. Let's just say you can learn more at the guild branches, and they hold tests and scouting events to find new members. Any guild within the top 10 would be great to join for the bonuses, but I personally don't know much about them and they are extremely picky so there is a low chance to get in. Anything between the top ten and the top fifty could also be a good choice, but some can be very… well… predatory.”
“Got it.” Well, that shouldn’t be too much of a problem.
The question is if I want to make my own guild or join an already existing one. Would a guild try to restrict my freedom? If so, would the bonuses be worth it? What are these bonuses?
“What do you need to create a guild?”
“I think it's currently 10 thousand shards for a few people, and the price goes up the more members you want to have in your guild. There are also restrictions on who can be a guild master, but I don't know. Listen, Noname, I need to deliver another item. Would you mind if I go? We can meet back here in two hours and continue. I still owe you some answers.”
At this I look him over, he doesn't seem like a scammer. Though, if he is, I will find him.
“Works for me, two hours?”
Duncan seems a bit surprised at first but then smiles brightly, “Thanks. I won’t take long!”
He then takes the rest of the food with him and after checking over his items, rushes away.
I remain seated, watching the other Beyonders move around and wonder, is there anyone here keeping order? I expected it to be more cutthroat, but so far I haven't seen any fighting, which could imply strict consequences. Maybe I'm just overthinking it.
I also decide that the next time I see my handler I’m going to steal some of the stuff on that table. She gave me just a few small pieces of advice and I don't even know how useful they are. Don't go to the surface, don't go into the dungeon, don't join any guilds.
Sure, Mom.
Even though I'm nowhere near the top of the pack here, I don't think I'm the weakest either, and my curiosity is already killing me.
Just a short expedition should be fine. I can even try to find one that starts just before my Stay token wears off so that I get sent back to the 6th floor in the middle of it.
A familiar sight catches my attention, and I glance to the left. There, surrounded by a group of people, is a man with a crown floating above his head. The crown glows yellow, its edges flickering like tongues of flame, lazily licking the air.
More than ever before, I want to send my senses to it, to examine it, and to learn more about it. Maybe I could go to the guy and ask, if he refuses and decides to be a huge dick about it, I can beat him up and ask again. There is no need to hurt him too much, just a surface wound or something.
Maybe I could even provoke him into attack... I pause my train of thought and force myself to remain seated. I guess this is why Tess had so much more success dealing with Miwa in my stead.
Patience, I need a bit more patience, I just have to channel my inner Savant. Not too much, though, I wouldn't want to start forfeiting.
I'm still new here and don't know the rules. People here can't be underestimated, and if I end up getting killed by some weakling's more powerful older brother, it would be truly shameful.
So, I watch as the man with the crown leaves.
Another person catches my interest as he does, a beautiful woman with blonde hair hanging just over her shoulders. She’s dressed in simple armor and has a sleek bow with a string made of mana. Her eyes are dark green.
What catches most of my interest is neither of these things. It is the mantle she’s wearing if you could call it that. The mantle is made out of mana or something close to it and moves like it's alive or caught in an unpredictable gust of wind. The mantle is pale blue with a gradient, darker at the top. It also looks like tiny purple stars shine inside of it. Some are bigger, others smaller, and some are of darker purple while others are of lighter color.
Out of everyone I saw here, I'm sure she is the strongest by far. It feels odd that I would even see her here, and the people around her seem to be of much the same opinion. It's as if a noble knight decided to visit a rural village too small for visitors.
But that mantle of hers, is it like a crown? Is there an entire "equipment" class of skill? Are there skills like a fire sword? At this point, I wouldn't be surprised, and I would even welcome it. I will always prefer my own power over equipment that could be taken away, and my [Mana Crown] and [Regalia] confirm this sentiment.
She must have sensed my gaze, as her eyes turn to me as I meet her stare.
As quickly as she finds my gaze, she looks away. I'm immediately discounted as anything resembling a threat and I’m apparently too boring for her to stay any longer.
Just that single interaction irks me to a surprising degree, and with some amusement, I observe my own feelings. I’ve found that I can enjoy the process now that I’m not using [Focus] to push my feelings away.
How bold of me, present Nathaniel is angry he isn't the top dog in the room, and that also means he isn't safe - he’s at the mercy of more powerful people. Yet, he wants to activate his trait, release his mana and skills, and he wants to fight these people.
There will be time for that, no worries. We’ll see what we can do about the rankings over the next few years.
----------------------------------------
An hour later, Duncan returns totally breathless, sweat beading on his face.
"Sorry, Noname! I tried to return as fast as I could. You know how it is, a man has to make his living and I need to save up for something. I hope you weren’t waiting for too long."
"It's fine."
He is here half an hour earlier than he said he would be, and in that time, I haven't been annoyed by waiting not even once. Just watching passersby made it fun. Observing people here, their equipment, bearings, and the size of their groups, I’ve learned from the experience as well.
And Duncan, bless him, orders a drink and drinks it all down in one gulp, clearly tired from his hasty return. It almost makes me feel bad for the tiny anchor I left on him so I could track him if he tried to scam me.
"I still have a lot of questions, but the most important one is: Do you know about any expeditions into the dungeon in the next 2-3 days?" I ask after he finishes his drink.
There’s no way I’m wasting a 3-day Stay token to sit around collecting information.