[You killed a Common Rat +5 Exp]

"And that's the last of them." This batch had another Plague Rat, showing the quest would soon escalate. The pesky little fuckers keep chewing my armor even if they can't bite through it. It was clear from the start that items broke in CineMraft, but Tank only gave this yesterday.

After fighting the C-class mobs, they couldn't injure me thanks to the plus-two mail. If they chew it off me, things might get hairy though. Why are these things so expensive on the market? All my fortune couldn't buy a new set.

What else is in my inventory?

"Sixty tails?" So I only missed two this time? Since there was no rush, I focused on precision, and almost got them all. The in-game clock tells me that it's past noon. "Wow, then it did take a while, like twenty minutes?"

The previous three rounds took fifteen, including running between the two locations. They didn't yield this many drops either, the tails doubled in my storage now. With the ones in my stash, that's four gold's worth if the price stays the same.

This armor would cost thirty. Will it last until the mission's clear? Not the ratting errands, the one the cops gave me. One more hour to see if my plan works. So far nobody has shown up to claim my rats, though if the timer runs out, more people could get the same contracts.

[Government Issued Quest: Reach Level 10 within 3 days. Importance: Utmost. Difficulty: Average. Progress: 9/10, Exp to next level: 11714/25600. (14/72 hours left).]

"Well, I can tell them it's my turf." Fingers crossed that they would take the hint. I don't have a party to scare off people like the Pharmacy squad. My gear could be better too, though it won't draw the ganker's attention at least.

It's hard to aim with this rusty lump of metal, even after hours of practice. It also didn't help that my mind kept returning to that article about the Taji Massacre. It could have been here, in Origin too. Heck, it can still happen.

There's light outside, and the villager who stood in front of his home all night is inside his kitchen now. Well, the house is rat-free after all. It's still a surprise that he came in before getting word from me that it's all clear.

"You did it, adventurer, you saved my home!" His clothes are wet? There is some noise outside, subtle and quiet, and at first, I thought it came from the real world. The controller suppresses the senses, especially the muscles to prevent accidental movements.

But what about my hearing?

It sounds like when the rain knocks on my container, though not as harsh and loud. It would make sense if the headset allows some sound to get through. Think of emergencies, or when someone tries to yell at you while playing.

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It might be a setting, like many other things, it could come down to the synchronization too. In any case, my brain didn't register the voices while concentrating on the rats. And, well, worrying about so many things stupid things.

Still, the truth is, it's raining in the game's world.

That's a first, though why wouldn't it happen? Lots of titles have dynamic weather, it's nothing new. What's different is to experience it firsthand, rather than seeing it happen. I can smell the clouds, the wet grass, the dirt on the street turning into mud.

Walking straight into the drizzle, it's a lot different from how it felt a few days ago in the warehouse district. This is warm and soft, with a light breeze blowing through the droplets. It feels nice, doesn't make me itchy or cold, and won't drip into my eyes either.

Is this some artistic liberty the developers took with how the weather should feel? Or is this how it was before the pollution ruined everything? It's crazy, I could stay here all day, and enjoy the rain drumming on my face.

I can feel it wash away my worries and intrusive thoughts. Whatever my character's hygiene need is, standing here must fulfill it. This reminds me I should take a shower in real life too. There is some time to kill anyway.

It would be a shame to skip this though. It's not a monsoon, or anything heavy, only a light summer drizzle. The droplets that roll down my face and find their way into my mouth taste delicious. Had I drunk anything other than potions so far?

The villager follows me about halfway out, trying to sign my contract but refuses to step out into the rain. Oh, I wish it felt like this in the real world, he doesn't know what he's missing. Okay, he might do, because his straw hat is wet.

There's even a flash and a thunderclap, though the light and sound get lost during the day. I have thirty minutes until the next midnight respawn with nothing to do. Or there might be that one thing which concerns me for a while now.

The dark orange bar under the light mail. It lost more than two-thirds of its Structure Points until now, most of them due to the rats. If there's a way to fix it, it's either the blacksmith or the Textile Worker's shop to visit.

COTTONEYEJOE would likely do it for free, but it's getting late in real life so he might be offline already. Almost ten, huh? DragonSlayer sent me a notification when he logged off though. There wasn't any from the Textile Worker, but it could be a setting too.

I wouldn't want anyone to see when my character logs in or out. Knowing when my friends are on would be useful though. That's what the system calls them, but they're only strangers this character ran into. Well, they could still be useful.

I shouldn't be the only one people always try to take advantage of. Okay, it's decided. Let's walk over using the back streets and check the Textile Works. That should take care of this armor problem, I'll have a nice stroll in the rain and will kill some time.

It's better to avoid the village center anyway. That article about the Taji Massacre still won't let me relax. Talking to Selena might screw my escalation plans so I don't have to go near the Guild until I'm ready to finish the jobs.

Is there a friend list that shows the online status or a way to message them within the game? These UI elements are unintuitive even after my thoughts bring them up. There are tiny portraits representing the two guys, both names greyed out.

This means they are offline, right?

A tiny red dot on another tab shows that something new happened. New as in I have yet to check it. It's a friend request, but it's odd, because the other two were impossible to miss, and someone sent this hours ago.