ã€ŠGetting Hard (Journey of a Tank)ã€‹


 0 - Thinking Like a Box

    Home.

    There was no other place I¡¯d rather be.

    A cramped, dimly lit space half illuminated by CRT monitors and half by the newer LCD ones that everyone fought over when the shop opened. It wouldn¡¯t be complete without the accompanying orchestra¡ªthe grating hum of the cranky AC that blew out cold air only after a ritualistic sacrifice, clacking of keyboards, and clicking of computer mice.

    Mice or mouses? Both sounded weird to me.

    And what was home if not for the people living in harmony inside it? A couple of dozen pasty-faced guys cooped up for several hours of fermentation, all glassy-eyed from staring at the screens in front of them, not doing much for society except exhaling carbon dioxide for plants.

    Home.

    Okay, I¡¯m not at home.

    I was at Vanguard Gaming, the sole PC caf¨¦ in our quaint neighborhood. Real home was three blocks past the convenience store at the street corner. Mum always lectured me before I left to go here, my second home. Better not let her hear that joke again. She didn¡¯t find it funny at all.

    What was the big deal though? In school, I actually paid attention during class, going against the ancient tradition of generations of students doing the opposite. After dinner, I did my homework and studied, ever the model student. I had top grades in school; more time burying my nose in books wasn¡¯t going to make them go higher. At some point¡­there¡¯s just no point to it.

    Study hard.

    Play hard.

    Get hard¡­in the game.

    ¡°Remove debuff! I¡¯m stuck!¡± To my right, Paul shrieked like a little girl. Wearing his signature worn baseball cap that never left his head except during class, he hunched over his keyboard, dwarfing it with a body way too big for someone in high school. Our school¡¯s football coach would love him as a lineman, but that meant time for practice that clashed with Paul¡¯s dream to be a top-tier DPS in Nornyr Online. We needed his thickly bearded Archmage dwarf to rain fiery meteors of death on the enemy.

    ¡°I¡¯m on it. Chill out, bro,¡± said Mason, who insisted to be called ¡®Antalric¡¯, the name of his dark druid¡ªa female character for some curious reason¡ªeven when we were just hanging out and not playing. ¡°Herald?¡± he called out. ¡°Can¡¯t see you on my screen, bro.¡±

    ¡°Resu can¡¯t keep up. Da¡¯ hell, man? You guys are dying too fast. We¡¯re losing!¡±

    ¡°Those effing fields! I can¡¯t get close.¡±

    ¡°We need to get the objective. Herald, my bro. Where are you?¡±

    ¡°Herald!¡±

    Everything came into focus.

    The Nornyr Online Season 3 Team PVP Banner splashed across the top of my screen. The match was a team version of King of the Hill mode. The team with the most members inside the central objective area would gain points over time, plus points for kills. The right side of the interface displayed the score: 1610 for Red; 2718 for Blue.

    If we won, we¡¯d get past the qualifying stages and enter the top sixteen teams in the West Eroban Server. A big ¡®if¡¯. We¡¯re the fucking loser Red team behind by a thousand points!

    ¡°Herald, I think you need to be in front to tank¡ª¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m looking for a position to attack,¡± I said.

    ¡°That¡¯s what she said,¡± Mason, or Antalric rather, chimed in with a laugh.

    ¡°You can¡¯t just insert that joke everywhere and expect it to work.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what she¡ª"

    ¡°Guys, we do what we always do!¡± I yelled at the whole team. [Pure Vitality] brought my defensive stats to zero in return for pumping my health to fucking outer space. ¡°Shields on me. Death Bind Pact rotation starting with Antalric. Three¡­¡±

    Tanks in front to protect the healers and DPS, healers keep the tanks alive, DPS lay waste to everyone¡ªthat was the usual formation. The holy trinity. The three basic classes. The basic gameplay.

    My team didn¡¯t operate that way. This wasn¡¯t a boss raid. Our opponents were thinking like fucking boxes by playing as if they were up against a predictable AI.

    ¡°Two¡­One!¡±

    Relying on the massive yet temporary boost to my tankiness granted by my teammates'' buffs, making up for the stats I sacrificed with [Pure Vitality], I separated from them and charged the left flank of the enemy formation¡ªan unexpected angle for a tank to show up¡ªplunging through the curtain of hard-hitting spells. I ignored the chunky enemy tanks and made beeline for the juicy underbelly of their formation where the squishy DPS and the indispensable healers resided.

    With this maneuver, I drew the enemy fire into their own stack, relieving the pressure on my team so they could approach without me protecting their asses.

    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.

    Suffering massive amounts of damage and away from my supports, I could only survive a few seconds with the protection of [Death Bind Pact]. ¡°Go! Go! I¡¯m in!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what¡ª"

    ¡°Step on them!¡± I barked.

    ¡°Man, you mean overlap them?¡± said Jefferson, another dark druid user, whose claim to fame was being able to move his ear. His dad was the store owner so we could usually secure the LCD screens on the weekends when we could come early. Approaching as close to me as possible, he cast the next [Death Bind Pact] right before Antalric¡¯s expired.

    ¡°Step on these cockroaches!¡±

    ¡°Dive in, guys!¡± Paul urged them. ¡°I can¡¯t come closer to attack. Go in!¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m going in raw,¡± said Antalric, making fake moaning sounds. This joke had been funny the first couple of times; it had been over a hundred times since then, just like all his other stale jokes.

    ¡°Hold their DPS!¡± My fingers flew over the keyboard. ¡°The healers are mine.¡±

    [Invigorated Crush], [Blood Slash], ending with the entire combo of [Ogre¡¯s Rage]. I perfectly chained together skills that dealt damage scaling on my maximum health, taking advantage of my incredibly high health pool thanks to [Pure Vitality] to burst down the enemy healers.

    Ta-dah, motherfuckers! I wasn¡¯t a ¡®traditional¡¯ tank at all!

    Torn between helping their DPS and saving themselves, the healers weren¡¯t able to coordinate and fell to mine and Paul¡¯s attacks.

    Four players of our six-man team were dark druids. The support kit of this class was laughably mediocre¡ªlow healing, limited buffs, slow resurrection skill¡ªbut they had the most annoying crowd-control skill set in the game. My mega-big-brained plan with having four of them in our team was to hold, not kill, the enemy DPS and tank.

    Disrupt the holy trinity. Win the game!

    We eliminated the two opposing healers, sending them back to their team spawn point while holding down the rest of their party. Our four dark druids were each assigned to one enemy player, rotating their CC skills to restrict them until the end of time. If we killed these assholes, they¡¯d simply respawn and regroup.

    Six to four on top of the objective, our points started rising.

    The enemy healers rushed back, only to realize they couldn¡¯t come close or they¡¯d die to Paul¡¯s long-ranged spells. All they could do was helplessly stand at the edge of his reach, unable to save their teammates.

    We stayed put.

    We weren¡¯t interested in chasing points through kills. Just focus on the objective.

    Our points caught up, went past theirs, and slowly ticked to the winning goal of five thousand.

    Everyone at Vanguard Gaming erupted into cheers.

    I didn¡¯t notice Jefferson¡¯s old man had projected our game on the big TV above the counter. Everyone clapped in unison as our points climbed to five thousand as if it was the New Year''s countdown. When it hit the goal, and we became the sixteenth team to pass the NA Qualifiers, all the guys hollered and jumped like monkeys.

    Other Nornyr players left their cubicles and went over to our corner. Sporting a wide grin on my face, my head bobbed up and down like an excited seal from all the congratulatory slaps on my back. All other teams I knew had been eliminated¡ªthat included the stronger ones sent by our guild. We were technically the C-team of our guild.

    ¡°I¡¯m gonna type ¡®gg ez¡¯,¡± Antalric said.

    ¡°Woah, don¡¯t do that,¡± said Paul. ¡°No trash-talking, remember?¡±

    ¡°These bastards are doing it to us now!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, no trash-talk,¡± I said. ¡°That¡¯s our rule. These idiots are just spitting shit because they¡¯re salty they lost to our strategy. I bet they think it¡¯s just some gimmicky shtick. In the replay, they¡¯ll see just how trash our gears are compared to theirs that look like they bought with real cash.¡± I had nothing against whales; they supported the game compared to broke-ass me. It felt good beating them though. ¡°And that¡¯s the best trash-talk there is.¡±

    ¡°Can¡¯t argue with that,¡± boomed Boady who stood behind my chair. He was the local whale, both game-spending-wise and in real life.

    Rumors were that he dropped out of college thrice and decided to spend his entire time hanging out here, building his bulk with junk food while playing Nornyr Online. His parents supposedly gave up and threw money at him to not bother them.

    ¡°Though it pains my cholesterol-encrusted heart to see you guys win,¡± he said, weighing my shoulder down with his meaty hand as he gave me a friendly pat, ¡°while I and my boys got our asses handed to us yesterday, I hafta give it to you for your annoying as fuck strategy.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what it means not to think like a box,¡± I said.

    ¡°I always tell you, it¡¯s ¡®think outside the box¡¯.¡±

    I spun the squeaky gaming chair I sat on and grinned at him. ¡°Sounds like something a box would say.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not a box¡­more like a globe or a huge blob.¡± He heartily laughed as he drummed his belly. ¡°I don¡¯t know how you came up with your bag of tricks, but it¡¯s prolly the best way of leveling the playing field against much stronger players.¡±

    ¡°Not really. Meta is meta for a reason.¡± I downplayed our strategy, not wanting it to become famous with every unimaginative dickwad copying us. ¡°An experienced meta team will know how to deal with it.¡± Which wasn¡¯t true. It was specifically crafted to counter the meta. But if this became widespread, it¡¯d be meta, and then counters to it would crop up. The cycle of life.

    ¡°Yeah, yeah, I know,¡± Boady said. I sensed he wanted to ask me about the weakness of our strategy, but it was obvious he also didn¡¯t want to admit his team wasn¡¯t ¡®experienced¡¯.

    ¡°We¡¯re just lucky we pulled it off. Needs a very tight timing.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s what she said,¡± Antalric butted in. I could tell he was waiting for a time to repeat this stupid joke.

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t make sense, man,¡± mumbled Jefferson, shaking his head.

    ¡°Enough of that. We need to celebrate!¡± Boady loudly clapped his hands. ¡°Imma order pizza for everyone here! Let¡¯s party!¡±

    The entire PC caf¨¦ cheered, even the ones not playing Nornyr Online. The atmosphere was ecstatic.

    I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket. A buzzing ringtone tried to compete with the din of the celebrations. This was Mum, I was a hundred percent sure. But why is she calling?

    More than half an hour to go until lunchtime; I did promise to go home to eat with the family. I was just going to tell her I accidentally put my phone on silent and didn¡¯t notice her calling.

    Pick up the phone¡­

    Why? I had a sinking feeling I was going to regret not answering it.

    I didn¡¯t answer it last time¡­

    Last time?

    The buzzing continued.

 1 - The Many Aspects of Man

    My eyes opened wide as I awoke with a jolt.

    Beep. Beep. Beep.

    Phone! I combed the table beside my bed, nearly knocking down the glass vase with fresh daffodils in my haste to find it. Where did I put¡ªwhere am I?

    A scantily furnished and unusually overclean room. There was an annoying antisepticky smell that tickled my nose. ''Antisepticky¡¯¡ªwas that a word?

    Throbbing headache plagued me as I quickly sat up to examine my surroundings; it was like I left my brain on my pillow. I reached up to massage my temples, hoping to find relief from the pressure against the back of my eyes. My fingers ran over the bandages wrapped around my forehead. What happened to me?

    I yanked off the white bedsheets covering me; I wore a similarly-colored loose gown. Very breezy between my legs. Several circular white patches were plastered at different points on my body. I scratched the end of one of them and peeled it back¡ªit was holding a tiny sensor in place. All of them did.

    Stuck to the wall behind my bed was a machine with display screens showing what appeared to be my vital signs. It must be receiving data from the sensors.

    This is it.

    The one thing I feared had come to pass.

    The machine overlords of mankind had selected me and decided my fate. I was going to be turned into a cyborg to fight the war¡ª

    Right¡­I¡¯m confined at the hospital because of the accident last Friday. When I was bored, I¡¯d imagine ridiculous scenarios¡ªa habit I hadn¡¯t lost since my childhood.

    Beep. Beep. Beep.

    The WeeCee on my wrist continued its alarm, blinking and vibrating like a time bomb. I waved my other hand over to shut it up. The light continued to flash. WeeCee? It came back to me that no one uses phones nowadays. Almost six years had passed since I last held one. Why was I looking for my phone?

    ¡°Did I miss a call?¡± I grumbled, my voice still raspy from having just woken up. Pressing the blue light caused a projection to pop up that nearly blinded my still watery eyes. ¡°Fucking high beams!¡±

    No one was calling. It was just my alarm.

    ¡°A¡­false alarm. Ha-ha.¡± Witty and charming even having just woken up. That¡¯s me, Herald Stone. ¡°But also¡­a true alarm,¡± I said, amused at my joke.

    12:10 p.m., March 21, 2028. Check notification?

    The note attached to the alarm reminded me that I had a visitor coming soon. Another wave of my hand caused the hologram to dissipate. Rubbing the glare of the WeeCee from my eyes and trying to reorient my drowsy brain, I thought to myself, Twenty-first of March¡­so that¡¯s Tuesday. The doctor had told me I could be discharged tomorrow.

    Then I facepalmed when I remembered how I landed here.

    A couple of days ago, I had a meeting with a new business partner, Mr. Armand of the famous Phoenix Hot Wings, taste-testing the menu we¡¯d offer for MotherCon, the Mother Core Online Convention, next month¡ªour companies were planning to tie up our products for the huge event. Their wings were addictingly delicious with a satisfying kick.

    As a compliment, my stupid mouth blabbed that I ate so much I¡¯d need to burn off all the calories. Mr. Armand then invited me to work out at one of the gyms he owned in the city.

    I, Herald Stone, definitely a man-at-peak-fitness assuming it was Opposite Day, took on the challenge. In retrospect, that probably wasn¡¯t a challenge but rather a polite offer I wasn¡¯t meant to accept. He was probably just showing off the other business he had.

    And thus, I stepped inside a gym for the first time in my life.

    I was doing fine for about half an hour¡ªif fine meant nearly dying from exhaustion¡ªwhen I suddenly fainted in the middle of the session. My body couldn¡¯t take the physical exertion due to several years of unchecked hypertension fueled by copious amounts of stress and an unhealthy lifestyle in pursuit of fucktons of money.

    To add insult to injury¡ªor more injury to injury¡ªmy head hit the edge of the dumbbell rack as I fell.

    Heavens above wasn¡¯t prepared for my ascension just yet, kicking me back to this mortal plane to continue being awesome. It would¡¯ve been embarrassing if that was the way I went out of this world, but would also have a poetic tone¡ªI would be the one who defeated me.

    Fortunately, my test results showed no lasting damage. The scar on my forehead was lasered off and was healing nicely beneath the bandages. Now that I had more time to think about it, I did regret having it removed; it looked badass as hell and I could¡¯ve told people I survived wrestling a bear while hiking in the mountains.

    Can I just smash my head again? Or fight an actual bear?

    Although my brain was fine, my doctors did tell me something I always knew but ignored¡ªmy body was one unhealthy piece of shit. Not those exact words; make it more professional sounding with medical jargon.

    That was sort of, kind of, might be, probably true. I did have a habit of putting on a strong front and ignoring stress and fatigue from overwork so I probably had this one coming. The fainting thing, not the bumping my head into the dumbbell rack thing. Maybe that too.

    ¡°This can be my next Goal,¡± I said to myself as I scrolled through ¡®The List¡¯ in my WeeCee. What number was I at again? One-seventy should be next.

    The List.

    One hundred and sixty-seven Goals¡ªthat was with a capital ¡®G¡¯¡ªcompleted over the last sixteen years, with two currently underway: Goal #101, buying back and renovating our old house; and #133, opening branches of our restaurant here in my hometown, Egret City, were both near completion.

    Can a city be called a hometown? Home-city? Sounded weird.

    Whatever it was, I needed a new Goal. I was too fixated on finishing each of them that I wasn¡¯t able to make more. Focusing on my health would be fitting as #170. Way more plausible than fighting a bear.

    And this was the perfect opportunity for such a Goal as I had more time after recently passing the CEO position in the family company to Nelly, one of my younger sisters. I was now mainly focused on smaller projects like opening new locations. I did plan to turn my attention to new business prospects, expand my horizons, and also have more free time to finally enjoy the fruits of my labor.

    It went without saying it¡¯d be hard to ¡®live the life¡¯ if¡­I wasn¡¯t alive.

    If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    Having a health-related Goal was a first for me. Nevertheless, as with all the other Goals on The List, I¡¯d certainly complete it.

    I always did.

    Almost always.

    Knocking interrupted my musings. Without waiting for my answer because hospital doors didn¡¯t have locks for obvious reasons, a stout middle-aged man entered with a food cart. ¡°How you doin¡¯, Sir?¡± he said in an overly enthusiastic tone. ¡°Here¡¯s lunch for today,¡±

    And thus, began the day of Herald Stone¡ªexceptional entrepreneur, philanthropist with a heart of gold, girthy tower of morality, anchovy aficionado, occasional bonsai gardener, mini-golf enthusiast, and an all-around great guy.

    I usually didn¡¯t begin my day in the middle of it. However, watching the Mother Core Online Channel after dinner had kept me up all night, bringing back fun childhood memories¡ªthat explained my peculiar dream about the bygone days¡ªand also reminded me of the ill-fated Goal that could no longer be completed.

    ¡°Thank you¡­¡± I snapped my fingers and pointed at the food cart guy, an amiable smile on my face. ¡°Ron-Ronald? Yes, Ronald. Did I get that right?¡± I recalled his exact name; my little skit was to make me appear friendlier.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Stone, sir. Ronald, that¡¯s me.¡±

    ¡°Thank you for delivering lunch, Ronald.¡± Showing gratitude in a formal way, especially from someone of my stature to a hospital food worker, painted me as down-to-earth. Repeating the man¡¯s name, usually unnatural in conversations, added a sprinkle of sincerity. ¡°And ¡®Mr. Stone¡¯ sounds too uptight, doesn¡¯t it? Call me Herald.¡±

    ¡°Just doing my job, Mr. Herald, sir.¡±

    Ronald wasn¡¯t the visitor I was expecting. However, I was getting hungry and it¡¯d be great to have lunch while waiting for him to arrive. This was also an opportunity to present Herald in the aspect of The Man of the People to one more wayward soul.

    My stay here in the hospital wasn¡¯t long, but that didn¡¯t mean I wasn¡¯t going to make sure everyone in this place knew how swell of a guy I was. Employees gossiped with each other at a rate faster than the spread of wildfire. Their topics for conversation would center on the ends of the spectrum¡ªthe asshole patients and the friendly patients.

    Ronald seemed to have worked in this hospital for years and was likely very chatty with his co-workers; that was the read I got of him. He¡¯d be the best vehicle to spread the word of my greatness in the short time I¡¯d be here.

    And why did I want these people, whom I didn¡¯t know nor gave two shits about, to think I was benevolence personified?

    Because they should.

    Ronald arranged my lunch on the small table beside the window. ¡°We got the tomato soup you ordered. A fresh batch. I was there when they were making it in the kitchen, yes sir. Main course is baked chicken stuffed with¡ª¡± and he droned on and on, explaining why this hospital food wasn¡¯t wads of soaked cardboard.

    Okay, to be fair, the food here was passable.

    The only other time I had eaten hospital food was when Pops was confined in one when I was a kid. I asked for a taste of his food, and it turned out bland. It could¡¯ve been the diet prescribed by the doctor rather than the food being actually bad. Surprising I remembered it even if it was such a long time ago.

    My WeeCee beeped to inform me I had a message. ¡°Excuse, me a bit,¡± I told Ronald, interrupting his energetic description of how healthy the prepared food was.

    It was from my sister, Nelly. [I heard from Mr. Armand that his son will visit you. Don¡¯t you dare pull your nonsense and mess with him.]

    [How could you think that of me, my beloved sister?] was my response.

    [You¡¯re going to do it, aren¡¯t you?]

    I didn¡¯t reply to her, a smile on my face. Nelly knew she couldn¡¯t stop me. I noticed Ronald had finished setting the food. I graciously thanked him, and he pushed his food cart across the room towards the door.

    ¡°Oh man, I almost forgot about this.¡± Ronald stopped beside the Holo-TV on his way out. It had turned on, spreading a three-dimensional projection in the front part of the room.

    Sleepiness claimed me at around three in the morning before I could switch off the HTV. But it was set to go into hibernation mode after fifteen minutes with no input so it wouldn¡¯t disturb my beauty sleep. Ronald passing by to deliver food might¡¯ve reactivated it.

    The MCO Channel was back. This time, it displayed a narrow pass bordered by sheer mountains that opened into expansive plains. A castle sat at the mouth of the pass, besieged by a massive army.

    ¡°Victores Sors declared war on The Syndicate this morning, yes sir!¡± Ronald excitedly said. ¡°Aderenthine Fortress, it looks like.¡±

    I have no idea what he¡¯s talking about.

    Our company had secured food stall permits for the MotherCon, but I was from familiar with the game. My only exposure to it, other than watching their HTV channel yesterday for far too long, was their ads. Boatloads of them everywhere, MCO being the biggest game played in the world. But I barely paid attention to any because I was busy with work. Now that we were going to sell food to their players, it might be a good time to familiarize myself with the game.

    Of course, I wasn¡¯t going to admit to Ronald I knew jack-shit about MCO. The aspect of Herald, The Man Who Knows About Everything¡ªor, at least, had some vague knowledge of something¡ªwas taking center stage. ¡°This morning, you say? I had an inkling that these guilds were going to fight today. I stayed up until three to wait for the declaration of war, but I fell asleep.¡± Talking out of my ass, chef¡¯s kiss.

    ¡°Yes, Mr. Herald, sir. About 6 a.m. I saw it before I left home for work. You must be in the know, sir, to predict they¡¯ll start the war today.¡±

    I nonchalantly shrugged. ¡°Just hearing things here and there. Unfortunate that I missed the declaration itself. Finally, these two guilds are going to fight. I know everyone¡¯s been waiting for it.¡± Actually, I don¡¯t know. Based on his reaction, I simply assumed this was the case.

    ¡°The top one guild fighting the next-in-rank.¡± That explained his excitement. He slowly clapped his hands, eyes glued to the HTV. ¡°Yessiree, this is going to be the biggest fight of the year.¡±

    ¡°The year? It¡¯s only March.¡± Herald Stone, Stand-up Comedian. Both of us laughed like we were the best pals ever. ¡°When you think about it,¡± I continued, ¡°this isn¡¯t going to stop with just the two of them. Their allies will join and we¡¯ll get bigger battles.¡±

    ¡°Right you are, Mr. Herald, sir. Man, I can¡¯t wait to watch the replay with my son when I get home.¡±

    ¡°Father and son bonding time? That sounds delightful.¡± Delightful? Was I a posh, upper crust, tea-sipping grandaunt? I had half the mind to make up a story that Pops also shared a hobby with me when I was a kid but decided telling the truth would have a better emotional impact. ¡°I¡¯m sure your son appreciates it very much. How I wish my own father played computer games with me back then. Do you alternate using one unit or¡­?¡±

    ¡°Got two AU-VR helms at home, one for me and one for my boy. Helms got a lot cheaper now compared to a few years back, erm, but still expensive. The two second-hand units I got, I pay for on installment. Worth it so that we can play at the same time.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re a good man, Ronald,¡± I said, squeezing every drop of sincerity out of my ass. ¡°I¡¯m sure your son appreciates the time you spend with him.¡± I might be overestimating my charisma, but I think I saw a hint of wateriness in Ronald¡¯s eyes. Or I might be making shit up.

    Touching the hearts of others and making up stuff, Herald, The Man of the People, was at it again.

    Knocking made the two of us turn to the door.

    Through the rectangular window, a redheaded young man in a stylish navy blue suit waved at me. I hadn¡¯t met him before. From the hair color and features of his face, he must be the son of Mr. Armand, here to visit me on behalf of his father.

    ¡°Looks like you got a visitor, Mr. Herald, sir,¡± Ronald said. ¡°And I have to deliver all of this.¡± He gestured to the rest of the meal packages on his cart, remembering all the other patients he condemned to a late lunch. ¡°Enjoy your food. And just give us a call if you need anything else.¡± He tipped an imaginary hat to me before leaving.

    ¡°Mr. Stone?¡± Mr. Armand¡¯s son hesitantly knocked on the door that Ronald left open.

    ¡°Come in, come in.¡± I beckoned for him. ¡°En-Enrico? Yes, Enrico. Did I get that right?¡± His father talked at length about how proud he was of his son that the name was burned in my mind.

    Enrico put his right hand over his heart and slightly bowed, greeting me in the customary Eyriesian way. ¡°Yes, sir. I¡¯m sorry my father can¡¯t personally come to visit because of prior engagements, but he¡¯s looking forward to your meeting next week. How are you feeling Mr. Stone?¡±

    ¡°Doing quite well, thank you very much for asking.¡± Another performance called me. Extending my hand for a shake, I tried to get up from my bed but then stopped and winced. I slowly laid myself back down. ¡°Ah, still a bit light-headed, I suppose. I hope you won¡¯t mind that I¡¯m lying down.¡±

    ¡°Of course not, Mr. Stone.¡± With his forehead wrinkled in worry, he hurried to my bedside and shook the hand I continued to hold out for him.

    ¡°And ¡®Mr. Stone¡¯ sounds too uptight, doesn¡¯t it? Call me Herald.¡±

 2 - Why Are Giants So Big?

    ¡°There''s nothing to apologize for,¡± I told Enrico, the son of Mr. Armand, while pretending to struggle to fake a strong voice. Layered fakery. "How many times have I already said this? You don''t want me to sound like a broken recorder, do you? Ah, you youngsters don''t know what that expression is." Can I call him a youngster? I was only a decade older than him.

    ¡°Nonetheless, sir, we¡¯re sorry that¡ª¡±

    ¡°There you go again.¡±

    I wouldn¡¯t have to keep repeating myself if Enrico didn¡¯t apologize again and again. And he wouldn¡¯t be doing that if I didn''t continually hint in a very subtle passive-aggressive way that they were at fault I was here in the hospital. Without my sisters here to stop me¡­I¡¯m unstoppable!

    Was Mr. Armand at fault? The gym? No, I myself didn''t think so. I also had no intention of suing them or souring our business relations. Why then was I doing this?

    Because I, the benevolent Herald Stone, couldn''t extend forgiveness to others¡­if there was nothing to forgive.

    "We''ll pay for your medical expenses, Mr. Sto¡ªI mean Mr. Herald," Enrico said.

    "No need for that." I waved away his concerns. This was the point I should stop. His offer confirmed how much his father wanted to maintain my goodwill. Also, I couldn''t accept it, not only because it went against my image of magnanimity, but it could also affect the optics of our interaction given that our group of restaurants and affiliate businesses are much, much bigger than Mr. Armand''s. To change the topic, I pointed at the HTV. I had noticed Enrico glancing a couple of times at the show. "You play MCO?"

    His face lit up. "I''m an avid player, sir. Last year, anyway." Slowly shaking his head, he continued, "Nowadays, not so much. Dad wants me to be more hands-on in managing the company, so I don''t have much time to play. But don''t tell him.¡±

    I can sympathize with that. ¡°Of course, of course, don¡¯t worry.¡± I gave him a conspiratorial wink

    ¡°Do you also play, Mr. Herald?"

    "Who doesn''t? Pretty casually though. Like you, I don''t have much free time."

    "I imagine so, sir."

    "At the least, I assume you keep up with happenings?" I repeated what I had just learned from Ronald. "Victores Sors declared war on The Syndicate this morning at around six. They''re attacking Aderenthine Fortress now." I gestured for Enrico to shift his chair so he could watch the HTV, then I turned the volume up and enlarged the projections.

    Three towering giants, their titanic clubs crackling with lightning, battered the thick walls of the formidable castle I assumed to be Aderenthine Fortress. The giants carried structures on their shoulders and backs, reminiscent of the towers on top of war elephants in ancient times but on a much grander scale. These housed warriors wielding long-ranged weapons and spellcasters that attempted to drive away the defenders from the walls.

    ¡°Using all of their three giants right this early in the war?¡± said Enrico, his eyes sparkling with excitement. ¡°Victores Sors must want to bring down Aderenthine fast.¡±

    ¡°Has anyone already found out how Victores Sors obtained these kinds of giants?¡± I asked, shoring up the image of Herald Stone, The Cool Uncle.

    ¡°Don¡¯t think so, sir,¡± Enrico replied. Again, I hit the nail on the head. I rightly assume these were closely guarded secrets of the top guild. He continued, ¡°If somebody did, they¡¯re going to keep mum about it.¡±

    ¡°Or make lots of money off the black market for it.¡± The markets of MCO, both the legitimate and the illegal¡ªthe latter usually cropping up once a game got big enough¡ªwere involved in various issues last year. Most of them were tax-related, so I did know about those because I kept up with financial news.

    ¡°That¡¯s right, sir. I heard rumors the Expeditionary Legion offered Victores Sors half a million warblers for the secret of their giants.¡±

    I raised a brow at the amount mentioned but played it off as if I already knew about it. ¡°Oh that. Personally, I think that price is too low.¡±

    From my limited understanding of Mother Core Online, I knew that players had a wide selection of starting races to choose from, all of which branched into numerous variants unlocked through completing quests or discovering secrets of the lore. The vast possibilities were something I couldn¡¯t wrap my head around. Planning a character sounds like a nightmare.

    How would the players optimize their characters if there were endless options, most of which were still undiscovered? Was there even balancing in this game? Given that players could become actual giants smacking down dozens of others, and those who discovered valuable secrets held incredible advantages, I doubted there was any.

    And maybe¡­this was the next evolution of RPGs in the virtual world.

    ¡°Enrico, are giants the best tanks in MCO?¡± I asked, recalling my Nornyr Online days when I was obsessed with making a tank character. It felt satisfying to be unkillable and look down on the weaklings tickling me.

    "Hard to say, sir," he replied, scratching his neatly shaved squarish chin as he pondered, "because there''s a lot we still don¡¯t know about the game. So far, they probably are. The Ghrazgals especially, these bad boys the Victores Sors are using.

    ¡°A friend of mine shared the character stat chart for it¡ªI don''t know if that was real because Victores Sors keeps a tight lid on any information about their trump card--and it showed that Ghrazgals had the biggest health and highest defensive attributes out of all the currently available choices. Way ahead of the other giants, who are also some of the toughest bastards¡ªoops, apologies for my language, Mr. Sto¡ªMr. Herald."

    "Giants are bastards alright," I said with a chuckle. "Luckily, I haven''t fought against one because I don''t have the time to commit to joining guild wars."

    This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    "I understand that, sir. A few months ago, before I had to quit because of time issues, I was a member of a high-ranking guild, the GummyLions. Not sure if you heard of us...of them."

    "I think I might have," I said, giving the most noncommittal answer like a sham fortune-teller. I twirled my hands to tell Enrico to continue his story.

    "The GummyLions are strong, but probably not enough that everyone would recognize the name. Back then, we only had the resources to maintain one giant. Fighting alongside and against giants? Damn, I miss those days."

    The bird¡¯s eye view of the camera panned beyond the giants to the vast grasslands that stretched in front of the castle, sweeping over the attacking forces and their siege machines. Arcane cannons hurled balls of purple flames.

    The camera tracked one of the projectiles as it flew over three layers of walls, only to be disintegrated when it hit an invisible barrier protecting the castle¡¯s keep. The shield shimmered into view, a gossamer curtain of light, and then parted. Flights of dragon riders soared out of the opening to join the battle.

    "Imagine if everyone were to play as giants," I said in a joking way, checking his reaction. I didn''t want to directly ask why players didn''t just pick the giants as their character if they were the strongest. Why wasn¡¯t Hierakon¡ªthe world Mother Core Online was set in¡ªcrawling with giant players?

    "That would be absolute insanity." Enrico laughed like a braying donkey, thumping his knee with his palm. "Good thing each giant requires a ton of resources to build. They require babysitting because they can''t even enter most cities and plenty of NPCs hate them. They got a saying for that, sir." He snapped his fingers a few times. "Uh, I think it was, ''It takes a guild to raise a giant'', or something like that."

    "Right...right..." I chuckled along with him, my eyes narrowed as my brain whirred into action. "Say, Enrico, what do you think would be a good starting character to make a tank?"

    "Are you planning to build one, sir?"

    ¡°I''m thinking of fun things to try for a new character,¡± I nonchalantly answered. ¡°I wasn¡¯t able to tend to my previous one. Busy with work. Now that the doctors advised me to take some time off, I thought of making a new one and playing to relax. A tank might be fun. What do you recommend?¡±

    ¡°For solo play, sir? The best tanks need guilds to support them. If only casual gameplay, humans are a good choice. They have access to plenty of Ocadules.¡± And he rattled off terms I knew nothing about, discussing this or that race.

    I let him continue, listening with half an ear for tips while checking my messages. Nelly was continuing to pester me. She texted me, [Is Mr. Armand¡¯s son already there? Treat him nicely.]

    [Why wouldn¡¯t I treat him nicely?] was my reply.

    [That means he¡¯s there. Don¡¯t make a big issue of the gym incident.]

    [What gym incident?]

    [You¡¯re definitely messing with him.]

    My sisters were the only ones who knew the real me. I grinned as I turned back to Enrico. ¡°Thank you so much for the tips, Enrico. I¡¯ll try those out when I have the time to spare.¡±

    ¡°No problem, sir.¡± He fixed his tie and sat straighter on his chair. ¡°It¡¯s really cool, sir, that you¡¯re also playing MCO. I thought you were, erm, like my dad. Just focused on business and all that.¡±

    ¡°Oh, but I¡¯m also thinking of business matters.¡± Regurgitating the information from one of the MCO Channel¡¯s shows I watched yesterday, I explained, ¡°Believe it or not, a large chunk of MCO player demographics consist of people in their twenties and thirties. Not surprising because that is the age range with money to spend on the helms while also having an interest in playing the game.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s also the age range of people focused on their careers. Work hard, and then perhaps play MCO to wind down. In fact, work and playing in MCO are merging recently. Companies with online office spaces have moved into the virtual world of MCO.¡±

    Enrico¡¯s brows furrowed. ¡°I don¡¯t follow, sir.¡±

    ¡°More and more people are staying in their homes, busy with work, playing MCO afterward¡­they don¡¯t have much time for anything else. Rather than spend time cooking, they prefer to order food, which they can do while they¡¯re in-game, log out and eat when the delivery arrives, and go back to playing afterward. It sounds dystopian, doesn¡¯t it? But that¡¯s the reality. Fast food and delivery services are the way of the future given how the world is moving indoors and online.¡±

    Erico¡¯s face lit up in amazement at my preaching. ¡°I never thought if it that way, Mr. Herald. That¡¯s amazing foresight!¡±

    Amazing indeed, especially because I only thought of it now. Herald Stone, Bullshit Lord of the Century. I was so impressed with what I came up with to teach Mr. Armand¡¯s son that I considered building a statue in my honor, for only me can honor me. Perhaps a statue was a bit too much.?

    We discussed business matters for a couple more minutes before I shooed him away, hinting that my lunch was already cold. After he left, I microwaved my food, taking care not to mess with the sensors on my body as I moved about the room¡ªthey were wireless, so it was convenient.

    And as I ate my lunch, I continued watching the MCO Channel, feeling like I was a kid again.

    The commentaries of game casters during the guild war sparked the imagination of the kid gamer inside me that laid dormant for years. I let my brain go wild theorycrafting various builds¡ªall of which were probably wrong because I barely knew anything about the game¡ªas the casters discussed the strongest players of the two battling guilds, the strategies employed, and so on.

    The battle ended with Victores Sors capturing Aderenthine Fortress.

    Or what was left of it.

    The Syndicate delayed the invaders until they were able to evacuate their stronghold, and then blew it up so it wouldn¡¯t fall into the hands of the enemy. The commentators explained it would take time to rebuild the fortress, so The Syndicate could come back to recapture it from Victores Sors before the defenses were up once again.

    One hour passed. Two hours. Three.

    My MCO Channel Marathon continued.

    There were small-scale player-versus-player, or PVP, events with a prize pool, again reminding me of the day I last played computer games. A one-versus-one charity tournament for cancer research¡ªfor a good cause, very laudable. A VR streamer showed off the mechanics of a new boss and how to beat it.

    Yesterday, I half-made up my mind to buy an AU-VR Helm to try MCO. After talking to Enrico, I wholly made up my mind¡ªhalf and half made a whole, as per Herald Stone, the Mathematician. Actually, I might make a Goal for it. The world needed to know of Herald, The Best Tank¡­

    I closed my eyes, if only¡­

    A Goal for MCO would just be a reminder of my failure. Playing it casually might be better. After all, I was rusty from not playing any sort of game, even if I was confident my galaxy-spanning, venerable intellect could come up with something that would blow the minds of people thinking like boxes.

    Thinking like a box¡­I chuckled at the thought. It was a phrase I hadn¡¯t used in ages. What the hell was it supposed to mean?

    I brought up The List on my WeeCee. On the top of it was:

    Goal #1 - I will become the best tank in Nornyr Online, crush everyone, and remain standing after every battle.

    This was the forever stain on The List. There was no way for this Goal to be completed.

    Nornyr Online had shut down.

 3 - Eclairs Arent That Sweet

    After a few medical tests to make sure everything was well and good inside my cranium, I was free to go, along with the expected reminders to take it slow for a couple of weeks, change my unhealthy lifestyle, and be awesome as always¡ªmy doctors didn¡¯t mention that last one, but they should¡¯ve.

    Everyone I met from my room to the main entrance of the hospital where a company car waited was blessed with a polite greeting and a gracious farewell¡ªfrom the nurses assigned to my floor, their tag-along interns, hard-working cleaning personnel who didn¡¯t give a shit who I was, and, of course, the receptionist at the front desk. I also ran into Ronald, and he had a firm handshake to remember me; a brotherly hug might¡¯ve been too much, but I did consider it.

    ¡°Take care, Mr. Herald, sir,¡± he said.

    ¡°Thank you for the help during the short time I stayed here.¡± I couldn¡¯t come up with any specific helpful thing he did that wasn¡¯t part of his job, so I settled with generic praise.

    And thus, began the first day after being discharged from the hospital of Herald Stone, The Man Who Changed After Experiencing a Near-Death¡ªscratch that, it didn¡¯t roll off the tongue quite right. I had to think of something more concise.

    Could it be considered a near-death experience? The chance of dying was present; I did hit a metal dumbbell rack with my head. But I wasn¡¯t dying. Not anywhere close.

    Be it one way or the other, I was still going to tell people I had a close shave with death and, consequently, had an epiphany to change for the better¡ªthis was technically impossible because I was already perfect. Another item added to my bag of tricks.

    I¡¯ve seen inspirational speakers use their near-death experiences to connect with the crowd. I bet I could squeeze a ton of mileage out of my own ¡®experience¡¯. A welcome change of pace from my usual, and very much true, bread and butter story of rising from humble beginnings.

    Herald Stone, The Changed Man After Nearly Dying¡ªstill too unwieldy. I¡¯d eventually get it right.

    <hr>

    ¡°Everything seems to be proceeding smoothly,¡± I said. That sounded like a line an evil mastermind would say overseeing the progress of his plan to conquer the world.

    Great was the temptation to steeple my hands and form the triangle of scheming with my fingers while saying those words. Mustache-twirling would¡¯ve been a fine touch too, but I was clean-shaven. Too melodramatic just for observing the ongoing renovation of the original Stone house.

    Our quaint and modest bungalow had passed through three families since we moved out after the bank had foreclosed it. Those people had no love for the fruit of the hard work of Pops and Mum, leaving it in a decrepit state. Makes my blood boil¡­

    Since money was far from a problem, we siblings agreed to buy back our old house and renovate it as a present for Mum¡ªone of my Goals. It¡¯d be expanded with a second floor and an attic added according to its original design that wasn¡¯t followed because my newly-wed parents back then couldn¡¯t afford their complete dream home.

    Mum still didn¡¯t know about this, and we were planning to surprise her when the whole family got together a couple of weeks from now.

    ¡°What do you think, Jimmy?¡±

    Jimmy, the chauffeur of the company car sent to fetch me, turned the driver-side windows fully transparent. ¡°I can¡¯t believe they¡¯re already painting it, sir. They sure do work fast.¡±

    He could¡¯ve just given me a stock response without looking out the window, perhaps a broad comment that it was going to be a beautiful house. Instead, he did look and pointed out something specific.

    Inconsequential to most people. Who cared about what their driver did? To me, this was a sign of a genuine person¡ªgenuine as opposed to¡­me. I did occasionally employ this trick to appear genuine. This was a good refresher.

    ¡°It was worth hiring the best developer in the city,¡± I said. There was no Herald Stone, Aspect of the Dutiful Son. I truly loved my mother. I¡¯d spare no expenses for her.

    ¡°Sir, are you going to go down? I¡¯ll park¡ª¡±

    ¡°No need, Jimmy,¡± I said. My sister, Nelly, already talked to the foreman yesterday. She had sent me pictures of the interior. ¡°I¡¯m feeling light-headed from the painkillers.¡± The Man of the People wanted to take it slow for today.

    ¡°Do I drive you to your apartment to rest, sir?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s first pass by the sites for the two new branches.¡±

    Jimmy mapped our route on the projection that overlaid the side of the windshield. ¡°Heavy traffic downtown, sir. We¡¯ll take the Falcon Expressway and round the north end. Central Mallard Market first, then the one on Pintail Street?¡±

    ¡°Please.¡±

    ¡°Copy that.¡±

    My faint reflection on my stared back at me as I examined the street we passed. Clean-shaven, my brown hair in a simple and neat side-combed style, I was as formal as can be. A ¡®corporate man¡¯ would be the first thing on people¡¯s mind when they saw me. Quite a huge difference from the rowdy teenager playing computer games in the PC Caf¨¦ near here.

    And like me, plenty had changed in my childhood neighborhood. Houses became grander, no more potholes on the road, and the sidewalk was paved with decorative bricks. Trees and modern streetlights lined the middle and sides of the road, giving a proper middle-class suburb atmosphere¡ªsigns of Egret becoming a wealthy city.

    If someone dropped me here without telling me where I was, I wouldn¡¯t realize I used to live in this area. Even the old town parish near our house was remodeled, now used by a different religious sect. I hated going to church because it cut into my Nornyr Online playing time.

    ¡°Huh?¡± I quickly sat straight up. We passed a place I did recognize. ¡°It¡¯s still open?¡±

    ¡°Sir?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s the¡ªnever mind.¡± The convenience store, Kiwi-KwikStop, was still here. It appeared the same as the last time I saw it other than a fresh coat of paint and a new version of their mascot, Mr. Kwiky. ¡°On second thought, Jimmy, can we turn left here?¡±

    ¡°Copy that. Are we still heading to Mallard Area?¡±

    ¡°Just some sightseeing detour.¡±

    ¡°Any specific place, sir? Starling Park up ahead is a popular tourist spot.¡±

    I drummed my fingers on my knee. Jimmy slowed the car down. I leaned forward between the front seats to have a better view of the street. Using the convenience store as a landmark, I estimated where Vanguard Gaming should be. It was ages ago, but I used to bike through this street every single damn day to waste my life playing computer games. ¡°It should be over there. I¡¯m not sure what its name is now¡ªoh, it¡¯s still Vanguard Gaming?¡±

    ¡°Yes, sir. Should I park the car?¡±

    ¡°Please and thank you,¡± I said. I had no expectations of meeting the old gang here. I hadn¡¯t kept up with them after my family was forced to move out of Egret, and I had no idea where everyone was now. Yet I was still interested in checking the place. Pay my respects for old time¡¯s sake. ¡°I¡­I¡¯ll just have a look around.¡± Was I becoming sentimental?

    ¡°Sir, will you need¡ª?¡±

    ¡°I can manage on my own.¡± It would¡¯ve been laughable if I fell once again because of my dizziness. But if I did meet anyone I knew, I didn¡¯t want to look like a snobbish social climber with an attendant tailing him. ¡°Thank you, Jimmy.¡± As always, formal expression of gratitude along with the first name.

    Vanguard Gaming wasn¡¯t a PC Caf¨¦ anymore. As empires rose and fell throughout history, the era of gaming with PCs long passed, overtaken by various models of WeeCees, and it too ceded its throne to VR helms.

    Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings.

    Through it all, Vanguard Gaming survived. And thrived.

    The formerly grubby shop with a couple of dozen computer units crammed in a sardine can had been renovated and expanded, taking over the stores to its left and right to increase its area. Its main business became selling WeeCees and VR helms to keep up with the times, with space dedicated to renting them out to gamers.

    Who would¡¯ve known Jefferson¡¯s dad was this good at managing a business? That stout old man just watched foreign soap operas on a small tv behind the counter all day. Or maybe Jefferson himself had taken over?

    A bunch of kids entered the store, yelling at each other about MCO. That made me smile. Little shits walking the same path I had. Some things just don¡¯t change.

    ¡°Excuse me, sir?¡± A brunette woman with a messy bob cut came up to me. Her small upturned nose gave her a hint of impishness, and her buck teeth that I noticed when she spoke¡ªmore like a rabbit¡¯s front incisors rather than a pronounced overbite¡ªjust added to her air of mischievousness. She adjusted the bulky box wrapped in her arms and gave me a look over with furrowed brows.

    ¡°Good morning,¡± I automatically said out of reflex. ¡°How may I help you?¡±

    ¡°The fuck?¡± She gave me an incredulous glare.

    What¡¯s wrong with this crazy woman? Picking a fight out of the blue. I deliberated on the right reply to a stranger cursing me out of left field when we locked eyes. She was conventionally attractive, I¡¯ll give her that, her features giving her a novel pixie-like side, but appearances didn¡¯t faze me. Never did. Something else gave me pause.

    Her eyes¡­ were unsettling. Very unsettling.

    She had extremely pale gray eyes. A very rare color, unless this was colored contacts. But, no. Not exactly her eyes that bothered me¡ªit was their look.

    It was like she¡¯d seen all the sins of the world and had forsaken any hope for humanity. I wasn¡¯t exaggerating. If someone told me she stole the eyes of Death itself, I¡¯d believe them. The harbinger of the end times. Her eyes bore into my soul¡ªgood thing I didn¡¯t have one.

    ¡°How may I help you?¡± she asked, repeating my words with a snarky tone.

    ¡°Huh? What?¡± I shook myself out of the endless void that was her eyes.

    She shifted her cargo to show me the logo on the front of her shirt. Emblazoned across it was ¡®Vanguard Gaming¡¯. ¡°Eyes up please, if you¡¯re done reading.¡±

    ¡°I wasn¡¯t ogling¡ª"

    She snorted in exasperation. ¡°How may I help you, sir?¡± she said with an exaggerated emphasis on the word ¡®sir¡¯. ¡°I work here, so that was supposed to be my line.¡±

    ¡°Sorry, I¡¯m a bit dizzy and wasn¡¯t thinking straight,¡± I truthfully said, tapping the bandages on my head. A guy with head injuries, surely that would elicit some sympathy.

    She didn¡¯t bother replying, nudging me away from the entrance with the box she carried. The doors automatically opened and she entered. I followed, my curiosity getting the better of me. If Jefferson still owned this place, perhaps I could make some passive-aggressive maneuvers to have this woman reprimanded without appearing as a dickish irate customer myself.

    The once shabby PC caf¨¦ that seemed like a place for selling drugs became a proper and modern tech shop one could find in the business district of big cities. Heavily tinted glass walls separated a third of the floor space from the rest. Through the glass, I saw hints of people in resting pods wearing AU-VR Helms. The middle portion of the store had holographic projections of the main products for sale, VR Helms and WeeCees, with a few real models on pedestals. The last third of the shop to my left had the sales counter along with shelves stocked with electronic peripherals and accessories.

    Beautiful¡­

    My second home was more beautiful than the last time I saw it.

    ¡°Open this and sort them out on the shelves,¡± the woman with soulless eyes said to another employee, handing him the box she carried. She turned around and noticed me. Raising a brow, she said, ¡°How may I help you, sir? That¡¯s the third time I asked you that.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m just looking¡ª¡±

    ¡°Looking for the manager?¡± She gestured to her chest. ¡°I am¡ªwait, where¡¯s my nameplate? I swear I wasn¡¯t pointing at my boobs.¡± Her embarrassed shimmy and the slight blush on her cheeks lessened the death glare of her abyssal eyes. ¡°There we go,¡± she triumphantly said, fixing a silver tag on her shirt.

    ¡°No, I wasn¡¯t looking for the manager. Huh, that¡¯s your name?¡±

    ¡°Eclairs Fawn,¡± she said with her chin jutted out as if daring me to make fun of it. ¡°First name food, last name an animal. And yes, it¡¯s real. I usually don¡¯t wear this because people get fixated on my peculiar name. However, if you can see below my name, there, my title, manager. Complain away.¡±

    ¡°That says manager, alright,¡± I said. Well, she got me there. This Eclairs woman was interesting. ¡®Amusing¡¯ might be the better word. It had been a rollercoaster ride interacting with her. Rather than be offended, I was, in a way, satisfied. Having unhinged people inside Vanguard Gaming was tradition. ¡°I don¡¯t have anything to complain about. I was going to say I¡¯m just looking around.¡±

    She raised a brow at me. After a couple of seconds, she shrugged. ¡°Look around then. Ring the bell on the counter if you need help. It¡¯s just me and a couple of other guys here, so we¡¯re pretty swamped. Half my staff didn¡¯t show up, ugh.¡± And she stomped away in a huff.

    ¡°Wait, Ms. Manager,¡± I called out. She might appreciate me not using her name. ¡°Since you¡¯re the manager, can you tell me who¡¯s the owner of this store? Is it still Mr. Tuffin?¡± That was Jefferson¡¯s family name if I remembered it correctly. I still hadn¡¯t given up on getting back a bit on this crazy, devil-eyed, food-named, woman even though she was entertaining.

    ¡°Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°I used to live around these parts and returned only recently. I wanted to visit my old friend, Jefferson. I haven¡¯t met or talked to him for years.¡±

    ¡°So, that¡¯s why you don¡¯t know. Jefferson Tuffin sold Vanguard Gaming to us about seven years ago.¡±

    ¡°I see. Thank you. The owner now is your family, the Fawns?¡±

    ¡°No, the Bodersons.¡±

    ¡°Bodersons¡­Boady?¡±

    ¡°Boady?¡±

    ¡°Very huge guy,¡± I said, shaping in the air what I could recall of his size. ¡°My name¡¯s Herald. I¡¯m not sure if you¡¯ve heard of me from Boady, but we used to play here in Vanguard Gaming when it was still a PC Caf¨¦. Of course, that was a decade and a half ago, so I¡¯m not sure if¡ª¡±

    ¡°Oh! You mean Derrick.¡± Eclairs snapped her fingers. ¡°That was really a while back, huh? He did call himself Boady for a time.¡± She chuckled. ¡°I do remember Derrick used to be ginormous.¡±

    ¡°Used to be?

    ¡°I saw him when I was a kid and thought he was a sofa chair. He¡¯s pretty fit now. Lost about a hundred fifty pounds.¡±

    ¡°Boady? Fit?¡± My surprise was genuine. When I returned to Egret City, I expected to hear at least one of the people I knew had already bit the dust, and Boady was on the top of that list¡ªsorry, Boady. ¡°I can¡¯t picture that. Boady, or Derrick¡­he bought this place from Jefferson?¡±

    ¡°And I¡¯m managing it,¡± she said. ¡°I¡¯m his cousin.¡± I could see a slight resemblance. ¡°I¡¯m also part owner, although my share is small.¡± She put her hands on her hips. ¡°That means, if you have complaints about the manager, you can direct them to me as well.¡±

    ¡°Judge, jury, and executioner?¡± I said with a smile. She got me there for the second time. I didn¡¯t even show any aggressiveness, yet she knew what I planned to do.

    ¡°Exactly.¡±

    ¡°Where¡¯s Boady now?¡± Even more than Jefferson, Paul, Manson, and the old gang, I wanted to meet Boady again.

    The last time I talked to him was when he bought my account in Nornyr Online before my family left Egret City. It was a very strong character, proven by its track record in all game content, including in PvP setting fighting whale accounts. The problem was it wasn¡¯t a whale account itself. No items and perks bought with premium currency or real cash, no valuable meta gears. And it was a tank, so it had less demand than a DPS character. On top of all of that, no one uses a build like mine in the competitive scene, so¡­it had no value.

    Boady shoved all of that aside and paid the price as if it was a high-end DPS account on the market. He tried to convince me it was worth something even though he knew that I knew he was lying through his teeth. I supposed that was his way of helping me out with my family¡¯s struggles without it being an outright handout; I was too proud to receive charity from anyone. I wanted to do something for him in return now that I could repay severalfold. Herald Stone, The Man Who Never Forgets His Debts¡ªagain, too long.

    ¡°He¡¯s in the Nahebani Federation¡ª¡±

    ¡°For vacation? That doesn¡¯t sound safe.¡±

    ¡°¡ªwith Reaching Hands.¡±

    ¡°Oh, wow. My picture of present Boady keeps changing,¡± was all I can say. Boady had me beat at being the Man of the People. I had to step up my game. More philanthropic acts¡ªmental note for future Goals. Our company did have events and programs for corporate social responsibility bullshit, helping the poor and taking photos, but nothing as hardcore as going to a war-torn country for food aid programs. Man, I want photos doing that.

    ¡°Mister, um, Herald, right?¡± Eclairs asked. I nodded. ¡°So, you¡¯re Boady¡¯s friend?¡± She tucked her short hair behind her ears and slightly bowed. ¡°I¡¯m really sorry for being a proper bitch¡ª¡±

    ¡°No, you weren¡¯t,¡± I interjected. Yes, you were. ¡°I understand you¡¯re tired and stressed, we¡¯ve all been there.¡± Cue in a fake hearty laugh to show relatability. And what did she mean by a ¡®proper bitch¡¯? Compared to an improper one? Would an improper bitch cancel out the negatives and circle back to being a good person, or did it entail a worse person?

    ¡°When I saw you with your bandaged head, I thought you escaped from a psychiatric ward or something. And then you were looking all funny at the kids.¡±

    ¡°Is that why you were acting suspicious of me?¡± Now, I truly didn¡¯t know what to make of her. I did owe Boady, so I should be nice to his family. ¡°That explains it, Ms. Manager. You¡¯re doing a good job.¡±

    Eclairs offered me an apologetic smile. ¡°Well, if there¡¯s anything I can help you with, just say it. I can recommend places to tour in the city since you haven¡¯t been here for a long time.¡±

    ¡°There is something¡­¡± I turned to the displays in the middle of the store. ¡°I¡¯m thinking of buying an AU-VR Helm.¡±

 4 - Cats Butt Coffee

    ¡°So, this coffee comes out of a cat¡¯s butt?¡± I muttered, reading the back of the bag of supposedly very expensive coffee sent as a gift by a business associate when he learned of my short stint at the hospital. I made sure a lot of people would know about it because I posted it on Missive, the world¡¯s biggest social media platform, along with the appropriate inspirational quotes bullshit. I got this bag along with several packages when I passed by our new Egret office.

    A few unexpected business-related matters held me up at the office, and it was already late afternoon when I returned to my rented two-bedroom suite at Grand Scaup¡¯s, one of the high-end apartment buildings that lined the posh Ruffed Grouse Avenue by the Bobwhite River. I was staying here for the month and a half I had to be in Egret City.

    I slowly swirled my peculiar drink in its cup. This cat poop coffee was slightly less acidic than other kinds of coffee I¡¯ve had. Smoother too. The taste, however? I couldn¡¯t say this was better than normal coffee the thirtieth of its cost.

    This reminded me of truffles, my mortal enemy. Those dried turd look-alikes tasted a cross of garlic and bland apple but could be more expensive than the dish they were garnishing. I did know truffles were used more for their distinct aroma rather than taste.

    However, many were physically incapable of detecting the chemical contributing to the truffle¡¯s signature odor, while a number of those who could smell it didn¡¯t find it appealing at all. I researched this after having my first taste of actual truffle, not that fake truffle oil, and couldn¡¯t understand why I found it disgusting¡ªI had to pretend it though because of the social setting.

    And that was my introduction to the world of luxury where items were in demand because they were obscenely expensive¡­and also the start of my vendetta against truffles.

    In contrast to truffles that weren¡¯t worth what they added to a dish, a top-of-the-line gaming unit was usually worth its price. That was why I bought the most expensive AU-VR Helm sold at Vanguard Gaming.

    Well, that was just a secondary reason for my splurge. I mostly wanted to guilt-trip that food-named woman, Eclairs, that I bought a very expensive item from her store even after her less-than-stellar customer service skills. She did try to dissuade me from going for the costliest choice, quite nice of her, but I insisted I was doing it to support Vanguard Gaming out of nostalgia. Hammer in that guilt-tripping.

    It had no actual cost to me because I purchased it with a corporate credit card, making it a tax-deductible expense of the company instead of taxable compensation on my part. Thinking back, I now felt bad for what I did to her.

    I placed my hot drink on the oaken office desk, deciding that I¡¯d give the bag of cat poop coffee to someone else, maybe my sister, maybe Eclairs, then examined my new purchase.

    The box, sleek black with sharp red accents, was surprisingly light for its size and the item it contained. The picture of the product was on one side, plastered with bold words about all of its fancy state-of-the-art features. Another side was transparent, revealing the shiny AU-VR helm.

    This was my first gaming unit.

    After all this time¡­I finally bought my own gaming unit.

    Our family owned a single clunky PC. I wouldn¡¯t consider it my own. And a ¡®gaming¡¯ computer? Definitely not. It ran on charcoal and couldn¡¯t handle simple games, much less Nornyr Online. Even if it could, my sisters were also using it for schoolwork. My only choice was to play at a PC caf¨¦, paying with my meager allowance plus anything I¡¯d earn working various chores for the neighbors.

    I couldn¡¯t help but grin when I opened the packaging and took out AU-VR Helm, setting it on the table as I looked at it fondly.

    Time to play.

    <hr>

    Am I in the game?

    I opened my eyes.

    I found myself slowly gliding over sheer cliffs. This¡­is¡­breathtaking.

    This mountain must have a towering height for billowing seas of clouds to completely cover the perilous fall to my right. On my other side, curious flora of various colors grew above the cliffs, continuing down the gentle slope, becoming lusher, eventually blossoming into swathes of lofty trees that stretched over flat plains as far as the eye could see. Given this altitude, I expected this place to be covered in snow, or at least have sparse vegetation. And I certainly didn¡¯t expect the vast expanse of this otherworldly forest on top of a mountain.

    I tried to move my hands and examine my body, realizing that I didn¡¯t have one. Beyond looking around, I couldn¡¯t control my movement either.

    Where were my other senses? This was supposed to be full-on realism, right? I expected to feel the temperature, smell my surroundings, all of that. But as I continued in my flight tracing the majestic yet foreboding cliffs, I came to understand what was happening.

    This was the game¡¯s introductory cinematics. There it was, the background music, the sort meant to be inspirational and magical, welling up emotions and priming players for the start of a great adventure.

    I picked up speed, the scenes of the cliffs gradually melding into a blur, the music becoming stronger and faster. I still caught glimpses of the bigger curiosities I passed.

    Ancient ruins were built near the edge of the cliffs; crumbling temples jutting out the sides of the mountain that defied gravity; colossal statues of humans, dwarves, centaurs, other creatures I couldn¡¯t recognize, dotted the length of the precipices. Skeletons of fantastical beings large and small were also mixed in, the remains of a dragon weaved through the statues, the upper skeleton of a giant clinging to a crumbling obelisk for seemingly hundreds of years.

    Back when I used to play RPGs, I usually mashed buttons to speed through dialogues and character interactions, ignoring game lore. But now, I wanted to know the stories of those ruins and monster remains. It might be my age that I was no longer keen on simply speeding through everything to start playing.

    Everything here was a whole new world, and I truly wanted to learn about them. It would¡¯ve been better if I could experience this with a body. The sensation of flying, of the rushing winds, all of this would¡¯ve been exhilarating for sure.

    Flying faster and faster over the sheer cliffs that continued on and on, I noticed there was a subtle curve to my path. This wasn¡¯t the cliffs of a mountain range; it was the rim of a mind-bogglingly large crater!

    That explained why the edge was curving, the areas beyond the crater mostly even forestlands. And the clouds? It wasn¡¯t a sign I was high up. Those were an expansive magical fog rotating around a center I couldn¡¯t yet see.

    Suddenly, I was pulled downwards, straight into the fog.

    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    Everything was white like when an airplane passes through a cloud. The white became gray, turning dimmer and dimmer as the light had a harder time penetrating the thick magical fog as I went deeper.

    And then it was total darkness.

    No.

    Not completely dark.

    There was light in the distance, a small twinkle I almost missed. With it as my reference, I realized I was continuing to fall, far faster than I had estimated. The light grew bigger and brighter as I flew towards it. Its radiance illuminated the barren lands of this world beneath the veil of fog.

    A wondrous city of light¡­

    Intricate spires of alien architecture connected by arches and bridges that defied logic in their arrangement.

    Only when I neared this island of light in the endless darkness of the crater¡¯s bottom did I comprehend the true scale of the structures. Taller than the highest skyscrapers in the real world with bridges fit for giants to walk through, majestic construction of this magnitude could only be achieved in a virtual world.

    Old games had shitty graphics for cinematics, but kid me was more than happy with them. Although far from realistic, my imagination would fill in the rest, turning those pixels into the most immersive fantasy world for me. But this world of Hierakon in Mother Core Online, these structures, I could have never dreamt them up. A world far wilder than any my imagination could conjure.

    This was peak worldbuilding. I was sure my real body was unconsciously grinning with an AU-VR Helm on.

    [Greetings, human mind.]

    The voice came from everywhere and nowhere at once. I didn¡¯t have ears, or a body for that matter, so I didn¡¯t exactly hear it. I felt it in my head like it was my internal voice talking to me. I looked around but couldn¡¯t see who it was.

    Hello? I thought. How was I supposed to talk back to it?

    [Welcome, to the Dolbara, the 17<sup>th</sup> Conservator Ship of the Dalkan Empire.]

    Ship? I didn¡¯t see anything that could be a ship for sailing the seas. Nothing like magical airships in many fantasy games. Or was it talking about a spaceship? The structures around were something out of science fiction, so I assumed this was the case. Perhaps the voice meant this entire city of bright spires was a spaceship?

    Am I in the right game? I asked the voice. Mother Core Online was supposed to be more on the fantasy side, mythical creatures, supernatural powers. Not aliens and spaceships. Eclairs mentioned a few other games came pre-installed in the AU-VR Helm I bought.

    Damn, I picked the wrong game? This seemed awesome though.

    [Game? To the Mother Core, this is the game of life. But to you? It can be so much more.]

    Holy crap, it talked back to me. I thought this was just a simple cinematic, but it was actually an interactive one. And I did pick the correct game.

    MCO must be using an AI to converse with the players and add to the immersion. My high school pals and I used to mess around with AI chatterbots on the web, teaching them to curse and other juvenile nonsense. Conversational AI had come a long way since, and we also used them in our delivery business. But those had mostly pre-set responses with minimal learning capabilities and needed periodic manual human tweaking to improve them. I wondered how advanced the AI here was.

    Okay, two questions, I thought at the mysterious voice as I weaved through the golden arches of this mysterious city that might be a space-faring vessel, who is this us, and when do I start the game?

    [We are the Dalkanus. A collect¡ª]

    Your name has ¡®anus¡¯ in it.

    A few seconds of silence passed before the voice answered, [That is quite the observation, meager human mind. An unexpected response, and an amusing one.]

    Fairly advanced response capabilities. I might try to mess around with it for old times¡¯ sake. I¡¯m human, and we start as tiny anuses and form¡ªWooaahh!

    I was swept upward an immense spire that dwarfed all else around it, slowing down as I came upon a single outcropping that disturbed its smooth walls. Then I got plopped on this balcony that overlooked the alien ship.

    [Most of those that pass here would listen to our story and then hurry to pick new bodies to inhabit], said the voice, almost wistfully. [Of the few that converse with us, only you chose to share such an¡­interesting thought.]

    Well, I am interesting, I thought in reply, very impressed with this game¡¯s NPCs. That goes without saying. And I can¡¯t really say anything right now since I¡¯m just a¡­mind, a consciousness? A soul or something?

    [You are you, and only that.] Particles of light gathered in front of me and formed a large ring. The middle of this ring became a void of swirling stars. From this portal stepped out a being of golden light, its upper body humanoid in shape. ¡®Stepped¡¯ might not be appropriate because it didn¡¯t have legs. Its lower half was like a genie, or a ghost, wispy or smoky, not really legs. Pieces of bluish armor hovered over parts of its body.

    That¡­is cool as hell.

    The Dalkanus didn¡¯t have any facial features on its human-shaped head. No nose, no eyes, no mouth, yet it spoke, [Let us start again, shall we? Are you going to listen to our story?]

    Tell me so we can move forward. I¡¯m not going to skip the intro like I did when I was a kid.

    [We are the Dalkanus. A collective consciousness of myriad civilizations that have existed hundreds of millions of years before you. We have witnessed the creation and destruction of galaxies. We will exist millions, billions of years after your sun collapses upon itself.]

    Okay.

    [Our existence is insulated from all there is, all there was, all there ever will be. We will be...even if cold death consumes your ever-expanding universe. We simply are.]

    Just to be clear, this is Mother Core Online? If it¡¯s not, I¡¯m still game for it.

    [The Mother Core guides us all on the path of Conservation, a portion of each intelligent species we come across sheltered in this world forevermore even if all others will be lost to the devouring nothingness.]

    So, I am in the right game. Good. I didn¡¯t expect MCO to have this sort of science fiction twist to it. It piqued my interest to start playing. This is a zoo? I asked, wanting to test the game¡¯s AI a bit more.

    [A conservatorship.]

    A zoo then. I suppose the creatures here, including humans, should still be grateful they get to exist even if¡­what did you say? ¡®Other worlds will be lost¡¯?

    [The Mother Core wills it.]

    Where does that leave me? Why am I here?

    [We are offering you a chance at a second life.] A vertical line on the formerly flawless wall behind the Dalkanus. This line widened, hidden doors parting to a hallway with lofty ceilings. The Dalkanus floated in as it continued speaking, [A chance for your human mind to experience lives you never could, to be reborn in a world where you are the master of your fate. A world¡ª]

    That¡¯s for me. What¡¯s in it for you guys? MCO had many secrets, deep lore that needed to be uncovered. Those were very valuable that I considered digging here and there to understand the story and maybe find an advantage for myself.

    The Dalkanus turned around.

    Are you not allowed to tell me?

    [Everything degrades, and so does the consciousness of the creatures in this conservatory. Yet, our goal is not to merely store these creatures, otherwise, we would have kept them in stasis until the end of time. We want them to exist, to thrive, to continue their cycles. But their consciousness cannot survive the cycles of this world. We can repair the bodies but not their minds.]

    If I got this right, we¡¯re going to pilot the bodies you have in store to keep your zoo going? My god, this has taken a morbid twist. Spending a few minutes with this Dalkanus already told me they were not to be trusted, and they didn¡¯t seem to be the good guys the game was presenting on the surface.

    [Enough of the questions. Follow me. Now is the time to choose¡­]

    How do I follow¡ª? Oh, I can move again. Hang on, Mr. Dalkanus.

    [What are you doing, human mind?]

    I floated to the edge of the balcony, the vast city of light below me. Just want to check something. I jumped off.

 5 -Joining the Zoo

    [And you have returned.]

    Huh? I was plunging down the tower when, in the blink of a proverbial eye, I popped back on the balcony in front of the Dalkanus. I couldn¡¯t exactly jump off¡ªI didn¡¯t have a body for one, and I was just floating by default for another, so I couldn¡¯t fall. Instead, I controlled myself to zoom to the ground but found myself back here. That¡¯s not allowed?

    [It is not uncommon for a human mind to try to wander off. The Dolbara is a work of art, but the time for exploration is not now. You will have the opportunity to explore in the future¡­perhaps.]

    I wasn¡¯t going off exploring. I wanted to check for fall damage.

    [You are but a consciousness. In your state, you cannot affect nor can be affected by this world. Come along now.]

    Worth a try for old times¡¯ sake. I foresaw I¡¯d be doing many more things due to nostalgia. And also to check the mechanics of the game. So, I¡¯m not allowed to die during the introduction? I asked in thought as I floated after it.

    [You are not living, so you cannot die.]

    I¡¯m not living? That did give me pause. My initial reaction was to argue I was alive because we were interacting, but when it came down to it, in the logic of this world, this NPC was right. A ¡®consciousness¡¯ wasn¡¯t alive. Holy crap, was the AI actually thinking about this? A pre-programmed response was the likelier case. Before I get tempted to drag you into a philosophical debate, I told it, let¡¯s just move on to character selection.

    Unlike the gold and light motif outside, the hallway was silver chrome. The pulsating crystals and glowing lines that ran through the walls, floor, and ceiling added a hint of metallic blue. The hallway also was heavy sci-fi in its aesthetics, but it had a more evident fantasy side, with the blue lines forming geometric patterns that were reminiscent of runes and magical sigils in a futuristic backdrop.

    As we reached the end of the hallway, the door opened with a satisfying whoosh.

    What the¡ª! This is fucking amazing¡­ If I had a mouth, I would¡¯ve gasped. If I had eyes, they would¡¯ve widened. If I had a dick it would¡¯ve hardened. Poetry in the face of magnificence.

    [Behold!] The Dalkanus spread its arms wide. [Sapient creatures of worlds undone, saved forevermore by the grace of the Mother Core, their minds and bodies continuing to exist in defiance of the will of the universe!]

    We floated over a platform that overlooked a vast enclosed space that brought images of an amphitheater to mind. However, in place of sloping levels of seats, it was tier upon tier of vats stacked vertically, dozens of them, all the way up. Nearing the end of the platform, I saw that the tiers continued several levels down as well.

    The cylindrical containers in the tiers near me, the middle portion of this massive silo, could hold a body the size of a human. Their dimensions became smaller the higher tiers were and larger in the opposite direction. The lowest tier had vats of gigantic size¡ª¡®gigantic¡¯ not only a simple description of their massive proportions but that the vats did house giants, some of them I saw during the guild battle on the MCO Channel, as well as other colossal mythical creatures.

    This is where I choose a body?

    [That is so.]

    There are so many choices!

    [Not all of them are available.] The Dalkanus drifted off the platform and ascended in a circular spiral as if to show me the goods. Left with no choice, I flew after it, examining the creatures we passed.

    Each one of these vats appeared to contain a unique creature floating in chemicals. However, most of them weren¡¯t lit. Only the very subtle glow of the mysterious liquid inside the vats outlined the body they contained. These must be the races that weren¡¯t available; they were yet to be unlocked.

    As for the containers that were illuminated, they were either bathed by a bright green light, the body inside clearly shown, or they had a dim, faded blue glow, the body contained still visible but partially hidden in shadows. I didn¡¯t know what the differences between the two were.

    There was the run-of-the-mill human, as expected. An elf of the beautiful pointy ear kind. Dwarves, goblins, fairies, the usual fantasy creatures in games. Some looked similar to the staples with minor differences, like a dwarf with mottled green skin, or a corrupted dark elf. And many seemed to be uniquely designed for this game.

    The Dalkanus then changed course and flew down, and we passed larger creatures on display¡ªa minotaur, a centaur, all kinds of ¡®taurs¡¯, a sphinx, a wyvern, and so much more.

    So, how does this work? Do I just touch them¡­?

    [This is your Akashic Configuration.]

    Akashic, what¡ª? Oh, you mean this? An interface appeared before me.

    Three large hexagons that had magical-looking runes mixed with mechanical designs were in a triangle formation in the middle. Six smaller hexagons were arranged in a circle around the central three. Only one of the large hexagons was unlocked; the rest, including the smaller hexagons, weren¡¯t. I noticed that this page was one of many on the interface. Other tabs had a locked symbol on them, probably other stats pages.

    [This is a blank Compressed Integral Data Module. The inhabitants of this planet call this ¡®Cidule¡¯ in their universal language.]

    [ Received: Cidule (Blank) ]

    What¡¯s this for?

    [A Compressed Integral Data Module, or Cidule, can store the data of a prime specimen of a race at the peak of its capabilities. If Melded with your Akashic Configuration, you can follow the progression paths of such a race and realize its maximum potential.] The Dalkanus gestured at each of the vats with green lights that we passed, specifically at a small port at the bottom of the containers. [The base races, or so we call them, are available for your perusal and download.]

    This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    And the others?

    [These,] said the Dalkanus, waving to the dim blue vats, [are variants of the base races in our inventory. They have existed at some point in their respective base races¡¯ development and history. Mixing of genetic material, usually through inter-breeding, but also other means; evolutions and mutations, natural or otherwise; results of arcane experimentations; anomalous interactions with spatial energies¡ªnumerous reasons for their being. We have collected the data of the most stable and included them in our inventory.]

    A blue vat caught my eye. It contained what appeared to be a werewolf¡ª a row down and five vats to the left of the normal human vat, the race with seemingly the most variants. If I recalled correctly, Enrico had mentioned something about this when he gave a lengthy explanation of why humans were a good starting race.

    I stopped following the Dalkanus and flew towards it. The name ¡®Lycanthrope¡¯, along with a few lines of information, popped up when I got closer. I suppose these are off the table for now?

    [The variants, you have to discover on your own when you explore the planet Hierakon. Once you do find an appropriate one, you can save their data on another Cidule to connect with your Akashic Configuration.]

    So, why can¡¯t I get them now? I peered at another blue vat with probably a vampire inside.

    [You start with a base Cidule when you spawn on Hierakon to allow your fragile human mind to acclimate to it and be ready for its variants. This also ensures smooth integration between the base and a variant Cidules when you experience at least a part of the variant¡¯s off-shooting event¡ªwe tried to recreate the scenario of how the variants came about from their base to secure the integrity of their data. You can download clues on how to find or recreate variants after picking the appropriate base race.]

    And the darkened vats are those that haven¡¯t been discovered in the game?

    [Correct. Since they have not yet been discovered, they are not part of the physical cycles of Hierakon, other than augur simulations emanating from the Dolbara. Each creature¡¯s data we have saved is precious, and we do not want to start the propagation of their consciousness on Hierakon unless supported by many of the human minds that have agreed to aid us in the Great Conservation.

    [After the Dolbara had completed terraforming Hierakon, a planet with no name tens of thousands of years ago, we selected ten base races with the most numerous individual essences to start the physical cycles of this world. They were resilient enough to withstand degradation until sufficient human minds stabilized their cycles. And, thus, began the great journey to discover the rest of these.]

    Plenty left to find, I responded, surveying the many dark vats.

    MCO was a game of exploration and discovery where secrets held a great price. Offers to buy those could run in the tens of thousands of Warblers¡ªI checked after Enrico had mentioned yesterday about the Expeditionary Legion trying to purchase the secrets of the special giants used by Victores Sors; their price would probably continue growing after their awesome performance in battle. What if I found those sorts of hidden information myself?

    The Dalkanus beckoned to follow it back to the platform. [We have placed all races as close to their original environments as possible, isolating most of them from each other since they are from different worlds. We felt that natural discovery was the way of integrating with the least resistance. Once they are found by any human mind, their complete data will be available for download if they are a base race or only their preliminary data in the case of variants.]

    I see¡­the Cidule fits into one of these big hexagons in the middle? I tried putting the Cidule I got on the slot. It could fit, but the Configuration wouldn¡¯t accept it because it was empty.

    [Exactly.]

    Can I change a base race after I pick one?

    [The fickleness of the human mind¡­ Many have changed their choices several times. And that is allowed by the grace of the Mother Core. The only caveat is that the body you had inhabited will be recycled and returned to the system, everything connected to it erased.]

    Back to square one? Fair enough. What¡¯s the consequence of changing a variant Cidule? Let¡¯s say I found one for a werewolf, and later on, I found a vampire Cidule. I don¡¯t have to return to level 1, do I?

    [Variant Cidules can be separately progressed if they are interfaced with the Akashic Configuration.]

    I can just level them and choose? You should speak plainly. I bet most human minds that pass by here are inferior to mine.

    [Then we were right to converse with you in this manner.]

    I raised a phantom brow. Sass from an NPC with conversational AI? Could this be an employee of the AU Corporation piloting this NPC to give an immersive feel? But that would not be feasible, logistically speaking. There must be hundreds of people making their characters all over the world every day¡ªboth new and old.

    [It is time, human mind. Choose.]

    There are just so many variables to consider here. I¡¯m not sure¡­

    [The main reason many of your kind return here is to change their decisions, something not possible in your true existence¡ªthe allure of this world. Variables are a given. There will be hundreds, thousands that will affect your second life, no matter what form you choose. If your goal is to be powerful, as do many others, it does not necessarily equate to choosing a powerful race. In the beginning, a colossal Crimson Dragon is certainly more powerful than a delicate forest nymph, but at the end of the journey, that may not necessarily remain to be so. It all depends on how one lived their life.]

    The wisest words I¡¯ve heard coming from an Anus, I said. And those things you mentioned also applied to real life; I can attest to that. Now¡­what do I do here?

    Mother Core Online didn¡¯t operate like the MMORPGs of old. Only a small portion of the game had been discovered in the year or so of its existence. And even if all the information about the game was available, it still might not be possible to figure out the most powerful characters and the strongest builds.

    That didn¡¯t mean, however, that I¡¯d just chuck this to a coin toss. I needed to get a feel of a game. I needed to study. And I needed to plan. That was the way to get hard. Without preparation, I¡¯d run the risk of making a character that was floppy and limp.

    Right across the platform was the vat for the base human. I rounded the massive golden body of the Dalkanus and hovered over it. For testing purposes, I could go with Enrico¡¯s suggestion.

    [ Insert: Cidule (Blank) - Y/N? ]

    [Human?] the Dalkanus asked with amusement. [Many of your kind still chose a human body despite being presented with a variety of other options.]

    I¡¯m not surprised. The point of playing role-playing games like MCO, or even Nornyr Online, was escapism, wish-fulfillment, to be something only possible in imagination land. However, most people imagine themselves magical with powers, not themselves with a horse as their lower body¡ªokay, some do. Picking human also simplified the choosing process.

    [Perhaps, I will see you again?]

    That¡¯s for sure, golden anus. I¡¯m just doing some testing. I¡¯ll be back soon.

    [ Downloading Human Data... ]

 Getting Hard is getting published!

    The first book of Getting Hard is now out on Amazon</a>! In addition to its release on Kindle Unlimited</a>, it also has an audiobook</a>. If you¡¯ve seen the announcement before, it¡¯s because I mistakenly made it a couple of days early. I¡¯m no good in advertising, just in Getting Hard.

    Most, if not all, authors want their stories to be turned into books. I don¡¯t have the know-how or the time and professional skills to edit and put together a book. So, when I was offered by Aethon the opportunity, I grabbed it. This will allow the story to reach a wider audience in Kindle Unlimited, which also means that chapters 6-69 will be taken down.

    You might wonder how you can help:

    Reviews and Ratings on Amazon (keeping in mind that anything below a 5 on Amazon is essentially a downvote because their ratings skew up) will REALLY help me right now, and the nice thing is that you don''t need to buy the book to rate or review. If anyone wouldn''t mind jumping on Amazon and doing that, that would be fantastic.

    Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    A download on KU helps as well if you¡¯re subscribed. Makes the algorithm like the book more. And of course, if you want to buy it on Kindle or Audible, that always works.

    Amazon Link: https://www.royalroad.com/amazon/B0CLBSJWYF</a>

    Audible Link: https://www.audible.com/pd/Rise-of-a-Tank-Audiobook/B0CV4CJQCM</a>

    A huge thank you to everyone for supporting this story and for staying hard all the way!

 210 - Fair Stone

    ¡°You¡¯re asking if I can heal this monster?¡± Melonomi looked up at the Alpha Cragodon.

    ¡°I can only target party mates with my Healing Touch,¡± I said. ¡°Says ¡®allies¡¯ in the description. Most support skills work the same way. But what about your health potion cast? I¡¯m assuming you can throw it at anyone or anywhere you like. And since it¡¯s a health potion¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m almost sure it¡¯ll work,¡± she said. ¡°I can try it now, but they¡¯ll see it and know your plan.¡±

    ¡°Wait, what¡¯s going on?¡± Nitana asked. ¡°Why heal this big guy instead of immediately killing it?¡±

    ¡°Herald wants a contingency in case they¡¯re not so friendly,¡± Kezo nodded at the approaching players. ¡°They¡¯re probably not going to start any trouble. That¡¯s Merl in the lead. I¡¯ve partied with him a couple of times. No issue. We haven¡¯t talked much though. And that¡¯s Felicia beside him, his girlfriend.¡±

    I recalled that Felicia once offered me some of her brewed potions as thanks for starting the world quest. I didn¡¯t accept it so she¡¯d continue to be grateful to me, and also because I didn¡¯t have any use for them except to sell. The consumables she made were buffs for DPSers. So much for gratitude during the Great Hunt.

    ¡°Two Pathfinders in their party,¡± said Paritor. I wasn¡¯t sure how he knew their Ocadules. ¡°They are in this Great Hunt with the intention to steal kills.¡±

    I raised a brow. ¡°What should we watch out for with Pathfinders?¡± Normally, I wouldn¡¯t ask this, preferring to pretend I knew everything. But I¡¯d be incredibly pissed off if someone stole this Alpha from us.

    ¡°Stealth capabilities and high burst damage, single target skills.¡±

    I nodded. ¡°We should always keep count of them.¡± Then, to Kezo, I said, ¡°I think that¡¯s close enough.¡±

    Kezo raised his hand. ¡°Hello, Merl! How¡¯s it going?¡±

    The other party had the courtesy to stop. Merl, presumably their leader, waved back. ¡°Hey there, Kezo! Just doing the Great Hunt, same as you. Before you say anything else, we¡¯re going to apologize for getting those Cragodons back there. But everything¡¯s fair game during this event.¡±

    That¡¯s not a real apology, I thought. Would my overly suspiciousness pay off this time?

    ¡°We didn¡¯t know you got dibs on it,¡± said Felicia. ¡°We were searching for Great Hunt mobs and accidentally met the Cragodons heading your way.¡±

    ¡°How did you guys know about some secret Alpha spawning here?¡± asked Merl.

    ¡°We don¡¯t.¡± Kezo gestured to me. ¡°It showed up while we were helping Herald with some quests.¡±

    ¡°Oho! Herald Stone!¡± said Merl. ¡°World quest guy! Didn¡¯t see you there.¡± His teammates also greeted me.

    ¡°We decided to do the Great Hunt later,¡± I said, ¡°because the players by the Hunter-Warriors camp are in a feeding frenzy. I haven¡¯t explored this part of the mountain yet, so here we are. Pure coincidence we encountered the Alpha Cragodon. That¡¯s what they call beginner¡¯s luck¡­ since it¡¯s my first time doing a Great Hunt.¡±

    So, you shouldn¡¯t ruin it, was what I implied. They weren¡¯t kids so they should¡¯ve gotten the message. If they still decided to mess with us¡ªwith me¡ªit¡¯d be fair game if I took revenge later.

    ¡°Oy, Herald,¡± said Merl. ¡°You got some magic charms always running into lucky situations. Maybe if we stay around, some of it would rub onto us.¡±

    Right as he finished that sentence, the Alpha Cragodon called for help. Rumbling answered in the distance.

    ¡°If that¡¯s your way of asking to share, then it¡¯s fine,¡± said Kezo. ¡°Always good to have allies during the Great Hunt.¡±

    ¡°You scratch our back, we scratch yours,¡± said Merl. ¡°You can count on us later on, especially during PvP. We¡¯ll take those two Cragodons coming from over there. You get the rest.¡±

    Telling us how to divide the mobs? That didn¡¯t sit well with me. We were sharing with them, not the other way around.

    Though they did take a smaller share, Merl made it sound like he was doing us a favor. I recognized this tactic because I often employed it myself¡ªand I wouldn¡¯t trust myself if I were up against me. Another factor was that these people didn¡¯t move from their spot. They waited for the Cragodons to come to them instead of moving away from us. Some personal party space would be appreciated given the competitive air.

    Stolen from its original source, this story is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.

    I told my party about what we should do. Kezo and Megan didn¡¯t think Merl¡¯s group would try anything but agreed to follow my plan if I made the call.

    Fighting the current wave went smoothly. The next one too.

    Our parties became more comfortable with each other, chatting in between waves. Since Merl¡¯s group had stronger DPSers than ours¡ªexcept for Kezo¡ªthey quickly finished their fewer Cragodons and stood around watching us fight. It could just be paranoia, but I swear they were assessing us and planning how to steal the Alpha.

    When the third wave after our alliance was forged came, Kezo said, ¡°This might be the last batch. We¡¯re going to kill the Alpha after this. Be ready with your skills and¡ª¡±

    ¡°We should do it now,¡± I said, ¡°while they¡¯re still distracted with their Cragodons. They¡¯ll finish before us.¡±

    ¡°Are you really sure they¡¯re going to steal our¡ª?¡± Megan began to ask.

    ¡°Kezo, attack the Alpha,¡± I cut in. ¡°Everyone, do it! Remember to save your strongest skills. Paritor hold the regular Craggies.¡±

    Paritor questioningly tilted his head. ¡°Me? But I thought you¡¯ll¡ª¡±

    ¡°Minor change of plans. Everything else remains the same.¡± I threw a poison bottle at the Alpha, then went near it to cast debuffs. Then I rounded the Alpha¡¯s ass and swerved left, to the forest. I set my sights on the Cragodons that Merl¡¯s party was fighting, going in a wide arc far away from the Alpha that had everyone¡¯s attention.

    The others followed my instructions.

    Merl and his buddies were still attacking their Cragodon. But something was missing.

    Or someone. One, two, three, four¡­

    ¡°Their Pathfinders are gone!¡± I called out. Game time.

    My teammates stopped attacking the Alpha Cragodon. Only a tiny percentage of its health remained but was still some ways away from getting finished off. Our plan was obvious¡ªwe were waiting for the Pathfinders to attack so we could take the last hit. The invisible Pathfinders had two choices: return to their party and pretend this was all a prank or attack the Alpha and risk our party getting the kill.

    The Pathfinders chose the second option. One of them broke his invisibility, suddenly appearing below the Alpha Cragodon, a curved dagger in each hand, solidified flames extending the blades. He thrust the glowing daggers upward at the Alpha¡¯s belly, shooting bright beams from its end.

    But that wasn¡¯t all.

    Merl and Felicia abandoned all pretense of an alliance. They separated from their party, leaving behind their tank and healer to hold their Cragodons, and charged toward the Alpha. They were going to double down while their second Pathfinder waited to deliver the coup de grace.

    I looked over my shoulder as I continued my side mission, keeping an eye on the battle. The Alpha¡¯s health bar went down and down. Ten meters behind the Alpha, the previously missing Pathfinder showed herself. She carried a black crossbow crackling with electricity. As she trained her sights on the Alpha, shimmering orbs gathered into her weapon as if to charge it.

    Merl and Felicia let loose their skills on the Alpha. I could only see their backs, but I imagined they had quite perplexed expressions that Kezo wasn¡¯t doing anything.

    The crossbow Pathfinder fired.

    ¡°Yes, we got it!¡± Merl roared, raising his axe. Then his hand wavered and he let his weapon fall to his side. I couldn¡¯t hear his next words but I could guess them.

    The Alpha¡¯s health bar suddenly jumped up before the large energy bolt hit. The crossbow Pathfinder wasn¡¯t able to kill the Alpha. Kezo, Megan, and Nitana attacked the Alpha Cragodon and finally put it to rest. It had been milked long enough.

    [ Loot: 97,390 Artas, (5) Great Hunt Emblem, (2,650) Hunting Token, (3) Alpha Cragodon Horn Shard, (8) Prized Frostores, (5) Thick Cragodon Hide ]

    That¡¯s a lot of tokens! I yelled in my head, not wanting to betray my position.

    The tank and healer of Merl¡¯s party were standing while getting attacked by Cragodons, looking to the center of the clearing and away from me. I came up from behind them after circling through the forest. The tank had a high level and good gears that he didn¡¯t mind the two Cragodons stomping on him. Following his gaze, I saw that Kezo and the others went back to killing the other Cragodons they ignored for the Alpha.

    Merl and his partymates didn¡¯t try to steal those. That¡¯d be the height of immaturity if they did. They seemed to be accepting of defeat, chuckling while chatting with Kezo.

    Beyond Kezo, I spotted Nitana. Though she was sending squadrons of all sorts of fairies at the Cragodons, she was looking my way. I nodded at her. This wasn¡¯t part of the plan but I knew she¡¯d understand my message. She went to get Megan.

    I cast [Horde Stampede], rushing at the leftover Cragodons of Merl¡¯s party. They tried to steal from us¡ªan Alpha Cragodon at that¡ªso, they shouldn¡¯t be offended that I¡¯d do the same. I taunted the Cragodons and started running to my party. The Cragodons thundered past the tank and healer of Merl¡¯s party.

    ¡°What the hell?¡± the healer exclaimed.

    Nitana and Megan rushed to meet me, attacking the very much bruised Cragodons as they closed in. Merl and Felicia turned around to see what was happening. Their Pathfinder friend moved forward, but Merl, laughing boisterously, held out his arm to stop him.

    The Cragodons burst into Essence and Gli. I trotted through the sparkling lights, meeting Nitana and Megan, and gave them high fives.

    ¡°As expected of Herald Stone,¡± said Merl when I approached. I decided to partially forgive him because he uttered one of my mental catchphrases. ¡°You got us with that one¡­ got us with that two. Because, you know, that was twice¡ª¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t have to explain it, babe,¡± Felicia said. ¡°It¡¯s our loss.¡±

    ¡°Fair game,¡± I said, holding out my hand.

    Merl accepted it. ¡°Fair game.¡±

 211 - Stoney Savior

    We parted ways with Merl¡¯s group on somewhat cordial terms, the agreed-upon alliance was upheld with modifications. If we met each other again during the Great Hunt, there¡¯d be no hard feelings if one group stole the kill of another. I could sense they wanted a rematch. Their tank was especially miffed that I managed to taunt away the monster he was supposed to hold for his party. However, if we entered a PvP zone later on, our parties would help each other take out other players. I was pleased with that arrangement since we badly needed firepower.

    ¡°What if they betray us again?¡± Megan stared at Merl¡¯s party going the other way. ¡°Super annoying they tried to steal the big Craggy. We were kind enough to share some regular Craggies with them.¡±

    ¡°We can¡¯t control their decisions,¡± said Kezo. ¡°We¡¯ll just have to do our best. And I know that we will be able to overcome any challenges.¡± Such a classic Kezo answer.

    ¡°If we show that our side is the winning side,¡± I said, ¡°they won¡¯t betray us. We can also gain more allies that way.¡± This was why I worked hard on the image I presented to the Mardukryon community. On top of starting the world quest, I also gave freebies and leeched new players. What¡¯s not to love with Herald Stone?

    In competitions, people root for the underdog. But if they were playing, they¡¯d want to side with the winners. People naturally want to win. An underdog¡ªyours truly¡ªwho was lovable¡ªalso, yours truly¡ªracking up wins was a very attractive side to be on.

    ¡°How do we do that?¡± Nitana asked with a snort. ¡°We¡¯re not exactly competitive-tier material. Take Megan here¡ª¡±

    Megan tried to poke Nitana with her wands. ¡°Hey, I¡¯m doing my best!¡±

    ¡°Just kidding, Meg.¡±

    ¡°Getting that one over Merl¡¯s was a start,¡± I said. ¡°The winning side doesn¡¯t necessarily mean the strongest. The winning side is comprised of winners.¡±

    ¡°Like, duh,¡± Nitana said, chuckling. ¡°But I get what you mean, Herald.¡±

    ¡°To me, what¡¯s important is they don¡¯t hold a grudge,¡± said Melonomi. ¡°I really, really, don¡¯t want drama. I prevented their Pathfinder from getting the last hit and¡ª¡±

    ¡°And you were awesome with the timing,¡± I said. ¡°If that were me, I would¡¯ve failed.¡± Of course, I didn¡¯t think that. But a little fib to bolster her confidence and make myself look supportive didn¡¯t hurt. A small trade-off of ego for possibly wiggling out Melonomi¡¯s secrets in the future.

    ¡°A job very well done, Melonomi,¡± said Kezo. ¡°I wasn¡¯t expecting you to sneak healing the Alpha Cragodon at the right time.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m good at supporting, if I may say so myself,¡± Melonomi replied, facing away from us, suddenly very interested in the trees we passed. ¡°I just thought of the Alpha as a party mate I was saving.¡±

    Our next target Ichor was one that only Paritor knew. Supposedly. Melonomi was evasive about it, muttering that she couldn¡¯t recall whether she got that one. Arriving at our destination, only boulders, mounds of rubble, and crushed trees greeted us. The monsters that were supposed to be there were not.

    ¡°D¨¦j¨¤ vu?¡± said Nitana.

    Paritor stepped forward, looking left and right. ¡°The Ironback Badgers should be here.¡± His summons dispersed, climbing over the rocks and up the collapsed part of the mountain.

    ¡°What happened here?¡± I kicked one of the rocks. ¡°A landslide?¡±

    Megan raised her hand. ¡°I think this is an avalanche.¡±

    For a moment, I wondered if I, Herald Stone, the Great Linguist, made an elementary mistake. What was the difference between a landslide and an avalanche? I almost opened my interface to check the internet. Nitana was there to confirm I was correct, as always.

    ¡°Avalanche is for snow.¡± Nitana pulled her best friend¡¯s hand down. ¡°These are rocks and dirt. It¡¯s a landslide.¡±

    ¡°Whoopsie,¡± said Megan.

    ¡°Looks like it happened recently,¡± said Kezo. ¡°Only a thin layer of snow covers these rocks.¡±

    ¡°So, the landslide drove away the giant badgers with blades?¡± guessed Megan. ¡°Too bad. I really wanted to see them. Like, I can¡¯t picture in my head what they look like.¡±

    ¡°Maybe they¡¯re on vacation with Frost Imp survivors, if there are any,¡± I said with a bemused smile. This Ichor hunt wasn¡¯t going smoothly. ¡°But the Ichor here isn¡¯t dropped by the Ironback Badgers. Right, Paritor? Maybe we can get to their main hiding spot?¡±

    ¡°The method of finding their lair is to kill only a few of them,¡± said Paritor, ¡°so that they would not immediately flee by tunneling into the ground. After a sufficient number of casualties is reached, the Ironback Badgers will retreat, but not all of them will burrow if done right. One will carve a path tracing the cliff wall that will connect to a wider path on the other face of this rock feature that is otherwise inaccessible. Following it will lead to an opening, the tunnel leading to the nest of the Grand Ironback Badger. There, an Ichor can be found.¡±

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    ¡°Sounds complicated,¡± said Kezo. ¡°One of the harder Ichors to discover unless somebody accidentally stumbled upon the specific way to get it.¡±

    ¡°Can we find a way to reach that cave from here?¡± I asked.

    Paritor shook his head. ¡°My summons cannot find any. More of the mountain has collapsed on the other side, leaving no path for us to traverse. It appears that this Ichor is currently unavailable to us.¡±

    ¡°Is this another effect of the Great Hunt?¡± Megan said. ¡°Let¡¯s hang out here for a bit, maybe Craggies will come and bulldoze all these rocks away.¡±

    ¡°Likelier, this is Bawu¡¯s fault,¡± I said, touching the side of a boulder as large as me. This whole mountainside connects to the cliff walls behind Kurghal Village. When Bawu caused that huge explosion, it might¡¯ve started a landslide here. I¡¯m not sure if waiting¡ª¡± I cocked my head, hearing a suspicious noise.

    Laughter and chatter. We stopped talking and faced the forest behind us.

    Other players were strolling along the forest, around a dozen of them. Most had visibly beginner gear. But a few of them were high-level. Just a group of friends, probably looking for something to do because the Hunter-Warrior camp still had a riot going on. They didn¡¯t see us, but they soon would if they continued their path.

    ¡°They might be tour¡ªwoah! What¡¯s that?¡± I jolted back as a monster so large it was a surprise I didn¡¯t notice its approach suddenly blocked the players we were watching.

    A humanoid monster, half as tall as the trees in these parts, seemingly popped out of the shadows. Armored in glass-like scales, sparkling while reflecting bits of its surroundings, it was disconcerting to look at. Long arms, almost reaching the ground, ended in curved blades. Even its legs were blades, reminding me of running blade prosthetics.

    ¡°The Forgotten Blade Stalker,¡± said Kezo. ¡°It¡¯s been some time since I last saw it.¡±

    ¡°Is it a Great Hunt monster?¡± I asked.

    ¡°No, it¡¯s the mini-boss of the area. It usually hides from players and is quite hard to find. It doesn¡¯t have good drops, so people don¡¯t bother with it, same with the Living Statue. If it¡¯s here, that means it didn¡¯t join the migration of monsters¡ªthis place is too far from their path. I don¡¯t think it has Hunting Tokens, though we can¡¯t be sure unless we kill it.¡±

    ¡°Even if it does, we¡¯re not going to kill-steal it,¡± said Melonomi. ¡°I don¡¯t want issues with all of those people. Just leave it alone.¡±

    ¡°We¡¯re not going to kill-steal,¡± I said. Not from that many people, I added in my head. It¡¯d make me look bad. ¡°But we might need to help them.¡± The weaker players dispersed while their stronger friends engaged the monster. At least, they seemed to know what they were doing. ¡°Kezo, is this Blade Stalker strong?¡±

    ¡°Not on the level of the Living Statue,¡± he replied. ¡°But some of the newer Mardukryon players might die even if they¡¯re careful. The Blade Stalker moves quite fast¡ªthey¡¯ll be surprised if they haven¡¯t fought it before. The expansive AoE of its blade attacks will get them.¡±

    ¡°There goes one of them,¡± drawled Nitana. ¡°And two.¡±

    ¡°Oh no!¡± Megan gasped.

    The Blade Stalker slinked through the trees as if it didn¡¯t have bones, evading attacks and going for the fleeing players. It was shockingly fast for its size, moving as if it were swimming. Its bladed limbs glowed purple for a second before it let loose a flurry of airwaves that sliced through the forest. As Kezo had said, the AoE was huge. The players didn¡¯t have time to escape its reach despite the attack being telegraphed.

    The veteran Mardukryons could handle the Blade Stalker¡¯s skills, but not their low-level friends¡ªthe only way for them to survive was to hide behind huge trunks of trees. But because the Blade Stalker moved fast, it could quickly reposition itself to find new angles and add more victims to its list.

    This is a chance to show off!

    More of the new players died even as they adjusted their strategy of fighting the monster. A couple of their group had ress skills, but couldn¡¯t keep up with the casualties.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± I cast [Horde Stampede] and galloped ahead, waving at my party mates to follow me.

    ¡°We¡¯re not going to steal¡ª¡± Melonomi began to protest.

    ¡°We¡¯ll help resurrect them,¡± I said. My [Embers of Rebirth] was still unused. This was the perfect time for its first drive. I¡¯d be like a benevolent god. I am a benevolent god.

    ¡°Don¡¯t hit the Blade Stalker unless they ask for help,¡± said Kezo as they galloped after me.

    I didn¡¯t resurrect the first dead player we came across, telling Melonomi to take care of it. The guy was far from his teammates; my act of kindness wouldn¡¯t be very public. Melonomi cast [Ancestral Awakening]. Three golden Mardukryon spirits materialized around the deceased, raising their arms to the sky. The player was revived with full health. Melonomi likely maxed her [Ancestral Awakening], which was a skill from the higher Quality Healer Ocadule.

    I spotted another dead player. Two of her alive friends were a couple of meters away from her, hiding behind a tree. Audience!

    I cast [Embers of Rebirth], holding out my hands as dozens of tiny plumes of fire danced on my arms. The dead body glowed orange and¡­ nothing. Level one of my ress skill took ten seconds to cast. I shouldn¡¯t interrupt it. The Forgotten Blade Stalker was away bothering other people, so it was fine. Kezo went ahead to talk find the leaders of this group and see if they¡¯d want help.

    The dead player wasn¡¯t so dead anymore, standing up with a tenth of her health unlike Melonomi¡¯s full revive. I couldn¡¯t heal her back to full; we weren¡¯t in the same party. But Melonomi could. She threw a potion bottle at her. The player who owed her life to me thanked Melonomi instead.

    That was unfair. I¡¯m the savior!

    ¡°Look out! It¡¯s coming!¡± someone cried.

    The Blade Stalker was heading our way, its blades glowing. Another chance for me to be the hero!

 212 - Disappearing Dingbats

    ¡°Take cover!¡± I shouted. ¡°It¡¯s going to attack!¡±

    The [Lvl 55 Forgotten Blade Stalker] dove through a clump of trees, surprisingly fitting its gigantic body through the tight space like a cockroach slotting into a tiny crack. It was seeking a clearer shot at us.

    No, not at us. At the youngling players with me.

    Why did it want them so badly?

    Upon landing, the Blade Stalker swung its arm blades outward. A chorus of keen whistling followed. The air rippled like there was baking hot concrete underneath as almost transparent crescent blades spread. I joined the players sheltering behind the nearest tree. Continuous thuds reverberated as the other side of the trunk endured dozens of strong blows. Branches and leaves fell as the tree shook.

    This damned Blade Stalker wasn¡¯t as shy as Kezo said. Was it designed to hunt players with low health? That¡¯d explain its sudden appearance¡ªseveral younglings, who wouldn¡¯t normally be here if their friends didn¡¯t warp them past the cliff walls, were strolling about these parts.

    ¡°Excuse me, sir?¡± said the female player I revived.

    Sir? I raised a brow as I turned around. Did I look like a ¡®sir¡¯? I wasn¡¯t as large as Kezo, and neither did my Mardukryon face look particularly old.

    She pointed at another dead player, a few meters away from us. He didn¡¯t reach our hiding spot. ¡°Can you resurrect him?¡±

    ¡°My skill¡¯s still on cooldown,¡± I said, through clenched teeth. ¡°I¡¯ll do it later. Just message him not to revive in the village yet.¡±

    A sad moment that Herald Stone couldn¡¯t grant a prayer. [Embers of Rebirth] had a cooldown of three minutes at level one. I expected it¡¯d be reduced at higher levels and the target would also have a higher percentage of health, perhaps even full, upon revival. Maxing [Embers of Rebirth] would need a lot of LSPs that could have more impact if used in other Shards. This was its downside compared to [Ancestral Awakening], used by Melonomi, which was part of an Ocadule. It could level up through Gli farming. However, I didn¡¯t want to get any more Ocadules right now unless they were truly special.

    The tree stopped shaking. I took a peek. A large blur. The Blade Stalker was zooming around again.

    ¡°Move over there.¡± I pushed the players to the other side of the tree. ¡°Hurry! It¡¯s changing positions.¡±

    The eerie whistling again preceded the drumming on the trunk. The blows weren¡¯t concentrated on one spot, so I didn¡¯t think the tree would fall. Maybe it would if this continued for long enough. This Blade Stalker was one relentless guy. I hoped Kezo would step in soon because this mini-boss might eventually get us.

    Well¡­ get these new players. Not me.

    But Herald Stone wouldn¡¯t leave the weak and the helpless!

    Time to get tanky, I thought, turning on [Unselfish Blighted Decay] to damage myself and stack [Ancestral Constitution]. The skill also included a debuff, ticking the defensive passive of [Cleansing Flames]. I wore my double barrier¡ªtoo bad I couldn¡¯t share it with those I was protecting¡ªand did my whole ritual with ruined food with buffs and minor debuffs. Dying in front of these many people wasn¡¯t an option.

    And I was going to help them.

    Yes, that was the main reason why I buffed up. Not to show off.

    I spotted Kezo and my other party mates joining the higher-level players of this group in chasing the Forgotten Blade Stalker. Finally, they agreed to work together! But they were having difficulties getting close to the Blade Stalker to taunt and pull it away from the newer Mardukryon players.

    The Blade Stalker shimmered out of existence. A lot of annoying invisible bastards today. There must be skills available for detecting them. Otherwise, there¡¯d be no countermeasures for these dickish disappearing dingbats.

    Kezo and the others stopped in their tracks; probably none of them had detection skills. It was usually the support players¡¯ job to carry utility skills so DPSers could go all out on dealing damage. Partially, I was at fault. However, it was illegal to blame Herald Stone, so there we go.

    They discussed something I couldn¡¯t hear. All of them looked down and spread out. Good idea. We were surrounded by snow. It should be easy to find tracks, especially of something the size of the Blade Stalker. Then I remembered that its feet were blades. It might not leave a noticeable trail¡ªjust holes or thin furrows¡ªespecially with its wide strides and Mardukryon hoofprints everywhere.

    Branches rustled. Everyone looked up. Hard to tell if it was the wind or the boss snaking its way through the canopy.

    ¡°Wah! It¡¯s here!¡± About ten meters from us, three people hiding behind a boulder suddenly found the Blade Stalker squatting on top of it.

    You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

    ¡°Come this way!¡± I called out. For a second, I weighed remaining hidden or going out. Not sure what I could do to help them, but Herald Stone needed to be heroic. All about optics¡ªthe hero was who everyone saw front and center.

    The Blade Stalker stabbed down with an arm, immediately killing one player.

    I charged forward, gesturing at the survivors to come my way. Being the distraction was my role¡ªI was a tank. It was another question if I could actually facetank the Forgotten Blade Stalker. At least it wasn¡¯t a boss, just a mini-boss. Even then, I wasn¡¯t confident I could do it because I was barely over half its level.

    The two players galloped to me. Could they make it?

    They will, through Herald Stone¡¯s grace!

    The Blade Stalker jumped down from the boulder. Its potential victims were still a few meters from me. The blades of the Blade Stalker glowed purple. I cast my Totems as far as I could. Two Totems rose from the ground a second before the youngling players passed them; my health was cut in half. [Healing Touch] refilled the cost of the Totems. The Blade Stalker unleashed its skill.

    The first few air blades hit the Totems, destroying them. More were coming, but I had bought the time I needed for a dramatic save. I passed between the two players. ¡°Stick together, you two. Stay directly behind me.¡±

    I raised both shields. The rippling air slapped me.

    Boom! The barrier of [Carhoni¡¯s Chorus] and my [Greater Pyro Shell] were both destroyed.

    And¡­ not even a fifth of my health got chunked off. Huh, I¡¯m pretty tanky now.

    My regeneration and secondary effect of [Healing Touch] quickly patched up my injuries.

    I had the help of two barriers, my shell even adding extra armor, but hardness was hardness at the end of the day. Unclear about what I meant by that quote. What was important was that I looked cooler than hell was hot. Not that I¡¯ve been there.

    A quick look behind me and I saw the two souls I saved.

    One player waved as he continued trotting away. ¡°Thanks a lot¡ª¡± His eyes flicked up to my name. ¡°You¡¯re that Herald Stone!¡±

    I didn¡¯t respond, only waving back before continuing onward. Heroes didn¡¯t stay around to get fawned over by adoring fans. But what was Herald Stone, the Hero of the Century, going to do next? Was I seriously going to hold the Blade Stalker? I¡¯d likely die, especially without Melonomi around¡ªshe was away resurrecting other people.

    Kezo and the others were also heading toward the Blade Stalker. I couldn¡¯t back out now. I was also closer than they were. Slowing down and letting them reach it first wasn¡¯t a good look. Well¡­ I could do that if I weren¡¯t Herald Stone. But I was sure that I was.

    Thankfully, the Blade Stalker didn¡¯t want to embarrass me. I blinked and the Blade Stalker disappeared. Where did that giant elusive pain-in-the-butt go?

    ¡°Above us!¡± shouted someone.

    The Blade Stalker wrapped itself around the tops of the trees as if it lost its bones, its torso coiling around thick branches like a monkey¡¯s tail. I braked. No one should expect anything out of me because I couldn¡¯t reach it.

    The limbs of the Blade Stalker glowed. I didn¡¯t take cover. More badass if I stayed; I wasn¡¯t going to die anyway. But before the Blade Stalker could swing its blades. A tornado of black flames snaked upwards, hitting it. Other skills followed. The cavalry was here.

    The Blade Stalker groaned while suspended above us like a disco ball roof. Its health bar zoomed down. We had overwhelming firepower! Such an anticlimactic end to a fairly cool monster.

    And then it disappeared.

    ¡°Where did it go?¡± asked one of our new friends, a mage with a staff.

    ¡°Still up there!¡± I pointed at the shaking branches. ¡°Going that way!¡± My eyes traced its potential path and then went down the trunk of a large tree, resting on Melonomi and the players she was reviving at its base.

    Melonomi looked at me and then up, at the fireworks of spells. She understood what was happening before I could tell her. She urged those with her to run.

    Kezo and the others followed me, continuing to fire at the canopy even though the Blade Stalker remained invisible. We were sure it was there. Its pained moans, strikingly eerie, echoed through the trees. Some of the spells exploded some distance from the branches, hinting that they hit something else.

    The Blade Stalker shed its invisibility as it reached the tree where Melonomi and her patients had stayed. My hunch was that it couldn¡¯t cast its skills while invisible. Kezo and the rest piled on the Blade Stalker.

    ¡°Kill it fast!¡± roared Kezo.

    I threw a poison bottle. It didn¡¯t reach the Blade Stalker because it was too high up. The whirlwind of special effects of various spells hopefully covered my failure. What failure?

    ¡°It¡¯s about to die,¡± said Nitana. The health bar was a couple of seconds away from reaching zero. The Blade Stalker disappeared again.

    To make some contribution, I yelled, ¡°Just continue, it¡¯s still¡ªwhat was that?¡±

    A thick black beam passed through where the mini-boss should be. The Blade Stalker shimmered back into visibility and fell. Before it could hit the ground, I spun around and looked for where the shot came from. Nothing.

    ¡°A Pathfinder?¡± Only now did I realize the value of stealth skills in the Great Hunt. And the Blade Stalker wasn¡¯t even part of the event. Mental note to find countermeasures next time.

    ¡°Such an asshole,¡± Nitana grumbled, sharing my thoughts. ¡°We already had it.¡±

    ¡°Maybe whoever that was didn¡¯t intend to kill-steal,¡± said Kezo. ¡°He could be only trying to help. He just happened to land the last hit.¡±

    ¡°If so, he should¡¯ve already shown himself,¡± said Nitana.

    ¡°Not worth getting angry over that,¡± I said, though I was also pissed. ¡°I¡¯ll see if I can resurrect a couple more of our new friends, and then we¡¯ll be off to find more Ichors.¡±

 213 - Voyeur Players

    ¡°RailGunLord¡­¡± I read the name above the body of the Blade Stalker.

    The mini-boss deflated like a collapsed circus tent as it oozed silvery liquid. Did it not have any solid innards? Its crystal scales lost their shimmer and reflectiveness, turning dull like fogged-up glass. The timer below the asshole Pathfinder¡¯s name counted down to the Blade Stalker¡¯s revival, confirming it wasn¡¯t part of the Great Hunt.

    Nitana snorted. ¡°This guy¡¯s serious with that name?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps so,¡± said Paritor. ¡°Quite descriptive of his modus operandi¡ªsniping targets from afar with lasers.¡±

    ¡°Is a railgun some sort of laser weapon thingy?¡± asked Megan.

    ¡°A railgun shoots a projectile at extreme speeds,¡± I skimmed the description I searched on the internet. Then I quickly dismissed the screen, pretending I was tinkering with my settings ¡°The projectile doesn¡¯t explode. It flies so fast that the power of the impact blows everything up.¡±

    I didn¡¯t directly say Megan was wrong because I¡¯d also be knocking down Paritor. I wasn¡¯t sure about his ego. Herald Stone, the Considerate Walking Encyclopedia¡ªI think I did a good job of coming off as knowledgeable without offending anyone.

    Paritor scratched his tusk. ¡°It appears I was mistaken about the specifics of the railgun.¡±

    ¡°Kezo, do you know this RailGunLord player?¡± I changed the topic because I was done showing off how good I was at searching the internet.

    ¡°I have heard of him but haven¡¯t met him before,¡± Kezo replied. ¡°Or I might have and just didn¡¯t know it.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± I pointed to my name above my head. ¡°It¡¯s not like you can miss it if you have seen him before. Unless you¡¯re saying he changed his name recently?¡± It was possible to change names using premium currency, which was also how it worked in the real world, funnily enough.

    ¡°RailGunLord is a strong Pathfinder main who takes being a loner to the next level. I¡¯m not saying being a loner is bad, Paritor,¡± Kezo hastily added.

    Paritor waved to indicate he wasn¡¯t bothered.

    Kezo grinned. ¡°I get that you used to not join parties. Used to. You were just waiting for the right people to come along, and I¡¯m glad you¡¯re with us now. RailGunLord is different in that he actively avoids people. Not only does he shun parties, but he¡¯s always in stealth mode¡­ even if he¡¯s in the village.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s some weird kink,¡± muttered Nitana.

    ¡°Roleplaying hardcore, probably?¡± I offered.

    ¡°I usually don¡¯t have any detection Shards slotted in,¡± Kezo continued, ¡°so I couldn¡¯t see RailGunLord even if he was in front of me. Even if I did, the sight skills I have are all active, not passive. I have no reason to cast them inside the village.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t staying invisible affect interacting with NPCs?¡± I asked.

    ¡°It does, yes. You can¡¯t buy, sell, or talk to them at all. Although, there may be some NPCs that can see an invisible player¡­ I¡¯m not sure. If I have to guess, then maybe the veteran Pathfinders could. If RailGunLord sticks to only dealing with them, he¡¯d have no problem.¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t that be a problem though if he could only talk to a limited number of NPCs?¡±

    Kezo tilted his head left and right. ¡°I suppose you¡¯re right. But he seems to be making it work with his self-imposed rule. I sometimes see RailGunLord¡¯s name in the Great Hunt rankings. Not a small feat, mind you¡ªeveryone could check he has a one-man party.¡±

    ¡°That is impressive,¡± I said, though not meaning it. I wasn¡¯t doubting RailGunLord¡¯s strength or experience, just that I bet most of his points were from kill-stealing.

    ¡°Are you sure he¡¯s just not popping out of invisibility when no one¡¯s around?¡± Nitana said. ¡°Then he talks to NPCs and does his business. Such a weirdo for being so committed to a bit like a¡ª¡±

    Megan elbowed Nitana. ¡°Don¡¯t badmouth him. He might be listening.¡±

    ¡°If he is, that confirms he¡¯s a weirdo,¡± Nitana huffed, folding her arms across her chest. ¡°I¡¯m also going to say that it was bad manners to kill-steal the Blade Stalker given that this isn¡¯t part of the Great Hunt. I bet he just wanted to show off.¡± She pointed at RailGunLord¡¯s floating name.

    ¡°Let¡¯s continue resurrecting them, Herald,¡± Melonomi said in a loud voice, ever the conflict-avoidant type, pointing at the corpses of Mardukryon players scattered in the forest.

    As I trotted behind Melonomi, I scanned the snow for footsteps with unaccounted owners. Unlike the Blade Stalker, Mardukryons couldn¡¯t climb trees. Though there could be flying skills available on this mountain I was yet to encounter.

    If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.

    RailGunLord was probably long gone. He shot from a distance¡ªI saw the laser coming from far away. Getting the last hit on a moving target through all these trees took major skills. But that didn¡¯t change the fact that he was an asshole.

    Should I get an invisibility skill? There was no need to hide when tanking, nor would I resort to such to run away¡­ maybe. But stealth would sure come in handy in stealing the monsters of others. And in running away¡­ maybe. Tanks weren¡¯t legally disallowed from escaping the last I checked.

    ¡°Thank you so much for your time,¡± said the highest-level player of the group we helped. He recounted what I suspected¡ªthey pulled their newbie friends through locked areas with Sigil Totems. They were touring this area and didn¡¯t expect the Blade Stalker to appear.

    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have spent so much time if my [Embers of Rebirth] was at a higher level,¡± I replied. And I could¡¯ve resurrected more people, I mentally grumbled. I was a mere assistant to Melonomi. Thankfully, Melonomi didn¡¯t want to take credit

    After good deeds were completed and more people were made aware of the greatness of yours truly, our party went on the search for more Ichors.

    ¡°Is it just me or does it feel icky knowing there could be invisible people watching us.¡± Megan hugged herself while rubbing her arms. ¡°Voyeur players or something.¡±

    ¡°Ugh, that¡¯s a disturbing thought,¡± said Nitana. ¡°Makes me want to buy [True Sight Aura] when I return to the village.¡±

    ¡°But its radius is too small to catch ranged-build Pathfinders,¡± I said, without knowing how big the AoE of [True Sight Aura] was. Based on its name, it seemed to be a passive detection skill. Thankfully, my guess didn¡¯t seem incorrect.

    ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right,¡± Nitana replied. ¡°I wonder what¡¯s a good skill¡­ I don¡¯t want to get a Pathfinder Ocadule even if their spirit hawk whatchacallit is super useful.¡±

    As my teammates chatted, I nonchalantly gazed up at the golden canopy of woven branches, pretending their conversation didn¡¯t interest me. For PvE, a detection skill wasn¡¯t necessary unless we were hunting invisible monsters or the mechanics of a quest called for it. However, I had to do PvP at some point. For how else would players know how hard I was? Just seeing me tank this or that strong monster wasn¡¯t enough. It was only through personally feeling for themselves that ¡­ okay that sounded wrong.

    Recalling my gaming years, invisible players were the most annoying to deal with in PvP. I wasn¡¯t delusional to think I could stand and tank whatever came my way. Even if I wore the best armor, used the strongest tanking skills, and maxed out everything in the late game, I¡¯d encounter DPSers who were also at the same level. I couldn¡¯t just do nothing. On top of just being tanky in general, I had to use debuffs and crowd-control skills.

    Disabling enemies was part of tanking. And I couldn¡¯t target those I couldn¡¯t see.

    Pathfinder Skill Shards was the next best choice for me since getting their Ocadule was out of the question. Pathfinders had wide-ranging detection skills, including invisible familiars that could scout other invisible creatures. The latter was the best option for catching other Pathfinders built for long-ranged attacks, Kezo explained.

    Unfortunately, the best Pathfinder Skill Shards on auction were expensive and in short supply. The other way to get them was by doing the Pathfinder quest line. I didn¡¯t have time to spare for that. Looks like I can¡¯t see invisible bastards for this Great Hunt.

    ¡°How far away is the cave of the Oyi Oso?¡± I asked Paritor. He was leading us to a supposedly giant bear-like creature with an Ichor. ¡°Do we need some preparations beforehand? It can¡¯t be as simple as killing it.¡±

    ¡°Its body contains a Kruos Ichor Sliver,¡± said Paritor. ¡°Yes, our goal is to vanquish it. However, reaching the Oyi Oso is the challenge, for it hibernates years at a time, or so the Hunter-Warrior NPCs say. To keep safe during its lengthy slumber, it seals itself in a cave. Our goal is two-fold: find its cave and open it.¡±

    ¡°But you know where to find the cave, right?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, I do. I obtained the information from Hunter-Warriors and got the Ichor myself.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s good. So, how do we open its cave? Bring along some Miners?¡±

    ¡°Not so. It¡¯s a complicated set of steps that involves inducing an avalanche.¡±

    ¡°A landslide!¡± Megan excitedly raised her hand. ¡°Don¡¯t forget that an avalanche is when snow comes crashing down. Do we need to collapse some rocks or stuff to get Mr. Bear out?¡±

    Paritor chuckled. ¡°My gratitude for correcting me. Correct, we have to cause a landslide, not only to make an opening on the mountainside but also to disturb the Oyi Oso enough for it to arise from deep within. Caving is an insurmountable chore with our Mardukryon bodies. But before proceeding, it¡¯s prudent to first check the area, for the Oyi Oso might¡¯ve been affected by the Great Hunt, similar to the Ironback Badgers.¡±

    Unfortunately, Paritor was right and the Oyi Oso was gone from its spot. Our party stared at a huge opening, a tunnel wide enough for a train to pass.

    ¡°Mr. Bear!¡± Megan shouted. ¡°Are you still in there?¡± Her voice echoing back to us was the only reply.

    ¡°Should we go in?¡± I gestured at the gaping maw of darkness. ¡°Check if it¡¯s still there¡­ which it probably isn¡¯t.¡±

    ¡°It should be hibernating,¡± said Paritor. ¡°The stirring energies of the mountain must have awoken it prematurely.¡±

    ¡°Come over here, guys.¡± Melonimi, wandering a few meters from us, tapped her hoof on the ground. Heavy footprints as wide as my shield were embedded in the snow. ¡°Looks like the Oyi Oso is really gone¡­ and going that way.¡±

    I examined our location on the [Tattered Map]. ¡°Mr. Bear seems to be cooperating with us because the Hoarfrost Yews in that direction too, aren¡¯t they?¡±

    Further ahead from the Hoarfrost Yews, continuing in the direction of Rabisu Peak, was the location of Elder Pabilsag¡¯s workshop where Healer Gula hid her research recreating Bawu¡¯s cure-all potion. I suspected there were wardcrafter Ocadules and items there. As our party continued onward, I thought of how to ditch them.

    Call me selfish, but I wanted first dibs on any valuable items. I¡¯d eventually share them with my party, and the rest of the Mardukryon players, because I needed to show off. Just that I needed to skim off the top first.

    We arrived at a forking path. The tracks of the Oyi Oso continued to our left. The grove of the Hoarfrost Yews was to the other side.

 214 - Too Many Prints

    ¡°If you look to your right,¡± Nitana energetically said as if she were a tour guide, ¡°you¡¯ll see the site where the vicious Megantress sentenced dozens of harmless trees to a fiery death because she wanted an ice wand that she ended up not using anyway.¡±

    ¡°They¡¯re not harmless,¡± Megan said. ¡°They can cast spells and whip their branches at you. Those hurt, you know? The only reason I survived farming them and their mini-boss is that they couldn¡¯t uproot themselves to chase me. Walk in there and you¡¯ll see how dangerous they are.¡±

    I held up a finger. ¡°But not all of them are dangerous. Some of them don¡¯t attack. Right?¡±

    ¡°The trees that cry and do nothing else,¡± said Melonomi. Was she joining in ribbing Megan?

    Indirectly, I supposed.

    Good for her. And good for my plans too if she became more cooperative.

    Nitana wagged an accusatory finger at Megan. ¡°Since you got the Ichor from the Hoarfrost Yews, that means you killed the super harmless trees. They¡¯re even crying, Megan. Have you no heart?¡±

    ¡°I-I didn¡¯t me-mean¡­¡± Megan threw up her hands as she stuttered.

    ¡°Stop bullying Megan, guys,¡± said Kezo. ¡°This Ichor should be easy to get¡ªand we should finish this quickly so we can return to tracking Mr. Bear. We don¡¯t want anyone killing it while we¡¯re tied up here.¡±

    The Hoarfrost Yews ranged from around half taller than me to more than twice my height, which is still short compared to yew trees in the real world. And unlike the other trees on this mountain, these didn¡¯t have grotesque veins pulsing with golden liquid. They looked like boring trees¡­ except for the human-like faces, very expressive at that, carved deep into their bark. Most had more than one face. Their eyes glowed red, and their mouths were deformed holes. They cursed and yelled at us when we passed.

    ¡°Hate! Hate this Four Legs!¡± cried out one tree as it brought the upper half of its trunk low to bludgeon Megan.

    I taunted it in the nick of time. The trajectory of its branches curved left to me. I caught them with both shields. Megan trotted away. I casually walked while tanking the hits because I shouldn¡¯t be seen running from something this harmless.

    ¡°The abomination has returned!¡± called yet another tree, its voice creaking. It swung its branches back and then forward, flinging glowing icicles at Megan. ¡°Kill! Revenge! Kill!¡±

    I erected two Totems to catch some of the icicles. My efforts weren¡¯t needed because the icicles were more of a nuisance than a threat to Megan. But I had to show I cared for my party. Herald Stone, the Caretaker¡­ or something.

    ¡°They seem to remember you,¡± I said, casting [Healing Touch] on Megan. Eclairs should see how attentive and reliable I was.

    ¡°Wow, Megan,¡± said Nitana. ¡°You traumatized these monsters so much that your face is forever stuck in their memories.¡±

    ¡°Melonomi also killed them but they¡¯re not reacting to her,¡± I said.

    ¡°It was my friends who did most of the killing,¡± Melonomi said. ¡°Also, we focused only on the crying trees. That might explain why they don¡¯t hold a grudge against me.¡±

    ¡°It is odd for monsters to react in a certain way to an individual player,¡± said Paritor. ¡°Unlikely that these Hoarfrost Yews are survivors of Megan¡¯s hunt. Many players farm them for they provide essential ingredients for Healer potions. This means these Hoarfrost Yews are several generations removed yet maintain a grudge for Megan. Fascinating.¡±

    ¡°You make it sound like that¡¯s a good thing,¡± said Megan. ¡°Anyway, let¡¯s quickly get this over with. I don¡¯t want to be here with all of them cursing me. Oh yeah, and Mr. Bear might be getting far away too.¡±

    ¡°There¡¯s a crying tree,¡± I said. ¡°It¡¯s behind those two that are about to¡ª¡± The Hoarfrost Yews swung their gnarled branches at me. I blocked them with my shields. My [Greater Pyro Shell] didn¡¯t break. ¡°¡ªattack us,¡± I finished my sentence.

    ¡°Dibs on that one!¡± Nitana sent her fairies to explode not only on the crying tree but also on the others surrounding it. ¡°Time to be a war criminal like Megan,¡± she said with uncharacteristic glee.

    ¡°I¡¯m not a¡ªugh, whatever.¡± Megan stomped away.

    I hung back while my party mates dispersed to hunt the crying trees. It¡¯d take too long for me to kill one, so I didn¡¯t bother. And if Megan herself could solo this whole forest of Hoarfrost Yews, there was no danger. Though many, the Hoarfrost Yews couldn¡¯t mob us because they couldn¡¯t move from their spot. Melonomi followed Paritor for some reason, giving unneeded buffs to his summons. An odd pair, the two of them.

    I¡¯ll ask Paritor about his Big M quest later, I thought, going in the opposite direction.

    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

    I circled the outer perimeter of the orchard of Hoarfrost Yews, my eyes on the ground, not minding the attacks of the trees more than a dozen levels above me. This was the fun part of being a tank.

    Entrenched in the human psyche was the need to be invincible¡­ immortal. History was full of crazies doing this or that experiment to find the cure to all diseases or, better yet, escape the inevitability of death.

    Both the young Herald and the adult Herald shared that same desire. Only now did I realize why I wanted to be unkillable in games¡ªbecause I was following a normal human desire. I supposed all power fantasies in RPGs, including being a monster DPSer, shared the same root.

    I couldn¡¯t exactly make ritual sacrifices to gods to bless me with immortality, like some ancient civilization probably did, or waste millions to research an anti-aging serum¡­ well, I could do that second thing now, but our current technology was probably centuries away from achieving immortality. I¡¯d be really wasting money. The best alternative to fulfill my desire, my need, was making tank characters in RPGs.

    Something on the ground interrupted my philosophizing.

    I paused for a couple of seconds to examine it before continuing onward, holding my head high and pretending nothing was amiss.

    There were many hoof prints on the snow because we passed this way earlier. But the curious thing was a set of tracks crossing over ours diagonally. It veered off away from the pack of prints, going in a separate direction before fading away. The rest of my party mates were hunting the crying trees. No one had come back here, or I would¡¯ve seen them. Only I backtracked this way, and I hadn¡¯t stepped over our earlier tracks.

    It was obvious who owned the extra set of hoof prints.

    I stopped walking and snapped my fingers. ¡°I forgot to tell Kezo about the concert tomorrow,¡± I loudly said, turning around and heading for the heart of the Hoarfrost Yew orchard.

    Was that convincing enough? I didn¡¯t want him to prematurely act and do something dickish like killing the mini-boss before we could.

    After running around the noisy Hoarfrost Yews, I found Kezo and the others gathering around the [Lvl 51 Elder Hoarfrost Yew] at the far end of the area. They had killed all the crying trees, confirmed by the mini-boss becoming enraged, growing purplish ice weapons that it wielded and threw with its branches. Thick and tall, that¡¯s what she said, the Elder Hoarfrost Yew looked like it had lived for a thousand years. The dozens of faces circling its trunk babbled gibberish before contorting into expressions of sheer hatred.

    ¡°Woah, this is big-time creepy,¡± said Nitana. ¡°Oh, here¡¯s Herald.¡±

    ¡°Right on time.¡± Kezo beckoned at me. ¡°I was just about to message you. This¡¯ll be a quick fight and we can¡ª¡±

    ¡°Kezo, can you secure the last hit?¡± I asked.

    He looked at me with a raised brow. Then he nodded. He began summoning the massive Mardukryon spirit he used when we fought the Blighted Vinereavers. Those poor plant monsters, test subjects of Mad Brewer Bawu, had massive reflect damage. Since Kezo died when he as much as sneezed on them, I came up with the simple strategy of using the hardest-hitting skills to make every death count.

    Kezo rarely used this skill because it took too long to charge. Calculating the charging time and the damage dealt, it was better to stick with weaker but faster skills DPS-wise.

    ¡°What¡¯s happening?¡± Melonomi asked, tilting her head at the ghostly Mardukryon towering over us.

    ¡°I want to see Kezo¡¯s strongest skill,¡± I said.

    ¡°You can start attacking now, guys,¡± said Kezo.

    ¡°Why would you¡ªoh.¡± Melonomi looked over her shoulder. I wanted to stop her from making it obvious that we knew someone else was out there, but Kezo not joining the attacks was notice enough, I supposed.

    The Elder Hoarfrost Yew wailed in agonized voices as it suffered attacks. A weak mini-boss for its level, its health bar shortened quickly. Kezo charged at the Elder Hoarfrost Yew when only a quarter of its life remained. The colossal Mardukryon spirit followed Kezo and mimicked his sword slash. The Elder Hoarfrost Yew instantly died in one hit.

    Rewards flowed in, including an Ichor for most of us since only Megan had the Ichor from this place, but we didn¡¯t pay attention. All of us scanned our surroundings.

    ¡°Herald, are you sure that RailGunLord prick is around?¡± Nitana asked.

    Megan gasped. ¡°Oh, so that¡¯s why Kezo¡ªI¡¯m so dumb. I was wondering why all of you looked around, so I just followed along.¡±

    I led the party to the tracks I spotted to show proof, but upon my return, all the hoof prints were gone.

    ¡°It was supposed to be here.¡± I gazed at the sky. ¡°A light snow. This couldn¡¯t cover our tracks that fast. Could killing the mini-boss disturb the snow here?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t think so,¡± said Megan.

    I trotted back to the fork. The others followed me. ¡°Look, our tracks are still here.¡±

    ¡°There is a Skill Shard that generates a mild blizzard,¡± Paritor said. ¡°Useful for blinding enemies to escape¡­ and for obscuring disturbances in the snow.¡±

    ¡°I remember something like that,¡± I said, smoothly going along. ¡°The suspicious hoof prints may have been erased, but that¡¯s also proof someone was here.¡±

    ¡°He¡¯s not here now,¡± muttered Nitana.

    ¡°Mr. Bear!¡± Megan exclaimed. ¡°Maybe he¡¯s after Mr. Bear?¡±

    We hurried to the left path of the fork, chasing after the humongous paw prints of the Oyi Oso. They weren¡¯t erased. There were no other tracks. Did the RailGunLord or whoever the bastard Pathfinder was shadowing us not go this way?

    Or he could be behind us. We could¡¯ve passed his invisible ass.

    ¡°I hope we catch up to Mr. Bear before we near Rabisu Peak,¡± said Kezo.

    I trotted up next to him. ¡°Why? Because we¡¯ll meet strong monsters?¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s if we went the other way, the actual path to Rabisu¡¯s Peak,¡± he replied. ¡°Here, we¡¯d reach the bottom of the unscalable cliff wall. The problem here is we¡¯ll pass by PvP zones.¡±

 215 - Tracking the Tracked

    ¡°We¡¯re going to enter PvP zones?¡± I asked as we picked up the pace.

    The sound of our hooves alternated between soft thumps when mushing through fluffy snow and hard clops when stepping on something very solid. The trail we treaded seemed to be an ancient road, with grayish cracked blocks peeking through the snow in certain places. Remnants of olden Mardukryon statues, those that hadn¡¯t been toppled by the Great Quake or the passage of time, watched over us from either side of the path.

    The trees we passed became much taller and wider as we went along. But they were also more spaced apart as numerous golden crystal formations littered the landscape, the cause of the booming tree growth. Some crystals even sprouted on the trees themselves, blinking as if stars.

    Many monsters around the mid-forties level lurked behind the giant trunks or under mounds of snow. Paritor took the lead, fanning out his fiery summons to flush out the hiding monsters, killing them with the help of Megan and Nitana before they could reach us. Paritor¡¯s new tiger summon was very powerful. We easily traversed the forest without pausing.

    I should be in front of the party because I was Herald Stone¡ªmy only contribution was my presence, but that should be enough. However, there was the more pressing matter of the PvP zones.

    ¡°Most likely, we will,¡± Kezo said. ¡°Picture the PvP zones ahead as islands. Really big islands. There are small spaces in between we can pass without entering them, but we can¡¯t control where Mr. Bear goes. More than likely, it entered a PvP zone.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s¡­ problematic.¡± Still no signs of hoof prints that weren¡¯t ours. It didn¡¯t mean that he wasn¡¯t around.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry about RailGunLord. I don¡¯t think he¡¯ll try to kill us.¡±

    ¡°Are you sure?¡± Given that RailGunLord was the type to show off in dickish ways, it was possible he¡¯d be a dick when we entered a PvP zone where attacking players was allowed.

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure¡­ I don¡¯t know what kind of person he is, but I want to think good of people. I¡¯m guessing the most he¡¯d do is try to kill-steal Mr. Bear if he saw us going for it. Don¡¯t worry, Herald. He won¡¯t win.¡±

    And that¡¯s the problem, I thought.

    Opposite to Kezo¡¯s outlook in life, I assumed the worst in people and situations. It had served me well so far. I agree with Kezo that RailGunLord would try to kill-steal the Oyi Oso. Assert dominance and stuff. But what about after he would fail? We¡¯d beat him, of course, and guard our quarry. RailGunLord could be pissed off enough after losing to shoot us.

    ¡°Can you tell me about the PvP zones we''re heading to?¡± I asked.

    ¡°Been some time since I¡¯ve been there,¡± said Kezo. ¡°They have a slightly rolling terrain. No trees at all. Instead, they have crystal formations of a special kind that attract Elite monsters without the need to kill dozens of their normal versions. These places used to be highly contested because of the good drops and special crystals that can be mined. It was also the stomping grounds of PvP enthusiasts¡ªmany among the strongest Mardukryon players¡ªbecause it¡¯s the PvP zone nearest to the village.¡±

    ¡°Are you a PvP enthusiast yourself?¡±

    ¡°Back when my gang was around, we¡¯d dabble when we were bored,¡± he replied, grinning. ¡°One of us was a high-level Pathfinder main. He had a skill that could cloak the whole party for a few seconds. We¡¯d go in, jump on an unsuspecting victim near the border, and swiftly leave the PvP zone before we got killed by others.¡±

    I laughed. That sounded like something I¡¯d do with my childhood friends if Nornyr Online had a mass invisibility skill. I remembered my last day at Vanguard Gaming¡ªwe joined a PvP tournament, and my indigent party defeated a whale party through unconventional tactics.

    Defeating powerful monsters and overcoming challenges to complete quests was fun. But it couldn¡¯t hold a candle to the enjoyment of crushing actual people and rubbing in their faces that you were better than them.

    ¡°Our fun times didn¡¯t last long,¡± said Kezo. ¡°Top guilds sent their members to be Mardukryons and establish ¡®branches¡¯ on this mountain in preparation for the Warp Gates Linking. There were also serious local Mardukryon guilds. Those groups fought for control of the PvP areas at the base of Rabisu Peak. It was difficult for lone players or even casual parties to survive and compete.

    ¡°Those times didn¡¯t last either. Eventually, the strongest guilds settled with an arrangement to have schedules farming the PvP areas. So and so guild will get this day. Another guild will take the next day, and so on. They helped each other monopolize the Elites and special crystals, so there was no point for others to visit those areas because they¡¯d simply die.¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s not very fun,¡± I said. ¡°Not fun at all.¡± Recalling the few RPGs with PvP servers I had played, when a guild or group of guilds became dominant, and any credible opposition disappeared, that was the start of the end of the server. The lack of competition drains the whole point of PvP.

    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

    ¡°Like the rise and fall of empires,¡± said Kezo, ¡°this ¡®no fun¡¯ period was also short. There¡¯s a trend here. The chaoticness of the PvP zones returned when most of the strong Mardukryon guilds disbanded because of the lack of progress finding our Warp Gate. Other players followed suit and¡ª¡±

    ¡°And the PvP zones became empty?¡±

    Kezo shook his head. ¡°People continued farming the Elites and the crystals. But PvP died down. Players still fought sometimes, though more for fun than competition. Just testing builds and that sort of thing.¡±

    ¡°Ah, because the competitive people left¡­¡±

    Most people playing RPGs weren¡¯t particularly keen on fighting other players. The few titles I had played that were pure PvP had small populations. There was a higher level of competitiveness engaging in PvP¡ªkilling or getting killed by a human was very different than killing or getting killed by collections of pixels powered by computer programs. Even if the game didn¡¯t impose penalties when losing in PvP, the feeling was just¡­ different.

    To me, at least. I could stomach dying to the same boss dozens of times. But losing to the same guy even, let¡¯s say, just five times? That was grating.

    There was the toxicity too of it. Ass people would be an ass if given the opportunity, and PvP was the perfect opportunity to be an ass. The mask of anonymity brings out the worst in people, the same as in other social media platforms. It gets amplified in MMORPGs because one could attack and kill the avatars of other people.

    ¡°Players eventually graduated to farming stronger monsters,¡± Kezo said. ¡°But many still returned to the base of Rabisu Peak, exploring for ways to scale and get over it. Rabisu Peak became the final frontier for the Mardukryon community at that time. Many NPCs talked of a large city beyond it¡ªMezhu Nue. It¡¯s the closest city to Kurghal Village. If the survivors Chief Nogras wanted us to find did exist, they¡¯d be there. Maybe the Warp Gate too.¡±

    ¡°I have heard stories about that city.¡±

    Healer Gula told me that Elder Pabilsag¡¯s family, all wardcrafters, were in Mezhu Nue when the Great Quake hit. They were making a gigantic force field or something but weren¡¯t able to finish it in time to save the city. Elder Pabilsag, a youngling novice wardcrafter then, survived because he was tending their hidden family workshop, the same one where Healer Gula hid her research notes on Bawu¡¯s cure-all potion.

    ¡°Fast forward and Chimi¡¯s party found the way to Rabisu Peak,¡± said Kezo. ¡°Players lost interest in this area, although, there are still some farming Elites and mining crystals. That number will go up again as our population grows and the younglings level. But there should be no one there now. It¡¯s the Great Hunt. Everyone¡¯s over that way.¡± He pointed in the direction of the Hunter-Warriors¡¯ camp.

    ¡°Too bad. It¡¯s probably if there are other people to provide distraction and cover. On the flipside, he might be more incentivized to act if a larger audience is present. Anyway, let¡¯s plan how we can¡ª"

    ¡°Wait a minute, guys!¡± Melonomi caught up to us, apparently eavesdropping. ¡°I¡¯m not entering any PvP Zone.¡± She lowered her voice and forcefully whispered, ¡°Not with someone trailing us.¡±

    Why am I not surprised? I wanted to sigh and roll my eyes. ¡°Entering PvP zones is unavoidable during the Great Hunt,¡± I said. ¡°Yes, we have a possible Player Killer on our tail, but it¡¯s¡ª¡±

    ¡°Stop. Rewind,¡± she cut in. ¡°Entering PvP zones is unavoidable during the Great Hunt, you say? Yep. I signed up for the Great Hunt. I¡¯ll fight other parties too¡­ which I did when we met Merl and his gang back there. I guess that wasn¡¯t really fighting them, as in PvP, but I¡¯ll do it if it comes down to it. However, we¡¯re hunting for Ichors now. Something that we can do another time, I might add. No PvP for me here.¡±

    ¡°You can buff us before we enter. I don¡¯t think there¡¯d be any PvP happening.¡± I assumed that someone outside the PvP zone couldn¡¯t support, including healing, anyone inside. It¡¯d be unfair otherwise and would be the source of all sorts of shenanigans. ¡°I forgot, but can you resurrect someone inside the PvP zone from the outside?¡±

    ¡°I haven¡¯t tried,¡± she said. ¡°Kezo, do you know?¡±

    ¡°You have to enter to ress,¡± said Kezo. ¡°Devs changed it a few patches ago. Anyway, here¡¯s what we¡¯re going to do. We¡¯re going to continue chasing Mr. Bear. Melonomi, you still don¡¯t have its Ichor, do you?¡±

    ¡°N-no¡­¡±

    She does, I thought, smirking. If she didn¡¯t, she wouldn¡¯t bring up her issues of having issues with people.

    ¡°So, we¡¯ll get that Ichor,¡± said Kezo. ¡°We all want to recreate this mysterious potion, and having lots of Ichor will up our chances in case we make mistakes. Plus, isn¡¯t it your dream to make it to be famous and¡ª¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah,¡± she interjected. ¡°But what about RailGunLord?¡±

    ¡°All of you buff me,¡± said Kezo. ¡°I¡¯ll equip my tanking set and taunt Mr. Bear out of the PvP zone. That¡¯s it. No problem, right?¡±

    ¡°I guess not.¡±

    The problem is that it should be my job, I mentally grumbled. But I was under no illusion that RailGunLord could kill me even if I was buffed to my gills.

    ¡°Maybe luck would be on our side and Mr. Bear isn¡¯t inside a PvP zone,¡± said Kezo. ¡°Don¡¯t get stressed out over this, Melonomi.¡±

    ¡°Yohoo, guys! You have to see this.¡± Megan waved at us. She, Nitana, and Paritor had stopped charging forward and gathered around something on the ground. ¡°Look! Look! Those are hooves, aren¡¯t they?¡±

    Imprinted inside the Oyi Oso¡¯s humungous paw prints were hoof marks going roughly in the same direction. Whoever owned those hooves came after the giant bear or else the tracks would¡¯ve been smoothened away. Something was interesting about these hoof prints.

    ¡°It means a Pathfinder is here,¡± said Melonomi.

    ¡°I believe that RailGunLord is nearby,¡± I said. ¡°But those are not Mardukryon tracks.¡±

 216 - Right to Bear Arms

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± asked Megan. ¡°It¡¯s a cloven hoof.¡±

    ¡°Cloven?¡± asked Nitana. ¡°How do you know that word? Are you some farm girl?¡±

    ¡°I used to spend summers at my uncle''s farm in Buttonquail. Cloven hooves have two separate halves on each foot, compared to horses with a solid one. Those two hooves thingies are called claws, which means¡­ cows, goats, and pigs are animals with claws!¡±

    That¡¯s a good one, I thought, grinning.

    Nitana sighed, shaking her head. ¡°Are you proud of that joke?¡±

    ¡°I am,¡± huffed Megan. ¡°I¡¯m always saying that Mardukryons are half-cows, not half-horses, because we have cloven hooves.¡± She turned to me. ¡°Why were you saying this isn¡¯t a Mardukryon hoof print, Herald?¡±

    ¡°Two things,¡± I said, holding up two fingers. ¡°First: Mardukryon tracks do not always show cloven hooves, depending on our footgear. Remember that extra set of tracks I wanted to show you but was wiped away? It didn¡¯t have cloven hooves¡ªjust one whole shape.¡±

    ¡°Oh, right¡­¡± Megan looked down. ¡°I only have energy bands around my ankles, not actual shoes, so I leave behind cloven hoof tracks.¡±

    ¡°The game adjusts footwear to each race,¡± said Kezo. ¡°Explaining it away with alien tech. Otherwise, we¡¯ll have very, very limited gearing options if we can only wear what¡¯s specifically made for our bodies.¡±

    ¡°Secondly.¡± I placed my foot next to the questionable hoof print. ¡°This print is smaller. Even if he unequipped his boots or whatever it was, RailGunLord has a higher level than me. This should be bigger if this is his hoof.¡±

    Kezo also stepped forward, comparing his hoof to the impression too. ¡°RailGunLord and I have almost the same level. We should be about the same size, but this is only around halfish.¡± He looked around. ¡°I could be wrong, but I can¡¯t recall any monster in these parts with hooves. Paritor, do you have any hoofed summons?¡±

    ¡°I do not,¡± Paritor said. ¡°Also, I confirm that none of the creatures here have hoofs.¡±

    ¡°Can it be something from the Great Hunt?¡± I guessed. ¡°Like the Alpha Cragodon and its herd wandering about.¡±

    ¡°Only the Colossal Snowstorm Satyr has hooves,¡± said Kezo. ¡°Its hooves are bigger than the paws of Mr. Bear. This could be a boss or mini-boss dragged out of its usual area by the Great Hunt. But that¡¯s unlikely because we¡¯re far from the main path of the migration. I¡¯m trying to think of bosses with hooves¡­¡±

    ¡°The Living Statue should have cloven hooves,¡± Melonomi said. ¡°After all, it¡¯s a Mardukryon statue¡ªwait, it¡¯s too big. The Overfed Swinelord and the Mist Reindeer are both also too big for this hoof print.¡±

    ¡°Isn¡¯t it obvious?¡± said Nitana. ¡°Herald¡¯s right. This isn¡¯t that giant weirdo satyr but a new event monster added for this Great Hunt. No big deal.¡± She rapidly blinked and raised her finger. ¡°Oh, hang on. It is a big deal if it¡¯s new.¡±

    ¡°The more reason we should find it,¡± I said. ¡°We¡¯re now hunting Mr. Bear and¡­uh, Mister¡­ Hoof? We shouldn¡¯t let them fall into the hands of¡ª¡±

    ¡°What if it¡¯s the village goat?¡± Megan chimed in, excitedly raising her hand.

    ¡°The village goat¡­?¡± I slowly repeated. The cogs in my brain started to turn. She might be on to something.

    ¡°A goat has cloven feet,¡± she said. ¡°It¡¯s not really big, is it? I bet its hoof could fit this print.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve never seen the crimson goat go out of Kurghal village,¡± said Melonomi. ¡°Isn¡¯t it afraid of entering the forest because it nearly got killed by the Feral Frost Macaques? I can¡¯t remember its story. I did a few collection quests for it when I was a youngling.¡±

    Megan slowly lowered her hand. ¡°Yeah¡­ my theory¡¯s stupid. Sorry. Just spewing random things out. Nitana¡¯s guess is the best one so far.¡±

    ¡°The easiest way to uncover Mr. Hoof¡¯s identity is to find it.¡± I charged forward, taking the lead as was my rightful place. ¡°Let¡¯s go! Mr. Bear might be eating Mr. Hoof.¡±

    As we ran, my mind went back to Megan¡¯s guess. More than likely, she was partially right.

    The owner of the hoof prints wasn¡¯t the crimson goat in the village, but some other goat fellow. The village goat¡¯s hope wasn¡¯t in vain. Some of its kind survived to this day.

    But why did it show up now? Bawu might¡¯ve something to do with it.

    The collapse of the cliff walls behind the village affected many monsters. Together with whatever was happening inside the mountain during the Great Hunt, some path must¡¯ve opened up and a musical goat managed to reach our isolated side. My progress with the village goat was the final ingredient to the perfect brew.

    Pieces of Music¡ªthat was the quest given by the crimson goat after I showed it proof of killing the boss of the annoying snow monkeys. It told me about its tragic backstory and offered to teach me music magic. But I had to make my instrument first. I was tasked with gathering the pieces needed to make one, many of which were dropped by monsters during the Great Hunt.

    Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

    I didn¡¯t give it much thought back then¡­ but why gather during the Great Hunt? Were the materials not present in the caves and forest even without the event?

    Seeing evidence of a long-thought missing musical goat, a theory formed in my head. The shifting energies inside the mountain dictating the migration of powerful monsters was somehow crucial for music magic. A random goat in a random part of the mountain previously unreachable to us also wanted to make an instrument and was gathering materials. It came across an opening, maybe a crack on the mountainside that wasn¡¯t there before, and entered it or fell in. This random goat was now somewhere around here.

    In a sense, Nitana was also right. Partially.

    The owner of the mysterious hoof prints was set to appear during the Great Hunt, but it wasn¡¯t a new event monster. It was a quest triggered by yours truly. The stars aligned and the heavens conspired to aid Herald Stone.

    An ichor-carrying giant bear, a long-lost musical goat, and a cave with secret recipes and wardcrafter knowledge all walked into a bar. They all had a good time¡­ and they¡¯d continue having a good time if a certain invisible bastard would leave them alone. We need to¡ª

    We?

    We or just me?

    I couldn¡¯t stop RailGunLord on my own if he decided to kill the musical goat. He¡¯d do it if he saw me going for it. Assuming the worst in people as always. With my party, we could protect the musical goat. Though that¡¯d entail revealing to them what it was.

    What was the problem with that?

    Kezo, Megan, and Nitana were with me when I¡ªokay, when we started the world quest. Having them along plus Paritor and Melonomi was no big deal. More witnesses if I¡¯d start a world quest again. More people to spread the word of my greatness. And they were my friends.

    Trust people more, I urged myself. This wasn¡¯t a cutthroat business environment. Making friends as an adult was hard, but it shouldn¡¯t be.

    ¡°Are we near the PvP zones?¡± I asked Kezo.

    ¡°Another minute or so,¡± he replied. ¡°See the landscape change.¡±

    More crystal formations pierced out of the ground, some the size of a Mardukryon house. The trees reached for the skies and shone so bright, bathing everything below in dazzling light. It wasn¡¯t just golden light from the liquid threatening to burst out of the stretched bark of the trees. There were also rainbow-like lights from crystals I hadn¡¯t seen before¡ªthese must be hints of the special ones found in the PvP zones.

    ¡°It looks like we¡¯re in a disco,¡± said Megan.

    ¡°Have you ever been to a disco?¡± asked Nitana. ¡°Do you even know what the word ¡®disco¡¯ is short for?¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve seen pictures and old movies and stuff. And I don¡¯t really care what it¡¯s short for.¡±

    Any more banter between Megan and Nitana was halted by a rumbling roar flooding the forest as if a giant monster with a megaphone was trying to clear a stuffy nose. The branches high above rustled as the ground shook, sending clumps of snow falling on us.

    ¡°Mr. Bear sounds angry,¡± Kezo said.

    ¡°It¡¯s killing Mr. Hoof,¡± I said, buffing our movement speed. ¡°We need to save it!¡±

    Hints of a white hill some ways away peaked from between the expansive tree trunks, becoming bigger as we got closer. It was also getting taller and straighter, revealing itself to be a [Lvl 66 Oyi Oso], rising to stand on its hind legs to display its full height, taller than the Living Statue. Looking like an armored polar bear¡ªits head, arms, chest, and back were covered in interlocking white bony plates¡ªthe Oyi Oso spread its arms out, brandishing claws as long as Kezo¡¯s scimitars, roaring in defiance at its enemy.

    I breathed a sigh of relief. A musical goat wasn¡¯t its target.

    Instead, a [Lvl 69 Grand Matriarch Fengharl], likewise a giant bear rivaling its size, also armored but with spiky ice and golden crystals, stood up to match the Oyi Oso¡¯s challenge. It roared, sending shockwaves that shook the snow off the canopy above us.

    ¡°Look yonder!¡± exclaimed Paritor, pointing at something behind the Grand Matriarch Fengharl.

    ¡°Yonder?¡± mumbled Nitana. ¡°Who uses that¡ª?¡±

    ¡°There are more bears!¡± said Melonomi.

    Half a dozen normal Fengharls, smaller than Mama Bear but still very large nonetheless, were coming over. It was like the Alpha Cragodon calling its regular kin. An uneducated person might say that this was too much of a coincidence, meeting two Alphas and having the chance to farm lots of Great Hunt monsters without interference from others. But the truth was that Herald Stone was affecting the synchronicity of the universe with his awesomeness.

    ¡°Let¡¯s wait until they injure each other,¡± said Nitana. ¡°Then Kezo can go in for the last hit. That RailGunLord asshole should be around here somewhere.¡±

    Kezo nervously laughed but still jabbed the air with his fist. ¡°The pressure is on. I sure hope I don¡¯t disappoint.¡±

    ¡°He can¡¯t beat you, Kezo,¡± I said. ¡°Too bad we can¡¯t farm Fengharls since we¡¯re going to kill the¡ªThey¡¯re breaking up!¡± I wasn¡¯t talking about a lover¡¯s quarrel. The Oyi Oso, seeing the approaching Fengharls, decided it was too uneven of a fight and turned tail.

    The Grand Matriarch Fengharl didn¡¯t chase the Oyi Oso. It puffed itself up to be bigger and roared, bathing us with debuffs. The normal Fengharls ambled to its side and stopped. They joined in roaring at the retreating Oyi Oso¡¯s.

    ¡°It¡¯s running away! What do we do?¡± Megan asked.

    ¡°All of you stay here,¡± I said, even though the plan pained me. ¡°Same thing with the Alpha Cragodon. Farm Fengharls. We don¡¯t know if we¡¯ll find the Oyi Oso again, so I have to chase it. It¡¯s either me, Paritor, or Kezo who can bring it back, and it¡¯s better if they stay here for both tanking and DPS. I¡¯ll go alone. Every last bit of firepower and Melonomi¡¯s healing that works on monsters are needed to get the last hit on the Fengharls.¡±

    ¡°But you won¡¯t get Tokens,¡± said Kezo. ¡°We can hold this until you return.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯ll be tough to hold them all,¡± I cut in. ¡°And I don¡¯t know how soon I¡¯ll be back. The longer you wait, the more chances of another party wandering over here. If I bring the Oyi Oso back fast enough, I¡¯ll join you. I¡¯m off!¡±

    And the heroic Herald Stone charged after the armored polar bear.

 217 - Obsessed Fan

    Don¡¯t follow me, you bastard. I imagined myself a psychic, broadcasting my thoughts to RailGunLord, wherever he may be. Stay there with Mama Bear!

    The action, the challenge, the audience, all of that were back there. In contrast, I was a low-level player and Oyi Oso wasn¡¯t an event monster¡ªnot much worth killing it. Why would RailGunLord bother to chase me?

    Other than to troll me¡­ which could be enough motive for an asshole.

    Mr. Bear¡¯s expansive furry behind was up ahead, jiggling with each of its earth-shaking steps. No way I was going to lose a target this big. Problem was, the distance between us steadily grew after the active buff of [Horde Stampede] wore off.

    There were plenty of obstacles in Mr. Bear¡¯s path¡ªtrees, ancient ruins, crystal formations¡ªpreventing it from zooming straight and leaving me behind in the dust¡­ Or snow. Should be setting-appropriate. Smaller formations, pillars and statues, rocks¡ªthose it stomped to many pieces. The bigger ones, it avoided, earning me a second or two to come closer before it pulled away again. As for the trees, they were so huge they¡¯d prove a challenge to topple. Though too far apart to block Mr. Bear, the trees did force it to go around their expansive girths. Again, a few more seconds not amounting to much.

    I couldn¡¯t come up with a respectable ¡®she said¡¯ joke because of the imminent failure staring at me in the face.

    Despite all the zigzagging Mr. Bear did, and the seconds it threw my way, I still couldn¡¯t catch up. And I was running mostly in a straight line through the path it flattened, like a car tailgating an ambulance. This was an issue I didn¡¯t foresee.

    ¡°I should¡¯ve asked for Melonomi if she had a speed buff potion,¡± I muttered, eyeing the cooldown of [Horde Stampede].

    It was the only movement speed skill I had. At level one, it passively increased my movement speed by fifteen percent. When I used its active part, lasting only for ten seconds, it gave an additional twenty-five percent. All of that, along with the bonus from my boots, was barely enough to keep up with Mr. Bear. I didn¡¯t have spare LSPs to level [Horde Stampede], and I was out of speed buff foods.

    Should I just give up and return to the party? Lots of Hunting Tokens I was missing out on.

    No! I couldn¡¯t give up after taking this job for myself. Also, I couldn¡¯t fail. My only hope was we¡¯d eventually reach a dead end or just anything that¡¯d slow down my quarry enough for me to get close and taunt it.

    Rabisu Peak loomed ahead. We were far from reaching its base, but because of its titanic height, it blotted the skies and turned the background of everything in front of me into harsh rocks. I doubted Mr. Bear could scale it. That¡¯d be where I¡¯d corner it.

    Though I say ¡®corner¡¯, Mr. Bear could easily kill me.

    Something on the ground caught my eye.

    Not slowing down, I craned my neck to check over my shoulder. I couldn¡¯t see it. And I couldn¡¯t spare the time to go back to it. Soon, I came upon another disturbance in the snow. And then another.

    ¡°Hooves¡­ small cloven hooves,¡± I muttered. The musical goat was somewhere around here.

    Most of the goat tracks were erased¡ªMr. Bear practically shoveled snow aside as it ran¡ªbut I noted that they were scattered all over. The suspected musical goat apparently wandered around. That bolstered my theory that it was lost. Fortunately, the goat seemed to be wandering in the direction of Rabisu Peak. Did it think that was the way to return to its home?

    Anyway, what was the game plan here? Should I follow Mr. Bear or try to find Mr. Goat?

    Mr. Goat was related to my music quest. Unlikely it¡¯d disappear if I didn¡¯t catch it now. And if it¡¯d disappear, that¡¯d mean there was a secret path around here. I¡¯d look for that some other time. My immediate concern was dragging Mr. Bear back to my party, and farming Mama Bear and her babies. Also, probably best to postpone looking for Mr. Goat with RailGunLord around; I didn¡¯t want him to know my secrets.

    ¡°What¡¯s that now?¡± I peered at another upcoming curiosity. Oyi Oso crossed some kind of border in the snow, a faint glowing line. Without any hesitation, I galloped over it as well.

    WARNING: Entering PvP Zone

    (PvP Settings are compulsorily switched on)

    ¡°Oho! I¡¯m finally here.¡±

    There shouldn¡¯t be any problem because I was the only player here. As for the monsters in this area, they fled from the rampaging giant bear. I was safe and undisturbed to complete my mission.

    More hints of small hooves¡ªgood news. Mr. Goat was still here. The crystal formations were getting bigger and more clumped up¡ªbetter news. I might catch Mr. Bear sooner than expected. And my [Horde Stampede] was off cooldown. Well, that wasn¡¯t really news, much less the best news. Still good, I supposed.

    Stolen story; please report.

    ¡°Maximum overdrive!¡± I shouted as I cast [Horde Stampede]. ¡°Okay, that was corny. I should¡¯ve said¡ªwhat the hell!¡±

    That wasn¡¯t the substitute for ¡®maximum overdrive.¡¯ I was surprised because I suddenly slowed down. My speed buff was gone!

    Did I do something wrong? I didn¡¯t see Oyi Oso casting any skills. It was too far from me. Less plausible that it was some other monster. Was there some PvP zone mechanics I wasn¡¯t aware of?

    My body suddenly felt heavy as if the armor I wore and the shield I carried multiplied by five in weight.

    [ Status | Staggered Prey: Reduce Movement Speed by 56%, Reduce Evasion Rating by 1,250 points, Reduce Block Chance by 32% for 60 seconds ]

    It¡¯s RailGunLord! Who else could it be? He was waiting for me to enter a PvP zone. This was a clear message that I was the target.

    But why did he follow me?

    Was it because I was handsome? Oh, wait. I wasn¡¯t.

    It was because of my name¡ªHerald Stone. RailGunLord didn¡¯t know I was the real-life Herald Stone, but he did know I was the Herald Stone that triggered the world quest. Though I had a low level, killing me would still carry some prestige. It was like hunting a rare animal.

    More importantly, RailGunLord was assured of a kill here. If he stayed with Mama Bear, he wouldn¡¯t be able to kill-steal from Kezo. Assholes do prefer winning to a challenging situation that might result in them losing. I knew¡­ because I was an asshole.

    [ Status | Critical Weakness: Take 72% more damage from Critical Hits for 55 seconds ]

    This bastard was toying with me! Instead of gunning me down, which he could easily do, he piled debuffs on me. Putting myself in his shoes, I¡¯d say he was planning to kill me in one hit. To make sure he¡¯d succeed, and also to mess around, he was debuffing me. All of that, to show off.

    Oyi Oso was getting further away; I had no hopes of catching up to it with the slow debuff afflicting me. Some other time, Mr. Bear.

    Change of mission objectives: Don¡¯t die to RailGunLord.

    The border of the PvP zone was too far, and I¡¯d be running to RailGunLord¡¯s arms if I went that way. Instead, I headed to a nearby sculpture the size of the Living Statue. It also looked similar to the one Zoar Elab used as its shell. Big enough to safely cover me. I pressed myself against its base, bending my upper body down to hide behind its legs.

    [ Status | Fiery Enfeeble: Reduce Fire Elemental Resistance by 63% for 50 seconds ]

    How did I get hit? Where was he? The skills he used didn¡¯t leave trails that gave away his position. I also noticed he was layering debuffs, using those with the longest duration first. It was a sort of countdown for when he¡¯d unleash his first and final attack.

    I left the statue and made my way to a gigantic tree.

    [ Status | Marked Bounty: Take 105% more damage from Pathfinder skills for 40 seconds ]

    Again? How was he doing this?

    Either RailGunLord had skills that gave him x-ray vision and allowed him to cast skills through solid objects, or I was wrong that he shooting from where I came from. Possible that he was ahead of me the entire time. In any case, he had a clear sight of me. If I moved, he could also change positions, just like the Blade Stalker from earlier.

    Two options.

    First, just fucking log out of the game. There was no shame in that.

    Just kidding. That was a very shameful thing to do. Even if RailGunLord wouldn¡¯t tell anyone, we¡¯d both know I took the chicken way out. Herald Stone wasn¡¯t a chicken. I cook and eat chicken¡ªwe were going to have a hot wings place soon.

    Second choice is to go out in a blaze of glory.

    At least try to fight back, instead of waiting to die.

    I transferred hiding places again, stopping next to a bunch of crystal spires. I placed a Totem to my right and then healed myself. The Totem got hit and died, disappearing. Then the next debuff came.

    [ Status | Armor Decay: Reduce Armor by 35% for 40 seconds ]

    Was RailGunLord to my front or my right?

    Oyi Oso was somewhere ahead there, charging toward Rabisu Peak. Unlikely that RailGunLord was also there. To my right, I charged. Let¡¯s do this!

    And I wasn¡¯t sure what exactly I¡¯d do. I raised my shields, though they wouldn¡¯t help much, as I stacked buffs. I knew he¡¯d dispel them all before delivering the final hit, but I didn¡¯t care. I scanned the scenery I passed if there was something I could use. Didn¡¯t seem like there was anything that¡¯d change my fate. More crystals. And more hoof marks of Mr. Goat.

    Wait¡­ Mr. Bear didn¡¯t pass this way. Why did Mr. Goat¡¯s tracks look like they¡¯ve been covered up in places? This had to be the work of RailGunLord, a clue to how he was getting around unseen. We found him out back at the Hoarfrost Yews; he was more careful now covering his movements.

    [ Status | Close Combat Vulnerability: Receive Double Damage from Melee Hits for 30 seconds ]

    ¡°Melee? Why is he¡ª?¡± My mind returned to the Pathfinders of Merl¡¯s party. One had a crossbow, and the other wielded daggers. Those must be the two main builds of Pathfinders. Did RailGunLord aim to progress both of them and was now styling on me with a melee attack?

    Plans formed in my head. I stopped in the middle of a fairly open field. This was my statement to him¡ªI knew he wanted to finish me off with one strike. Here I was, not running or hiding.

    For I am Herald Stone!

 218 - Flocks of Birds

    I whipped out my musical instrument and played my lone song spell, wrapping my body with another barrier on top of [Greater Pyro Shell]. The buffs of my rings kicked in as I stood still. I wasn¡¯t stupid to think I could survive RailGunLord¡¯s attack. But I wanted him to believe I did so he¡¯d continue his plan to get up close and personal to deliver the coup de grace.

    [ Status | Debuff Lock: Cannot Remove Debuffs for 7 seconds ]

    He wants to ensure the kill, I mused, raising my shields.

    He was coming. I needed to know when and from where. I cast [Horde Stampede]. Though I remained stationary, the effects of this skill still generated sounds of stampeding hooves and stirred the snow around me into clouds as if I were charging.

    Then, it was gone, along with my barriers and other buffs. Only my passives remained. RailGunLord dispelled them again. He¡¯d strike before [Debuff Lock] expired. A few seconds to go.

    I spied in the corner of my left eye the ruffles of snow formed by [Horde Stampede] getting flattened. There he was. My guess was correct that he had a skill that allowed him to move without leaving tracks, clearing the ground of any marks. That was why parts of Mr. Goat¡¯s tracks were erased in this area even though Oyi Oso didn¡¯t pass by here.

    I didn¡¯t face his direction to tip him off that I knew.

    One last ace up my sleeve. Not technically an ace because that implied this was going to work a hundred percent. A gamble, rather. But the wheel of fortune was always on the side of Herald Stone! Hoping that RailGunLord was near enough¡ªanother gamble¡ªI cast [Heaping Infections].

    ¡°What the¡ª?¡± exclaimed a voice that sounded normal. He must¡¯ve turned off his Mardukryon voice settings.

    Popping to my side was RailGunLord wrapped in black leather bands, glowing red runes all over, wielding flaming daggers. He stared at his hands whipping about like swatting flies instead of stabbing me.

    I won the gamble! I immediately hightailed it out of there. With [Debuff Lock] gone, I cast [Cleansing Flames], removing most of the other debuffs.

    I laughed as I ran, making sure he heard it. I¡¯m an asshole too.

    He must be confused as hell about what happened back there. [Heaping Infections] reduced Attack and Magic Power, and also softened up the targets depending on how many debuffs they already had. But that couldn¡¯t stop his attack or help me survive in any way. My secret weapon was one of the Link Shards connected to [Heaping Infections]¡ª[Chorus of Delirium].

    Lvl 5 Chorus of Delirium (Link): Enemies under the effect of linked debuff-type skills will suffer Delirium, with a 25% chance of not attacking or confusing their allies as enemies. Increases the duration of linked debuff-type skills by 15%.

    Just a twenty-five percent chance, and it procced. The gods were really on my side.

    I¡¯m on my side.

    An assassin like RailGunLord, though not tanky, would have resistances and countermeasures against crowd-control skills like stun and freeze. In fact, because he was a glass cannon, he¡¯d be heavily invested against CC. One stun and he¡¯d be gone.

    However, the debuff of [Chorus of Delirium] wasn¡¯t like the usual disables; there was no Delirium Resistance stat. It¡¯d stick. Cleansing away [Heaping Infections] was the solution. RailGunLord would soon do that if he hadn¡¯t already, which was why I was in a hurry to get out of the PvP zone.

    I made sure to have obstacles between me and RailGunLord so he wouldn¡¯t have a clear shot. I also left Totems behind me. I couldn¡¯t hear any sound other than my hooves, but then again, I couldn¡¯t hear him moving earlier.

    Red filled my vision. My health bar zoomed down to almost zero. I got hit by something!

    I was also rooted in place. I drank a health potion as I looked down. Large metal teeth clamped my ankles¡ªtraps laid by RailGunLord.

    What a thorough guy. I¡¯d applaud him if he wasn¡¯t about to kill me.

    Here he was. Again invisible, he made sure to follow my tracks to announce his presence, smoothening the snow as he moved over my hoofprints. Ominous vibes. This guy really knew how to set the mood. He stopped some distance from me, out of range of my Heaping Infections.

    I stared in defiance at where he should be standing. I bet he was pissed as hell. I got him to reveal himself and also talk. This was already a win in my books. And his. Even if he killed me, he couldn¡¯t turn back time.

    He wasn¡¯t doing anything.

    A few seconds passed and the trap released me.

    He still didn¡¯t attack. Was this asshole telling me to continue running?

    Stolen novel; please report.

    If he wanted a round two, I¡¯d give it to him. Any opportunity to piss him off more was welcome. I nodded and galloped away. But I didn¡¯t head to the border of the PvP zone. There¡¯d be more traps there, and that¡¯d also be where he¡¯d want me to go. I bet he imagined killing me just before I exited the area. No way I was giving him that satisfaction.

    Instead, I headed to a group of ruins I spotted in the distance earlier. I got a better view as I closed them. Toppled pillars lay on each other. On top was a collapsed roof made of stone. Perhaps this was a temple of sorts long ago. Beyond the ruins were boulders piled on the slope of a small hill. This was a¡ª

    BOOM!

    An explosion a few meters to my right. A statue was blown into bits. RailGunLord was using AoE skills?

    KABOOM!

    This time, the explosion was to my left.

    I didn¡¯t mind them. RailGunLord wouldn¡¯t kill me just yet. The explosions continued, getting closer and closer, narrowing my path, and herding me. RailGunLord wouldn¡¯t let me reach the ruins in one piece. I didn¡¯t plan on reaching it. I already won and wasn¡¯t letting him get his revenge.

    I stopped barely ten meters from the first pillar. Glistening projectiles arced overhead and landed halfway to the temple ruins, carpeting where I would be if I didn¡¯t stop with explosions.

    I turned around, unequipping my shields, and extended my hands. Go ahead. Kill me.

    He¡¯d lose if he did. And if he didn¡¯t. He should know it.

    Any choice he made would result in his defeat.

    If I were him, I¡¯d just kill me and accept the consolation prize. Inconvenience me with getting transported back to Kurghal Village and denying me Hunting Tokens. I also didn¡¯t get Oyi Oso. RailGunLord wouldn¡¯t get his pride back, but he should content himself with this. He didn¡¯t have a choice.

    A large flare shot up in the sky. He wanted a bombastic ending, as was fitting for Herald Stone.

    ¡°I win,¡± I said. He may not have heard me, but he should¡¯ve seen my mouth movements.

    The comet descended. I closed my eyes. Pose as cool as possible.

    An explosion. The earth quaked.

    But the sounds were¡­ muffled? Distant. There was something else. Every noise was swallowed by clear notes of a flute, some sort of wind instrument, merging into each other like a chorus of songbirds.

    There were no notifications.

    I was alive¡­

    I gingerly opened my eyes. The red of flames filled my vision. But I was unharmed. The raging fire was on the other side of a transparent barrier. I couldn¡¯t feel the heat at all. An entire dome protected me, isolating an island in a sea of flames.

    ¡°What the¡­?¡± Who saved me? None of my teammates had a skill like this.

    (Friend,) a calm voice spoke inside my head.

    I turned around. The back of the dome extended, like the tongue of a clam, to the temple ruins, extinguishing the flames as it opened a safe path for me. At the end of it, hiding under the piles of pillars, was [Lvl 81 Musical Goat|High Minstrel: Inuus].

    Freaking eighty-one? Was this the highest level anything I had ever encountered?

    Inuus was bigger and hairier than the Kurghal village goat, its fur pearly white without any hint of dyes. Its swirling horns were gigantic, larger than its skulls. Beads and carved trinkets adorned its body, layering on top of an intricate golden chest piece. Wind instruments floated above its horns, glowing blue as they played a serene tune.

    (Do you know our music?) it asked me. Unlike the village goat, Inuus spoke in my head instead of projecting thoughts while bleating.

    ¡°Yes, I do,¡± I said, unsure of how to reply to telepathic messages.

    (Come. Follow me. Away from danger.) It turned around and disappeared in the bowels of the ruins.

    ¡°This is unexpected.¡± I looked over my shoulder to check RailGunLord.

    Numerous blasts peppered the face of the dome. They couldn¡¯t break through.

    This goat was strong. Forget about Oyi Oso. Forget about Mama Bear and the Fengharls. Forget about my party¡ªI¡¯ll message them. I wanted this barrier song spell, and so much more.

    (Friend. Hurry.)

    I heeded its call and trotted after it. ¡°What about the guy attacking me?¡±

    (Trust me. Follow me.)

    I entered the cave formed by the collapsed ruins, bending my upper body very low, because it was a tight space, and using my spear as support to not topple forward. Beating drums made my heart also pound. In the darkness of the tunnel, I saw glowing golden drums floating. A rumble followed. Another earthquake.

    I leaned against the walls, waiting for it to stop. There was a large crash. Pieces of the pillar behind me broke off and fell, sealing the entrance.

    That bastard is going to be very confused, I thought with a smirk. I coated myself with [Greater Pyro Shell] to light my way.

    Checking my [Tattered Map], I realized that this was the direction to Elder Pabilsag¡¯s hidden workshop. I was still some ways away from reaching the unlocked portion of the [Tattered Map] that Gula gave me, but it was there somewhere.

    Poor birds getting hit by Herald Stone.

    ¡°Uh, Mr. Inuus! Wait for me,¡± I said, struggling to keep up with it in the cramped space. The goat fit in the tunnel just fine.

    (A musical friend,) it told me. (A Mardukryon friend. I¡¯m glad I met you in this new place.)

    ¡°Mardukryon friend?¡± I repeated. ¡°Do you know other Mardukryons?¡±

    (Many Mardukryon friends. But not here. New place.)

    I gripped my spear tighter. I couldn¡¯t even form a sexual joke in my excitement. Chief Nogras! I found them!

    So many birds getting hit.

 219 - Horny Twist

    Most people wouldn¡¯t ever consider a goat leading them to their destiny.

    Yet, here I was, following a fellow cloven-hoofed creature to future world quests, valuable secrets, and honor forevermore to my name. I wasn¡¯t the superstitious type to believe in charms, trinkets, and whatnot, though I did know that fate revolved around me. But at that moment, I decided that goats would be my lucky charm. I¡¯d even make a goat farm with the name, Lucky Horny Farm.

    The name needed some work, but now wasn¡¯t the time. My brain was quite busy; my self-proclaimed musical friend brought many questions as well as theorycrafting inspirations.

    After the excitement of escaping RailGunLord, it dawned on me that [Lvl 81 Musical Goat|High Minstrel: Inuus] could play music while moving. Mr. Inuus¡ªI was respectful of such a powerful being¡ªmaintained the forcefield protecting me from RailGunLord as he turned around and left. Sure, it could¡¯ve been just a lingering thing, like the barrier of [Carhoni¡¯s Chorus] staying even after I¡¯d stop playing. However, Mr. Inuus then collapsed the tunnel entrance by switching to a drum song as he walked away.

    If I could learn this skill from him, it¡¯d solve one issue of song spells¡ªgetting locked in place while playing music. If a High Minstrel could also taunt while performing, there¡¯d be no hindrance to my Musical Aurastacker Plaguetank build. Okay, it¡¯s getting to be a mouthful.

    The name for my build could also wait. The main quest was the priority.

    ¡°Excuse me, sir,¡± I called out. ¡°Did you come from a different area? You mentioned this is a ¡®new place¡¯, so, I¡¯m assuming you¡¯re not from around here.¡±

    I struggled to keep up as the tunnel grew narrower and narrower, winding deeper into the earth. Mr. Inuus dismissed his floating instruments so they wouldn¡¯t bang against the low ceiling. This¡¯d be a huge issue if the way got too small ahead. I was resolved to continue even if I had to squiggle on the ground like a worm; this was a chance I couldn¡¯t let pass.

    (I came from elsewhere, musical friend,) came the reply. (Where is elsewhere from here? I do not know.)

    ¡°This isn¡¯t the path you took to get to this part of the mountain?¡±

    (Another path not near here. I cannot return through it, closed now by the Mountain Guardian¡¯s breath.)

    If we had Bawu¡¯s cure-all potion, we could weather the piercing Freeze of the Mountain Guardian. We were, unfortunately, far away from making it, much less completing its recipe. What was important was that I now knew something was there, on the other side. We might not even need the potion, with Mr. Inuus as proof.

    ¡°How did you get here?¡± I asked. ¡°Were you gathering materials to make instruments and accidentally came across the new path?¡± This was my theory when I saw Mr. Inuus¡¯ tracks earlier. The Kurghal Village goat tasked me with doing the same; materials might be infused with the Mountain Guardian¡¯s stirring energy during this time, helping with music magic.

    (That, I was. Suitable pieces I was trying to find. Something else I did find¡ªa new path elsewhere I haven¡¯t been to before.)

    ¡°And you checked out this new tunnel or crack or something, and now couldn¡¯t go back?¡±

    (That is so.)

    ¡°But you do have an idea how to return to your place? Sorry if I¡¯m asking too many questions. I¡¯m hoping to join you and meet other Mardukryons and musical goats.¡±

    Mr. Inuus stopped. I wasn¡¯t sure if he was thinking or waiting for me to catch up.

    I kept crawling. Crawling. I moved on ¡®all sixes,¡¯ if that was the right term, shuffling forward on my knees and hands, my upper half bent down to the ground. I unequipped my armor to make it easier. A Mardukryon doctor would surely say this was bad for my spine.

    (To return, I do not know how ¡­)

    ¡°Wha-what? Where are we going then? You told me to follow you.¡±

    (A path I was exploring in hopes of finding the way home. I saved you from the unfriendly Mardukryon because you¡¯re a musical friend. Now, an exit I seek for you. After which, my search I will resume.)

    ¡°How considerate of you. Also, disappointing. I thought I¡¯d return to Kurghal Village a hero for finding the other Mardukryons before lunchtime.¡±

    (I apologize, musical friend.)

    ¡°Oh, I didn¡¯t mean to say that out loud, Mr. Inuus, sir, your great horniness.¡±

    I thought I got the hang of filtering my thoughts while wearing the AU-VR helm since my thoughts and words were technically one in the game. The whiplash of excitement and disappointment made me lower my guard on words.This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there.

    ¡°Anyway, you don¡¯t need to find an exit for me. Let¡¯s get you to your home first, and I¡¯ll go with you. I want to repay you for saving me.¡± And I want to find the other Mardukryon tribes, I mentally added. Plus, there was no risk of me getting trapped anywhere. I¡¯d just off myself to return to the village.

    (I accept your aid. Onwards to the unknown we go, until it is known.) Mr. Inuus resumed walking and I continued distorting my skeleton.

    ¡°Where did you come from, Mr. Inuus?¡± I asked. ¡°Is it near the city of Mezhu Nue? I hope I¡¯m pronouncing that right.¡±

    The great Mardukryon city of Mezhu Nue was the nearest former Mardukryon settlement to Kurghal Village. It was beyond, Rabisus¡¯s Peak, the almost unscalable cliffs that were like walls keeping us away from our goals. All stories said the city was destroyed during the Great Quake, yet it wouldn¡¯t be surprising if there were some survivors. Mardukryons were quite tough.

    (A hundred years passed, and my herd near Mezhu Nue stayed. Children of the Mountain Guardian drove us away. Quite far from here, I came, to gather pieces of an instrument. The breath of the Mountain Guardian flows strong here.)

    ¡°I see¡­ You also said ¡®many Mardukryon friends¡¯ or something. Does it mean your herd lived close to Mardukryons? Unless you meant friends from before the Great Quake.¡±

    (Great Quake?)

    ¡°Right, you have a different name for it. That¡¯s what we Kurghal Villagers call the massive earthquakes two hundred years ago caused by the Mountain Guardian. Many in our village think that we¡¯re the last Mardukryon settlement and all other villages and cities, including Mezhu Nue, were wiped out.¡±

    Mr. Inuus slowed his pace, moving his head left and right as if trying to make sense of my story. I kept quiet, focused on squiggling about. After a bottleneck that I thought would trap me¡ªMr. Inuus had to duck his horned head to pass¡ªthe way slowly widened. Thank the ancestors I could walk on all fours again, not sixes, though still bending.

    (The Immense Heave we call your Great Quake.)

    ¡°Our name sounds better.¡±

    (Though there were numerous deaths during the Immense Heave, a great many Mardukryons survived. You and your fellow villagers have vast reason to rejoice!)

    ¡°Hurray!¡± I jokingly celebrated. Then I mumbled under my breath, ¡°I figured as much before we met.¡± It¡¯d be bad game design for a major quest to end up with nothing and disappoint the players unless there was a massive twist to the story.

    (Several cities of your people continue to stand to this day, weathering the Immense Heave two centuries ago. That includes Mezhu Nue.)

    ¡°Hurray again! Wait, what? Mezhu Nue is still around? And there are other cities too?¡±

    Reaching a tunnel that could comfortably fit me standing, the High Minstrel goat turned around. Was it exposition time? (Mezhue Nue was destroyed¡­ only part of it. Mighty buildings of the city held firm and withstood the immense heaves of the Mountain Guardian.)

    ¡°Hey, you wove in your name for the Great Quake, like someone saying the title of the movie in the movie. And I repeat: wait, what? That wasn¡¯t what they told¡­¡±

    Who told me? The answer was people who didn¡¯t know what was out there.

    Chief Nogras, Healer Gula, Mehubanarath, and older Mardukryons may have been around during the Great Quake, but they didn¡¯t have first-hand knowledge of what actually happened to other parts of the mountain. All of them were isolated in this area. And so, they simply assumed.

    Healer Gula told me that the family of her husband, Elder Pabilsag, all died when Mezhu Nue was destroyed, having failed to finish their forcefield project before disaster struck. But that was just a guess, a reasonable one based on the fact no one had seen anyone from Mezhu Nue for a couple hundred years.

    Still a guess. A wrong one, it turned out.

    Mr. Inuus was nonchalant meeting a Mardukryon in a place he¡¯d never been to before, or at least after the Great Quake because he thought I was from the many Mardukryon settlements on this mountain. He didn¡¯t know we were cut off from everyone else since the Great Quake.

    Stepping back, it wasn¡¯t logical to assume only our village survived. If our village was around, then so should others. Even the cities. There¡¯s really a twist.

    The implications were huge. There must be thousands of Mardukryons on this mountain, progressing civilization, while we were¡ª

    The ding of a message came.

    [Kezodilla: Herald, how are you? Is RailGunLord there?]

    Oops, I forgot to message my party. I replied that the asshole Pathfinder chased me, but I managed to evade him. He might go to their spot and kill steal the Fengharls.

    [Herald Stone: Finish quick before he comes.]

    [Kezodilla: What about you? You¡¯ll miss Hunting Tokens.]

    [Herald Stone: Don¡¯t worry. Found a quest. I¡¯ll tell you later.]

    I looked at Mr. Inuus, my musical friend. I should trust my real friends.

    [Herald Stone: Possible world quest.]

    ¡°Wow, it¡¯s a nice change not being a secretive solo ass sometimes,¡± I said. ¡°Sorry for the interruption, Mr. Inuus. Let¡¯s continue. So, Mezhu Nue survived. You mentioned something about the children of the Mountain Guardian?¡±

    (Out of the ground they came and drove us away, both Mardukryon and goat, from Mezhu Nue.) Mr. Inuus slowly shook his head, swaying his long fur and glittering beads. (Abandoned the city, we did. No choice. A hundred years since I set my foot¡ª)

    ¡°Hoof,¡± I interjected. ¡°Hoof on a foot.¡±

    (¡ªon the marvelous streets of Mezhu Nue. The battle to reclaim the great city continues to rage to this day. Mardukryons from other cities come to aid but to no avail.)

    ¡°They¡¯re waiting for me, Herald Stone, to be the hero,¡± I said with a smirk. ¡°Why do they continue to fight for Mezhu Nue? Isn¡¯t it a waste of life?¡±

    (Many important things in the city. Foremost of all, a possible escape your people have been trying to unlock for hundreds of years, still yet to be solved.)

    ¡°Possible escape¡­ a Gate!¡±

 220 - Boxlike Assumption

    (Indeed, a Gate, that¡¯s what Mardukryon friends call it. Our herd does not care for stones so ancient that time forgot. However, Mardukryon friends dearly want to regain control of it. Their escape, they say.)

    ¡°Yep, that¡¯s a Warp Gate alright,¡± I muttered, stroking my tusk as if it were my chin. ¡°Our ticket out of this icy prison.¡± Like many other players, I had assumed we needed to hike all the way down the side of the mountain through some obscure path, bypassing the Mountain Guardian¡¯s exhalations and strong-as-hell monsters. I was wrong.

    Our situation was similar to the Aviarii, harpy-like creatures stuck atop the giant trees of Gogmagog. They were prevented from flying far or down by magical environmental hazards and crowds of boss monsters. The Expeditionary Legion found the trees and sent their members to become Aviarii. Together with other guilds, players above and below the ¡®border¡¯ worked together to get through it. Last I heard, they were nearly finished with the final quest.

    It turned out that the solution to the Mardukryon problem was far simpler than what the Aviarii were doing¡ªjust find and activate the Gate. No need for outsiders to find our mountain and make a concerted effort to bust out. Again, wrong assumptions were at play. I was trapped in boxlike thinking.

    How shameful.

    More than likely, the Aviarii were doing it wrong but were brute-forcing it anyway. The escape should be something not-so-high-level players could achieve. There must be a Gate inside the Gogmagog trees; the Aviarii just haven¡¯t found it yet.

    I now knew where to find our Gate. Getting there was another question.

    (Memories past, the first Mardukryons on this mountain found the Gate and built a small village around it,) continued Mr. Inuus. (That village blossomed into the great Mezhu Nue, and yet no progress they¡¯ve attained unlocking its secrets. Many gave up. Centuries passed and more gave up. Eventually, all forgot what it was. Time at work.)

    ¡°That¡¯s why I haven¡¯t heard the NPCs talk about any Gate.¡± One mention of it and players would immediately know it was the objective. ¡°I¡¯m assuming someone sort of rediscovered what the Gate was? And now Mardukryons want it back.¡±

    (Fifty years ago, a well-respected scholar of your people, Faalmod, touted this long-forgotten escape from the mountain discovered from his research. Mardukryon friends, fearful of another Immense Heave, flocked to his cause to reclaim Mezhu Nue. Their destiny was not to live in the cold, they said. Our herd need not escape for this is our home. We did not join their battles.)

    ¡°I understand that, Mr. Inuus. But this place is dangerous because of the Mountain Guardian. Many musical goats also died during the Great¡ªI mean, Immense Heave. If we can find another cold place for you to live peacefully and safely, will you come with us?¡±

    (We only see what is between our horns,) were Mr. Inuus¡¯s words before resuming our journey. (However, if such a place exists, then perhaps¡­)

    ¡°When we reactivate the Gate and connect it to the outside world, I promise I¡¯ll find you a new home.¡±

    We reached a dead-end, a collapsed part of the tunnel. Mr. Inuus brought out cymbals. Their clangs shrieked in my ears. Was this a song spell? More like just noise.

    (The path continues on the other side,) Mr. Inuus said.

    ¡°Did you use sound waves to see through the rocks? Ultrasonic whatever, I have no idea what I¡¯m talking about. How do we get through?¡±

    The cymbals disappeared, replaced by trumpets. They triumphantly tooted, conjuring spectral hands wider than my shield. The hands effortlessly moved the rocks aside as if the objects weighing tons were made of cardboard. Part of the wall collapsed again. I flinched, about to raise my shields. No need to worry, it turned out. The hands caught the falling ceiling like ghostly umbrellas. Closing into fists, they crumble the rocks into pebbles and dust.

    ¡°Holy cow¡­ goat.¡± My mind reeled from the possibilities of those hands. I didn¡¯t need to move or stop playing an instrument while controlling those. ¡°You¡¯re like a one-man army. One-goat army. Is there anything you can¡¯t do with music magic?¡±

    (Music magic is endless. It can be molded to accomplish anything. However, I have many limitations because I am but a novice in its arts. The learning is also endless.)

    ¡°If you¡¯re a novice, what am I supposed to be? A potato? Looks like I have a long way to go in my musical education.¡±

    (Where did you learn music magic, musical friend?) Mr. Inuus asked while the excavation continued.

    ¡°The lone musical goat in Kurghal Village taught me,¡± I said. ¡°It''s the sole survivor of their group during the Greatly Immense Heaving Quake. I don¡¯t know its¡ªsorry, his name. He never told me. I don¡¯t think he ever told anyone.¡± I should treat the Kurghal Village goat as an equal since Mardukryons and musical goats were bros. We were musical bros too, and yet I never asked his name. The floating thing above his head only stated ¡®Crimson Goat,¡¯ and so, that was what people called him.The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

    (Shedding his identity¡­ A sign of mourning among our kind for one lost and alone until he is reunited with the herd. Then he¡¯ll take up his name again, an individual among many. I should meet him and bring the good news he is no longer alone.)

    ¡°Next time!¡± I hastily said. ¡°We¡¯ll meet him next time. We find the way back to your herd first. Then all of you can come and greet my village¡¯s resident musical goat. Doesn¡¯t that idea sound awesome?¡±

    Mr. Inuus was a cow I hadn¡¯t even begun to milk. Well, he was a goat. And a guy goat, a ram that didn¡¯t have milk. Point was, no one was seeing Mr. Inuus until I got lots and lots of benefits first. That was only fair since I found him; this wasn¡¯t being selfish.

    I checked the [Tattered Map]. We were near the secret workshop of Elder Pabilsag¡¯s family. I got excited for a moment before reality came crashing down. That was a different quest. This tunnel we were in wouldn¡¯t lead there. The way could be a completely different tunnel and we¡¯d never reach it no matter how far we traveled in this one.

    The last boulder blocking our path was pushed out of the way.

    We entered a massive cavern with four tunnels leading out of it, including the one we exited. In the middle was a large hole with a faint blue glow. Cold winds whooshed up and out of it, howling like a banshee as it rolled into the other tunnels. The force of the winds slightly pushed me. Though Mardukryons were quite resistant to cold, I felt the chill.

    I neared the edge to peer down. Far below was a powerful river of a shimmering liquid crackling with electricity.

    Mr. Inuus trotted to my side. (Careful. The Mountain Guardian¡¯s breath can seep through the earth when you least expect it. We tread prudently lest we make our last step.)

    ¡°That¡¯s the Mountain Guardian¡¯s breath? First time seeing it. Makes me want to jump down to test it. But we¡¯ll part ways if I do that, unfortunately. Where do we go next?¡±

    (The path we should choose, I do not know. Do your ancestors whisper guidance?)

    ¡°My ancestors? Hang on, I¡¯m the one deciding?¡± I expected Mr. Inuus to lead me to the next important thing since that was normal for NPCs to do. ¡°I have no idea, Mr. Inuus. Like you, I haven¡¯t been here before. Anything we should look out for?¡± Come on, give me a hint.

    (The winds guide us. They should flow where there is a way.)

    I checked the three other tunnels. I could feel the winds blowing through two of them. ¡°This here and that over there. Two choices. I don¡¯t know which¡ªwait a minute. I know where we should go!¡± I pointed to the middle windless tunnel.

    (I trust your choice.) Mr. Inuus led the way, beckoning me to follow with a wave of his horns.

    Plenty of things could be at the dead-end. Piles of rocks. Could be any other enclosed space that wasn¡¯t necessarily a dead end. Maybe a room. Could even be a cave. A cave with lots of secrets¡­?

    Mr. Inuus did give me a hint. Was it for finding the way out or discovering Elder Pabilsag¡¯s cave? These two quests could be connected. If not, well, we could just go back.

    ¡°Uh, Mr. Inuus, do you know a Mardukryon named Pabilsag from before the Immense Heave? He was young back then.¡±

    (I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t, musical friend. Too many Mardukryons friends for me to know each of them.)

    ¡°You might know his family,¡± I said. ¡°I¡¯m not sure of their names, but they¡¯re wardcrafters. I heard they were making the barriers of Mezhu Nue but couldn¡¯t finish it when the earthquakes happened.¡±

    (The great barrier was indeed uncompleted when the earth overturned, but it protected large swathes of the city, nonetheless, saving thousands of lives. I do know the wardcrafters of Mezhu Nue. Bangta, Furcianon, Mel¡¯ahzad, and many more. Heroes all.)

    ¡°Are they still alive?¡±

    (Some. Many passed away maintaining the barrier during the Immense Heave, their lives their final and greatest gift to those living. They¡¯d be happy to know their relative, this Pabilsag friend, is still alive. A great¡ª)

    ¡°No, he¡¯s not alive,¡± I cut in. ¡°Uh, a monster killed him some years ago. So, yeah¡­¡±

    Mr. Inuus let out mournful bleatings. (Such a sad news. Oh, what a joyful meeting it could¡¯ve been.)

    ¡°But the wardcrafters will be happy to know that Pabilsag left behind a student¡ªme!¡± If I managed to find the hidden wardcrafter workshop and get Skill Shards, or even meld with an Ocadule, I could approach the actual wardcrafters and easily make a connection. More doors would open. More birds hit with a Stone.

    (You are a wardcrafter as well? Most impressive, musical friend. You take your education seriously.)

    ¡°I¡¯m just a novice in all fields, you know. Dabbling here and there.¡± Please don¡¯t ask me to demonstrate wardcrafting skills, I prayed.

    The new tunnel we traversed was wide enough to fit the standard Mardukryon house. We were barely five minutes down when the floor quaked and dust fell on us. I tensed, wary that the cracks would spew death.

    (An enemy approaches!) Mr. Inuus stopped walking. Magic circles appeared beneath his hooves as various instruments appeared, more than I¡¯d seen him use before.

    ¡°An enemy?¡± I began buffing up. ¡°Where?¡±

    The ceiling about ten meters from us collapsed. Dust filled the tunnel. Through the clouds, two glowing eyes appeared. Mr. Inuus used some spell to shoot a wave of wind, clearing the dust and revealing the giant head of our new enemy poking through the ceiling¡ª[Lvl 77 Guardian Serpent: Karnon].

 221 - Playing with Others

    Coated in gleaming blue scales and shaped like a kite, the head of Karnon was as wide as my shoulders. If this oversized snake could stretch its jaws like those in the real world, its mouth could probably open as big as this tunnel and swallow Mr. Inuus and me whole. Swirls of white vapors puffed out of pits lining the middle of its head as its red eyes shone even brighter. Frost coated the rocks on its side of the tunnel.

    Guardian Serpent, huh? Did it have any connection with the Mountain Guardian? Could be one of its children that Mr. Inuus mentioned. Either that or it ate a [Kruos Ichor Sliver], a frozen blood droplet of the Mountain Guardian, making it stronger and granting it ice powers.

    (Form a Contract of Binding with me!) Mr. Inuus blared in my head.

    ¡°How do I make a party with an NPC? I don¡¯t¡ª¡± The system automatically added me to Mr. Inuus¡¯ party. ¡°There we go.¡± Several barriers of various colors covered me. Magic circles spread where I stood. ¡°What are we¡ª? Holy cow! Or holy goat!¡± Numerous buff notifications popped up.

    The numbers were mindboggling, adding thousands to my stats. Even my primary attributes were raised by a few hundred each. I felt myself getting stronger as if a gallon of steroids had been injected into my bloodstream. Not that I had experienced that to know. Doing that would probably kill me¡­ if I was still killable with healing in the thousands of points ticking per second. I didn¡¯t know what level eighty Healers were capable of, surely a lot, but the musical goat could probably match them.

    ¡°Are you playing several song spells at the same time?¡± I asked in amazement. ¡°I heard about this. Though some of these effects might be your auras. That¡¯s awesome synergy for¡ªit¡¯s coming!¡±

    Karnon opened its mouth, displaying spears of ice in rows. The Guardian Serpent darted forward like an oncoming train, smashing against the many barriers of Mr. Inuus. Some broke, but most held strong. The fangs of Karnon were above us, struggling to pierce through the barriers and drop down on us like a castle¡¯s portcullis.

    Mr. Inuus played a melancholic song with flutes. Karnon¡¯s bite weakened as its head slowly drifted left and right as if sleepy. Then the giant snake shook its head and retreated, staring at us warily.

    ¡°What did you do? Was that some sort of crowd-control song making enemies around you sleepy?¡±

    (Indeed, it does¡­ or it should. However, the foe we face is quite resilient.)

    ¡°Do you have other¡ª?¡±

    A great whoosh drowned my words.

    Karnon blasted us with a blizzard from its mouth. All I could see was blindingly bright white, the magical snow glittering. I heard distinct cracks and pops. Barriers were shattering again, including those covering me; my defenses were getting peeled off like the skin of a banana. I may be buffed to high heavens, but I was still a low-level weakling. Without the barriers, I wouldn¡¯t last long. The insane healing could slow down my death for only a few seconds.

    I raised my shields despite knowing it wouldn¡¯t help. Should I run? But I didn¡¯t want to be separated from Mr. Inuus.

    The last of the barriers Mr. Inuus cast on me were gone, signaled by my own [Greater Pyro Shell] exploding. I began to take direct damage. My health bar, which had lengthened to several times its original, began its descent to zero despite Mr. Inuus¡¯ healing fighting back. I expected to die faster but the buffs made me tankier than I assumed. That, and Mr. Inuus was absorbing the bulk of the damage.

    ¡°I just hope you have a resurrection song spell¡­ Wait. I¡¯m not dying anymore?¡± My health bar stopped at about a quarter remaining, then zoomed back to full.

    There was a rainbow of shimmers around me. Mr. Inuus was rebuilding the barriers as they were destroyed. Must be a way stronger version of [Carhoni¡¯s Chorus] with the refreshing shield mechanic. I was out of danger though the destructive blizzard continued.

    Mr. Inuus¡¯s musical instruments glowed brighter, their light piercing the thick snow. The music played also became louder and fought back the shrieks of the blizzard. The snow subsided after several seconds, revealing a strange sight¡ªKarnon¡¯s mouth was bound shut by several magic circles around its snout. The Guardian Serpent thrashed about, smashing its head against the walls and ceiling to remove the muzzle.

    The tunnel shook and chunks fell off the ceiling. Mr. Inuus used the song spell that saved me from RailGunLord to stop the tunnel from caving in, a blue barrier spread outward like a balloon to keep the sides of the tunnel in place.

    (The restraints on the enemy won¡¯t last long,) Mr. Inuus said. (We must defeat it, or at least drive it away!)

    I threw poison bottles at Karnon. Our level gap may be huge, but poison, the great equalizer, dealt damage as a percentage of health. It didn¡¯t matter if the target had a hundred health points or a million, poison would slowly chip it down just the same. The bottles broke and deadly gas mixed with the icy vapors.This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

    Or the gas might not be so deadly to the Guardian Serpent after all.

    Purple bubbles danced on Karnon¡¯s scales, indicating it was poisoned, but disappeared after a few seconds, not even leaving any hint of damage. Karnon¡¯s Poison Resistance was an insurmountable wall; I lacked the means of bringing it down. And the short time it was poisoned didn¡¯t do anything because it likely had insane health regeneration.

    Karnon exhaled a blue fog, which descended to the ground and cleared my poison clouds.

    ¡°Okay¡­ that¡¯s just rubbing salt on my meat. That¡¯s probably the wrong quote. I can¡¯t do anything to it, Mr. Inuus.¡± It didn¡¯t hurt my ego much to admit failure because I was a tank, not a DPSer. ¡°Do you have any offensive spell songs?¡±

    (I have, but I fear they are inadequate to cause significant harm to our foe.) Mr. Inuus threw back his head. (Nonetheless, let me try.)

    Large snare drums appeared, sticks ending with golden skulls vigorously beating on them. Red spears materialized and shot forth at the Guardian Serpent. The attacks didn¡¯t do much, impressive they may have looked. Karnon was more bothered by the muzzle, continuing to violently wriggle and destroy more of the tunnel. Mr. Inuus was built for support and defense; I¡¯ve also heard that music magic was pretty mediocre when it came to DPS.

    ¡°Should we just run¡ªno! We must get past this snake and reach whatever is behind it.¡± Surely, it was a coincidence that Karnon appeared now when we were traveling in this specific tunnel. I must be right that the wardcrafters¡¯ cave was ahead. ¡°Can we push it with your barriers, Mr. Inuus?¡±

    (An impossible plan, Mardukryon friend. My most powerful barriers are stationary. Those that project forward would easily shatter from the Guardian Serpent¡¯s might.)

    ¡°But we have to do something,¡± I said. ¡°And by ¡®we,¡¯ I mean you.¡±

    (Attacking is the key, though killing it is too lofty a goal. Ensemble magic might empower my strikes enough to deter the Guardian Serpent from thinking we are prey.)

    ¡°Ensemble what was that? Ensemble magic?¡±

    (I will show you. Stand back!)

    It was as if Ms. Inuus¡¯ soul left his body, an ethereal clone separating from him. The spectral goat stood beside Mr. Inuus with a blue beam of light linking them. The clone also summoned his instruments; they were slightly transparent, ghost versions of the real ones.

    I had an inkling of what was about to happen.

    My mind returned to the concert at Kurghal Village. Eugenius and I were playing instruments, the crowd following along, making noises by banging their armors and shields and casting noisy spells. The crimson goat used his song spell to control all the sounds we made, bringing them to order and weaving them into one piece. There must be a reason why the crimson goat could do that. It was logical that those with music magic could play together.

    Could it be that song spells grew stronger the more musicians joined in? Since it was impossible to always be with a party, much more a party of musicians, music magic was developed to make clones to shore up this weakness.

    Both Mr. Inuus and his clone played the drums with the skull drumsticks. Once again, red spears appeared twice the number this time. The spears combine themselves into bigger ones glowing in gold. They quickly spun around, creating mini whirlwinds, before zooming to Karnon. Though not deep, they pierced the scales of the Guardian Serpent and then exploded.

    More quakes. Through the dust, I saw Karnon¡¯s health bar. The much-improved spears caused noticeable but not-so-significant damage which was simply regenerated. We were far from winning.

    (Another is needed,) said Mr. Inuus as he summoned a second clone, also linked to him.

    Instead of playing the drum song of red spears, the new clone called forth guitars and bells, an unusual combination. The second clone¡¯s song spell was different than the layered drumming already playing, yet it meshed well with it.

    Checking my stats, I found my Attack and Magic Power sharply increased. I also had a bunch of new stats I didn¡¯t have before, like Physical Penetration and Ignore Armor. Music magic was pretty insane in the support department.

    But why did it have to be the clone playing this buff song? It could be that he couldn¡¯t play certain songs together. Or perhaps having clones out came with restrictions, which balanced being able to play upgraded versions of songs¡ªthis ensemble magic¡ªwithout other musicians.

    The huge golden spears appeared once more, this time laced with blue lightning. As they spun, electricity lashed out everywhere.

    ¡°Look out!¡±

    Karnon broke free from the magic circles. I charged forward and planted Totems to taunt it in the hopes of buying time. Ms. Inuus¡¯ healing quickly replenished the cost of the Totems. But what I did was useless because Karnon had some sort an AoE frost damage that instantly killed my Totems.

    (Retreat, Mardukryon friend!)

    I stuck to the walls, out of the way of the spears, and scrambled back. Karnon let loose another blizzard. The golden spears shot through the wall of snow, dispersing it with whirlwinds, and hit Karnon. The giant snake recoiled and hissed from pain. The damage was better than the previous, but I still couldn¡¯t see us winning this.

    A stalemate. Karnon couldn¡¯t kill us, and we couldn¡¯t kill it.

    Or maybe it could kill us.

    The holes on Karnon¡¯s head became a fog machine; ice vapors spread. The rock walls of the tunnel, already damaged by the giant snake¡¯s thrashings, crumbled when they became frozen. One touch of that cloud and I was dead, for sure. Karnon¡¯s eyes turned violet and spat out ribbons of energy. Its scales lengthened into icicles, making it look like a porcupine.

    (Behind me, Mardukryon friend!)

 222 - Which Hole to Go?

    ¡°What¡¯s behind you?¡± I asked, trotting over to Mr. Inuus. ¡°Just kidding. I know you¡¯re telling me to hide. Looks like a big attack that¡¯s¡ªuh, why¡¯re you sending your ghost buddies away?¡±

    The clones of Mr. Inuus disappeared, along with their instruments. Mr. Inuus then summoned more instruments and started playing songs that constructed barriers. I took it that he couldn¡¯t go super offensive mode while maintaining his ginormous defenses. That¡¯d be too overpowered if he could do both simultaneously. Mr. Inuus prioritized defense because Karnon was cooking up something huge.

    The icicles covering Karnon¡¯s head sparkled, like rows and rows of Christmas lights. Beautiful. I knew it didn¡¯t bode well for us. Freezing fog rolled a rockstar¡¯s entrance, the deadly frost creeping to our side. The earth gleamed, frozen, reflecting the dancing lights of various hues.

    I gingerly poked my hoof outside the barriers of Mr. Inuus. My [Greater Pyro Shell] exploded, and my health instantly cut in half. I would¡¯ve died if I didn¡¯t immediately pull back. Had an inkling that¡¯d happen but curiosity compelled me.

    ¡°Can you defend against this, Mr. Inuus?¡± I asked, my brows furrowed as Karnon opened its mouth to fill the tunnel¡¯s width. A small blue orb flickered inside its dark maw. ¡°Where¡¯s your magic circle muzzle thing to stop whatever it¡¯s doing? Looks like we¡¯re in a world of hurt.¡±

    (The restraints of silencing take a long time to prepare, commensurate to how effective they are,) replied Mr. Inuus, probably referring to the skill¡¯s cooldown. The magical muzzle did seem to be a powerful disable that shouldn¡¯t be readily available. (But fret not, Mardukryon friend. My defenses, I am immensely proud of,) Mr. Inuus continued. I felt in his telepathic message a reassuring vibe.

    An overly large harp appeared, as tall as me and longer, with what appeared to be too many strings than it should have. Though I didn¡¯t know how many strings a normal harp had. This new instrument had musical notes drawn with orange energy floating around it.

    Some secret weapon to turn the tide of battle?

    As the harp¡¯s strings vibrated, sending humming voices through my soul, more and more musical notes appeared, swirling and swirling until they arranged themselves into a wall in front of us¡ªrows of notes, looking like a musical sheet piece. As Mr. Inuus constructed this literal wall of music, Karnon continued charging. The tiny prick of light inside its mouth bloomed to fit its expanded mouth with unhinged jaws, only held back by the cage of fangs. The energy ball was a swirl of blue energies, similar to the Mountain Guardian¡¯s breath that we came across earlier.

    Once Karnon fires, there¡¯d be no place to hide because this whole tunnel will be filled. And it was too late to run now. But I didn¡¯t doubt Mr. Inuus would protect me.

    Then what?

    Karnon couldn¡¯t kill us. We also couldn¡¯t kill Karnon. There was no way to cheese the Guardian Serpent with the resources we had; it was rightfully strong, given it was guarding the wardcrafter¡¯s cave. If only there was some other way to get past this stupid overgrown scaley worm.

    Maybe there is. I tore my eyes away from the sparkling Karnon and to the tunnel walls. There were large cracks where Karnon smashed against it while trying to remove the muzzle. Some of those had widened into gaping holes as the charging energy ball whipped out wild discharges of energy. Parts of the wall were hollow, not solid rock.

    Was the earth porous in this area? A possibility was that the Mountain Guardian¡¯s breath turned this part of the mountain into Swiss Cheese. Could also be that its children were tunneling about, like our friend Karnon here. I surmised there should be another path to the wardcrafter¡¯s cave if we knew where to smash through.

    ¡°Mr. Inuus! Can you¡ª?¡± I started to say. Karnon fired its attack in a deafening roar of winds, cutting off my sentence again, its seemingly favorite hobby.

    A swirl of blue and white smashed against the wall of notes. The wall buckled and stretched towards us as the force of the blast deformed it. But the weaved musical notes held. The energy beam whatchamacallit splashed back to Karnon like water from the faucet hitting a spoon.

    ¡°Some sort of reflect damage shield?¡± My theorycrafting mind was in overdrive.

    Combining this with similar mechanics such as retribution, many DPSers wouldn¡¯t dare touch me. That was tanking in a sense. Karnon¡¯s health bar steadily went down as it continued to blast us. Well, the giant snake was technically blasting itself at this point, probably for a fraction of the actual damage of its attack.

    ¡°If you can keep this up, Mr. Inuus,¡± I said, ¡°we can kill¡ªoh, there we go. I spoke too soon.¡±

    Parts of Karnon¡¯s energy beam punched through the musical notes wall as if passing through a sift. What I assumed to be a much-weakened attack hit the subsequent barriers of Mr. Inuus, destroying some of them. Still freaking powerful. A direct hit from its full force would kill us, or at least me.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    Some of the energy beams continued to be reflected at Karnon, though the damage was nothing we could rely on to turn the tide of battle. Mr. Inuus busily rebuilt the broken barriers and also stopped the tunnel from caving in as the quaking power of Karnon¡¯s energy beam threatened to make everything collapse. Mr. Inuus even summoned golden pillars with intricately carved columns to prop up the ceiling.

    ¡°Awesome work on the repair,¡± I said, observing the gleaming magical columns. Its top excreted golden liquid that glued the cracks together. ¡°I can¡¯t do anything to help you, so I¡¯ll just be a cheerleader. Nifty trick you got there with the pillars, but do you have something that can destroy the walls instead?¡±

    (Why so, Mardukryon friend?)

    ¡°I¡¯m sure there¡¯s an escape path for us through the walls. Another escape path, anyway. You know, besides just retreating?¡±

    (I trust your ideas, Mardukryon friend. I have the means of excavating the walls¡ªthe Lapus Spears. However, I cannot play the song, given our current predicament.)

    ¡°Very understandable,¡± I dryly said, scanning our surroundings to formulate a plan.

    (And we are unaware where to dig. I have the means¡ª)

    ¡°But you can¡¯t do it right now,¡± I cut in. ¡°Can you turn the musical notes barrier? Move it around?¡±

    Mr. Inuus paused his barrier-building duties to look at me behind him. He was supposed to be wise and ancient, but his eyes with horizontal bar pupils gave off an air of blankness. Having lived on a farm for several months, I¡¯ve grown used to the goat¡¯s weird eyes, among other things. Not once did I question it. Would Mr. Inuus know why their eyes were that way?

    (I certainly can, Mardukryon friend,) said Mr. Inuus. (What plan have your ancestors whispered to you?)

    ¡°I came up with this on my own. No ancestors needed.¡± I pointed at the wall of notes. ¡°Change its angle so the reflected energy beam will hit the walls. Sweep the entire side of the tunnel, as far as possible. We¡¯ll move to the other side. Do the next side if we don¡¯t find anything. And be quick, Mr. Inuus, before Karnon¡¯s energy beam runs out.¡±

    Mr. Inuus did as I instructed.

    The tunnel shook harder. Rocks flew. Those that hit the barriers broke into more pieces.

    ¡°There!¡± I shouted, barely hearing myself. ¡°A hole! Just a small one. Continue, Mr. Inuus.¡±

    The two of us stood at the left edge of the barriers, not an inch past them, as the wall of notes pivoted to deflect part of the energy beam to sweep right. Dust and debris mixed with the rolling frost, furiously swirling through the tunnel. Soon, I could barely see or hear anything.

    And then the energy beam stopped. Everything went silent save a few cracking sounds.

    ¡°Mr. Inuus, sweep away the dust! Uh, please?¡±

    (Certainly, Mardukryon friend.) A crescent wave of wind sliced through thick clouds and dispersed them.

    I didn¡¯t care about what Karnon was doing. I hurried to the opposite edge of the barriers and examined the wrecked walls of the tunnel on that side. Darkness stared back at me from a hole barely large enough for me to squeeze through. The light from my [Greater Pyro Shell] couldn¡¯t reach far enough into the hole. But it did seem to go on deep.

    This was it! Probably?

    BANG! BANG!

    Karnon was muzzled again¡ªMr. Inuus¡¯ skill was timely off cooldown¡ªand having a grand old time slamming against the walls. The newly-opened part of the wall was crumbling. Our path might get sealed.

    ¡°Now¡¯s our time to escape, Mr. Inuus!¡± I beckoned at my high-level horny friend. ¡°This way!¡±

    (Through there? Where it leads, we do not know. It¡¯s safer to go back whence we came, Mardukryon friend. Why must we¡ª)

    ¡°I¡¯m sure this is the right path, Mr. Inuus. My earlier choice did lead us to meet this giant snake, but trust me, your bestest Mardukryon friend. We should go here.¡±

    More violent shaking and an even louder crash behind us. Did the tunnel collapse that way? I couldn¡¯t see because of all the dust. I took it that we didn¡¯t have a retreat path that way. What happened next confirmed my guess.

    Out of the cloud of dust, another monster appeared¡ª[Lvl 77 Guardian Serpent: Karnon].

    Or the same monster? There were two of them? I didn¡¯t know there could be multiples of the same named monster. Then the fearsome truth dawned on me.

    ¡°This bastard has more than one head!¡± It could be a hydra-snake creature, and it has so far displayed only a fraction of its true strength.

    Karnon¡¯s second head came at us, fangs bared. Only some of Mr. Inuus¡¯ barriers covered all sides. Most faced the front, so our back was a weakness. Barriers were destroyed. Karnon was through. Reacting quickly, I planted a Totem. The second snakey head didn¡¯t have the freezing damage aura; my Totem wasn¡¯t immediately deleted and managed to cast a taunt, giving Karnon a pause.

    Karnon¡¯s second head chomped the Totem. Mr. Inuus charged at it, horns lowered, hitting its cheek covered in scales the size of shields. The attack barely did any damage but put the second head in a daze. I placed a second Totem for good measure. The second head bit air, missing my Totem. Mr. Inuus must¡¯ve debuffed Karnon.

    ¡°Let¡¯s go!¡± I was already halfway through the hole. I had removed my armor once again to fit easier. Once I was through, I breathed a sigh of relief seeing that it was indeed a passage.

    Mr. Inuus came in after me, playing music to collapse the opening behind us.

 223 - An Icy Wonderland

    ¡°Onward, Mr. Inuus!¡± I buffed our movement speeds, charging into the unknown. At this point, everything was unknown.

    Mr. Inuus continued bringing down parts of the tunnel we passed. Because of that, the world was one giant shaky-cam scene. Difficult to maintain my footing¡ªmy hoofing¡ªas I galloped along the cramped passage. Mr. Inuus kept up with me though I had much longer legs.

    An all-important question suddenly popped into my mind: Do goats gallop? Here was my powerful brain going into tangents during something important.

    I suppose goats did gallop since cows could as well. What was the actual definition of ¡®gallop¡¯? Humans didn¡¯t gallop, so there must be a difference between it and running. Could all four-legged animals that could run also gallop? I¡¯d never heard anyone say that dogs and cats could¡ª

    ¡°Woah!¡± I bumped against the wall after a massive quake. Sharp pops followed; cracks ran through the ceiling. Pebbles peppered my [Greater Pyro Shell] as the dust was everywhere again. ¡°What was that? Maybe tone down the demolition, Mr. Inuus.¡±

    (It is our foe, the serpent child of the Mountain Guardian,) replied Mr. Inuus as he cleared the dust with bursts of wind. (I fear it is ramming the walls of this very tunnel. I can hear its movement through the earth.)

    ¡°Apologies for blaming¡ªWah!¡± Another big shake.

    It was like a giant sledgehammer hit the left side of the tunnel. I slammed against the right. The left wall bulged inwards, cracks hinting that it could burst. Thank you, Karnon, for stopping my random-thought spiral about goats and galloping. But no thanks for trying to eat us.

    ¡°No way but forward, Mr. Inuus!¡± I forced my wobbling legs to straighten and ran. ¡°Good thing the path I chose isn¡¯t a dead end.¡±

    A better question: Did we get lucky choosing this hole or was Karnon intentionally herding us this way?

    Whatever the answer was, this tunnel appeared to be the right path. It was long, as if deliberately made, and didn¡¯t have any branching paths to confuse us. Though the ceiling was low and its width narrow in parts, there was enough space for my bulky self to swiftly move. And it was opening up the deeper we got, looking less like a random tunnel.

    We were going the correct way¡­ to where?

    The [Tattered Map] showed us gradually angling away from the wardcrafter¡¯s cave, making my heart sink. But if not there, I was nonetheless heading to parts of the mountain yet unseen by players. Surely some other valuable secret awaited me at the end.

    We continued running. Galloping.

    Minutes passed. Eventually, the quakes and rumblings stopped. Karnon must¡¯ve gotten tired of us, which was good news. Until we reached some bad news¡ªa dead end.

    ¡°We probably shouldn¡¯t have gone this way¡­¡± I knocked on one of the rocks blocking our path. Going back wasn¡¯t an option because Mr. Inuus sealed it. ¡°Oh, what am I saying? I¡¯m never wrong. Go ahead, Mr. Inuus.¡± I made space for my overpowered cloven-hoofed buddy to move forward. ¡°Kindly use your very helpful music magic to check if there¡¯s something past this. Looks to me like a collapsed portion rather than a natural endpoint.¡±

    Floating cymbals clanged. Mr. Inuus bleated happily, projecting in my mind how right I was. (It may take some work, musical friend, but our path continues. We are not trapped.) The cymbals disappeared as trumpets replaced them, summoning ethereal hands to begin the excavation.

    ¡°That¡¯s quite handy¡­¡± Groans of moving rocks were the only response. A good pun, if I may say so myself. And I do, for I am Herald Stone, Stand-up of the Century. Unfortunately, no one was around to appreciate my comedic genius. Mr. Inuus, as an NPC, didn¡¯t particularly care for it.

    Kezo and the others would¡¯ve found it funny, I¡¯d think. If they were with me, we could¡¯ve killed that giant snake with a penchant for freezing things. What loot did Karnon drop? Would it have rare gear?

    I imagined it¡¯d be an enjoyable and nostalgic experience dividing loot among our party, making me reminisce of my high school days playing with friends at Vanguard Gaming. I could hardly call myself the party¡¯s main tank yet, so Paritor or Melonomi had better claims to tanking gears we¡¯d find. They¡¯d probably give way to me, but I wouldn¡¯t stir up an issue if they didn¡¯t. I wasn¡¯t a dick about those kind of things between friends.

    Friends. Yep.

    Making friends as an adult without it being related to work sounded weird. Or was I the weird one for thinking that? I had turned into the archetypal grumpy old man with a cynical view of the world without realizing it.

    What would my party mates, my friends, think of my would-be discoveries? A world of difference between showing off to faceless masses for fame and whatnot, and sharing new things with friends. Seemed a basic concept, but it sounded profound in my head. I itched to find the wardcrafter¡¯s cave and the lost Mardukryon tribes¡ªI guess, we were the lost ones¡ªand tell my party about it. Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

    I blinked. Would you look at that, I cared for others.

    Gone was my instinct to keep secrets for myself. In a way, I started to consider my party as part of me. They should be honored. I trusted them now¡­ somewhat. In the context of a game, sure. Still, trust was trust. Real life was also a game.

    ¡°Character development in a cave while waiting for a goat to finish excavation,¡± I muttered with a smile.

    Abruptly, blue smoke hissed out of the rubble after Mr. Inuus removed a particularly large rock. Both of us retreated, with Mr. Inuus putting up barriers. If this was the Mountain Guardian¡¯s breath then we, mostly me, were toast.

    Well, frozen. Frozen toast.

    ¡°This might be the correct time to say, ¡®We probably shouldn¡¯t have gone this way¡¯.¡± I warily observed the smoke that filled the end of the tunnel. Mr. Inuus was in front of me and there was plenty of space to retreat¡­ up to a point. I wasn¡¯t Herald Stone the Scientist, but I knew that gas-filled space. And I was inside that space.

    But as suddenly as it began, the hissing stopped. A mere fart. The gas condensed into snow that powdered the ground. Rocks near the hole gleamed, their surfaces frozen.

    Mr. Inuus and I looked at each other.

    (Do we continue?) he asked.

    ¡°We have no choice. Waiting to die is also a choice, but let¡¯s exhaust all options first, shall we?¡±

    The next challenge was revealed as rocks tumbled away. Blue and sparkling on the other side, like a kaleidoscope. The rolling mist, partly obscuring the view, told me of the cold. An environmental hazard? Mr. Inuus¡¯ buffs would hopefully protect me. Similar to the presence of enemies signaling the right path, dangerous obstacles meant a reward at the end.

    Usually.

    I gestured to the opening. ¡°Goats first.¡±

    (My horns point ever forward.) Mr. Inuus clomped over the rocks, entering the winter wonderland beyond.

    ¡°I have horns too, Mr. Inuus,¡± I said, ducking to fit through the hole as I followed him. ¡°More than you do. And tusks. Not sure what your expression means¡ªholy cow¡­ goat¡­ chicken¡­¡±

    I gazed around my new surroundings. The amazing sight distracted me from my shell exploding, the myriad of debuffs afflicting me, and my much-lengthened health bar fluctuating like the stock market. Without Mr. Inuus, I would¡¯ve died stepping into this icy domain. But it sure was beautiful here.

    The famous ice caves of Gardari came to mind. Nelly vacationed there a couple of years back and wouldn¡¯t stop bombarding me with pictures and videos of it for a month. The entirety of those caves was coated by sheets of ice, giving off a bluish-green hue. The surfaces weren¡¯t smooth though, appearing like waves that had instantly frozen. Something about glacier movements she told me. One couldn¡¯t see their reflection on the ice other than mere blurry figures.

    In contrast, it was like I entered a hall of mirrors, though the mirrors were all of different sizes and shapes, with each one giving off its light of various colors while reflecting the light of all the others. Equal parts mesmerizing and dizzying.

    And deadly.

    A player needed to learn music magic from the crimson goat before coming here. Otherwise, Mr. Inuus wouldn¡¯t show up. It¡¯d be impossible for low to mid-level players to survive without his help. Perhaps the hole in the ruins opened only after Bawu¡¯s bioterrorism, for this used to be a place frequented by many players. They would¡¯ve discovered and explored these tunnels long ago.

    Was a connection with Healer Gula also needed? A confluence of events is certainly necessary for a player to reach and survive in this area.

    ¡°You are awesome,¡± I told one of my many handsome reflections.

    Handsome? Fearsome was a better description.

    My four horns curving forward were longer than when I first made my character; Mardukryons grew as we leveled up. When I¡¯d reach thirty very soon, I¡¯d be larger and my horns even longer, along with the tusks jutting from the sides of my mouth. My four glowing eyes peered out the slits of my helmet. It was amusing how equipment adjusted depending on the player¡¯s race.

    I was mostly covered with armor. The meager exposed skin of my upper body looked like dried magma webbed with smoldering veins, blending in with my fashion style. Bawu¡¯s reward of the Blighted Vinereaver¡¯s Revenge set¡ªblack with a sickly green aura, accented by carvings of spiked vines¡ªalso went well with my auction-bought Fiery Devise pieces¡ªred metal with flame designs. I had two shields, each the size of a refrigerator door, hanging by my left and right flanks. As much as I hated looking like Luds, I also had poison flasks dangling from my waist.

    Darkish green miasma swirled about my hooves. It was the [Blight Cloud] granted by the final set bonus of Blighted Vinereaver¡¯s Revenge. It dealt damage per second based on my retribution damage stats. A joke compared to what the icy mist could do. I¡¯d gladly trade [Blight Cloud] for whatever this environmental hazard was.

    ¡°Any idea what this place is, Mr. Inuus?¡± Puffs came out of my mouth as if I was vaping.

    (I don¡¯t have the slightest inkling, my musical friend. I¡¯d daresay this is related to the Mountain Guardian, but nothing beyond that. A few caves of ice I have seen, but not to this magical extent.)

    We didn¡¯t encounter any monsters. No more quakes caused by Karnon. Checking the [Tattered Map], I was elated that we were heading back to the direction of the wardcrafter¡¯s cave. I¡¯d give an offering to the ancestors if this was a bypass road to avoid Karnon.

    ¡°Are these bones?¡± We passed a skeleton of a small humanoid creature curled up in a fetal position. I gave it a light kick. The bones shattered. ¡°I didn¡¯t mean to do that! Sorry, dead guy.¡±

    Not only bones but there were also shriveled bodies preserved in the cold, as well as shells and exoskeletons of creatures like Crabores. Many had wandered into this tunnel and died.

    (Dear me!) Mr. Inuus stopped beside a pillar of ice. Something behind it surprised him.

    I hurried up to him and saw¡­ a dead Mardukryon.

 224 - Unsure Jackpot

    The Mardukryon corpse appeared to be male and older than me given its musculature and size. Pure white and flaky, like completely burnt-out charcoal. No magma veins glowing. Definitely dead. It sat on the ground, legs folded beneath it, upper body slumped against the ice pillar. Some chunks have broken off, parts of its right arm, a few fingers, an ear, and a tusk. I couldn¡¯t tell how long ago he had died.

    No armor, no weapons. His clothes were rolls of purple and red cloth now frozen stiff, preserved by the magical ice from the ravages of time. The purple folds sported symbols of swirling runes bounded by concentric circles, while the red had a peculiar geometric pattern on its borders. A golden chain hung around the corpse¡¯s neck but I couldn¡¯t see what the necklace was because the body was turned to the pillar.

    ¡°Could he be from Kurghal Village?¡± I wondered. ¡°He might¡¯ve ended up here while fleeing the devastation of the Great¡­ Immense Heave. Do you know the symbols on his clothes, Mr. Inuus?¡±

    (Daresay, it appears to be the seal of a Mardukryon merchant family judging by the way those circles are drawn. The layered border about the hems signifies he is a prominent member of the Merchant Lodge.)

    ¡°This guy does look rich. Purple dye used to be very expensive which was why only royalty had it in the olden days. Why am I explaining the real world to you? Anyway, have you at least seen that symbol before? You must¡¯ve known the merchant families of Mezhu Nue.¡±

    (Of Mezhu Nue, yes. But this Mardukryon friend, taken to sing in the melodic beyond, is not of Mezhu Nue. The merchant seal is of the far southern cities, for they are fond of stamping swirls and spirals in their dealings.)

    ¡°Does that mean the southern cities are far from Mezhu Nue, that¡¯s why you¡¯re not familiar with this symbol? Or you just don¡¯t mind Mardukryon merchants that much?¡±

    (Both, my musical friend. In addition, contact with the southern cities dwindled in the aftermath of the Immense Heave. The Mountain Guardian¡¯s exhalations have divided the mountain thusly. I haven¡¯t seen a southern merchant friend for decades.)

    ¡°Two possibilities for our popsicle friend,¡± I said, putting on the hat of Herald Stone, Detecting Detective. ¡°He got lost and inadvertently found his icy death before the Immense Quake. Or he was visiting Kurghal Village or perhaps Mezhu Nue, then the Great Heave happened, and couldn¡¯t get back home¡­ because he died here.¡±

    Mr. Inuus bowed his head, eyes closed. (We point our horns down to our friend frolicking in the melodic beyond.)

    ¡°You have plenty of musical equivalents for¡ªoh, you¡¯re playing a song?¡±

    I wanted to ask Mr. Inuus what was it for, but the sorrowful melody coming from the floating violin told me it was a song for the dead. Possibly some sort of prayer or ritual of the goats. After playing for a minute, Mr. Inuus opened his eyes and continued down the tunnel. I was about to follow him when I realized I also had a ritual for the dead¡ªlooting the corpse.

    Bending down, I felt around the body. Frozen rock solid. Even parts of the skin that were shedding felt like spikes. I wanted the amulet; it looked valuable. Should I force the body to twist?

    I risk breaking it in view of Mr. Inuus. I¡¯d wager he had a different opinion about stealing from a corpse. It was still technically stealing. Thankfully, an option appeared to search the body, and I mentally clicked it.

    [ Loot: 76,051 Artas, Sealed Letter, (Unidentified) Amulet, Skill Shard: Ice Cocoon ]

    ¡°Yes! I knew there was¡ª¡± Mr. Inuus turned around to look at me ¡°¡ªnothing around here,¡± I finished my sentence. A huge grin on my face and a slight skip in my steps as I caught up to him. ¡°Let¡¯s continue, Mr. Inuus. More popsicles await us.¡±

    The [Sealed Letter] screamed an important item. Perhaps it¡¯d be the start of a quest if I could open it¡­ and I couldn¡¯t. It wouldn¡¯t be surprising if merchants placed enchantments on their communications to prevent secret business information from falling into the wrong hands. Like mine. Going to the merchants was my immediate thought, but I backtracked on it. Though I had helped the Merchant Lodge with some tasks, I couldn¡¯t say I had a close connection with them.

    Was I trustworthy enough to learn about the contents of this [Sealed Letter], or would they simply reward me for finding it and send me off? I didn¡¯t want to waste this important find.

    The [(Unidentified) Amulet] must be connected to the letter. Could be an heirloom of the dead guy¡¯s family, a possible ticket to my sought-after connection to the merchants. Too bad I didn¡¯t have a [Perceiving Glass] to identify this.

    The amulet and the letter were for later. I moved on to examine the Skill Shard the wealthy corpse carried. This was actually a sci-fi data chip that allowed someone to learn the skill it carried instantly. There were also Link Shards that could be connected to Skill Shards, if the slotted gear had enough space, to modify or strengthen the Skill Shard.

    The information box of [Ice Cocoon] opened. My eyes immediately honed on its Quality.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

    ¡°Jackpot!¡±

    (What¡¯s the cause for your celebration, musical friend?)

    ¡°Jackpot that we¡¯re alive.¡± I barely kept my voice from cracking into maniacal laughter. ¡°It¡¯s a really good day. Minus the ice and the dead bodies. Oh, and the giant serpent trying to kill us too. Still a very, very good day!¡±

    [Ice Cocoon] was of Legendary Quality! It was the highest of the five base Item Qualities. The dead merchant sure carried something valuable. The importance of the letter and amulet shot up.

    Basic shitty items were categorized as Common. The next tier was Rare, having an added effect with a flat number value. It wasn¡¯t right to readily dismiss the Rare items, for flat numbers have a larger impact in the early stages of the game compared to percentage bonuses. A newbie had low stats, so a percentage of next to nothing was nearly nothing. Epic Quality equipment and Shards have two or so lines of effects with a combination of flat and percentage values. Relic-quality items have even more effects, usually only a percentage in nature; they¡¯d shine more as the player grew stronger.

    I had several Relic Quality but nothing of Legendary Quality, until now. However, Legendary items weren¡¯t necessarily stronger than Relic ones. They provided very impactful effects, which didn¡¯t always translate to useful for a specific build. Some may be quite niche; some may be generally beneficial. They could be a complete ass or overpoweringly game-breaking, and everything in between.

    I had read that there are a few more tiers above Legendary, though those appear only in the late game. The usual ¡®the late game is the beginning of the real game¡¯ setup.

    For now, I wanted to see if [Ice Cocoon] got the short end of the stick or the long end. Was there a ¡°that¡¯s what she said¡¯ joke there somewhere?

    Lvl. 1 Ice Cocoon: Primeval ice builds up (1 charge) every (2 seconds), granting you protection. When the maximum growth (20 charges) is reached, it has a (15% chance) to Freeze attackers for (15 seconds), before shattering and spreading shards coated with ancient magic in a wide radius, causing Ice damage up to the amount it has absorbed since building up. The primeval ice grants the user Freeze immunity and reduces the effects and duration of Ice-related debuffs by 20%.

    Charge: Absorbs 1% of the damage suffered

    Reservation: 20% of your Maximum Health

    ¡°Double jackpot!¡± I triumphantly shouted.

    (A very lively disposition you have despite our dangerous circumstances, musical friend.)

    ¡°I just love life, Mr. Inuus. Passing by that dead guy made me realize many things.¡±

    Freeze immunity! This was why [Ice Cocoon] was of Legendary Quality.

    Freeze was the most pervasive crowd-control skill on this mountain and one of the most common in all of MotherCore Online. Using and resisting crowd-control skills was one of a tank¡¯s main concerns, second only to actual tankiness. Sometimes it was more important. A tank was a moving wall. A tank that couldn¡¯t move to protect the party was useless.

    If I didn¡¯t have [Ice Cocoon], I¡¯d need to dedicate several lines on my equipment to stacking Freeze Resistance to more than a hundred percent because those with Freezing builds, whether DPSers, disablers, or opposing tanks, would prepare means to reduce the Freeze Resistance of their targets. With Freeze immunity, I could use my gear enchants to combat other CCs or just pile more tankiness. [Ice Cocoon] was a skill that¡¯d remain in my slots until the late game. There was a sense of completion having it.

    Would [Ice Cocoon] would save me from the Mountain Guardian? Probably not.

    It didn¡¯t save the dead merchant from whatever coated this tunnel in ice. The Mountain Guardian was so powerful it could pierce immunities from what I¡¯ve heard. Bawu¡¯s cure-all potion was the solution to that.

    As for the main part of [Ice Cocoon], it was a great addition to my tankiness. From its wording, the damage absorption affected everything, including DoTs¡ªdamage over time. In contrast, [Greater Pyro Shell] could only shield against actual hits.

    Lvl. 10 Greater Pyro Shell: Glorious blessings of the ancestors coat you with a formidable barrier of protective flames that boosts your defenses and absorbs (75% of incoming damage) up to the amount of Ancestral Shroud/Energy spent to summon it added by (36% of Armor). When the barrier expires or is depleted, the damage it has absorbed is dealt to nearby enemies.

    Grants: +425 Armor, +20% Armor

    Cost: 30% of Max Ancestral Shroud for Mardukryon; 20% of Max Energy for other Races

    Duration: 25 Seconds

    Cooldown: 5 Seconds

    That said, [Greater Pyro Shell], even if only Epic in Quality, was better protection for incoming hits than [Ice Cocoon] because it could negate a bigger chunk of damage and was consistent. Though it was probably unfair to compare a level ten skill to a level one. But the importance of consistency couldn¡¯t be understated. [Ice Cocoon] needed time to reach its maximum potential, which would then reset after several seconds. Sure, the chance to Freeze enemies at max charges of [Ice Cocoon] was great, but it was up for less than a third of the time. Not consistent at all.

    When it came to tanking, it was usually better to use a weaker but consistent skill rather than a stronger though unreliable one. Once a sharp-thinking enemy realized how [Ice Cocoon] worked, he¡¯d just wait for the shards to explode before letting hell rain on my unprotected ass.

    I was sure [Ice Cocoon] would get way stronger when leveled up, and maybe get more consistent too. Some tweaking with Lesser Skill Points when I returned to the village.

    I excitedly placed [Ice Cocoon] in a spare slot in my equipment. It had no other slots to Link with, not that I had suitable Link Shards to combo with it anyway. I hoped I¡¯d win some of the items I bid for at auction as those were three-slotted. Then my excitement was dashed when I noticed a heinous act. My health bar was reduced by a fifth. And it wasn¡¯t regenerating.

    ¡°Uh-oh, there¡¯s a reservation of twenty percent of my maximum health.¡± In my excitement, I didn¡¯t notice the cost of using [Ice Cocoon]. Should I continue using this?