Hello readers!
Once again, welcome, and thank you for being here.
First, update schedule: 1 chapter per day.
Second, since I am participating in the WSA, this novel will probably become contracted in the future... Hopefully...
However, I would only do it around chapter 80 since that is the limit, as far as I know, I still have to research more about it.
I hope that by then, this Novel becomes a work you are willing to put your faith in and truly enjoy it.
Nevertheless, that is only a possibility as I may or may not contract it, let's see.
In the meantime, you can check my other account Abadom to see my other books.
Why did I not publish it there? Because my inkstone account is full... So I can't make a new book and hence, I cannot apply to the WSA.
Goodbye, everyone, I wish you all, a pleasant night as I am going to sleep.
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/Back at the Tutorial Tower hallway…/
/Fium!/
/Fium!/
/Fium!/
/Fium!/
[Server capacity 1000/1000]
[The Tutorial will soon start, please get ready in the meantime]
Multiple lights flashed almost at the same time, and once they dimmed and disappeared a crowd of people took its place.
"Wow… It's truly something else. The smell, the feelings, the sensation… As expected, Elden Throne outdid themselves once again with yet another hit." Said one of the players
A few of the people around him agreed, others moved around and checked the place, and a few checked the game's menus…
They weren't the only ones doing it as millions of players who were entering the game were also just as impressed.
With the players' arrival, the game forums also went online, and they were immediately flooded, and with it, some threads started to become more and more famous…
"Are you a Standard Mode Fan, or are you a HardCore Mode Enjoyer?"
"I am a Tourism Mode God! Change my mind."
"HardCore is for masochists!"
"Standard is for Pussies!"
"HA! Pussies are the ones who didn't randomize!"
Everyone had their own reactions and priorities, however, things were getting chaotic…
The internet would always be the internet, and it didn't take long for people to argue with each other over such meaningless things.
/Back at Server A-0001…/
"What's this? Hall of Fame? Records… The first player to reach Level 100?! What's his name… 'My Dad'?! Who would choose such a name?!"
Hearing this, another player said with a smile:
"Why are you so surprised? It's clearly a joke by the developers, it's quite common. So chill out, it probably won't remain there for too long…"
The first player smiled awkwardly and said:
"I was just surprised since it's my first time in one of these MMOs."
"Really?! You've been living under a rock or something?"
"I… I just liked playing normal sandbox games… Wait, there's another record."
This made the players around him surprised as they started to check the Hall of Fame.
"First to complete the Tutorial… The fastest Tutorial clear… First to finish a Raid alone… All of them are under this guy called My Dad!"
The players were surprised and then confused.
"Who is this guy? It's impossible to have achieved Level 100… Unless he used an exploit, and if that is the case, then it's going to be removed soon." Said the newbie
"Even the other records are simply too much, everyone just logged in yet the time says… -30 minutes and 15 seconds? Who can make a record with negative time?!"
One of the players said:
"It might've been one of the developers trying the mechanics to make sure everything is running smoothly, it should be removed soon unless they keep it as a joke."
Almost everyone nodded in agreement, but some kept quiet about their own worries...
They weren't the only ones thinking like this, many players across multiple lobbies were now all thinking about this.
There wasn't much to do anyway, some tried to move around, a few others checked the configurations, some tested the skills they got from randomizing their characters…
Of course, it was impossible to damage anyone before the tutorial actually started and if they did try or went over the line, like let's say, trying to harass a player, then they would be immediately banned.
Everyone had to wait for the 30 minutes to pass before they could do anything, be it play in the tutorial or jump straight into the continent and play the game for real.
However… Things weren't going to remain silent forever…
…
/Outside of the Tutorial Tower…/
Dale was running as fast as he could, his objective was the village.
He was very fast, almost as fast as a car, he ran and jumped around the place like a cat.
"Part 1 of the plan was completed flawlessly, I got much stronger than I expected, so it's time to start part 2…"
'I have many materials, but they are mostly useless, although it's not time to sell them yet, I still need some things…'
"There are 4 things you can get in the tutorial that can change your early game completely."
"Gear, Special Items, information, and Money."
'I already got the gear, but there are still some I would like to get… But I won't go out of my way to get it if I am to lose time, my objective is to finish everything before the 30-minute time limit.'
'While 90% of the players will spend their first few hours if not days in the tutorial, I will be enjoying the game and stacking items…'
'Especially big gamer guilds, they should be logging out together and monopolizing a few lobbies... They will certainly grow stronger very fast and this will only snowball towards the main game.'
'Although my plans do not include that portion of the game since I know nothing about it… But I have a few predictions.'
'Special items, this is the most important… There are a few items in the Tutorial that could change everything… I'm talking about Stat potions, Skill manuals, Upgrade materials, and other things.'
'I don't even need to explain what money means… The more the better.'
…
Within a minute, Dale arrived at the village, it looked the same as he remembered, his first target was a place hidden beneath a rock in the ruins of a house.
To get inside, you must first have at least 15 Strength, else the rock won't budge unless several people work together to lift it since it weighs several hundred Kg.
"It took a few days for people to find this in the Beta, I don't know how long it will take for people to find it since the number of players is 10 times that of the Beta, but I don't care…"
'The fragment of the Sigil of Strength is mine…'
Dale jumped inside the hole and the rock rolled back into place, sealing the hole once more.
The NPCs didn't even react, although a few looked at him with side glances, and an old man even laughed as he shook his head…
…
"It's really dark in here…"
Dale took out his spear from his inventory, it shined in faint red light, but it was strong enough to illuminate this entire hallway like a torch.
Dale was currently within a dark corridor made out of gray bricks which were similar to a dungeon structure.
"Good!"
Dale smiled as everything was going according to the plan. He ran as he activated his temporary Skill Explorer Sense, giving him a high chance of finding treasures and traps.
[Explore Sense 2-Star Passive
Effects: Gives you a sixth sense capable of detecting danger and treasures, and even will omens. The degree of information detected depends on the difference between the Levels of the threat and of the Skill.
]
Dale knew there weren't any traps, since the mechanisms of the tutorial were still disabled, but being cautious never killed anyone… Not many times at the very least.
Dale also took out a small wooden shield and put it in front of his chest, but it was then he noticed something odd.
"I got no penalty notification?"
'This is a game after all, so there is a limit of things you can equip at once… Equipping a sword in the menu will allow you to get its effects while holding something not equipped does nothing 90% of the time.'
'However, here I am, my Sword is on my back giving me its buffs, while I am holding a spear and a shield while receiving their boosts without any penalty…'
"Is this because of the realism of HardCore players?"
'If so, this is yet another bonus that was not told in the character creation screen…'
'It's normal for it to not appear in there, since if the developers were to say everything about the game in one go, then we would stay there reading a 4-page text…'
"Perhaps they want us to find out everything there is to each game mode through gameplay…"
…
Dale ran through many corridors, taking a few turns before he arrived at a large hall.
"Phew… That took a while, I thought I had taken the wrong path."
'As expected, the trial is not activating, and that is the problem, I hoped for it to start…'
Dale looked at a stone door and said:
"Plan B."
/BOOM!/
Dale grabbed his spear and activated its skill while he pierced the wall.
Once the smoke dissipated, a small hole appeared on the door.
"I worked, violence yet again prevails."
"Hum... I feel a bit... Worn out? It's truly an ass to not be able to work with a mana bar..."
'I can't see how much MP these skills cost, nor can I see how much I have available... Truly a fucking disaster for someone who micromanages things... Not for me since I can't bother.'
/BOOM!/
/BOOM!/
/BOOM!/
Dale used his skill 3 more times and finally, a large enough hole appeared.
Without waiting even a single moment, he removed his gear and jumped through the small hole.
[DING!]
[You discovered the Hall of Strength!]
[Your Mana and Health have been repleneshed]
[5K Experience points]
[XP converted to 5 Zulls of Wood]
As Dale raised his head, he saw a grandiose Hall filled with weapons and statues, most of it was completely broken while few were still intact.
In the middle of it all, was a small red badge glowing in faint red light.
[Sigil of Strength (Broken)]
"This is it, although instead of broken, I would say it's worn out... It looks super old."
'The Sigil of strength, in the previous game, it held a lot of importance, and once again, it was thought to be an easter egg.'
'There are 6 Sigils, one for each stat, and they increase each stat by 15, but since it's broken, the value is now 5. So by gathering all of them, I can effectively stay 5 levels ahead of every player at all times.'
'Even if these can be acquired by other players, it doesn't matter since at the end of the day, it's almost impossible for a single player to get all of the 5… Unless he is one of the Beta players or he is someone who has played the previous games.'
'But who would remember these details… If it wasn't for Jelly researching it with me I would've forgotten it as well…'
"Talking about Jelly… Didn't he say something about this…"
Dale started to think and he eventually remembered his talk with Jelly.
"It's worth a shot…"
He grabbed the sigil and stored it in his inventory before he left the place; there weren't any treasures in this place.
"Time to start, operation 'Vault Thief'!... Hehehe…"
…
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Notes