Deep within the heart of a dense forest, two young men found themselves locked in a tense and silent confrontation, their very presence suffusing the air with an overwhelming sense of unease. Though not a single word was uttered, the weight of their unspoken words hung heavily in the stillness, accompanied only by the melodic chirping of birds flitting about, bearing witness to the gravity of the moment.
Finally, breaking the stifling silence, one of them began to speak. "Andres, is there really no other way? Must it come to this? I-It doesn't have to be this way!"
With a firm resolve etched across his face, Andres sternly replied, "Jose, I'll tell you once again, stay back. Why the hell are you still following me? If you really insist on grandfather's virtuous teachings, then go back! I will shoulder this burden alone. I will take revenge against those who have wronged us! Just live peacefully, will you? Find your own happiness, for me, for grandpa. Don't try to stop me again, please. Just go back."
"But we are brothers!" Jose's voice quivered, his body limping and covered with dry blood. Tears welled up in his eyes as he pleaded for his brother, now walking down a dark path.
"That is exactly why... Just let me handle this, bro…" Andres proclaimed, his figure fading into the distance as he swiftly departed from Jose's sight.
"I will find you! I will bring you back! Together, we're gonna honor Grandpa by living the way he wanted us to! You don't need to do this!" Jose's voice echoed desperately, even as he collapsed beside a tree, his exhaustion overwhelming him despite the healing of his wounds sustained in their earlier battle.
Seated on the ground, his back leaning against the aged trunk, Jose whispered softly to himself, "He just wouldn't listen, grandpa... I'm really sorry..." He touched his forehead, smearing dried blood onto his blonde hair. And there he remained, tears cascading down his cheeks, lost in a sorrowful daze that stretched on for an unknown span of time.
…
Under the cover of the night sky, three individuals gathered around a crackling campfire, their laughter filling the air with an infectious joy. "Hahaha! This game is seriously awesome! We're all climbers now!" Feiruru, controlled by Rumi, giggled like a child. It was currently 7 PM in real-time and coincidentally, it is also night time in the game.
Yohan and Rumi had only joined a little while ago, as per the [Dev Diaries] a few hours earlier, every player automatically became a climber, even if they didn't attend the Blessing granting ceremony. It was meant to be a cutscene anyway. The developers mentioned that climbers were intended to be combat-focused characters who ascend the tower. However, for convenience's sake, all players were now considered climbers, even if they preferred a non-combat approach.
Despite being strangers to one another, these two instantly clicked. When she first encountered them, Yuuki and Yohan, the top 1 and 2 ranked players in Eternal World respectively by the end of its lifespan, Rumi was utterly dumbfounded. Even now, the excitement coursing through her veins made her tremble, realizing that as a lower-tiered player, she would be carried by these two exceptional individuals who were truly the crème de la crème of the previous game.
"So... What's our next move?" she inquired.
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Yuuki turned to Yohan and asked, "Hmm, we're planning on playing through the night, right, Yohan?"
"Yep. But how are we gonna climb the tower? We haven't even gained a single level yet."
"Then let's focus on slaying some mobs. That's the surefire way to level up. I was grinding before you guys joined, and my EXP bar is now halfway to the next level."
"But didn't you read the dev log? They mentioned that leveling up would be ridiculously challenging in this game. They purposely designed the leveling process to be long, so players wouldn't solely focus on leveling."
"Well… I didn't read that." he replied with a dumbfounded look.
"For someone as addicted to this game as you, not reading every dev log... Anyway, let's look for quests. Oh, and you mentioned having a Legendary quest, right?"
"Yeah, I do. He gave me this messenger stone and then left, saying he had some matters to attend to. According to my quest log, I should be able to meet up with him again on floor 3."
"I see... Alright, let's start by finding some quests," Yohan suggested.
He stood up, and the other two followed suit. Yohan then turned to Rumi and asked, "So, what skills do you have now?"
"Well... We have the ability to create our own skills, so I've developed a few water element skills after acquiring the [Crude Mana Control]. It was my specialty in the previous game, after all."
"Crude?" He asked with a brow raised.
"Yeah, Crude."
"Your mana control skills are so bad," Yohan chuckled.
"Hehe..." she scratched her head, "What can I say? I've told you I'm not that good,"
"That's alright, let's just get going," Yuuki interjected, eager to move forward.
The game offers players an unprecedented level of freedom when it comes to customizing their abilities, as there are no predefined classes to confine them. They have the option to learn skills from NPCs or create their own. Furthermore, it's even possible to recreate skills from the previous game that no longer exist here, with the added task of coming up with a unique name. Achieving this involves manipulating mana in a specific manner to mimic the mechanics of the desired skill or replicating the movements associated with it from the previous game. The process of mana manipulation varies for each individual and develops over time based on their inherent aptitude.
Mastering the art of manually harnessing mana is an arduous task, as most players are unfamiliar with its workings and how to manipulate it in the real world. This experience is entirely new to them. Moreover, the number of skills they can acquire or create is limitless, in stark contrast to the previous game where they were restricted to a maximum of 150 skills.
Having already departed from the small town, they had acquired the necessary equipment and stocked up on potions. Their current destination was a nearby city. To navigate their journey, they had purchased a map, which, despite its cost of 150 Salapi, proved to be a worthwhile investment. The map not only provided accurate directions to the city but also highlighted significant landmarks along the route. Despite traversing the Black Zone—A territory teeming with monsters and beasts—their encounters had been few and easily dispatched. Interestingly, in this particular area, it appeared to be populated solely by beasts, with no signs of any magical monsters.
Curious about the distinction between monsters and beasts, Yuuki had sought clarification from Yun. The explanation provided was that both creatures were animals, but monsters possessed magical abilities, while beasts exhibited mutations such as additional appendages or enhanced physical strength compared to their non-mutated counterparts. This physical strength sometimes leveled the playing field between beasts and magic-wielding monsters, as Yun had noted.
Pressing onward, they continued their stride, occasionally taking breaks to replenish their stamina. Along the way, they also engaged in battles with mobs, hoping to accumulate a modest amount of EXP.
Yuuki had spent several hours in a random forest area, relentlessly slaying mobs to the point where his experience bar was now halfway filled. This feat required him to kill countless creatures, ranging from Gray Wolves to several groups of goblins. Engaging the goblins in combat proved to be particularly challenging as a solo level 1 player, given their utilization of gadgets like smoke bombs and paralyzing poisons. Nevertheless, Yuuki managed to kill these guys without dying.