Chapter 12
Wuji's eye twitched as the corners of his mouth quirked up. Did he just get hanged up on?
Feeling incensed, Wuji tried to recall what the god had said. A Unique class for him? If it was worth all of those items, then that class must be overpowered.
Then again, repairing all those legendary items would be insanely difficult. Even more so, he had the 95% debuff on his EXP now. Wuji sighed in dejection... It would be near impossible to repair the items, much less do the class change...
Wuji cried quietly to himself. Wasn't this a case of preparing too much for the future and neglecting the present? It was like he paid for his entire life's insurance but didn't have enough money left for his living expenses...
Looking back at his interface, Wuji dismally checked the next tabs.
• Affiliations {
Light Faction
[+ 5 Reputation in all Light Faction cities, - 20 Reputation in all Dark Faction Cities]
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Relations:
Evelynn: 80%
Aaron: 80%
• Achievements {
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Unique: Obtained a unique attribute
• 5 Silver
Spirituality: Unlocked your spiritual powers!
• 1 [Spirit Pouch]
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• [Locked]
• [Locked]
• [Locked]
• [Locked]
• [Locked]
• [Locked]
• [Locked]
• [Locked]
• [Locked]
• [Spirit Power]
• Help
• Settings
• Log Out
===============
After checking the achievements, Wuji cheered up a little, momentarily forgetting about his situation. Five silver? He was rich now! The average player was having difficulty even acquiring a single bronze. A single silver was completely out of their reach. Even for those rich tycoons, they would at most have fifty or sixty bronze, but a silver was worth a hundred!
With this amount of money, he could still get ahead of the rest of the world even if his leveling was practically disabled. Ecstatic, Wuji became rather curious about the [Spirit Bag].
"Wuji, we're near now."
Hearing Evelynn's notice, Wuji looked up from his interface screen.
"What?!"
His eyes widened, mouth gaping wide open.
They were approaching an enormous wall, its silhouette stretching as far as the eye could see. It looked archaic, as if it had existed along with the heavens and the earth. Like the horizon, the wall divided the Earth and the sky, a boundary between the two worlds.
The flourishing wilderness began to fade away, its only traces being the mossy vines and undergrowth that burrowed into the wall's crevices and cracks.
The entrance was a tall, copper-colored gate, surrounded by robust guards wielding sturdy shields and sharp spears. Elaborate, golden sculptures lined the sides of the entrance, and a large, holographic sign emerged in Wuji's vision:
[Village of Legends]
Wuji was still reeling in shock. He had expected something else entirely. Using his spirit sense, he detected an immeasurable amount of life signs within the wall's interior. This couldn't be a village; it was like a city!
. . .
As Evelynn led him to the village entrance, Wuji quickly got off her back, his face flushed red. His stamina had already reached 5/10 over the journey, and he didn't want anyone finding out that he had "hitched" a ride. Thankfully, it didn't seem like any of the guards had seen them yet.
He looked at the guards, their levels emerging above their heads:
Village Guard: [Level 400]
Wuji's eyes popped open, dumbstruck. He looked at Evelynn, who had a [Level ???] above her head.
"Miss Evelynn, you have returned." One of the guards noticed them, softly shoving the snoring guard beside him.
"Uh...huh?" the drowsy guard mumbled, yawning.
"Yes, I've brought a visitor." Evelynn greeted the guards with a wave and a brilliant smile.
"A visitor?!" The guards were shocked. There hadn't been any visitors since... since practically forever.
"Yes, one of the immortals."
"One of the immortals? Welcome to our village, sir!" The sleeping guard, now fully awake, welcomed Wuji with enthusiasm.
He was Edmund, one of the younger guards, well known throughout the village for his interest in ancient myths and legends. He especially loved the stories about the immortals.
Edmund nervously gulped, hoping the immortal hadn't caught him sleeping.
Hearing the guard's kind greetings, Wuji forced a smile.
"Er, thank you for your kind welcome. My name is Wuji and I am honored by your hospitality." Sweat rolled down Wuji's back as he spoke with the guards. Their respectful gazes made him feel rather uncomfortable. He wondered how they would react if they knew he was only Level 1.
. . .
The older guards nodded at Wuji's polite manner. They had been worried that an immortal would be arrogant, but Wuji's demeanor made them realize they were completely wrong. Many of the guards admired his attitude and had a good impression of Wuji.
[Relation with Village Guards: 75%] The system's notification made Wuji let out a deep breath. Phew. He hadn't messed it up.
"Well then, Wuji, you go on ahead. Take this."
Evelynn handed him a small token, about double the size of a quarter. Rust covered its golden sheen and Wuji could barely make out the small illustrations. The token had a picture of two hands shaking and above it, an obscured face that he couldn't recognize.
[ Token of Friendship: Proof that you are a guest of Evelynn, an inhabitant of the Village of Legends. Increases Village Relation by 25%. ]
Checking the interface, Wuji was delightfully surprised that he had a 55% Relation with the [Village of Legends]. That meant that NPCs would have a higher chance of giving him special quests and discounts.
"Aaron's grandmother lives outside of the village so I want to go and check up on him. Hopefully, the village elder won't be too strict on him today." Evelynn groaned. She looked at the guards.
"I've got to be going so I'll leave Wuji in your hands. Have someone show him around the village." The guards nodded in confirmation.
Evelynn turned around, facing Wuji.
"Sorry I couldn't be the one to show you the village. I feel rather rude having to leave all of a sudden." She apologized, a flustered look on her face.
Wuji shook his head, giving her a grateful smile.
"It's fine. I should be thanking you for bringing me here in the first place."
"Well, alright then. I promise that I'll meet up with you later and give you a proper tour of the village." Evelynn sighed, turning around.
"I hope Beatrice hasn't made Aaron cry, she knows how sensitive he is..." Evelynn muttered as she ran back into the wilderness.
As Wuji waved goodbye to her, a lightbulb went off in his head. Beatrice?! So Aaron's grandmother was who the god had been talking about. Although he was curious about Beatrice's and Evelynn's relation to his Unique class, Evelynn had already sped off, disappearing into the forest. He'd have to ask about it later.
The guards looked at Evelynn leave and began to whisper about who would assist the immortal.
While they were discussing, Edmund was completely distracted by his worries. He sighed in his heart. At least the immortal seemed to be nice and hadn't scolded him for slacking off his duties. He swore that he would be much more responsible from now on-
"Well, Wuji, we've come to a decision. We'll have Edmund show you around." The guards nodded as they pushed the dismayed young man in front of Wuji.
"Huh?!" Edmund yelled, staring at the guards he had thought to be his friends. They smiled back, giving him encouraging thumb-ups.
Edmund's eye twitched as he bitterly glared at them. He quickly forced a nervous smile when he heard Wuji speak:
"Thank you for helping me, ... your name is?"
"Ah, it's Edmond- Edmund! Edmund, yes, that's my name, sir- uh Immortal." Edmund's hands squirmed, his body trembling.
"No need to call me Immortal, Wuji is fine." Wuji faintly smiled. Being called immortal was a bit embarrassing.
"Ok, sir- I mean, Wuji." Edmund's face was red as he cursed quietly. Why was he making a fool out of himself? And in front of the immortal, no less.
After taking a deep breath, Edmund took Wuji to the large copper-colored entrance, the guards making way for them as the doors began to slowly open. A bright light and sudden shift of color dazzled Wuji as he discovered another world beyond the gate.
Shops, bazaars, and stalls littered the paved stone streets. Vivid colors and bright lights painted the various buildings and signs. Humans and animal-folk alike were roaming about, chattering and gossiping, with some loudly arguing about prices. A large fountain was in the center, the water twisting and turning into various shapes and beautiful shades of green. The village was rich with laughter as children ran about.
He had only taken a single step, one step past the wall's boundaries. A single step, from one world to another.
The guards looked at Wuji's and Edmund's fading figures, their bodies enveloped by the world inside the walls- the [Village of Legends].
Little did they know that this bright world and peace would not last. A path of devastation and ruin had been set. A bathing of fire. Death.
And those two would be the heroes to save it from destruction.