As Alex made his way back to Sebastian's wizard tower, he couldn't stop thinking about the bizarre events in the cave.
"Wait, my Shadow Bloodline that unlocked the Shadow Hunter class is tied to a royal vampire family? But Shade isn't a vampire, right?"
What puzzled Alex even more was that this bloodline had a connection to his family in the real world. What on earth was going on?
Curious, Alex checked his status screen. It revealed he had contracted Sanguinare Vampiris, but the time until he turned into a vampire was uncertain. The hunger was already creeping in.
Turning his attention to the world rankings, Alex discovered he was the top player at level 12. The second-ranked player, someone named FriedBaconInTheMorning, was only level three.
"Level three is pretty impressive," Alex mused to himself.
Alex's impressive level gap was a result of his unique hidden class and the completion of the first S-rank quest, granting him a whopping 9 levels. Still, he understood that leveling up took time, especially in the early stages of the game, so reaching level three was no small feat.
As he strolled back to the wizard tower, Alex took in the night scenery—the moonlit streets, people engaging in various activities, and the overall immersive atmosphere of the game.
The realism momentarily blurred the line between the game and reality. Lost in the moment, Alex's attention fixated on the neck of a young woman working at a bar, carrying drinks for customers. For a few minutes, he found himself captivated by the scene, almost forgetting it was just a game.
Suddenly, the intensity of hunger gripped him, and he stood there, fixated on the girl's neck. It took a moment for him to snap out of it.
"The hunger is getting unbearable... it's happening fast," Alex muttered to himself, realizing the in-game experience was getting a bit too real.
Lost in his thoughts, Alex pondered how blood would taste in the game. Surely, it had to be different from the real thing—drinking actual blood was out of the question; it was just too gross.
Upon his return to the wizard tower, a guard welcomed him warmly.
"You're back!" the guard exclaimed.
"Indeed. Can I go see Mayor Sebastian?" Alex inquired.
"Of course! Please, go in."
The guards treated him with respect, thanks to the title he gained from the interaction between Shade and Sebastian. Entering the tower, Alex marveled at its luxurious interior and the diligent people working to maintain its cleanliness and security.
Sebastian, the mayor, seemed to enjoy a comfortable life, earned through his hard work in keeping the city safe and running smoothly.
Ready to use the staircase as before, Alex remembered Sebastian's chatty nature during the last ascent, almost making him wish for a swift end.
Observing his intention to use the stairs, a lady behind the counter chimed in, "Shadowborn, right? Sebastian's friend? You can use the teleportation device there to get up faster!"
She pointed to a blue magical circle, and Alex couldn't help but feel a sense of frustration.
"Sebastian made us walk just to talk? Man..."
*
The teleportation device worked like a charm. Alex stood over the magical circle, and in an instant, he found himself on the top floor of the wizard tower, where Sebastian resided. The efficiency of the teleportation left him regretting his previous climb with the ever-talkative Sebastian.
After knocking on the door, a voice from inside asked, "Who is it?"
"Shadowborn."
The door opened, revealing a bearded old man on the other side.
"You're back! Tell me what happened!"
Seated on a couch near a warm fireplace with blue flames, Alex recounted the events, omitting certain details like his conversation with Mikkel, the vampire, and the possibility of having the bloodline of a royal vampire family. The fact that he had been infected was also kept under wraps.
"I see," Sebastian said, stroking his long white beard. "You did well. Now, I can see you have a decent sword, but your armor is quite bad. Come with me."
Quest Completed
First B Quest Completion, Extra EXP earned
+60000 EXP
Level Up
Level Up
Level Up
The completion of the quest awarded Alex a substantial amount of EXP, as it was the first B quest completed in the game. This explained why he was eager to enter the city ahead of others—the rewards for the first player were too good to pass up.
The game forums erupted with discussions about how Shadowborn leveled up so rapidly. Haters accused him of cheating, while his growing fan base ardently defended him. Even the second-ranked player spoke up for the first time, garnering attention from almost everyone.
FriedBaconInTheMorning: Shadowborn, I respect you. Don't mind the haters talking nonsense. But don't get too comfortable—I'll catch up!
The rewards for the quest were not just the awesome EXP; Mayor Sebastian hinted at something even better. He led Alex out of the city towards a graveyard not far away.
"This is a famous spot for adventurers seeking loot. There's a massive tomb here that attracts many treasure hunters. You might want to explore it sometime."
Dungeon Unlock
Tomb of the Dead
Level Range: 15-20
List of Solo Completions: 0 Players
List of Party Completions (Party of 6): 0 Players
The first dungeon! Alex couldn't believe his eyes. Dungeons were crucial in Eternal Realms Online for getting top-tier loot.
However, there was a catch. The dungeon difficulty was intense, and players could only make it onto the completion rankings if they finished it within the specified level range. This prevented higher-level players from steamrolling through and dominating the rankings.
Why bother with rankings? Prestige and rewards. The party or solo player completing the dungeon received fantastic rewards, with faster completions yielding greater rewards.
The game developers excluded level synchronization for dungeon entry. Figuring out how to efficiently complete the dungeon was part of the challenge. Failing to finish the dungeon, solo or in a party, meant no items or EXP. Completion was the key.
Although dungeon EXP was low, and leveling through other means was faster, the items dropped were excellent, second only to those crafted from rare materials, not yet accessible in the game.
Now, Alex faced a dilemma with a Main Quest requiring player cooperation and a challenging solo dungeon.
'Can I complete this solo?' Alex wondered. Solo clearing the dungeon had better rewards, but it would slow his progress, giving others a chance to catch up.
Still, he knew being the first to solo the dungeon meant even greater rewards.
'It's worth a shot. Let's wait for my vampire transformation to complete. Maybe it'll bring some benefits, who knows.'
Lost in thought, everything around him froze as the servers shut down. It was time to wake up.