We didn't know it at first of course.
Master always disappears. Sometimes for a few hours, sometimes for a few days.
However, he always comes back.
That's why when he disappeared for the last time, we expected that he would return.
So we paid it no heed.
***
Sitting on his desk, Cheol tried getting some shut-eye before morning period starts.
Should have paced myself better. Got into RevPath too much, he thought.
There were other also students who came early to school. And with nothing better to do, most people started talking. There were a variety of topics, but what was most prevalent was talk regarding Revolution's Path.
...
"Hey, heard about that new class?"
"You mean Rifleman? Yeah, heard of it."
"Man, a class that uses guns. Although some did try reproducing guns in RR, this time guns have become a recognized weapon in RevPath."
"Well, to be exact, they're arquebuses."
...
"Wahaha, there's actually a slime race. A slime race!"
"The hell!? They playable?"
"Yeah, but one has to unlock their starting city first."
"Slimes have cities?!"
"Surprising, right? If it ever does get unlocked, I'd like to create one, just for gags."
"Wahaha, then which class would you choose? Swordsman? Or maybe become a slime mage?"
"I like the sound of that. The Slime Mage."
"Wahahaha! 'You have been killed by the Slime Mage'. Lame way to die!"
""Ahahahahaha!""
...
"Is it true that NPCs are now hostile to players?"
"Yeah. When I said that I was a Freedman, some were skeptical at first. But when I convinced them, they started cursing me! Some even threw stones! The guards did not even bother helping me. In fact, they just laughed!"
"Woah, what on earth happened in 400 years for that to happen?"
"Apparently, due to our disappearing act, the Empire crumbled so bad, that they seem to have entered a Dark Ages of some sort. Morale was at an all time low, and everyone was cursing the gods for suddenly taking the Freedmen."
"Huh? I'm surprised the gods didn't retaliate."
"Well, you do remember that a god's power comes from the Faith stat. NPCs have Faith, but it seems us users generate more Faith than NPCs do. With us out of the picture, the gods have to rely on NPCs, but since the NPCs blamed the gods, the gods started to become powerless."
"And thus the world did not end. But, huh? When I viewed screenshots of RevPath, it doesn't look like it's set in the Dark Ages."
"According to the NPC I heard from, seems a man established a new religion. This religion pretty much replaced the old ones, becoming the sole religion in both continents."
"Okay? So, how does that relate to why NPCs hate us?"
"Isn't it obvious? Since the new religion considers the old gods as 'pagan' and 'barbaric', then the Freedmen, children of these gods, are also the same."
"Tch, damn, then it would be harder to do quests now."
""Sigh.""
(Author's Note: Once wrote something here regarding dual classes and skill restrictions. Removed, same reason as what I wrote in prologue.)
Ring!
With the sound of the morning bell, everyone stopped whatever they were doing and prepared for the day's class.
***
Lunch break.
Just like before, everyone was talking about Revolution's Path. But this time, Cheol wasn't exempted.
"Wha! You chose to create a new character? Why?"
"Isn't it common sense to start a new game from level 1?"
"I suppose...but the advantages!"
Cheol shrugged. "It doesn't seem worth it, now that NPCs are hostile. Besides, the NPCs that had high affinity with my old char would be long dead by now. So whatever points I have accumulated would be useless anyway."
Hyun conceded. "I suppose you have a point...Sigh, I guess I should create a new character too."
Cheol once again shrugged. "Up to you."
"Well, that's that. So, where did you start? I heard that the starting city is now randomized," asked Hyun.
"The starting city's randomized, true. But you have the option of randomizing again if the city's not your cup of tea," replied Cheol.
"Oh, nice! If you have patience, you can keep randomizing till you found your desired city! Wew, and I thought I won't be able to start in Morata."
Overhearing this, one of their classmates replied in the negative. "Hyun, don't go to Morata! It's the headquarters of that new religion! I heard people who started there were immediately killed."
"Oh god, how horrible!" another classmate chimed in.
"To think the Imperial Capital became like that," said another.
"But it isn't that surprising, I suppose. After the Disappearing, as the NPCs called it, happened, Morata was the one hit the hardest," replied Cheol.
"Oh damn. Then where is the best place to start?" Hyun moaned.
"You can start anywhere. Just don't tell NPCs you're a user. Or show to them that you are one," advised one classmate. "With the exception of Morata, of course. For some reason, those guys know whether you're a user or not. Must be some kind of magic," he amended.
"Hm, you have a point. Then I'll stick to starting in Morata," Hyun decided.
"Um, Hyun? Didn't you just hear what they said a while ago? It's dangerous in Morata," a worried Eun-byul said to Hyun.
"Hmph! As long as I'm careful, those guys won't even know that I exist!" he replied with confidence.
Good luck with that, Cheol thought.
The bell then rang, telling the students that lunch break has ended.
As they returned to their respective seats, Cheol heard Hyun mutter something.
"Hm, I feel like I'm forgetting something..."
***
Ring!
With classes now over, Cheol organized his belongings. Hyun already left a while ago, jumping out the window.
Walking out of the room, he met the student council president.
"P-president Song," the student council president, a girl, stammered.
"I'm no longer the President, President. I'm just Senior Song," Cheol said with a smile.
Flustered, the president offered her apologies. After she regained her composure, she then said her piece.
"Um, Senior Song, to be honest, I was on my way to your room to ask for help regarding student council business. Ah, but only if you have time, of course."
"Hm? Why? Where are your officers?" Then he paused. "Ah, RevPath?"
The president nodded, tears forming on her eyes. "They're unfair, you know! Even I want to play RevPath too! The release of a new game isn't a reason to skip council duties! Sniff!"
"There, there." Cheol started consoling the depressed president.
"Okay, I'll help you, since you are my successor and all. As for your officers, hm, when they come back..." Cheol then whispered his scheme to the president.
Along the way, they saw Hyun being scolded in the teachers' lounge for jumping out the window.
***
After helping with council duties, Cheol made his way home.
He then ate supper, freshened himself up, and entered the capsule.
***
The moment Quartz entered the shop, a huge man came, carrying a stack of books on his hands.
"Here are the log books. You know the drill, finish it before the day ends."
Quest: Finish the Log Books (4)
Merchant Drummond gave you more log books to account.
Seeing how efficient you were the last time, he decided to increase the number of log books to 40!
A textbook example of worker exploitation!
Quest condition:
Finish accounting the books before night falls. (Current time remaining: 7 hrs, 59 mins)
Quest difficulty: F
Quest requirements: none
Quest rewards: 60 exp, 1 sil (Tranquil Desert), increase in familiarity with Drummond
Quest failure: decrease in familiarity with Drummond, possibility of being fired from the job
Additional note:
Due to your current level of familiarity with Drummond, rewards may change depending on your actions.
Quest has been automatically accepted. You have no choice in this matter.
Quartz took the log books off the man, Drummond. Now empty handed, Drummond went back to his seat, sorting and counting cash.
Books on hand, Quartz walked to the second floor, where his office was located. Well, although it's called an "office", it would be better to just call it an attic.
Quartz then stacked the books on his table. He prepared his writing tools (a quill and ink), made himself comfortable, then started accounting the books.
After an hour has passed in-game, he decided to take a break. Taking some of the rye bread from his inventory, Quartz started filling his satiety bar. While doing so, he thought back to the situation that happened yesterday, or 5 game days ago.
***
After hearing that Revolution's Path is set 400 years in the future, Quartz started thinking about many things.
"...Seeing you're surprised, I suppose you must be telling the truth."
Quartz nodded.
The man became quiet.
Then he looked at Quartz.
"Young man, you are fortunate to start your journey here in the desert."
That snapped Quartz back to reality.
"Fortunate? What do you mean by that, mister?"
The man then told him about what happened 400 years ago, what happened during the 400 years, and about what is happening in the current time. Quartz listened to all of this, not daring to even ask questions.
"...that's why in most countries, Freedmen are accursed."
The man paused. "But it is different here in the desert! Man, woman, adult, child, free man, slave, Freedman, native, regardless of your race, circumstances, gender, the desert embraces all. The desert does not discriminate. The desert does not choose."
The man looked at Quartz and smiled. "And that is why you are fortunate."
The man continued telling Quartz regarding the current situation. About the political climate, the discovery of new monsters, the changes in geography, all these he said without asking for anything.
Taking advantage of this, Quartz also started asking. About new races, about new classes, what is the fastest method of earning money, means of traveling to other countries. The man answered them to the best of his abilities.
The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
They did not stop until the man noticed that dusk is arriving.
"Young man, it seems that it is becoming dark. Do you have any places to lodge in?"
"None, mister, but it really isn't a huge deal. We Freedmen have a different body clock."
"Hm, so the stories are true. Still, this is the desert, so the change in temperature would be drastic. I insist you come to my house to stay the night. Or at least eat supper. My family would be delighted to host a Freedman. Consider it as your payment to me for telling you those things."
Quartz chuckled. "Since you put it that way, I suppose I have no choice but to accept the offer."
The man smiled, pleased with his response.
They both rose up from the bench and, lead by the man, walked to the direction of the man's home.
"Ah, yeah, now that I remember, we didn't introduce ourselves, did we."
"Oh, forgive my manners! My name is Quartz, a Freedman, an adventurer."
"I'm Hess Tiger V, current Head Chief of the Desert Tribes."
***
"And then when I said my name, his mouth just dropped! Like, gah! Wahahahaha!"
"Yes dear, very amusing. Now, please keep your voice down. The young ones are sleeping."
The woman who rebuked the man who called himself Hess Tiger V then looked at Quartz.
"I apologize for our husband's behavior. He just cannot hold his liquor," the woman apologized.
"It's okay, Madam Lila," replied Quartz. "This isn't the first time I've dined with a drunk man."
"Oh, so Freedmen can get drunk too?" asked a different woman.
"We're human too, Madam Fely," he answered.
"Huh? But I thought you people are immortal?" asked a young man.
"We aren't. We can die a lot of times here, but we only have one life in our world," Quartz replied.
"Wahahahaha! Like, gah! It was so funny! Wahahahahaha!" Oblivious to the discussion, Hess Tiger V continued laughing.
***
There were 6 people on Hess Tiger's round dinner table. Seated on Hess Tiger V's right is his first wife, Lila of the Quiet Waters. On his left was his second wife, Fely of the Cool Mountains. Beside Lila is their son and future Head Chief, Freisand, Sand for short. Beside Fely is Sand's half-sister, Theia. And across Hess Tiger V is Quartz himself. There were 4 more unoccupied seats, but those who were seated there a while ago were all children, so they were asleep.
"..."
"Hm? Is there something you want to say, Theia?" asked Fely.
"...Why did you disappear 400 years ago?"
Everybody froze. Even Hess Tiger was smacked sober by the question.
"THEIA! That's not something you should ask without thought!"
"Dear sister, that's quite impolite, you know."
"Theia, we'll talk later."
When they regained their composure, Fely shouted at her, Sand rebuked his sister, and Hess Tiger spoke with a stern tone.
But Theia ignored all those.
"...Why did you disappear 400 years ago?"
There was no blame, no grudging tone, no signs of anger or rage. It was a tone of pure curiosity.
Quartz smiled at her.
"So that this era will come to be. That's all I can say."
Theia's eyes widened. Everybody's eyes were widened. After a few moments, Theia regained her composure. Her eyes showed understanding.
"...A-anyways, I apologize for my daughter's behavior," stammered Fely. Even Hess Tiger looked apologetic.
"It wasn't that much of a huge deal," answered Quartz.
They continued talking after that, but the initial awkwardness did not dissipate. Although for the whole time, Theia was looking at Quartz.
***
Quartz was outside of the house, enjoying the cold breeze.
It's surprising, for the desert to be so cold at night and so hot during the day, he mused.
"Don't you feel cold?" asked Hess Tiger as he walked out the door. On each hand of his was a steaming mug.
"I brought a thick blanket." Quartz pointed to the folded blanket hung on the porch.
"Hm, I suppose that also works," agreed Hess Tiger while giving Quartz the mug on his left.
Quartz looked at the hot beverage.
"It's Norton Tea," anticipated Hess Tiger. Quartz nodded.
They then shared a comfortable silence, enjoying the cool wind caressing their faces.
Hess Tiger broke the silence first.
"I'm really sorry for my daughter's behavior a while ago. She has an unhealthy drive of curiosity."
"It's okay, it's okay. She wasn't rude anyway."
Satisfied with that answer, Hess Tiger became silent.
After a few moments, this time Quartz broke the silence.
"I have a favor to ask."
"As long as it isn't impossible or heavy, then go ahead, ask"
Quartz nodded. "Can you refer me to someone in need of workers? I want a job."
***
After finishing the log books, Quartz checked the remaining time.
Remaining Time: 4 hrs, 56 mins
Wew, finished it with time to spare!
He then double checked the logs, and when he saw no error, he went to Drummond to deliver the books.
"Here are the log books, sir. I had to divide a column into two, since its contents were quite vague. I hope I didn't over step my boundaries."
The man, Drummond, then scanned the log books. When he noticed the two new columns, he frowned a bit. But other than that, he made no comment.
After scanning the last of the log books, Drummond looked at Quartz. "I have no complaints about your work. The new columns also helped clarify a lot of things."
Then Drummond smiled. "Excellent job, Quartz. And you even finished it earlier than the deadline. As expected of a man the Chief recommended. Or maybe it's because you're a Freedman? Besides, I like the new columns you added. And as I said before, it helps clarify a lot of items in the inventory. So for the early submission and the columns, I'll add an additional 30 coppers to the reward."
Quartz was delighted with the bonus. "Thank you sir Drummond!"
Quest Completed: Finish the Log Books (4)
Incredible! You finished all 40 books in under 8 hours!
You even had the spare time to check for errors!
And most astounding of all is your guts to add another column to Drummond's log books!
Received 60 exp
Received 1 sil 30 co (Tranquil Desert)
Familiarity with Drummond has increased
Received 20 Fame
For 4 in-game days, Quartz did nothing but account books, correct ledgers, and balance checks. It was boring work, not as much as hitting scarecrows, but enough to make one feel sleepy.
However, for this he was rewarded a level up, an additional 5 points to his Wisdom and 8 additional points to Intelligence. He also garnered some Fame.
"Show status."
Character Name:QuartzTitle:noneClass:noneAlignment:NeutralLevel:2Fame:55Infamy:0Health:110/110Mana:190/190Stamina:94/100Satiety:57/100Strength:11Agility:11Vitality:11Wisdom:16Intelligence:19Charisma:5Luck:5 + 7Attack:7Defense:7Magic ResistancesUnused Stat Points:6
(Author's Note: Table revamped. Added Satiety, Stamina columns. Removed extra class slot, for consistency)
"Hm, it's good progress, I suppose," Quartz muttered.
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