Adam has just received two elixirs that would give him a permanent boost of 26 stat points. Yet, at this very moment, he could barely care about it.
As he was organizing his thoughts, the system notifications popped up one after another. Despite his shock, he read everything carefully and did his best to tie them with every small bit of information that he recalls regarding the mysterious empire.
There are three known continents in the World of Pangea.
The first is the Rodinia Continent, where the Lorikan Republic is located. Second, the Gondwana Continent, where the New Camelot can be found. And third is the Nuna Continent, where the Murim Archipelago is.
Together, they form the Pangean Triangle. Anything located beyond these three continents is referred to as the Unknown Territory.
These three continents are home to the known races of Pangea: humans, orcs, dwarves, gnomes, fairies, mermaids, and elves- among others.
However, many scholars believe that there is a fourth continent that has been struck from historical records.
There are several versions of this hypothetical continent.
Some believe this continent floated up in the sky and became the moon. Others believe it was sucked into an ancient magical vortex and became what is known as the Spirit Realm. Still, another iteration claims it was transferred to another plane of existence. And those who do not believe in its existence suggest that this so-called fourth continent lies somewhere in the Unknown Territory.
But the most popular version of this hypothetical continent, one that scholars across the Pangean Triangle agree on- should they be the type to believe in its existence, is that this continent existed somewhere in the middle of the three continents and has sunken deep under where it was buried by the Great Pangean Ocean.
They refer to it as the Sunken Continent. Or simply, Deep Under.
With the arrival of the players, they would eventually discover a quest related to the Deep Under.
In Adam's previous life, the first known instance of the quest being discovered was about two years after the game was first issued. Or, in other words, a year before the apocalypse.
The top player from the New Camelot server came across an item that triggered a legendary quest with no clue whatsoever- much like the majority of the blank notifications that Adam received. It was a quest that would only be solved much, much later, right at the beginning of the apocalypse.
In hindsight, completing this quest even a day earlier would have benefited humanity greatly.
"My apologies, master," said Adam half-absentmindedly. "But there is something urgent I need to take care of."
"I will be back soon."
He then unceremoniously drank the two elixirs as if it was an afterthought, and then he bid a hasty farewell to his teacher.
Without waiting for a response or even acknowledgment from Vetius, Adam logged out.
After returning to the real world, he grabbed a pen and paper and lit a cigarette.
"Calm down," he said to himself. "You have three years."
He then began to organize everything.
Weeks prior, Adam made notes before the launch of the World of Pangea- it was the notebooks he burned before starting the game. In the notes he wrote, he assumed that the legendary quest would only be unlocked two years later and that it would start in New Camelot. But now, he couldn't help but wonder.
"Could it be that this quest can be acquired right from the start?" he asked himself. "And not just in New Camelot, but across all three servers?"
If so, then the impact is enormous.
The reason for Adam's reaction is that the reward for this quest is vital to humanity's survival. By the time the world discovered this continent and the reward it promised, the apocalypse was already underway and dungeon outbreaks were happening in certain parts of the globe.
Sadly, just like many crises that one does not directly experience, most assumed that the so-called dungeon outbreak was nothing more than a hoax.
And yet, in a twist of irony, it is precisely because of this indifference that players continued logging in to the World of Pangea as they thought the world was just the way it was as they knew it. In hindsight, the player's dedication to playing the World of Pangea is what led to the discovery of humanity's chance at fighting back.
Players who reached the Sunken Continent would eventually find hundreds of artifacts. These artifacts function much like a gaming pod which players would need to lie in for a set period.
Those who do would not be able to log out or do anything else as they would be placed in a deep slumber. After a certain period passes, they will automatically be logged out of the World of Pangea, unable to log back in again.
But those who undergo this process will be able to manifest their powers in the real world.
The players who survive this process are then called the Awakened. They are named after the fact that surviving the process is an achievement in and of itself.
Staying in a gaming pod while a monster could prey on one's defenseless body is a great risk one would not take lightly- even when the government gave their assurance that they would do their best to protect the player's body as they lay in a vulnerable state for a prolonged period.
The world was poorly equipped to deal with magical threats in Adam's previous life.
That is why no matter how much the most advanced government fortified a base for players to go through the Awakening process, many were still killed. After all, how safe could one be when a random dungeon break could happen at any time, no matter where you are?
Still, many realized that becoming an Awakened is the best option for humanity's survival.
But now, in light of Adam's discovery, what if one can do this Awakening process much earlier than the apocalypse with little to no risk to oneself?
"That would be the best-case scenario," said Adam to himself as he smoked and wrote his thoughts on paper.
He organized the information he knew from his previous life and tied it together with the recent notifications he just received. To take advantage of this immense gift, he would need to prepare for the endgame much sooner than he originally anticipated.
Adam originally planned to focus on honing his classes to reach a master's or at least expert rank. This is because the means to level up in the real world would not be as easy as in Pangea. In his ideal scenario, he would have at least 4 or more classes at the master rank by the time he undergoes Awakening.
He will no longer have to worry about grinding to improve his skill level and can focus on building a secure foundation before slaying monsters in the real world.
This is because every Awakened will start back at Level 1 and will not be able to level up past a certain point until they reach the necessary proficiency in their class.
In Pangea, players can level up for as long as they have enough Essence. But in the real world, an Awakened can only level up to a certain point depending on their proficiency with their classes. They will need to raise their proficiency if they wish to reach the higher levels.
However, the problem ensued when they realized that grinding their proficiency in the real world was much more challenging than in Pangea.
First, they no longer have the leisure to grind as they are now in the real world with very real threats around them. Fighting a monster and failing would merely result in a log-out for 24 hours. But in the real world, a mistake means death. And second, mastering one's classes was far easier in Pangea than on Earth thanks to the difference in time passage.
Since Adam intends to take at least four classes with him in the real world, this would take significant time and effort.
This is why Adam wants to master his classes as early as possible. Or, should he run out of time to reach master rank, he aims to reach at least expert rank as it would make the skill grinding far easier than starting from a lower rank.
But of course, this is looking a few years into the future. For now, Adam has far more immediate needs to address.
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"I'm getting ahead of myself," scoffed Adam at himself. "Even if I want to, I can't do anything just yet."
He remembered every notification he received after Vetius gave him the elixirs.
[You have acquired proof of the existence of the Great ??? Empire. The achievement 'Proof of ???' has been added.]
[You have found an item that came from the Great ??? Empire.]
[You have activated the legendary quest: Find the Great ??? Empire.]
[Legendary Quest: Find the Great ??? Empire]
Details: n/a
[You do not have the necessary conditions to continue the quest 'Find the Great ??? Empire']
[You must have the necessary conditions to continue the quest 'Find the Great ??? Empire']
[1st Condition: You must become ??? to take on this quest.]
[2nd Condition: You must pass ???.]
[3rd Condition: You must pass at least ???.]
[4th Condition: ???]
[5th Condition: ???]
[6th Condition: ???]
[...]
[...]
[...]
Many of the conditions are unknown as it appears on his status window.
But it is no trouble for Adam as the legendary quest was publicly shared during his previous life in the interest of completing it at the soonest time possible.
For starters, already Adam knows the name of this mysterious empire and its basic geographical location.
The scholars were right: this land is located deep under, beneath the ocean floor approximately in the middle of the Pangean Triangle.
It is a subterranean supercontinent called Atlantis Continent where a powerful civilization was believed to have reigned unopposed for the entire duration of its existence.
The nation that ruled this continent is called The Great Atlantean Empire. The rulers are known as the Imperfect Beings, but not much else is known about them.
Based on the research of players during Adam's previous life, it is believed that the Atlantean Empire enslaved every other race in Pangea at some point in the Previous Ages- most likely just before the dawn of the Current Age. Then, something happened that caused the continent to break apart and eventually sink.
The players who extensively researched its lore and history believe that the other version of the story has some truth to it. Although they were unable to prove it during Adam's previous life, the prevailing theory of players is that the Atlantis Continent broke apart; a section flew up in the sky, was sucked into a magical vortex, and another section was transferred to another universe.
The main proponent of their hypothesis is that another group of players was able to find a land in the Unknown Territories called Ruins of the Great Atlantean Empire- yet it is just a very small island with the remaining buildings at the edge of the land looking as if it was split apart.
This led players to believe that if a certain version of the story is true, the other versions may have some truth to it as well. More importantly, this belief prevailed in the real world because a new continent appeared on Earth via a dungeon outbreak during the later years of the apocalypse.
Many believed it to be Atlantis. Unfortunately, that is all but speculation at the time of Adam's regression.
This time around, Adam has a huge headstart in uncovering this enigma. If the Atlantis Continent holds the key to Awakening in the real world, then there must be more to discover in Pangea.
Needless to say, getting there is not so easy. There is a long list of tasks waiting for Adam.
He knows for a fact that Vetius did not reach the actual Sunken Continent. Most likely, his teacher was able to access a small, separated piece of land that did not sink along with the rest of the Atlantic Continent, and that's most likely where he acquired the elixirs.
This is because there is a long list of requirements that someone must meet to set foot in the ruins of the Atlantean Empire.
The first requirement is that one must be an Otherworlder or a player. Or rather, only an Otherworlder can meet the first requirement as it requires one to be the bearer of The Spire title.
There are two possible Spire titles that one can possess, and it is a title that Adam automatically lost upon removing his name from the rankings. He didn't care much for the title at the start since he did not expect that he would discover the endgame quest so early on.
Spire of the Continent requires a player to be the top player within a single server, while the Spire of Pangea requires a player to be the top player in all servers.
To have either of these titles, one must have their level publicly.
The top player in New Camelot and Murim has already shown the public their title. But the supposed top player of Lorikan Republic, Tyler Evergreen, cannot. This is why Tyler has consistently been labeled for being the False No. 1 as he cannot provide proof that he has it.
Incidentally, this also means that there is currently no Spire of Pangea as no one in the world has a higher level than Adam- or at least, as far as he knows.
Adam originally planned to hone his skills under the radar and grind Essence only to maintain his edge against all competition. But if he wants to continue the quest, he has no choice but to be in the spotlight.
Since he met the first condition already by default, the details relevant to it were updated after the last notification.
[1st Condition: You must become The Spire to take on this quest.]
Description: He who seeks the legend must become a legend themselves. He who seeks to bring the legend out in the light cannot do so from the shadows. One must become the Spire to take on this quest.
[You have met the first condition.]
[You possess the requirement to be the Spire of the Continent.]
[You possess the requirement to be the Spire of Pangea.]
[You must place your name back in the rankings to gain the title of The Spire.]
[Would you like to proceed? Yes/No]
He left the prompt unanswered when he logged out. But he has already made up his mind.
For now, there is no reason to activate the quest. Mastering the Blacksmithing class, and adding Rune Tracing are still his immediate top priorities.
Not to mention, he still needs to secure the other requirement; making himself known can come later.
The other requirements appear as blanks in his status window due to technically not meeting the first requirement. But fortunately, he already knows what the rest are.
Adam made a complete list of all the conditions and requirements that were shared by the players who solved the quest. Without the knowledge from his first life, he would have been completely clueless as to what they were.
1. Become the Spire.
2. Pass nine Trials of your Paradigm.
3. Pass at least three Trials from the other Paradigms.
4. Ancient Vessel
5. Divine Vessel
6. Mythical Vessel
7. Primordial Vessel
8. Find at least one Atlantean Teleportation Array
9...
10...
11...
Based on the gamer's interpretation during Adam's first life, the first three conditions are there to ensure that the seeker of the Great Atlantean Empire is of sufficient power level. This is because acquiring the so-called vessels is not an easy task.
The vessel that the quest refers to is none other than an Ancient Being like the Novhekaar, the Dark Priest turned Lich. However, as he already has a quest to present the body of the Lich at the Sanctus Lux Fortress, Adam has no choice but to defeat another Ancient Being. Ideally, he would need to defeat several more of its kind.
Simply put, Adam must defeat an Ancient Being, a Divine Being, a Mythical Being, and a Primordial Being. Luckily, he knows where several of them are.
A few are not particularly hard to get to, but defeating them is another thing entirely.
Adam was lucky enough to fight Novhekaar when he did. The Lich is considered one of the weaker and younger among the Ancient Beings. Plus, Adam caught it at a time when it was most vulnerable as it was unable to utilize its greatest strength of commanding legions of undead.
But for the rest, he will need to prepare.
Once he secures these vessels, only then can he present them as tributes to open one of the hidden arrays scattered across Pangea that would bring him to the Great Atlantean Empire.
Getting into these arrays or portals is another set of challenges, but it's something he'll have to worry about much later on.
With these in his mind, Adam once again burns the piece of paper he has been writing on. Writing his thoughts on paper helps him organize things, but he would rather not leave such information lying around so he makes sure to burn them. Although the chances of anyone finding it are low, he would rather not tempt fate.
After finishing one more cigarette, Adam logged back in.
***
Upon returning to the smithy, Adam saw his teacher sorting out many things he had never seen before- no doubt the items from the section of land from the Atlantic Continent.
"Teacher, I am back," said Adam.
Vetius grunted in response.
"I am sorry for leaving suddenly," apologized Adam while bowing. "Something urgent came up and I have to return to my world."
"Don't... leave... like... that... again..." Vetius reprimanded him.
"Yes, teacher."
"We... have... work... to... do..."
"I understand, teacher."
"Start... with... cleaning... your... smithy..."
Ding!
"Chop... woods..."
Ding!
"Make... weapon... racks..."
"Don't... leave... your... weapon... scattered... around..."
"Do... it... alone..."
Ding!
[Blacksmithing Quest: Clean Your Smithy 1]
Description: Vetius wants a clean, organized smithy.
[Blacksmithing Quest: Clean Your Smithy 2]
Description: Aside from an organized smithy, he wants you to treat weapons with respect- especially weapons you have made yourself.
Details: Chop 1,000 Woods and use it to create weapon racks. You are not allowed to ask for other's help.
Adam was planning to ask Vetius where he could find the elixirs he gave him. But from the looks of it, his teacher wasn't pleased with his behavior of late.
Vetius did not appreciate him leaving so suddenly. But aside from that, it seems he disapproved of Adam casually setting aside the weapons he made.
If he were to ask him now, there is no doubt he would just be ignored.
His only option is obvious.
"I understand, teacher," said Adam obediently. "I will get to work immediately."
"Good..."
"After... that...we... will... continue... forging..."
Ding!
[Blacksmithing Quest: Forge 10 Daggers (Common)]
[Blacksmithing Quest: Forge 10 Daggers (Uncommon)]
Ding!
[Blacksmithing Quest: Forge 10 Longswords (Common)]
[Blacksmithing Quest: Forge 10 Longswords (Uncommon)]
Ding!
[Blacksmithing Quest: Forge 10 Greatswords (Common)]
[Blacksmithing Quest: Forge 10 Greatswords (Uncommon)]
Ding!
[Blacksmithing Quest: Forge 10 Curved Swords (Common)]
[Blacksmithing Quest: Forge 10 Curved Swords (Uncommon)]
Ding!
[Blacksmithing Quest: Forge 10 Curved Greatswords (Common)]
[Blacksmithing Quest: Forge 10 Curved Greatswords (Uncommon)]
"Thank you, teacher!" said Adam energetically. "I will work hard!"
Adam meant it.
Despite clearly being punished and receiving an enormous workload for his previous actions, Adam didn't mind.
He was planning to focus on forging anyway.
Two months.
He has two months in real-time, or half a year in Pangea before the Sanctus Lux Fortress issues the kind of missions he wants to participate in. Until then, he plans to use his time wisely to achieve his immediate priorities.
As Adam focuses on grinding his class proficiencies, the rest of the individuals in the Undead Region are busy achieving their own goals.
But before Vetius dismissed him, he had one more thing to ask him.
"Can... you... suggest... a... name... for... the... shop...?"
Ding!
[Blacksmithing Quest: Think of a name or Vetius' Workshop]
Details: Vetius is asking for your opinion regarding a name he can use for his workshop. He's looking for a name that sounds catchy and would attract other players to buy from him.
Adam smiled. He didn't need to think too long to suggest a name.
"Teacher, how about The Blacksmith's Parade?"