Soran remained lying on the ground with both eyes shielded by his elbow. His breathing had stabilized long ago but the weariness from excessive fatigue had now turned into drowsiness. Meanwhile, Lumine took the charge of providing reports and answering Anubis's inquiries. "In terms of governance, Eldoria differs from Lemuria. Lemuria tends to lean towards a liberal democracy, while Eldoria follows a feudal system," she clarified.
Even after several days of attempting to infiltrate Eldoria's government structure, the information and knowledge obtained through Lumine's data breach process aligned closely with Anubis's assumptions. Having one confirmed piece of information was better than dozens of unverified speculations.
Anubis sat on the boulder, trying to keep his lower body still as it had become a resting place for Valeria, who seemed exhausted from overusing her vampiric abilities. Observing Valeria's fatigued state, Anubis couldn't help but wonder if fate had brought them together.
Resting his chin between his interlocked fingers, Anubis gazed ahead, but his focus went beyond what was immediately visible. When Lumine came back online, she presented fragments of knowledge, including one that wasn't initially part of their objective. However, Lumine deemed it relevant due to the significant information it contained.
As if the mysteries of the world slowly unraveled, it became apparent that the arrival of the game masters was prompted by a system detection of abnormalities. Anubis initially thought it was solely because of his presence, but the fragment of knowledge brought up by Lumine veered the answer somewhat off course—no, perhaps quite far off course.
In this world, it wasn't only Anubis who awoke in a state of uncertainty, lacking an understanding of their own existence. Valeria, the Rootmancer Druid, was another prime example. According to the information Lumine obtained through the data breach, the system detected abnormalities precisely when Valeria emerged from her prolonged slumber.
Upon closer examination, the game masters noticed Anubis's presence in the scene as well, an entity that had never been registered in their database. Combined with the massacre he carried out on the release day, the focus of attention shifted towards Anubis rather than Valeria, considering him the anomaly.
One of the strangest occurrences during that time was when the living roots absorbed Anubis's experiences through mere physical contact. Strangely, Valeria, in her current state, did not possess such basic abilities. Her abilities could be considered at their lowest level compared to what had previously existed.
The fact that she also awoke at level 1 with attribute status 0 could explain everything, confirming that Valeria had fallen into her weakest form, just like Anubis. However, he retained some memories and knowledge, while she had almost none.
In that moment, Valeria's consciousness stirred as she blinked awake, her gaze instinctively drawn to the master. "Did you summon me, Master?" she inquired, her curiosity piqued. Anubis, who had been silently observing Valeria, shook his head.
The strong emotional connection between them hindered Anubis's ability to think freely. The effects of the Pure Vampiric Blood were not yet fully understood. Even when Anubis was contemplating future plans involving Valeria, she woke up spontaneously.
The fatigue in Valeria's eyes seemed to vanish, perhaps due to the rapid recovery abilities of the two druids combined with her vampiric nature. Valeria quickly stood up, feeling uneasy upon realizing she had been asleep at her master's feet. However, her awareness was fragile, her body swaying, and she was on the verge of falling as she attempted to stand.
"The longer you embrace your vampiric powers, the more noticeable the side effects will become," Anubis stated, his hands gently steadying Valeria by her shoulders. "For the time being, focus on adapting to these changes."
"As you wish, Master," Valeria responded obediently.
There were deeper reasons why Valeria needed to learn and master her vampiric abilities beyond the simple fact of it. Her overall druidic abilities were focused on support, excelling in a potentially high-level support class. However, to survive and reach her full potential, Valeria needed to engage in combat, at least until she could overcome her current low level and attribute status.
Rephrased:
Soran heard the noises and woke up, sitting down supported by his hands as he leaned back. Since awakening in the body of an NPC, he had begun to understand the differences between "playing" as a player and being a native of this world, from the perspective of mastering his own character.
"You alright, Kev?" Lumine asked lightly.
"Yeah. For some reason, I'm starting to grasp the differences in how celestials fight. Back then, our battles were essentially skill and damage exchanges. Yes, they were very powerful, but... seeing how Anubis fights here, I'm getting more curious about who the Crown of the Vampire Lord really is."
"We're in a boundless realm, where no matter how great someone's fighting technique is, numbers and stats are still a priority," Lumine offered a different perspective. "If we can maintain a safe level gap with enemies, we'll have a chance. However, there are also characters in this world who are already high-leveled, like the Monarchs."
An accurate statement, as that was the situation. Monarchs were figures who acted as arms of the governing authorities in a town. According to the information they had gathered, Lemuria had five Monarchs, with Alucard being the weakest, while only two names were known in Eldoria.
"They're in the range of level 50 and above, and this glaring difference in numbers is our biggest weakness. Especially considering they've probably ascended or even transcended... while we can still be considered at the basic level of our respective classes."
In all his fights so far, Anubis had never used the powers of his class - he simply couldn't - and relied solely on his basic abilities as a pure vampire. If it continued like this, in a metaphorical sense, against a well-trained party of players with their abilities and coordination, Anubis would be cornered, there was no doubt about it.
"That's why we plan to seek a way out through the Authorities, correct?" Soran said.
Being in a world that's different, the "natural laws" in this world may be different from what one is accustomed to. An example of this is the role of the Authorities. They have the ability to regulate some of the natural laws present, such as the safezones. Safezone are specific areas that are not accessible to regular monster algorithms, providing a safe haven for cities, villages, and settlements scattered throughout the open world.
Authorities also have access to a law that cannot be opposed by adventurers or even the natives of this world. Penalties can be imposed on them, such as imprisonment, experience reduction, friendly-fire consequences, or even being kicked out of the area. There are broader scopes within this context, and most importantly, not everyone can access these authorities. However, Anubis, the strange existence, happens to possess the power.