[Hehehe, I can tell I am going to be busted. I wonder which affinities I will have. Maybe a bonus to all magics? Maybe I can have an answer as to why my max HP is showing as "0" in the status screen. Welp, here we go.]
As Matthew stepped in and wave to Sarah, he felt odd. It wasn't uncomfortable or impeding his bodily functions.
[That is weird…that is not how mana feels in the game. It is supposed to have an ethereal feeling or some sort of nervous system reaction if there is too much mana, but right now it feels like the mana is passing through me?]
[Ding! System-Activated-ERROR]
[Status-Matthew-No Noble house.]
Lvl.1 (Exp: 0/40)
HP= 130/-00000000000000
MP= 80/-00000000000000
Constitution= 7 Wisdom= 10
Strength= 6 Intelligence= 10
Dexterity= 2 Spirit= 10
{Error}- Super Administrator Access Granted -{Error}
Class- None
Affinity- [Creation]=Production-based- 100% Experience gain.
Knowledge Bonus- [Creation]=Production-based +-{Error}-4-{Error}-% Experience gain.
No magical affinity outside of magic production-based classes.
[Hmm…so my HP and MP are still broken, that is good to know…but my magical affinity is for crafting?????? What the hell is a [Creation] bonus?]
[Okay, lets try to summon the [Endless Bladder of God's Nectar]….and nothing. Okay, I am going to lose my mind without some Go-go juice. Ah fuck…this is bullshit!]
As Matthew cursed to himself, it was time for him to step on out of the machine and in doing so he heard Sarah and the "lady" talking about something.
"Yeah, I am hoping to get one of those classes. They sound like a lot of fun!" Said Sarah as she beamed with glee.
"It would make you VERY sought after if you are able to heal at the highest level. The kingdom might even try to recruit you to be in the royal healing core! That is a HUGE honor and it would immediately boost your ranking within the guild too." Said the "lady".
"So, uh, what'cha ladies talkin' about? Anything exciting?" Said Matthew as he swaggered on over to them.
"Yup! Your sister is blessed with the power of healing! She will be very powerful one day, so you had better support her!"
"Is that true, sis? Did you get something good?" Asked Matthew with a pouty face.
"Yup! I have a strong gift for healing. I have a talented aptitude!"
"What does that mean?" Said Matthew quizzically.
"Ah, your sister receives over 100% experience to a skill source. In her case, it is white magic. It is mostly a healing affinity but there are very strong buffs and mental magics in that school of magic!"
"Well…that is great!" Said Matthew with a fist bump to his sister. "Is there anything else we need to do right now? We are in need of some quick cash for a place to stay so we need to get to work."
"Ah…well, the guild will let you stay here if you sign a contract that is binding to the guild for at least one year! If you do then yo-" Said the lady as she is cut off by Matthew.
"-Actually, we will be joining the guild, but we are not looking to tie ourselves down…" Said Matthew looking at the ground.
"Well…I hope you change your minds, but you should be almost done with the tutorial process."
[Ha…she called it a tutorial…weird world.]
As the trio got their magic aptitude ranked and listed within the guild's local registry, they were ready to get the official paperwork underway.
[UUUHHHHHGGGGG, WHY IS THERE SO MUCH FREAKING PAPERWORK!!!!]
"Sarah, I have a STRONG urge to perish (again) at the moment. What about you?"
"Matty, I can take care of the paperwork if you want me to, I am used to filling out tons of forms." As Sarah offered a deal that Matthew could not refuse, he rejoiced! He then turned to walk away when he heard "Wait, what do I put for my talent and stuff?" come from Sarah.
"Huh? What do'yah mean?"
"My aptitude for white magic isn't just talented, it is actually a perfect grade." Sarah mentioned with a whisper.
"Ah, I see what you mean. Just put like a slightly higher than normal amount. We don't want to draw too much attention I guess, but everything should be just fine!" Said Matthew as he swaggered away without a care in the world. He was ready to get his dungeoneering practice in.
[Ah, I can't wait…we are going to kill some monsters and get that sweet, sweet LOOT.]
As a creator of the most advanced MMORPG of all time, it was fair to say that Matty had a pretty big love for the genre. There were so many mini-MMO's that used real actors to portray what the world would be like in a fantasy world, but they didn't quite give that feeling of people that were fighting monsters for their livelihoods. So, Matty said that they sucked…[Donkey Dick]'s.
"Ma'am, we have everything filled out I believe." Said Sarah as she walked up to the counter and handed the woman the stack of forms.
The woman stared at the "little" girl and was completely stunned at the speed at which she wrote.
"That was really quick…did your mother and father teach you how to write so well?" Said the woman with stars in her eyes.
"Ah, sort of…they just helped me learn when I needed it, they weren't too big on reading unless their materials were Hot Rod magazines, ya' know?" Said Sarah with a chuckle.
"Magawhat?" Sat the "lady" with a confused look on her face.
"Ah, just a little joke from my…village." Said Sarah in a somber tone.
"Oh, I am sorry honey. I told you that I came from similar circumstances, but that isn't the whole truth…
My family was captured by bandit slavers…they took us to a distant city but one of the adventurers from this kingdom was kind enough to put a stop to it. That is when I was separated from my family, but the guild helped to get them back!
They gave me a place to sleep, to eat, and to well…belong.
If you are feeling sad, you can come talk to big'sis Clara, okay?"
"Okay, I will do that if I need help…Ms. Clara…" Said Sarah saddened by the truth behind her apparent obsession with the guild.
"Alright, well. I will be here, and if you need to find me, you should be able to ask any of the front girls for my location and they "HOPEFULLY" will be competent enough to get you to me. You look out for your brother, okay?" Said Clara as she patted Sarah's head and fixed her clothes.
As Sarah walked back to Matthew, she noticed that the ladies working here seemed to enjoy their jobs. They might be a little too loyal to the system of this world, but they had a level of work ethic that she could respect.
"Hey, sis, what took so long in there?"
"Oh, nothing, just some girl stuff, ya' know." Said Sarah with a wink.
"Ah…alrighty then…how about we figure out how to earn some money? I think we might be able to get a quest for reducing the mana of the dungeon." Said Matty as he walked with Sarah and Bowser to the quest board.
There were quests that were considered "Raids" that involved a large group of people, usually more than 50. Then there were "Convoy" quests. These were usually filled with multiple parties that travel often and communicate when they reach a new town. They will be partied up with a balance to give a fair shot of survival for the merchants and other members. These are poor paying but are low-risk for everyone involved as individual pressure is reduced. The highest risk are "Party" quests. These are developed for a high-risk, high-reward type of people. Quality is needed to form an approved party, but people do it anyways. "Parties" are the most common group to belong to and they might go on a large quest every other month or every month. The risk of death is higher, but craftsmen pay very well. The most common form of work is "Farming" and it involves going from floor to floor clearing monsters and shattering mana constructs. These jobs are the most stable and can be found anywhere there is a dungeon. Typically an hour of hard grinding from a group is able to clear enough for a full day's payment, but if the person goes over their recommended limit, then they can be paid extra as long as the mana level is in the "Carry-over" zone. This system is used to incentivize people and prevent them from becoming stagnant. Any major shift in mana from a large loss of life or a nearby [Wave] could result in the amount of mana needing cleared to skyrocket. Cities in the past have fallen from a post-battle [Wave] and were destroyed from the inside.
"Wow, that is actually a little similar to the game, but the [Wave] system is…bette-TRASH. That shit is trash!" Said Matthew trying to salvage himself.
As Sarah *Facepalmed* she was interested in the AI that built this system. It seemed to keep the spirit of the game alive…it was following Matty's will. It made it difficult to master but possible and if you got too used to the way things are, then you might just die.
Sarah couldn't believe that there was an AI that was this advanced as she was not a true AI, just a human brain in a computer form, but this was actual artificial intelligence. It was even reading the intent of the [Creator] of the world and trying to help.
"Hey, Matty, what is the AI that controls this world?"
"There is no "one" AI, it is a group of minor-AIs that are able to talk and control the patches on this world."
"Right, but doesn't the world seem a little too complex? Like, it is al-" Said Sarah as she is cut off by Matthew.
"-DON'T!! Say that word…it is bad luck…" Said Matthew as he nervously looked around.
*Thump*
"Ouch! Why did you hit me????" Exclaimed Matty.
"Because! You keep cutting people off and I for one have been getting sick of it. Mom did not teach you this way! We are finding a church and going to mass, MHM!!!" Said Sarah with a vengeful look in her eye.
"Woah, woah, let's not get out of control now. There is no need for that level of intervention…" Matthew whispers to himself "-if I pray, would it be to myself now, or???"
*THUMP*
"OUUUCH, YOU HIT ME??? LIKE FOR REAL?!?!?!" Said Matty rubbing his cheek.
"NO BLASPHEMY!!" Said Sarah.
"But didn't you say that you were a-" As Matthew dug his grave further, Sarah gave him a meaningful look. Mouthing, "I know where the family jewels are…if you want to keep them then shut it." Before she walked off…
It was a rough day...
[Okay, just gotta' find out where I can put ol' Bowsie. Maybe Clara could hold on to him for us, at least for while we are in the dungeon...]
"Hey, Matthew, what do you think about brining Bowser into the guild and leaving him with Clara?"
"Who? Is that the name of the lady at the hall?" Said Matthew puzzled.
"Yeah, her name is Clara and she is a little enthusiastic about us joining the guild, but before we go into the dungeon, we need to get someone to look after the [Princess Stealer] himself."
"I agree with you there, but Bowser should be able to go with us in the lower levels, surely?"
"I guess so Matty, but you are responsible for giving him a bath if he gets all yucky!" Said Sarah as she walked away smiling, looking for the nearest guard to find directions from.