Standing up while patting the imaginary dust off the casual clothes the game had granted him, Jayden stretched his limbs to get rid of the groggy feeling, accommodating to the synchronization process.
Sauntering out of the enclosure which had a transparent dome on top, revealing the breathtaking view of the myriads of dazzling stars, Jayden made his way through the crowd, coming to a halt at the fountain in the center of the plaza with streams of clear glistening gold liquid cascading down through the vase held in the hands of the humanoid sculpture resembling an angel.
The marbled statue was made of luminous golden material and appeared as if it was thoroughly gilded, while also being lavishly adorned by countless sparkling gems. Nearing the metallic bench situated next to the fountain, he took a seat as he sorted out his thoughts.
"Status"
-----
== SVENGALI ==
Name: Jayden Hathway
Username: bestservedcold176#1028
Display Name: Adam
Moniker: None
Species: Sentient Intellectual Humanoid(Low-Stage Mortal)▼
Level 0 → None |
Alignment: Unknown
Affiliation: None
Recollection: ║ Act 0 Scene 1 ║▼
║Act 0 Scene 1: ■
Settings: ■
Protagonists: ■
Other Characters: ■
Plot Summary: ■
Achievements: ■║
0.00% [ 0.00 : 0.00 : 0.00 ] ▼
Key: Assimilated % [ Core : Fragment : Remnant ] |
Specialization: None▼
Level 0 → None |
Parameters: Mortal Stratum (Initial Phase) ▼
Physique: Mortal Body (Initial Phase)
►Gauge: 1.00 (0.00% ↑) (0.00% ↓)
►Gears: 0/5▼
┘1. ■ 2. ■ 3. ■ 4. ■ 5. ■┌
Psyche: Mortal Mind (Initial Phase)
►Gauge: 1.00 (0.00% ↑) (0.00% ↓)
►Gears: 0/5▼
┘1. ■ 2. ■ 3. ■ 4. ■ 5. ■┌
Paranormal: Mortal Soul (Initial Phase)
►Gauge: 1.00 (0.00% ↑) (0.00% ↓)
►Gears: 0/5▼
┘1. ■ 2. ■ 3. ■ 4. ■ 5. ■┌|
Unassigned Progression Points:
► Gauge Enhancement Points: 0.00
► Percentage Increment Points: 0.00
Innate Abilities:
» None
Skills:
» 1. Interpretation (High-Rank Mortal Grade)▼
Level 8 → Able to understand and communicate with all lifeforms at or below the High-Rank Mortal Grade.
*Artificially Acquired Skill → Increase in the probability of misconception of verbal speech originating from lifeforms at and above the High-Rank Mortal Grade. |
» 2. Adaptability (Low-Rank Awakened Grade)▼
Level 10 → Able to adapt to any and all environments below Mid-Rank Awakened Grade.
*Artificially Acquired Skill → Increase in the probability of developing undesirable adaptations to impede potentially harmful natural stimuli at and above the Low-Rank Awakened Grade. |
Condition: None
Comprehensive Evaluation: Low-Rank Mortal Grade
Wealth: 10.000 Xrypto
Inventory: None
== SVENGALI ==
¦ Logs ¦
¦ Contacts ¦
¦ Maps ¦
¦ Notes ¦
-----
"WTF? Whoa...that's a lot to take in," he commented aloud with wide eyes.
'Whatever, first I should check where Brian is. I think he decided to go with his own name for his Display Name.' thinking to himself, Jayden willed for the Contacts to open and entered his friend's name into the search bar.
-----
.
.
.
Brian (sacredknight⚔️#1027)
-----
Scrolling through the several accounts with similar names, he located his friend's one at the very bottom of the long list.
Pressing on it with his right hand brought out a system prompt asking whether he wanted to send a Personal Contact request, which he accepted with unhurried movements.
Within moments the request had been accepted and the iconic bell symbol emerged at the top right of the panel next to the minimize button.
Opening the notification, a chat window popped up with a simple 'Hey👋' written in a text bubble. Pressing the Live Conversation option, Jayden waited for the call to connect.
Shortly, a holographic image was depicted within his line of view mimicking Brian's appearance.
"Where did you spawn?" Jayden asked as soon as the connection stabilized.
"The announcer said I was on the Salakart III, in the...what Galaxy was it...oh, yeah, Pheine Galaxy," Brian replied while scratching his head.
"So, we've been placed on different spaceships. Anyway, since we don't know where Amy had been dropped, we should look around to see if there are any Quests available, cause from what you've said about her, she had most likely done the same instead of going out to level." Jayden pondered over the approach they ought to be taking, "Though, we still don't know what type of game this is; so look around if there's anything that catches your eye. With how similar your tastes are, it might not be hard for you to find an inkling as to what happened if you've been placed on the same spaceship as her. Also, make safety your top priority. We don't want the same happening to you."
"Sure, you be safe too." the floating image blinked out of existence when the call was terminated.
Shifting his focus to the people with multifarious shapes and sizes shuffling to and fro, tangibly of many different species, he paid particular attention to any beings that seemed inconspicuous, as he was aware that those types were the ones who usually dealt out Quests in MMORPGs like WD Online, or would be Players who had just entered the game.
However, no matter how hard he scrutinized the crowd, nothing stood out to him, hinting at the fact that there was not a single Player in the hordes of NPCs, nor any NPC who was guaranteed to give out a Quest; that is if there was the concept of Quests in the game in the first place. And that was something indeed, since, his observational abilities were one of the unique qualities that enabled him to seamlessly blend in with the throngs of prodigies at the Academy.
Getting up, he began wandering around for a while, remembering to keep his senses on high alert during his stroll. Going with the flow of the mob, Jayden, guided by the map, navigated through the busy hallways leading out of the central plaza, and set foot in the massive dining hall, which showed to have the highest Player population as of now.
Taking a cursory glance, he discovered hundreds of people, some sitting gorging on all sorts of cuisines, and some standing in queues with platters in hand at the dozens of stalls run by young men and women of separate origins.
Scattered every few NPCs were humans of varying ages easily identifiable as Players due to the green markers shaped like diamonds floating above their heads which were probably visible only to other Players.
Sliding into a chair at one of the bar countertops at the far end, he planned to converse with the female bartender of Human descent by the example of the young man, clearly, a Player, who had just previously occupied the spot, as she seemed to be the least talkative one and provided concise and accurate information.
Having overheard most of the exchange between the two, Jayden had already concluded what steps he needed to take.
"Hello. May I seek your recommendation on a cheap planet for tourism? I've heard that yours are more reliable than the ticket masters'." asked Jayden with a soft smile, "I'd prefer if you could be kind enough to suggest one that hosts a sparser population of Radicals, with the average level of Phenomenals being low enough for even a flea like me to cope. Oh, and I'd like a glass of varne."
"Hmm. With your strength, it'd be difficult to find a planet in this mid-level region that is safe. Although there are a few planets in the area that have weaker combat standards, the fare isn't really that cheap." the lady returned his smile with one of her own as she dexterously removed a single long glass from the dozens in the cupboard behind her.
"Would you like ice?"
"Ah, yes, thank you."
"My pleasure."
Slotting a few ice spheres into the glass, she opened up a bottle of varne, a universal nourishment drink with a hint of alcohol and a unique fluid with mind-rejuvenating and body strengthening properties, costing around 0.050 Xrypto- the most expensive item available at her stand, and deftly poured it into the glass.
As Jayden reached for the glass, the middle-aged woman levitated her palm over it while pointing at the screen installed into the marbled surface of the countertop. Displayed on the object were the words 'Payment before service' in bold.
After swiping his hand over the smartwatch on his wrist that had been provided to him at the start of the game, he lowered it until it just touched the screen. The next moment a window popped up, displaying the successful transaction of 1.000 Xrypto.
"My, how generous." seeing the amount which was twenty times the value of the drink, the lady elatedly responded, her expression becoming jovial.
Since the information she distributed was almost readily available, and just required a bit of pestering in the right places to uncover, as well as the drinks at her bar bringing her few customers, being the most expensive ones around, her daily income was far less than this absurd amount which she could hope to earn only in a month, she felt compelled to provide her best service for this wealthy customer.
"As we know, the nearest low-level areas have been passed quite a while back, and the return trip will take a bit of time. If you want to be able to get there now, it will cost you a hefty sum. But, I'll negotiate with a man I know and within the next hour, I'll inform you of the most affordable yet secure place, just for you." winking coquettishly, the lady ambled out from behind the counter.
"For the time being, I'd suggest you roam the Salakart IV, as it seems you're still unfamiliar with the place. I bet you'll find many entertaining things."
Interchanging contacts, the lady with long black hair containing a few strands of grey smiled seductively before bidding adieu, a short man in a buzzcut taking over.
Flabbergasted by the abrupt change in her behavior, Jayden felt that he had gone overboard.
"Well, I guess I'll just have to walk around for a while, huh. Okay, then. Salakart IV, let's see what you have to offer." shaking his head from side to side, he withdrew from the bar and began looking through the map.