This chapter took longer to post because I was busy today, but here it is!
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/Just when the clock was about to hit 1 Am.../
"And... Done!… Phew, I cut it close."
"I think this should be enough fidgeting around." Said Dale as he stretched his arms up high
He raised his head and focused back on the church, realizing that David had his eyes closed.
"David?"
"..."
"Is he sleeping?" He mumbled to himself in a low tone
'Well, if he didn't reply to me immediately, then he is sleeping…'
'But isn't this kind of bad? If the holy statue can seemingly open and close its eyes on a whim... Then things will get awkward eventually.'
"Besides, I still have a few things to do on the market."
'For one, I need to wait for the auctions to end, they will last around 30 minutes so once that is done and I collect my rewards, there will be no need for me to come back in a long while.'
'And the second thing… Time to buy some consumables…' He thought to himself as he opened the market
'Resko is a pretty remote place, and because of it, there are no shops or places for me to replenish my items unless I have the locals make me some, and I have no idea what sort of things they are capable of producing on their own...'
'And using the trade market once costs over 30 Zulls of Iron. It's a lot really, so it's better to just buy everything I need right now instead of using such a large sum.'
'Potions and even food might be interesting… I mean, if some shit happens and the villagers can't work anymore, wouldn't it be quite good to have a large supply of food?'
'Food and materials above all, since right now, players have no use for them so they're just being dumped in the market.'
'Potions on the other hand are in high demand... For the same reason as above, players have no way of producing them.'
'One has no use, the other has no source, such was how the market regulates itself.'
"The only problem is that... I'm in debt..." He mumbled to himself with a frown
Dale underestimated the number of items players would sell him, and even though his exchange system made a lot of money from selling information, items, and reselling other items, the same could be said to the contrary.
Though it wasn't much, only a few hundred Iron Zulls, still, it was more than enough to make him cringe in frustration.
Tens of thousands of players all across the world saw his trading pages, and if it weren't for his set limit in some items, the amount might've reached unbelievable heights...
If there were 1 million players online right now, if each one of them spent 1 Iron Zull, that would be enough to make 100 Copper Zulls.
What if it were 10? 100? 1000?... Things would've escalated pretty quickly.
"If only there were no sale tax between transactions, then I wouldn't be in debt..."
'In any case, I need to think ahead and save myself from possible problems…'
[DING]
[You have received a message from User: Can_You_Feel_My_Heart?!]
"That was fast..."
'What's with this name?… Hum... The message is quite short.'
"I hope it's useful this time… The others I read so far weren't useful in the least."
'Well, if the system didn't block his, then it should be a serious one.'
But as Dale read through the message, he smiled.
"I knew it, they approached me first…"
'The large gaming groups wanting to buy my items privately… Let's see their offer.'
Dale knew that people would soon contact him. Not for the sake of complaining or anything, but for the sake of negotiating.
That was the reason why he kept a part of his Main Sets out of the Trade Market.
He was waiting for them to contact him.
"Hm… They want… 5 sets? Lower than I expected… And they are offering me… I see, they want to see what I deem as valuable first."
'The problem is that I don't know if they are honest or not, they could just see what sort of things I want and ditch me...'
'Besides, soon...'
[DING]
[You have received a message from User: Red_Hills]
[DING]
[You have received a message from User: Look at this Giraffe!]
[DING]
[You have received a message from User: Neonic]
[DIN…]
"Urg my ears… This is what I get for reactivating the sound notification…" He said as he turned off the sound notification once more
'It hasn't even been 5 minutes since I posted those Auctions and these people are already on my ass… This is a good thing though.'
Dale became serious.
'In these sorts of MMORPGs, Guilds or Clans, or any coordinated group of players will tend to take over things very very fast, due to the massive advantage they hold over normal players.'
'And that is personnel, the ability to divide tasks effectively.'
'No matter how incredible I am, no matter how much of a lead I have, they will catch up to me one day. I say as a group, not as an individual.'
'I find it difficult for someone to be able to match my stats and gear for now, so the only way they could take me on is if they treat me as a Raid Boss, gathering a specialized party to defeat me.'
'Though that would then fall into the rules of PVP which is still a rather mysterious realm for me.'
'But if we take the information-gathering abilities and resources of a Clan, and if they're lucky, investing everything into a single group of players...'
'I may eventually end up finding my match, especially if those people are somewhat capable themselves.'
'I never trained in VR to be a professional gamer, what if a professional fighter and gamer is backed up by a super strong guild while being lucky with his encounters too?'
'He could even have chosen to be a HardCore player as well... Our gap would eventually close.'
'That is, if I'm not lucky or backed myself...'
'Following that idea, shouldn't I join a group or make my own? Ha!'
'I just so happen to have no intentions of joining or making my own group, such things can't be made just like that and to be honest, once things grow, politics enter into the fray and it just becomes a bother.'
'I was in many groups and Clans throughout my life, and I know very well how intense people can be with gaming…'
'At most, I would make a small gaming group of fewer than 10-20 players, mostly composed of close friends with shared interests and abilities… It's the most sustainable way of doing things.'
'But then, doesn't that break the purpose of creating a group to have a backing? Well, you could say having companions is a form of backing...'
'My friends from school are playing this game, and my Bros even called me to play with them, but I had to refuse… All because of this reason.'
'They play this game for the sake of their Clan, and I have no intention of joining it. Especially since it's a Company-owned Clan... And I don't really wish to be bossed around.'
'I never heard of them having problems with their Clan, so it seems like a good place, but honestly, it would be hard for me to join as well given my current circumstances and aspirations.'
'I feel sorry for them and even myself for rejecting them, but it had to be done.'
'Next time we'll play together like we always did for the past decade or so.'
'Just because I've chosen the loner route this time around, this doesn't mean I'm throwing away everything I've built outside of the game.'
"Having an aspiration is good, but it can quickly turn into an obsession if it starts affecting my close relations."
'All of this leaves no more candidates to join me…'
'My brother and family? It's a bit odd and… I don't know… Strange? Playing in a fighting game where blood spills on your face with your mom and dad?'
'Regardless, its too late, my bother has already entered the game and he has his own group of friends to play with, I won't bother them for now.'
'My dad will likely become a Tourism type of player since he was always terrible with body and Skill coordination... While my mom... She should become a normal player.'
'Just because she's my mom, that doesn't mean she is terrible with games, heck, even my grandfather is a God-like player.'
'Being born in the early 2000s, he passed through all kinds of gaming eras, he knows what he's doing.'
"I wonder how they're doing now... Gramps and Granny."
'I'll give them a call if I have time to see how they're doing.' Dale thought with a small smile
"With that out of the way, the only thing I can do for now is to run as fast as I can."
'What is the advantage of a Guild? It's the numbers and their organization. How fast they can get things done. Be it from material acquisition to completing something like a gathering quest.'
'I will use this chance to collect everything I need for my future, so that I can keep myself in front of them Level-wise at the very least.'
'While they are Level 5, I am Level 17, and by tomorrow I may be even able to reach Level 20… A bit too fast but good nonetheless.'
'If I reach Level 20 first, I'm sure I'll gain another exclusive privilege, and for the Levels after it as well…'
'I am already in a high-quality area, I just need to Level up, complete these quests, get the High-Ranking items, and get better so I can start diving into this area's true content… This is a recipe for success.'
Dale quickly read through the messages, but more and more offers came over time, making Dale feel as if he was making no progress…
...
/15 minutes later…/
The Auction ended and his items were sold, but the Market's inventory was just as full as before.
Dale had a smile on his face as he went through his gains.
He refused many deals during this time, some extremely lucrative, but he didn't regret it.
No one knew who he was and where he was, so he completely ignored all threats and closed the game menu as he stretched his neck.
"I'll go over everything once I'm home… Wait. It's already over 1:15 Am… Can I even find a place to sleep?"
Dale face palmed as he realized he committed a mistake.
'I should've dealt with this sooner…'
Although it's true that players have no need to sleep in a VR game, in this sort of high-intensity environment, even if you have an incredible gaming Pod, your brain will still tire itself over time.
So taking short breaks is needed from time to time, and to incentivize that, the game has a feature that gives players bonuses for sleeping and taking good care of their bodies.
Otherwise, normal players would never waste their time sleeping… Most players at least.
There are many out there that use VR technology just so they can sleep more…
Think about it, from 5-7 hours of sleep to 15 and 21 if they have a decent pod, perhaps even more...
Besides, even if he wanted to keep himself awake, Dale had no choice but to do so.
As a HardCore player, Dale knew he had to take good care of his character's body and health.
And so far, there isn't much he can do right now in the middle of the night. The outside is dangerous and he knows little about it, so exploring it isn't an option, while every single NPC is sleeping.
The village isn't that big and the sole Dungeon is clean of any monsters, there isn't much for him to do and Dale was sure the NPCs wouldn't appreciate his efforts if he were to pick a few more Mercenary contracts to hammer wood in the middle of the night…
He could try exploring the ruins and digging up some treasures, but that looks like a severe shot in the dark.
Instead of tiring himself, why not sleep for a little while and get some bonuses so that by the time everyone is awake, he can complete their quests without a hitch?
"The last thing for me to do is…"
'To get a new Class.'
Dale opened the game menu once more and selected Class Change.
[You have met the requirements for a Class Change]
[Beware that Class Change through this method can only be done once]
[Would you like to receive a New Class?]
"Yes."
'I did think about what would happen if I held onto this for a long time, would I be able to have a free shoot into a Top Tier Class?'
'But thinking about it again, it may not be worth it due to how the Class Change works...'
[A proper Beginner Class shall be selected by analyzing your gameplay]
'Because of this reason... If I have a High Tier Class and use the Class Change, there is no guarantee it'll give me a Higher Tiered one, it may just give me a more suitable one.'
'And a High-Level player may actually get weaker if he does so since a sudden Class Change could completely disrupt their current gameplay meta.'
'It's just another gamble...'
[Processing…]
/Sprot!/
/Crunk!/
"!"
A large translucent green tree suddenly appeared in front of Dale, shocking him greatly as it burst through the ceiling of the Church.
The tree had thousands of branches and leaves rising into the sky as they aimed at the stars above.
/Shine.../
One of the leaves high above shone, and an entire vein leading from the leaf to one of the roots of the tree started sparkling as well.
After this happened, the tree slowly vanished, showing a tiny sprout hidden within the dirt…
The sprout grew a bit becoming slightly bigger.
[Your Class has changed from Fallen Noble to Heavy Spearman]
[Evolution tree of the Skill, Spear Technique has opened]
[Constitution Ratio has changed from 1 to 1.1]
"..."
'Hum… I don't know why, but I was expecting more… Perhaps getting all of these system notifications has messed with my mind a little.'
'Besides, this is not a bad start at all. I didn't gain a new Skill, probably because I already had it, but I gained something else.'
'Though it's a shame I still have no Active Skills that consume Mana, not that it's a problem, but having a resource that isn't utilized is a waste.'
'Well, Fighting Spirit is an Active Skill, but it's a Self Buff rather than a Strike Skill or anything of the sort.'
"Might as well go to sleep for now…"
"David, you there?... Tsk, still unresponsive."
'I'll talk with him more some other time.'
[Player: DareDevil (Dale Houston) Attainments: Body Reformation; Eclipsed;
Level:17 (87.1%)
Class: Heavy Spearman
Character Status:
Strength: 84(99); Constitution: 84(109); Dexterity: 84(99); Mental Power: 59(74); Reflexes: 59(74); Mana: 34(49)
Skills:
Slot 1-> Spear Technique 2-Star (Neutral)
Slot 2-> Close quarters Combat 0.5-Star (Neutral)
Slot 3-> Stable Emotions 2.5-Star (Passive)
Slot 4-> Spatial Awareness 0-Star (Passive)
Slot 5-> Fighting Spirit 2-Star (Active)
Slot 6-> Miasma Immunity 0-Star (Passive)
Temporary Skills: None
Current Effects:
Aspect of Might -> All Stats +15
Body Reformation -> Natural Healing and Stamina recovery speed has been increased
Constitution Ratio 1.1
Inventory (+)
]
(His Constitution Value is 99 x 1.1 for 108.9 so it's rounded up)
"I went a long way… But it's just the start."
'Without me noticing, my stats are already on the verge of going over 100. What a trip. My Skills improved a little and I gained one more.'
'Thanks to my new Class, Constitution was the first Stat to go over that value, soon enough, the other Stats will follow suit.'
With a smile on his face, he turned around to leave... But he stopped before he even took a single step.
"?... This…"
'I almost forgot about it...'
Dale looked behind him and realized he couldn't keep dragging a long-ass sword around the place. Especially one that kept damaging the ground and was prone to knock things around due to its size and sharpness.
He looked at David and smiled, saying:
"I'll leave it with you for now, better here than anywhere else really." He said in a low tone as he carefully placed the sword behind the altar so it wouldn't damage anything
After he made sure the sword was properly placed and wouldn't tilt over no matter what, he turned around and left for the Inn.
"Thinking about it, I met Illia some time ago..."
His voice became more and more distance as he descended the Hill...
"..."
After a while, David opened his eyes as he gazed at the now-empty church, he had a hint of melancholy in his eyes.
"..."
But in the end, he smiled.
"A crazy plan… But I'll help you. That's my job after all."
"It'll be tough, and the future seems a tad bit harsh…"
"But this wasn't the worst I've been through. Compared to spending a hundred years on a demon's arse, this is heaven."
He closed his eyes and soon opened them, returning to being a statue, waiting for Dale's next visit.
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Notes
I know the chapters have been slow so far, but when the mc comes back from his slight pause, his training arc will start and I will start developing this series further.
The foundation of what he needs to do has been set and I think we need to have a proper grasp of how strong he is right now, and also a bit of the world.
Anyway, there is a lot to do, I hope you have liked the series so far.
Also, I plan to make the images for all of the Elders, including Illia and even possibly some of the players, though they are lesser priorities.
Anyway, peace!