High rankers, the players that were considered unreachable in Arcane Heroes. All the good characters were mostly taken by them, leaving not much room for new players to grow. All fifteen high-rankers started playing around the release of the game. Anyone who joined after that was left scavenging for anything they might have missed.
Artemis was one of those high-rankers. Much like everyone else, she had no memories of her name. But she retained all the information she knew about the game with clear details. Every monster, item, character, and even the maps of different locations.
With the information she had, Artemis had no trouble reaching level two. Because of that, she was scouted and recruited by the kingdom of Basara. With their support, she conquered her first dungeon in this world and reached level three to get first class.
[Artemis
Level 3
Title: None
Job: War maiden
Stats:
Strength E+
Agility E
Vitality E+
Dexterity C
Sense F
Magic F
Charm C
Luck F+]
[Skills:
Novice weapon mastery (48%)
Aura reinforcement (12%)
(Empowerment (2%))]
It didn't take long for her to reach the level of elite soldiers in this world. Although this is nothing compared to the strength of her character in the game, her progress can't be ignored compared to the standards in this world.
"Well done," Nerisa said as she entered the training ground.
"Commander," Artemis bowed.
"It won't be long before you become a commander as well."
"Thank you."
Nerisa walked past Artemis and picked up a wooden sword. "We have yet to find the people you warned us about."
"They must have already hidden themselves."
"You said that you traveled our world as if it were a simulation," Nerisa spoke. "Knew who I was before even meeting me."
"That's correct. But the information the others have is limited to the same level as an outsider."
"That does not mean they aren't a threat. You said countless battles were fought, and countless were lost."
"Yes..."
"You must know that the people in this world will not blindly go into battle."
"I am aware," Artemis replied. "We have no choice but to fight our own battles."
"I hope the other recruits have a good head on their shoulders like you," Nerisa commented. "You people from another world are far too unpredictable."
As they were conversing, a pillar of light appeared. Artemis had only used the Hero Maker system once, but she still immediately recognized the light show before her.
"Among my people that you are keeping watch, have you seen someone named Zed?"
Nerisa raised an eyebrow. "Recently, yes."
"That means non-active players were transported as well," Artemis muttered.
"Is he dangerous?" Nerisa's eyes narrowed.
"No, but he was quite the headache to deal with," Artemis answered. "Unlike other players, he didn't recruit fighters. He made his own."
------
Despite her appearance, Lilith was neither human nor a vampire. Her physical appearance is just a manifestation of her class and the materials used to make her.
"What is your order master?" Lilith asked.
"For now, I just want you to guard the territory."
"As you wish," Lilith bowed before turning into black mist.
"Are you some kind of high-ranking alchemist?" Michelle asked. "You just made a living being!"
"I'm not."
Lilith was not a living being. She didn't need to breathe, eat, or do anything required by a living being. Even if she suffered a fatal blow, she would return to me and would be resummoned again after some time to recover.
My playstyle in the game revolved around the Hero Maker system. I focused on acquiring multiple methods of generating materials and money to support my production.
It was a hassle, and many players kept bothering me, but that's how I enjoyed the game.
"Have you this before?" Michelle asked as she placed a glass of milk in front of me.
"You could say that," I replied as I picked up the glass.
"The wizard tower and the alchemist association would hound you when they hear about this."
"You plan on telling them?"
"No, but they'll come to investigate the light show you created."
"Unless the other players say something about it, they won't dig too much."
"They'll discover the thunder bison herd."
"Your farm is outside the city gates. They can't do anything about it."
"You have a point. If they tried anything, the judge won't sit still."
"The judge?" I looked at her in confusion.
I didn't recall any information about a judge in Union City.
"The judge makes sure that the officials of Union City are worthy people. If they tried to abuse their power, the judge acts, and they are punished."
"Who's the judge?"
"Only the officials know the judge."
"Sounds like something they made up to make the people think they're righteous."
Michelle shrugged. "Maybe, but there's nothing wrong with hoping."
"True," I nodded in understanding.
"I have a question for you this time," Michelle sat down.
"Sure."
"Who exactly are you?"
I raised an eyebrow. "You need to be more specific."
"I mean, why are you doing all this?"
"Well, for starters. A life here would be a lot more interesting compared to back on earth."
"That's it?"
"Back there, I was just a boring adult with no clear goal in life. Here, I'm an adventurer."
"In other words, you didn't have life back in your world, but you think you have a better shot here?"
"Yeah... that sounds about right."
"What's your goal here then?"
"To enjoy myself."
"How shallow..." Michelle gave me a judging stare.
"What about you?"
"I want to start a family and live happily here."
I nodded in understanding. "Now that I think about it, how does marriage work here?"
Michelle gave me a puzzled look. "A man proposes to a woman. If she said yes, they get married."
"I mean, what are the procedures? Do you go to a church or something?"
"Many people don't bother going through all that and just start calling each other husband and wife."
"Not much difference, I guess."
"Nobles tend to have more than one wife," Michelle added. "Though, the other wives tend to be more politically related."
"I don't particularly care about them."
"Really?" Michelle looked doubtful.
"You still think I'm a noble?"
"Honestly, you act more like a secret noble than a human from another world. Humans suddenly appearing from another world seems like a pretty good cover for a secret noble to appear."
"Unfortunately, this isn't that kind of story."
"What kind is it then?"
I shrugged. "We'll find out eventually."
------
"You wish for me to recruit him?" Nerisa asked as she and Artemis arrived in her office.
"That would be impossible. He has too much of a twisted personality."
Nerisa raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"
"He loves it when the odds are stacked against him, and you can never predict what he plans to do next."
"You have quite the conflicted feelings towards him," Nerisa commented as she sat on her chair.
"I hate him, but I respected how he played. Despite it being a simulation for us, he played as if the characters were alive. He never made them fight his battles."
"That must be why he adapted so easily to a new world," Nerisa figured. "He did get a unique stat out of it," she revealed.
"He already has one?"
"Adaptability," Nerisa answered. "It's a good one. Improves growth, environmental hazards, and prolonged combat."
"That lucky bastard," Artemis grumbled, then she remembered something important. "Did you also find someone called Psysen?"
Nerisa shook her head while she began brewing tea. "Doesn't sound familiar. Is this person dangerous or another Zed?"
"The latter. They were called unranked irregulars because they didn't participate in the ranking matches and played differently."
"I shall keep an eye on the man," Nerisa stated. "Return to your training."
Artemis bowed. "Yes, commander."
As Artemis left, Nerisa glanced out the window. "Shall I inform Lady Starlight?"
------
Time flew by, and a month had already passed. The breeze had begun to colder, signifying the approaching winter.
"I can't say I expected my life to change this much," Michelle commented. "I thought I would never be able to have all that furniture replaced."
I turned to Michelle. "Congratulations?"
"It's all thanks to you!" She suddenly grabbed me and embraced me in a tight hug. "You're even making a wall around the property."
"I'm dying..." I managed to groan out.
Despite my constant training and occasional projects around the farm, Michelle still had a higher strength stat than me. It was a bit of a blow to my self-esteem.
[Zed
Level 1
Title: None
Job: None
Stats:
Strength E
Agility E-
Support creative writers by reading their stories on Royal Road, not stolen versions.
Vitality E+
Dexterity E
Sense F
Magic F
Charm E
Luck A-
Adaptability D-]
[Novice weapon mastery (42%)]
There was some progress with my physical stats, and I was happy with that. I doubted I would become a mage, so I didn't mind my magic stat not increasing.
"Oh!" Michelle exclaimed. "This arrived," she handed me a letter.
I accepted the letter and opened it. The letter was from Nerisa, informing me that she got a defensive item for me. She also asked me to meet her at a restaurant.
"Looks like I'll be heading out to pick up an item."
"Why didn't they just send it?" Michelle asked. "Why bother sending a letter to tell you?"
"Maybe the item is too valuable," I replied.
"This just adds to the whole you're a secret noble thing," Michelle commented.
"I'm not," I shook my head with a sigh.
As I left the house, Lilith appeared in front of me. "Shall I accompany you, master?"
"Stay here. Somebody might try robbing the place."
"Understood," Lilith turned into black mist again.
Even if people don't suspect that we have thunder bison here, the fact that I'm earning a lot of money from it is not a well-guarded secret. Any member of the adventurer guild could reveal it and have me followed.
A sack of gold coins is quite the sight for greedy eyes. "Maybe I should open an account for Michelle as well."
Over the past month, I earned around a thousand gold coins from selling the horns. Michelle got several hundred out of that. That's enough to attract some unwanted attention.
"If I want to invest more into that business, I'll need better security."
Lilith and a wall won't be enough to stop someone powerful. Lilith would be able to defeat someone who's level three, but someone who's level five with an upgraded class would be too much.
As I entered the city gate, I checked the letter for directions to the restaurant where I would meet Nerisa. She didn't mention a specific date or time. It only said to go there and look for her.
"Maybe she owns the restaurant," I muttered.
It wasn't impossible, considering she was wearing golden armor. On my way there, I passed by some interesting shops, like a shop selling cursed items.
How convenient.
From my experience with Lilith's creation, the core used determined their physical appearance, while the cursed item influenced their class. Completely different from the game where the Hero created was just shown as a human shadow, and the class was random.
"Might as well," I entered the shop and began looking around.
For a shop that was selling cursed items, it was surprisingly welcoming. A clerk was cleaning the display cases, and another clerk was helping a customer.
"Is there anything I can help you with?" A young man approached me.
"Ah... do you have anything related to security or guarding?"
The clerk looked confused. "Do you mean items used by guards?"
"Yes," I just nodded.
"What about this one?" the young man led me to the side of the store where several items were displayed on the wall. He pointed to a shield with the skull of a ram decorating the front and dark green mist coming out of it.
"... looks cursed to me."
"This shield was dropped by a gatekeeper of a dungeon," the clerk mentioned. "But the curse makes anyone holding it to be the target of aggression."
"Wouldn't that be perfect for a tank?"
"It also affects allies."
"Oh... I see," I nodded in understanding. "How much is it?"
"Three gold coins."
Still expensive, considering the revolver used for Lilith wasn't even worth one gold coin. "Anything cheaper? I'm not exactly looking for one to add to a collection."
The clerk nodded and pointed to a create filled with random items. "All this is worth around fifty silver coins."
That was more reasonable, but digging through the cursed items wasn't exactly safe. "I'll just take any shield in there."
"Sure thing."
------
"Commander, you have a visitor," a woman dressed in silver armor reported to Nerisa.
"He arrived earlier than I expected," Nerisa stopped writing her documents and got up from her chair.
She was currently not dressed in her golden armor. Instead, she wore a white tunic.
As she headed down to the restaurant, she spotted her visitor. The young man didn't look much different from others. Black hair and eyes with slightly sharp facial features. The only defining feature he has is his tired eyes.
When he finally noticed her, Nerisa called him over. "Follow me."
She led him to a reception room.
"I had thought of simply giving you some decent armor, but I was uncertain of the path you wish to take."
"I would have been fine with anything at this point."
"I expect you to sell if I gave you anything half-heartedly."
He shrugged. "Probably."
"That's why I got you this instead," a female knight dressed in silver armor entered the room with a small box. "Inside the box is a skill that allows you to create barriers."
His eyes narrowed. "You're quite the sly one."
Nerisa smirked. "I was informed that you have plenty of secrets."
"You don't say..."
"I will not pry, but I will assume every move you make leads to a bigger goal. Like the thunder bison farm."
"And here I thought you only knew my stats."
"You're aware I have a skill to see someone's stats."
"Everyone above level five has a skill like that."
Nerisa seemed amused.
"You didn't ask me to come here just to give me this."
Nerisa's smile grew. "Do you know someone called Psysen?"
"A few years ago. Is he here as well?"
"We have yet to find out."
"He's quite the character, but he's not dangerous," he stated. "He's probably trying to open a shop somewhere."
"I'll take note of that."
"Is that it?"
"Yes," Nerisa smiled back at him. "Try to survive longer out there."
She found him quite amusing.
------
"I feel targeted," I muttered as I left the restaurant.
Feelings aside, I now needed to decide if I was going to use the skill Nerisa gave me.
[Mana barrier]
It was a simple skill to understand. It allowed me to create barriers using the mana in my body. The problem was that mana linked to magic, which was one of my lowest stats. Additionally, I was only level one, so I was only capable of having one skill.
"I need to speed things up then."
I headed to the Alchemist Association to get some materials for another Hero. Normally, making another Hero this quick would be too risky since managing two barely sentient beings would be challenging, but I was in a bit of a rush.
When I arrived at the Alchemy association, I was greeted by the same clerk as last time. "How can I help today, sir?"
"Same thing, but without the curse item this time."
The man nodded. "Anything else?"
"Can I ask what monster cores you have?"
"In stock, we have a vampire soldier, a treant, and a gargoyle."
"I'll take the gargoyle one."
"I'll have everything brought out."
-------
Lilith observed from the shadows as a group of people approached the walls his master had built. They skillfully and quietly climbed the wall, going over it within seconds. But the moment their feet touched the ground, Lilith would execute her master's orders.
Protect this land.
The first to land was a brown-haired man with a piece of clothing covering the lower half of his face. A bullet pierced through his knees, causing him to scream in pain and startling his companions. The other three quickly jumped off the wall to land quicker but proved to be a mistake as Lilith used the time they used to brace for their landing to shoot them.
Gunshots rang out and the screams of her victims followed. Lilith had accurately shot through their knees, taking away their ability to stand. When she revealed herself, one of the intruders threw a dagger at her, only for her to avoid it and retaliate with a bullet to their shoulder.
"Who the hell are you?"
Lilith didn't bother to reply and fired more bullets targeting their limbs. She was not a real vampire, but thanks to her master's gift, she had the abilities of one. That included the ability to drain the vitality of others through their blood.
That was the reason Lilith didn't kill the intruders immediately. She kneeled in front of one of the intruders. This one was a woman with black hair. "P-please," her eyes watered as she begged.
But Lilith did not hesitate and bit her neck, draining her blood. The woman's body turned paler and a few more seconds later, reduced to a mere husk. She proceeded to do the same to the other intruders who also began begging for their life.
Their blood did more than replenish her energy, it was also a more efficient way of getting experience.
[Level up]
[Lilith
Level 2
Title: None
Job: Vampire gunslinger (Unique)
Stats:
Strength D+
Agility D+
Vitality D+
Dexterity D+
Sense D+
Magic D+
Charm D+
Luck D+
Lethality D+]
"Master would be pleased."
------
"I wonder how people would react if they suddenly saw another beacon of light in a place like this."
I glanced down at the horde of undead monsters roaming around the area. I was currently on top of an old tower in the middle of a place called "Hallow Ruins." This place was a level two hunting ground outside of Union City. It could have been suicide for me to go here alone, but avoiding the undead and running away from them wasn't hard. The only problem was that I was stuck on top of this tower with a horde of undead beneath me.
I ran away.
They chased.
That lead to my current situation. "I wanted to gather a lot of them anyways," I muttered as I unpacked all the materials from my subspace bag.
Based on my materials, the hero that would be created would be a gargoyle with a tank's attributes.
"Time to get started."
I tore the scroll, and the same magic circle as last time manifested. The pillar of light followed, attracting even more undead.
"Maybe I should have done this somewhere safer..."
The growing horde of undead surrounding the tower was starting to concern me.
"Master."
A deep voice came from the bright light.
"Grant me a name."
The gargoyle looked like it was sculpted from the brightest marble in the world. It was radiating a golden glow that gave off a warm presence.
"You're going to be my tank, so what about Aegis as your name?"
"As you desire," the gargoyle bowed.
[Aegis
Level 1
Title: None
Job: Gargoyle sentinel (Unique)
Stats:
Strength D
Agility D
Vitality D
Dexterity D
Sense D
Magic D
Charm D
Luck D
Indestructible D]
[You have successfully created a Hero]
[Gargoyle sentinel, Aegis has been created]
[Aegis has been granted the unique stat Indestructible]
[By Indestructible, your stats have been upgraded]
[Strength has been upgraded]
[Vitality has been upgraded]
[Magic has been upgraded]
[Adaptability has been upgraded]
I checked my stats.
[Zed
Level 1
Title: None
Job: None
Stats:
Strength E+
Agility E-
Vitality D-
Dexterity E
Sense F
Magic F+
Charm E
Luck A-
Adaptability D]
[Novice weapon mastery (42%)]
"Time to see what you can do," I gestured to the undead monsters. "Take out as many as you can."
"As you command."
Aegis spread his wings. That's when I realized that his wings resembled the shield used to make him. He took off into the sky, then dove towards the undead horde. The impact of the crash created a shockwave that shook the tower I was on. The smoke cleared and revealed Aegis in the middle of a crater. The undead began heading towards him but was sent flying by a backhand from the gargoyle.
While Aegis was displaying his power, another pillar of light appeared in the direction of the city.
"Looks like I'm not the only one that made a hero."
------
"You've got to be kidding me," Artemis muttered as a second pillar of light appeared just a few minutes after the other.
With this one being within the city, Artemis sprinted towards the source. Going at full speed, she was getting closer to the source of the light. The light began disappearing just as Artemis turned a corner. With no time left, Artemis just leaped on top of the roof. She saw the light coming from a back alley and rushed to the location. It took her about a minute to arrive at the area. Then she noticed the large crowd by the alley.
She jumped into the alley but found no one. But before she could even react, a jack-in-a-box appeared and released a wave of magical energy that paralyzed her.
"What the hell?!"
The guards entered the alley, and Artemis tried to turn to them.
"Stop!" she yelled.
"Who are you?" one of the guards asked as they pointed their spears at her.
"I'm a trainee under Commander Nerisa," she identified herself. "Don't come any closer. There are traps."
The guards nodded. A few seconds later, Artemis fell on her butt as the paralysis was lifted.
A while later, more guards arrived with a mage to check for more traps. They also took her statement about what happened when she arrived and why she rushed to the scene.
"If you're so eager to meet him, why didn't you just ask me where he is?" Nerisa stated as she arrived at the scene.
"That was not my intention, commander," Nerisa bowed.
Nerisa hummed. "Zed was not the cause of this," she revealed.
"Pardon?" Artemis looked up.
"He was seen leaving the city, so the first pillar of light could have been him."
"Did any civilians see anyone come out of the alley?"
"They haven't finished getting the statements yet," Nerisa replied.
Artemis just nodded.
------
[You have leveled up]
"Finally," I muttered.
[All stats have raised by one stage]
[Zed
Level 2
Title: None
Job: None
Stats:
Strength D
Agility E
Vitality D
Dexterity E+
Sense F+
Magic E-
Charm E+
Luck A
Adaptability D+]
I turned towards where Aegis was still fighting a horde of undead monsters. He still hasn't leveled up despite taking down dozens of undead.
I sighed. "Leveling them was never easy, even in the game."
I was about to call him back when a large quantity of Arcane Essence arrived from a different direction from Aegis.
My confusion turned to fear. "Aegis! We need to go!"
Aegis flew by and grabbed my hand before maneuvering in the air to place me on his back.
"Head towards the southern side of the wall."
Aegis wasn't fast, but it was still quicker than being on foot. It took several minutes for us to reach the farm, and upon arrival, Lilith greeted me.
"Did anyone attack?"
Lilith nodded. "Do not worry, master. I have dealt with them."
"Were they strong?"
"They were no challenge, master."
I sighed in relief.
"I have also reached the next level," Lilith revealed.
"Already?"
"Yes. I can grow stronger at a faster pace by draining the blood of my enemies."
"Oh, I thought only demon vampires had that ability," I muttered. "Anyways, meet Aegis."
The gargoyle bowed.
"Pleasure to meet your acquaintance," Lilith bowed as well.
"Both of you will be switching turns to go outside. One will be guarding this place, while the other will be leveling up."
"As you command," Lilith and Aegis replied at the same time.
"What happened here?!" I heard Michelle scream from a distance.
We rushed over to where she was and found four corpses that looked like they had their life drained out of them.
"They were the intruders I dealt with," Lilith stated.
"Do they have any useful items?" I began looting the bodies.
"They just died!" Michelle exclaimed.
"They tried to rob you, and what else they planned on doing here," I replied. "They paid the price of their actions."
"I need to go," Michelle quickly left the scene.
I couldn't blame her. Even though this was a world where only the strong survived, not everyone was used to death. Reacting this coldly to killing someone wasn't normal, but I'm not some noble protagonist.
I want to survive and enjoy my life in this world.
For that to happen, I needed to get stronger. To get stronger, I would need to do some things that require me to resolve myself.
"Let the blood be in our hands, master," Aegis spoke.
I patted the gargoyle on the shoulder and shook my head. "It's inevitable, so I might as well get used to it."
I glanced at the items I got from the bodies of the intruders. I got seven ordinary daggers and nothing else that could be useful.
"They must have left all their belongings in an inn."
There was a chance that these people had other companions, and they were waiting for them to return.
"Aegis, Lilith, get rid of the bodies."
Both Heroes nodded. They took two bodies each and left. Now, I wanted to use all the essence I got today to upgrade my luck again. The Arcane Essences flowed all over my body once again as I upgraded my stat.
[Zed
Level 2
Title: None
Job: None
Stats:
Strength D
Agility E
Vitality D
Dexterity E+
Sense F+
Magic E-
Charm E+
Luck A+
Adaptability D+]
"Damn... all that essence and it only increased by one."
I wished there was a way to know how much essence I needed to upgrade a stat. Back in the game, it at least had a bar that showed much essence was still required.
"Maybe I should do some studying..."