"Sir, I've finished running ten laps!" I shouted while saluting the Marshall with the pose that he had mercilessly drilled into me.
This guy, why's he so obsessed with training? The quest I had got was a hidden chain quest that forced me to do whatever Abest asked of me. Although every branch I finished gave plentiful awards, but the things I had to do...how is this even a game anymore?!
Pushups, situps, archery, combat, how is this a game quest, this is just working out. The only positive part was that I got to run a lot, thank god.
"Good job Lynx, you can feel yourself stronger than before right?" He said while looking me over from head to toe in satisfaction.
I had taken off the cloak because it kept getting in the way, underneath was the rookie equipment that was given to every player.
Plain leather armor with a small iron dagger strapped to my side. I also had a bow and quiver hanging on my back.
What he said was true, my stats have gone up a crazy amount just from the rewards of the quest. Starting players are supposed to have ten stat points to start, and three per level up, but I already had 30 points at level three which I added most agility.
That's pretty good if I do say so myself.
Lynx
Level 5
Titles: Hidden VIP, Disciple of Marshall Abest
Class: Ranger
Achievements: 1
Health: 209
Attack: 51
Defense: 78
-Stats-
Strength: 5
Agility: 22
Dexterity: 1 (+5)
Vitality: 2 (+10)
Intelligence: 0
Luck: 0
Charisma: 0
I assumed since my luck was already so good (frightening so) I didn't need to waste stat points on more, and I didn't see the need for charisma either. I always have my face behind a mask anyway.
Both my dexterity and vitality have permanent points thanks to the ranger training, basically, I'm feeling pretty cheat right now!
What? I'm too OP? Pfffft, no no, this is nothing compared to Toku's natural smarts or Kai's overwhelming charisma. My family is just blessed, yeah, let's keep it at that.
[Disciple of a Legend - 4/12]
"Okay, next up we have some hands-on training. Take this coin and go to the town center, use it in the lotto. Any disciple of mine should have excellent luck, it is what keeps us alive. You may keep the awards, you pass if it is rare or above."
...This guy is really weird, did he notice how good my luck was? I was going to go check out the lotto after this, I guess I might as well do it now! Lucky me.
The items in Sapphire were categorized in a very normal manner. Common, Unique, Special, Rare, Sub-Legendary, Legendary, and then finally Mythical. Rare was right in the middle right? Shouldn't be that hard...I think.
"I won't disappoint sir."
"You better not, now get going."
"Yessir!"
I equipped my cloak and quickly leaped onto a roof, following the route my mentor had taken back to the tower at my top speed. Catching sight of my destination I jumped down into an abandoned alley and naturally walked into the building.
The lotto was currently empty, since the game had just been launched, and everyone was busy exploring the town or finding their friends. Seeing only a few parties chatting here and there, I walked up to the machine and slipped in the coin, pushing the button to roll the lotto.
Cmon, cmon, lucky, lucky...I'll be happy with just a rare!
[Bing bing bing! You have won the self-design gloves from the lotto machine! Thank you for your patronage!]
Oh, a vanity item? Sounds a bit useless, but it works.
[Congratulations! You are the first person in the game to obtain a rare item, you have earned:
1 Achievement
20 gold
5 reputation among NPCs
Title "Hoarder"
150000 xp]
[Congratulations! You are the first person to use the lotto, you have earned:
10000 xp]
Huh? This is a bit overwhelm—
[Congratulations! You are the first person to obtain a rare title, you have earned:
1 Achievement
20 reputation among NPCs
30000 xp
30 gold]
...What is this speechlessness I'm feeling right now? ...Should I do something or...
I'll just ignore what happened and head back.
I'll also ignore how I just jumped up two levels and how I easily got 50 gold and how NPCs are staring at me with quite a lot of respect.
...Yeah, let's go see my good ol' master.
I quickly ran back towards the training grounds along the rooftops.
Finally arriving back at the grounds I found my mentor and showed him the gloves I had won, earning myself a half-hearted compliment. After getting my next mission, I noticed that it was already midnight and that I had to log out.
Saying goodbye to Abest, I went into a spare barracks and logged out.
Blinking a couple of times to get myself adjusted to the dark capsule I pushed the lid up and got out. Realizing that my two brothers were still in the game I tiptoed into my room and fell onto the bed, going over my day in my head.
Today wasn't so bad huh. I'm pretty sure that I'm doing well in the game, and I even have some cool titles I could show off. Master Abest is scary...but I still have school tomorrow, I don't have time to think about these things.
Changing into my pajamas I got ready to sleep and then slipped into my bed.
I wish I didn't have to go to school...I hate it there.
______________________________________
"Yuri! Good morning, you head out to school already?" Kai asked while walking into the kitchen with toothbrush still stuck in his mouth.
"Good morning Kai. I'm going to jog there so I'm heading out a little earlier."
"I understand but, isn't going out an hour before a little too early since it's so close…?"
"I'm a slow runner."
"Oh, okay! Take care then!
After putting on my shoes and shouldering my bag, I checked that my uniform was in place and I headed out the door.
With my brother out of sight, my smile instantly disappeared from my face. School was a chore.
Unwilling to think about it any longer, I steadied my breathing.
Turning my steady walk into a quick jog, I dashed to school, leaving my thoughts behind as I focused on the ground below me.
Before I knew it I had arrived at school, slowly walking to my class to catch my breath I settled my disgruntled look and patted down my long hair. Looking down at my desk in the empty classroom, I took a rag and started wiping off the black ink.
After half an hour I had finally cleaned off my desk, throwing the rag away I sat down and started reading over the things we had learned last week to catch up on material that I couldn't memorize.
Slowly students started trickling into the class, once the first bell rang I put down the book and faced the teacher that had walked in, ignoring the scathing gazes directed towards my back.
"Has everyone heard of the new game Sapphire?" The teacher asked everyone once the class had settled down.
Everyone immediately nodded in response. Who didn't know of the game that had practically taken over the world? Almost everyone in the class who could afford it had played yesterday, the teacher included.
"Good, I know that you guys love experiencing such a realistic new world, but make sure you don't forget your real-life priorities. Sometimes it can be hard to tell reality from virtual, but I have faith in my students." He warned us with a stern tone, looking us all in the eyes before moving onto the lesson.
My first class went by peacefully, but by the time lunch came along that peace was shattered. I had just handed in some papers to the student office and stepped back into the classroom once trouble appeared.
"Hey, some trash just walked into the room, sorry, the garbage can is full today!" A boy mockingly howled while strutting towards me, pointing at my desk which was littered with waste and leftovers.
"But since I'm such a nice guy, I'll escort you to the dump myself!" He provoked while earning the jeering and laughter of his group of followers.
I rolled my eyes. I have nothing to say to people like him, retorting is just a waste of energy.
Seeing that I was not responding, he furiously grabbed my shoulder and pushed me into the empty hallway.
"Hey. You better not be ignoring me!" He sneered darkly, slamming me into a wall.
I inwardly flinched at the sharp pain that shot up my spine. Grabbing my arm, he twisted it and scoffed when I didn't react.
"I'm the king of this school, and commoners like you should be honored to even have the chance to lick my shoes!"
The sound of cheers and shouts could be heard from the class. Ryuu continued to shout before he got bored and walked backed into the room.
I stood there for a bit before straightening out my clothes. If I punched him right now...
Repeating to myself to stay calm in my mind, I kept my face expressionless. I'll get back at them one day. I'm not the type to forget my debts.
Ryuu's harassment happened almost every day when we came across each other. Almost no one did anything about it since his father was an influential figure in the country's government and was not to be provoked.
I didn't resent the bystanders, people had the right to mind their own business. I probably would have done the same thing. Nobody here is a saint after all.
Honestly, I wasn't always bullied at school. Not to brag, but I used to be quite popular with the students and teachers.
As for why the bullying is happening...I guess some people got jealous? Maybe I did act a bit cocky. Some people started to spread a rumor behind my back during summer break, all my friends left me after that.
_____________________________________
My ears perked up as the final bell rang. Everyone immediately picked up their things and dashed out of the classroom, probably all excited to get home and play Sapphire again.
After waiting for the room to clear out, I walked into the hallway only to be stopped by Ryuu.
"Hey, you."
I brushed past him and continued to walk down the hallway.
"Hey, hey. You better be listening to me, you prick!" Ryuu shouted.
Hmm...I wonder when I'll be able to get back home and play Sapphire again. The game is honestly addicting.
"Oi oi oi, what did I just say!"
Just as he was about to grab onto my shoulder, a feminine voice halted his actions.
"Hey! What do you think you're doing to Yuri!" A girl's voice sounded out in the empty hallway. She took one glance at me and then sternly peered at Ryuu.
"O-oh, hello Akane, I was just teaching this girl a small lesson, that's all." He stuttered politely while backing away, a flattering smile spread across his face.
"That's a teacher's job. You shouldn't be the one judging another student!" She snapped while pulling my sleeve. "There's no point in staying. Let's go, Yuri!"
"Ah, okay."
Reluctantly letting me leave, Ryuu stood still while glaring daggers at my back.
Akane's parents were the descendants of the founders of this school and were very important people within the country, even Ryuu's father couldn't do much against them.
She was a very cheerful girl who looked at everything from a positive view. I don't remember her ever joining in on the bullying, but she also didn't do much to stop it.
I sighed as I parted way with Akane at the school entrance.
If not for the fact that my family is forced to lie low and not stand out I would have beat them up a long time ago. But I can't risk attracting attention. There is a reason we moved after all. The people looking for me will have a harder time if I kept my head down.