Knocking on the door, Odelia loudly asked “Lord Eyes, are you awake yet? May I come in?” Though after not getting an answer after a few moments, Odelia knocked again and entered the room. “Pardon the intrusion, Lord Eyes, but you asked me to wake you up early for...training.” When she entered the room, she found that it was completely empty. “Did I get the room wrong?” Odelia questioned herself, quickly searching the other rooms on the 1st floor. “Could he have already gone down to train?” She headed back down herself after not finding Eyes anywhere on the 1st floor.

Seeing Verana already cooking breakfast in the kitchen, Odelia said “Good morning, Verana. You wouldn’t have happened to see Lord Eyes this morning, would you?”

“Good morning to you too, Odelia.” Verana greeted her back, “And no I haven’t; though shouldn’t he be in a room on the 1st floor?”

“I thought so too, but I couldn’t find him in any of the rooms.” Odelia relayed, slightly worried as it was already the third time Eyes has disappeared on her.

“I see…” Verana then recalled “Well he did come back downstairs after you showed him where he could rest last night—he offered to help me with the dishes. I tried my best to refuse, but he insisted on thanking me somehow for all the delicious food the last few days.” She smiled at the fond memory and told Odelia, “What an honour it’ll be to serve such a humbly benevolent King in the future.”

“I agree, but after he helped you with the dishes, did he go back upstairs?” Odelia inqured.

“No, no he didn’t.” Remembering, “He actually said he would train for a few more hours and then head back up after he was tired.”

“If you didn’t see him this morning, he must’ve fallen asleep in the Training Chamber.” Odelia figured.

“Lord Eyes must be already pushing himself too hard.” Verana sighed at the thought. “I know you said it was for him to announce himself as the Heir, but why challenge him to accomplish such an impossible task?”

Odelia grinned mischievously, “The Kingdom knowing of Lord Eyes’ existence, or Lord Eyes taking an impossible leap closer to becoming a Trinity Archer—it’s a win-win for our House and the Kingdom either way, is it not?”

“In a sense, but still, don’t you think it's a little too impossible of a challenge? Unfair to Lord Eyes perhaps?” Reminding Odelia, “Even Aelthar and Amariina agreed when they heard the challenge last night.”

“Hmph!” Odelia scoffed, telling Verana “I don’t believe Lord Eyes would agree with that statement, as I truly believe he thinks he can accomplish it. And with the incredible progress I saw he’s already made, I might’ve been inclined to actually believe him if he had more than two weeks until month’s end.”

“I just hope Lord Eyes doesn’t get too discouraged when he fails at the end of the month.” Verana stated, finishing preparing a tray of breakfast for Eyes. “Anyway, from your experience, how long will it really take our Lord to become a Trinity Archer?”

“To be completely honest, Verana, I do not know.” Odelia told her honestly, “Lord Eyes is already skies above anyone I’ve taught or experienced before—greater than Zebey and I, greater than Master, and possibly even greater than the Great King Ven’Thyl himself.”

Verana was stunned in disbelief after hearing such high praise from Odelia, but that disbelief quickly turned into delight—a delight that Eyes would be an impossibly great king someday. She then handed the tray full of breakfast to Odelia and went back cooking for the rest of the House with an even brighter mood on her face.

When Odelia finally arrived at the door leading to the Training Chamber, she suddenly heard a loud yell coming from the other side and quickly opened to find out what happened.

***

You have learned the Proficiency: [Wield Mana].

Wield Mana: Physically drawing out and manipulating your Mana, you form and wield it to your own will. Cost is the amount of Mana drawn out. Damage based on Magic and Skill Level, and Manipulation Control based on Intelligence and Sense.

“Yeahhhhh!” I yelled out, heavily panting and falling to the ground from the exhaustion, “Fuck...that was way harder than I thought it was going to be…How long did that take me?” I watched my Mana slowly recover from 0 as I heard the door on the platform unexpectedly slam wide open.

I reactively reverted my Eye Of An Elder Cyclops and saw Odelia rushing through the door, “Are you alright, Lord Eyes! What was that yell!” though oddly she carried a tray of food in her hands.

“Wait, is that breakfast? Does that mean it took me all night to learn one Skill? Oh, that doesn’t sit well with me at all.” Thinking, “If I assume the end of the month at the earliest is a week away, I need to really pick up the pace if I’m going to complete the Quest in time.” I then shouted to Odelia, “Everything’s fine! But I’m so ready to move on!”

Odelia looked surprised as I watched her create a rope made of mana—attached to the platform—and used it to carefully slide down to the ground. “I never took you for a quitter, my Lord, but you cannot just give up after not even a single full day of training yet.” She completely misunderstood what I meant while she placed the food onto a small table she quickly manifested with her mana.

“No, I’m not a quitter. What I meant was—”

“Good! And I know you confidently said you understood what I explained and showed you yesterday, but you should know it is hard for everyone to grasp the idea of a new Skill on their first day; especially one as advanced as Wield Mana.” I tried to clear up the misunderstanding, but Odelia continued lecturing me, “Wield Mana takes years of learning to feel and control the rough flow of mana within one's self, as one cannot see or imagine it perfectly in the beginning. But do not be discouraged, my Lord, keep trying and I am sure you will make great progress someday.” After she finished talking, I bursted out into laughter. “What? What is so funny?” Odelia asked, confused about what I was laughing at.

I settled down but couldn’t help smugly grinning at her, “You hurt me, Odelia. How could you ever underestimate me like that? But if there’s one thing you should learn about me, it’s that when it comes to archery, there’s nothing I can’t do.” Imagining the image of a simple short bow, I could feel the little bit of mana I recovered slowly begin to move through my body and into my left hand; and drawing it out, that very image of a simple short bow began to form exactly fitting into my hand. “I don’t know about you, but I think I’m more than ready to move on to the next Skill.” My Mana drained back to 0 and caused the short bow to dissipate into nothing.

“Th-That...is impossible…” Odelia was left almost speechless.

“Well I only just learned it before you got here, so it was actually pretty hard, but I wouldn’t say impossible.” Thinking, “Although I would’ve failed again if I didn’t make that sudden breakthrough an hour ago.”

“But...but...how can that be?” Odelia questioned, still in shock.

“I don't know, a whole lot of hard work?" I shrugged off her shock, "But it does seem like it took me all night if that makes it any better?” picking up and eating a slice of a delicious purple fruit from the breakfast tray.

“It does not, my Lord.” And while Odelia tried to come to terms with the possibility, I hungrily ate my breakfast and checked up in the Top 10 Chat.

Top 10

Lavie- Does anyone know where Dream is? She hasn’t replied to any of the messages I sent her.

Xian- I think I heard other Players somewhere say she’s pretty young, so are you sure she’s not just avoiding you because you're being overbearing or overprotective?

Lavie- First of all, Dream loves me; and second, we were supposed to meet up today before I left for the Dwarven Kingdom to complete a new Quest I got, but she just never showed up.

Tobias- Strange, the boy wanted to meet up with me earlier too, but he also never showed up to our meeting place.

Lavie- Is Faust missing too?

Tobias- So it would seem.

Xian- Didn’t you all go to the same city together? What if the two of them are just spending time with each other?

Tobias- Doubt it.

Lavie- He means they got into a little fight before we got here, which in turn made us arrive in the city separately, and I don’t think they’ve made contact with each other ever since.

Xian- Well I know I’m the only other person who left Asheton so far, and since I don’t know, I think it’s safe to assume the others wouldn’t know either.

Tobias- I honestly couldn’t care less, and after seeing what they can do by themselves, I’m more than sure they’ll be fine wherever they are.

Lavie- You’re probably right, but I can’t help but worry.

Oh, and if anyone else is reading this and you know where they are, send me a message.

“Aww, man. How could they let our Party fall apart like that? And why are they both missing?” I then moved on to yesterday's most recent messages.

Essex- Hey, here’s a little warning.

I think there’s something going on with the monsters and animals outside of Asheton.

Casino- What do you mean?

Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author's consent. Report any sightings.

Essex- My friend and I are traveling somewhere far away, but we recently came across a monster called a Zombie Deer.

Da Vinci- (O.O) ?

Casino- Like a literal zombie?

Essex- That’s what it was called, and apparently they’re the real kind. You know, the ones that eat brains, goes around infecting people, and causing zombie apocalypses.

Da Vinci- (•_•)

Casino- I can’t tell if you’re joking or not.

Essex- No, I’m being completely serious. My friend and I even incinerated it to limit the chance of scavenger animals getting infected, but he said that if a deer was turned, it’s very likely other animals and monsters are also infected in the area.

“Uh oh, that’s not because of me, is it? I’m pretty sure all the ones I killed should be behind my barrier, right Goblex?” Wondering if Goblex actually disposed of all the bodies properly.

Omega- You got me interested, where do I find them?

Casino- Well, look who came to talk.

Essex- I wouldn’t go out looking for them without knowing a sure way to cure yourself, Omega.

Omega- I can handle myself.

Essex- It’ll be Asheton’s problem anyway, so I guess I don’t care. We saw it Northeast of town, but my friend tells me animals in the area tend to travel clockwise around the forest.

Omega- Got it, thanks.

Casino- Just hold on a minute, what am I gonna with my plans for Asheton then?

Essex- Sounds like a ‘you’ problem.

Casino- Wait, at least tell me how to deal with them? Or better yet, about this cure you know of?

Essex- They're zombies, don’t overthink it. Plus I’m sure they won’t be much of an issue with our abilities, don’t you think?

Oh and about a cure…

Good News: My friend thinks he knows exactly how to make one, and I can definitely make sure it turns out correctly(we even have a sample of the zombie virus we took for research purposes).

Da Vinci- \(^.^)/ !

Casino- Great! Whip some up and I’ll make sure to pay you accordingly.

Essex- Bad News: Besides that fact that we’re long gone from Asheton now, my friend just thought of quite the interesting experiment to help me complete my current Quest, and I’m feeling very much inclined to help him with such.

DaVinci- (X_x)

Casino- If y’all already far away, I guess I’ll just have to take my chances here.

Essex- Yup, and good luck!

“I’m not sure how many Healer Class Players actually have the Cleanse Skill, but I know it’ll be a problem if a bunch of Players get infected and bring the virus into Asheton without a cure.” Thinking “I really don’t want that to happen, there’s good people there.”

Deciding to prepare some countermeasures, I first tried contacting Mako, but after she didn’t reply, I figured she was busy and left her a warning and some instructions. Then knowing Global had the biggest voice and influence in her World Chat, I contacted her next and informed her on the potential situation.

Global

See how that could be a problem?

Global- I get it, but when I want something from you, you ghost me; and when you want something from me, I’m just supposed to say ‘Yes, what is it, Eyes’?

You know that’s not how that works.

Yeah, yeah. What do you want then?

Global- Answers to some gnawing questions I have.

You get 3.

Global- Deal!

What did you do the night of the Goblin Attack to have leveled up so high?

I became the First Giant Slayer. Next.

Global- Hey, no vague answer or I'm not helping!

Fine.

I asked the Guild for a hard Request, and they sent me out to go scout a Giant Monster in the forest heading towards Asheton. Then the next thing I know, I found myself giving the Giant a funeral pyre.

Global- Sounds like there’s more to that, but I’ll leave it alone for now. Now next question:

How’d you change your name, and what’s the relation with the Elven Capital?

For trying to make me answer two questions in one, all you get is a simple answer.

Just go find a way to join a House, Family, or Clan in the Kingdoms.

Global- That was fair, but let me think about my last question carefully.

“What a pain. Why does she have to be so information hungry? But maybe I should start lying to her?” Though I quickly squashed the idea, “Nah, knowing the type of person she is, she’d probably find out somehow and end up being an unavoidable problem in the future, and that doesn’t sound like something I wanna deal with.”

Global- Okay, I’ve decided.

And?.

Global- I contemplated on whether I should get more info for the Players about you owning a whole mountain range and barrier that protects it, or about my personal interest on that incredibly strong Npc (Odelia) who seems to care a lot about your wellbeing; but I think I’d rather start from the very beginning.

What?

Global- There’s something that’s been bothering me ever since the end of the Tutorial. When we were shown the Tutorial Rankings, it specifically showed us the Top 10 first, but when the Administrator gave out the Awards, he stopped at the Top 100. Now I thought that was very strange, I mean why stop at 100, why not award the Top 10 and 1st Place too, right?

I thought nothing of it at first, simply dismissing it as their design choice; but after I heard a rumour about Dream (the only known person appearancewise from the Tutorial Top 10) fighting together with a pink cat monster, it really made me think. Shortly after, I heard the other strange rumours of unknown Players with unique abilities that not a single other Player had, and like a truck it suddenly hit me. The Top 10 did get awarded, but that fact was completely hidden from the other Players.

“She’s too smart and too curious for her own good, but I guess it was only a matter of time until someone found out.” I thought to myself, responding to her.

Stop monologuing and ask your question already.

Global- Sorry, it’s a bit of a habit of mine.

Now tell me, what exactly did the Tutorial Top 10 get as their Awards?

I’ll give it to you, Global, you're a smart one. But let me ask you this, are you sure you really want to know? If I tell you the truth and the others find out, some of them could come after you, and I know for a fact 3 of them are already on the Player Killer Rankings.

Global- Being an info broker in both worlds is not easy, and I more than know the dangers that come with the trade; how do you think I ended up here?

So yes I am sure I want to know, now answer my question.

Alright, if that’s what you want to know.

I then revealed to Global that the Top 10 in the Tutorial were actually all awarded before we arrived in the Waiting Hub, and that we were all presented with a completely Unique Subclass to choose from.

I can’t speak for everyone else, considering I placed last and was only left with one option to choose from, but just so that you don’t bug me in the future, my Subclass is a Seer.

Make of that as you will.

Global- Fascinating! Knowing that alone is causing my brain to explode with so many other questions, not to mention there are 9 other Unique Subclasses that give out abilities.

Okay, it's my turn now.

Global- Oh right, yes. What do you want me to do?

***

Somewhere in a corridor full of cages underneath the capital city of Leon…

“So, what do you think? She’ll go for a lot, right?” A scarred man hoped, expecting to get a lot for a young elven girl.

“Looks like you roughed her up a bit, but nothing a little healing won’t fix.” A clean-shaven man noted, writing something down in his ledger.

“Yeah, she put up a pretty good fight, but after I took down her strange pink pet, she was much easier to deal with.” The scarred man proudly stated.

“A pink pet?” The clean-shaven man questioned with interest.

“Yeah, I wanted to capture it too, but it suddenly disappeared. So I think it was actually just some type of summoned familiar.” The scarred man figured.

“Oh well, but back to the girl.” The clean-shaven man opened the cage door and entered where an unconscious, dirtied, bruised, and chained up Dream lay. “Now that I’m getting a closer look at her, she’s really young. Good catch!” The scarred man smiled after hearing a good start to the appraisal.

“I’m not sure about the 3 tattoos I see, as most buyers tend to avoid already damaged or marked merchandise, but other than that, I think she’ll be at least a B-Grade slave.” The clean-shaven man estimated, writing that down in his ledger. “Now, why don’t we see what else she’s hiding under those clothes...” Though just before the clean-shaven man could even lay a single finger on Dream, a sudden bolt of lightning struck him right in the back and caused him to scream out in pain, “Gaahhhh...!”

The scarred man immediately drew his blades, “Who's there?!” but when he turned around, there was no one there.

“Hey you fucking slave trading pieces of shit! Over here!” The voice came from the cage right across Dream’s.

“What the hell? Did someone bring in a Mage without locking them up with Mage Shackles?” The scarred man questioned, dodging another sudden bolt of lightning from the opposite cage.

“Maybe you fucking slave traders are all just dumbass pieces of shit!” As yet another bolt of lightning was sent flying out of the cage.

Recovering from the bolt of lightning, the clean-shaven man angrily came stomping to the other locked up slave, “If you were smart, boy, you would’ve kept being a Mage secret! You might’ve even found a way to eventually escape, but now—Gaahhhh...!” He screamed again, as a point blank bolt of lightning struck him through the bars of the cage.

Faust loudly laughed, “Hahaha...! Like I said, dumbass pieces of shit! You want some too, ugly?” The two men then nodded to each other and backed away from the cage. “Awww, that’s it? The big bad slave traders already had enough?” They didn’t respond and just left elsewhere. However after a few moments passed, Faust suddenly heard many voices and footsteps of other people, and turning the corner of the corridor was about 20 armed men angrily approaching his cage.

“Oh, shit! Maybe I provoked them too much!” Faust thought to himself, seeing all the men ready beat him inside his cage. “These pieces of shit are lucky I came here for a reason and can't kill them just yet. And I don't know how Dream ended up here too, but at least I got all their attention off her." Faust then proceeded to willingly accept their ruthless beating of him—bringing him to the brink of death, restraining him with new Mage Shackles, and leaving him to rot until more later beatings.