— Not too long ago…
Owen, Riang and Oslan were outside the building that serves as a branch of the Sylloctation Governance Guild.
The entire building looked like a rectangular cube with an upside down pyramidal trapezoid stacked on top of it. To support the edges of the trapezoid sticking out the cube's top, pillars were built on the sides to keep it from collapsing.
The building looked like it was made from smoothened gray stone and white marble. Meanwhile, the pillars were made of a blue gemstone cut into smooth cylinders. This azure treasure is called 'Steel Ice' because of its deep blue color and the property to act as if it was truly steel.
Owen was familiar with the material as he was someone who frequently sold chunks of Steel Ice for a bunch of gold coins when he used to play the game.
The windows were bordered with swirling designs using silver and the glass is made of clear crystals with a transparent iridescent outer layer that gives it more appeal than when they were found as uncut crystals. They are called "Opal Glass", a crystal that Owen once used to craft a spyglass.
Even the doors were finely made and aren't spared with intricate details. They were carved with depictions of rivers, fishes, snakes and tall plants.
And on top of the entire building are statues made of clean white quartz of a large coiled dragon and a hooded figure of a man placing his hand on its snout.
Finally, what stands out the most is the large wooden plaque with golden letters spelling out the name of the guild.
[Sylloctation Governance Guild]
"Wow, it truly is something worked by the hands of Ichor Selenkyr." Riang praised after seeing the exterior of the guild.
"I wonder how rich that guy is…" Oslan's focus was different from Riang's.
"Let's just go inside." Owen walked towards the guild while the two followed behind him.
There weren't many people going to the guild at this time, so there wasn't a crowd. Just a few individuals signing up, or those who are turning in their quests to receive the corresponding rewards. It was easy to tell because they were usually carrying weapons, armored with certain degrees of coverage and are coated with blood stains or dirt.
When Owen opened the door, he saw that the interior was not a letdown compared to the exterior.
It had floral tiles, paintings hung on the wall, exquisite lamps, and even lightbulbs.
Owen even spotted a light switch.
Up to this point, he was 90% sure Ichor was a reincarnated one like himself.
There were numerous receptionists working on their desks behind a panel of glass. There were signs above their desks that tell where to go if someone has a specific agenda to get to.
Because Owen couldn't read the signs, he asked Riang, "Where do you think we register?"
"Right there." Riang pointed to a certain direction where it said 'Guild Registration'.
Owen memorized the letters and went on his way towards the receptionist of the registration. "Follow me."
"Did you really have to ask me that?" Riang's eyebrows were knit together from mild confusion.
"I can't read." Owen admitted as he had no reason to lie.
"Yeah, sure…" Riang didn't think of it too seriously.
Owen and the two were not expecting anything. They just wanted to register, get a few jobs done and then earn money.
But when they got there, the receptionist and his wife were flirting with each other.
So of course, Owen had to break it up in the best way he could.
— Back to the present…
Ofhin and Plaona immediately separated and fixed their uniform.
Ofhin in particular, was burning red from shyness, while Plaona rubbed her nose with a slight grin.
"I am terribly sorry for that, I assume you're here to register?" Ofhin recomposed himself, showing the professional attitude one must have as a receptionist.
"Yes, is there anything I need to know before I do?" Owen did not know the specifics that went into the Sylloctation system, so there was no harm in asking.
Ofhin nodded. "Ah, like your income, guild ranking or quest details?"
Knowing that he couldn't base this off the game, Owen decided to ask for more about all three of them.
Ever since he had to talk with the boy in his mind, he opted not to believe the details from the game and apply it to this 'reality' because his mere presence cannot guarantee that the events that occured in the game would happen here as well.
So to avoid getting killed by misinformation, he had to base his strategy by discreetly collecting information without provoking anyone to a conflict, gain enough strength to withstand any possible danger and build on from his accumulated advantage to get back home.
Easy as that.
"Enlighten me on all three." Owen asked kindly.
"Very well." Ofhin began speaking.
"If you are curious about the income as a Sylloctate, it mostly depends on the quest as a higher difficulty would mean a higher reward. Quests are categorized as: Extermination Quests, Collection Quests, Escort Quests and Labor Quests."
Before proceeding any further, he inquired, "Do you need me to elaborate on those?"
Owen shook his head. "Not really… I assume labor quests are for the likes of farming and woodcutting, correct?"
"Precisely." Ofhin affirmed with a nod.
"So, what about the guild ranking? How does that operate?" Owen pointed upwards as he spoke.
Ofhin paused for a second before he answered. "As you see, the Sylloctation Governance Guild established rankings in order to prevent novice Sylloctates from taking on tasks that would be too dangerous or otherwise impossible for them to accomplish. You can make your ranking rise by taking enough quests with satisfactory completion. The quests that you can take on will be limited by rank."
"The rankings are as follows in that chart over there."
Ofhin pointed to a wall with a large printed portrait of a chart on fine cloth. It was held by a wooden frame nailed firmly on the wall.
Owen began reading the rankings and remembered that he couldn't. So, he lowered his head to Riang's ear and whispered.
"Hey Riang, what does the chart say?" Owen leaned over and pointed to the chart discreetly.
Riang appeared bewildered. "What? Can you seriously not read?"
Owen insisted with knitted eyebrows. "My reading ability is limited. Just help me out."
Riang still found it inconceivable. Someone this knowledgeable of the world couldn't read?
She asked, "That wasn't a joke?"
Owen sighed softly in defeat. "Just…. C'mon, I didn't choose to be like this."
Riang decided not to pursue the matter any longer. "... Sure?"
She looked at the chart and began explaining it to Owen.
"The rankings are Beginner (Frucis), Novice (Lahrtum), Apprentice (Gendan), Experienced (Nirkases), Expert (Poldum), Master (Talan), Grandmaster (Talnahar)."
"And right next to the rankings are the quests that each rank can take on. It's just labeled using numbers from 1 to 17. Beginners can take on 1-2 level quests, Novices can go 1-4, Apprentices can do 1-6, Experienced extends 1-8, Expert is 1-12, Master is 1-15 and Grandmaster 1-17."
Ofhin can naturally see Riang and Owen conversing with each other, but didn't interrupt.
After hearing what Riang had read, Owen went to face Ofhin once more and said, "Okay, anything else I need to know about signing up?"
Ofhin said in a steady and bright smile, "Yes, there are some documents required to enjoy the guild's benefits… All you have to do is submit a recent health check-up within this week, health documents, soul fitness documents, and your citizenship certificate with a seal of approval from the Mysteriea City Hall."
"Also, you must be at least sixteen years old, clear of any criminal records, and a registration fee of three silver coins per person." Ofhin added.
Owen sarcastically smiled and exclaimed, "Oh wow, and what happens if you don't have any of the documents and a citizenship with the seal?"
Ofhin blinked twice.
"Excuse me?"
Owen coughed, "I mean, my group couldn't possibly get the necessary documents."
Ofhin wasn't narrow minded and tried to understand their plight. "May I inquire about why that is so?"
"Can a citizenship certificate from a town work?" Owen said while he took a glance at Oslan.
"Yes." Ofhin confirmed.
With a nudge of his elbow, Owen asked, Oslan. "Hey Oslan, do you have a citizenship certificate in Wiunlen?"
Oslan shook his head and replied, "Nope, my parents died before they could enlist my citizenship. So in the eyes of the law, I'm free reign with no protection of it.. Kind of like an animal."
He did not feel anything wrong with what he said. There was even a sense of acceptance in his tone.
It was so blunt that Riang, Ofhin, Owen and the bystander Plaona felt pain hearing it.
Riang spoke as well, "Since I'm from Sil- Ciluroa Kingdom, I also don't have my citizenship certificate available."
She almost slipped up, but Riang managed to catch her tongue at the last second.
Although it seemed that what she said was aimed towards Ofhin, it was actually for Owen.
As an astute individual, he understood it right away.
Owen pointed to himself and said, "I came from Silmoun and I also don't have my citizenship. Is there any way to work around this?"
Riang showed a conflicted grin hearing what Owen said.
Ofhin held his chin and spoke with difficulty. "Ah… I mean, you can get a citizenship certificate here in Mysteriea City. You can do that in the city hall and get it approved at the same time, and for soul fitness and health records, the Athesemus Risch Hospital is the place for that."
Owen also had an expression of difficulty on his face. "That's going to be a bit difficult."
Ofhin saw this and quickly informed them, "Ah! But there's ways to reduce your burden.. In terms of health related documents, you can still sign up as a Sylloctate without them, but the guild will not be responsible or offer aid for injuries that you sustain due to the lack of documents submitted."
"And in the case of the seal of approval and citizenship, there's ways for that as well. That is because foreigners, refugees or people who aren't generally living under the government might not have them."
"The solution the guild made for this is that people without a citizenship can still register as Sylloctates, but they only take on level 1 quests. It also means that rank advancement is slower and more tedious." Ofhin explained everything he knew that could help them.
After saying all that, Ofhin still wanted to remind them to reconsider.
"But guests, I really suggest getting a citizenship certificate and a seal of approval for it. If you complete the necessary documents, the benefits offered by the guild will be worth it."
Owen smiled.
"Alright, thank you for the concern… One last thing though." He asked.
"Hm? Go ahead." Ofhin rotated his hand as a gesture for him to continue.
Owen asked in a straightforward manner, "Is completing level 1 quests enough to feed three people and buy armor and weapons?"
"Owen…" Riang shot him with a sharp and stern gaze.
"What? It's a genuine question." Owen didn't see anything wrong with what he said.
Unopposed to the question, Ofhin tried his best to answer.
"Hmmm, I believe so… Level 1 quests can reward 10 copper coins minimum to 30 maximum and can take at most, 20 minutes to complete. To get decent living conditions that one would be able to afford here in Mysteriea would take at least 2 silver coins for rent and 5 for food and other necessities. So to survive, you will need only 7 silver coins.."
"If one person were to do this all by themselves, it would take them 18 hours of nonstop work just to earn 20 silver coins. But since there's three of you, it'll take you guys only about 6 hours or so. But then again, the food expenses might increase to 5 if you're lucky or 9 if you're not careful with management." Ofhin finished speaking as if he didn't have trouble calculating all the relevant factors.
Oslan's head was buzzing after listening to Ofhin's rambling, while Owen and Riang clearly understood what they meant.
"It might take 8 hours if our goal is 26 silver coins. 6 hours a day for 20 should be acceptable…" Owen said aloud.
Ofhin was slightly impressed at Owen's ability to keep up. He then added, "And better yet, you can earn enough for a citizenship certificate and take care of the other necessary documents to become a true Sylloctate. Those who sign up without those documents are pseudo members, but they'll still be able to pile coins."
"I get that… So, where do we get our membership card?" Owen glanced at Riang and Oslan before looking back at Ofhin.
"That would be my job." Plaona raised her hand, taking the trio's attention.
"Yes, she'll take over from here. I only process the documents." Ofhin presented her hand towards Plaona.
Owen and the two moved over to Plaona's reception desk.
"So, what are your names and ages?"
Plaona raised her hand above a modern looking keyboard that slightly resembled a typewriter. It is powered by a soul stone on a circular socket on its right, which would explain why it was bulky. Who knows what kind of mechanisms lie under it.
Owen was unable to keep himself from asking and pointed at the machine. "Is that a keyboard?"
Plaona raised an eyebrow. "Hm? Oh, yeah.. Why? Haven't seen one before?"
"Who makes these?" Owen had to know.
If there were videogames here, he might not feel so isolated from this world.
Plaona responded, oblivious to Owen's desires reawakening. "One of Ichor Selenkyr's tech companies. Anyway, let's get back on the silver path and answer the question."
"Sorry for that.. The name's Owen Ivory, nineteen years old." Owen snapped himself back to the topic.
"Oslan Leifra, fif- I mean, sixteen. Sixteen years old." Oslan quickly corrected himself after being nudged by Riang's elbow.
"Riang….. Ontkinan. Sixteen years old." There was an awkward pause when Riang told her last name.
Oslan had a weird smile on his face. He whispered to Riang, "seriously..? ontkinan..? can you at least be more creative?"
The surname Ontkinan means 'The Good', and it is also a very common surname. That was why Oslan couldn't believe that Riang out of all people would choose something like it.
"what I had in mind was maliron. I just thought it was too flashy." Riang shrugged as she whispered back.
Maliron means 'Mystical Heart' and its impression on people would make them think that it's a name hailing from nobility.
Plaona ignored the silent bickering and slid a blank white card on the printer and pressed several keys.
"All good, now tell me where you all came from."
Owen had his alibi ready and was not going to change it any time now.
"Lerdrom City from Silmoun Kingdom."
Oslan did not need to say much and answered, "Wiunlen."
"Ciluroa Kingdom." Riang answered lastly.
Plaona paused when it came to Riang's card. "Which city in Ciluroa?"
"Erm…" Riang looked at Owen and pulled out his hauberk to ask for help.
Owen discreetly turned to her and mouthed a word.
"... I came from Garon City."
"Very well then…" Plaona began to type out the necessary information.
Riang was impressed and relieved that Owen knew what to answer. It still boggled her mind that such a person couldn't read.
The printing only took about two minutes.
They also had to sign a small agreement in order to access the guild's services. And of course, Riang had to help Owen write his name down.
"…"
Plaona took three cards from the printer and held it up above her eyes and flicked them twice with her finger.
After confirming the quality, Plaona gave it to them.
"Congratulations on becoming Sylloctates. Although all of you are not official members, this can still be a good start."
Owen took his card and passed the other two to Riang and Oslan. "Where do we take on quests?"
Oslan and Riang realized that they were given the wrong cards and swapped them.
"Well, do you know what computers are?" Plaona asked since she knew Owen knew about keyboards.
"Yes." Owen nodded.
"What's that?" Riang tilted her head in confusion.
"…" Oslan stood there silently.
Plaona pointed to a certain direction. "If you go right over there to the Quest Selection Hall of the guild, you can ask a staff member if you're not sure how it works."
Owen replied with gratitude in his voice. "Thank you, we'll be taking our leave now."
"Good luck." Waved Plaona as she watched them leave.
The trio went towards the direction where Plaona pointed.
Just by observing it from afar, Owen could see multiple people in front of screens embedded in the walls as they pressed the built-in keypads to access the available quests.
Out of the blue, the boy appeared next to Owen and walked at the same pace as him.
Sparing him a glance, Owen already knew why he was here. "What do you think?"
"It confuses me." The boy replied in a deadpan expression.
Owen walked normally, preventing anyone from noticing anything wrong.
He asked the boy, "In what way? In my perspective, this Ichor must have already plundered all the treasures in the game beforehand. Meaning, any hidden treasures that only we know through the game could be gone by now."
"I thought of that because of how wide his influence over Adhaesit already is. Aditionally, is it possible that Riang's mother already had her blood harvested by Ichor?" Owen added.
"No, the quest is still available.. It would not appear if that is the case." The boy disagreed.
"So what's the trouble?" Owen just asked, avoiding the need to spare him another glance.
The boy was patient. He began sharing his thoughts with Owen. "As you have already said, Ichor's influence is too far-reaching. Why is banditry still rampant then? The map even showed that Tarmat is still standing and our plan of escorting Riang is still feasible."
"He obviously gave the kingdoms of Adhaesit technology to advance from a purely medieval period to a slightly more modern one. He is enriching humanity as a whole not just in comfort, but in technology, architecture, agriculture and possibly even in military strength."
"From the story of the game, many kingdoms are driven by greed and their own interests. And understandably so. And in order to resist their attempts, Ichor has to have some level of strength." The boy stopped right there and paused.
As if calculating something in his head, the boy only spoke once more after a few seconds.
"I am only confused by his goal… It does not make coherent sense."
Owen had some level of understanding towards the boy. He lifted his arms and rested them against his head as he walked. "Let me think about it…. Is it because his goals seem humanitarian, yet he doesn't do anything about dangerous lands in the human continent?"
The boy nodded affirmatively. "Yes, that is one of them... He does not seem to do much to help Adhaesit when it comes to elimination of threats. That is because in the map that Riang showed us, the Masgracia Mountains still stand, the Ruins of Tarmat still stand, and I could still remember similar places in the map that are still standing."
"In the original story, Ichor Selenkyr is someone who created the Ichor Construction Guild and made use of his 10,000 years of lifespan to build what we see in the game."
"He was just supposed to be an architect focused solely on that." The boy said without a change in his face.
Owen brought his arms back down. "Uh huh, and here, it's like he changed all of a sudden… His focus isn't just construction now, but several fields."
The boy showed his own version of difficulty by saying, "And what truly confuses me is why history still turned out the same way. It was as if he was trying so hard to preserve the world as similar to the original game."
"That implies that he did not stop the tyrannical Ardlew Kingdom when it was still rising, he did not stop tragedies and allowed them to happen, but for what?"
"We can not say that he is unaware of how the story will unfold because if he is truly unaware, a butterfly effect will still materialize and change major parts of the story. So because we are seeing that the world remains unchanged, it is actually the opposite. Ichor Selenkyr knows the story extensively to prevent anything from steering away from the original storyline."
"If this continues, powerful threats all around the world will continue to awaken until it devolves into the Great War."
"True Desolation from the True Undeads will be unsealed, Oclon Mociocid from the Vampires will wage war on humanity, Damiz Gerack from the Demon race will be a thorn during the Great War, Ultima Psychi of the True Spirits will cause millions of lives to perish, The All Assimilating Mother of Flesh from the Fleshbound race will grow exponentially strong, the oldest Elder Dragon Uzalaz Atreed will become overbearing towards humanity and other races, and monsters from the Atchworlen Plague will rise."
"Why did Ichor allow the story to progress as it is if his goal was to help humanity?"
At this point did the boy only turn his head towards Owen.
Owen moved his lips contemplatively. "That….. Sounds very right… Yeah, why didn't he do crap?"
The boy stopped looking at Owen and faced a forward direction once more. "I am not sure myself. But it is best that we stay away from him until we uncover what his true goal is.."
"So Owen, do not be controlled by your desire to interact with someone who is possibly in the same situation as you. I know you want to go home, but not anyone who is familiar cannot be trusted."
"Especially not another reincarnator.. Who knows what they will do if the world that they are in is no longer the same."
"Not shackled by society, they will seek freedom and become more greedy.."
The boy placed extra emphasis on his last sentence. Serving as a reminder towards Owen and his impulsiveness.
Owen sighed through his nose. "Alright, I understand that well enough."
"Then I will see myself out."
Owen blinked once and the boy disappeared. His previous conversation was just nothing but a figment of his imagination it seems. But as someone who was used to this, it was normal for Owen.
Oslan and Riang didn't notice anything.
When they reached the Quest Selection Hall, Owen noticed a man with a brown coat that extended long enough to cover his knees, a blue scarf and black office glasses. Under the coat, he wore a black shirt. And for the bottom, the man wore a black longskirt and buckled up boots.
This kind of fashion isn't strange because of the lack of gender norms.
=====
[Mesila Firkavena - Level 152]
[Affiliation - Sylloctation Governance Guild: Mysteriea City Branch.]
[Skills - Unavailable] (You do not have the necessary detection skill/s to view the following information.)
=====
'Great, another one that can wipe the floor using my face.…' Owen thought to himself upon seeing Mesila's basic stats.
Mesila was standing in the middle of the Quest Selection Hall with his arms crossed until he suddenly felt a knowing stare land on him.
He was used to feeling people's glances at him because they usually only graze him or were just curious. However, this gaze that he sensed this time was sure of his strength.
Meaning, it wasn't someone who underestimates him and it was someone who can see through his plain appearance.
Mesila immediately looked back at Owen because of this.
Owen smiled and waved before walking Oslan and Riang to the nearest computer, or a 'Browsing Terminal' as the guild calls them.
Mesila always had a cold poker face whenever he worked as a guide for those who didn't know how to use the browsing terminals. But when he received a kind gesture, he was at least someone with a heart to respond kindly as well.
Mesila walked up to Owen and asked, "Need help?"
Owen remained calm and replied like a normal person would. "Yeah, I'm not familiar with how this thing works."
Mesila nodded.
He guided Owen and pointed towards a certain part of the machine. "See that small slit over there in the terminal? Insert your card in it."
Owen only did as instructed.
Seeing Owen's actions, Mesila continued, "Great, now if you look at the screen, you can see your rank, the available quests and their details. Press this button if you want to check it out."
"As you can see here, these are the quest details."
–––––
Quest Type - Collection Quest.
Quest Objective - Gather 30 stalks of Green Fekel.
Note - The Fekel Stalks must be fresh, approximately 5 centimeters in length, and it should also constantly emit its signature aroma.
Rank Requirement - Frucis.
No. of Sylloctates Required - A minimum of 1.
Quest Location - Within the outskirts of Mysteriea Forest.
Time Limit - 1 day.
Reward - 11 Copper Coins.
Commissioned By - Anonymous.
Extra Message - I don't have in mind, so I'll just write this here.
–––––
Owen nodded understandingly. Whenever there was a new quest that flashed by the screen, he pretended that he could read it by nodding. Mesila didn't find the excessive nodding odd because he really didn't care at all.
It was a shame that the translation aspect of the game interface only applied to books.
"Now, try pressing the buttons yourself." Mesila stopped taking charge and allowed Owen to be the one who controlled it.
As someone who knew a thing or two about tech, he found it easy to use.
"Like this?" Owen asked while accessing the different options and quests just like what he observed from Mesila.
Although he couldn't read most of them, he could somewhat know what the buttons do from context.
Slightly impressed, Mesila said with his eyes widening slightly, "You're a fast learner… Alright, if you've selected a quest to your liking, just confirm and there will be a time limit for the quest. If you haven't finished the quest before the time limit, the quest will return to becoming available and even if you complete it after that, you will not receive a reward."
Owen expressed his gratitude. "Thank you, I think I can take it from here."
"Wonderful, let me know if you find yourself troubled." Mesila then walked away.
Riang and Oslan huddled over at the terminal's screen.
"So that's how it works." Riang was merely observing from the side, but she got the gist of how it functions.
"Woah, so it's like you're moving the boxes inside the glass." Oslan on the other hand, was intrigued, yet still mostly clueless.
"I think the Sylloctation Governance Branch Guilds in Silmoun are also like this." Riang recalled in her memories.
Owen interrupted the two of them from conversing any further.
While leaning on the terminal, Owen pointed at it and said, "Interesting…. Now Riang, can you read which quests are good for the three of us?"
Riang smiled, a bit excited to use the machine. "Sure, let me try…"
"Make sure to pick an extermination quest." Owen reminded her.
"I can do that." Riang took note of his request.
She began browsing through the quests and mumbled at the same time.
"Hm… No, no, no… Absolutely not, and maybe this one works."
Owen watched her do her thing until she stopped on a certain quest.
"What does it say?" Owen turned to look at her.
Riang rubbed her nose. "It says to find and kill invasive Blue Scaled Black Belly Snakes (Haluvan Irit/ Haluvan Snakes) and this should be a quest of your liking, is that right Owen?"
"How many haluvan snakes should I kill?" Owen didn't answer her question directly.
Riang looked back at the screen and read it out to Owen. "Sixty haluvan snakes that are spotted near a trail that leads to a few towns in the eastern region of Mysteriea. To confirm the quest's completion, it says right here that you should carry the snakes back to the guild."
Feeling that it was suitable, Owen agreed. "Sure, accept it."
"Got it." Riang pressed down on the confirmation button.
Suddenly, a panel appeared before Owen's face.
*Vhoom…*
==========
[Level 5 Quest: Haluvan Snake Extermination]
Objective: Kill at least 60 Haluvan Snakes in the eastern trail of Mysteriea City.
Failure Condition:
(1) Inability to bring sixty snake bodies back to the guild.
(2) Exceeding the time limit of 2 days.
(3) Death.
Consequence For Failure:
(1) N/A
(2) N/A
(3) Death.
Rewards: +39 Experience, +11 Copper Coins.]
==========
Slapping the quest panel away from his face like a fly, Owen turned to Oslan and Riang.
"So what quests are you two taking?"
Riang decided to check out a little bit more of the quests while Oslan squeezed in to look.
After browsing for a minute, Oslan and Riang looked at each other with a smile of understanding.
Riang turned back to Owen and answered, "Labor."
Owen expected them to say so.
He reminded them, "Just remember to stick together to avoid getting lost. I'll meet you guys here in about an hour. You got that?"
"Seems easy enough." Riang said with some aloofness to her tone.
"Yes, we will." Oslan was the one who answered seriously.
Owen pointed to the hatchet and knife that he gave them. "I trust you two."
"Try not to get into trouble. Run away if necessary and don't lose your weapons." Owen added.
Riang snickered. "What are you, my big brother?"
"Might as well be." Owen rolled along.