"Why do I easily get tired in the game? It even killed me, damn it! Maybe what Peter said was true. I also need to be fit in real life."
So, Maria started to change her lifestyle. Today, she woke up early and jogged outside for about an hour before she logged in to the Inheritance Kingdom. She decided to check the web later to see if there's a gym nearby so she could train her body to become fit. "Maybe that would ease out the lethargic feeling in the game."
[Launching Inheritance Kingdom]
Maria appeared at the re-spawning point. She sat down first and meditated so she can fully recover her health, after all, she died in killing the Great Hidden Fish. After which, she looked for the gatekeeper's headquarters, since she accidentally found the golden key. The building of the gatekeepers was near the northern gate. There were two tall and burly NPCs standing by the door guarding it. They didn't look friendly nor approachable. Maria didn't feel dejected by their looks, instead asked if there's someone called Eagle Eye there.
The guards looked surprised. "You know Eagle Eye?"
"No, not really," she said honestly. "But I have something that he needed."
"And that is?" they asked inquisitively.
Maria was baffled with their behavior. "Umm, a golden key," she answered.
"Oh! You found the old man's key?" One of the guards suddenly warmed up a little to Maria with the mention of the golden key, but the other guard remained vigilant of her.
"You want me to show you?" Maria asked since the other guard was still doubtful of her. She thought she needed to show the proof to clear his suspicion.
"No. Don't frivolously show the key to anyone!" warned the stoic guard. "If that is really the old man's key, only he will recognize it." He urged Maria to follow him inside the barracks. The other guard remained outside.
Maria was surprised when she entered the building. It was spacious inside and she could see some people gathering in each corner. Powerful NPCs. There were different classes she gathered based on their armors and weapons. They looked different from one another, but they all felt powerful and were emitting colored auras. She was in awe and shivered a little as she was affected by the auras. Some of them were chatting loudly and laughing carelessly. "Are they just all NPCs? Why do I feel like they are behaving like players?" she whispered to herself. Some looked at her and snubbed her after seeing her armorless appearance. (Did they just look down on me? Am I also going to receive trash talks?) She felt small and powerless.
"Hmph!"
"Not everyone can enter here. Consider yourself lucky," the guard said smugly. "Whatever you see and hear in here, stays in here. Do you understand what I am saying?" warned the guard.
"Y-yes. I see nothing and hear nothing." She was intimidated. This guard was giving her an attitude and she was affected by it, she reckoned. "Why are they hostile? Huhuhu! I am just here to submit a quest!"
She followed the guard without speaking again and treaded on a long corridor before reaching a huge oak door. He knocked two times and a voice was heard from inside. "Come in."
"Go inside," instructed the guard.
"Just by myself?" She felt more nervous than ever. "Why does submitting a quest feels like I am about to die?" she grumbled to herself.
The guard furrowed his brows. "I had been away from my post for too long. Go in! You are wasting my time," he commanded then walked away.
"Why can't you just answer without being sarcastic?" She opened the door and walked in. He saw an old man sitting behind a big oak table. "You?" She remembered the face of the first NPC she encountered.
The man warmly smiled. He looked fatherly while his eyes were sharp as an eagle. "I am he who gave you the quest, and the man who's called Eagle Eye." He invited Maria to sit down which she obliged. "So, were you able to find the key that I have been looking for?"
Maria nodded. "Yes." She retrieved the key from her inventory and handed it to Eagle Eye.
[Quest Completed.]
[You acquired a Bronze Key.]
[You earned +10 Affinity points]
"What is this bronze key for, Eagle Eye?" she was curious.
"It is the key to enter this building. Don't show it to anyone." He smiled mysteriously.
Maria was disappointed. She thought that the key was not useful to her, so she just kept the key in her inventory. She wouldn't enter the barracks again after this. (Everyone was giving me a cold shoulder so why would I?)
"By the way, where did you find the golden key?" Eagle Eye asked that broke Maria's thought.
"Oh, in the hidden pond outside the eastern gate. When I killed the Great Hidden Fish, it was gorged out from its mouth."
"I see." Eagle Eye nodded. "That's why I couldn't find it. The Great Hidden Fish only appears if it sees a weak prey."
(A weak prey... That's trash talk, right?) Maria wanted to weep. An NPC just called her weak. (Huhuhu! I thought trash talks only happen between players?)
Eagle Eye studied Maria's reaction and he immediately apologized. "I didn't mean to offend you. The reason I mentioned that, was because everyone here was a strong opponent to the Great Hidden Fish. It would stay hidden if I ask one of the mercenaries to fetch it. Please do not be burdened by this old man's comment. Everyone went through the same tempering to become strong."
Maria stopped sulking. "No, I really admit I am weak. If I may ask, what is the average strength of the people here in the barracks? They felt powerful when I passed by, I couldn't even look at them properly."
"Average is level 100."
Maria coughed. "That's why you can't see the hidden fish." They even know about the levels, she thought.
"That is absolutely right."
She heard him say mercenaries earlier. (Are they a group of mercenaries here?) She didn't want to jump in to a conclusion, but she's really curious. "Is this your organization of gatekeepers?" Maria asked carefully.
The old man looked at her face intently before he shook his head. "There is no reason for me to keep this information from you since you already have a bronze key. This is a secret organization of mercenaries. I expect you to keep quiet about this. However, creating a deal with the mercenaries, that is for you to figure out. You can ask them to work for you since they are mercenaries but not everyone is after the money."
"I understand. I don't have money to deal with them anyway, so I would probably not enter this place again anytime soon."
"It is up to you. Just remember, not everyone can come in here. If you discuss this group to anyone, I cannot guarantee your safety."
(Oh, how scary!) She carefully found her way out after Eagle Eye dismissed her. She didn't pay attention to the NPCs she passed along the way and just looked straight ahead. She was too frightened to even glance at them.
The guards outside the building became a little courteous to her, especially the stoic one who was threatening her earlier. He nodded a little when he saw her. "Strange," she whispered to herself. "They changed their attitude a little bit. Was it because I already own a key?"
Maria proceeded outside the eastern gate again to kill some slow snails and collect slime serum because she used some of it to kill the Great Hidden Fish. She found that it was easier to kill it now since she was now level 3. She decided to kill some more but she couldn't collect slime serum anymore since she ran out of empty vials. She was just killing it for the experience.
[You leveled up.]
[You leveled up.]
While killing the slow snails, she ventured a little further then saw a slightly bigger snail that has a shiny multi-colored shell. "Oh? How pretty!" She came closer but when the snail spotted her, it became agro-ed. She ran in the opposite direction to avoid it but the multi-colored snail left its shell and chased her. With just one hit...
[You died.]
[Level decreased by 1.]
[Returning to town in 5..4..3..2..1]
"Noooo!!!"