As he was about to touch the screen to confirm his choice, Aeorn suddenly spoke, whispering right into his ear without making a sound. Saad felt a shiver down his spine, irritated at how the NPC could sneak up on him so silently.
"What's wrong now?! Can you stop sneaking up on me!" he almost cursed out loud but stopped himself out of habit.
"You should lower the age a little," Aeorn's words made him freeze. He stared at the guide NPC, feeling conflicted. Aeorn's obsidian eyes looked like an abyss was staring back at him. "What? You trust your lower intelligence over my superior one? You should be happy that I'm even giving you these ideas," Aeorn said, looking smug as he returned to his 'throne.' Saad felt mentally exhausted from talking to this peculiar AI, wondering if he should trust him at all.
But should he ignore the hint that Aeorn gave or take the advice even though he could barely trust the NPC? It was a tough choice, and he frowned. Of course, Aeorn couldn't seem to shut up and spoke once more in his nonchalant, brooding yet somewhat irritatingly melodic voice. "Just so you know, you only have fifteen minutes until the next day starts. The link will break once that happens." Another threat was spewed out, and Saad was just done.
No more! He could barely stand Aeorn by this point, even if the NPC wasn't saying anything wrong; it was that smug tone that angered him.
His finger lingered on the age bar, and then he grumbled like a moody kid, "How much should I lower the age?"
Aeorn had a tiny smile on his face, making him look even prettier, and Saad tried not to be awestruck by it. He reminded himself that Aeorn was just a male NPC after all. "One year," Aeorn spoke easily, his tone less irritating.
Saad realized that perhaps this NPC just preferred it when he was being obedient, which was even more ridiculous. Regardless, Saad lowered the age without asking, and then finally, he pressed the possession button. As the water screen in the pond dropped down, the pond's water started to rise, forming a door made out of clear water drops in the middle of the pond. Saad walked up to the door, and he could hear the fluttering of wings as he turned to see Aeorn in the air, silent. Saad felt like perhaps the NPC wanted to say something, as those obsidian eyes seemed to hold so many expressions in them. Aeorn knew what he was thinking, yet unlike before, he was quiet now.
'Seriously, just what is up with this NPC?' Saad thought to himself and opened the door, passing through the blinding light as he left Aeorn behind, leaving all those feelings of frustration behind as well. it was strange but even in that short amount of time, a connection seemed to have form. But it was time for next step. This is where he was going to start!
As he passed though the door, he saw a clear window popping up with black text appearing on it.
[The game is now synchronizing.]
[Please wait patiently.]
Saad read the messages and wondered just how long it would take. He had read that synchronization depended on the internet speed and he could only hope that it won't take forever. Perhaps his luck was good but it only took a minute for synchronization to reach 100% and then he could vividly feel the sensation of his eyes being closed and so he instinctively opened them up and soon windows were popping up with black text written on them.
[Sight synchronization 100%. You have chosen a body with good eye sight. You are now able to see everything clearly.]
[Touch synchronization 100%. You have chosen a healthy body. You can now feel everything. Please customize the pain scale to your desired level.]
[Taste synchronization 100%. You have chosen a healthy body. You can now taste all the delicacies. You can start your gourmet journey now.]
[Hearing synchronization 100%. You have chosen a body with good hearing. You are now able to hear everything loud and clear.]
[Smell synchronization 100%. You have chosen a healthy body. You are now able to smell everything. Please customize your smell scale for comfortable experience.]
[Please open your status window for a detailed look at your character. Good luck with your journey in Chimerical World system.]
Kael could see message after message popping in front of him and then disappearing. That was great but soon he found himself lying on the bed, feeling somewhat disoriented. His body felt hot and sweaty, an unusual sensation, like having a fever. Everything felt unusually real. Before he could understand just what was happening and take a look at his character profile and status, another series of windows started to pop up.
[A mysterious and ominous fate is at play.]
[You have fallen into a negative status state, 'fever,' due to being out in the first snow of the winter. ]
[You have fallen into negative status, 'Fever Haze.' Your strength has temporarily decreased by 4.]
[You have fallen into negative status, 'Am I a Slug?' Your agility has temporarily decreased by 4.]
[You have fallen into negative status, Brainfreeze.' You will suffer from a piercing headache every ten minutes in an hour. Your stamina has temporarily decreases by 2.]
[You have fallen into negative status, 'Arctic Shivers.' Your body will tremble uncontrollably with chills for every ten minutes in an hour. Your stamina has temporarily decreases by 1.]
"What?" Saad stared at the pop-up window with disbelief in his eyes.
Wasn't this a little too real?! The status effects were overwhelming, and Saad was in disbelief. He had read that the game was hyper-realistic, but this seemed a bit excessive. How was he going to even play this game if just the first snow caused him so many negative status effects? Perhaps the black fate was a huge issue after all. How was he going to survive and raise his character under these conditions?
Either way, he needed to first take a look at his character. So he tried to speak, but his throat was sore, and his voice came out croaky. "Status window," he managed to say, and as soon as he spoke, a window opened in front of him displaying his character profile on the side. At the top was his name written in a different language, which he surprisingly could read. It was both fascinating and overwhelming.
Under that was his age, race and then title. He noticed that he already possessed a title, "The Young Master of Emberflame." Intrigued, Saad pressed on the title, and the details were rather nice.
[Title: Young Master of Emberflame]
You are the young master of an old merchant family. Take advantage of the reputation of your family. The chances of successful negotiation are increased by 15%. The chances of successful bargaining are increased by 10%.
Intelligence +3
Fame +10
It was unexpectedly a good title. But that also meant that others who had been able to snatch better characters would start even better than him. Wouldn't they have better titles and effects? There was no use crying over spilled milk, so he decided to look down at his status window.
Character Window - ID:1221
==============================
Name: Kael Emberflame
Age: 15
Race: Human
Title: Young Master of Emberflame (Passive)
Level: 1 (0/50)
HP: 40/50
Attributes:
----------------
Stamina: 1 (Affected by 'Brainfreeze', Affected by 'Arctic Shivers' - Dangerously lowered stamina)
Strength: 2 (Affected by 'Fever haze' - Weakened physical power)
Agility: 1 (Affected by 'Am I a slug?' - Reduced mobility)
Intelligence: 6 (+3)
Charm: 8
Dexterity: 6
Fame: (+10)
Additional States: Locked
SP : 0
Potential: locked
Skills: 3 empty slots
Wealth: 10 Spheres
----------------
* A mysterious and ominous fate is at play.* (Additional details: Locked)
As he looked at his character's attributes, Saad couldn't help but feel a sense of urgency and concern. The status effects that had negatively impacted his physical abilities worried him. And he needed to quickly recover his stamina somehow. He truly wondered if this negative status was the work of his black fate bar. And if that was the case and this mysterious fate thing kept interfering with his progress, how would he ever succeed in the game? However, he was determined not to give up. All for the sake of earning the money he needed. He had no other option but to raise this character!
Saad noticed that the game was currently being recorded and could be uploaded to the world tube directly, but he had other plans. He had good video editing skills, so he was going to tweak his videos here and there and then upload them for more views.
Saad pressed on the stamina and a message popped on the side, as if to provide hint.
[Rest well to recover your stamina!]
Saad's eyebrow twitched. That didn't help much. He knew he had to be strategic in how he played the game. Focusing on Kael's intelligence and charm attributes seemed like the best approach, considering his title's bonuses for negotiation and bargaining. Developing his character's mental and social skills, as well as unlocking new abilities, would be vital to compensating for his weakened physical abilities during crucial moments. But first, he needed to deal with his current situation. And as if on cue, there was a knock on the door.