Shi-Woo returned to the front of the computer with a sandwich in his hand, courtesy of his new Sandwich Maker. He responded to Ji-Hoon’s earlier question about his stint with the Church of Freya.
"Acolyte? I kind of just got through."
-Yeah right! Come on, tell me, what did you do?
"Hmm...someone just invited me in."
-Really?
"Yes...."
-Okay, I would not ask any more questions…Shi-Woo, there is a practical paper tomorrow, you do know that right?
"....Damn."
-Hahaha, you can imagine Professor Jeun face when his top student suddenly fails his test
"Shut up! I did not even think Royal Road will be so addicting!"
-Fine...fine. Where are you heading to in Royal Road?
"Kingdom of Laselle, the City of Light."
-Going through the Kingdom of Haven, right?
"Yes."
-If you are going through there, look out for guilds. The last time I went through there, which was like 200+ levels ago, I was ambushed by one of the guilds and got killed as a result. Those despicable scum! The guilds in Haven are the worst!
"...."
-Especially Hermes Guild. They are the strongest guild in all of Versailles, having power equivalent a Kingdom. Their high levels players number as much as the stars in the sky and, frankly, I am not sure if Kallamore decision to attack Haven is a good idea. Just be careful, okay?
"Sure...sure....as if anyone would care about a beginner…"
-Take me seriously, damn it!
"Shut Chat Room, open up Advance Engineering Module Chapter 3-12."
Responding to his command, Ji-Hoon’s voice faded into the background. Following that, a variety of pages immediately shown up in front of Shi-Woo. Shi-Woo quickly skimmed through the pages, absorbing what he can, before he retiring for the night.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
"For today's practical we would have something special. I believe all of you know we are currently going through Water Dynamics right? As such, I would like all of you to build a ship to demonstrate your understanding of the topic. Record a video of you creating a ship and sent it to me. This test would end at, lets see, 3 weeks. Have fun!"
Professor Jeun made this surprising declaration that the practical test was to be conducted in Royal Road. Some of the students are cheering Professor Juen on while others looked troubled. Of course, the people cheering on are those who did not study and instead played Royal Road. For Shi-Woo, however, he was not to worried. Laselle was close to the sea after all. He probably could learn shipbuilding somewhere there. Plus, it is not as if it was really a hard task.
In fact, Shi-Woo was more concerned about his class in Royal Road. Frankly, he was bothered about what class he should be. Most people would have chosen a class by now. He could probably be a normal class like a warrior but he is a bit jealous that Tyle got a unique class. He wanted one too.
I can always wait. It has only been 2 days since my character was created after all....
Shi-Woo opened his laptop continued listening to the lecture, as his mind drifted through thoughts of Royal Road, all the while writing down notes as Professor Jeun continued on his lecture.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Shi-Woo, Ji-Hoon and Ye-jun are sitting in Kyochon, one of the fast food chains in Korea having their lunch. It was after the lecture and groups of people can be seen chatting around with their friends. For this group, as usual. Ji-Hoon was doing much of the talking.
"Ye-jun, where are you now in Royal Road?"
"Hmmm...me? I am now in Thor, with the dwarves. Currently, I am engage in a quest to find the legendary sword of Master Blacksmith Freye, one of the few blacksmiths to achieve Grandmaster level in blacksmithing."
"How does the sword look like?"
"Not sure. However, it appears to be called "Night-” something. The quest does not specify. Apparently, it was lost after it soon after it was forged."
"What are the quest rewards then?"
" 'Rediscover the lost arts of blacksmithing' or something like that. I am doing this as a favor to the Dwarves in hope that they could open their vault to me though. Even though my relationship with them is excellent, they still would not let me enter the vault. I need it for my class advancement. Ji-Hoon, you have not told me about your class yet?"
Ji-Hoon patted his chest and said "I am Commander Darius Lionheart of the 21th Knight Division, under the direct command of Koldeim. As of now, I am one of the 10 commanders of Kallamore Army, with a level of 379 under the tutelage of Gredis, the Weapon Master."
"....What about your class?"
"I am a Conquestor of Kallamore, a unique class only available to Kallamore's army. Honestly said though, I am the weakest of the 10 commanders. I am currently trying to level myself up to 400 so I can undergo my class advancement and kick those Haven bastards…Shi-woo!"
"Mmm?"
Shi-Woo was not paying attention to the both of them at all. He was looking at his laptop, scrolling through some of the Royal Road forums, looking for general information about Royal Road. As of now, the hot news was the impending war between Kallamore and Kingdom of Haven. A CTS broadcast was running about the battle. Meanwhile, on another window, KMC media was doing a rerun about the Trueblood Vampires episodes, with a schedule broadcast later on.
As of late, the two broadcast Shi-Woo is concerned with is CTS and KMC. CTS for is information they had access to and KMC for the epic battles that go on broadcast suddenly without warning. The main reason why Shi-Woo played Royal Road was partially inspired by a broadcast of a player taking on an undead army.
Shutting his laptop cover, he looked on at Ji-Hoon expectantly, prompting him to continue his question.
"What class are you?"
"Beginner."
"You still have not selected a class yet?"
"Yes..."
"Sigh…by the way, Ye-Jun, after speaking so much you have not tell us what your class is in the first place."
"My class is Sworn Blacksmith of Thor. I got this class after doing a seemly useless quest chain for the residents of Thor. It eventually lead to a room that contained the manual of the legendary Blacksmith Thor. From there, I received the class change and a undeniable quest to seek out the mysteries of blacksmithing."
"The unique classes all seemed to be hidden in some random trash quest..."
"It is always a gamble. You could be wasting your time."
"True."
Shi-Woo interjected the conversation as he thought about something.
"Ye-Jun, you are a blacksmith right?"
"Yes."
"Do you know the what kind of sword talks?"
"Are you speaking about Ego Swords?"
"I think so. Is there anyway to make the Ego Sword follow your will?"
"There is a ceremony for it. You need to cut your palms with the blade while chanting "Isverius Nora Frazius, Di Altairi" followed by the name of your blade. After it is done, the blade is yours. Why are you asking me anyways?"
"Nothing..."
Shi-Woo left them at Kyochon and raced home.
Mwahahaha.......Nightingale is screwed....
-------------------------------------------------
"Whee........uuuuuuu"
Nexus activated Rider’s Call the moment he logged back in. A black horse raced towards him upon hearing his the whistle. Right behind the horse lies a battered sword that look unlike what it was before. What lies within seems unrepentant though.
Fuck.....fuck you.....
Nexus picked Nightingale up.
"So you have not given up? Never mind, you are screwed anyways…"
Nexus whispered to the blade.
What...what are you going to do?
Nexus drew the blade to his palms. He placed the blade edge on his palms gently. A line of red appeared on his palm just by the contact with the blade edge. Bracing himself, he readied the blade and chanted.
"Isverius Nora Frazius, Di Altairi Nightingale!"
Blood spurted around his palm as he felt a connection being made to the sword. His holy energy was following in. The sword slowly took on a shade of gold, and changed into a form similar to his Holy Blade. He nearly chopped off his hand in the process though. He underestimated how sharp the sword actually is.
No...NO!!! How, how did you find out the chant! NOOO!!!
Nightingale (Holy)
Damage: 30-40
Sword Level [1]: 0.00%
A sword infused with the spirit of a Nightingale. It is now bound to an adventure called Nexus.
Currently, due to the origins of the owner, the sword is being infused by a Holy power.
It would slowly transform due to this holy power into a form unknown.
"You are mine how! Ners!"
Nexus hauled himself on top Ners, his horse. Seeing that Tyle is not logged in, it would be a good chance for him to gain some levels. After all, his level is only 15.
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[quart=Name,Alignment]Nexus,Good[/quart][quart=Level,Profession]20,N/A[/quart][quart=Race,Title]Ascendant,Slayer of Shadows[/quart][quart=Fame,Infamy]0,0 (-150)[/quart][quart=Health,Mana]1000,350[/quart][quart=Strength,Agility]24 + 18,22 + 18[/quart][quart=Wisdom,Intelligence]20 + 18,20 + 18[/quart][quart=Stamina,Vitality]11 + 16,10 + 16[/quart]
Stat Window
Holy
300
"Phew..."
Nightingale's blade was stained with blood. With his other hand, he held his Holy Blade in a reverse grip. A thin thread was connecting the Holy blade to the Nightingale. It looked to him as if the Holy Blade was slowly being absorbed by the Nightingale with each passing moment.
Currently, they are in the Enchanted Forest, home of the fairies. Aside from that, it was also a decent hunting ground with varying amounts of weak mobs. One of the reason why it was not flooded with beginners is because of the fairies. Nexus was able to go unhindered was because of the relationship he had with them.
Occasionally, when he was hunting, he would see traces of fairies following them. Not that he mind them though. They never bothered him, choosing to instead stay at the side watching.
He was originally planning on only hunting rabbits, but after a while, the experience gain slowed to a point where it is pointless. Seeing that, he decided to challenge more powerful mobs. One such mob is the residential bear population. After killing and maiming bears, either by chopping them quickly when running by while on his horse gathering momentum, or just plain old impaling them with Holy Blade, he managed to reach level 30.
He dumped most of his stat points into Strength and Agility, with some points in Wisdom and Intelligence for increase mana and mana regen. He also received a pop-up regarding his race.
My racial window!
The one thing he had forgot about for so long finally came to his mind.
Ascendant
Your ancestry can be traced back to the gods. Your body is unique, and does not require substance to survive.
You possess higher than average strength and speed not reflected in you.
You know yourself that you are part of a greater destiny, yet such things are not made clear to your feeble self.
As you grow yourself, perhaps one day you could find your destiny.
You have a increase affinity towards Holy, making gaining Holy attribute much more easier.
Your ancestry hold a special meaning, and shout it be ever revealed, you would be pursued by both Good and Evil churches to the ends of the world for your ancestry.
Be careful.
+10% strength and +10% agility as part of your ancestry [Not visible in status screen]
+10% divine affinity [Not visible in status screen]
Able to receive blessings from gods: [Freya]
Blessing from gods?
Human beings have a tendency to forget all the horrible revelations and possibility of being hunted in the face of a new power yet undiscovered. What was crucial information was now relegated to a corner of his mind, as he tried out this new discovery, which would no doubt make his life easier if he had remembered to open his racial window.
"Freya, let me receive your blessing!"
He felt his forehead burning. At the exact location where Freya’s lips grazed his forehead, a symbol of two wings appeared there. The symbol of Freya. He could feel his strength, his speed, his power, increasing as some form of unknow energy flow through him.
Freya's Blessing Activate
Gain 100% health and mana bonus
Gain 50% strength and agility boost
Holy Blade costs no mana for the duration of the blessing
Duration: 3:00 mins
Freya's Blessing only usable once per day, dependent on Freya's will
"Yeah! How could I have missed this! I could have thrash the shadow if I can fire my Holy Blades like nothing!"
"Holy Blade!"
Recklessly, he tried to test the limits of the spell. Holy Blades upon holy blades he summoned. He could feel the number of Holy Blades being summoned increasing exponentially.
10...20....40....80....90....99....
To his back, he could tell that 99 blades are levitating in the air, ready to fire. However, Nexus had not target in which to unload this hellstorm of blades.
Scanning, for anything, anything to attack, he finally decided to strike at a vague bear-like creature in the distance.
"Strike!"
Waving Nightingale in that direction, 99 blades flew towards the bear.
*Baam* *Baam* *Baam* *Baam* *Baam* *Baam* *Baam* .....*Baam* *Baam* *Baam* *Baam* *Baam* *Baam* *Baam* *Baam* *Baam*
Blessing ended prematurely due to overuse of power
You have killed the Beast of Enchanted Forest!
The Beast of Enchanted Forest, a monster who had long since tyrannized the animals living here, has been slain by you.
Gain Level x6
For slaying a much higher level monster, Fame +200
Received a +10% affinity to forest
Creatures of the Enchanted Forest would now be friendly to you.
Watch out, you have unbound the shackles which bind the creatures in this forest. With the death of the Beast, other creatures would try to replace him as the next beast, resulting in temporary strife.
Upon closer look after moving forward, the bear did not really looked like a bear at all. In fact, the bear was a Chimera. A Chimera who vague resemble a bear, except for the inclusion of talons and fangs the size of his hand. This was the other reason why beginners do not enter the forest. Not one of them can handle this beast. As rumors spread about a black shadow that slays the beginners, no one dared to enter anymore.
Beast of the Forest
A Chimera who came here by chance, it has since ruled over lesser being of this forest.
However, now that it is slain, for better or worse, the forest is free.
A Chimera? That is a level 90+ mob! How is it here?
Just as he thought that, his felt his head splitting apart. A headache was already present when the blessing was dispel. However, it was only until now, as if the floodgates have been opened, had he felt the full force of the headache.
“Argh...AHHHHHH!!!!”
A terrible scream echoed throughout the forest.
All faded to black.
---------------------
Shin Hyun-Woo shook his head at Nexus’s foolish actions.
“Freya’s Blessing is meant to be used up in 3 minutes. Releasing all the energy within a few seconds is too much for anyone. He had the sword to thank. If the sword had not channeled the power away, he would have exploded from the sheer amount of power already.”
On his monitor displayed different characters in different places. There is a total of 149 characters in total. These 149 people are those who have achieved something beyond normal players, and out of this 149, 17 are known as the Potentia, the players most likely to beat Royal Road and become its emperor.
Shin Hyun-Woo adopted a policy of observation. He would not interfere with the characters in-game, opting to allow them to choose their own path. The only time he broke his self-imposed rule was in regards to Nexus. Even if he had not done anything, Nexus would still have received a power that a beginner should not have. All Hyun-Woo did was to change the power receive to spice things up. He wanted to know what would happen with the inclusion of such a character into the game. It was also a way for Hyun-Woo to release his frustration at being unable to play the game he had a hand in creating.
Getting up of his chair, he got ready to leave for the Royal Road meeting. Shi-Woo would not wake up for quite sometime, making it the perfect chance to get the meeting done and over with.
This is not the meeting of all the core department heads, in which Department Head Kim Han Seo would be attending. Rather, this is a once per month meeting amongst the Gameplay and Strategy Department to discuss the progression of the game. It is also an informal meeting for different department heads to meet and exchange ideas.
Frankly, Shin Hyun-Woo was not in a hurry to attend the meeting as he held zero interest in it. The meeting was more like an informal tea session to him. As one of the 17 that created and have access to Royal Road Central AI Versailles, there is nothing he doesn’t know anyway.
While waiting on the lift, he was greeted by Director Kim Han Seo.
What a coincidence…like anything of that sorts could happen around him.
“Chief Administrator Shin Hyun Woo, fancy meeting you here.”
Shin Hyun Woo knows that Kim Han Seo probably knows that he had interfere with the game with the improper release of Freya. As such, he decided to not bother to try to deny anything. Against him, there is no use trying to beat around the bush. He would make sure he held all the cards before coming over anyways.
“Nice to meet you here, Director Kim Han Seo.”
Shin Hyun Woo and Kim Han Seo knew each other since long ago as they are part of the team that worked on the Versailles AI. Shin Hyun Woo worked on the Predictive Analysis Algorithm of the AI while Kim Han Seo worked with Yoo Byung Jun on the core of the AI itself.
“Chief Shin Hyun Woo, that is something I need to talk to you about.”
“Why don’t we talk while we are on the lift?”
“Good idea.”
Both of them entered the lift as it opened in front of them.
Kim Han Seo opened the conversation first.
“Shin Hyun Woo, I heard that you have taken special interest in one player.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
Kim Han Seo cut right into the problem without any unnecessary trivialities.
“I believe the game is getting a bit……stale.”
“Stale?”
“Everything is progressing as we expected. It is too……boring. Something needs to change. As a Chief Administrator I believe it is under my justricition to spice up the game.”
“I can understand this just one time. Do not do it again. I would not condone any such rule breaking behaviour.”
Kim Han Seo said no more.
It appears that he holds the same view as me…
“Sure.”
Both of them exited the lift at the same time.
“I will going. Take care, Chief Administrator Shin Hyun Woo.”
“That is to you too, hyung-nim.”
Chief Administrator Shin Hyun Woo walked off towards the meeting with a slight smile on his lips. Kim Han Seo held all the cards and he just shown them all to him.
However, if he ever caught the displeasure of Yoo Byung Jun, the creator of Versailles, even he would not be able to do a single thing.
Discounting Yoo Byung Jun though, he had the most power over Versailles as the Chief Administrator.
----------------------------------------------------
Nexus awoke on the forest floor, his face flat against the ground. The musky scent of dirt wafted into his nostrils as he slowly come to sense with his whereabouts.
He could glance from the edge of his eyes that he is surrounded by fairies, looking at him as if he is some strange animal. One particular cheeky fairy poked him on the side, hoping to incite some form of response.
I am not some animal!!!!
“Is this a human, sister?”
“I don’t know. He looks strange though. Is he dead?”
At that, the fairies gasped in unison, their mouths opening into a “O” shape.
“Dead? How did he die?”
“Such a pity…I wanted to play with him.”
Play. Somehow, Nexus had a bad idea of what playing with him means. The word conjure images of people playing with a puppy, the only difference being that he is the puppy.
“Please excuse us, fairies~”
A soft angelic voice rose above all the din and commotion. The voice carried power and authority. Hearing it, all the fairies disperse on instinct, scattering into the four corners, leaving Nexus alone with a fairy with a golden wings.
Mavis, the Fairy Queen.
“Sit. I know you are awake. I will not eat you.”
Nexus stop pretending to be asleep. Grudgingly, he slowly climbed up and sat, looking directly at the fairy queen. The fairy queen looked just like any ordinary fairy in the forest, except the fact that dignity and power radiated from her.
Nexus, with his high holy attribute, could visually perceive the amount of power that the fairy queen has. It was comparable to that of the Pope’s. Yet, such brightness was marred by a trace of darkness lurking beneath. Nexus could feel something was wrong, but not pinpoint what. Just as if anticipating his question, the fairy queen silenced him.
“I want to know what happened at Vaticius City. I saw the wave of holy power. If I find out that you are lying to me, I would make sure you suffer a fate worst than death. The only reason you are still alive is because I of that symbol you carry.”
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
“The Embinyu Church attacked us. Avalon was a traitor. He attacked the Pope. Right now, the Pope is sealed by Embinyu’s power. I am on a quest to free the Pope from his curse.”
Nexus did not bother twist his words and gave a concise explanation of what happen. Hearing that, the Fairy Queen when silent for a moment, be it in shock or in anger.
Asshole, where are we now?
This was interrupted by a voice Nexus knew. Looking down, he was still clutching Nightingale in his hands. Of course, it is useless as he knows that Mavis could just kill him up anytime she wanted but it did give him a ounce of comfort knowing he had a weapon.
“What a rude weapon, isn’t it Nexus?”
“Yes.”
Nexus nodded along with the fairy queen, completely agreeing that the weapon is an obnoxious and rude bastard.
“However, you should take good care for it. It is quite a valuable weapon, aren’t you, Weapon of Sons of Ivaldi”
Oh shit! How did she know?
“Looks like it is true. It is my first time viewing such a fine piece of weaponry. Back to the problem. If what you say is true, then looks like the situation is worse than I thought it is. I may have to attend the convention of Queens.”
Fairies in Royal Road each have their individual communities. Each fairy lives in their own individual community and are ruled by their Queen. In the event of a great emergency, the Queens would convene together to decide the what action should the fairy race take. The convention would be headed by the greatest Fairy Queen, which as of now Fairy Queen Titania.
“That is a matter for us fairies to decide. As for you, human, feel free to do whatever you want. Just be warned, us fairies are 'curious' creatures. Be responsible for what happens yourself.”
With that the Fairy Queen flew off, leaving Nexus alone in a mass of curious fairies.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
“How do you even faint anyway?”
Nexus asked Nightingale whilst they are running way from a whole mass of fairies chasing after them squealing like girls on a pop idol concert. They smashed their way through the forest without direction. As such, there is no guarantee that they are not crawling themselves deeper into the forest. Not like they really care now.
Don’t know. All I feel was a surge of holy energy coming through and, after that, I was unconscious.
Nexus thought back at the moment when he summoned 99 swords. It did feel as if he was channeling the holy energy, instead of just using it. Besides, while he was unconscious, a whole bunch of pop-up windows appeared, delegated to the side of his vision. Unfortunately, it choose to pop-up right in his face at this exact moment.
Storm of Blades
Summon a hailstorm of blades to shred your enemy to shreds.
Requires Freya's Blessing to use
Overuse of this skill results in a strong backlash
Blessings [1/67]:
You have gotten blessings from: Freya
As you venture through the continent of Versailles, there exist many gods.
Help them and gain their favor and for that they give you a blessing
You can view blessings in more detail in the list
Even though it not the time to do such a thing, Nexus could not help but call out:
"Dismiss open windows. Launch Blessing window, Freya!"
Blessing: Freya
God of Beauty and Abundance
Her blessing grants you more health and strength
However, due to your unique relationship with Freya, it comes with additional effects
Somehow, he manage to make through an entire undergrowth without tripping on anything and falling facedown right into the mass of fairies.
Now, back to how Nexus got chased by a whole mob of fairies.
Firstly, he disregarded the fairy queens warning and decided it would be a good chance to explore the fairy city for some quest that would hopefully lead to a class. The moment he entered the city proper, however, he was mobbed by fairies. Every single fairy in the city seems to have come out to look at him.
At first, the “looking” was just restricted to looking, but it soon devolve into a sea of chaos. Imagine a scene of fangirls at the idol concerts by Korean groups minus the security guards and barriers and you would get the picture.
He started running at the first moment of such “behavior” and did not stop for anything. As the chase continued the fairies have gotten more creative and started to use their affinity to nature to conjure roots to trip him and block his path. Nightingale help a lot by spotting the roots and helping him out of scenarios.
You bastard! Don't get me caught in that mess of fairy girls. If you do, I would never forgive you! Look out, root!
Skipping past the root, Nexus can finally see the end of the forest in the distance. Open space never felt so welcome as it did now.
"Ners!"
His black horse ran towards him. Without hesitation, Nexus jumped onto the horse as it galloped past.
"Move, move towards anywhere!"
Ners continued on its path without deviation as Nexus breathed a huge sigh of relieve. With his horse, there is no way that any fairy would catch up. It does not prevent them from trying though.
A random thought flashed through his time at that exact moment:
I wonder if Ji-Hoon has the same problem with girls…
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Tyle logged into the game after Nexus. Stretching himself, he glance around for Nexus, looking to see if he logged in early. To his surprise, Nexus was galloping out of the forest as if all hell is chasing after him.
"Nexus, what's up?" Tyle leisurely said to Nexus, completely in the dark.
"Tyle, run!"
"Why? Oh...shit....RUN! BECKY!"
Tyle vaulted on his horse and chased after Nexus after seeing that “sight” from hell. Somehow, almost as if on intuition, he knew being caught is a bad idea. If he was caught, it may be the last time he would ever log into Royal Road.
Meanwhile, Caldecius was commentating in a nonchalant tone to the both of them, with a tone that speaks from experience.
This reminds me of the time when I was chased after by ladies all the way through the streets of Sollembun...
"It is not helping!"
The both of the did not look back as they galloped off into the distance. Anywhere, but there.
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It was only after Ners and Becky could go on no longer did they stop. Looking behind, they made sure that none of the fairies are left chasing after them.
"We almost got...."
"Don't say anything."
Vast empty plains spread out in the distance. From Nexus and Tyle viewpoints, they could spy herds of wild boars running in the distance. Nexus and Tyle were briefly entranced by the beauty of the place. Such peacefulness and quietness. Unbeknownst to them, they have entered the Vlanir Plains.
Vlanir Plains. Considered a high-level hunting spot, it has recently felt in popularity as better hunting spots emerged around the area. The monster existing in this place average wildly in level from the early thirties to the late nineties. However, they all have the common trait of being aggressive and incredibly territorial. Any beginner that finds his way in would be mercilessly chased down by the monsters until either one dies or you manage to run out of its territory.
Right before the fairies enter Vlanir Plains proper, they stopped. Some of them tried calling the two back, but they, in their escape, blocked out all voices of the fairies.
“Those two are dead…”
“Never mind sister, they are Freeman. They will always revive whenever killed.”
“But...but those two may be the only Freeman we will ever see.”
“We can always apply to go to the city.”
“You know as well as I do the curse that has been inflicted on us long ago, don’t you? That is why the fairies at the city have had their powers sealed. In fact, it is already a huge risk for all of us to chase them here. Lets head back before…”
It was left unsaid as the rest of the fairies turned back and leave.
---------------------------------------------------
Of course, fate could not leave the Nexus and Tyle alone.
Their moments of reprise is gone as soon as it began. As soon as the wild boars spotted them, it rushed towards them without hesitation in a stampede. With bloodshot eyes, it radiated hatred for the intruders.
“Damn…run!”
“Reminds me of the time I tried crossing highway on foot! (South Korea has one of the most congested roads in the world)”
Both, Ners and Becky, started galloping, unconsciously sensing the danger. Their fear of death overcame any exhaustion as they run even faster than they did before.
However, another issue about the Vlamir Plains is the fact that it is structured based on tiers, with the creatures in each progressive tier fiercer than the last. An invisible boundary marked the transition from one territory to another. Such boundary are unseen to Nexus and Tyle though.
The boars, upon reaching the boundary, did not chase them. Instead, it just stood there glaring at them in anger.
“Hmm…what is going on?”
That questioned was answered with the appearance of dire wolves later on. Three times the size of an ordinary wolf, it continued where the boars stopped. After a while, Nexus and Tyle start to realise that the monsters chasing them are getting bigger and stronger.
“Why are freaking Lesser Chimera’s chasing after us now? They are catching up!”
“Don’t know! Holy Blade!”
A light infused the Nightingale as a duplicate of the Nightingale fired towards the Lesser Chimera’s from the tip of the blade. No longer was a separate blade created when Holy Blade is utilised. Instead, the blade became something of an extension of Nightingale. This change seems to have occurred after the incident with the Blessing.
The blade plunged into the head of the first Chimera, skewering him down. His body became a obstruction as it tripped the rest of the Chimera up, slowing them down temporarily. However, it also enraged them, giving them a buff towards their speed and strength.
You have enraged the Chimeras!
Due to your assault, you have enraged the Chimera’s
In Enraged status, they gain +30% speed and +30% strength.
However, they also take +30% more damage
“NEXUS!”
“Sorry! Holy Blade!”
Tyle screamed at Nexus in frustration as the Lesser Chimera’s began to catch up due to the buff. There is no choice now aside from continuing to trip them out. With each successive throw, the Chimera’s got even more enraged. In this fashion, Nexus and Tyle charged their way through the Vlamir Plains without rest as a whole crap ton of mobs chased after them in anger. Their enraged status even caused them to ignore the boundaries between territories. It caused a troubling situation for Nexus. He could not kill any of the mobs without focusing on them and focusing on them allows the rest to catch up. All he could do is try to delay them evenly.
Right after Vlamir Plains lies another hunting group, the Fields of Wiermar. Fields of Wiermar can be thought of as a beginner hunting ground for players in the Kingdom of Haven. It is one of the more popular hunting grounds as such is of particular interest to the guilds. In the fields, you could see the hopes and dreams of many players as they dilligently killing bunnies and foxes in an attempt to raise their level. You could see families hunting together, all three generations. You could also see high level players policing the area and asking for taxes from the beginner players. You could see, in this particular day, two players heralding a sight from hell itself.
“What the heck?! Is this MPK(Monster Player Kill)(a term use to describe someone chaining a large chain of monsters in an attempt to kill a player by leading the monster train onto the player)?”
“Run!”
Monsters are locked into one zone by the AI to prevent high level mobs from gaining dominance over lesser mobs in nearby fields. Only under certain conditions could a monster escape that field to enter another zone, such as the Chimera in the Enchanted Forest. One of this conditions is an extremely high amounts of hate.
Nexus and Tyle continued to escape in their horses as a massacre progressed on in full scale. Beginners, not having the privilege of a horse, were killed in the stampede by the dozens. Families could be seen clutching their child as the monsters crush them in their anger. Heroes, making a last stand are abound as they delayed the horde to allow their friends to escape. It was something none of the players would be able to forget for a long time. The Massacre of the Weimar fields, was what it was called from that point on.
As players get mauled and killed, Nexus and Tyle receive pop-ups after pop-ups.
You learned title Black-hearted Devil
You have caused the death of many through your actions, without getting a stain of blood on your hand
Equipping this gives you +150 infamy and +30% affinity towards darkness
You have learned the skill Deception
Deception[1]: 76.97%
Through your actions, you have harmed and destroyed the lives of many.
Yet, you hid your name through this all, working in the shadows
This skill increases as you commit more acts of deception
Gain increase chance of convincing people with your actions
Warning! As Acolytes of Freya, getting caught causing the death of many players constitutes to a capital crime. Punishment would be severe and unforgiving. Escape before this happens
You have gain stat Darkness
Darkness is the opposite of holy. This stat rises according to your actions.
Misery and death are the fuels for this power.
However, due to conflicting elements between Holy and Darkness, you cannot have both.
For now, you due to the relatively low Holy and Darkness stat, this conflict is avoided for now
“Wow…what the fuck…”
“Crap…lets get out! Faster!”
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Within hours, wanted posters are placed around Kingdom of Haven for the capture of two players.
The bounty was exceptionally high as the players could not be tracked down based on the murderer mark as they technically committed not murder. The only pictures of them are their backdrops and two horses, one black and one brown. Over the weeks, players with black and brown horses are beaten up and brought to the Hermes Guild as the alleged criminals. None of them are the real culprits.
They are sought after as their actions caused large losses to the Hermes Guild as the Fields of Wiermar cannot be accessed for a week while Hermes guild sent out players to slay all the monsters. This cause Hermes Guild to loss revenue. With the advent of the massacre, it also brought up issues about fantasy violence and its effect to children, as children were a part of the massacre too. In fact, traces of PTSD can even be observed in some of the unfortunate players.
Luckily for the two, the top echelons of the Hermes guild are not notified as it was just a small incident in the grand scheme of things. If not, those two would have been caught long ago.
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After their escape, the first thing Nexus and Tyle did was to dismiss their mount and change their clothings into the beginner clothes they had before going into the nearby town of Valhalla. Nearby meaning far enough away that they would not be linked to the massacre.
“You there!”
“Yes?”
The guard raised hand and look on at both of them.
“……”
“5 sliver!”
“Oh…”
So it was a bribe for the city guard to allow entry…
In Royal Road it is possible to judge a towns by the behaviour of the NPC. When the corruption in the town is deep, it is possible for the town guards to ask for bribes. Usually, when this happen, it is a clear indication that the state of the town is to the point of ruin. The behaviour of the beginners around, however, seem to suggest that this is normal for them.
“Ugh…I wish I have chosen Morata…”
“Psss…heard of the Porridge Guild? I think they offer a way to go to Morata…”
“Really?”
Looks like the situation is very bad…
Nexus took out 5 sliver and passed it into the guards hands. He then slipped in an additional sliver or two.
“Take it. It must be difficult for a guard like you to stay here all day long.”
“True to that. Do you know how boring this job is? I have to do this while the Lord lazes around the castle…Look, seeing your generosity, I have a warning for you. Avoid Captain Realex, okay?”
You have received information about Captain Realex. It appears that Captain Realex is a notorious figure in Valhalla. You have been warned to stay away from him.
“Noted. Thanks.”
Nexus smiled at the judge before leading Tyle through. Tyle face was full of confusion.
“Wait…what just happen?”
“I paid him a bit more. Two slivers more in fact. By doing so, I raise my relationship points with the guard, allowing me to bring you through together, saving us three slivers.”
Their first destination in the city was the local Church of Freya. For normal players, the Church of Freya is a frivolous destination. For them, as Acolyte of the Church of Freya, it is a good location to source for information as they pretty much have max relationship with the Church of Freya.
The Church of Freya in the town is…rundown, if you consider the difference between the main branch and this side branch. It is decorated sparsely with cravings of Freya. Cracks are spread throughout the entire building, making it looks no different when compared with the rest of the street, which is saying a lot about its street. It still attempts to retain its dignity befitting a church, with its grandiose door giving a sense of magnificence to the otherwise rundown place. Gigantic pillars line buildings edge, towering over the long row of players queue outside its outstretched doors, waiting for their turn for a blessing.
Nexus pinned on the badge that was given to him by the Pope and strolled to the front of the queue without shame.
“Brother, please respect the othe…wait. Is that the symbol of the Pope? Move on in please.”
“Thank you. Follow in, Tyle.”
Of course, their actions attracted the ire of pretty much every person queueing up.
“What?! Queue up!”
“How did they convince the priest to let them in when they are cutting the queue?”
“Oi!”
A canopy of voices rise up in protest. Seeing that, one of the priest shouted out.
“Quieten down. Those two as a part of the Church.”
That declaration, of course, raise even more voices. How could two beginners be part of the Church?
“Perhaps if you would be more dedicated to our church would you receive the honor…”
From that point on, the Church of Freya in Valhalla receive nearly double the funds for the blessing, adding to the construction of a new wing for the Church.
The commotion outside was no part of the two though. They were lead into the High Priest Quarters for an audience. In the main branch of the Church of Freya, High Priests are commonplace. However, in small branches, High Priest is the highest authority in the Church.
A High Priest power is not to be underestimated though. Nexus could see that the High Priest in charge of this Church had a power equivalent to the Baron when he is unsealed. However, he did not doubt for one bit that if Baron actually used his full power the High Priest would be defeated.
“Welcome to the Sanctuary. My name is High Priest Derlyn. What business do the Acolyte from the main branch have with us.”
“I believed that you know as well as I do what I came here for. Just a few days ago, the Pope was wounded in a battle with Embinyu Church. We are on a quest to invite the Church of Lu High Priest to help us. Right now, we come here to seek shelter while on our journey.”
“Sure, feel free to use our dorms. Any request you have can be made to me directly and I shall do my best to aid you.”
“Noted. Could you tell us more about this town?”
“This town is called Valhalla, named after an ancient hero who once helped this town. Right now, this town is under the care of Lord Jarvis, the Scion of King Raleigh the XIV. However, pardon me, Lord Jarvis has been engaged in all manner of debauchery and leave the running of the town to Captain Realex.”
Captain Realex…
“Sigh…getting to the problem of Captain Realex. The problem is not very great for us as a member of the Church of Freya but Captain Realex is bullying the townsfolk. It pains me that I could not do anything but I believe you can. Would you help me?”
No…no way…don’t tell me…
Free the Townsfolk from Captain Realex
High Priest Derlyn request you to help alleviate the townsfolk from the tyranny of Captain Realex.
You could choose to accept the quest or decline it.
Declining the quest reduces the relationship with Derlyn by 50 points
Rewards: Hood of the Angels, Unknown
“Yes!”
Before Nexus could say anything, Tyle responded for him. As a result, High Priest Derlyn treated him as if he was accepting too.
Quest Accepted!
“Tyle…”
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First Part