_-=-_-=-_-=-_
Still, life on the outside of the game was uneventful. I ate, stretched, slept, woke up, ate again, stretched again, and finally returned.
During the first few hours of the day, I farmed extensively for the axes on the South-West peak. If the dungeons were released at a later date, I would have just sat around and taken in the awe inspiring atmosphere. The world of Duality is much too heavenly compared to earth with its massive size and beautifully pure nature.
Most of the things that dropped for me were sort of trash, with the few exceptions being instantly sold off at the auction house.
Finally, at Lv.15, I got the axes. They're called the [Iron-woven Axes], and are just that. Thick and sturdy blue-iron woven into axe shape and held together by magic. Their special skill is [Conductive] which allows any skill or energy that passes directly through it to have its overall effectiveness increased by 15%. This is what I will be using to cover up for my sword.
I'm not stupid enough to not know people haven't seen a sword of that size yet.
The last of my preparations were spent out of the game. Along with my fleeting soreness came the lift on my "strenuous activities ban." I eased my body in with a 2 hour workout more focused on slow burning workouts and light training. Before I woke up, most of my time was spent studying which made my body quite skinny and weak. If I want to perform well in the game, I must be healthy out of it. This plays an integral part in keeping my brain active and also will allow me to more comfortably play the game for longer periods of time.
All of this led up to now, where I sit near the edge of all the excited players waiting for the dungeon to open. The reason for this? I am looking for a disparate group. If there's anybody that'll allow a stranger to instantly be allowed to become the party leader, it would be them.
Mainly, lower leveled players would be best. At most they are looking to farm a little bit of the initial mobs for their EXP and call it a day, so having a last person who claims can help them "kill more" won't matter even if they want leadership.
I could tell that many players in this area had chosen more close to medium range classes, with the majority of rangers changing into the hunter class. Not unlike anything I read about before.
"Hey! Dude, could you help make up our numbers please? We only need one more to be allowed to get in."
'Hah! Wow, my luck is crazy!' Right as I finished my inner monologue, a bright smiling Mage… no... Bard walked up to ask what he did. Behind him sat the rest of his group, a Summoner and a Swordsman using a longsword.
It all took a millisecond, but I needed a double take. The Swordsman, a handsome-green skinned orc with human proportions lined up with another from my memories. This player called "Sokka" was, even when I joined, completely unknown. Later though he displayed monstrous technical skill when he beat the 116th ranked player (at the time) Surgeon with an ordinary class. Surgeon was a rising star in the world of Duality as he was one of the top proteges picked up by the 6th floor quasi Apex guild "Heaven's Dogma."
Quickly, everybody scrambled to find anything they could about him. This small but great upset caused quite the commotion and definitely altered the rankings greatly.
I quickly sobered up and spoke.
"Sure."
"Okay g-"
I cut in, "One sec, don't get too ahead of yourself. I have an offer before we do anything." The guy, the Bard called Apollo, seemed quite laid back which made me think he should be okay with my proposal.
His countenance was a confused one, so I continued. "I would like to be made party leader for this dungeon."
"Hmm? Why would you want that? With our levels we won't get far in there, so whomever is the leader won't really matter."
"I have my own reasons, but for what you all will get in return; I will help you go farther into the dungeon." I said as I had rehearsed in my head.
"Oh? Can you? If so, that's great. If not… well, who cares! EXP loss on death is reduced greatly in there anyways."
[ User: [Apollo] has invited you to his party.
Accept: (Y/N) ]|
Pressed the button and quickly became the leader. Still, they couldn't see my name or level which had one of them a little peeved. It was understandable, names are necessary for communication, and communication is necessary for dungeoning.
"Do ya' mind takin' off whatever has yer' level an' name hidden? Yer' the leader, no use 'n hidin' now." The Summoner complained lightheartedly. She had quite the country accent unbefitting of her dainty appearance.
"Not until we are in the dungeon. Sorry, just a bit paranoid."
They shrugged it off coolly. These are the best types of players to group with, unquestioning only for the personal/annoying things. Authority is to always be challenged within reason.
~
When the time drew closer, a commotion started. About 20m give or take away from the entrance was a clearing of players that housed some familiar faces. Nightingale and her posse of pompous pricks (or at least the big guy is) were conversing with another stuck-up looking group.
With hushed voices, people talked:
"Wow! I can't believe THE Nightingale spawned in the same town as me!"
"Don't get so hyped up about it, dude. You wouldn't have a chance even if the world flipped on its ass."
"Piss off."
"Hey, isn't that Backstab from Silent Night?"
"The quasi-5th floor Silent Night? Wait- you're right! It is Backstab. Insane…"
These two obviously weren't so simple. Higher ups and celebrities from a 5th floor and quasi-5th floor guilds aren't to be underestimated. Both of them are at Lv.14, but you could tell the difference in strength not from them, but the quality of their teammates.
Their conversation continued for a bit, who's contents were hidden by an in-game chat system, before something awful happened. The two finished their chatter and went back to their own business. Just as I was about to leave, my height and odd cloak dealt a critical backstab, causing Nightingale to spot me out of the corner of her eye.
'Shit!-'
I ducked my head and squirmed out of the crowd till I was back at my new group.
However, she persisted. On top of this, her identity made her OP at nerd-clearing.
My team was understandably startled.
'I mean, what would a famous person want with our small party of casuals?' they all thought simultaneously. 'Unless…'
I could see it. They all came to the revelation that I was the cause of this event. It visually increased their trust to my claim of being able to help them get farther into the dungeon. 'At least something good came from this.'
"You." She pointed at me. "You never answered the question."
"I did."
My teammates chuckled a bit at my response.
"That wasn't good enough."
"Uhhhgggg!~ Just leave me alone! Your pestering is worse than my dad!"
"Wh- *Sigh* At least tell me who you are."
"I'll drop you. Last warning."
She had a confused look on her face. "P-"
*Zzzttztzztttt~*
"!!!"