Chapter 21: You gotta problem with that, girl?
[Severlam Province(Lv.1 - Lv.35)]
[Alexander Deathwill Lv.17 HP: 1200/1200 MP: 550/550]
Alex appeared in one of the common leveling lands.
His location was random, so he didn't make any plans beforehand.
Since Severlam Province's lands stretched from level one up to thirty-five, it was the land where beginners started and learned how to play.
In those newbie lands, players held weapons more decisively. After all, they tried many weapons in the tutorial and tasted their first actual combat here.
But the game world wasn't just about fighting.
Players learned more about NPCs and subclasses. The former was an essential topic as players couldn't just go through system dialogues. They had to interact with NPCs and show their goodwill and wits.
Although most players would get the same quests from martial artists and other important NPCs, unique players with either talent or eloquence would get more unique quests.
It wasn't weird for NPCs to approach people they deemed suitable.
Subclasses also opened many paths for players and allowed for much versatile gaming.
The Avander World was abundant in resources, so everyone indeed would find something for themselves.
Players could find resources everywhere, but three peculiar sources stood out.
One of them was naturally nobles. Every province belonged to kingdoms or clans. For years, those people amassed thousand of unique resources.
They could use their treasures and the quest system to reward players.
It was highly recommended to associate with those nobles and build a relationship with them. Alas, not every nobleman accepted players under their wings. For now, most players received just common quests.
The second source came from the curse.
That was how NPCs called monsters that respawned regularly. Those monsters appeared everywhere, meaning that the curse encompassed the whole world. From time to time, boss monsters emerged from the curse.
If left untouched, those bosses would create their communities.
And the third, the most unfathomable and the most challenging source of resources; the dungeons.
Until now, the world recorded the dungeons known as [The Tower Dungeons]. Those dungeons were pretty simple, and they required people to climb up the floors. The difficulty rose by going higher.
A few of those dungeons were open to all. They were scattered across the globe, not hidden at all. Their forms also threatened the population as they looked like gods' fingers trying to reach the heavens.
This information had been provided by Alex's good friend, Tomo Homie.
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[Olimiss has accepted your friend request.]
Unfortunately for Tomo Homie, Alex added his girlfriend to his friendlist first. He couldn't risk others finding out about his connection to the Deathwill Castle and sisters yet.
If it weren't for Olivia's situation and her parents' divorce, Alex probably would spend a little more time with the Deathwill Sisters and solo play.
However, Alex also genuinely wanted to hang out with his girlfriend. Besides, the solo play was never on his mind since he was a pretty sociable guy.
Knowing about his feelings and Olivia's case, Alex added her to his friendlist.
[Olimiss: You went with your real name?]
Alex's finger froze.
He never wondered about it, but how could the game know about his real name? His nickname wasn't close to his full name, and his VR Capsule wasn't signed or anything like that.
It was utterly weird for the game to know about it.
[Alexander Deathwill: Don't tell anyone about my surname. This is related to my class quest.]
[Olimiss: Sure. Where are you now?]
[Alexander Deathwill: Somewhere in Severlam Province. My minimap is black, so I can't tell.]
[Olimiss: You can buy a map in the province's capital. It will reveal common leveling grounds and what you can find here.]
Although it was weird for the game to know his name, Alex didn't dwell on that. With how social media revealed too much information nowadays, Alex inferred that known social platforms were connected to the game. And that was how the game world knew about his real name.
He couldn't think of a different reason.
Thus, he replied to Olivia and learned about the minimap features. If he were to buy a map from the province's capital, his empty minimap would get filled with standard information.
[Olimiss: I will book carriage to your province. Can't wait to see you, Alex!]
[Alexander Deathwill: Same. I gotta work hard to find the city.]
After Alex exchanged a few more words with his girlfriend, both of them closed the chat and patiently made their way toward each other.
However, Alex didn't have it that easy.
Looking around, he saw the dense forest and thick roots sticking out from the ground. Branches fell off like a waterfall in some places, giving Alex a headache. He decided to just move forward, but even that was hard to keep up.
"It would be lucky if my first random location turned out to be the forest fairies' kingdom. Can't be too lucky, I guess," Alex voiced out his thoughts, a little irritated.
He just wanted to leave this forest and find a road to one of the cities. From here, it would be too easy for him to find the city and other players.
He would find Olivia and have good gameplay with her.
He sighed and stepped forward, ready to overcome this crisis!
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"Out of all players and their equipment I've seen in this game, you hold the crown, Alex," Olivia covered her lips and whispered slowly to her boyfriend.
She threw him a funny glance and grinned to herself.
That was because Alex's current equipment didn't suit him at all. Of course, he was well aware of it, as even Celia pointed it out. His little friend simply told him he looked stupid in those clothes.
But worse, Alex's equipment suffered some losses, to say nothing of his body. He had a few scratches from head to toe. From his cheek, blood oozed out. Olivia also spotted a few leaves sticking out of his hat.
He looked dirty and funny at the same time.
"Keep that crown to yourself. How come I ended up in a forest maze? That forest maze didn't have any monsters at all!" Alex wiped off the blood on his cheek and shook his head.
Olivia chuckled, "People speculate that this forest maze hides the underground dungeon. If you managed to find it, you would be the first player to find the second dungeon type. At least you found me."
To his girlfriend's broad smile, Alex grinned and hugged her. He left a speck on her lips, then his smile widened.
At last, they could hug each other and casually talk to each other face to face!
"How do I look to you?" Alex asked curiously.
In his arms, Olivia extended her hand and took a leaf from his hat, "Not my taste. I can only pray that those clothes are related to your class quest."
"No. I mean, do I look like a human to you?" Alex corrected his words.
And as Olivia blinked her eyes and stared at him intensely, Alex understood that Schnee's charm skill didn't work on Olivia.
He couldn't be happier, even though it could be just the game reading their relationship.
Olivia touched his intact cheek and asked, "Has your race changed? Are you a vampire?"
"No, that's the blood loss," Alex burst out laughing.
"Then where does this question come from? Tell me!" Olivia's eyes twinkled as she grew curious.
To her inquiry, Alex shrugged and waved his hand to the NPCs commoner. The lady turned her eyes to him, then cautiously asked what he had called her for.
Of course, Alex immediately asked the same question.
"You look like a cat," she replied, then looked strangely at Olivia.
Olivia squinted her eyes, "What's up with those eyes? I find cats cute. You gotta problem with that, girl?"
"No, no! I will take my leave, then!" the commoner lady bowed slightly, then ran away from the peculiar couple.
Alex slapped Olivia's back slightly, "Here we go. Your Yankee self. Stop scaring others."
Olivia crossed her arms beneath her chest, then lifted her chin and looked in the opposite direction, pouting, "I didn't like her eyes."
"Thanks, though. I can't believe I singlehandedly turned you into a cat lover from a dog lover. Everyone won't believe me," Alex wrapped his hand around Olivia's, then they went toward the city.
Olivia smiled widely, clearly overjoyed, "I can make a few exceptions! So you ended up with cat class, hmm… How did it happen? I want details! Details!"
Although Olivia said it, she knew that her boyfriend wouldn't tell her now. Otherwise, he would've said about it already. She couldn't hold her curiosity back, and as she had nothing to hide from Alex, Olivia acted a little childishly. Her usual self around him was a spoiled girl who wanted to have his all attention.
Alex used his free hand to scratch his cheek, "Well…"
"You hide something sus…" Olivia whispered in a jesting tone.
Alex glanced into her eyes, "What do you think about a love relationship between player and NPC?"
"Eh?"
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*Author's note: I saw other authors shamelessly asking for gift castles. They would offer one chapter as a reward. I find it pretty lame, but worth asking, right? Not gonna promise any chapters, though. It's pretty late now, but if I find time tomorrow... Have a nice day.*
*Yankee in japanese - juvenile deliquent. That's how Olivia used to be a few years ago, but Alex tamed that side.*