《Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master》 Chapter One: A Not so Tragic Fate Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter One: A Not so Tragic Fate
¡°May your souls rot forever as you serve in Heaven!¡± the powerful raid boss, Agamemnon, shouted as he finally collapsed under the assault of the hundred or so elite players. Six years! It had taken Theo six years to reach this point... to stand atop the heads of millions and arrive at the peak of the virtual reality MMORPG, Dream World Online! Even though he¡¯d started later than the diehard players, even though he had to struggle and sweat and bleed to achieve all that he had, Theo had finally made it! Ding! Guild Mutiny initiated! Waiting for vote! 7%... 22%... 51%... 92%... Guild Mutiny confirmed! Shame upon you, Guild Leader, for you have forsaken the trust of your comrades! Theo turned his head at the sudden announcement, his eyes falling immediately upon his most trusted Vice-Guild Leader, Adrian. ¡°What are you-¡± His words were cut short by the shield that slammed into his chest. You have received [Shield Bash]... Damage¡­ Stunned¡­ You have received [Shredding Shot]... You have received [Flame Lash]... The announcements flooded Theo¡¯s ears as his HP bar rapidly declined. Stunned, Armor Rend, Burning¡­ the words all melded together as the various status effects stacked on him. But who was Theo anyway? He was the War God! The player with skills to rival the heavens! His glaive flashed with a brilliant, macabre light as it met the nearby thief Twelve Strikes, one of his allies and leader of his guild¡¯s DPS wing. [War God¡¯s Wrath] Twelve Strikes¡¯s eyes went wide as his honed reflexes kicked into full gear, trying to dodge the incoming blow. It was a deft movement, but his efforts were all in vain. As if walking right into the path of the attack, it landed precisely where he had attempted to evade! A massive damage number flashed above his head. [War God¡¯s Judgement] Theo followed up the attack with a ghostly movement, his body shrouded by the sheer speed and force of his swing. Another massive damage number floated up as the follow-up strike connected. Combo x2! Critical hit! Bleeding! The various status effects began whirling about and Twelve Strikes¡¯s character exploded into bits of tiny red particles. ¡°The real boss is here boys! Don¡¯t let up!¡± Adrian shouted, his eyes glossed over with greed and adrenaline. ¡°You fucking bastards!¡± Theo shouted, his lungs burning with rage and exhaustion. His HP was only at a measly 22% when he finished battling against the God-Tier Boss, Agamemnon. The second-to-last boss in the entirety of Dream World Online. The fight raged on after that. The weakened Theo, the War God, was like an incarnation of battle, shredding his way through the people he had once called allies. He couldn¡¯t stop for even half a breath to understand why this was happening to him, but his finely-honed battle instincts carried him forward all the same. Good Aligned Player Killed! Alignment: Evil +50¡­ Good Aligned Player Killed! Alignment: Evil +50¡­ Good Aligned Player Killed! Alignment: Evil +50¡­ The numbers started stacking up as he carved his way through the exhausted guild members. Adrian had already retreated to the back as soon as the Mutiny announcement had sounded, and he used the other players like a shield to block Theo¡¯s approach. ¡°I¡¯ll rip you all to shreds!¡± Theo roared. HP below 10% [Rage of the War God] Activated! It all happened in a matter of moments, Theo had split a path through the elite squadron and rapidly approached Adrian¡¯s position. HP fell rapidly. His glaive was only inches away from his throat when¡­ You have received [Death God¡¯s Strike]... entering Unconscious state! Unable to counter! ¡°Elizabeth¡­¡± Theo rasped with his last breath as his character¡¯s body hit the ground with a thud. [Death God¡¯s Strike] was a skill that could only be used by a player with the Death God Archetype. It was an attack that instantly killed any enemy below 5% HP, and was worthy of a skill with the word God attached to it! However, the only player in the game with the Death God Archetype was his partner and lover¡­ Death God Elizabeth! Your Spouse has slain you! Relationship points -100%... Nullifying partner bonuses. Max HP reduced¡­ Damage reduced¡­ Resistance reduced... Equipment: Red Rings of Fate automatically unequipped. Theo¡¯s eyes dulled as the battle rage finally cleared from his mind, as if a bucket of ice-cold water had been suddenly dumped over his head. ¡°Hmph¡­ he really lived up to his name¡­¡± a smooth, sultry voice sounded from above Theo¡¯s unconscious body. Rather than immediately dying, it was an attribute of players with a God-tier archetype to enter an unconscious state when their HP was reduced to 0%. Since they were supposed to be Gods, after all. This allowed them to automatically resurrect after five minutes had passed, but it could only be used once per day. Theo never thought he would live to see a day where he would regret having this ability so much!This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. Adrian wrapped an arm around the waist of a tall, slender woman garbed in black. She had already sheathed the malevolently glowing daggers that she had used to strike Theo in the back. The man¡¯s shiny white armor glittered under the pale sunlight as if Prince Charming had just triumphed against a terrifying dragon! ¡°Pff¡­ it wasn¡¯t anything much to bring down this big blowhard,¡± the man cooed softly into the woman¡¯s ear. The amount of intimacy between the two wasn¡¯t even remotely hidden, as she allowed the White Knight to embrace her fully. Theo¡¯s body was still as the grave, but his heart was shaking with an unimaginable fury! Betrayed! A classic, soap-opera worthy betrayal! The woman, Elizabeth, pouted softly like a shy maiden, completely flying in the face of the carnage and dismembered bodies all around her. ¡°Did you bring the item?¡± she asked. Adrian smirked, his face glowing with a stomach-turning pride as he removed a dull-black crystal from his inventory. Theo¡¯s eyes would have gone wide if they weren¡¯t already shut. [Godslayer¡¯s Inheritance] It was an incredibly rare item that had to be farmed tirelessly from a special hidden boss that only spawned in a terrifying dungeon! It was the only item in the game that could strip a player of a their character Archetype! The item was put in by the developers after a backlash against the overpowered God-tier Archetypes. Since there could only be one of each God in the game, this would remove the Archetype from the current God and reinstate the Legacy quest that allowed one to receive its powers. Of course, you had to slay the God player in order to use it in the first place. It was a high-tier PVP item and its drop rate was less than 1/1000! This betrayal had clearly been a long-term plan! ¡°That fuck! That¡­ that¡­¡± Theo couldn¡¯t force himself to curse the name of the woman he had been so intimate with for the past year. Although they¡¯d started out as rivals, the memories of their time together were still fresh in his mind. It felt as though his heart was being torn out slowly with a thousand cuts! Even though he couldn¡¯t speak while in the Unconscious state, Theo could still use the local text chat function. All he could manage to type out was a single word. Theo: Why? Adrian couldn¡¯t help but laugh as he saw the message. ¡°You bastard! You really think you can go around acting like some sort of high-and-mighty world savior and nobody would have anything to say about it!?¡± The words from the man who had once been like a brother to him stung, but Theo could barely feel it over the pain from his lover¡¯s betrayal. ¡°I admit that you¡¯re better at this damn game than I am,¡± Adrian began again, ¡°but so what? You¡¯re so focused on playing that you neglect everything else! Your friends! Your guild!¡± He planted a tender kiss on the lips of the woman in his arm. ¡°Your girl.¡± Elizabeth wriggled cutely in the man¡¯s embrace, and it made Theo¡¯s mind reel backward. He felt like vomiting! Theo: All of that. I did it for everyone. As if he couldn¡¯t believe it himself he added. Theo: Didn¡¯t I? Adrian burst out lauging, as if barely able to contain the sickening feelings in his stomach. ¡°For us!?¡± after another round of laughing, he finally calmed down, ¡°maybe you did, ex-guild leader, but it doesn¡¯t matter. You¡¯re not a leader anymore. You¡¯re not a God anymore. You¡¯re not even a man anymore!¡± He spat on Theo¡¯s corpse. ¡°Though I do have to thank you,¡± he said soberly, ¡°just one more quest and I can be the God you never could. I honestly would have never reached this point without you!¡± A shadow of guilt flashed across Elizabeth¡¯s eyes before she quickly wiped it from her face. ¡°Just die quietly, Rick,¡± she whispered. You have been removed from Guild: Alabaster Alliance. You have been blacklisted by White Knight Adrian. You have been blacklisted by Death God Elizabeth. Blacklisted. They wouldn¡¯t see anything he typed from this point on. The rest of the guild quickly piled on his body and bashed it out of its protected Unconscious state. When he was nothing more than a corpse on the cold ground, Adrian used the [Godslayer¡¯s Inheritance] and stripped him of his Archetype. As a penalty for death, he would no doubt drop down at least 2-3 levels, not mention losing all of his most powerful skills. Without a guild, he would have to grind for weeks just to make up a single bit of experience. The whole world he had built inside the game suddenly came crashing down around him. Everything he had worked so hard for¡­ gone in an instant. The guild he had painstakingly raised after three years. The friends he had made. The challenges he had overcome. Even the enemies that plagued him over his six years of game time had seemed like fond memories now. Rick Nelson was a tired, broken man when he left his house that evening. Although it was already 10pm, he somehow managed to drink everything that was left in his refrigerator. A couple of beers and a mostly-drained bottle of wine. After that, he successfully stumbled his way to a nearby bar and crawled into the deepest stupor he could afford. After years of selling items that he collected in Dream World Online, he had made quite a bit of money. It wasn¡¯t like when he first started off, still living in a studio apartment and struggling to get by. The virtual to real currency transactions had made him a rich man, as Dream World Online ramped up in popularity it quickly approached a 1:1 exchange ratio between in-game gold and the US dollar! Rare items dropped from normally impossible to defeat bosses sold for thousands! There were always rich, lazy players who wanted a leg-up on the competition, after all. How could the one and only War God not possibly make a fortune? But now it all seemed to turn into dirt. Even the drinks tasted bad. ¡°Hey, pal, I think it¡¯s time you wrapped it up. Need me to call a cab?¡± the bartender was a cute young woman with a short-stature but a large chest. She was used to dealing with drunks, and knew almost immediately that this was a man who had suffered a tough day, probably a break up. It wasn¡¯t her first rodeo, after all. She certainly couldn¡¯t let someone that drunk drive home. ¡°I live ¡®round the corner¡­¡± Rick blurted out after spending a good ten seconds fishing for the right words, ¡°I can walk¡­¡± After downing a cold ice-water, Rick stumbled out of the bar in the most upright position he could manage. The cold air helped to sober him up a bit. All he wanted to do was forget this day. He wanted to pass out on his bed and go drinking again in the morning. Maybe he would log back into the VRMMO world that had consumed his life for the past six years, but somehow he doubted it. Thoughts of returning to school and finishing his degree flashed in his head, interspersed with various now-sour memories of his time in the game. ¡°Elizabeth¡­ was I really that bad?¡± The words escaped his lips in a hushed tone, his ears suddenly ringing from all directions. It sounded like a horn blowing in the distance. He slowly turned his head, and his eyes were suddenly flooded with a bright light. SCREEEE! There was an instant, awful, thud and all of the wind was knocked out of Rick¡¯s body. He hit the pavement before he even understood what had happened to him. Everything went dark. Bree! Bree! Bree! A tired hand slapped the screeching alarm clock by Rick¡¯s bedside. Was it all a dream? Rick¡¯s mind was suddenly clear and sober, flooded with memories of the previous day¡¯s events. Had he simply imagined getting hit by a car after drinking all night? Why didn¡¯t he feel like he had a hangover? His body was well-trained after years of serious effort, but that couldn¡¯t have possibly made up for the amount he indulged in! As a reflex, he leapt out of bed and went right for his PC. It was at that moment that he noticed something terribly wrong about his current scenario. This place¡­ it was his old apartment! Just as Rick thought he might have wandered back to wrong home like a confused cat, he realized that this room had all of his old stuff in it! A coincidence? He remembered all of this scattered junk as clearly as if he still owned it. The last night? Talk about six years! He couldn¡¯t have dreamed it all up, could he? Impossible! All of this was too impossible! He checked the time and date on his PC, where the long-since obsolete operating system greeted him with a nostalgic chime. His mind was running in overdrive. Six years, six months, six days! That was it! He had gone back in time! Chapter Two: Giving Up is Hard to Do Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter 2: Giving Up is Hard to Do.
Chet¡­ Rick bit his lip. This was some seriously spooky shit... The fact that all of this had now happened made so many previously silly ideas seem suddenly plausible. It was like when you never thought you could hurt yourself by smoking, and then someone close to you died because of it... It was a new kind of awareness. After sitting and staring at the PC screen for nearly an hour, Rick finally had to stop himself and accept that all of this was actually real. No matter how much he wracked his brain for an answer, there just wasn¡¯t any information to go on. It would be something to keep an eye on in the future, but at the moment, sudden-death time-travel syndrome was the only explanation he had. Everything was just too¡­ real. Even the food in the fridge was still good¡­ GRRRR Rick¡¯s stomach grumbled. Breakfast would have to come before his existential crisis. After getting used to living in a much nicer place, it was a little uncomfortable navigating the the tiny counter space he had to call a kitchen in his shabby studio apartment. It was enough to make himself some eggs, at least, and Rick spent his breakfast going over various articles on the internet to refresh his memory of current events. ¡°It¡¯s a little different than I remember,¡± he mumbled to himself over a cup of coffee. Although his memory wasn¡¯t perfect or anything, he wasn¡¯t forgetful either. It seemed as if there were slight differences between this timeline and his previous one. Most of the events were the same, but the timing was all slightly off. This showed up properly on his pay stub from work. He worked regular hours at a mini-mart during the night shift, so he received pretty much the same amount every couple of weeks. The number had long since been burned into his head, but when he looked it over in this timeline, the amount he earned was slightly more. It was only a difference of twenty or so dollars, but that was consistent across all of his check deposits. Rick didn¡¯t have any way of knowing what had caused these differences, but he hypothesized that whatever sent him back in time had inflicted minor damage to the original sequence of events. It was like adding a drop of water to an already filled bucket. No matter how small the drop was, it was bound to make some ripples. If science fiction books had taught him anything, it was that this would definitely cause serious changes later on. Not to mention his own ability to fuss with the course of time, even if he did everything identically to last time, he still might be looking at a totally different world six years down the road. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I¡¯ve ever watched the lottery before, so there¡¯s no way to abuse that. And playing around with the stock market... I have no clue how that even works¡­ I¡¯m not good at anything but games...¡± Rick let out a sigh as he ruled out one ¡°time-traveler¡¯s money stealing strategy¡± after another. The only thing he would retain any real advantage over was the game, Dream World Online, and of course he had already thought of that. If he could make a fortune stumbling his way through it last time, what was there to say about the him who had a head start and years of advanced knowledge? If his last attempt was a grueling journey through the desert, would this time be considered a pleasant hike in the mountains? ¡°But so what?¡± Rick had already conquered the game world once, and look at how that had turned out for him! Rick had been trying hard not to think about it all this time, but as the memories of his friends turning on him surfaced, his body started shaking almost uncontrollably. Too much time playing? Too much attention on the game? Even if he now had the chance to go back and mend his ways, he wouldn¡¯t do it! The crazed gamer, Rick Nelson, was who he was at heart! If those bastards had turned on him because of something like that, it would only happen again and again no matter how often he went back in time! The dark truth of this world had reared its ugly backside and left a steaming pile all over his heart! Even without his help in the past life, Adrian and Elizabeth were still top-level players with nearly unrivaled skill. They would certainly be in the game again and crawl their way back up to the top! The whole guild, Alabaster Alliance, was always Adrian¡¯s idea anyway! Rick had just been a figurehead¡­ a puppet king¡­ It might have seemed petty, and even Rick had that thought in his head. He could just as easily let this grudge go, but another mentality quickly crushed that idea. What purpose was there in going back in time aside from doing exactly what you wanted to do!? Getting rich, helping the world, changing the course of fate¡­ these were all fine as long as you had the drive to get them done. But¡­ It would all ring hollow if the person in question didn¡¯t have the proper desire, and right now the only thing Rick wanted was¡­ ¡°Revenge!¡± Rick cracked a hollow smile, ¡°I¡¯ll use this opportunity to get my revenge!¡± From this point on, the only thing Rick Nelson would live for is seeing those bastards rolling on the ground at his feet! In six years time, he would tear down everything they¡¯d work to build up and watch them beg for mercy! Like the crazed gamer he was, Rick immediately started formulating his plan. Right now, all he needed was an internet connection to get started! Dream World Online might have been the first virtual reality MMORPG, achieving the terrifying accomplishment of crafting an entire autonomous virtual world, but that didn¡¯t mean it was the first virtual reality game on the market. The Lucid Lock technology had been around for plenty of time already, allowing anyone to turn a restful night¡¯s sleep into a fantastical adventure or harrowing drama! It only made sense that the game developers would have to work around the available technology, they weren¡¯t hardware engineers after all! The company that created the game was originally South Korean, if Rick remembered correctly, but the amount of money required for such an undertaking was beyond difficult to obtain. Investors from all over the world were involved in the creation of Dream World Online, and that meant the game had to be ready for international release on the day it launched. Although the game itself had a steep price point and a modest subscription fee, it was still ultimately affordable by the average consumer. Those running the show would end up making most of their money on the future currency and item trading fees, taking 2% of every transaction made. That was 2% of trillions of dollars changing hands every month! The profits were so staggering that if only one company had received that much, it might have caused the population to turn on them. Luckily, the investors were professionals who knew how to manage that much money with the help of the various world governments.If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. It really was too much for a game-obsessed guy like Rick to wrap his head around. All he needed to worry about was playing the game and enacting his diabolical plans in the realm of Dream World Online. Thankfully he didn¡¯t need to do something silly like stand in line all day to get the game. Rick could just download the necessary data right to his Lucid Lock helmet in the online shop. He could even get the pre-order bonus that he had originally missed out on, though it was only a bunch of cosmetic options that unlocked some additional character customizations and a worthless title for bragging rights. Rick worked at night, but that didn¡¯t mean he wasted his morning. Well, if you considered playing video games as anything other than a waste. The Lucid Lock was as good for your body as a real night¡¯s sleep, but it would lead to mental exhaustion if you were constantly using it. Not everybody could take the stress of living another life in their sleep 24/7. This was already a well known problem with the technology, and sleep experts suggested at least two hours of traditional rest before switching over to the Lucid Lock. This number had a tendancy to change radically over time, though... Since he usually got home around 6 in the morning, Rick would sleep two hours, and then get some food and coffee before logging into the Lucid Lock at 9. At first he would usually play games for only six hours or so before stopping, but that number began to rise rapidly as he got more involved in Dream World Online. Eventually, he would be able to leave the mini-mart and turn Dream World Online into his full time job, only stopping to take care of essentials and gather news from the forums. In a year¡¯s time, after Dream World Online began to suck in more and more of the world¡¯s population, the creators of the Lucid Lock would release a new model which would fix the mental exhaustion problem. After that, Rick would become so absorbed in the game that he ignored everything else. A year of this would pass, and his health would rapidly decline. He got sick and weak. He even had to spend a great deal of time in between the hospital and the rehab clinic in order to recuperate. Although it affected his gaming time and really set him back, after that, he began a strict training regimen to keep himself healthy while he played. It was a huge part of his eventual success. ¡°Might as well start early¡­¡± Rick cringed at the thought, adding the diet and exercise requirements to his mental planner. His mind might have traveled back in time, but his body was still the same out-of-shape skinny guy that he had been six years ago. Right now, it was a battle of the bank accounts. Rick was never stingy with his money when it came to games, and as a college drop-out, he didn¡¯t really have a high-paying job. His savings were enough to get him through a month if he quit his job, and after checking the net, he found out that Dream World Online would release in a week¡¯s time. It was a little bit earlier than when it released in his past life, but that was ultimately a good thing for Rick. The currency exchange wouldn¡¯t be available until one surpassed level 10 and completed their class-change quest. True to Korean game design, the grind in Dream World Online was brutal. Not only did leveling require an absurdly high amount of experience even at lower levels, but the penalties for death were absolutely devastating. The algorithm had to do with the player¡¯s level, but it would usually cause a drop in level for every hundred levels the player had. A level 100 player would drop at least one level, while a level 200 player would drop 2 and so on. It required more and more experience for each level, so at 300, losing 3 levels was like losing a chunk of your own soul! He had been level 319 in his past life, just one away from the current level cap when he died. His agony was really understandable. The maximum level would only be 200 at launch, but new content releases had steadily driven it up, eventually introducing the God Archetypes and the Story Quest to slay the God of Slaughter Achilles. ¡°I should be able to reach level 10 in a week, but the exchange won¡¯t kick off until the rest of the players catch up¡­ that should give me enough time to reach level 13 or so¡­ but...¡± Without knowing how the experience system in Dream World Online functioned, leveling would be slower than intended for a few days. Rick, on the other hand, knew almost everything about the game! If Rick had intended on following his old path, he could easily leave the rest of the players in the dust! Two weeks was more than enough to sure up his bank account with the secrets he knew. ¡°This time, I have to go it alone¡­¡± There was no way Rick was going to follow in his past-self¡¯s footsteps and fall into the trap of being a puppet leader again! A lot of the later quests in the game would require a huge power investment from massive groups of players called Guilds. Without a Guild at your back, it would be nearly impossibleto accomplish any of the more difficult trials. Pretty much nobody was exempt from this rule, not even the God-tier players. Theoretically, it was possible to get a God Archetype without the help of a Guild, but the player in question would be quickly hunted down and stripped of their power if they didn¡¯t have a big support network. The problem was, Rick simply wasn¡¯t suited to be in a Guild anymore. Forget about trying to make new friends, he didn¡¯t even know how he had managed it the first time! Then there was the risk of another betrayal... ¡°People are the problem¡­ but there are only two classes in the game that can play solo¡­¡± Rick had already solved this issue in his mind, but his heart was a little unwilling to accept it. The Necromancer was a mage-type class that could summon huge numbers of undead, making them capable of soloing content that was originally reserved for groups. That is, if they were skilled enough. However, the Necromancer had one great flaw. It was terrible in PvP! Though they were the undisputed champions of PvE, a Necromancer would be torn to shreds by skilled players. Most undead were dumb and could only take simple orders. Only the more advanced undead had a sophisticated AI, like the Vampires and Death Knights, but they were limited in number. What¡¯s more, all of the undead had a severe weakness to Holy Magic! A group of Priests and Knights could easily tear a single Necromancer¡¯s horde to pieces. ¡°That bastard Adrien even had the White Knight Archetype¡­¡± White Knight was a Hero-tier Archetype, one step below the God-tier archetypes, that specialized in holy magic and defense. Although the power couldn¡¯t match up to his previous War God abilities, if it was against undead type monsters, the White Knight might actually win out. Necromancer was off the table. The only other class that might be able to do it was¡­ that one. Slave Master¡­ the cursed class. A hidden class that could only be obtained by those who followed a special chain of quests in the game, it was a class that fell somewhere between the Beastmaster and the Necromancer. While the Beastmaster had a single, powerful pet that they could fight with, and the Necromancer could raise large hordes of undead, the Slave Master could make NPCs into their followers. Unfortunately, most people didn¡¯t have the stomach for this class, and even after the quest to obtain it was revealed publicly, few people wanted to partake in it. Only sleazy types and those sick in the head would pick that class... that was what the general player-base thought. It got so bad that people started hunting down Slave Masters on sight, and they all stopped playing or went into hiding. The game developers eventually removed their class quest from the game entirely and even apologized for adding it. If the class was powerful, it might have stemmed the backlash, but the player could only control NPCs that were lower level than them, and the process of getting one as a follower was incredibly tiresome. Not to mention, you had to take care of all of their needs. Unlike an animal which only ate the occasional bit of food, or an undead that only needed magic to move, NPCs in Dream World Online were incredibly sophisticated and lifelike. They would quickly die if you didn¡¯t take care of them, and once they did you would have to pay a steep price to resurrect them! Even after all that, their combat power usually wasn¡¯t anything special compared to players, and they would each take a share of your experience points. NPCs had classes and levels too, after all! Of course only a weirdo would pick a miserable class like that! It really was a cursed class¡­ but it was also the only class that could theoretically ignore the limits of being a solo player and still achieve Rick¡¯s goal of revenge! Theoretically was the keyword. Nobody had ever raised a high-level Slave Master before, and most of them quit playing before they ever reached level 40! If he messed this up¡­ well he could always reset and try something else, if he wasn''t evicted before then. Rick brushed his teeth and washed his face. After that, he would give his week¡¯s notice at work. He¡¯d already died once, so his thinking was, why not risk everything? Maybe he would just reset again if he starved to death on the street? Chapter Three: A Time for Adjustments Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter 3: A Time for Adjustments
The manager of the mini-mart was none too pleased about losing their night-shift warrior, Rick, but they would have no choice but to suck it up and face facts. This was the kind of job where the employees would cycle in and out, always trying to work their way up the ladder. It was a lot like a low-level quest, when Rick thought about it in terms of the game. However, this wasn¡¯t the same 19-year-old Rick that had just entered the workforce. Even if he hadn¡¯t been any good at it, this was still the leader of the guild that had shocked the virtual world and conquered impossible odds. He¡¯d slain gods and charmed beautiful maidens and seen thousands yield their swords to him! A mere sub-boss like the mini-mart manager wouldn¡¯t be enough to scare him even if there were a million of him! Well, a million might be a bit of an exaggeration... The truth still stood, the current Rick was far more composed than his old self had been. The NPCs in Dream World Online couldn¡¯t be underestimated, and it was difficult to tell them apart from real humans at times. There was no way to progress through the game if you didn¡¯t learn how to interact with people properly. How else could Rick have managed to acquire the quest to become the War God in the first place? His other nickname in the game was the Lucky Bastard! His ability to coax quests out of even the most jaded NPCs was second to none! ¡°Baby Rick is growing up and is leaving us?¡± the coy voice of a young woman sounded from the freezer section. This was Mary Ann. Although she was technically several years older than Rick, he didn¡¯t quite enjoy being called a ¡°baby¡± by someone he now considered his junior. The woman was tall and thin with a pleasant face and a nice, ¡°girl-next-door¡± kind of charm. Her shoulder-length brown hair was tied back with a green bandanna and she had big amber eyes. She reminded him of a character from an old game he used to have a crush on. Rick couldn¡¯t deny that he had an unrequited attraction to Mary Ann at one time, but that was all a distant memory now. ¡°I¡¯m going to make a living playing Dream World Online,¡± Rick said without an ounce of humor. Although Mary Ann looked as if she wanted to laugh, it seemed her confusion kept her from doing so. ¡°The new MMO that¡¯s releasing in a week? How do you make a living with that?¡± she asked. Mary Ann was a modern woman that had grown up playing her fair share of video games, there was no way she wouldn¡¯t have at least heard of the upcoming Dream World Online. Even if she¡¯d never held a game controller in her life, the amount spent on the marketing campaign for the game alone measured in the hundred of millions! The store manager had heard of it too. ¡°You¡¯re abandoning us for a video game? I haven¡¯t heard anything so rich since I told my parents I was a big-time manager!¡± The manager wasn¡¯t an old man, and was still in his early thirties. He was a bit rough around the edges, but was a good guy at heart and a fair manager that didn¡¯t play favorites. Calling himself ¡°big-time¡± was definitely a stretch, though. ¡°You can trade the in-game gold for real cash, and sell items online too,¡± Rick explained calmly, moving a box of pork flavored crackers over to the nearest shelf. Various arguments silently flitted across the pairs¡¯ faces, but nothing was said. They could both hear the resolve in Rick¡¯s tone. He might have sounded crazy to them, but there wasn¡¯t any doubt in that expression. In the end, the tension faded and another night passed by uneventfully. The night shift was rarely busy, but somebody had to do it. ¡°Whelp, that¡¯s that! Everything¡¯s locked up!¡± Mary Ann wiped her slightly dusty hands on her pants and looked up at Rick, who was standing impatiently off to the side. The store closed around 4 in the morning, but there was usually enough cleaning up to do that the employees got out around 5. The old man who opened would be showing up at 7. Outside the sky was still dark and it had clearly cooled off over the long evening. A few hooded figures seemed to prowl the streets, gathering and snickering in alleyways with hushed voices. A few feet away, the high-energy early birds, in their neon tank tops and shiny white sneakers, were going for a morning run. This was city life. ¡°So you¡¯re really gonna go become a MLG pro gamer, kid?¡± Mary Ann asked suddenly. Rick could tell that the question had probably been on the woman¡¯s mind all night. ¡°Yup. The best in the world,¡± he said confidently. Mary Ann, who was once again flabbergasted and left with nothing to counter, simply nodded her head and added, ¡°Well don¡¯t go getting so famous you forget about us.¡± Rick smiled, feeling a hint of something pulling at his chest. He knew she was just being polite, but it was his first genuine encouragement in this new life. It felt nice. ¡°I¡¯ll give you my number,¡± he said. Mary Ann seemed shocked for a moment before a chuckle escaped her lips. Her smile was bright enough to light up the sleepy street. ¡°Woah there, cowboy, I don¡¯t date guys younger than me,¡± she countered. Rick just chuckled and pulled out his phone. ¡°Just to keep in touch.¡± It didn¡¯t take much convincing to get Mary Ann¡¯s number, since she was pretty social by nature and knew Rick wasn¡¯t a shady type. The two parted ways in their own good moods and Rick began his long walk home. Around this time he would have bought himself a bicycle to make the commute easier on himself, but that expenditure had been one of the reasons why he had been late to join in on Dream World Online in the first place! Not to mention the price for repair supplies, a helmet, and the bike itself, the lock alone cost him over forty dollars¡­ it was too much! Besides, a good jog in the morning would be an important step in building up his pitiful stamina. Along the way, Rick stopped at one of the 24-hour gyms that happened to be on his path home, his eyes shining with a reluctant conviction. Even in his first life, he had always intended to get a membership here and get in shape, but that hadn¡¯t exactly gone as planned. With his tiny apartment the way it was now, how could he have the proper space to exercise?Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°This is a necessary expenditure,¡± Rick told himself. As it turned out, they were having a special deal, though Rick couldn¡¯t remember a time when that banner wasn¡¯t in the window. The paperwork was quickly sorted and the regular cost to join was waived. After that it was only 40 dollars a month. It had been a wonder that he had never come to a place like this before. The young people really might have been getting lazier these days! Of course, Rick didn¡¯t do any strenuous labor this time around. He simply familiarized himself with the locations of everything in the gym and did a few minutes of calisthenics on the stretching mats. Rick hadn¡¯t thought to bring any gym clothes, and his work uniform wasn¡¯t something he felt like sweating in. A trip to the laundromat wasn¡¯t expensive, but every penny would count from now on! The next few days, Rick would spend his time playing on the Lucid Lock in his off time. He was playing the game Black Hearts, a combat focused game renowned for it¡¯s inventive level design and challenging boss monsters. Although it wasn¡¯t one for one, the combat in this game and Dream World Online were definitely similar. Rick hadn¡¯t spent much time on this game in the past, thinking it was too tough, but now it served as his only real way to pass time. Of course, the experience between then and now was like heaven and earth. ¡°The Hearts I had gathered! You have stolen them away, fated warrior! The world is¡­ now¡­ in... your hands!¡± The final boss, King Remnan, fell under Rick¡¯s sword. It had only taken him half a day to hack his way through the hordes of darkness and destroy all of the bosses. Compared to some of the later foes in Dream World Online, these could hardly be considered a threat. Even the final boss only amounted to a level 60 or so elite enemy. ¡°Maybe my gear is too strong?¡± Rick mused. It had taken him a bit of time to get used to his new body, which while in far worse shape, was actually not that different. Although his years of hellishly-trained muscle memory hadn¡¯t carried over in the exchange through time, his instincts and judgement were still as sharp as they had been when he died. Rick estimated that he was functioning at about 25% of his prime condition right now, and most of that was because this younger body had fairly sharp reflexes. There was certainly something to the notion that gamers reached their prime between the ages of 17 and 22. Like this, he could conceivably surpass even his old self... At the moment, that point was a long way off. Lucid Lock games were controlled by the player¡¯s mind, and what mattered most was their ability to manipulate the game character with mental controls. Although having knowledge of martial arts or something like that could help improve your judgement and timing in combat, it wouldn¡¯t do anything for your control ability. It was like trying to translate one¡¯s abilities behind the wheel of a car into a fighting game. Those were entirely different sets of skills, after all! Dream World Online had a system where each command registered in the system would be logged with a slight delay before the game character executed it. Every step, slash, dodge, and breath would all be remembered. If you hesitated while entering commands, the character would hesitate in the proper order. It could ruin an attempt at a combo strike, or leave an opening that an enemy could exploit. At the same time, you couldn¡¯t rely on twitch reflexes to get you through the fights. Having fast reaction time was important, of course, but you would never be able to move as quickly as the data was transferred by the system. So why was Rick adamant about training his body? Aside from avoiding the health impact of lying still for so long every day, it was said that a healthy mind inhabited a healthy body! Proper nutrition and exercise would assure that his mind could operate at its maximum efficiency for the longest possible time. It was the difference between an expert player and a pro player. If he wanted to be the best, every slight advantage would matter. It was only 4 in the afternoon at the moment, and Rick still had several hours left before his next shift. ¡°I¡¯ll try to run through the NewGame+ with only the starter equipment!¡± Filled with determination, Rick began his next run through Black Hearts. ¡°You fall in love or something, or is there another reason why you¡¯re making out with that bar of chocolate?¡± Mary Ann asked that evening, leaning on the counter with a smile on her pretty face. Rick wiped his mouth as he finished up the bar of dark chocolate. He had missed this bittersweet taste. ¡°It¡¯s good for fighting mental exhaustion,¡± he said, and then followed up when he thought he was being a bit too vague, ¡°games can wear out your brain.¡± Mary Ann¡¯s lips formed an intrigued little ¡®o¡¯ shape as she stood up. It was a discovery that would only come about some time later, and would subsequently lead to a huge explosion in chocolate sales in the future. There was even a brand of chocolate bar sponsored by Dream World Online¡¯s competitive league! ¡°Is that an insider tip?¡± she asked coyly. Rick smiled and threw away the candy wrapper. ¡°Invest in chocolate,¡± he said proudly, ¡°it¡¯ll be worth more than gold!¡± After work, Rick took a plastic bag filled with spare clothes and jogged to the gym. It was a good warm-up, and after stretching, he got right into his routine. This was all information he had gained after his stint in rehab following his hospitalization. It was pretty gentle compared to what most people did, but it was excellent for someone in his current miserable condition. It was in this way that Rick passed the remaining time up to Dream World Online¡¯s launch. Jogging back and forth to work, hitting up the gym and training his body. He swapped out all of the food in his fridge for his new diet, and spent all his remaining time honing his skills in the Lucid Lock. NewGame+9 with beginner equipment and no levels! ¡°The Hearts I had gathered! You have stolen them away, fated warrior! The world is¡­ now¡­ in¡­ your hands!¡± Rick, standing around blanking in his ragged leather armor, sheathed his rusty blade and stared at the virtual figure of the fallen king. Shortly after, the ending cutscene would start up. At this level, every battle had taken an absurd amount of time. His puny weapons and stats did only miniscule damage to the enemy¡¯s massively buffed health bars. Meanwhile, even the weakest enemy in the game could one-shot him! Of course, this had the effect of making healing items useless as well. ¡°You have acquired the achievement, [Who¡¯s the Boss Now?]¡± ¡°Huh, I didn¡¯t even know this game had an achievement like this,¡± Rick said with a bit of surprise. He couldn¡¯t even remember how many times he¡¯d died as he slowly adjusted to enemy rhythms. It was a shame that only the core stats increased with each difficulty level, as the patterns and speed of attack always remained the same. With this level of practice, he could probably attempt Black Hearts with a blindfold now! That would probably be a waste of time, though. Rick logged off the Lucid Lock and returned to his tiny apartment. He climbed off the creaky old futon and slowly stretched his body, letting the blood flow to his fingers and toes. ¡°About 29%...¡± he muttered, checking his calendar. His last day of work had already come, and he had given a short but respectful goodbye to his fellow employees at the mini-mart. They saw him off as if they were handing the young man over to a mental institution. Dream World Online was set to launch in another hour, and Rick had long since purchased the game and set up an account on the developer¡¯s network. It had cost him a handsome ten percent of his remaining funds in order to pre-order the game, but that would be chicken feed compared to what he would making in a year¡¯s time. At least... if everything went according to plan. The forums were no doubt buzzing with anticipation as the launch approached, but Rick had mostly ignored them up to now. There wasn¡¯t any valuable information to be gained there, or any information at all really. Dream World Online was notoriously secretive about the process behind its development, and almost never revealed game data before it released! A few heated discussions about what the different classes and races would be like, as well as how the NPCs supposedly had entirely unique personalities and schedules, were the most popular topics. A few lewder commenters even discussed other¡­ unsavory possibilities with the advanced AIs. Rick couldn¡¯t help but chuckle about this. When these unspent fellows discovered the options the game provided for 19+ players, they might just drop dead from blood loss! After having himself a chunky and green-colored protein shake, Rick split off a block of dark chocolate and quickly nibbled his way through it like a starving hamster. Lucid Lock, login! Open Dream World Online! Time to world server launch: 29:37¡­ 29:36¡­ 29:35¡­ The clock was slowly counting down! Dream World Online was a game that only allowed one character per player, but most people had next to no knowledge about the various features the game would offer. Even those who had absolutely no interest in cosmetics would still spend time agonizing over what race and city and to start off with. A single wrong choice could force them to reset their entire character, and cost them a huge lead. Rick, however, had no such compunctions! As soon as the game launched, he would finish character creation in a flash! Time to server launch: 00:37¡­ 00:22¡­ 00:07¡­ 00:00¡­ Rick firmed his resolve one final time as the clock flashed in big, bright numbers. Then, everything went black. Chapter Four: A Speedy Start? Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Four: A Speedy Start?
¡°System Command: Skip Intro!¡± Rick shouted almost immediately. There was a 15 minute video that showed before a player created their character, but a quick system command would allow you to skip it. Of course, this information hadn¡¯t been discovered yet, and would only become public after resetting players complained to the developers. Not that they would want to skip the intro right now. It would tell the basic story of the world the game took place in, Orpheum, and introduce the different starting cities and races. It was vital information to the flock of incoming newbies, but Rick had seen it all before. ¡°Welcome to Character Creation! Dream World Online only allows one character per player, please-¡± ¡°Race: Human!¡± Rick ordered, interrupting the system. It quickly locked in his race as human. A standard pick, and what he chose last time he made his character. This time around, he had a very clear reason why he chose it. After fiddling with the controls for a moment, Rick settled for a character with an average height and slim build. A smaller body would make it easier to avoid attacks in combat, but too small and he would be vulnerable to certain size and weight-related effects. After fiddling with the options for less than a minute, his character¡¯s facial appearance ended up pretty close to his own, if a little more mature. It looked a lot like his old 25 year-old self, though it was entirely by coincidence that it ended up that way. Perhaps Rick subconsciously missed this face a bit¡­ It wasn¡¯t that bad looking, if he had to say so himself. ¡°If I¡¯m gonna play a bad guy, the hair color should be black, right?¡± Rick quickly changed the shade of the short, messy locks to a very dark black. It was quite the change compared to his own sandy brown color, but it felt a bit off. After a moment of contemplation, he then made the eyes a bit sharper. This was actually kind of¡­ a handsome evil prince? Was a quick eye change all he needed to produce such an aura? Maybe he should consider plastic surgery in the future... Rick tossed the idea from his head and confirmed his character selection. Character creation in Dream World Online was usually an in-depth procedure which went all the way down to the embroidery on the avatar¡¯s shoes. It could take some players hours upon hours to design. Afterall, there was no way to change it once you had decided. What¡¯s more, Dream World Online didn¡¯t use a traditional equipment system. Most items were purely cosmetic in nature, and all of the early shops only sold drab linen garments for poor villagers. It wasn¡¯t exactly heroic feeling to be dressed like a commoner, so unless they were a roleplayer, most people gave their character some impressive starting garments. Later on, when tailors uncovered rare recipes and the finery shops opened, a whole new world of virtual fashion would spring up! For now, Rick chose a simple adventurer¡¯s outfit with a tunic and breeches, some soft leather boots, and a few various belts for weapons and potions. A waist-length poncho with light stitching around the hem served as his cloak, and even had an option for a hood. It was basically no different from what the avatar had started out wearing, though he hastily color shifted it all to match his evil prince theme. ¡°Alright, character creation done!¡± he alerted the system. The whole process had taken him less than five minutes. After muscling his way through a few confirmation alerts, Rick¡¯s point of view suddenly shifted to the perspective of the avatar he just created. Rick had heard rumors about people becoming motion sick if their in-game body was too different from their original, but he was basically walking into a copy of himself. ¡°Please select your starting city¡­ The city of -¡± ¡°Oasis!¡± Rick snapped hastily, ¡°Confirm!¡± He was glad the system AI was just a simple baby-sitter program and wouldn¡¯t get angry with his curt behavior. The same couldn¡¯t be said for other NPCs. ¡°Please enter a character name.¡± Oh damn, he¡¯d actually forgotten. ¡°Theo is and will forever be my character¡¯s name!¡± he quickly entered the four letters and hit the confirm button. Players all had a unique sequence of code associated with their account, so there wasn¡¯t any limitation on having the same name. Not that anybody would be finishing before him. His avatar broke into dozens of particles not unlike player death and slowly fluttered away in a breeze that could be neither seen nor felt. ¡°I wish you a grand journey, new adventurer. Please enjoy your time in Dream World Online!¡± It was the last thing Theo heard before he opened his eyes for the first time. He was standing in a plaza built around an unadorned yet massive fountain which paraded its water high into sky, seemingly ad infinitum. All around him, sandstone buildings with domed roofs towered overhead. Ostentatious golden ornaments, symbols of the city¡¯s teeming wealth, glittered atop the various spires and obelisks that painted the skyline. Far from monochrome, colorful banners and baubles were hung with ubiquity, rocking gently in the sun-scorched breeze. The place where Theo appeared was drowning with activity, as merchants and citizens hustled by on the dusty streets. Barkers and hawkers called out to any potential customer at the top of their lungs, with tents and hastily constructed stalls sprouting up in place of grass. It was so busy that Theo¡¯s arrival went totally unnoticed by the passersby. The city of Oasis was, as the name suggested, a huge desert city in Orpheum¡¯s central most continent of Theseus. The population was mostly humans and reptilian beastmen called Scalekin, though the diversity was significant compared to other cities. This was the place to start if you wanted to focus on mercantile skills, as it had the most robust trade in the whole continent and was home to dozens of unique trading goods. The Merchant Prince of Oasis, Milis Al-Brown, was once something of a friend to Theo¡­ though his hard-earned reputation had been completely reset now. Aside from traders, Oasis had another distinctive feature. Big, bloodthirsty mercenaries. The arid and windy desert surrounding Oasis was full of nasty monsters, and so the place was crawling with all varieties of thugs and sellswords. Protect the trader caravans and get paid, use the money on booze and women, rinse and repeat. That was the life of these rough desert warriors. Of course, Theo didn¡¯t come here to take part in mercenary work like that. It paid well, but it certainly wasn¡¯t a good way to gain experience points. The real reason Theo chose this place was for his class quest. Not all of the merchants in Oasis were the above-board type, and that was the key to unlocking the hidden class, Slave Master. That was, after he reached level 9. A player couldn¡¯t pick a class until then, and couldn¡¯t advance to level 10 until they completed the associated quest. The class quests were the first major hurdle for the new players, and it would take them quite a bit of time before they discovered how to complete them. Theo had to use every opportunity to his advantage at this point.This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it. Luckily, Oasis was a pretty unpopular starting city if Theo remembered correctly. Only about 6% of players chose to start in this place. It wasn¡¯t surprising. Oasis was hot and unforgiving, with desert in all directions, and the citizens were all a bit brusque compared to the more picturesque cities. The monsters were also comparatively more difficult to defeat, and 1 out of 5 players would end up resetting after they experienced all of Oasis¡¯s unique ¡®charms.¡¯ The remaining 4 out of 5 were usually just as rough as the NPCs who lived here. ¡°It takes all kinds, I guess¡­¡± Theo mused. First things first, he would need to acquire the basic skills from the tutorial quest. This was an unfortunate baby step that all of the players would have to complete if they wanted to do things like trade, use the respawn system, and equip runes. Rather than traditional gear, Dream World Online used runes to assign attributes to your character. After the tutorial, every player would have three slots for runes. A head, heart, and core rune. These were the three major Rune Points on the bodies of all players and NPCs. After completing their class quest, the player would unlock two additional rune points for the arms and legs. Class Promotion quests occurred at levels 60, 120, and 180, each of which unlocked additional secondary and tertiary rune points throughout the body. Runes could be dropped as loot from monsters, gained by completing quests, and crafted from various ingredients and essences by players who knew the proper skills. Theo didn¡¯t waste any time meeting with the NPC who stood just nearby. She was a tall and beautiful woman with enviable proportions, tanned skin, and pointy ears. An Elf, it seemed, and she was wearing an outfit that belonged to a Greeter of the Adventuring Guild. It was quite frilly, like a cross between a minstrel and a maid, with shiny black shoes and long white stockings. She had a soft aura around her that only players like Theo would be able to see, and she was next to impossible to miss. ¡°Hello, young adventurer¡­¡± she began. The spiel was pretty much the same in every city, with the narrative being standard fantasy fare. Players in this world were called Adventurers, and all of them were associated with the Adventuring Guild¡­ at least at the start. Later on, there were dozens of factions you could choose to align yourself with. The Adventuring Guild in every city naturally wouldn¡¯t let you leave town until you were properly versed in the basics, so they set up a little gauntlet of ¡®go here, meet this person¡¯ style quests. Essentially, it was a tutorial. The NPCs didn¡¯t differentiate between the players and other AI¡¯s, and treated everyone as if they were born and bred residents of Orpheum. They blatantly ignored any oddities that players had, such as logging out and disappearing, checking their inventories, and chatting in private messages with one another. After a bit of questioning, they would say something vague like, ¡°Oh, you seemed busy.¡± If a player tried to force an NPC into a conversation about the game system, they would usually act confused and eventually turn hostile if the person continued pressing the matter. As such, most players chatted ¡®in-character¡¯ with the NPCs, and acted the part of a world-traveling, fortune-seeking citizen of Orpheum. Some players, called roleplayers, would get totally into their character, trying to distance themselves from the players and act more like the NPCs. Those sorts were always tough to deal with¡­ though Theo himself had gotten rather into his War God role in the past. After completing a dozen or more fetch quests and running all over Oasis to meet some key NPCs, Theo finally finished the tutorial quest. Along the way he picked up his first weapon, a [Fine Iron Spear], and a core rune called [Novice Core Rune]. Only weapons could be equipped in the traditional manner of most MMORPGS, and were considered far more precious than runes. Weapons were very rare drops, almost only from specific boss monsters. The quality and type of the weapon would determine its damage output, and some weapons later on even had rune points of their own. A good weapon could make or break you in this game. Of course, everyone who just started would have to make do with a fine iron whatever. They had pretty similar attributes across the board, and some players would still be using the same weapon even after their class change. Theo had already equipped the starting gear and checked their stat values. [Fine Iron Spear] Quality: Beginner; Durability 100/100 Damage: 9~21 [Novice Core Rune] Rune Point: Core; Rank: Beginner Lv.1 HP +50 HP Regen +1 per second Weapons in Dream World Online didn¡¯t have anything like an attack rate, but they did have hidden values that determined the speed with which they struck. It was a complex algorithm based on any number of stats and circumstances. Most players would just learn to ¡®feel¡¯ it out. Durability would drop as the weapon was used, and the weapon couldn¡¯t be used anymore after it reached 0. A blacksmith would be needed in order to repair it. Core runes were all similar in that they focused primarily on giving bonus HP and HP Regeneration. Later on, when the rank rose above Beginner, they would add various attributes like resistance to status effects or special abilities. Chest runes usually increased Defense, like classic armor, and head runes were like core runes but for MP and MP regen. Class limits on runes and weapons were usually rare, and based on the story included for each item. Most classes could use any type of rune or weapon, though the players would eventually settle on different roles to be taken in combat and the ideal equipment for it. After that, when paired with the classes that granted special skills, terms like Healer, Damage Dealer, and Tank would begin to take shape. After Archetypes were added in the first content update, these roles would be shaken up quite a bit, but no matter how much the game company behind Dream World Online tried to topple the holy trinity, players would always find a way to drag it back from Hell. Theo had chosen a spear because he had the most experience with polearm type weapons. They provided a range advantage that was quite beneficial against large monsters, and their damage was firmly set between light one-handed weapons and heavy two-handed weapons. Though the damage was supposed to drop off in close range to balance it out, that was only the case for a beginner. Whatever the range, Theo was confident that he could maintain consistent damage. Laughingly, despite introducing the item and weapon shops, as well as the cores and how to equip them, the game neglected to tell the new players to visit a very important location. Theo figured this was to slow down progress in the early game and instill a sense of wonderment the first time a [Wicked Squirrel] tore your HP bar to shreds and left you dead in the beginner field. The Weapon Master! The Weapon Master of Oasis was a woman named Titania, who wore a battle-scarred suit of bronze-tinted plate mail that hugged her curves and revealed the cleavage of her truly bombastic chest. Scarlet hair cascaded down her shoulders and accentuated the mature charm of her face, with a scar on her brow giving her a fairly distinguished feeling. ¡°Really, these game devs could have toned it back a bit with the fan service,¡± Theo muttered to himself. ¡°Oh-ho!¡± the woman let out a loud sound of acknowledgement when Theo approached, ¡°What¡¯s this, a novice adventurer! How could I tell you were a novice, you ask? Why, the way you hold that spear tells me all I need to know!¡± The valiant-looking woman slapped her armor proudly, as if 100% assured of her own judgement. Of course, if Theo went all out to show off his skills with the spear, it would be anything but amateur, but in the eyes of the system he really was a novice. He didn¡¯t even have the [Beginner Polearm Mastery] skill yet. Yes, it required training to receive the basic weapon skills. Without them, you wouldn¡¯t be able to hit a brick wall in front of your face! This was still a game after all. The Weapon Master in each city would treat the player to one free weapon skill of their choice at the start of the game. This would also determine their basic attack skill. After that, it would cost progressively more and more to acquire the new weapon skills, to the point where learning them all would have cost enough gold to buy a brand new foreign car. Not only that, but the various Weapon Masters throughout the different cities were the only ones who taught the weapon proficiencies for the exotic local weapons. What¡¯s more, even if you had all the gold in the world, you needed a certain amount of reputation in that given city to get the Weapon Master¡¯s training. This was why most players only focused on a single or a couple of weapons. Any more than that would be a waste. Talk about money gouging¡­ every coin that the players spent with NPCs was essentially a coin in the pocket of the developers. How Theo had cried when he discovered that one of the requirements to qualify for the War God Archetype was to have max proficiency with every weapon type in the game! It was truly a daunting goal. ¡°You¡¯re right, Weapon Master Titania, I have just begun my journey,¡± Theo said boredly. He would usually be more involved in the conversation, but unfortunately, Titania was under the throes of the system. While the new players were still arriving, a lot of the NPCs had their AI¡¯s altered to make the process smoother. It wasn¡¯t until later that they would be let loose from the system and returned their freedom. Theo thought it was a sad but necessary outcome. ¡°Well I can¡¯t well send you off to die, young sprout, let this old war-hag teach you a thing or two!¡± said Titania, practically exuding valor. ¡°A hag? Titania, if you¡¯re what¡¯s called a hag, are my mom and sister not even fit to walk the street? Please watch what you say in public!¡± Theo had to stifle the words so that he didn¡¯t speak them out loud. ¡°It would be my honor, Weapon Master!¡± Theo didn¡¯t waste any more time and immediately acquired the [Beginner Polearm Mastery] and the [Lunge] skill. Just as the other players were starting to get their bearings, Theo was ready to truly begin in earnest. Chapter Five: Grinding All Day Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Five: Grinding All Day
SHIK! SHIK! -31 -32 -30 Theo¡¯s spear forcefully pierced the body of the low-level monster. Each attack hit squarely in the same spot, and arrived with an uncanny promptness. There wasn¡¯t a moment of wasted time between the strikes, and if anyone were around to see it, they might have thought they were watching a machine rather than a man. After only a few of these attacks had landed... BuZzBuZz! THWIP! Theo had already taken a step back, escaping the range of the monster¡¯s attack before it collided with the empty air. A successful dodge! The word MISS appeared over Theo¡¯s head. [Lunge] -51 Theo activated his basic Polearm skill and calmly charged into attacking range once more, dealing a fair amount of damage and immediately resuming his mechanical-like assault. The monster in question, [Big Bee] was the standard level 1 monster that could be found around the outskirts of Oasis. Although Theo could have easily dispatched a stronger monster, there was an unfortunate wall standing in his way. His [Beginner Polearm Mastery] wouldn¡¯t function as well against monsters and NPCs that were a higher level, causing a high likelihood of a system-automated MISS even when the blow landed successfully. He would have to wait for his skill proficiency to upgrade before he could forcefully break through this level barrier. These basic enemies were usually more than enough for the average beginner, and were designed to be fought by multiple level 1 players at once. The [Big Bee] in particular could easily demolish a small group of newbies if they didn¡¯t know what they were doing. It¡¯s [Poison Sting] did low damage, but had a high chance of inflicting a Poison status on the target. Once poisoned, a small percentage of their health would deplete every few seconds. Since there was no healing magic to be found, and no money to buy antidotes from alchemists, one could image how frustrating it got. Many monsters had dangerous or debilitating special abilities, but the [Big Bee] still topped the list of sinister baddies. Among the early residents of Oasis, it had garnered a certain nickname: Reset Bug! Tens of thousands would reset their characters in a new city because of this oversized insect! Of course, all of this only applied if the monster was able to land a blow. Dodging in Dream World Online was a complicated affair behind the scenes, but essentially boiled down to correct timing. If you moved too early, the monster would auto-navigate to your player model and the attack would hit. Too late, and you wouldn¡¯t be out of the way in time. Only when you aligned the short invincibility period gained from dodging to the moment when the attack would have hit, would it result in something like the automatic MISS. Early game monsters like the [Big Bee] only attacked once every few seconds, and the wind-up for their attacks was fairly telegraphed by the monster¡¯s movements. In other words, they were easy to dodge for even an average player. Later monsters would attack rapidly, randomly, and with almost no telegraphing. The damage they dished out could be huge, and some attacks dealt damage even when you initiated a perfect dodge! After about half a minute of machine vs insect, the [Big Bee] finally collapsed to the ground and Theo looted the corpse. ¡°Oh! Lucky!¡± he blurted out happily. [Lesser Wind Essence] x1 - An essence of a weak monster aligned to the Wind element. A refreshing breeze seems to waft from this roughly formed gem. [Poison Stinger] x1 - A stinger from a large insect, it can be used to craft weapons with poisonous properties. Essences were the most common drop in Dream World Online, being the primary ingredient of pretty much every recipe in the game. Each monster would usually have a dominant element, such as Wind, Water, Fire, or Earth, and would drop an appropriate tier and number of these items depending on its difficulty level. The [Poison Stinger] was a rare drop from the [Big Bee] and was an ingredient in a few of the early weapon recipes that blacksmith players could learn. While it wouldn¡¯t be anything valuable in the future, they could be traded for a decent amount of money in the early game. Theo had already killed at least twenty of these pests, and this was the first [Poison Stinger] he had obtained so far. Even if the weapons it made weren¡¯t particularly good, the players still needed to craft piles of them in order to increase the proficiency of their skill. Speaking of skill grinding, Theo figured it was about time to check his own progress on that front. He opened his character information tab.
Character Information
Name: Theo (1) HP: 150/150
Race: Human MP: 100/100
Class: Novice Attack: 24~36
Alignment: Good Defense: 0 (0%)
Attributes and Runes
Strength: 5 (+0) Head Rune: Empty
Agility: 5(+0) Heart Rune: Empty
Intelligence: 5(+0) Core Rune: Novice Core Rune
Constitution: 5(+0) Rune Locked Empty
Willpower: 5 (+0) Rune Locked Empty
Charisma: 5(+0) Rune Locked Empty
Luck: 5(+0) Rune Locked Empty
Skill List
Skill Name Level Exp. to Next Lv. Tag
Beginner Conditioning Lv. 1 0%/100%
Beginner Meditation Lv. 1 1%/100%
Beginner Persuasion Lv. 1 7%/100% *
Beginner Polearm Mastery Lv. 1 12%/100% *
Beginner Rune Mastery Lv. 1 7%/100% *
Dodge Lv. 1 5%/100%
Lunge Lv. 1 2%/100%
Perception Lv. 1 0%/100%
Stealth Lv. 1 0%/100%
Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. As a player, Theo could open a semi-opaque window at any time to inspect his character. It would display basic information such as his name, level, class, and alignment, as well as his attributes and various skill proficiencies. The damage of Theo¡¯s attacks would fall somewhere between the values presented next to his Attack score, depending on what part of the weapon hit the enemy. For instance, piercing with the tip of his spear would do more damage than bludgeoning with the haft. His HP (Health Points) was a representation of how much damage he could sustain before death, with each attack he received reducing it by a certain amount. The Defense attribute would decrease this damage by a set percentage depending on how high it was. MP (Mana Points) was a resource required to activate certain skills, like [Lunge], as well as magical spells. MP was a universal attribute that all characters had, regardless of their class. HP and MP would slowly recover in combat depending on the runes you had equipped. This regeneration rate would increase rapidly outside of combat, and even more so if the player was sitting or lying down. Strength, Agility, and Intelligence were offensive attributes usually tied to damage output. Strength and Agility would increase melee and ranged weapon damage respectively, while both would increase your attack speed, movement speed, and the chance to get a Critical Hit for extra damage. Intelligence served that role for magic damage, spell casting speed, and magic critical hit chance. Constitution and Willpower were defensive attributes that would increase HP and MP respectively. Constitution would also provide resistance to physical status effects like Stun and Poison, while Willpower would grant resistance to things such as Confusion and Charm. Charisma affected most classes differently. Like in the case of the Necromancer, it would determine how many undead they could command at one time. It would also increase the character¡¯s general likeability when meeting new NPCs. Luck affected almost everything in the game, but by such a small amount that it was hardly noticeable. Few professional players would ever invest in this. When a player leveled up, they would receive a number of points to invest in these attributes however they wished. The starting attributes for Humans were all set to 5, but for other races, they would be slightly different. Beastmen had more Strength but less Intelligence, Dwarves had more Constitution but less Charisma, Elves had more Agility but less Constitution, and so on. In order to level up, a player would have to increase their skill proficiencies. This was where Theo¡¯s knowledge from the future really came in handy. Killing monsters and completing quests from the NPCs would distribute a certain amount of experience equally across any ¡®tagged¡¯ skills the player had. What¡¯s more, repeatedly using said skill would also raise proficiency by a small amount. Because the game tagged all of the basic skills by default, most players would have a very slow time leveling them up through hunting. For instance, a hulking warrior character might end up dumping a portion of his experience into the proficiency of his unused [Stealth] skill without even knowing it. The game developers did this so that new players would be more likely to uncover all of the different classes when they reached level 9, even if it slowed down their progress. After all, it required levels in [Stealth] to become a Thief, or [Beginner Persuasion] to learn merchant skills. Since Theo knew what his focus would be at later levels, he could ignore this ¡°newbie tax,¡± as players would come to call it. As for his skills¡­ [Beginner Conditioning] improved his HP regeneration while resting outside of combat, and [Beginner Meditation] did the same for MP. [Beginner Polearm Mastery] determined Theo¡¯s ¡®accuracy¡¯ with polearm-type weapons, and [Beginner Rune Mastery] limited what tier of runes he could equip, as well as multiplied their bonuses slightly. [Beginner Persuasion], provided it was used correctly, could unlock special events with NPCs as well as entirely new conversation skills down the line. [Perception] would let him see the basic statistics of most monsters and NPCs, and also countered [Stealth], which helped him avoid detection. [Dodge] increased the amount of time Theo would be invulnerable during a dodge, and all three of these skills would unlock new skills at higher levels. [Lunge] was his only active skill. Leveling it up would boost its damage and let Theo use it more often, but it would also raise the MP consumption. Since Theo spent all of this time fighting, his tagged skills had gone up with every monster slain, while his untagged skills were left unaffected. The skills he used often, like [Lunge] and [Dodge], went up all on their own even without the investment from killing monsters. Just by looking at the amount of experience gained, it was obvious what skills Theo was focused on raising. [Beginner Polearm Mastery] was needed to actually fight monsters above his character level, and [Beginner Rune Mastery] was a must for every character, since it was required to equip more powerful Runes. [Beginner Persuasion], on the other hand, was hard to raise on its own and was necessary for his class quest later. For most players, the first skill to level up would be [Beginner Conditioning], followed by [Beginner Meditation]. This was because a lot of players would have to sit and recover their HP and MP after every fight. It was a natural progression, allowing the new users to fight more often and thereby gain more experience. Since Theo never got hit, however, and even went so far as to untag the skills, they had hardly budged an inch. After a certain number of skills leveled up, his player level would increase as well. This was the cycle of gameplay in Dream World Online. Fight monsters, complete quests, raise your skill proficiencies, and level up. It was an arduous but rewarding process known as grinding. Meanwhile, anomalies like Theo could dump all of their experience points into a couple of skills and completely ignore the others to speed this process along. ¡°Oh well, back to grinding,¡± Theo, who coincidentally loved to grind, couldn¡¯t wipe the smile off his face as he set his sights on the nearest [Big Bee]. By the time the first players were wrapping up the tutorial quest and adventuring into the desert to inevitably get bullied by the bees, Theo had already raised his [Beginner Polearm Mastery] to level 2. His character level was still only at 1, but he confidently stalked off to find the level 2 monster, [Sand Lizard]. This scaly beast had a faster and stronger attack than the bee, but without the Poison effect. What the [Sand Lizard] boasted was the ability to dodge attacks, as opposed to the [Big Bee] which would just stand there and let itself be hit. What a nasty surprise this would be for the new players the first time it dove under their weapons and attacked from their flank. Understandably, this low-level AI was nothing to Theo, who stuck to the [Sand Lizard]s like a venomous parasite, draining their HP with a constant barrage of attacks and [Lunge]s. In the meantime, his [Beginner Rune Mastery] and [Persuasion] skills also leveled up, and he became the mostly likely candidate for ¡°first person in Dream World Online to reach Level 2.¡± Theo received 10 attribute points, and without hesitation pumped all of them into Strength.Just in case the player had accidentally neglected a vital attribute for their new class, the system would automatically refund any points spent before level 10. For these puny little mobs that couldn¡¯t even lay a finger on him, Theo only needed more damage to kill them off quicker. ¡°Heeheehee¡­¡± the crazed gamer¡¯s once-infamous cackle echoed across the empty desert sands as he ruthlessly bullied the beginner mobs, ¡°come here my precious experience points.¡± This was a laugh that had struck terror into the hearts of even God-tier players, and if the monsters were sophisticated enough to know what fear was, they would no doubt run away as fast as their legs could carry them. After polishing off a hearty chunk of the level 4 [Desert Coyote]¡¯s, a monster that introduced the players to enemies that traveled in packs, Theo¡¯s [Beginner Polearm Mastery] finally broke through and reached level 5. [Dodge] and [Lunge] had both reached level 2, and his character level also rose to level 3. All of his points once again went into Strength. Bweep! Bweep! Bweep! The bloodlust faded from Theo¡¯s eyes almost as soon as the alarm sounded. The alert function was built into the Lucid Lock, and could be set to whatever time was needed to remind players of their upcoming appointments. It was easy to lose track of time in a virtual space, after all. Since knowing when to stop was one of the most important skills a gamer could have, Theo logged out of Dream World Online without a moment¡¯s hesitation. Six hours had already passed from the time the game launched, and many of the fresh players had retreated to the online forums to whine about the difficulty level of this newly released title. In most circumstances, new games would try their utmost to seem accessible to as many people as possible, but the creators of Dream World Online were so confident in the first ever virtual world that they didn¡¯t bother with traditional ways of thinking. They were betting on humanity''s innately inquisitive nature to drag people back in no matter how difficult or obtuse the game¡¯s design was. It was a huge gamble by the devs, but Rick knew it would eventually pay off for them. After the diehard players paved the way for the rest of the masses, the complaints would soon be drowned out by praise. Players would always find a way! This was the credo of the game developers behind Dream World Online, and so they kept silent about all of the initial backlash. Already, threads were starting to crop up on the forums with information about Weapon Masters and skill proficiencies. These would eventually be tidied up and packaged into starter guides for new players, and every video game journalist in the world was practically chomping at the bit to publish the first. Rick could have easily led the rest of the players onto the proper path and even made himself a neat little sum of money while he was at it, but what sense would that make? Giving up his huge advantage for a bit of cash? Now that would really be putting the cart before the horse. For about an hour, Rick allowed his thoughts to wander. He ate, exercised, and wrote down some notes about his current condition in a journal. Soon, he would have to return to the Lucid Lock and continue his mad dash for level 9. Just because the sky outside was now dark, the same couldn¡¯t be said for his competitors overseas.... ¡°Adrian¡­ Elizabeth¡­ I wonder if you¡¯ve entered the game by now?¡± Rick had only met Adrian after playing the game for two years or so, when Rick crashed a boss fight that the knight¡¯s party had been failing at for days. Rick had helped turn the tide of the battle and earned quite a bit of respect from the other players, though he really only did it because of a quest. He wondered, was it as far back as then that Adrian began resenting him? Elizabeth¡­ Rick had actually met her early on in his original starting city. An unrivaled player even back then, she was like an avatar of death to the vicious rabbits and squirrels in the region. It had been this mysterious frontrunner who originally inspired Rick to aim for greater heights in Dream World Online, and eventually the two would end up competing in the same regional competitive leagues. After that... ¡°Pff¡­ heeheehee¡­¡± Rick quickly dropped the temperature in his apartment by a few degrees with only a laugh, ¡°I guess all you can do now is reach the top and wash your necks for me¡­¡± Chapter Six: The Twin Snakes Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Six: The Twin Snakes
[Desert Serpent King] Lv. 10 Elite The [Desert Serpent King] was a massive snake-type beast that only spawned beneath the giant Withered Ash Tree. Naturally, the tree was found on the peak of the First Journey Cape, the final grinding spot for new players outside of Oasis. Although they called it a cape, the only sea it happened to overlook was a sea of sand. As legend had it, this whole area was once a bountiful ocean, and the withered old tree that grew atop this lookout was supposedly all that was left of the once-lush scenery. Of course, Theo had no way of knowing if this was true or not, but it didn¡¯t change the fact that this was now an awkwardly jutting, jagged outcropping of dirt and stone that rose over the patchy barrens below. The area itself was crawling with all kinds of snake monsters, which would prove to be quite the challenge when players finally made their way here. Snakes were notoriously hard to land a proper blow on and could hit you with debilitating status effects like Poison and Bind. On the other hand, they had comparatively worse damage and HP. Theo had butchered his way through various enemy types on the way here, each of which was designed to introduce players to a new aspect of the game¡¯s combat. As soon as his [Beginner Polearm Mastery] reached a high enough level, he would move on and wipe out the next camp. After maxing out at level 10, it had upgraded to [Lesser Polearm Mastery] Lv.1 and brought Theo up to character level 8. Most skills and items in the game followed a set progression of Beginner -> Lesser -> Basic -> Intermediate -> Journeyman -> Advanced -> Expert -> Master -> Grandmaster. With the addition of the next content update, Heroic-tier would be added, followed by the God-tier in the update after that. Lesser-tier skills usually didn¡¯t show up until after level 10, so Theo had quite the head start. [Fend] FWOOSH! Theo twirled the [Fine Iron Spear] and swept it from side to side, kicking up dirt and gravel as if digging a rough line in the sand. Three nearby snakes were unceremoniously catapulted backwards, with little damage numbers floating up above their bodies. Only the double-sized [Desert Serpent King] was unaffected. This was the skill which automatically unlocked upon reaching [Lesser Polearm Mastery]. Unlike [Lunge], which let him charge quickly in one direction and make a more powerful attack, [Fend] let him attack every enemy in an arc in front of him. Although each of the attacks did a pitiful amount of damage, it also knocked the enemy back, allowing the player to catch their breath. Managing distance with knockback skills was an all-important task for a melee damage dealer like Theo, since he wouldn¡¯t be able to take but two hits before dying against higher level enemies. Many of the harder working players were level 4 or 5 by now, with a few oddballs reaching level 6 soon. Although they had lower levels than Theo, they had also been playing the game for the past five days. Most of them had a more balanced build than he did, as well a full set of runes and various defensive skills leveled up. Theo, who only killed monsters and never did quests, hadn¡¯t received any rewards from the NPCs. He had spared zero time to travel back and forth between town and was still using the [Fine Iron Spear] and [Novice Core Rune] he had received in the tutorial. [Lunge] After knocking back the [Royal Serpent Brood] minions that the [Desert Serpent King] summoned, Theo used Lunge to charge at one of the disorderly anaconda-sized snakes and stabbed his spear at it. Combo x2! Critical Hit! -351 -117 HSSTH ~ MISS! That said, the damage that Theo could dish out with his seven straight levels of Strength pumping was nothing to laugh at. He followed up with another quick stab before he was forced to dodge a strike from the [Desert Serpent King]. The fangs of the massive reptile tasted bitter failure as its target was nowhere to be found, and it turned to look at the nimble Theo with hateful eyes. Certain skills could be used in a combo attack to greatly boost the damage they dealt. Activating [Lunge] after knocking an enemy away with [Fend] was one such combo, and one of Theo¡¯s favorites. Most skills that were from the same weapon proficiency could be comboed together, though thousands of other possible combinations could be found with enough time. Combos were a fighter¡¯s most important tool, as they could let the player deal more damage up close than from afar. Very few ranged or magical attacks could produce a combo effect, and it would usually result in only a bit of a extra damage or a status effect. Of course, it was also far more dangerous to be standing close to the enemy than attacking safely from range, so characters like Theo had a much higher mortality rate in Dream World Online. ¡°Dumb snake! Just be a good boy and give up those eyeballs!¡± Theo barked at the monster. Elite enemies like the [Desert Serpent King] had a more advanced AI than monsters of the same level, as well as much higher attributes. They were somewhere between a boss monster and a normal trash mob like the [Royal Serpent Brood]. Even so, it was still a low-level monster and a beast-type to boot, so it wouldn¡¯t prove a challenge to anything but Theo¡¯s patience. [Fend] -33. Knockback! -31. Knockback! -35. Knockback! -22. Knockback resisted! Again, the massive [Desert Serpent King] resisted Theo¡¯s skill effect. [Lunge] Combo x2! -189 The snake struck back immediately. MISS! The battle took roughly 15 minutes to draw to a close, which was a shockingly long time to manage the attacks of three monsters and an elite enemy without being hit even once. Despite his boosted damage, Theo¡¯s attacking speed was severely hampered by the interference of the trashy [Royal Serpent Brood] which kept respawning no matter how many times he killed them. The [Desert Serpent King] was supposed to be fought by a group of level 10 class-changed characters, who could more easily control the weaker monsters. ¡°Loot, please!¡± Theo called happily as he inspected the monster¡¯s corpse. [Lesser Earth Essence] - An essence of a weak monster aligned to the Earth element. A reaffirming stability seems to emanate from this roughly formed gem. [Serpent King¡¯s Skin] - Scales of gargantuan desert serpent, the subtle softness belies its surprising defensive capabilities. ¡°Defensive my ass¡­ it¡¯s just decoration without a rune in it¡­¡± Theo mumbled before stuffing the crafting bits into his inventory, which was already brimming with various essences and monster parts. [Serpent King¡¯s Left Eyestone] - A tiny mineral deposit that formed in the eye of a giant serpent, what use could this possibly have? Despite it¡¯s lackluster description, Theo couldn¡¯t seem more pleased with this drop, ¡°Score! This is what I need for that guy¡¯s quest¡­ What else?¡± [Serpent King¡¯s Head Rune] Rune Point: Head; Rank: Lesser Lv.1 MP +200 MP Regen +5 per second Special Ability: [Glare] - Summon an ethereal image of the Desert Serpent King to paralyze your foes with fear. Effect: Daze. Duration: 4 seconds. Base Chance: 80% (-2% per additional enemy). Target: 5 meter cone. Cooldown: 30 minutes. A Lesser-tier Head Rune... maybe even the first one dropped in the whole game so far. Theo didn¡¯t remember it, per se, but he could tell that it would be one of the most useful runes an early spellcaster could get. Daze was an ability which stopped those inflicted with it from moving or taking actions until the duration was up or they took damage. Although the cooldown time was pretty long, meaning it couldn¡¯t be used that often, an area-of-effect control skill like this would be highly useful in escaping from monsters. It could also be used to stun a group of monsters long enough to hit them with a powerful spell. MP was necessary to use skills, and it was one of Theo¡¯s weak points at the moment with his [Beginner Meditation] only at level 3. He could definitely make use of the big boost this rune gave, but he didn¡¯t need that much MP in the first place. It wasn¡¯t worth losing the money he would miss out on from selling it. As for the Daze effect, it was good but not irreplaceable. The effect would be next to useless against higher level targets with high Constitution scores, and the monsters it would work on now didn¡¯t present any threat to him.This content has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere. ¡°Pass...¡± Theo said by instinct, though there wasn¡¯t anybody around to share the loot with. Since his skill level was still at [Beginner Rune Mastery] Lv.8, Theo couldn¡¯t equip the rune until the skill evolved into [Lesser Rune Mastery] anyway. Even then, he wouldn¡¯t do it, because that would ¡®bind¡¯ the rune to his character. He wouldn¡¯t be able to trade or sell it after that. ¡°Damn money grubbers.¡± Of course, this was intentional design by the game developers. Runes could only be equipped by one person in their lifetime, and were useless to everybody else after that. This would keep people from selling or trading their old runes to lower level players. If the price of runes stayed high, they could get more money from the 2% transaction fee. Recycling might have been good for the planet, but it was awful for the devs¡¯ wallets! Theo checked his character stats once again.
Character Information
Name: Theo (8) HP: 150/150
Race: Human MP: 27/100
Class: Novice Attack: 129~141
Alignment: Good Defense: 0 (0%)
Attributes and Runes
Strength: 75 (+0) Head Rune: Empty
Agility: 5(+0) Heart Rune: Empty
Intelligence: 5(+0) Core Rune: Novice Core Rune
Constitution: 5(+0) Rune Locked Empty
Willpower: 5 (+0) Rune Locked Empty
Charisma: 5(+0) Rune Locked Empty
Luck: 5(+0) Rune Locked Empty
Skill List
Skill Name Level Exp. to Next Lv. Tag
Beginner Conditioning Lv. 1 0%/100%
Beginner Meditation Lv. 3 17%/100%
Beginner Persuasion Lv. 8 87%/100% *
Beginner Rune Mastery Lv. 8 87%/100% *
Dodge Lv. 6 75%/100%
Fend Lv.1 8%/100%
Lesser Polearm Mastery Lv.1 7%/100% *
Lunge Lv. 2 12%/100%
Perception Lv. 1 8%/100%
Stealth Lv. 1 0%/100%
Level 8, and Theo¡¯s HP was still only a measly 150! Just leveling up didn¡¯t increase your HP or MP at all, and required points to be placed in your Constitution and Willpower attributes. Or course, runes would also help alleviate this problem. ¡°I should be able to hit level nine after getting [Dodge] and my other two tagged skills up a level¡­¡± Theo quickly calculated. ¡°Now for the real target¡­ ¡° He cracked a smile and approached the Withered Ash Tree, stepping past the defeated monsters and circling around to the other side. ¡°It was about here, right?¡± he murmured, crawling around in a web of tree roots that were almost as large as he was. Perception check¡­ failed! ¡°Heeheehee¡­ found it!¡± Perception check¡­ failed! Perception check¡­ failed! In Dream World Online, certain locations and objects were considered [Hidden], and could only be accessed by players who succeeded on a perception check. Leveling the [Perception] skill would increase this chance, and trigger the discovery effect at larger distances. With his current level of [Perception], however, Theo had to be right on top of the secret location to activate the check. Luckily, he already knew where his target was, or he would have no way to find it. What¡¯s more, he could only check for it every 60 seconds, with maybe a 1/100 chance to discover it. What could possibly stop the crazed gamer from his grinding spree long enough to stand here and inspect the same spot on a tree again and again for over an hour? After the 70th or so attempt¡­ Perception check¡­ success! Right where Theo had been standing, the roots suddenly shifted and squirmed, revealing a dark crevice in between. You have discovered the hidden location: Withered Ash Hollow - A deep cave that stretches beneath the depths of the Withered Ash Tree, this snake-infested hole is home to the [Desert Serpent Queen], broodmother of the royal serpents. Be warned, adventurer, for the [Desert Serpent Queen] is the true boss of these fiendish monsters. Bring plenty of help if you don¡¯t wish to perish within¡­ ¡°Broodmother?¡± Theo chuckled, ¡°More like loot mother!¡± Without any further ado, Theo leapt into the hole between the roots and was quickly awash in a warm, rotting, earthy stench. The first batch of [Royal Serpent Brood] which prowled around the entrance had already noticed his noisy arrival and charged after him. [Fend] Snakes were flung in every direction, some of them knocking up against the cramped walls of the cave. Loose dirt and bone dust filled the air, and shiskebabed snakes seemed to emerge from the cloud of debris one after another. Theo was once again channeling the skills of the War God, crushing anything that stood in his way! Nothing the Withered Ash Hollow could throw at him managed to slow his pace in the slightest, and this continued until... [Jorm - Prince of Desert Serpents] Lv.10 Elite [Gandr - Prince of Desert Serpents] Lv.10 Elite The two serpents with bodies as thick as water buckets were coiled up and guarding a large, root-framed hole that led into a wide cavern beyond. Theo had already fought his way through dozens of [Royal Serpent Brood] to reach this point, and he knew a mini-boss fight when he saw one. These types of door guards were typically called ¡®bouncers,¡¯ and would block the way to a boss room. While some later dungeons could have ten or more bosses, leaving bouncers as little more than an afterthought, Theo know that Withered Ash Hollow had only one. [Jorm] and [Gandr] were the final challenge before facing the [Desert Serpent Queen], though Theo considered them more of an appetizer. Although slightly weaker than the [Desert Serpent King] on their own, they were each able to summon two [Royal Serpent Brood] every sixty seconds, and they would keep summoning snakes by the minute until they were finally killed. If a group of players didn¡¯t take care of the weaker monsters first, they would quickly find themselves swarmed in trash mobs! Even Theo would end up dead if that happened. While the princes had less health than the average Elite enemy, once you killed one of them, the other would receive an [Enraged] buff. His attacks would do more damage and come in faster intervals. It wasn¡¯t a huge bonus, but would serve as a nasty surprise if you didn¡¯t know it was coming. Honestly, almost all enemies that came in pairs had an ability like this, so only an inexperienced player would fall for this trap. For Theo, the hardest part of this fight would be conserving his MP long enough to kill the [Royal Serpent Brood]. [Lunge] Critical hit! -283 Theo rushed in and thrust his spear at [Gandr] first, scoring a lucky critical hit for extra damage. The haughty-looking snake snapped at Theo right away, seemingly unphased, but the attack was just as casually sidestepped before the snake was stabbed again. -109 Of course, [Jorm] wasn¡¯t going to stand there and watch his brother be bullied to death, so the other snake moved to bite as well. Theo let up on his attacks for a moment as he cautiously moved around the cavern, dragging [Jorm] and [Gandr] out of a flanking position and waiting until their attacks started to sync up. Since they were likely immune to the knockback effect of [Fend], Theo didn¡¯t bother wasting MP on skills and just attacked and dodged with a steady rhythm, slowly emptying [Gandr]¡¯s HP bar. HSSSTH! After 60 seconds had passed, the snakes reared up and hissed loudly. As if they had tunneled in through unseen holes in the walls, four [Royal Serpent Brood] crawled out to attack. With only one target in the room, they immediately locked on to Theo and slithered after him. [Fend] Theo dodged to the side and carefully lined up the snakes before he swept them up into his skill and tossed them backwards. He quickly followed up with [Lunge] to gain the combo damage and immediately killed one of the four. This also put him out of range of [Jorm] and [Gandr]¡¯s attacks for the moment. If any other players could see this display, their jaws might drop to the floor. Every time the serpents appeared to have the player cornered, he seemed to luckily step into just the right place to dodge their attacks. That lucky spot would set him up for a proper counter attack, which he would quickly take advantage of and retreat again. Every time it looked like he would die, the player managed to somehow make it out alive! It took Theo an average of 40 seconds to kill the four [Royal Snake Brood], so he was left with only 20 seconds to attack the larger snakes in between their summons.Time seemed to move forward at a crawl, but that wouldn¡¯t change the inevitable. The massive body of [Gandr] eventually hit the floor, unmoving. Elite enemy [Jorm] has become [Enraged]! Attack damage and speed will increase by 20% ¡°Heeheehee¡­ two fewer snakes per minute!¡± Theo¡¯s mind was totally elsewhere when the announcement sounded. With only one serpent prince remaining, Theo now had more than double the available time to rain blows on [Jorm] like a punching bag. He didn¡¯t even seem to notice the monster¡¯s buff. HSSTH! THUD! A few minutes later, [Jorm] met the same fate as his brother, and Theo was surrounded in the characteristic flash of light that signaled an advance in level. He had finally reached level 9. ¡°Loot! Loot! Levels! Levels! I would say that nothing¡¯s better~!¡± Theo sang to himself. Had the [Desert Serpent Queen] been around to see this madman singing after he slaughtered her children, she might have reconsidered her programming¡¯s instinct to fight him! Chapter Seven: Every True Gamer Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Seven: Every True Gamer
Theo once again couldn¡¯t hide the glee in his eyes as he checked out the items which the snake twins had dropped. Putting aside the essences, skins, and fangs, the results were quite good. [Snake Prince¡¯s Core Rune] Rune point: Core; Rank: Lesser Lv.1 HP +150 HP Regen +2.5 per second Agility +3 Charisma +3 Special Ability: +10% Poison Resist. What a perfect rune for him to use as soon as he evolved his [Beginner Rune Mastery]. Monsters with attacks that couldn¡¯t be totally dodged would start appearing soon, and he would need some HP if he wanted to fight them. There was also a rare weapon drop! [Snake Fang Twin Daggers] Rank: Lesser; Durability 120/120 Damage: 36~41 Special Ability: 40% chance to apply Lesser Poison on hit for 6 seconds. Twin Daggers were a popular choice of weapon for characters who enjoyed a fast and fierce style of combat. They were light and could hit twice in quick succession. While the damage of each hit would be slightly weaker, this made it easier to combo skills and apply status effects. It was dream gear for Assassin-type fighters. Lesser Poison was similar to the Poison effect from the [Big Bee], draining about 1% of the afflicted person¡¯s HP every second. While 40% might seem like a high chance for an additional effect, this was before Constitution was taken into account. With only 5 points in Constitution, on top of his base resistances, Theo had about a 7% resistance to poisons. If he equipped the [Snake Prince¡¯s Core Rune], this would increase to 17%, giving the daggers a respectable 23% chance to apply the effect. With a higher Constitution attribute, this chance to inflict poison could even be reduced to 0%, negating the special ability entirely. Of course, higher ranked gear would have a much higher chance of triggering effects. For instance, his [Fend] skill had a 95% chance to apply knockback, which was quickly reduced to only 5-10% by the Constitution and size of the giant snakes. This number would increase, however, every time the skill leveled up. At Level 10 it would reach 160%, and then even the heavy bodies of the Snake Princes would be knocked around like tissue paper. ¡°I don¡¯t really care to use the daggers, but they¡¯ll sell for quite a bit¡­¡± Theo said cheerfully as he pocketed the weapon. After looking over his stats one final time, Theo decided to put all 10 of his attribute points into his Constitution. His Strength was already high enough for the time being, and this boost would bring his HP up to 250. Theo was hoping the experience he received would be enough to level up, or else he would have had to wait for more monsters to spawn in. This extra HP was mandatory for the coming boss battle. Holding his trusty spear, Theo entered the boss chamber. The huge cavern was formed from rock and soil, and was held together by the roots of the massive Withered Ash Tree above. Like a host of giant serpents, the woody tendrils spread out and intertwined in all directions. A dull hiss seemed to echo throughout the chamber, and the air was hot and stifling. All around the base of the roots, clutches of mottled green and black eggs were gathered together in huge piles. As if quivering with life, the eggs shook and swelled with an eerie rhythm not unlike a beating heart. ¡°Snakey snake!¡± Theo¡¯s call echoed into the cavern, brandishing his weapon, ¡°come out and plaay~aay!¡± As if on cue, a pair of glowing yellow eyes suddenly opened, flashing with malign intent. In a slow, theatrical fashion, the massive body of a snake began to descend from the shadowy canopy of roots. It was at least three times the thickness of the elite snake monsters, with a head large enough to swallow an elephant whole. The body appeared impossibly long, with no end in sight, and was covered with bony protrusions and a dusty coat of mustard-colored scales. [Desert Serpent Queen] Lv.10 Cave Boss Despite its impressive appearance, the snake queen was still only a level 10 boss, and not even a fully-fledged dungeon boss at that. Dungeon Bosses were like the big bad guys at the end of a book or movie, and would normally be the strongest boss a player faced in their level range. Below them were Floor Bosses, which could be considered henchmen or pets to the bad guy. Then there were Cave Bosses, which were usually scattered around the world in places like this. There were also Hidden Bosses, Event Bosses, and Field Bosses, but those were only concerns for higher level players. The first dungeons wouldn¡¯t be accessible before level 15, so each major city had a Cave Boss located somewhere nearby. Some were more hidden than others, like the Desert Serpent Queen, but they would all be discovered eventually and mercilessly slaughtered by the loot-starved players. With her cinematic intro over, the [Desert Serpent Queen] began the fight. The majority of boss battles would take place in different phases, and these phases tended to be triggered by dealing a certain amount of damage. Similar to how [Jorm] got the rage buff after his brother was slain, initiating a new phase could radically strengthen the boss and even change the way it approached the fight. A sudden change like this could shake up the flow of combat and leave a previously effective strategy totally obsolete. This was to keep players on their toes, as a strong boss often required challengers to piece together a proper, multi-step strategy through repeated trial and error. Even a Cave Boss could take out a player twice their level if the poor sap didn¡¯t know how to tackle it properly. Luckily, Theo was well versed in many of the game¡¯s bosses, though certainly not all of them. A vested interest in nothing but video games and the constant chatter of a huge guild had afforded him strategies for even low-level bosses he¡¯d never personally beaten. In her first phase, the [Desert Serpent Queen] would act a lot like a regular monster. She would bite and strike at the player just like the rest of the snakes. These attacks were fast and powerful, and could kill the unarmored Theo in a single hit, even with his boosted HP. They were easy to predict, though, and Theo continued his unbroken dodge streak. -88 -92 -90 Critical hit! -195 [Lunge] -142 Hitting the snake queen was like hitting an armored van, and every attack was reduced by her high Defense attribute. Theo looked almost like a fly buzzing around a horse¡¯s tail, or perhaps it would be more apt to call him a hornet. Again and again the spear struck, carefully whittling away at the massive HP value. Nearly 10 minutes later, almost the amount of time it had taken Theo to defeat the [Desert Serpent King], the boss¡¯s HP had reached 76%. [Lunge]Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Critical hit! -312 ¡°It¡¯s now!¡± Theo¡¯s eyes lit up in anticipation. At precisely 75% HP, the [Desert Serpent Queen] would switch to a new phase. She quickly reared up, filling the cavern with her imposing form as she let out a terrifying sound that could shake stone. HSSSSSTH! Theo¡¯s body was a like a loosed arrow. He threw himself at the piles of eggs as swiftly as his movement speed would allow. Without such a high Strength stat, he would never have made it. You have received [Serpent Queen¡¯s Roar]... Dazed for 7 seconds. A 7 second Daze! It was a truly debilitating status effect at this stage in the game, with no way for low level players to possibly resist it. Daze would leave the player totally helpless, as the [Desert Serpent Queen] would end her roaring animation after just 4 seconds. 3 seconds was more than enough time to launch a follow up strike, and although the Daze effect broke when you took damage, all she needed was one clean hit to end her prey. Normally, the strategy to handle this attack would be to have a Tank-like player with high HP and Defense up front to take the hits while the other members of the group recovered, but that was clearly impossible for Theo. Thankfully, the developers had been kind enough to leave a way out, and not unintentionally so. Not only would the queen¡¯s roar Daze players, it would also cause several eggs around the room to hatch. Dozens of miniature snakes erupted from the shattered eggs and quickly latched on to Theo¡¯s body, biting him all over. You have received an attack from [Infant Serpent Brood]. -17 You have received an attack from [Infant Serpent Brood]. -15 Tiny damage values shot up over Theo¡¯s head, draining a shocking 133 HP. This would have put him in a critical condition without the bonus from his last level up! Just like that, a five day long no-hit streak was woefully ended by these pitiful, worm-like babies! [Fend] After letting the baby snakes break his Daze effect, Theo quickly stepped back and whipped them away with his skill. Rather than getting knocked back, the snakes immediately dropped dead. They were newborns, after all, and only had about 10 HP a piece. It was their nasty damage and large numbers that made them a threat. Inexperienced players would definitely suffer more than one party wipe because they weren¡¯t paying attention to the eggs. The [Desert Serpent Queen] resumed her attacks in short order, trying to corner the elusive little hornet that continued to sting her. Theo knew the boss would activate [Serpent Queen¡¯s Roar] every 2 minutes, dazing him and hatching more [Infant Serpent Brood]. He would need to run to a nearby egg clutch before then to make sure the baby snakes bit him first. Thanks to his [Novice Core Rune], on top of his base HP regeneration, he would naturally recover about 6 HP every 5 seconds. In two minutes of combat, assuming that he didn¡¯t get hit, Theo would recover 144 HP. It was just enough to effectively ignore the assault from the baby snakes, only so long as he quickly wiped them all out! 70%... 60%... 50%... The [Desert Serpent Queen] launched her debilitating roar every chance she could get, but it couldn¡¯t do anything but slow him down. As defeat seemed inevitable, the giant snake could only regret her own programming. 40%... 30%... ¡°The final phase is coming up¡­¡± At 20% HP, the boss would begin thrashing about in the cavern, crushing everything that happened to be in her way. As if her giant body wasn¡¯t difficult enough to avoid, it would also cause rubble to fall from the ceiling, dealing damage to any player it hit. It was a wide area attack almost guaranteed to wipe out an unsuspecting group on their first attempt. 20%! ¡°Here it comes!¡± The massive snake began furiously charging about the room, covering nearly every inch of the floor. She crushed hundreds of her own eggs in her rampage, and even slammed her elephant-sized head against the walls of her den. Theo was just as busy as the [Desert Serpent Queen], flawlessly executing a dodge every time her body swept by. You received shock damage. -23 You received shock damage. -34 You received shock damage. -16 You received shock damage. -39 The dreaded shock damage! That¡¯s right, no matter how perfect his timing, the monster would still deal a small amount of damage. In this case, Theo had lost 112 HP in just one round of attacks. If he had let even a single bit of the debris hit him, it would mean a significant loss of experience and a long walk back from Oasis. To make matters worse, the [Desert Serpent Queen] would use this attack every sixty seconds. That was only enough time for Theo to recover 72 HP. Although the power of shock damage tended to vary wildly, it would still average out to be 100 damage or so. That would mean a loss of around 30-40 HP every minute, giving him only five minutes at most to finish off 20% of the HP bar. It had taken 10 minutes to deal 25% damage before, but now the [Desert Serpent Queen] only had 18% of her HP left. She had injured herself while thrashing about wildly. [Lunge] -188 Her Defense attribute had fallen as well! This was the do or die moment of the boss fight, where players were forced into a race against the clock¡­ it was kill or be killed!! Theo didn¡¯t conserve a single bit of his MP, launching his [Lunge] every time it came off of cooldown. He no longer had to worry about the [Infant Serpent Brood], who were all crushed. A minute later the boss began thrashing again. 14%... 10%... 6%... 2%... Theo¡¯s HP had dropped after taking the shock damage five rounds in a row. He only had 83 HP left, and there was zero chance to survive if he didn¡¯t end this fight in the next sixty seconds. His 100 MP had long since run dry, and only recovered at a rate of 1 point every 5 seconds. All he could do was stab with his spear. ¡°Heeheehee... Looks like I get to die with a lady this time around! Too bad she isn¡¯t much to look at!¡± Theo was still taunting the boss even while his life was hanging by a thread. 1%... 10 seconds left... His MP had recovered by 10 points... 11 points! [Lunge] Critical hit! -367 HSSSSSSTH! BOOOM! The cavern shook as the [Desert Serpent Queen] hit the ground. Victory¡­ with only 3 seconds to spare. ¡°Wooohooo!¡± Theo literally jumped for joy, tossing his spear into the air with a triumphant yell. He had accomplished something that most people would write off as impossible. At level 9, with only the starting equipment, he had conquered a level 10 Boss. While Theo had already long since determined the possibility of this feat, it was another thing to actually attempt it. If he had been unlucky enough to receive max shock damage multiple times, or if he scored a few less critical hits, it would have meant certain defeat. This was what every true gamer was after! Conquering the odds! That, and... ¡°Loot! Loot! What will it be? Maybe a new equip for me~?¡± it was Theo¡¯s victory song again! If only the once proud [Desert Serpent Queen] could see her killer now. [Serpent Queen¡¯s Wrath Rune] Rune Point: Arm; Rank: Lesser Lv.1 +3% Melee Damage +1% Critical Hit Chance +10% Critical Hit Damage Special Ability: [Rampage - Channel the power of Wrath. Effect: +50% Melee Damage,+100% Damage Received. Duration: 60 seconds. Target: Self. Cooldown: 3 hours. Limit: Lv. 20 and below. ¡°What a ridiculous effect, I feel like I should remember something this outrageous being in the game¡­¡± Theo said skeptically. It wasn¡¯t as if he remembered every loot drop that came out of the level 10 Cave Bosses, but this [Serpent Queen¡¯s Wrath Rune] seemed to defy his expectations for what a Lesser-tier rune was capable of. The attribute bonuses were already top shelf for the rank, but the Special Ability was something else entirely. ¡°Ah! I remember now, sin runes!¡± Theo snapped his fingers. These especially rare runes were named after the seven deadly sins, and typically came with some kind of big, double-edged ability tied to a long cooldown. In this case, [Rampage] became available because this particular rune carried the sin of Wrath. Unfortunately, these abilities would only affect players below a certain level, and there was no way to reliably farm them. Anything in the game that dropped a normal rune could also drop a sin rune, as well as other types of special ability runes. If you were lucky enough to get one that worked for you, all you could do was graciously thank whatever origin of causality you believed in. Of course, these types of runes would eventually fall out of favor with players when rune ¡°sets¡° started appearing. If you equipped some or all of the runes in the same set, it would grant additional attribute bonuses and special abilities. Even if you found a rune that was slightly better by itself, could it make up for ruining your set bonus? ¡°I¡¯d be crazy to sell something that fits my style so well. Need! Need right away!¡± Not that anyone was there to fight Theo over his precious loot. The [Desert Serpent Queen] also dropped plenty of essences and other crafting materials, as well as a Lesser heart rune which Theo could equip to raise his Defense attribute. Sadly no weapons appeared. It was a shame too, since Theo knew the boss could drop Lesser-tier weapons of any type. This was a consideration the game devs added for players that were still on the fence about their weapon choice, or needed a change after unlocking their class. [Fine Iron Spear] - A standard issue weapon for new adventurers. The edge is quick to dull, but it remains a reliable starting weapon nonetheless. Rank: Beginner Lv.1, Durability: 9/100 Damage: 9~21 After five days of hunting, Theo¡¯s spear had only 9 durability left. Even unarmed strikes were tied to a relevant skill proficiency, so he wouldn¡¯t be able to attack at all if his weapon broke. He needed to return to Oasis for repairs, as well as empty his inventory and start on his class quest. His real goal in coming here had already been accomplished, after all¡­ [Serpent King¡¯s Left Eyestone] - A tiny mineral deposit that formed in the eye of a giant serpent, what use could this possibly have? [Serpent Queen¡¯s Right Eyestone] - A tiny mineral deposit that formed in the eye of a giant serpent, what use could this possibly have? Chapter Eight: An Unexpected Challenge Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Eight: An Unexpected Challenge
After conquering his first boss monster in this new life, Rick was abruptly drawn from his loot-fueled stupor by the alarm of one of his mandatory break periods. It was time for his morning trip to the little neighborhood gym. Not that it was in Rick¡¯s neighborhood, but still. Bright lights poured out of the windowed storefront, and stepping through the door was like entering a different world. Sneakers squeaked against the laminated floors, together with the dull thrum of an overworked air conditioner, and the smell of metal was everpresent. Rick¡¯s single minded routine was already hardwired into his schedule, and he was almost finished for the day before he even noticed. His head was filled only with thoughts of the game, carefully plotting his next move. ¡°Hey, kid!¡± a strange voice called out to him. Something seemed to snap in Rick¡¯s head for a moment, ¡°Kid!? You have the nerve to call the War God a ¡®kid?¡¯ Give me three- no! Two years! Two years when this baby fat leaves my face, you won¡¯t dare to call me kid again!¡± Of course, Rick wasn¡¯t going to say something like that out loud in a public place. He turned to meet the source of the voice while suppressing his rage and donning a mask of surprise and confusion. There was a slim finger pointed at him. ¡°Ah! It¡¯s you,¡± the person who had spoken seemed to blank the moment they saw Rick¡¯s face. A few minutes later. ¡°So that was it¡­¡± Rick finally nodded his head in understanding, having finished listening to the rather unexpected explanation. ¡°Sorry, I was in fault for being too fast,¡± a small, slender man had an apologetic look on his face, ¡°I thought you were the bad type¡­¡± Rick couldn¡¯t help but sigh. Apparently, this person had been on the lookout for suspicious characters the past few days. Someone had been stalking the women that frequented the gym, and Rick seemed to be the most likely suspect. It really was a baseless accusation, especially considering the fact that Rick had hardly seen a single female soul in the past week. It was currently five in the morning, and most people weren¡¯t even awake yet! ¡°Your exercise was¡­ half-hearted¡­ always looked so easy,¡± the bashful expression on the man¡¯s face was enough to drive anyone crazy with rage, ¡°Why else would he come, I thought?¡± ¡°Who are you to frown upon these exercises that I learned from trained professionals? Half-hearted? You¡¯re half-hearted! Your whole damn family is half-hearted!¡± Rick once again had to stifle the words under a veil of exasperation. ¡°It¡¯s¡­ it¡¯s fine¡­¡± he said. It wasn¡¯t nice to be mistaken as a shady character, but the guy clearly didn¡¯t mean anything bad by it. The look on his face definitely belonged to one of those justice seeking, hot-blooded types. What Rick still didn¡¯t understand was why the person immediately came to the conclusion that Rick wasn¡¯t the perpetrator. The man acted as if Rick wasn¡¯t a stranger, but Rick couldn¡¯t recall this person at all. Part of that reason may or may not have been the extra six years of life that he had lived. Even so, Rick felt that he should be able to recognize a distinctive face like this. Shoulder-length black hair, round face, big eyes, well¡­ to be straight to the point, the person was of East Asian descent. The guy had a pretty pronounced accent when he spoke, and a youthful sounding voice. He was pretty short too, at least a head more so than the average-sized Rick. Everything about this person made them seem like more of a kid than Rick¡­ so why did he have that tough-guy aura about him!? ¡°But I never expect to meet you at this place, Rick! Never saw you for being the morning type, or the exercise type. Looks like you never sweat!¡± despite the accent, this person was surprisingly eloquent in all the most damaging ways. Rick, who had no sense of how to handle a situation like this, simply said, ¡°Um¡­ who are you, again?¡± Rather than be offended, the man shook with mirth. That rowdy laughter reminded Rick of the sound of a big, ringing bell. The shining aura around this person seemed to be getting brighter. He thrust out his hand with a such speed that Rick thought he heard the man¡¯s joints snapping into place. ¡°Bai!¡± he chirped. Rick¡¯s face lost a bit of color as he reluctantly shook the man¡¯s sweaty hand, ¡°G-goodbye?¡± he said awkwardly. After a moment, an expression of understanding dawned on the man¡¯s face, followed by that characteristic laughter. ¡°No, no, no, I am Bai!¡± he said, halfway between humor and apology. Rick¡¯s expression seemed to crack a bit, ¡°Good for you?¡± his voice was a bit apprehensive. He wasn¡¯t getting hit on, was he? This time it took a bit longer for the realization to dawn on his face, and the man actually looked away a bit bashfully before laughing again. ¡°My name is Bai!¡± he said loudly and proudly this time. ¡°Oh! OH!¡± Rick finally caught on and nodded along, and couldn¡¯t help but add, ¡°that was a name?¡± Bai thankfully withdrew the handshake, stifling his own frown at Rick¡¯s words. ¡°My name is too much of mouthful, so everyone will just call me Bai!¡± Rick was wondering if going for the simple option in this case was any less confusing, but then who was he to judge? He had three first names! ¡°My name is Rick,¡± he finally said. Bai nodded. ¡°I met you before,¡± he said through his shining teeth, ¡°from school.¡± School? Did Rick ever go to school with someone like this? He had dropped out of class after his first year, after all. It had already been almost seven years since then. Only a few months for Bai, though... As if it would somehow jog his memory, Bai took a step back and kicked his leg in the air. It struck out so fast. The movement was so quick it actually pushed a few locks of hair into Rick¡¯s eyes. Without his years of experience in Dream World Online, it might have even knocked him off his feet in surprise. As it was, the kick couldn¡¯t really move his heart.This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Maybe go toe-to-toe with a Demon Prince and his Infernal Pain Blade before you try to show off something like this! Seeing the lukewarm reaction, Bai appeared to be equal parts impressed and disappointed. Rick figured the guy was hoping for a bigger reaction. Was he somehow connected to this person through kicking? Rick wasn¡¯t much for fighting outside of the game¡­ At that moment, a deeply repressed memory finally resurfaced in Rick¡¯s head, ¡°Kung-fu kid!¡± Rick blurted out. This bastard! It was kung-fu kid who had dared to appear before him! Because of this person¡­ Bai on the other hand looked as if he would fall on the floor in laughter. It seemed like Rick¡¯s words were far more devastating than the previous the kick had been ¡°K-kung f-fu kid!?¡± Bai chortled loudly, though the few other gym goers had already decided to ignore this conversation by now. This guy was a student who had come from overseas to study back when Rick was in college. Some guys who were less than welcoming had tried to pick on the new kid back then, and Rick wasn¡¯t going to just stand by and watch it happen. He tried to stand up for the little guy, but who would have thought that the tiny asian guy in a baggy tee shirt and jeans would suddenly start doing flips and kicks and flying all over the place? Rick could do those sorts of things inside the game, back in the day, but in real life? He wanted to know where the wire was hidden! In the end, those punks had been totally scared off, but all the blame for the incident had somehow fallen on Rick¡¯s head. He was forced to spend his whole afternoon explaining things to a very disbelieving campus security guard. ¡°Wushu!¡± Bai said, still chuckling. The short man reached out and firmly patted Rick on the shoulder. ¡°Wushu! All for show. Real martial art¡­¡± Bai¡¯s hand flew out like a bullet, fingers snapping opening into a claw shape and seemingly grabbing something from thin air, before he pulled it back slowly. ¡°Real martial art is for killing.¡± Rick felt like he was supposed to be intimidated by this action, but there was only one word going through his head. ¡°Nerd¡­¡± Rick said unabashedly. Bai was a genuine martial arts nerd, one of those people hopelessly obsessed with fighting even in this day and age. Bai¡¯s eyes shook when he heard this, and his mouth snapped open as if he was about to throw a barrage of curses Ricks way. Fortunately, he seemed to realize that Rick would have no idea what he was saying and altered his choice of words. ¡°I can still be in school now, unlike Rick. You are gone from all classes!¡± Well that was true... ¡°Wasting your time with joke training. Want to be a big man, Rick? Flirt with pretty girls?¡± Bai retorted proudly. School was one thing, but Rick couldn¡¯t help but enter a conflict with someone who insulted the training program he crafted with his blood and tears. He didn¡¯t back down at all from the small, admittedly dangerous, and stubborn man. ¡°My workout is for loosening stiff muscles and easing blood flow! It¡¯s a workout for a professional gamer!¡± he barked. Of course Rick wasn¡¯t trying to put on muscle! What good would a bunch of extra weight do him in a virtual world? Not to mention, building muscle required a lot of calories! If he ate like that and hung out in bed all day, he would just be wasting money and turning fat. Bai seemed to back down upon hearing this, a hint of intrigue flashing in his big dark eyes. ¡°Does that work, really?¡± he asked suspiciously. Why did this expression remind Rick of Mary Ann somehow? ¡°It does!¡± Rick¡¯s pride as a gamer had been kindled. ¡°Show me!¡± Bai¡¯s voice was totally free of hesitation. ¡°E-eh?¡± Rick¡¯s stance immediately broke. ¡°That workout for the gamer! Show me!¡± Bai repeated. Rick wasn¡¯t very good at reading people under normal circumstances, but he could sniff out anything to do with Dream World Online from over a mile away. ¡°You started playing Dream World Online, didn¡¯t you?¡± Rick didn¡¯t need to hear an answer, as the look on Bai¡¯s face gave it all away immediately. This guy wasn¡¯t particularly good at lying, was he? Before the man could give an answer, Rick followed up with a combo attack. ¡°Let me guess? You started playing because you wanted to get into fights, but your level is rising slowly no matter how many monsters you kill!¡± Rick sucked in a breath and continued, crossing his arms smugly, ¡°So you resolved to put in more hours, however, after playing all night you wake up and your fingers are sore. You¡¯re stiff in the lower back and it feels like your calves are swollen.¡± Ricks words seemed to hit the nail on the head, as Bai¡¯s mouth hung open and his eyes narrowed in suspicion. It seemed like he was reconsidering whether Rick was a stalker or not. Of course, Rick wouldn¡¯t waste his precious gaming time on something silly like that, even if he was currently dedicating an unhealthy chunk of his life to revenge now. Rick could tell that Bai was a very fit and active person normally, and probably had his fair share of exercise during the day. What else would he be doing in a gym at this hour? If it was a normal person, they would hardly notice the strain that playing Dream World Online put on the body. They spent most of the day being still and had subtly gotten used to these kinds of pains. Only someone who kept rigorous track of their physical condition would notice the soreness. Even if the Lucid Lock simulated the act of sleeping, there were liable to be differences between something biological and something artificial. If you pushed yourself too hard in the game, your hands in the real world would start to clench up. This could slow down circulation not just in the fingers, but throughout the entire body. In situations involving combat, the body would instinctively become more rigid, to keep from rolling around and hurting itself. The facts were all in the Lucid Lock user manual and terms of service, but nobody really seemed to care. A few sensationalist media sources claimed the system would bring about the end of the world, but Rick didn¡¯t underestimate humanity that much. Most of these problems would be patched out when the new Lucid Lock V2 released, anyway... Bai wasn¡¯t stupid, and he could clearly see that Rick spoke with the wisdom and experience of someone who was used to dealing with these problems. ¡°You play? Your level would be?¡± Bai posed it as a challenge. This guy liked to compete too much! ¡°Secret!¡± Rick responded immediately, ¡°my workout is a secret too!¡± Rick had to hold back from sticking out his tongue as he watched Bai¡¯s humorous expressions. He had forgotten how much fun it was to tease a guy like this. It reminded him of the smack-talk fights back in his competitive years. Bai was clearly thinking hard about something when he said, ¡°Fight me! In game! If I win, I get the secret!¡± Rick raised an eyebrow, though he had partially felt this coming. This guy had the gall to confidently pick a fight with the world¡¯s greatest on his own turf. Rick had to admire that kind of foolish bravery, even if Bai didn¡¯t have any idea what he was getting himself into. This kind of scenario was too entertaining to feel any ill will towards the other party, so Rick was half considering just giving up the information and going home. ¡°If Rick has the win, I will teach you how to fight.¡± Rick smirked. For someone who was totally confident in their victory, it wasn¡¯t a tempting enough offer to draw him in. He could just look something like that up online if he really wanted. ¡°Not interested!¡± said Rick. ¡°My martial art passed down for generations,¡± Bai said sharply, his voice hushed, ¡°Is also top secret!¡± Rick could feel the pride radiating from practically Bai¡¯s entire being. What a powerful gaming addiction, for him to risk something he considered so precious. Rick felt like something bad would happen to him if he continued trying to refuse the challenge. ¡°I¡¯m not gonna call you sensei or anything when I win,¡± Rick replied with no small amount of reluctance. ¡°Wrong country!¡± Bai snapped with a bit of a grin, ¡°and if Rick can beat me, it will be me who will call you as big bro!¡± ¡°Huh? Why would I want something like that?¡± Rick asked. WHAP! Bai had punched him. Pain! It was only on the arm, though. Still a lot of pain! There¡¯s no way he would end up crying about it. Ouch, ouch, ouch, it hurt! Rick¡¯s face was clearly contorted in discomfort, but he was trying to hide it. For some reason, it made Bai laugh again. His face was practically glowing. ¡°Deal!¡± Bai said, holding out his hand again. Rubbing his sore arm, Rick also extended a hand. If he was going to do this, he might as well go all out. Who knew, this person could end up being useful to him in his future plans? Bai seemed to freeze as his hand met Rick¡¯s, as if the appendage had been replaced with a ghostly claw that latched around his fingers. For the first time, the heroic spirit drained from his face as Rick¡¯s generally friendly eyes sharpened like blades. His face was smiling, but it wasn¡¯t the man¡¯s usual, smug expression. Gulp¡­ Bai might have been feeling a hint of regret at this moment. These were the eyes of a hungry predator. Rick had become the big bad wolf that watched as the silly little red riding hood happily walked into his mouth! ¡°Heeheehee¡­¡± the peculiar laugh was accompanied by a grin. ¡°It¡¯s a deal, then,¡± said Rick. Chapter Nine: A Personal Awakening Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Nine: A Personal Awakening
Lola was an intern in real life, which was basically another word for ¡°office-slave,¡± and she spent every waking minute at work pouring through obscure reference files. Couldn¡¯t her boss have just splurged and bought a proper search program? That couldn¡¯t be right, since Lola was actually the cheaper option¡­ Although her job was stressful, she always worked to the best of her abilities in order to make a good impression. It was in the evenings that she could finally unwind with her most favorite past time: Virtual Dramas. Lola loved taking on the role of important characters in history, or going on adventures with handsome time-traveling scientists. It was the thing that allowed her to truly let loose and be herself! When Dream World Online was first announced, she hadn¡¯t been very interested it. It looked too big and too complicated to be any real fun. How would she even know what to do with a game like that? She only started playing because one of her girlfriends talked her into it¡­ incessantly so. Now¡­ ¡°Eat this!¡± she dropped the heavy blade on the head of the [Bristle Boar] just in time, catching it as it attempted to dodge. [Heavy Strike] -105 This little level 3 piggy was the first monster Tanya had encountered with a Defense attribute. The boar¡¯s tough bristles were like an armored coating, weakening the damage of all her attacks. Luckily, she favored the heavy two-handed greatswords, which had a high base damage value. It was a perfect match-up for her skillset, unlike the nimble [Sand Lizard] which had caused her no shortage of troubles. Dream World Online had completely enamored her over the past week, leaving Lola stunned and speechless. Infinite possibilities, unlimited freedom¡­ It was like a virtual drama that never ended and she, Tanya the Berserker, was going to be the star of it all! This right here would be her training montage! One day, it would all be a jazzy, well-choreographed memory when she ruled this world! ¡°Excuse me!¡± a somewhat dry voice called to Tanya, who had just finished dispatching the [Bristle Boar]. She turned her head. This was? H-handsome! A wild [Handsome Guy] had appeared! Tanya only felt momentarily uncomfortable with her character¡¯s sturdy physique and amazon-style way of dressing before she remembered what kind of character she was playing! That¡¯s right, she had to stay true to herself. Tanya confidently hoisted the heavy sword onto her shoulder and took up a smug pose. This guy probably just customized his character model to be a pretty-boy, anyway. This passerby stood quite a bit shorter than her, and was dressed like a stereotypical RPG adventurerwith a poncho and a monochrome color palette. If he had gone any darker with it the outfit might have come off as childish, but somehow he gave off a mature, slightly sinister aura. He was even carrying a battered-looking [Fine Iron Spear]. Was it possible to customize your weapons and make them look tattered like that? Tanya would have to look into it later, as that would really match her character design! ¡°What¡¯s this? A fellow adventurer? Why are you bothering me?¡± she called out in what she thought was a ¡®confident-sounding¡¯ voice. ¡°Sorry about this,¡± the guy said, as if what he was about say was going to be embarrassing. Was this guy about to flirt with her? Tanya actually felt her ego rising a bit from this. Even if he wasn¡¯t a good-looking guy in real life, it was still a nice feeling. Just as long as it didn¡¯t happen so often that it got in the way of her game playing¡­ ¡°I have a quest I need to do, and for that I have to be a bad guy,¡± he smiled calmly, but why did Tanya suddenly feel so uncomfortable? ¡°Please think of this as a lesson in PvP,¡± the man casually armed his spear and struck out. Tanya thankfully hadn¡¯t dropped her guard all this time. She had conquered the hell-like [Big Bee] and suffered for two straight days against the nightmare that was the [Sand Lizard]. She could even take down a level 3 monster by herself! This puny-ass spear attack was nothing to her! Shifting her weight, Tanya prepared to move out of the way and swing her sword to pulverize this jerk. Just as the spear was about to reach her, Tanya kicked off the rocky terrain and leapt to the left, brandishing her weapon. -203 Her body was suddenly stopped dead in its tracks, and her HP bar depleted by nearly the entire amount. She only had 230 HP in total! The spear attack had been like a brick wall in her way, and totally knocked the wind out of her. She thought she had dodged the attack, what¡­ what had happened? You have attacked a Good Aligned Player! Alignment: Evil +25... Theo could only smile regretfully as he watched the shockedlook take shape on the woman¡¯s face. He had been surprised the first time he experienced this phenomenon too, but that had been a long time ago. He could imagine exactly what was going through her head. A slow, direct appraoch, with clear openings to dodge into! If a new player saw his attack, this is what they would think. Yet, they would end up being hit no matter how precisely timed their dodge was. In proper combat, this maneuver was called a feint, and it had been a tactic in fights long before weapons and martial arts were even a thing. In the world of Dream World Online, however, this move had a very different name. Action cancel! Action cancel¡­ the act of prematurely ending a character''s animation by interupting it with another action. It was a basic technique that anyone in this game would need to learn if they wanted to fight against other players. Some high-level NPCs could even fight with nasty tricks like this! When that puny-looking spear attack was about to hit, and the player had already used their chance to dodge, all Theo had to do was cancel his attack early and switch to one that would connect. This sounded fairly simple, but was quite difficult to pick up and use in practice. Dream World Online registered a user¡¯s mental inputs in order and put them into a queue. There was a delay between when you wanted to swing your sword and when it actually swung! In order to cancel a strike early, the player had to be planning on canceling the strike from the beginning, since the attack would be too far along in the animation if they waited. Well, canceling late could be like a feint within a feint, so it wasn''t totally useless. The player also had to decide where to aim their second attack before their target dodged, meaning they had to properly predict the chosen path, time taken, and distance moved. In this case, it was easy to tell where the woman was going. She had a big sword on her right shoulder, so she was almost certainly right handed. Unless she had the sense to move closer her target first, which was unlikely for a newbie, she would dodge to the left to give herself room to actually swing her weapon.If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. As for the effect that stopped Tanya¡¯s counterattack, this was known as an ¡®interrupt¡¯ in the game lingo. When you were hit with an attack in Dream World Online the system would register a tiny shock at the point of impact, to make sure you felt it. There wouldn¡¯t be any pain involved, but a bunch of calculations would process in the background. Depending on your attributes and the power of the attack, a strong enough blow would clear out your action queue and stun you for a very brief period. This was especially useful against spellcasters, who had to charge up their fire balls and lightning bolts ahead of time before they could be used. One good hit against those Intelligence-only types and you could easily stop them dead in their tracks. Very few monsters were susceptible to this effect, especially the bosses, because they had an ability called [Hyper Armor] that would ignore interrupts. Players could also get this power through certain skills and items, but it was beyond rare at this point in the game. Higher levels of play would become a game of feints, dodges, blocks, and parries. Like high-speed chess, you had to be a step ahead of your opponent at all times or you would fall into their rhythm and eventually take a hit. If you suffered an interrupt, you were usually as good as dead.This was player vs player combat in Dream World Online! ¡°With the early gear, I¡¯m guessing it¡¯ll take her about three minutes to heal to full¡­¡± Theo thought to himself. Tanya quickly righted herself. She wasn¡¯t stupid. This guy did 200+ damage in a single hit, and had weird attacks that could ignore her dodge! He wasn¡¯t a player, he was a high-level NPC! She completely ignored the terms like quest and PvP that he had used earlier, choosing to refute reality instead. There was nobody this strong that existed in the current player base yet... he clearly wasn¡¯t human! In Dream World Online, you couldn¡¯t see another player¡¯s name and level unless you used the [Perception] skill on them. Even then, if your proficiency wasn¡¯t high enough, and the target was a much higher level than you, it wouldn¡¯t work. As a level 9 player, only someone who power-grinded their [Perception] this whole time would be able forcefully inspect him. Retreat! Tanya immediately ran away. Unfortunately for the woman, Theo¡¯s strength was 85 after his level up. His movement speed was faster than hers. It wasn¡¯t immediately noticeable, but it would still be impossible for her to escape by running. Theo leisurely followed after her, keeping her just within range of his attacks. After her HP recovered to a certain point. [Lunge] -198 He attacked her again. You have attacked a Good Aligned Player! Alignment: Evil +25¡­ Another interrupt! She stopped dead in her tracks and Theo quickly circled around in front of her. Poor thing, she was actually shaking. ¡°If you promise to sit still and let me attack you, I¡¯ll let you live,¡± Theo blatantly threatened her. Getting killed by a player wouldn¡¯t cause you to lose experience until you were level 10 or above. The penalty was unaffected for deaths by monsters, though. Still, a threat was a threat even if there wasn¡¯t any downside to it. Who wanted to be killed by someone else, after all? ¡°You¡­ you¡¯re sick!¡± Tanya yelled at the guy. Theo wanted to sigh. It wasn¡¯t like he did this kind of thing for fun! Players with the ¡°Good¡± alignment couldn¡¯t become Slave Masters. Simple as that. You had to first drop to the ¡°Neutral¡± alignment at least, which required you to accumulate ¡°Evil¡± points. There were any number of ways to get these points, but one of the quickest was trying to kill other players. Everyone started out with the Good alignment in this game, and so were treated as sane, upstanding citizens. If you attacked a Good or Neutral player or NPC, however, it would give you Evil points. Attacking Evil players actually gave you Good points, though. Accumulating Evil points was a slow process, but earn enough and you¡¯d drop to the Neutral alignment. Certain NPCs started to treat you differently, as if you had a ¡°rough-guy¡± air about you. Keep going after that, and you¡¯d drop to the Evil alignment. There weren¡¯t any real benefits of doing this, as most NPCs were Good and would attack you or run from you on sight. Some secrets would unlock for Evil players, but they were hard to find and few Evil NPCs would consider the distinction. After all, Evil entities didn¡¯t care if you were a good guy or bad guy when they stabbed you in the back¡­Theo frowned. He¡¯d brought up a bad memory. Tanya swung her blade at the creepy handsome guy, ¡°Just die already! Scum!¡± Unfortunately, the guy was even more slippery than a [Sand Lizard]. No matter how many times Tanya tried to hit him, her attacks always missed by just a tiny bit. It was absolutely infuriating. She hardlynoticed the passing of time before¡­ -205 You have attacked a Good Aligned Player! Alignment: Evil +25¡­ He attacked her again! It didn¡¯t hurt a bit, but it was really embarrassing. If it was possible, her face would have been flushed red in anger! This is abuse! This is harassment! Call the cops! ¡°You¡­ you¡­¡± An hour! Tanya had been trapped and toyed with by this terrifying guy for an entire hour already! While you normally couldn¡¯t leave the game while facing a monster, there was no such restriction for regular PvP combat. In order to prevent harassment situations, much like this, the players could just log out in the middle of a fight. It was Tanya¡¯s pride that hadn¡¯t allowed her to just escape in this situation. She might have to put up with this kind of treatment at work, but this was a game world for crying out loud! You have attacked a Good Aligned Player! Alignment: Evil +25¡­ For shame, adventurer! You have taken steps on the path of the evildoer, and your alignment has fallen as a result! Do good deeds to recover your fallen prestige. New Alignment: Neutral. ¡°Finally!¡± Theo actually said it out loud, letting loose a pent-up sigh. This young lady had actually been a huge help to him by refusing to logout all this time. He thought he was going to have to spend half the day chasing down stray players outside the city walls and smacking them around a bit. It would have been a real hassle to do something like that, especially if they ran away. Player Theo has requested to trade with you. Tanya¡¯s eyes went wide when she heard this system message, and she almost swung her huge sword at the man in frustration. After failing to even once get the upper hand on him in the past hour, she had all but given up. That face would haunt her dreams! He may have looked handsome on the outside, but in truth he was a demon! That pleasant smile on his lips¡­ staring with sharp eyes while he attacked her¡­ waiting for her to recover and then¡­ Player Theo has requested to trade with you. ¡°So you really are a player¡­¡± Tanya let out an hour¡¯s worth of pent-up stress as she sat on a nearby rock, finally accepting the trade request. Judging by the man¡¯s insistence to leave her alive, this was something Tanya had long since come to accept, only¡­ it made her feel even more dirty in her heart. ¡°Yup,¡± the man named Theo said casually. ¡°Wha- what is this!¡± Tanya shouted when she saw what the man had placed in the trade window. ¡°Consider it compensation for letting me wail on you,¡± he said matter-of-factly. 200 [Lesser Earth Essence]! That was enough to fill two slots of her inventory! She only had a few dozen assorted essences by now, since she had to split them with other players helping her fight the monsters, and zero rare drops! How many monsters had this guy killed already? Had he been fighting by himself this entire time? Of course, if Tanya knew that Theo was carrying around elite and boss monster equipment on his person, she would probably vomit blood in rage. The 200 [Lesser Earth Essence] were mostly dropped from the hordes of snakes he killed, and were taking up valuable space in his inventory! He had beaten her up and now he was basically using her like a trash can. Ignorance really was bliss. After seeing the huge fortune that had fallen in her lap, Tanya thought the guy looked a little handsome again. That demonic face suddenly had a charming countenance to it¡­ like an evil prince! Player Tanya has sent you a friend request! Congratulations! ¡°You¡­ um, that is,¡± she was fumbling over her words, ¡°if you need to do this again¡­ you can call me¡­¡± No! Stupid! That wasn¡¯t what she meant. He was¡­ this guy was strong¡­ and he was rich¡­ an alliance! Yes, she wanted to form an alliance. This had nothing to do with being beaten up, it was about the loot! The levels! Theo¡¯s jaw almost dropped. What was this woman saying!? Was this the reason she didn¡¯t log out? She enjoyed getting beaten up? This was definitely someone he should stay away from, but... You have accepted Player Tanya¡¯s friend request! Pity and guilt had won out in the end. Theo just couldn¡¯t reject the woman when she was giving him a face like that. He might have felt a little bad at costing her an hour of her time, too, but he''d already apologized for that. At the moment, he had important things to take care of, and he didn¡¯t want to talk to this weirdo anymore. He had to reach Oasis before that martial arts nerd, Bai, logged on and challenged him to a duel! Theo turned and left with quick strides. Tanya trembled slightly with relief as the image of the man¡¯s back was burned into her memory. There was an uncomfortable feeling forming in the pit of her stomach. After a few seconds... ¡°No!¡± she shouted internally, ¡°It¡¯s all about the loot! I¡¯ll wring that creep dry, I¡¯ll take him for everything he¡¯s got! Hmph!¡± Chapter Ten: The Duel Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Ten: The Duel
[Steel-Edged Partizan] - Crafted by a junior smith at the Oasis branch of the Iron to Iron Smithing Guild, the majority of this simple spear is iron, but it has been improved with a sharp steel edge for cutting. Its inferior craftsmanship makes it more fragile than similar fare. Rank: Lesser; Durability: 70/70 Damage: 19~44 ¡°Ah, I can see the description now,¡± Theo said as he inspected his new weapon. His Perception skill rose in proficiency to level 2 after his search for the Withered Ash Hollow, and with his level, it allowed him to automatically appraise some basic weapons. Come to think of it, his old [Fine Iron Spear] had a description the last time he checked it, didn¡¯t it? Originally, a new weapon hadn¡¯t been in Theo¡¯s budget, and he was just going to get a quick repair. It was a surprise when he brought the nearly broken weapon to the apprentice blacksmith. ¡°This spear¡­ you managed to wear it down to such a degree? How could you possibly take such poor care of your weapons? Huh, that¡¯s odd. This sheen¡­¡± A strange dialogue had appeared. This guy was just an apprentice, but had the gall to lecture the War God of all people? Theo had actually taken up the smithing profession in his previous life, although he only did it in order to learn the rare skill, [Cloud Crafting Hammer Forms], for his archetype quest. Even if he had ulterior motives, however, Theo still managed to reach the rank of Grandmaster! There was a dangerous gleam in Theo¡¯s eyes that said, ¡°I dare you to try gouging the price you foolish little mortal!¡± ¡°Your weapon has bathed in the blood of a powerful, venomous beast¡­ and this scent¡­¡± the craftsman turned to Theo with wide eyes, ¡°Tell me, young adventurer, did you slay a great snake with this weapon!?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ so that¡¯s what it was¡­¡± it didn¡¯t take Theo long to put two and two together, and he rapidly flipped his ¡®in-character¡¯ switch. ¡°What¡¯s it to you?¡± Theo snapped, playing to his newfound Neutral alignment. As if caught off guard, the smith instinctively tightened his fingers around the haft of the [Fine Iron Spear]. Clearly, it had already become something he needed to obtain. It really made one sigh in awe at the realism of the NPCs. ¡°That, that is¡­¡± the man stuttered. Theo didn¡¯t let up, ¡°If you won¡¯t repair it, I¡¯ll just go somewhere else!¡± He moved to retrieve the weapon. Although he was technically a businessman himself, how could the apprentice smith possibly stand toe-to-toe with a man who once sat at the table of the Merchant Prince himself? He pulled the spear back and did the one thing a salesman should never do¡­ he showed a weakness. ¡°W-wait!¡± he gulped. Theo suppressed the smile that tried to creep across his face. ¡°So you¡¯re going to rob me, is that it?¡± [Beginner Persuasion] was used successfully! Junior Smith Bryan¡¯s fear of Player Theo increases! The smith desperately shook his head, as if he were trying to clear his name in front of a judge, ¡°It¡¯s not that at all, brave adventurer! I simply have a great need for this iron which has soaked in the blood of a great snake!¡± he spouted rapidly. ¡°If it¡¯s so valuable, then why would I simply give it away? I¡¯m losing my patience, smith¡­¡± Theo scolded. Once again, the man shook his bald, sweaty head. ¡°That isn¡¯t the case, sir, it is something I needed for a project, but to others this is simply a worn old weapon!¡± So it was the ¡®I¡¯m the only one you can give this to,¡¯ approach, was it? Theo opened his mouth to retort before promptly shutting it again. He was so caught up in haggling that he¡¯d lost track of the scenario. That¡¯s right, this wasn¡¯t a price negotiation, it was a quest reward. ¡°Old habits die hard¡­¡± Theo thought to himself, actually somewhat embarrassed. ¡°Well I can¡¯t just leave here without a weapon, can I?¡± Theo lazily dropped the bait and waited for the fish to bite. ¡°I¡­ I have a few products here which I completed earlier,¡± said the smith, ¡°but to trade my better work for an incomplete ingredient is¡­¡± And that was how Theo received the Lesser-tier weapon he was currently inspecting. He had no clue there was a ¡°Pity Quest¡± to be found here. Pity Quests weren¡¯t really quests at all, but scenarios like this. They usually appeared in conversations with vital NPCs, and were there to force equipment upgrades or skill training on players the game deemed to be lagging too far behind. For instance, a sad sack who was still using the beginner weapon even after killing the local Cave Boss. How could the system possibly know that there was a terrifying player from the future who could accomplish this feat on only the fifth day of the release? ¡°Well, an upgrade is an upgrade,¡± Theo said, adjusting himself to the weight of the new weapon. After taking care of his equipment issues, Theo went on to deposit the bulk of his loot in the city¡¯s bank. This was one of the places he had visited in the tutorial quest and gained a storage account for safely leaving his items. His basic account would have 100 slots, which was twice the amount he could store in his Inventory. He could even transfer the items to banks in other cities if he wanted, though the bank would charge a fee depending on the bulk and distance of the order. ¡°Again with the money grubbing devs¡­¡± A player could also buy the space to store more items, with 200, 500, 1000, or even 10,000 slot accounts available, but this was pointless for Theo who planned on selling everything he found anyway. Besides, he could earn bank upgrades by doing quests for the Adventuring Guild once he reached a higher level. The only reason he was using this storage account now was because the current community simply didn¡¯t have the funds necessary to buy his goods. A patient man will eat ripe fruits! Theo was just finishing up his various chores when¡­ Player Huang Rong has sent you a friend request. Congratulations! ¡°Huang Rong? What is that? I don¡¯t even know with this guy¡­¡± Theo muttered to himself as he accepted the request. A moment later, he received a message in his interface¡¯s ¡®inbox.¡¯ As opposed to NPCs, players could communicate with one another regardless of the distance. At the moment, Bai, who went by the name Huang Rong in game, was in White Wall, a starting city on a completely different continent. That was the eastern-themed city wasn¡¯t it? Of course he would choose to start there, that martial arts nerd¡­ He probably fits right in. Wait, wasn¡¯t that where you could get the Martial Artist hidden class? Maybe Theo could use that information to his advantage later... Huang Rong: Ha! So you actually had the courage to show up? ¡°What do you mean, courage? It¡¯s not like I¡¯m at any real risk of getting hurt¡­¡± Theo had to habitually stifle himself around this person. Theo: White Wall? Could you have possibly picked a more stereotypical city? Kung-fu nerd¡­ Huang Rong: I don¡¯t do kung-fu! Theo: I bet your character name is a reference to something, isn¡¯t it? Huang Rong: Ha! Like you would know? Skinny white boy! ;3 Theo: Isn¡¯t that a bit racist? Huang Rong: My apologies, I didn¡¯t know skinny was a race. Lolol Theo actually let out a chuckle. This guy was really a lot different than he originally thought. He actually cut the image of a half-decent gamer like this.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. Theo: Do you know how to use the arena building? Huang Rong: The what? ¡°Nevermind¡­¡± Theo said with a sigh. The Arena was a building that could be found in every major city the world of Orpheum had to offer, and allowed players to engage in safe and sporting interpersonal bloodshed. It was a good place to polish your skills, settle arguments, or just let off some steam by stomping on newbies. Later on there would be all kinds of tournaments and events taking place there, but at the moment it was more of a ghost town. Theo patiently explained to Bai the various functions of the structure on his way to the Oasis Arena. While there were far too many modes and rules available to easily list them all, he could at least cover the most popular options: Random Battle and Challenger Only. Random Battle would put you into a queue with other players of a similar level and then match you with a random opponent. Both players would be teleported to an area that existed in a separate space, regardless of what city they were in, and they would fight to death. There were no penalties for losing an Arena battle, aside from recording a loss on your match record. Challenger Only was the other favorite option. It would create a public room for the player to accept challengers, and anyone could enter the room and fight the creator in a 1 on 1 match. The rules were the same as Random Battle, but these matches wouldn¡¯t affect your win/loss ratio. The room could also be locked with a password if you only wanted specific players to accept the challenge or spectate. Theo: I¡¯ll create a room and you can accept the challenge. Huang Rong: You think you¡¯re worthy enough to warrant my challenge? ¡°You little¡­ You were the one who challenged me in the first place!¡± Theo screamed internally. Theo: I¡¯ll be looking forward to the expression on your face when you eat those words. Huang Rong: If you can reach me before your head hits the ground! After fiddling with the Arena menus, Theo opened a Challenger Only room and quickly locked it with a password. There were only a couple dozen rooms at the moment, and these PvP starved freaks wouldn¡¯t hesitate to jump in and take a swing at him given the chance. Theo was promptly absorbed in a bright light and transported to a large open area. It was about 50 meters in diameter, and perfectly round in shape. A small wooden fence adorned with skulls, fangs, claws, and other fetishes divided the fighting area from the spectator area. The ¡®stands¡¯ were little more than a slope of dirt that rose in height the further away from the ring you got, and which ended in a patchwork of beast leathers that served as a wall. This map was known as the Ring of Blood, and was actually the Arena designed for the Beastman City of Ga¡¯Yarl. Theo was here because he had selected the random location option for this room. He did it for nostalgia¡¯s sake, more than anything. Theo: The password is ¡®baiisanerd¡¯ Huang Rong: ¡­ Player Huang Rong has accepted your challenge! With a flash of light, a figure appeared on the other end of the Ring of Blood. Huang Rong was still just as short as Bai had been, a human by the looks of it, but Theo¡¯s mental image of the character was completely crushed the moment the glow of the transportation faded. Sweat and dirt-stained clothing, seemingly stitched together from old vegetable sacks, completely engulfed the small man¡¯s body. His hair was long and black, but far from neat. Ragged strands scattered in every direction and interlocked to form nasty tangles just shy of dreadlocks. Bits of straw even stuck out at odd ends. With a head like a bird¡¯s nest and a body covered in soiled rags¡­ even beggars would think this guy was going overboard. ¡°Is this how everyone dresses in White Wall?¡± Theo asked as he removed the [Steel-Edged Partizan] from his inventory. Challenger Only room #00001495: Owner Theo vs. Challenger Huang Rong. Countdown: 30¡­ 29¡­ 28... ¡°The words are a waste on you!¡± Huang Rong called in his distinctive accent, revealing his weapon. If Theo wasn¡¯t taking this seriously, he might have laughed, but his eyes only narrowed instead. It was a staff. This guy actually showed up with the worst combat weapon in the game. Well, that was a bit of a misconception. Any weapon could be powerful, and the [Fine Iron Staff] that Huang Rong was using wasn¡¯t particularly awful compared to its brothers like the [Fine Iron Spear]. The thing was, staves were typically used by spellcasters. The staff was a weapon which sacrificed damage for versatility, and usually came with a higher chance for special abilities and rune points. Using your hard-won experience points to raise [Beginner Staff Proficiency] would only lead to regret at higher levels when you failed to find any decent weapons. Damage-focused combat staves did exist in the game, of course, but they were exceedingly rare. 21¡­ 20¡­ 19¡­ ¡°You chose the spear,¡± the beggar-like man shouted over the distance, ¡°a weapon for the expert and also the peasant, I wonder, which is you?¡± 13¡­ 12... Theo sighed, feeling as if he would never win in a verbal spar against this guy, ¡°You¡¯re one to talk, you have a stick!¡± ¡°You can notice too!¡± Huang Rong taunted smugly, ¡°this is the stick for beating dogs, but for you it will do fine!¡± Beating dogs? Was that a hobby of his? First the girl in the desert and now this¡­ why was Theo meeting so many weirdos today? No, wait... 3¡­ 2... ¡°Did he just call me a dog!?¡± Ding! Ding! Combat begin! The minute the bell sounded Theo¡¯s aura immediately changed. His features turned cold and grim, revealing nothing but a stoic resolve and a calculating stare. It was different from the glee he felt while farming monsters, because he considered every Arena match one which required 100% of his concentration, no matter how helpless the opponent was. ¡°Fast¡­ he must have put most of his points in strength and agility¡­ figures... what is he, level 5? 6?¡± Theo had plenty of time to analyze Huang Rong¡¯s approach as he waited patiently with the [Steel-Edged Partizan] at the ready. In a melee confrontation, the polearm would almost always command a superior reach. An experienced player knew how to use this to his advantage, but a master would be able to control everything within the range of his weapon. If you couldn¡¯t escape this control, then you might as well just roll over and die. As such, the moment an opponent tried to cross into this range and close the distance would be the deciding factor between a victory and a loss. The 50 meters between the combatants was closed in short order, and the wild-looking Huang Rong didn¡¯t waste a single movement as he charged in. Of course, Theo¡¯s years of experience weren¡¯t to be underestimated, and his attack struck out with terrifying precision. The tip of the spear stopped mere centimeters from Huang Rong¡¯s nose as his charge was broken. Borrowing the gathered momentum, Huang Rong¡¯s feet moved in a strange circular motion and his body miraculously slid to the side, expertly recovering his forward momentum. An experienced player like Theo might mistake this movement for the skill [Lateral Shift], but Huang Rong had actually managed to replicate it without any help from the system. However¡­ The spear tip was there to meet him again! This attack speed which defied reason¡­ it was Theo¡¯s action cancel skills at work. Huang Rong was once again forced to redirect his momentum. The word ¡®agile¡¯ couldn¡¯t be used to properly express his movements, as his feet slid across the dusty field like they were skating on ice. Huang Rong¡¯s upper body swayed gently, trying to confuse Theo¡¯s senses as the [Fine Iron Staff] hovered threateningly in his blind spot like a tiger waiting to pounce. ¡°He controls the character well, really well! It¡¯s not something an inexperienced player could do¡­¡± Theo couldn¡¯t help but be slightly impressed as he watched his foe¡¯s performance, ¡°but if this is all...¡± ¡°I wonder about this, how long can you keep up?¡± Huang Rong said, his face shrouded by a mass of hair while he twisted and dodged to close the distance. Theo could only smirk. Although they were conversing casually, a flurry of spear blows were flying out one after the other, refusing to give up even an inch of ground. ¡°On a good day?¡± Theo asked jokingly. Huang Rong chuckled, but his growing frustration was clear. Theo had barely moved a step since the fight started, relying solely on the superior reach to keep him at bay. It was because Huang Rong couldn¡¯t apply any real pressure at this distance, and he also couldn¡¯t risk taking a hit. If an interrupt occurred, it would mean instant death for the raggedly dressed fighter. On the other hand, Theo was more impressed that Huang Rong hadn¡¯t gotten himself skewered yet. Theo really was trying his best to put him in the ground! He could only sigh in appreciation of Huang Rong¡¯s bizarre movement skills. When HP values grew high enough to take multiple hits, Theo wouldn¡¯t be able to use a strategy like this. Players would have all sorts of skills to crack open his iron-clad defense, but at this point in the game, Huang Rong¡¯s avenues of attack were simply too limited. Well, in all honesty, more options would probably benefit Theo more than it would anyone else. ¡°Stupid! Do you want to draw!?¡± Huang Rong had snapped after a number of minutes had passed. The exasperation on his face was clear as day, or at least it would be if Theo could actually see his face. This kind of fight was easily the most frustrating for a hot-blooded guy like Huang Rong, but he couldn¡¯t really say anything about since it worked. In this case, a draw would be more embarrassing than a loss! These matches naturally had time limits, and if neither party was defeated before the clock was up, the victor would be decided by a scoring system based on things like damage dealt, damage taken, hits landed and healing received. It was almost impossible for it to result in a draw, but in the event that neither side had dealt or taken any damage¡­ the whole fight would be null and void! Theo grinned. ¡°You can stand still for a moment if you really want to lose!¡± he said. ¡°And get mistook for you? Big pointy rock? No way!¡± Huang Rong barked. Ding! This match will end in 30 seconds. ¡°Probably time to end this¡­¡± Theo thought to himself. Crack! THWIP! -54. Knockback! The spear struck out like a tightly coiled serpent, seamlessly flowing into a wide, sweeping arc. It was Theo¡¯s beloved [Fend] skill. ¡°Th-that!¡± How could Huang Rong possibly know about a skill that was only unlocked by polearm users that reached Lesser skill proficiency? It wasn¡¯t yet revealed that more skills could be unlocked in this way. The small man¡¯s body was helplessly wrapped up in the attack and tossed aside, but he actually managed to regain his footing in only a couple of steps. Considering the surprise factor of the entire exchange, Huang Rong¡¯s recovery time was impressive, but¡­ [Lunge] Combo x2! -272 Huang Rong¡¯s health bar dropped to 0 in an instant. Even without the damage from [Fend] it was still a one-hit knockout! Owner Theo has vanquished Challenger Huang Rong! Match over! Theo planted his spear in the dirt. Of course, he could have done this at any time during the length of the fight, but how else was he going to convince this martial arts nerd that he was out of his league without a thorough beating? Huang Rong: You have two active skills?!? And that damage number! (¨s¡ã¡õ¡ã£©¨s¦à ©ß©¥©ß Is it a rune???? That weapon maybe????? Theo sighed thankfully. At least there wasn¡¯t another challenge coming out of this guy¡¯s mouth... though the choice of words seemed a bit off. Theo: Secret! Huang Rong: Rick!!! >.< So stingy! Tell me!!! Theo: Who is Rick? Did you already forget the stakes of our bet? Huang Rong: ¡­Please? Theo: ... Huang Rong: Big Bro. Theo: I¡¯m still not calling you sensei. Huang Rong: !!! Chapter Eleven: Old Man Snake Eyes Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Eleven: Old Man Snake Eyes
Aside from a short streak of petulance over his injured pride, Huang Rong didn¡¯t really have any complaints about the outcome of the match. If Theo had relied purely on his raw statistical advantage, he could have easily destroyed the lower leveled opponent, but that would have most likely left behind some doubts and bitter feelings in the man¡¯s mind. Only after really seeing Theo¡¯s skills would someone like the martial arts nerd be satisfied. Huang Rong: Then I will see you in the morning, Theo big bro. 4:00am! Don¡¯t be late! After promising to tell Huang Rong all of his secrets at the gym later, and explaining that he had something very important to do, Theo finally managed to get the overly insistent guy off his back. He was surprisingly chatty and energetic for someone who looked so quiet, and didn¡¯t take any time at all to warm up to the concept of becoming fast friends with the guy he had just threatened to decapitate. Theo didn¡¯t really understand the way Huang Rong¡¯s brain worked, but there was nothing wrong with having a contact in another city... just as long as he didn¡¯t have to share his loot or experience. Theo: I¡¯ll be there. With that, Theo silenced his message alerts. He didn¡¯t need the strange woman from the desert bothering him either. Theo was Level 9, and he could easily take on any of the regular class quests. His original class had been Warrior, a pretty vanilla but powerful class that received a number of skills designed to inflict heavy damage at close range. In terms of sustained, raw damage, there wasn¡¯t anything that could win out over his old choice. It had made a perfect match with the War God archetype he acquired later. If it weren¡¯t for his current circumstances, Theo wouldn¡¯t hesitate to pick it all over again. As it was, he was determinedto follow a different path. Starting in Oasis, choosing the human race, grinding up his persuasion skill¡­ even his early kill of the [Desert Serpent King] and [Desert Serpent Queen]... all of it had been to gain the cursed class! Oasis was as lively as it had been at noon, but an air of revelry had replaced the hustle and buslte. Braziers set atop the high buildings had burstinto flame, like hundreds of twinkling stars, and the people belowgathered enmasse around every restaraunt and cantina in the open square.The smells of grilled meat and flowing wine filled the streets, and people laughed and shouted uproariously at thetroupes of traveling performers whosang anddancedonramshackle stages. It was a scene brought to life by those who risked their lives in the harsh deserts, with big hearts and even bigger pockets,but a city with high walls would always cast long shadows.The back alleys and gutters of the desert jewel were anything but dusty and forgotten, and the place crawled with all manner of unsavory customers. Theo pulled up the hood on his poncho, covering his distinctive features. Only an unsuspecting target would willingly go around showing their face in a place like this. Without the [Stealth] skill, Theo¡¯s footsteps were heavy on the stone streets. Although his size couldn¡¯t serve as much of a deterrent on the crowded streets, it was the gleaming spear on his back that warned anyone with untoward ideas that this was a wolf with fangs. Several slippery handed orphans wandered by, but upon taking one look at this armed and Neutral-aligned player, they quickly forgot any plans they might have to pick his pocket. Theo didn¡¯t stop until he arrived at a long, low building sandwiched between the ground floors of two tall residential structures. The outside was heavily decorated, almost nauseatingly so, with garish colors and scattered posters. Half of them had been torn down or pasted over, and a few even had flecks of blood scattered across their fronts. If Theo had taken the time to read through them all, he would find they possessed all the charm and eloquence of a men¡¯s public restroom. Beneath a sun-beaten saffron awning, a crowd of rowdy citizens were gathered in front of a pair of heavy wooden doors. The glossy brass studs that adorned the outside seemed to transform the simple entrance into an impressively sturdy bulwark. On either side of the door stood a large, armed man that kept the crowds at bay with their intimidation factor alone. The one on the right was tall and muscular, with a barrel chest that threatened to erupt from his tunic. He had piercing yellow eyes with a prominent brow and a broad, flat nose. His hair was a mess of stiff, rust-colored bristles with thick sideburns and furry little tufts at the end of his pointed ears. A half-beastman¡­ a race that players couldn¡¯t pick, and one which certainly didn¡¯t have a pretty origin story. The man on the left was shorter and heavyset, bald, with a golden beard that was braided like a rope and hung down to his rotund gut. It was a massive Dwarf that stood almost as tall as the average human. Both of the men were wearing matching suits of leather armor, and carried large, viciously curved falchions that had obviously seen their fare share of use. Forget about those puny serpent princes, this was what a legitimate bouncer should look like! Unfortunately, Theo couldn¡¯t see their stats with his current [Perception] skill, but he assumed they were somewhere around level 50. If he tried to cause any trouble in this place, his only option would be to run away. He simply couldn¡¯t land a blow on these guys with his current skills. Without bothering to give the bouncers another look, Theo muscled his way through the crowd and pressed a hand against the door. The two guards narrowed their eyes as he approached, with the half-beastman nodding at the spear and saying, ¡°Try showing that thing around here, and I¡¯ll have to add it to my collection,¡± his voice was deep, with the subtle undertones of a big cat¡¯s roar. A cold glint flashed in Theo¡¯s eyes, ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯re talking about this charming smile of mine?¡± [Beginner Persuasion] was used successfully! Warrior Kruger¡¯s attitude of Player Theo improves slightly! The beast-like man leaned in a little, hot breath pouring over the twin rows of his sharp teeth, ¡°I wouldn¡¯t mind adding your head to my collection, either¡­ human.¡± ¡°Hmph¡­¡± Theo turned his head with a smirk and pushed open the doors. He could hear the bouncers push aside a few of the shouting men and women who were trying to sneak in behind him. One of NPCs had actually shouted something about being Theo¡¯s older brother. As he tried to cross the threshold of the wooden doors, Theo was suddenly met with a strange resistance, like a thin layer of cellophane. Warning! You are entering a 19+ area: Gambler¡¯s Den. Adult-only activities may take place within. Do you consent? Yes/No? Theo swiped the ¡®yes¡¯ button on the pop-up and continued inside. The inside of the building was everything one would imagine from a proper den of iniquity in a city like Oasis. There were dozens of men and women lounging around on luxuriously colored sofas and cushions, with tendrils of sweet, spicy smoke grappling for any empty space above the floor. The dull thrum of hushed conversation washed against the yards of muslin fabric which hung from every rafter of the vaulted ceiling. What stood out more than anything was the sound of the rolling dice. A circle of well dressed patrons had gathered around an open space in the center of the den. Most of them were clutching onto handfuls of small purple tickets, and calling out to a few scantily clad women who were seamlessly weaving through the crowd. Each of the women was wearing little more than enough to preserve her dignity, and not a single one of them wasn¡¯t a stunning beauty. Ifonly there was more time... Theo could only cough and try to clear his head of the alluring opportunities.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. At the head of the circle sat a high-backed chair not unlike a combination throne and recliner. Seated therein was a thin, almost skeletal man, wearing simple gray robes. His head was bald and his skin was weathered and mottled. Long nails tipped the ends of bony fingers which wrapped around a pointed chin, resting on the bridge of his beak-like nose. The beady black marbles the man called eyes were locked on the circle with rapt attention. Old Man Snake Eyes. Every class in Dream World Online had to be earned from a quest, and that quest would be given by an NPC commonly referred to as a class trainer. Most of the class trainers hung around in obvious, easy to find locations, but a few of them were either difficult to locate or dangerous to approach. These were where hidden classes came from. Just like in the case of the Slave Master, hidden classes were by no means more powerful or effective than the regular classes. After most of the game¡¯s secrets became common knowledge, public opinion decided that they were primarily niche picks for those who wanted to try something different. For the Slave Master class, Old Man Snake Eyes was the class trainer. A Slave Master himself, he was a devious old goat that lied, cheated, and manipulated to keep himself near the top of the massive criminal syndicate, Castle. His slaves were numerous and well trained, and his infiltrators could very well be your most trusted subordinate, at least if the rumors were to be believed. With this kind of mentor, one could easily imagine how the Slave Master¡¯s got such a bad rap, not that they needed any help in this regard. ¡°The first step of the class quest¡­¡± Theo had already sold off all of his junk loot, that was anything the players wouldn¡¯t buy, to a pawn shop for a few extra coins. Combined with the money he started the game with, it was barely enough to afford a bowl of meat stew and a loaf of bread. In order to initiate this quest, Theo would have to win a certain amount on the games here in the Gambler¡¯s Den. The first guy who discovered this quest was a total gambling addict who spent almost every penny he made here. He was a man who truly lived for the dice! If one was pondering the ramifications of letting 19-year-olds gamble, they need not worry. The bets were taken and paid in the form of tickets, which could only be exchanged at the Gambler¡¯s Den. What¡¯s more, all of the available items would automatically bind to your character. Once you bought the tickets, your money was gone. It was like a prize counter at a video arcade! The developers were the only real winners here. Theo approached one of the scantily clad women, who seemed to win out against the various smokers with her rich, perfumed scent. This was definitely a tactic to attract your attention and get you to spend more, and it seemed to work even on the NPCs. The game-obsessed Theo on the other hand spared no time to ogle the woman¡¯s various assets, as he was completely absorbed in his quest. The woman didn¡¯t seem to care, as he didn¡¯t look too much different from those hazy-eyed gamblers. ¡°I think it was¡­ five hundred tickets?¡± Theo muttered, looking at the measly two tickets he¡¯d received from his his current life savings. Of course, Theo wasn¡¯t going to waste time and money on a game of random chance. This wasn¡¯t the real world after all, it was a virtual one. With the help of the system, anything was possible. He reached into his inventory and retrieved a small round pellet, sneakily swallowing it whole. You have consumed [Serpent King¡¯s Left Eyestone]. Ingredient effect discovered! You have contracted a curse! Visit a holy man to have this foul magic dispelled! [Midas fasciitis - Curse]: Charisma reduced by 50%, HP will not recover while the player has any amount of currency in their wallet or bank. Luck +777 when attempting games of chance. Games that are partially determined by skill, or that are under the cursed player¡¯s control, will not be affected. Curses were, in the most simplistic terms, magical diseases. They would have debilitating effects that crippled your stats and continued to haunt you even after death. There were only two ways to remove a curse, with the primary way being holy magic. The Expert-tier [Remove Curse] spell could be learned about the time a player reached level 70, so curses were pretty much unheard of at this point in the game. If you were unlucky enough to get one, you¡¯d have to pay a high leveled NPC to cast the spell for you. The other way was to break the curse naturally, with each curse having a specific cure available somewhere in the world. Midas fasciitis, also known as the gambler¡¯s curse, gave its target impossibly good luck but also made them completely unable to enjoy their ill-gotten gains. Those who tried would slowly decay over time, unable to regenerate HP or heal any of their wounds. It wasn¡¯t unnatural for those with this curse to be covered in seeping wounds and festering bruises. In a sense, your greed would literally consume you piece by piece! Thankfully, Theo was well and truly broke at the moment, without a penny to his name. The curse would only have the benefit of letting him cheat free-handedly without anyone the wiser. This was the true purpose of the [Serpent King¡¯s Left Eyestone]. Any player below level 10 who consumed it would be instantly stricken with the Midas fasciitis curse. If that sounded a bit too niche of a use, it¡¯s probably because it was. This item was integral to successfully completing the Slave Master class quest. Theo quickly put his tickets into the betting pool and watched as a short, sweaty man in a white coat deftly rolled a number of six-sided dice around his outstretched fingers. After flashily collecting them and presenting them to the audience for inspection, he placed the dice in a cup at his side and shook vigorously. His movements were clearly played up to incite the crowd¡¯s anticipation. The game itself was beyond simple. The cup was first placed upside down on the floor with the dice still inside. Then, the audience members would place bets on either high, low, or even. The dice were revealed and the face-up numbers were added together and compared to the previous roll. Those who guessed correctly won. For instance, if the previous roll was thirty-two, and the current roll was thirty-three, anyone who guessed ¡®high¡¯ would be a winner. With six dice being used, the possible outcomes ranged anywhere from six to thirty-six, and the payout was determined by the odds you would be right. Hypothetically, if the previous roll was thirty-six, there was a 97% chance for the number to be lower. Obviously, the payout would be minimal if you guessed that. A tall wooden sign off to the side had the low and high payouts for each number clearly listed so no calculating was necessary, but Theo didn¡¯t have to think at all about where to place his bet. Of course, he bet on ¡®even.¡¯ After all, it always paid out at thirty times what you put in. ¡°Even!¡± the short man yelled at the top of his lungs. The crowd booed almost unanimously, with a few men even throwing their drinks on the floor in outrage. Only a nut who loved long shots would bet on even, but in a flash, two tickets had now become sixty. Theo might have felt a rush if he hadn¡¯t already expected this outcome, but how could he possibly lose with his ridiculous 782 Luck pushing the odds in his favor? It was just a shame that the maximum bet you could place was three tickets, or he could have ended this part of the quest in only two rounds. He wasn¡¯t even paying attention to the dice on the floor as he placed his second bet with one of the women who came to bring him his winnings. ¡°Even!¡± the man called after another roll, his eyes flashing in surprise. Again the crowd roared with dissatisfaction, with the poor NPCs having no idea what was about to happen. ¡°E - even!¡± the third time it happened, the man with the cup was shaking. Several of the more inebriated gamblers shouted loudly and called for a change of dice, but were quickly silenced by a single gesture from Old Man Snake Eyes. Anyone who dared to accuse the crime boss of cheating in his own Gambling Den would end up cashing in more than their tickets that evening. Theo couldn¡¯t help but grin, watching as several of the other gamblers started placing bets on even. This time the dice were rolled¡­ ¡°Low! It¡¯s low!¡± a voice ripe with relief filled the room. The game might have been stopped if Theo made it seem too unrealistic, so he spent the remaining rounds placing bets at random, winning regardless of what he happened to pick. It wasn¡¯t until he had accumulated just over five hundred tickets that a heavy hand fell on his shoulder. The force of the massive paw was enough to drop a weaker man to his knees, but Theo only turned his head while several nearby gamblers swiftly distanced themselves. A tiny clearing popped up in a matter of seconds. ¡°Lucky you, big winner,¡± came a low grumble, ¡°seems like you managed to catch the master¡¯s eye.¡± It was the half-beastman warrior, Kruger. Theo snorted and shrugged his shoulder, dislodging the man¡¯s hand. Since this was all part of the quest, he knew that he wasn¡¯t going to get roughed up unless he resisted. That said, Theo still had the pride of a War God. Although he had to go with the guard one way or another, he couldn¡¯t help but take offence at the notion of being man-handled. ¡°And to think... I was just feeling a hot streak coming on,¡± he replied with a sigh, before shaking his head and nodding, ¡°lead the way, Garfield.¡± While Kruger let out a disapproving growl at these words, his AI didn¡¯t actually register it as an insult. He tilted the tree-trunk that served as his neck and motioned with his head to a tall, ornate door behind one of the muslin curtains. It was stained-black with straight, vertical planks and a gleaming silver plaque that read: ¡°Entry Forbidden.¡± ¡°This way, human.¡± Kruger said. Apparently, the word ¡®human¡¯ was enough of a comeback to leave thewarrior satisfied. A quick glance at the dice ring showed that Old Man Snake Eyes was still sitting in his chair, his gaze never once moving from the outcome of the game. It seemed like he hadn¡¯t taken any interest in this situation whatsoever, but Theo knew he was very much aware. Those little black eyes had been watching his every move since the moment he walked through the door. Chapter Twelve: A Pleasant Exchange Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Twelve: A Pleasant Exchange
It had been almost half an hour since Theo was forced into the small room. It was sparsely furnished, but what was there was posh and comfortable. Dim lights showed off a few tasteful, if macabre, pieces of artwork on the walls, and the rug that covered the rough stone floor was soft and refined. Like a classic office scene, a sturdy dark-wood desk sat in front of a pair of tall chairs. On the back wall was a row of bookshelves, seemingly half organized and half cluttered. ¡°Does your boss always keep his guests waiting like this?¡± Theo called as he absentmindedly reclined in his seat. He¡¯d always wanted to ask somebody that. Although he looked like the hot-headed type who would fight at the drop of a dime, Kruger was actually fairly composed. While he didn¡¯t seem to enjoy Theo¡¯s flippant attitude about the situation, his responses were carefully measured. ¡°You don¡¯t seem to understand the gravity of the situation, ad-¡± ¡°Theo, my name is Theo,¡± he interrupted, having grown tired of everyone referring to him as an adventurer. Kruger gave him a look that seemed to say, ¡®and why should I care?¡¯ ¡°A man with nothing to hide has nothing to fear, right?¡± Theo said. Kruger grunted, ¡°Fear keeps a beast sharp.¡± Theo smirked, ¡°And a man wise?¡± he finished. The phrase that brought Theo¡¯s memories rushing back had caused him to speak without thinking, but the reaction from Kruger was far from what he had expected. At the sound of the huge man reaching for his weapon, Theo had already pushed himself out of his seat, and the [Steel-Edged Partizan] was unsheathed and appeared in his hand with a single motion. Even if Theo knew he wasn¡¯t a match for Kruger in a fight at the moment, the NPC¡¯s AI would act as if he was still a threat. NPCs weren¡¯t able to comprehend things like levels and skill proficiencies, after all. A guttural growl rumbled in Kruger¡¯s throat as the falchion was drawn, ¡°Where did you hear those words, human?¡± Theo suddenly found himself in something of a pickle. Humans weren¡¯t able to enter the Beastman city of Ga¡¯Yarl until they completed numerous quests to build up their reputation, so there was no reasonable explanation for why he knew the words of the old hunting dog. Odist One-Claw... he was First Shaman, Hunt-Master, and Great Chief to the United Beastmen Tribes, and these were the words of wisdom he imparted on all Beastmen when they became true warriors of the clans. It really was years ago when Theo had trained there¡­ As much as he would love to reminisce at the moment, he had more pressing concerns. If he got into a fight with this guy right now, it would ruin his attempt at the class quest and he would have to walk all the way back to First Point Cape and farm the [Serpent King¡¯s Left Eyestone] again. He quickly racked his brain, trying to come up with some kind of excuse that would get him out of this situation. Kruger was already trying to sniff out the best way to separate Theo¡¯s head from his neck. A somber note escaped Theo¡¯s lips, ¡°Why does the beast hunt?¡± as he spoke, he dropped his guard, letting the spear head droop to the floor, and continued, ¡°For pride? For love? For family? These are not why the beast hunts. These are why I hunt. For my pride, I hunt for my love. For my love, I hunt for my family. I will never forget the plains of my home. The plains will never forget me. Even though I can no longer hunt like the beast¡­¡± The half-beastman had already lowered his weapon, his pointed ears shaking visibly while a deep pain loomed in his eyes. He was listening without a word, as though lost in a far away place. ¡°I will hunt for what I believe in. For pride. For love. For family,¡± Theo finished. Beastmen were a deeply spiritual people, and their love for poetry was known far and wide. They believed that words were a sacred thing, the very thing that brought them to exist in this world in fact. This was why they used their words sparingly when they spoke, a trait that led many to believe they were slower or less intelligent. In many cases, it couldn¡¯t be further from the truth. Well, putting aside their system bonuses, that is. ¡°That¡­ where did you hear that?¡± Kruger asked, his voice distant. Hook, line, and sinker! Theo let out an internal sigh. A light had appeared at the end of this tunnel. Theo made to wring everything he could out of the tiny scrap of Charisma he had to work with. ¡°When I was young, before I had ever picked up a weapon, my village came under attack by a vicious monster. We were simple folk, farmers and craftsmen, with no way to defend ourselves. It was a wandering hunter, a Beastman, who taught me these words and those of the Chief. It was also that Beastman who first taught me how to use the spear.¡± Theo¡¯s words were sweet like honey, and he felt like he could fool even himself at this rate. Whatever he had to say, he would say it! The class quest came before anything else. What he hadn¡¯t expected to see was the incredibly dangerous guard in front of him trembling faintly. Although his features weren¡¯t easy to read, the urgency in his voice was easy to hear. ¡°That hunter!¡± Kruger¡¯s voice had mixed in shades of hope and emotion, ¡°his name, was his name Galen!?¡± ¡°Eh?¡± Theo almost let his act slip for a moment. Galen was certainly the name of the NPC Theo had quoted, but that character was one he had met on a totally different continent. The wandering hunter who traveled the world seeking worthy prey, the Heroic-tier NPC who would prove to be integral in the final conflict of first content update¡­ what connection could he possibly have to this random back-alley bouncer in Oasis? Theo quickly played up his own suspicion, ¡°Indeed, his name was Galen, why do you ask?¡± Kruger didn¡¯t seem interested in answering Theo¡¯s question, and looked almost as if he was about to draw his weapon again when he shouted, ¡°Where? Where did you see him last!?¡± Hearing this, the crazed-gamer¡¯s sixth-sense for potential quests was going wild. Could this possibly be an undiscovered quest chain? Galen was an NPC that hadn¡¯t even been added to the game yet, and wouldn¡¯t appear until far later. It was impossible to know about his existence at this point in time, so how could bringing up his name trigger a quest? Theo¡¯s mind was filled with questions, but he sadly wouldn¡¯t have the time to ask them. ¡°Kruger? Are you quite finished?¡± a voice like wilting grass called from the door. Old Man Snake Eyes was standing in the open doorway, revealing an impressive stature that had been hidden by his previously drooping posture. His gave off the aura of a king wreathed in shadows as he stepped forward. Although his eyes weren¡¯t focused on any one thing in particular, that uncomfortable feeling of ever present vigilance hadn¡¯t subsided. ¡°M-master, this¡­¡± Kruger stumbled for words. ¡°A bit of posturing between two respectable fighters, I don¡¯t doubt,¡± Snake Eyes said dryly, ¡°I¡¯ll let it pass¡­ this once.¡± Kruger bowed his head and quickly took a step backwards, placing his large frame against the wall as though he wished to become a part of it. Theo, who took a bit longer to read the atmosphere, returned the [Steel-Edged Partizan] to his inventory. He didn¡¯t have to worry about the NPCs noticing its sudden disappearance. Old Man Snake Eyes was flanked by a tall woman with pointed ears, dressed quite modestly for this place in a long, lavender dress. Her rich auburn hair fell to her waist, and a pair of big green eyes that should have radiated vitality scanned the room with a dull light. She followed silently behind the crime lord as he crossed the room. His every motion was measured and stiff, as though worried any slight misstep could be his last. When he sat, he did so slowly and carefully, with the Elf woman helping him into his chair the entire way. ¡°Theo, was it?¡± the man¡¯s thin lips hardly moved, and his tone was nothing but cordial.The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Knowing a power-play would be unwise in this situation, Theo bowed his head slightly as a show of respect, waiting for the old man to wave him into a seat. Kruger quickly stepped forward and righted the chair that had been knocked over in the previous scuffle, and Theo sat down without giving him another look. ¡°I¡¯m sure you know why I¡¯ve asked you here,¡± said Snake Eyes, crossing his hands gently and placing them on the desk. ¡°Cheating, isn¡¯t it?¡± Theo said. Old Man Snake Eyes gave a thin, unnerving smile as he nodded, ¡°We run a business here, I¡¯m sure you know, and a winning streak like yours is¡­¡± he paused to check a scroll of parchment that the Elf was holding, ¡°uncommon.¡± Theo held up his hands, turning them back and forth slowly, ¡°My hands are clean,¡± he said. The smile faded from the old man¡¯s face, ¡°It¡¯s not your hands I¡¯m most concerned with.¡± At this point, Theo already knew what was coming next, but he showed an expression of mock interest. He was playing his part as the impregnable con-man quite well. Old Man Snake Eyes carefully waved his hand, ¡°Bring him in.¡± A moment later, the sweaty man who had been running the dice game was forced into the room. Behind him stood the oversized Dwarf from earlier. The expression on the man¡¯s face was one of shock, confusion, and utter fear. He couldn¡¯t even hide the shaking in his legs as he stepped forward slowly. ¡°B-boss,¡± he sputtered. ¡°Alin,¡± Old Man Snake Eyes stared coldly at the man. ¡°Tell me, this adventurer,¡± he motioned to Theo, ¡°where have you seen him before?¡± Theo couldn¡¯t help but be impressed by the old man¡¯s ability to lead others, carefully gauging the dealer named Alin as he racked his brain trying to recognize this man¡¯s face. Unless he was truly a gifted actor, it was clear from his expression that he had nothing to go on. ¡°I¡¯m s-sorry sir,¡± Alin shook his head, ¡°I¡¯ve never seen this man before in my life.¡± Old Man Snake Eyes nodded, seemingly satisfied, and turned to Theo. The look on his face seemed to be the only prompt he would offer. It was a show of respect for another shrewd businessman, if anything. ¡°I saw him for my first time today,¡± Theo shrugged. Clearly, this was a test to see if the most plausible solution, that is Theo being in cahoots with the one running the game, was true or not. From whatever way one looked at it, that just didn¡¯t seem to be the case, though. ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d mind proving it?¡± Old Man Snake Eyes asked politely. The big Dwarf softly shut the door behind him, taking up a flanking stance on either side of it with his partner, Kruger. Theo sighed internally. This was why it was so important to be of the Neutral alignment when you tried to take on this quest. If you were Good, Old Man Snake Eyes would simply let you go with a warning. It was a little out of character, but even the original Slave Master himself was only a pawn of the system that operated Dream World Online. He couldn¡¯t break his programming or that would interfere with the quest. Theo stood from his chair and turned to face the dice dealer, Alin. The [Steel-Edged Partizan] reappeared in his hand, and he took a step forward. The sweaty man wasn¡¯t so stupid as to not understand what was going on, and he quickly dropped to his knees. His hands were slapped together over his head in an instant, his eyes closed in fear and deference. ¡°Please, good sir, please I beg you. We¡¯ve never met¡­ we¡¯ve never met! Spare this life of mine, I have a wife, sir! I have a wife!¡± Theo¡¯s expression was cold as the reaper. ¡°Any kids?¡± he asked. Alin gulped, but he couldn¡¯t ignore the question, ¡°N-no sir¡­¡± Alin, Bitul, Heath... it didn¡¯t really matter what this NPC¡¯s name was or what his backstory might have been. He was a construct of the system, a plot point in the quest that was meant to test the player¡¯s mentality. He was 1¡¯s and 0¡¯s. The NPC would be replaced immediately, forgotten, as if he never existed. This was what Theo told himself. ¡°Good¡­¡± Theo smiled, and Alin smiled back, ¡°that means less clean up after.¡± Shik! The spear burrowed into the man¡¯s throat, and as if things like HP and Defense didn¡¯t exist, the light faded from his eyes and he dropped to the floor. Like monsters, NPCs¡¯ bodies would hang around for a short period before being deleted from the world. Theo couldn¡¯t see the look on the face of the man behind the desk, but he was certain it was smiling. You have killed a Neutral aligned NPC! Alignment: Evil +50 You have committed an act of great cruelty! Alignment: Evil +100 ¡°Leave us, take the body with you,¡± Old Man Snake Eyes waved his bodyguards away. Kruger and the Dwarf retrieved the corpse, with the half-beastman taking another long, hard glance at the player with the spear. Theo would have to remember this man whether he wanted to or not, especially if there was a quest involved. After the number of occupants had been reduced to just three, Old Man Snake Eyes spoke again, ¡°Quick and clean, your consideration is admirable.¡± Theo shrugged, disarming himself, ¡°I¡¯m sure the upholstery is worth more to you than a single employee¡­ is there anything else?¡± [Beginner Persuasion] was used successfully! Slave Master Pryce Wrenfield¡¯s attitude of Player Theo improves slightly! Pryce Wrenfield, the true name of Old Man Snake Eyes. ¡°Just one more thing,¡± he said, ¡°Siobh¨¢n dear, if you would.¡± The Elf woman regarded Theo disinterestedly as she held up both hands. A series of words in a language that Theo recognized immediately as the language of the Gods began to pour from her lips. Her hands shone with a soft light. ¡°What game are you playing?¡± Theo snapped, drawing his spear and taking a defensive stance. It was an act, since it would be odd if he just stood there and let someone cast a spell on him. Theo was already aware of what magic she was using casting, though. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, Theo... just a simple detection spell,¡± the old man¡¯s smiling face was far from comforting, and came with the sinister air of a cat cornering a mouse. The Elf, Siobh¨¢n, was a Priestess that looked after Old Man Snake Eyes like a nurse, and what she was casting was the spell [Detect Curse]. Each type of magic had a language unique to it, and in the case of Holy magic, it used the language of the Gods to borrow from their strength. Players who wanted to learn magic didn¡¯t need to memorize these languages of course, they would just naturally speak them when casting a spell. Theo held back from attacking, but didn¡¯t let the spear drop, as if he was ready to strike at any moment. After she had finished her spell, the Elf¡¯s eyes flashed with a brilliant gold color, and Theo¡¯s body began to emit a pale fog. As the fog brushed against his skin, it took on a foul red and purple color, like a festering wound, and began to roil about. It formed into the shape of a ghastly face which howled in silently agony. ¡°Midas fasciitis,¡± the Elf said coldly. A fleeting, sinister grin flashed across her master¡¯s face, but just as quickly faded when he saw Theo mirroring the expression. The look said more than any amount of words could have. ¡°So you were aware of everything,¡± said Old Man Snake Eyes, his frown deepening, ¡°you played a truly convincing cheat, Mr. Theo.¡± ¡°So it¡¯s Mr. Theo now?¡± Theo laughed to himself. An old wretch like Snake Eyes could easily tell when he had been played, and his cordial tone was replaced with a harsh rasp as he spat, ¡°Who are you?¡± Of course he would be angry when he found out the shiny new plaything he picked up wasn¡¯t going to be any fun. There were few things that put him in a worse mood than being on the uninformed side of a business negotiation. Theo ignored the question, ¡°Pryce Wrenfield, aka Old Man Snake Eyes, you live up to your reputation! As the local Castle representative, tell me, is Albrecht doing well these days?¡± [Beginner Persuasion] was used successfully! Slave Master Pryce Wrenfield¡¯s fear of Player Theo increases slightly! Theo¡¯s [Persuasion] skill was still quite low despite grinding it up, arguably a bit too low to force this quest line. Theo could only make up for that by using the NPC¡¯s weaknesses against him. Of course, he could also take advantage of the small effect bonus he got from being the same race as the target. With the two bonuses added together, dropping the name of a higher up in the old man¡¯s organization should be enough for Theo to bluff his way through. Even if Old Man Snake Eyes considered it to be a lie, the careful old goat couldn¡¯t risk killing this man until his background had been thoroughly investigated. He couldn¡¯t afford to piss off the man called Albrecht. ¡°How much do you know?¡± the pair of beady black eyes narrowed as he spoke. Theo leaned forward, his expression smug, ¡°Enough,¡± he said, ¡°Enough to get what I want, anyway.¡± Old Man Snake Eyes motioned to his aide, informing her to release the detection magic. ¡°Leave it,¡± Theo said, ¡°you¡¯ll want to see this.¡± The Elf looked to her master tentatively, but he had her continue with Theo¡¯s request. ¡°What do you want?¡± Snake Eyes asked. ¡°Information, specifically, information in exchange for information. I have no intention of robbing you today. In fact, I think you might be interested in what I have to offer.¡± Theo waived his palm, and in it appeared a small, round pellet. ¡°T-that is!¡± the old man rarely showed much interest in his surroundings, but his reaction to the pellet was immediate and startling. He practically threw himself over the desk at the sight of it, but before Snake Eyes could open his mouth to call for the guards, Theo swallowed the [Serpent Queen¡¯s Right Eyestone]. The room was gripped in eerie silence before Theo spoke. ¡°Midas fasciitis, it¡¯s an interesting curse, isn¡¯t it? Although it can bring untold fortune, the side effects leave the victim¡­ Slow? Withered? Sounds like a life worse than death, honestly, and I¡¯d be afraid to so much as bump my elbow without a Priest by my side,¡± Theo¡¯s eyes fell on Siobh¨¢n, who turned her gaze to the floor. Old Man Snake Eyes was a moniker earned from two distinct features¡­ a middle-aged man with the appearance of a withered old sack of bones, and an unprecedented gambling luck! In truth, Pryce Wrenfield was nothing more than a street urchin who grew up into a petty thief. He stole for a small time gang, and one day he stumbled upon what he thought was a valuable gemstone in the pocket of a traveler. In order to hide it for himself, he swallowed [Serpent King¡¯s Left Eyestone] and contracted the curse that would dictate the rest of his life. At first things were alright, he made money for the gang by using his curse to cheat, and they would hold on to all the winnings for ¡®his safety.¡¯ Life seemed to be looking up for the poor thief, but his immense greed was what had gotten Pryce into this mess in the first place. Theo didn¡¯t know the rest of the story, but the little gang seemingly disappeared overnight, and Wrenfield went with them. When he returned to Oasis years later, he was already the Old Man Snake Eyes that was sitting before him. Using that godly luck of his, and a group of slaves as enforcers, he had taken over the Oasis underworld and handed it over to Castle. There were several ways to get this information out of the old man, with most including bribery and favors. A lengthy quest chain would eventually lead the player to the Withered Ash Hollow and the battle with the [Desert Serpent Queen], but Theo really couldn¡¯t bring himself to grovel before a piece of trash like this. In the end, he was forced to fashion his own, more expedient, route. As soon as the pellet hit Theo¡¯s stomach, the nauseating mist that had been swirling around him from the [Detect Curse] spell began to wail even more vigorously. It shrieked and thrashed violently as the sickening color drained from its ghostly face. After only a few moments had passed, it had returned to a gentle white color. ¡°Teach me the secrets of the Slave Master,¡± Theo said simply, ¡°And I¡¯ll give you the location of the cure.¡± Chapter Thirteen: Choosing Infamy Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Thirteen: Choosing Infamy
Character Information
Name: Theo (10) HP: 480/480
Race: Human MP: 480/480
Class: Slave Master Attack: 81~107
Alignment: Neutral Defense: 12 (15%)
Attributes and Runes
Strength: 50 (+0) Head Rune: Empty
Agility: 8 (+3) Heart Rune: Desert Heart Rune
Intelligence: 5(+0) Core Rune: Serpent Prince''s Core Rune
Constitution: 28 (+5) Arm Rune: SerpentQueen''s Wrath Rune
Willpower: 24 (+0) Leg Rune: Empty
Charisma: 36 (+3) Rune Locked Empty
Luck: 5(+0) Rune Locked Empty
Skill List
Skill Name Level Exp. to Next Lv. Tag
Appraise Humanoid Lv. 1 0%/100%
Beginner Conditioning Lv. 1 7%/100%
Beginner Meditation Lv. 3 39%/100%
Dodge Lv. 8 8%/100%
Fend Lv. 1 24%/100%
Inflict Pain Lv. 1 0%/100% *
Lesser Persuasion Lv. 1 5%/100% *
Lesser Polearm Mastery Lv. 2 1%/100% *
Lesser Rune Mastery Lv. 1 2%/100% *
Lunge Lv. 2 35%/100%
Perception Lv. 2 66%/100%
Slave Master''s Brand Lv. 1 0%/100%
Stealth Lv. 1 0%/100%
Through gritted teeth and reluctantly shut eyes, Old Man Snake Eyes was forced to accept the ultimatum placed before him. A slight tilt of his head was the only sign of his capitulation as he thought, ¡°What other choice do I have?¡± Never one to forgive or forget, the crime boss consoled himself with the thought, ¡°A loss now can always be recouped in the future!¡± However, one could hear the rage and malice when he finally spoke, ¡°I look forward to your¡­ future accomplishments... Slave Master Theo.¡± His expression was one of loathing as he parted with the basic training for the Slave Master Class. Luckily, it didn¡¯t require any actual training. All Snake Eyes had to do was wave his hand, and Theo was engulfed in the golden light of a class change. Having defeated the [Desert Serpent Queen] solo, Theo was fairly close to leveling up already, and the huge chunk of experience he got from ¡®completing¡¯ his class quest was enough to put him over the edge. Of course, it also refunded all of his attribute points and left him as vulnerable as a newborn lamb. Theo quickly gave the crime lord the information he had bargained for and left the Gambler¡¯s Den. He didn¡¯t want Old Man Snake Eyes getting any funny ideas after he got what he needed, so moving like a whirling dervish he was gone without saying another word. The look he received from those beady black eyes on his way out was like a cold blade pressed against his throat. Theo knew he hadn¡¯t seen the last of this man! It was just too easy to make enemies these days... With 5 points in Strength, 2 points in both Constitution and Charisma, and 1 point in Willpower per level, Theo¡¯s attributes were finally redistributed in a more balanced manner. He could only lament his vastly reduced attack value. If it weren¡¯t for the new weapon and the [Serpent Queen¡¯s Wrath Rune], he would find himself feeling even more forlorn. Upon unlocking his class, there were numerous changes to his attributes and new skills to look at. For starters, his [Beginner Rune Mastery] had ranked up to [Lesser Rune Mastery] as did his [Beginner Persuasion]. Unlike [Lesser Polearm Mastery], these two skills didn¡¯t unlock anything else when they changed. It did allow him to equip the [Snake Prince¡¯s Core Rune] and the [Snake Queen¡¯s Wrath Rune], a well as the [Desert Heart Rune] which boosted his defense and constitution slightly. He also received a bonus of 1 Charisma and 1 Willpower for every level of Slave Master he possessed, both of which were vital attributes for the class. He had also received three new skills for his troubles. [Appraise Humanoid], [Inflict Pain], and [Slave Master¡¯s Brand]. [Appraise Humanoid] was a skill that altered [Perception], allowing him to view more of an NPC¡¯s stats than he could have normally. There were a few classes that received skills like this, such as the Beast Master¡¯s [Eye for Talent], though their version only worked on beast-type monsters. The closest thing Theo could draw a comparison to was a skill gained by the [War Marshall] archetype, who specialized in commanding soldiers. It could be useful, but not worth tagging. It would raise on its own as he used [Perception]. ¡°The wording was a little¡­¡± Theo buried his discomfort and moved on. [Inflict Pain] was actually an active skill, and an odd one at that. It was similar to [Lunge] without the charge effect, and it was an attack that did less damage than a normal strike. Although the damage was lessened, it had a chance to Daze the target, and the MP cost and cooldown were quite low. From what he knew about skill progression in Dream World Online, Theo surmised new skills would unlock when he maxed this out. He would have to use it often, and even went as far as to tag it. [Slave Master¡¯s Brand] was the signature ability of his class. It gave him the power to apply a unique, magical brand to a target NPC and turn them into his slave. The requirements were quite stringent, of course. For starters, the target had to be a lower level than the Slave Master. The player would also have to get the NPC to either max affinity, meaning they couldn¡¯t possibly like him more, or max fear, meaning they would run and cower at the sight of him. With a Neutral alignment, these two values would start at close to zero, and they could only be raised slowly over time. Finally, he would have to beat the target¡¯s Willpower in a resistance check, or he would suffer a mental backlash and take a hearty chunk of damage. This was why it was so difficult to get powerful NPCs as your slaves. Not only would you have to raise your level up so that it was higher than their own, you would also need to build some kind of relationship with them. A lot of the NPC bosses were totally immune to things like fear, no matter how much you beat on them, so the only option was to max your affinity. Theo hadn¡¯t ever heard of someone surviving a boss fight long enough to befriend them, but even if they had managed it, there was the problem of the Willpower to take into account. Bosses always had considerably higher stats than players of a comparable level. Theoretically, Theo could enslave a boss if he found one that was a significantly lower level, but the amount of patience required in such an endeavor was startling. Not to mention, he would be gaining a slave that was many times lower level than himself. Even if Bosses had impressive stats, it probably couldn¡¯t make up for the difference in experience and skill proficiency. ¡°As I thought,¡± Theo absentmindedly rubbed his chin while he made his mental plans, ¡°the best method would be to find a low-level NPC and raise it up carefully. Well, that¡¯s how the class was designed to work anyway¡­¡± Theo was still racing against the clock to get as much of an advantage as he could before the other players started hitting level 10. Once the absurdly wealthy players reached that point, the currency exchange would open and they could buy in-game currency with real money. Whether it was real or virtual life, having more money was equivalent to having more power.If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. If he wanted to get this enslaving thing over as fast as possible, there really was only one option¡­ Theo had reached level 10 and gotten his class, which meant he could register as a full member of the Adventuring Guild. Prior to this he was just a probationary adventurer. Being officially registered had several benefits, including reduced prices at shops sponsored by the Guild, cheaper travel and lodging costs, as well as a veritable mountain of missions that could be completed to increase your rank and fame. The downside was that his level and class would become public knowledge, and anyone in the Guild would have access to the rankings. ¡°Will today be remembered as the day I first became infamous?¡± Theo said woefully to himself. The Adventuring Guild was a large domed building located near the center of Oasis. It was surrounded by narrow, dusty streets and a number of smaller secondary buildings, most of which housed a varied assortment of shops and businesses catering to ''adventurers'' and owing their prosperity to the proximity of the guild. Theo entered between the last two columns on the right and quickly moved through the first set of brass doors, each of which was carved with domineering reliefs of the Guild¡¯s heroic exploits. Despite the echo-chamber size of the main hall, it had a cozy feel and was packed with dozens of NPCs and new players who were wandering around still completing the tutorial quest. At the far end of the room were a number of bank-like counters with a pretty young greeter girl standing by. Each of the counters were separated by rank, from E to A, with A being the highest classification of adventurer. A-ranked adventurers were capable of taking the most dangerous missions and rightfully received the most benefits because of it. ¡°I¡¯d like to register officially, as an E-ranked adventurer,¡± Theo said, approaching the designated counter. The young woman was very professional as she regarded Theo, though her voice was laced with a level of apprehension when she spoke. NPCs could feel a player¡¯s alignment instinctually, and so she was less overtly kind. She placed a small device on the counter that looked remarkably like a scale for weighing metals. On one end of the scale was a small blue crystal, and the other was empty. She motioned for Theo to take hold of the crystal. In the lore of Dream World Online, this device was known as a [Ranker]. It used a special kind of innately magical mineral, the Crystal, that glowed in the presence of danger. Through whatever combination of magic and technology, they had repurposed the Crystal to measure the relative ¡®danger¡¯ of the one holding it and then relay that information as a numerical value. It wasn¡¯t a one for one translation of a player¡¯s level, and was closer to the amount of experience that had been earned for what the game considered ¡®combat¡¯ skills. ¡°This [Ranker] will determine if you are qualified to join the Adventuring Guild as an official member, of course, as a probationary adventurer the first examination is free.¡± Theo sighed inwardly and cursed the developers again. Every time you took an examination to go up a rank in the guild, you would have to pay an increasingly steep fee. Any player who wasted their first free examination as a joke would cry tears of blood when they saw that insurmountable figure. He grasped the Crystal on the [Ranker], which began to glow with a dull light. Although he was only level 10, so far he had focused on nothing but combat skills. As far as the device was concerned, it would probably find him to be on par with a player a few levels higher. What he hadn¡¯t expected to see was the [Ranker] begin to smoke and whir angrily. The light in his hand grew brighter and brighter, to the point where he thought he might feel heat on his skin. The greeter¡¯s eyes were wide, and she took a step back when¡­ CRACK! The crystal broke. Was this thing defective? That shouldn¡¯t be the case, since it was an item that was tied directly to the system which ran the game. Could Theo have affected the system¡¯s ability to properly judge him after he soloed the [Desert Serpent Queen]? He¡¯d heard rumors of the game secretly tracking a prestige value that might measure into your overall danger level. ¡°Is this typical?¡± Theo asked, his expression somewhat helpless. ¡°It-it¡­¡± the greeter was at a loss for words, but thankfully a senior member of the guild had heard the fuss and come to inspect. ¡°Is there an issue here?¡± the experienced greeter, a short woman with a smooth, caramel complexion and a cute little bob, spoke very politely. Theo briefly explained the situation and received a curt bow in return, ¡°I apologize for the inconvenience, sir,¡± she said with a commanding air, ¡°The [Ranker] had most likely reached the end of its service period.¡± She was quite formal, but the quick, sharp look she shot the greeter from earlier didn¡¯t go unnoticed by Theo. That poor girl would probably take the blame for this later. ¡°We¡¯ll just try it with another one, then?¡± Theo asked. The greeter nodded, ¡°It will be more difficult to read the outcome on a higher rated [Ranker], but I will personally take over for this examination. Telara, you may leave for now.¡± A few of the people in the guild, whether human or AI, had taken notice of the incident and were idly gossiping as they waited to see the outcome. Theo couldn¡¯t help but scoff. ¡°Didn¡¯t these people have better things to do?¡± he thought. ¡°If you would,¡± the senior greeter guided Theo to the A-ranked counter, where the highest rated [Ranker] was located. Theo once again took hold of the Crystal. This one was several times larger and mounted on a sturdy, more ornate base. Using this [Ranker] to measure Theo¡¯s current danger level was definitely overkill. It was like using an industrial sized scale to measure the weight of a paper clip. Again, the Crystal began to glow, but the effect was little more than a soft light in the center akin to flickering candle. The surface of the mineral remained cool to the touch. Only¡­ this feeling. Was this, pain? A headache? Something small, like a pin prick, was rapidly growing in size as an awful feeling gripped Theo¡¯s skull. It bored into his eyes, his ears, his sinuses, causing them all to shake internally as if threatening to fall apart. Pain! Unimaginable, unbearable pain! Something that should have been impossible, experiencing pain in Dream World Online, was taking place here and now! Could this be happening in real life? Had something fallen on his head and broken the Lucid Lock¡¯s safety features? Was he going to die? Brzzt¡­ Wazzr Gzzod¡­ zzt¡­ vvWovvrld¡­ vWorvld¡­ szz¡­ szztovvp¡­ Bzzt¡­ Bvvrrt... A series of sounds crashed into Rick¡¯s ear drums, as if the words were fired out of a cannon and into the side of his head. He felt like collapsing on the spot, but his character wasn¡¯t responding to any of his movements. It was like he was in a trance. ¡°D-rank, at least, no wonder...¡± the greeter¡¯s words were a lifeline which pulled Rick out of whatever kind of hellish void he¡¯d just been subjected to. He was immersed in pleasant sensation, not unlike when he first made his character¡­ the sensation of becoming Theo¡­ ¡°Congratulations, sir,¡± the woman said with a bow, ¡°it is rare to find a probationary member with such potential.¡± Theo¡¯s eyes were a bit vacant, as if he were momentarily distracted, ¡°Huh? Oh, yeah, thank you,¡± he replied absentmindedly. ¡°Would you like to register as a D-rank Adventurer, sir? As an apology for the earlier mishap, we will waive the fee this one time.¡± Hearing an opportunity to save some money quickly snapped Theo out of his malaise. Headache? Strange noises? Did something like that happen? He didn¡¯t remember it clearly enough to even assume it had been imagined. It was like trying to recall a thought from first thing in the morning that he had over a week ago. ¡°Certainly,¡± Theo said, ¡°I will make sure to return this favor to the Adventuring Guild with my continued service.¡± The woman nodded, as if this was the customary response. ¡°Please fill out these forms.¡± Naturally, Theo wouldn¡¯t be forced to fill out the stack of papers, and a simple touch would automatically record all of his character data. Like a true professional, the woman didn¡¯t even bat an eyelash when she saw the words ¡°Slave Master¡± next to Theo¡¯s class. Maybe it was because the NPCs didn¡¯t have a very firm concept of the word ¡®class,¡¯ or maybe it was because the system presented some entirely different information for the woman to read. Either way, she filed the forms, and Theo was met with a pleasant jingle. You have officially joined the Adventuring Guild! Current rank: D. Achievement points: 0 Achievement points, which were earned from completing the Guild¡¯s quests, could be traded for various commodities. They were also one of the requirements to raise your rank. ¡°I believe it¡¯s customary for a greeter to share their name with their new charges,¡± Theo said with a thin smile. The woman seemed as if she wanted to throw a glare his way, but a polite sigh escaped her lips instead, ¡°You are correct, D-rank Theo, as the greeter who registered you, I will be serving as your liaison with the guild from this point on. I will also be responsible for procuring and organizing your away supplies on expeditions in the future. As the official A-rank greeter of the Oasis branch, a D-rank such as yourself should feel honored to be under my care.¡± Such sharp words... so much so they actually seemed to sting. Theo wondered what kind of verbal combat skill this woman had trained in, and what its proficiency level was. The way she slung around the term D-rank was no different than the way most would call out a pervert. ¡°Ah, I was mistaken for a pervert earlier, too, actually¡­¡± Theo thought, his spirit a little shaken. ¡°My name is Caoimhe,¡± the woman said curtly, ¡°Now, as for your first mission -¡± ¡°Goblin subjugation,¡± Theo quickly cut the woman off, causing a dangerous glint to flash in her eyes. She echoed her earlier sigh. ¡°D-rank Theo, that mission is currently rated for E-ranked adventurers. Completing it will only present half the usual reward, I suggest instead-¡± ¡°Goblin subjugation,¡± Theo said again. Daggers. There were daggers somewhere, and they were carefully aimed at his neck! Theo suppressed the urge to gulp, wondering briefly if Old Man Snake Eyes had already tracked him down. Caoimhe didn¡¯t bother arguing with the stubborn man any longer, and retrieved the necessary form. It presented all of the information one would need for the mission and the completion thereof, as well as the support goods that would be requisitioned by the adventurer and the reward to be delivered upon completion. ¡°A local cave system has been taken over by a rather unruly batch of Goblins, leading to several raids on traveling merchant caravans in the area. The city would normally dispatch a subjugation team, but strange activity in the west has a higher priority, hence, they came to us. Find the Goblins and wipe them out, and don¡¯t leave a single one alive or they¡¯ll grow back. Are you clear on the goal of this mission, D-rank Theo?¡± ¡°Hmm, this part about an extra-reward?¡± Theo pointed to the briefing document. Of course he already knew about the reward, but he had to bring it up before the other half of this quest would trigger. Caoimhe had a grim look on her face as she said, ¡°One of the merchants who was attacked traveled with his daughter, and she was reported missing. Although there was no sign of her survival, there was no sign of her death, either. The merchant has offered an additional reward if anyone can bring back proof of her fate.¡± Theo raised an eyebrow, ¡°Should I bring her back if she¡¯s alive?¡± Caoimhe frowned, clearly somewhat bothered, ¡°Goblins are notoriously vicious creatures with little intelligence, and aren¡¯t exactly known for taking prisoners. I wouldn¡¯t get your hopes up.¡± ¡°Kay, thanks,¡± Theo touched the document and accepted the quest before making a quick heel-face turn and marching toward the exit. ¡°That - that,¡± Caoimhe stared blankly as she watched the strange adventurer charge out of the building as if something had set fire to his backside. ¡°Idiot¡­¡± she finally found the right word to describe the man, ¡°Oh, he forgot his supplies. Well, the guild will still charge him for them regardless,¡± she said with a slight lilt to her voice. Chapter Fourteen: Youve Got to be Kidding Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Fourteen: You''ve Got to be Kidding
¡°Keeekeee! Run! Run fast!¡± ¡°Ouchey! My foot you stomp!¡± ¡°Ack! Sharp shiny!¡± [Lunge] -176 The Goblins were certainly smarter than the average monster, but that intelligence was more of a detriment than a help. They could do things like arm simple traps and use tunnels to ambush unsuspecting players, which had led to the deaths of countless overconfident adventurers. On the other hand, they had the ability feel fear. When faced with an insurmountable obstacle like Theo, the cowardly demi-humans would quickly run for their lives. Short and green-skinned, with pointed teeth and big floppy ears, Goblins were a staple in pretty much every fantasy game. Even if they were level 7 monsters, the [Dirty Goblin] was actually a bit weaker than even the level 1 [Big Bee]. A novice player could easily handle multiple Goblins on their own, but for these incredibly prolific monsters, multiple was a pipe dream. There were probably more than two hundred Goblins in the cave system. Even though his mission was to clear them all out, Theo had no intention of slowing his pace to hunt each and every one of them. The first time he charged into their midst like a raging bull and started sweeping his spear around, they immediately scattered. Thankfully, this was a viable strategy. When they managed to regroup and work up a little courage, it would be a different story. Theo had actually run all the way here, regretfully ignoring all of the beautiful loot boxes called mobs he happened to pass. Every second was important in this mission, if he wanted to accelerate the acquisition of his first slave. That¡¯s right, Theo¡¯s decision to take this low-paying, and honestly beneath him, job was to get his hands on a quick and easy target. The only caveat was, if he wasn¡¯t fast enough, there wouldn¡¯t be a slave to get. ¡°Keee! Gobbos together! Attack!¡± [Fend] -37. Knockback! -34. Knockback! -35. Knockback! -37. Knockback! ¡°Oooh! My head hit hurt! Head hit hurt!¡± Although there were Goblins that tried to group up and ambush the steam train that was Theo, he quickly knocked them out of the way and continued forward. [Lunge] -168 KWaaack! Every time it was off cooldown, Theo would activate the [Lunge] skill and bullrush to the furthest Goblin, taking advantage of its charge effect to speed up his progress. The high damage value was also useful in scaring off the survivors, and with his vastly boosted MP he could safely spam it without concern. You have received [Goblin¡¯s Poison Dart]. -2. Poison resisted! You have received [Goblin¡¯s Poison Dart]. -3. Poison resisted! Since they really were wretchedly weak monsters, the Goblins were quite fond of using poisonous darts in their tactics. The [Goblin Blowgunner] was silent and deadly, and even Theo would be hardpressed to avoid their attacks while progressing so violently. Luckily, he had gotten ahold of the [Serpent Prince¡¯s Core Rune] which provided him a boost to his resistance. Together with his now respectable Constitution score, there was no chance such a weak Poison would effect him. What¡¯s more, the small bit of damage from the darts would let him grind up his previously neglected [Beginner Conditioning] skill. It was a win-win situation! ¡°Heeheehee! Keep trying to break this defense of mine. I¡¯ll gladly take the extra experience points along with your pathetic lives!¡± [Lesser Persuasion] was used successfully! Nearby Goblins¡¯ fear of Slave Master Theo increases moderately. How nice. They were completely broken up at this point. If it were under normal circumstances, Theo would take his time casually hunting them down like the vermin they were, but he was in a hurry. Having never been in this cave before, he didn¡¯t actually know where his target was located. Although he was risking everything on a hunch, he followed after the Goblins in the direction they fled. In order to rally their forces the Goblins would habitually seek out their leader, and that was where the prisoner would most likely be found. If it were another race of monsters, it would probably be the opposite case, but Theo suspected that only the leader of these Goblins would be intelligent and intimidating enough to look after a hostage. If he didn¡¯t, the rest of his subjects would end up eating her or something. ¡°Cheef! Cheef Gobbo! Help us! ACK!¡± A spear quickly pinned the unsuspecting creature to the floor, and the grizzly image of a slender man wearing a black hood loomed over the body as it breathed its last. Theo was grateful for the lack of gore in the game, and he had no desire to use the option that turned it on. What kind of sick person would really want to do something like bathe in the blood of their enemies? Well, even if Theo couldn¡¯t see any of the gruesome details, the system still generated them, and the NPCs weren¡¯t lucky enough to be able to turn it off. Theo had no doubt that his visage to the Goblins was something akin to a living nightmare. The Goblin Cave was sparsely decorated with piles of rotting bones and cheap little nicknacks the small green monsters enjoyed playing with. The leftovers of various bodily fluids littered the floor and several crude drawings were painted on the walls in blood. Perhaps in consideration of the low level players, the tunnels tended to connect to little rooms that had only a small force of goblins guarding it. In comparison, what Theo could only assume was the final chamber of the Goblin Cave was decorated in a more elaborate fashion. There was a roaring fire in the center of the room casting a flickering orange glow on the walls, which were completely covered in goblin-drawn murals. Bones of animals and humanoids alike were set into sockets carved into the rock, as if they were some kind of priceless gemstone. Half-eaten meat and flesh of dubious origins was scattered around the cave in piles, where a number of Goblins must have been recently enjoying a meal. There were a few shoddily crafted tents made from strange leathers in the back of the room, and Theo could just make out a pile of animal furs serving as a carpet in the largest of these tents. Numerous baubles and bits of coin were strung around the outside of this dwelling, as though to make sure all of the Goblins knew this was the most important one. All of it appeared to be stolen lucre, no doubt the spoils gained from raiding the local merchants. ¡°There!¡± Theo¡¯s eyes narrowed on a figure tucked into the back of the cave, a petite body covered in shadows. [Perception] [Captured Woman] Lv. 5 Human HP: 69/??? MP: 100/??? With the bonus from his [Appraise Humanoid] skill, Theo could see the woman¡¯s current HP and MP values, though he hadn¡¯t raised the proficiency enough to see much else. Even the totals were hidden from him.Stolen story; please report. ¡°Ah, so it¡¯s like I heard,¡± Theo mused, stabbing his [Steel-Edged Partizan] through a nearby [Dirty Goblin] that tried to sneak up on him. After observing the [Captured Woman] for a few seconds¡­ [Captured Woman] Lv. 5 Human HP: 68/??? MP: 100/??? Her hit points were slowly depleting. Although he couldn¡¯t see her full status, Theo could guess that it was due to sickness or malnutrition. The poor girl wouldn¡¯t live more than another couple of minutes. That wouldn¡¯t even be enough time to bring her out of the cave and get treatment. Given the time it normally took to complete this mission, she was almost assuredly dead by the time the players got here, and having her escape alive seemed impossible. Honestly, Theo wouldn¡¯t have even known about this quest if it weren¡¯t for a certain member of his guild. Bloblock: Like I was saying, I was helping my little cousin with the goblin quest, and we got so close to saving the babe! Lootlord12: Ha! Like a babe would wanna be saved by your ugly face, Blob. Bloblock: I¡¯m serious! I was pissed ever since I failed it the first time, so I thought with a high level player driving the bus, we could rescue her. Twitchee: I remember that quest... : ( so what happened? was she dead still? Bloblock: Get this, she was still alive! We rescued her and everything, and she promised us some big reward for taking her out alive! The affinity was at max, if you know what I mean¡­ I wonder what kind of reward she would have given out¡­ Lootlord12: Blob is a dirty old man! Twitchee: No reward?? Bloblock: No clue, mate. She died before we even got her free. Health was dropping and she must have been close to death. Poof. Sparkles. Twitchee: laaameee Lootlord12: Probably better than having to ¡°reward¡± the perv Blob. Theo (Guild Leader): Will you all shut up already? I¡¯m trying to kill this Hellspawn Dragon! Twitchee: kekekek! boss is grinding again! flee for ur lives! Theo could only sigh as he thought about his old guildmates. They really were a chatty bunch. Actually, they reminded him a bit Bai, who also loved to talk on and on about nothing. Why couldn¡¯t these people just quiet down and try to enjoy the game properly? Well, even if Bloblock had been an idiot, he was still a pretty good player. If he had put in any effort, a high level Warlock like him should have been able to clear this whole place in less than half the time it took Theo run to the end. Of course, the mystery of the girl in the cave wasn¡¯t a mystery for long. Players were naturally curious and notorious for being sore losers. Eventually someone had managed to get the girl out of the cave by speed clearing it with a strong group of players and having a priest healing the injured young woman all the way to the exit. The end result was that she dropped dead the moment you walked outside. You¡¯d collect a necklace on her body as proof of her death and give it to the merchant for a bonus reward. This girl was meant to die no matter what you did. There were two basic kinds of NPCs in Dream World Online. The first and by far the most common was the Incubated NPC. Although Theo didn¡¯t fully understand the process by which the world of Orpheum was created, he knew that these NPCs were raised in the world from birth. They had a history, family, and daily routines like any regular person. They would tend to go about doing whatever they pleased, living their lives normally unless the system happened to intervene. Alin was a good example of this kind of NPC, though he was eventually dragged into the quest against his will only to die tragically. Of course, his spot would be taken by another Incubated NPC after he was gone. The other type of NPC was a Synthesized NPC. These were things like boss monsters, NPCs that were wrapped up in repeatable quests, or NPCs that were critical to the plot of the game. These were NPCs created from the ground up by system, for use in the developers¡¯ plots and level designs.They had varying levels of skill and sophistication, but most of them were significantly more advanced than the Incubated variety. Old Man Snake Eyes and Class Trainer Titania were at least of this calibre. The [Captured Woman] was a rare example of a Synthesised NPC that was designed only to serve as quest point. Rather than be replaced each time she died, a new version of her would just pop up any time a player asked about the bonus reward on the Goblin Subjugation quest. Theo was certain that he was the first ever Slave Master to have the idea to turn this [Captured Woman] into a slave. Well, he wouldn¡¯t know if it worked until he tried. He broke through the pitiful Goblin defensive line and approached the tattered looking captive. Clack! The manacles that held the woman down were carved from horn and bone, and attached to the wall with a fraying rope. If it didn¡¯t mean certain death, the young woman might have even been able to break free from these confines on her own. As it stood, the bindings were no match for a properly crafted weapon and were dismantled with a single strike. You have received [Goblin¡¯s Poison Dart] -3. Inflicted with Weak Goblin Poison! ¡°Oh for the love of¡­ what are the chances of that?¡± Theo¡¯s temper burned as his HP bar began to slowly tick down. A player would normally receive a few Antidotes when they took this quest, but Theo had forgotten them in his rush. Thankfully, the most dangerous part of the Weak Goblin Poison was that it got worse every time you were inflicted with it. Since this was just a spot of bad luck, he wouldn¡¯t suffer too terribly for it. You have received [Goblin¡¯s Poison Dart] -2. Inflicted with Weak Goblin Poison! Your poisoning grows worse! ¡°Fuck your mother!¡± Theo cursed. Was he being punished by the Gods or something? His HP continued to fall, and the Goblins began to swarm around as if they smelled blood in the water. This was the way they worked. The minute he showed any sign of weakness, the Goblins would instinctively try to capitalize on it. Immediately, half-a-dozen poison darts flew at Theo¡¯s back, and he had no choice but to use his body to block the attacks. He couldn¡¯t risk a stray dart killing the [Captured Woman]. ¡°You¡­ saved me,¡± she had trouble speaking. The woman extended her hand limply. There was hardly an ounce of life left in her eyes. ¡°Please¡­ take me home¡­ a reward,¡± her voice sounded beyond parched, but she managed to touch Theo¡¯s arm, ¡°My¡­ savior.¡± ¡°You wish,¡± Theo couldn¡¯t help but say, his face still shrouded with annoyance as a few of the Goblins worked up the courage to start pelting him with rocks. His HP was starting to plummet, even if the damage numbers were small. He wanted nothing more than to turn around and tear these little green bastards to shreds, and the bloodlust in his eyes was already roiling. ¡°Is this enough already? She¡¯s only got 30 HP left!¡± Theo complained internally. [Captured Woman]¡¯s gratitude for Slave Master Theo¡¯s rescue is truly immense. Affinity with [Captured Woman] increases to 100%! Theo didn¡¯t hesitate for a second. He hadn¡¯t trekked all the way here to enslave a corpse! [Slave Master¡¯s Brand] A fierce red glow began to take the shape of a small, intricate, mandala-like rune on Theo¡¯s right hand. As if the system was guiding his movements, he reached out and pressed it against the woman¡¯s chest. Seemingly terrified of the strange magic, the Goblin assault slowed for a moment as the pair of humans were consumed in the red light. Theo could feel a warmth spreading through his chest, but the woman writhed and twisted like she was being consumed in fire. The pain from the branding looked immense, but as a player he couldn¡¯t feel it. [Slave Master¡¯s Brand] was used successfully! Subject was enslaved with max affinity: receives a bonus to attribute growth. Subject willingly accepted the [Slave Master¡¯s Brand]: receives a bonus to attribute growth. Subject classified as Elite entity: receives a bonus to attribute growth. Congratulations! You have enslaved [Princess Anastasia Therasa Bolevolo XVII]. For accomplishing such a feat, your prestige and skill as a Slave Master grows! Your name will surely spread far and wide! Warning: If this information spreads to the Bolevolo Empire, your relationship with the Bolevolo Empire will immediately fall to [Mortal Enemy]. Maximum Number of Slaves increases by 1! Current Maximum: 2 You have received the title [Beast Who Kidnaps Princesses], equip this title to receive bonus fame and honor! ¡°What!? Fame and honor my ass! Mortal enemy my ass! Princess my ass! Why did the [Captured Woman] suddenly become royalty? Is this supposed to be a reverse-gender frog prince?¡± Theo¡¯s mind was reeling when a rock connected with the back of his head. You have received an attack from [Dirty Goblin]. -6 ¡°And you bastards!¡± Theo turned with a shout and brandished his spear when something very strange happened. The [Captured Woman] charged forward as though her previous weakness had all been an act and threw her petite body in front of Theo, even going so far as to hold her thin arms out in an attempt to intercept more of the attacks. There was a fierce determination in the young woman¡¯s eyes as she was pelted with stones and darts. ¡°Hey, are you trying to get yourself killed all over again?¡± Theo yelled. No response. Was this princess deaf or something? She would only end up costing him money if she died like this. Weak Goblin Poison has worn off. ¡°Fine! Do as you like! Stop anything that tries to attack me,¡± Theo didn¡¯t have the time to worry about the woman anymore. His HP was mostly emptied, and he needed every second to recover it. Leaving the new slave on defense might get her killed, but that would still cost less than dying. He was dangerously close to dropping to level 9. The girl could at least make herself useful and serve as his shield for the time being. One of the [Dirty Goblin]¡¯s armed with a crude blade quickly lept at Theo, but was cut off by the woman. Although her movements were clumsy and awkward, she still valiantly warded off the encroaching demi-humans. Her sacrifice actually gave Theo enough time to regenerate some HP and assess the situation. ¡°Oh, she just got stabbed again¡­¡± he sighed internally as he watched the bizarre show in front of him. He was grateful her HP seemed to have recovered after he used the [Slave Master¡¯s Brand]. Come to think of it, what was her HP? He should be able to see it now, right? ¡°KEEE! Who dares disturb the slumber of Cheef Gobthnora!?¡± a screeching voice roared from the largest of the tents. Theo nearly slapped a palm over his face. This was definitely divine punishment, there was no other explanation for it. Chapter Fifteen: An Open Palm Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Fifteen: An Open Palm
[Gobthnora the Goblin Shaman] Lv. 9 Goblin Elite HP: ???/??? MP: ???/??? Theo immediately inspected the boss that was poking its head out from the flap on the tent, but his [Perception] proficiency was too low to get any details. While the rest of the Goblins were distracted by the arrival of their leader, Theo knocked a group of them back with [Fend] and comboed it with a [Lunge]. Since he had to tediouslydrain their HP to kill them, he could only finish off each Goblin as quickly as the numbers allowed. When the monsters realized their prey was fighting back, it didn¡¯t take any time at all for the situation to devolve into a massive brawl. Dodging every attack from a hoard of monsters was impossible if they were using projectiles, but Theo¡¯s skills weren¡¯t so rusty that he would be harried and pinned down in a melee. [Lunge] wasn¡¯t only a skill to deal damage. The movement boost it provided could also be used to break free from a potential encirclement. There was also the slave. At first she just awkwardly charged into the fight, following her new master and stumbling over the fallen Goblins. It wasn¡¯t until Theo started using her for cover that she began to show her true worth. Taking the order to ¡®stop anything that tried to attack,¡¯ to heart, she obediently stood in for Theo as the Goblin¡¯s primary target. ¡°You kill Gobthnora¡¯s fellow Gobbos! Gobthnora will not stand for this!¡± After occupying itself by standing around and shouting for a bit, the Goblin leader eventually annexed a mottled wooden staff from a flimsy bone-carved stand and hoisted it into the air. A short, hunched body bounded up and down on skinny bowed legs as the staff was waved about erratically. Dangling bits of metal clinked together, suspended from the skull of a horned lizard mounted at the top. Gobthnora the Goblin Shaman used [Goblin War Dance]! All nearby Goblins receive +20% damage; Immunity to Fear. ¡°So it was a buffing type boss,¡± Theo mused as he knocked down one of the Goblins with a sweeping attack. The difference between the Goblins before and after the [Goblin War Dance] was like night and day. The little eyes that adorned the centers of their mostly vacant skulls had completely rolled back into their heads, and a frothing spittle poured from their sharp jaws. Whereas they had previously tried to stay as far away as possible from the whirling engine of death that was Theo¡¯s [Steel-Edged Partizan], they were now practically crawling over one another to get a swipe at him. The poor [Captured Woman] was almost immediately swarmed with attacks as the Goblins bit, clawed, and stabbed at whatever empty space they could find on her defenseless body. It quickly became apparent that the Goblins were either too enraged or too stupid to be capable of ranged attacks while in their magic induced trance. If they weren¡¯t doped up on magic, they might have understood just how poor this idea was. [Rampage] was used! Slave Master Theo receives +50% melee damage; Damage taken increases by 100% for 60 seconds. Theo¡¯s spear struck out and immediately severed an encroaching Goblin¡¯s lifeline. The little body was hardly out of the way when Theo twisted the spear and pushed it through another ugly green face right behind it. While there was still the chance to eat a barrage of darts and stones, Theo had to be careful when engaging the Goblins, and couldn¡¯t risk activating the ability of the [Serpent Queen¡¯s Wrath Rune]. Double damage was nothing to scoff at. However, with the ranged threat removed he was left unconstrained and could fully capitalize on the [Rampage] effect. Theo wasn¡¯t even wasting time chasing after his targets. They were charging right towards him! [Fend] -88. Knockback! -89. Knockback! -88. Knockback! In this condition, even [Fend] had become a nearly deadly attack. Slave [Princess Anastasia Therasa Bolevolo XVII] has used unique ability [Blessing of the Stonekin]. Defense increases by 50; Movement Speed reduced to 25% for 120 seconds. ¡°Huh? Blessing of the Stonekin? Oh... right, she¡¯s a Bolevolo¡­¡± the momentary distraction barely registered on Theo¡¯s radar as he mercilessly slaughtered the piled up Goblins. Honestly, Theo had already taken the young woman for dead after she was overrun and pinned down, but it seemed like she was still hanging in there. He had to give her credit for managing to distract a large chunk of the Goblins. ¡°Good job, Meatshield!¡± Theo shouted to his slave as a form of encouragement. He watched as the woman stood up, her petite body easily turning aside the makeshift weapons. Her skin had always been pale, but it had taken on a glossy, granite-like texture that left her looking like an art room showpiece. 50 Defense would grant her complete physical immunity to the attacks of level 7 monsters. ¡°KEE! You still dare to kill Gobthnora¡¯s Gobbos!? Gobthnora burn you up!¡± the dancing shaman screamed angrily and waved the staff again. ¡°Meatshield! Block that one!¡± Theo pointed his spear at Gobthnora, conveniently skewering another [Dirty Goblin] in the process. Fwoosh! Finishing a short chant, an orb of rolling flames appeared at the end of Gobthnora¡¯s staff. After a shockingly elaborate wind-up, the shaman flung the [Fireball] in Theo¡¯s direction. With the bonus damage from the [Rampage] effect, it would be enough to roast him dead. So much for escaping the curse of being a glass cannon... BOOM! The spell did not end Theo¡¯s life, as it was, but crashed instead into a conveniently placed female shaped rock. Fire engulfed the body of the statue-like princess as the tongues of flame wrapped around her exposed limbs. Although she was slowed to a lead-footed gait, the Goblins that clung to her had little effect as a barricade. She had thrown herself directly in front of the shaman¡¯s [Fireball]. ¡°Useful!¡± Theo was feeling rather pleased with his choice in slaves at the moment. Not only did the young lady come out of the exchange without a scratch on her pristine stone skin, but the [Fireball] spell had completely roasted the dozen or so Goblins that were attacking her. Even Gobthnora hadn¡¯t escaped the roaring conflagration completely uscathed. Defense was just as effective against magic as it was against swords and spears. The only difference would be a spell¡¯s likelihood to produce a higher damage number. ¡°Pin it to the floor!¡± Theo ordered. The princess trudged towards the singed Goblin Shaman, who was wisely crawling away from the carnage left by the point-blank [Fireball]. Theo almost laughed out loud as he watched the scene of a snail chasing a turtle. He had no issues cleaning up the rest of the Goblins once they lost the support of their leader. If he had known things would escalate to this point, he might have tried to kill a few more of these little green pests on the way in. ¡°Gob-Gobthnora will crush puny humies!¡± the shaman called out, rolling out of the way when the princess¡¯s pitifully slow grab came after it. [Rampage] effect or no, Theo was still burning with rage. Suffering through the Goblin retaliation, he found a potential outlet in the form of the oblivious Gobthnora. He rammed a blade through the last of the Goblin casualties and charged at the Elite enemy with renewed vigor. Theo¡¯s spear gleamed with a gruesome light as he activated his newest attack skill.Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings. [Inflict Pain] KrAaK! -88. Daze! Rather than piercing the shaman¡¯s scrawny neck, Theo¡¯s spear knocked against it and produced the loud, wretched sound of breaking bones. The Goblin was pushed to the ground and writhed in pain, it¡¯s screechy voice echoing in the sizeable chamber. ¡°KEEE! It hurt! Pain hurt Gobthnora bad!¡± it rasped, tiny hands clutching for air. If only that was the end of the shaman¡¯s pain. A small yet heavy body dropped itself on the Goblin and pinned the creature under four pale limbs. Gobthnora screamed again and struggled to free itself from Meatshield¡¯s hold, but Goblins weren¡¯t creatures known for their superior strength. It was a hopeless attempt, and swiftly punished with another gut wrenching blow from Theo. [Inflict Pain] -86. Daze resisted! Well, Gobthnora was still an Elite monster after all, and would have decent resistances. Even without the Daze effect, however, the pitiful demi-human was completely restrained. [Rampage] has worn off. ¡°ACK!! No! No hurt Gobthnora!¡± Theo snorted, ¡°Hurt? I plan to do more than hurt you, you little wretch! You and your buddies almost cost me a level!¡± The Goblin¡¯s sickly yellow eyes went wide with shock, ¡°Nooo!¡± [Lesser Persuasion] was used successfully! Shaman Gobthnora¡¯s fear of Slave Master Theo increases greatly! ¡°Fear?¡± Theo was shocked. Monsters that served as pseudo-bosses were normally immune to fear effects. If you could scare off the big bad guy, why would you possibly concern yourself with it? It seemed like a Goblin would always be a Goblin though. Cowardice was bred into their bones, even if they were an Elite. A wicked grin crept across Theo¡¯s face, ¡°You want to survive this?¡± he snapped, ¡°Then beg for mercy!¡± [Inflict Pain] was used again, but Theo didn¡¯t have to worry about the paltry damage killing the shaman. His only concern was wrapping up before Meatshield¡¯s [Blessing of the Stonekin] wore off. Once she returned to her usual state it wouldn¡¯t be hard for Gobthnora to wriggle away and start casting spells again. Gobthnora began to struggle against its programming as the system waged an internal war with the Goblin¡¯s natural instincts. Theo didn¡¯t hesitate to apply more pressure with his [Inflict Pain] skill. ¡°Noo! Noo! Proud Gobbo never bow head to filthy humie!¡± it shouted. Theo cracked a grim smile, ¡°You won¡¯t have a head to bow with if you don¡¯t, Goblin,¡± pressing the blade of his spear against its throat, he added, ¡°but don¡¯t worry too much, I¡¯ll make you long for death well before we get there.¡± It had been a long time since Theo talked like this. How could someone with aspirations of becoming a War God possibly have a squeaky clean past? Coercion was only one of the many skills learned in his years of dealing with uncooperative NPCs. As a White Knight, his partner Adrian might have been unable to engage in activities like torture, but that was more of an excuse to let Theo carry the burden of the game¡¯s immorality. Betrayal was easy, but vengeance? That was an artform. Theo was willing to spend any length of time slowly breaking the Goblin¡¯s spirit, one endless minute after the other, but the monster quickly caved under the combined might of his [Lesser Persuasion] and [Inflict Pain] skills. Ignoring the synergistic nature of Theo¡¯s abilities, or his decision to add points to his Charisma attribute, it was the explicit imagery of hopelessness he conjured that had truly done the job. [Lesser Persuasion] was used successfully! Shaman Gobthnora¡¯s fear of Slave Master Theo increases greatly! Shaman Gobthnora¡¯s fear has reached 100%. ¡°Spare¡­ please spare Gobthnora¡¯s life, scary humie!¡± the sniveling shaman cowered on the ground even after Theo retrieved his Meatshield. Theo was honestly shocked by how quickly the whole ordeal had taken place, but it only reminded him not to overestimate Goblins in the future. He was about to take this opportunity to add another slave to his stable when a thought nagged at him. Theo turned to look at the stone-face princess he had affectionately dubbed Meatshield. When she had been enslaved, the system gave him several snippets of useful information. Bonus attribute growth... It was something that every player would love to hear in regard to their own character. Each level would grant 10 attribute points, and with the bonus from their class, gave players and most NPCs an effective growth value of 12 until their first class advancement. However, NPCs could have more or less in this aspect, especially if they were of the Synthesised variety. NPCs would also have their attributes assigned automatically, and this assignment was inherent to their programming. This was why improving an NPC¡¯s growth could be vital. Even if the bonus was only 1 attribute point per level, that would eventually become a huge value of 200 points. It was even better if these points were spread across multiple attributes, or attributes that might have otherwise been neglected. Theo wasn¡¯t certain if there were benefits for enslaving based purely on fear, but he knew he would lose out on at least one bonus if he used the [Slave Master¡¯s Brand] on an unwilling target. ¡°Gobthnora, Goblin Shaman, raise your head!¡± Theo shifted his posture to one of aloof nobility. The little green spellcaster shakily raised its head as the Slave Master removed his hood, and was met with a pair of cold, dark eyes. While most players might be embarrassed using such speech, Theo was completely unabashed when it came to the game world, and he confidently said, ¡°I have shown you a closed fist for daring to go against me, but I can choose to wield an open palm as well. As the man who will one day rule this pitiful world, I need capable servants at my side!¡± The shaman shook in fear, green fingers still tracing the wounds Theo left behind, ¡°G-Gobthnora is cappababble?¡± the Goblin squeaked. Theo¡¯s face remained disinterested, ¡°That is yet to be determined, but if you diligently serve me, I can guarantee that no other Goblin will rise to greater heights.¡± [Lesser Persuasion] was used successfully. Shaman Gobthnora desires power and authority above all else, and Slave Master Theo has offered it! Fear is replaced with admiration! Shaman Gobthnora¡¯s affinity increases to 100%! Theo was so flabbergasted that he almost broke character for a moment, ¡°Why is this bastard so simple minded!?¡± he raged internally. ¡°Yes! Yes! Gobthnora will serve Master! Gobthnora will serve Master with her life!¡± The Slave Master nodded his head, while the princess stood off to the side with an absent-minded look on her face. She had yet to say a single word after her programmed quest dialogue. Theo wouldn¡¯t have been shocked if she protested to partnering with the one who had captured and starved her, but it seemed she really didn¡¯t care one way or the other. ¡°Then accept the mark of your new Master!¡± Theo pressed his hand against the Goblin¡¯s head. As he activated the skill, the pair was again consumed in red light. This time, the rune on Theo¡¯s hand seemed to be slightly larger and more complex, perhaps as a result of enslaving the princess earlier. He didn¡¯t pay any attention to the Goblin¡¯s continued screams of agony during the process. [Slave Master¡¯s Brand] was used successfully! Subject was enslaved with max affinity: receives a bonus to attribute growth. Subject willingly accepted the [Slave Master¡¯s Brand]: receives a bonus to attribute growth. Subject classified as Elite entity: receives a bonus to attribute growth. Congratulations, you have enslaved [Goblin Shaman Gobthnora]. Goblins are notoriously easy creatures to enslave, and as such, your prestige as a Slave Master does not grow. Others might mock you if they discover this shame. ¡°Huh, so they had a predisposition for enslavement, well at least I got the bonus,¡± Theo thought as he skeptically read the announcement. ¡°Keekee! Gobthnora can feel Master¡¯s power. It flows into Gobthnora through his mark,¡± the shabbily dressed creature rose from the ground, taking a kneeling position before Theo in a rather comical fashion. Was it just Theo¡¯s imagination, or did the shaman seem more eloquent? Perhaps the effects of the attribute growth managed to increase its Intelligence by a few points. Gobthnora was a spellcaster after all, so it would make sense, but did that mean this slave would grow more clever every time it leveled up? That was fine as long as it didn¡¯t reach the point where the shaman understood how sorely they¡¯d been duped. Theo turned to look at his other recent acquisition. The short young woman was standing around wearing a scorched dress and looking at him with vacant eyes. It wasn¡¯t an expression that said anything in particular, as if a single thought failed to pass through the girl¡¯s head. Could there have been some sort of issue with the branding? Was she suffering from PTSD after her capture? Theo didn¡¯t know how to check for these kinds of conditions, and he was fairly certain his [Appraise Humanoid] skill didn¡¯t work for psychological damage. ¡°At least it shouldn¡¯t affect her prospects as a Meatshield,¡± Theo consoled himself. While he was thinking, a grating voice called from the floor, trying to grab his attention with high-pitched *ahem* noises. When he looked down, he was met with a bizarrely fanatical expression that didn¡¯t seem to belong anywhere near a Goblin¡¯s mashed up little face. ¡°Gobthnora will loyally serve Master¡­ even, even if¡­¡± the Goblin made a nauseatingly bashful expression, ¡°Even if Master desires Gobthnora¡¯s body, she will not deny her Master. Keekee, Master is lucky, Gobthnora was known as most beautiful Goblin in entire clan...¡± Congratulations! Shaman Gobthnora has opened her heart to you! Shaman Gobthnora¡¯s affinity is already at maximum. Would you like advance your relationship with Shaman Gobthnora to Lovers? Yes/No Warning: Shaman Gobthnora has a fragile spirit. Affinity will fall greatly if rejected. Something snapped in Theo¡¯s head, and it was drowned out only by the sickening feeling rising in his throat. For the second time in his Dream World Online life, the War God Theo felt truly ill in his heart. ¡°Heh¡­ heh... it was time to loot right? There was loot to collect after clearing all the Goblins!¡± he said shakily, turning away from the creature¡¯s expectant gaze. Theo was determined to have heard nothing of Gobthnora¡¯s proposition, or the system alert that accompanied it. ¡°Master! Is Master alright!?¡± noticing something wrong, the starstruck Goblin clung to the hem of Theo¡¯s pants, ¡°Should Gobthnora comfort you with her feminine char - ACK!¡± [Inflict Pain] -57 Theo¡¯s eyes were burning with red hot spite as he held the [Steel-Edged Partizan] in his outstretched hand, and Meatshield stood at ready to once again pin the unruly Goblin if her master ordered. Chapter Sixteen: Slavers First Rule Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Sixteen: Slaver''s First Rule
¡°Wider stance! Lower! Straighten back!¡± Bai barked the instructions while circling Rick like a hovering vulture. It was early in the morning and the sun was still below the horizon, but the bright lights of the gym were just as radiant as ever. A few of the wandering gym rats were watching with looks of vague interest, coming up with whatever excuses they could to pass by the strange duo on their way to the various exercise machines. Rick was currently situated in a bizarre position, holding a wide squat with his arms outstretched while Bai carefully inspected his posture. If he so much as relaxed at all or let his legs soften, the young man would try to knock him off balance, sending a rush of pain through the muscles in his thighs. If Rick cared for things like embarrassment, his face might have been red for a reason other than sheer exertion. ¡°Is this really necessary?¡± Rick said through gritted teeth. Bai¡¯s smug look really was annoying, ¡°Rick is the one who says he wants to learn my foot technique.¡± he said, ¡°Not regretting the choice now, are you?¡± Rick suppressed a groan as a tingling numbness started to creep into his feet. He couldn¡¯t deny that he¡¯d been intrigued by Bai¡¯s movements in their earlier match, but he felt the young man might be taking out some repressed aggression after his unexpected loss. Rick thought he was going easy on him when he decided to let the guy off the hook in regards to their wager, but how was he to know that Bai would adamantly refuse the mercy call? ¡°Bai¡¯s family always kept their word,¡± he¡¯d said with a sense of clear self-promotion, ¡°Rick should respect the outcome of his bets.¡± In other words, he had been played. Rick thought after his triumph over Old Man Snake Eyes and his duping of the Gobiln shaman, he would always have a leg up on anyone who tried to get the better of him. It was his mistake for being overconfident, so he could only grin and bear it. ¡°Rick¡¯s body is already so old. Best years already wasted!¡± Bai preached, ¡°Will just have to work hundred times as hard to make up for lost time.¡± This was Evil, right? Bai was earning no shortage of Evil points for this kind of treatment. ¡°So why am I doing this, then?¡± Rick couldn¡¯t help but ask. The man sent another shock through his body with a firm palm slap to his lower back. ¡°Rick relies too much in game, needs to build up lower body strength for proper control, after this will add some weights.¡± ¡°Just give me another chance to meet you in game, and I¡¯ll teach you what proper control is all about!¡± Rick managed to endure the hellish training by imagining all the ways he could get his revenge in the virtual world. After Bai was thoroughly satisfied with the state of Rick¡¯s misery, it was Rick¡¯s turn to educate his new accomplice. Although there was no shortage of complaining on Bai¡¯s part when it came to understanding proper body maintenance, Rick couldn¡¯t dock him in points for his diligence. His body seemed almost too thin for a grown man, but he was in great shape and shockingly strong. If it wasn¡¯t for his insistence on following his own archaic exercise regime, he wouldn¡¯t have had any problems in the first place. ¡°Why would Rick leave all classes behind?¡± Bai asked him out of the blue, ¡°Clearly not too stupid.¡± Rick wasn¡¯t sure whether to take this as an insult or a compliment, but he let it slide. ¡°You¡¯ve seen me, the only thing I¡¯m good at is video games,¡± Rick said without ceremony as he corrected Bai¡¯s grip on the rowing machine. ¡°Rick wants to be one of those professional game types?¡± Bai asked, ¡°It sounds not stable at all.¡± Rick shrugged, ¡°You go where your talents take you, I guess.¡± he said, ¡°What about you? Couldn¡¯t you make a living with your kung-fu?¡± For once Bai didn¡¯t correct him, and only made a sour expression as he considered the idea, ¡°Bah! Spending all day with sweaty men, what kind of job is that? There¡¯s no money in it! I studied hard to take classes and get real job! Family is very proud!¡± ¡°They¡¯re not bothered by it?¡± Rick asked, somewhat shocked, ¡°I thought you were all about the filial responsibility thing?¡± This time it was Bai¡¯s turn to shrug, ¡°I am all about many things, unlike Rick who only cares about games! Famliy very important, but my Brother has wife now, can settle down and take care of home. Maybe make a niece or nephew for me to play with when I go back.¡± ¡°Sounds nice,¡± Rick said with a vague tone. Settling down and starting a family? Rick had considered it back in the day, well that was until he died and went back in time. Now it was the furthest thing from his mind. As for his family? Well, that was a bridge he had burned long before he got hooked on Dream World Online. There wasn¡¯t any point considering a different path now. He was just biding his time in this strange alternate reality until he could see the day of his revenge. After that? What was the point in planning so far ahead? He¡¯d figure it out when he got there. ¡°Same time tomorrow?¡± Rick asked as he slipped on his windbreaker. It was still the middle of February, and the chill in the air wasn¡¯t anything Rick wanted to experience after covering himself with sweat. Unfortunately, this place wasn¡¯t equipped with a shower, and if he wanted to change clothes, Rick would have to wait for the gym¡¯s single restroom to open up. Bai gave him a funny look, ¡°Did Rick lose his brain in the game too? Tomorrow is Valentine¡¯s Day!¡± Rick narrowed his eyes, ¡°I don¡¯t want to hear that from a kung-fu nerd like you!¡± he said smugly, ¡°Are you telling me you have a date or something?¡± Only Bai could compare with Rick¡¯s ego, and triumphantly crossed his arms, ¡°Hmph! Of course! I¡¯m very popular with the other sex. Ha! Forever alone Rick!¡± Rick wasn¡¯t sure whether he wanted to laugh or cry. There was nothing wrong with being alone on Valentine¡¯s day! He had to spend every minute working in the game to pay his rent, and it wasn¡¯t like he couldn¡¯t get a date if he tried. He certainly wasn¡¯t going to covet another man¡¯s fortune. ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll just come here on my own and squat like an idiot by myself,¡± he said. Bai smiled, ¡°Good! Rick is a good student after all!¡± Feeling the sting of loneliness, Rick stopped by the corner market on the way home and bought himself a cup of hot coffee. He may have been struggling just to get by, but a single dollar was a small price to pay to keep from freezing. When he finally got home, Rick couldn¡¯t help but feel his tiny apartment had grown in size while he was gone. The old futon that he¡¯d never had the time to unfold stared at him and creaked noisily when he sprawled across it. Rick allowed himself precisely one minute to wallow in his pity and sore muscles but even that small luxury was marred by the restlessness the overcame him. Instead of logging in to immediately resume the grind, Rick decided to check out Dream World Online¡¯s official forums. The company that published the game, Emerald Axis, was far less hands off than the title¡¯s actual developers, and did everything they could to address the players'' concerns. Although he could have logged in with his in-game name and password, Rick didn¡¯t bother since he wasn¡¯t going to post. He was just there to see the other players¡¯ progress. His bank account was relying on them reaching level 10 soon and unlocking the currency exchange. When Rick saw the number one topic on the new threads page, however, he nearly choked. Level 10 Player: What is a Slave Master?This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. ¡°This¡­ this can¡¯t be anyone else, right?¡± he felt an impending sense of dread as he opened the page. Maximilian (OP): Has anyone else seen the recent update for the players list in the Adventuring Guild? It was empty until yesterday, but a name finally showed up! [Theo - Lv. 10 Slave Master - Oasis Branch - Rank: D] Is this for real? How is there already a level 10 player in the game? I¡¯ve been following IamGameBro¡¯s livestream pretty closely, and I thought he was the fastest at level 8. Who is this Theo guy? Does he even eat or sleep? I¡¯m not mad or anything (much), but he¡¯s even made it to D-Rank already? I call hax! Rick frowned as he looked further, reading a dozen or so comments that either tried to disprove the original poster or were expressing a range of emotions from rage to begrudging adulation. At first the replies were pretty irregular. Fervor picked up as soon as players started logging in to check with their own eyes and posting screenshots. At the bottom of the first page, another post caught Rick¡¯s eye. Chareman: Can confirm! I also started in Oasis (desert bros for life!) and was checking out the Adventuring Guild with a couple buddies yesterday. There was a guy making a fuss at the E-ranked counter, but I thought it was just a NPC or something. Lol. It was probably the same person on the list! Did I just witness history in the making? P.S. Slave Master? I dunno what that means, but this guy is officially my hero! Changing my name to Theo¡¯s #1 Fan, lol. After this comment was posted, the thread practically exploded. Plenty of people came out of the woodwork to either disown or corroborate the story, with tons of false rumors floating around. A guy who named himself Theos#1Fan even appeared! It had gotten to the point where people started piecing together eye-witness descriptions of his avatar, and Rick was worried he might have to change his character design. Another comment jumped out at him. It was from an Emerald Axis official administrator. RaizerX: We¡¯re glad to see everyone so excited over the release of Dream World Online. The activity in the forums has been phenomenal so far, and the feedback we¡¯re receiving is greatly appreciated! Emerald Axis would just like to take this opportunity to step forward and make an official statement regarding this most recent matter: The account of the player in question has been reviewed by our investigation board and found to be legitimate and free of any suspicion of hacking, data manipulation, or other improper conduct. We would like to give player Theo our sincerest congratulations for being the first to reach level 10, for single handedly defeating an until now undiscovered boss, and for even unlocking a hidden class! We hope that everyone can strive to reach Theo¡¯s level soon and unearth the many secrets held within the world of Orpheum. We look forward to future stories of Theo¡¯s accomplishments! Thank you, that is all! Rick sighed. This wasn¡¯t good. He had expected a little buzz when he signed up at the Adventuring Guild, but how could he possibly expect the publisher to step in and make a statement? They even revealed his solo-kill of the [Desert Serpent Queen] and the fact that he was using a hidden class. He had to give it to them, they were professionals. Taking a small hiccup like this and turning it into a publicity stunt to encourage the players¡­ he shouldn¡¯t have expected any less. ¡°Crafty bastards,¡± Rick bit his thumb, ¡°Trying to threaten me? You¡¯ll be watching? You sound just like that old fart, Snake Eyes.¡± Was there anything he could do? The answer was ¡®no.¡¯ Aside from being more careful about how he exploited his knowledge from the future, he would also have to deal with the problems brought on by unintentional celebrity. Putting aside the fans, his success was certain to arouse the ire of plenty of headstrong players. This was also a way for Emerald Axis to check his advancement. Rick would have to lie low for awhile and try to accelerate his current plans later. He downed the rest of his coffee and threw his tired body back onto the futon next to his Lucid Lock. After a moment passed, his consciousness faded away and transferred over to his character. ¡°Stupid humie! Why are you so stupid? Stop being stupid!¡± a loud screeching all too quickly filled Theo¡¯s ears. The Goblin, Gobthnora, sat atop Meatshield¡¯s shoulders and was bashing the poor woman in the crown with her little staff. Flaunting her usual stony demeanor, the princess appeared entirely uninterested in the Shaman¡¯s pitiful strikes. It wasn¡¯t until Theo approached that she even turned her head. ¡°Oh, Master! You have returned! Gobthnora was giving suffer-teach to stupid humie! All day she refused to move or squeal! Her skull is empty like dropped baby Gobbo¡¯s!¡± she screeched, punctuating the edict with another loud *thwack.* ¡°Gobthnora, this is an order, keep your voice down. Also, don¡¯t harm the other slaves... without permission,¡± Theo didn¡¯t waste much brainpower on the issue. In her usual sycophantic manner, Gobthnora rolled down Meatshield¡¯s back and dropped to her knees to grovel. Theo was still getting used to the shaman¡¯s more eccentric qualities, but she had thankfully dropped the subject of becoming his Lover after yesterday¡¯s lesson. He still occasionally heard her whispers of ¡®eventually¡¯ when she thought he wasn¡¯t listening. The trio camped for the evening in a cave not too far from the Goblin¡¯s hideout. It was little more than a crack along the interior of a canyon-like rock formation. One of many which littered the area. An arid breeze whipped past the entrance, filling the cavern with a persistent whistling, while the stubborn gurgle of a long forgotten spring rose from the bottom of the ravine. After Meatshield managed to leave the confines of her spawning area without dropping dead, which was a huge relief, they¡¯d quickly scouted this location. At first it was occupied by a few monsters, whom Theo mercilessly evicted onto the canyon floor below¡­ in pieces. Gobthnora had proven unusually capable as she set up a fire for the group, and beyond any expectation managed to provide a useful buff. [Goblin Campfire]: Increases HP and MP regeneration by 100% while resting nearby. Bathing in the warm flames raises your spirits, Constitution and Willpower increase by 5% for 120 minutes. According to Gobthnora, one of the Goblin Shaman¡¯s most sacred duties was to keep the bonfire lit forever, even if that involved using other Goblins as kindling. There was no race in all of Orpheum more skilled at making fires, she boasted, and as the firestarter of her clan, Gobthnora could already be considered an Expert in this field. It was a pleasant surprise and let Theo see the little demi-human in a more favorable light, literally. For the moment, Theo had to concern himself with his other slave. Although both of his new possessions seemed to be competent in their own ways, they were also riddled with odd personality defects. It made him wonder if this was a quirk of being a Slave Master, or if he was just cursed. ¡°Meatshi- er, I mean Anastasia. That is your name, correct?¡± he leaned in and asked the young woman. Although it was hard to tell with her tattered appearance, the girl¡¯s looks were worthy of being a princess. Theo wouldn¡¯t consider himself a proper judge of what was and was not attractive, but he enjoyed looking at her. Meatshield''s face was thin and delicate, with a button nose and large, grey eyes flecked with bits of white. Thicker than average eyebrows accompanied her vacant expression, and she had an unnaturally pale complexion. Her long black hair was charred and frayed and had been thoroughly tangled by the Goblin tormentor. Even though Theo asked her a question, she just stared at him. He wasn¡¯t sure why, but some level of confirmation was decipherable in that emptiness. Gobthnora looked as if she wanted to slap the girl for refusing to answer her master, but abstained due to Theo¡¯s earlier reprimand. ¡°Nod if you understand me,¡± Theo said. Shockingly, the girl nodded. ¡°Nod once for yes or shake your head for no,¡± unsure of what to do, he treated her like he would an infant, ¡°Is your name Anastasia?¡± he asked. Meatshield nodded. ¡°Progress!¡± Theo¡¯s heart leapt. He already knew she could follow orders, but it would become troublesome if there was no way for her to communicate. Even if she didn¡¯t want to interact, or simply couldn¡¯t, Theo could still use his authority as a Slave Master to command her. He considered ordering her to use words from now on, but decided Gobthnora was loud enough for the both of them. As long as he was sure she understood, a quiet slave was definitely the better option. Guuu~ There was a rumbling sound from the girl¡¯s stomach. Without a hint of discomfort on her face, she continued to stare at her master. Theo had forgotten that NPCs needed to eat regularly. Gobthnora was fine since she had almost certainly been pigging out on stolen merchandise only hours ago, but Meatshield had actually been starving for days. While her condition might have improved after becoming Theo¡¯s slave, she still needed food!! ¡°Alright,¡± Theo said, standing up and hoisting his spear. ¡°Master is going hunting?¡± Gobthnora¡¯s eyes shone as she spoke. ¡°Nope,¡± her master immediately shot her down, ¡°Slaver''s First Rule: you don¡¯t hunt for yourself, you don¡¯t eat.¡± Theo refused to worry about hunting and cooking for his slaves all the time, and he certainly couldn¡¯t afford to buy them rations. Luckily, eating was optional for him. Turning his gaze on Meatshield he motioned for her to get up. ¡°Understand?¡± Theo asked her. The woman stiffly nodded her head. ¡°Good,¡± he said, ¡°Gobthnora, I¡¯m leaving this one to you. Don¡¯t beat her up anymore, but don¡¯t help her hunt either. She needs to learn to do it on her own.¡± Gobthnora flashed her pointy little teeth in a wide grin, ¡°Yes. Master is most wise. This is the way of Gobbos, as well. Survival of the fittest, Gobthnora likes!¡± What a compliant little Goblin he had found, even if she was a bit¡­ Theo opened his inventory and removed a tattered, makeshift blade from it. [Goblin Shortsword] - More of an oversized dagger than a shortsword, while it can hardly be called a weapon, it remains lethal nonetheless. The blade seems ready to fall apart at any time. Quality: Beginner; Durability 40/40 Damage: 8~15 It was a weapon looted from the Goblin horde, and it was even worse than the starting gear. Theo tossed it on the ground in front of Meatshield. It landed with a loud clang. ¡°Pick it up,¡± Theo ordered, watching as the princess did so with a delicate motion. It seemed her bows were programmed to be dainty, ¡°Can you use it?¡± Meatshield tried to adapt to the weight of the blade in her small hand as she swung it clumsily back and forth. After a moment of contemplation, she shook her head. Unfortunately, NPCs couldn¡¯t learn skills like players. She could only practice with the blade until she grew accustomed to it, and the system would eventually grant her the [Beginner One-Handed Mastery] skill. It worked the same way when you were training NPC soldiers. Theo, as the War God, had reached at least the Master-tier in every type of weapon in the game. He had personally trained all of Alabaster Alliance¡¯s top NPCs who would later go on to be commanders of the Guild¡¯s personal army. He was more than qualified to teach the slave how to fight, but that would only come after he got a full grasp of her attributes and habits. He had to be careful in how he raised the NPCs. These were his precious class features, after all! Chapter Seventeen: First Blood Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Seventeen: First Blood
"Start with that one," Theo directed his spear at the unsuspecting monster, and the girl''s eyes tracked the tip of the weapon with a single, careful motion. Like a cat following a laser pointer, she pounced. Because Theo had no way to cure her, he didn¡¯t let Meatshield start off against the poisonous [Big Bee]. He didn¡¯t think they dropped any food either. While the [Bristle Boar] would probably have the best tasting meat, there was no way to tell how much damage his slave would be able to do to it. Although she could probably rely on her [Blessing of the Stonekin] to beat any of the lower level monsters, it was an ability that could be used only once every 24 hours. It wasn¡¯t worth wasting it. The best target was the agile yet thin-skinned [Sand Lizard]. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I have to worry about her dying¡­¡± Theo could only sigh as he finally used his [Appraise Humanoid] skill on Meatshield. [Princess Anastasia Therasa Bolevolo XVII] Lv. 5 Human Elite HP: 1350/1350 MP: 100/100 What a ridiculous number! 1350 HP was equivalent to a level 13 Player who put every last one of their attribute points into Constitution! It was more than most level 20 tank builds would have, and it wasn¡¯t because of her Elite status either. It wouldn¡¯t be fair if NPCs kept the huge pools of HP they had when they were combat challenges, so the HP was recalculated based on the slave¡¯s attributes. Theo could only come up with one explanation. Her base Constitution score was simply disgusting. It was no wonder she could take all of those hits back in the Goblin cave and still live. She really was a Meatshield. Theo didn¡¯t know the exact reason for this, but guessed that it was because of her unique status as a hostage with an HP timer. If the devs had only given her a massive HP attribute, without boosting her Constitution, she would have starved to death before any players managed to reach her. As for why she ended up being a Princess? That was probably due to an abandoned quest line. A princess from a foreign land masquerading as a merchant¡¯s daughter to escape political turmoil? That was a classic plot hook. He didn¡¯t know why it had been changed, but it was clearly done in a hurry. The shoddy kill plane at the entrance of the Goblin cave was enough proof of that. Theo actually had the idea to run the quest multiple times to collect a little army of Meatshields, but that would involve teaming up with another player who could still accept the quest. He couldn¡¯t take it again on his own, and it would probably be patched soon, anyway. The devs weren¡¯t slow to fix their bugs, and there was the fact that they were watching him now to consider. Thankfully, they couldn¡¯t take Meatshield away from him either. Their little forum post was a double-edged sword that condoned his luck and adventurous spirit. As long as it wasn¡¯t anything game breaking, he could count on a little protection from the word of God. He still had to admit his curiosity over her status as a Bolevolo princess. Theo had dealt with the Bolevolo Empire in his past life, and they were a strict and difficult royal family that ruled with an iron fist. Perhaps it was due to their unique bloodline as the descendents of Gargoyles, but they weren¡¯t well disposed to anyone who wasn¡¯t one of their own. They were notoriously hard to approach or gain favor with, and even Theo didn¡¯t know much about them. He certainly wasn¡¯t aware of any runaway princess they might have, but the Empire was far away and had few dealings with Oasis. They probably thought she was dead, anyway. ¡°Stupid humie!¡± Gobthnora shouted at her newest pupil, ¡°Gobbo warrior never backs down! Fight tooth and nail! Kill at all costs!¡± Theo decided to ignore the gross inaccuracy of that statement as he inspected Gobthnora¡¯s stats again. The Goblin shaman was far less shocking, but still fairly impressive. [Shaman Gobthnora] Lv. 9 Goblin Elite HP: 210/210 MP: 760/760 Although she had lost a lot of her HP and become dangerously fragile in the transition to slavehood, she had a lot of MP and was already able to cast some spells. It meant her Willpower had actually been rather scary compared to his own, and Theo had dodged a bullet by talking her into willingly accepting the brand. If he had tried to force it, he would have most likely died on the spot. Theo kept watch over the bizarre duo and tried to keep them away from any of the other players. [Sand Lizards] were still giving many of the new players trouble, and while Meatshield wouldn¡¯t necessarily attract any real attention, it was difficult to do anything about Gobthnora¡¯s status as a monster. If anyone tried to take liberties with his property, he wouldn¡¯t have any qualms about sending them to an early grave. He busied himself by using his [Perception] skill to review the slaves every time it came off cooldown. There wasn¡¯t a reason to waste a minute resting when it could be used to grind up his skill proficiencies. The princess was currently jumping after the agile reptilian monster, throwing the entire weight of her body behind every strike. Her apparent inability to care for her own wellbeing actually served her well with Gobthnora¡¯s questionable tutelage. That lack of fear allowed her to literally grab on to the monster and begin striking it clumsily with her [Goblin Shortsword]. Although she was eating attack after attack, her HP barely fell at all. It took her nearly five minutes of grueling, awkward combat before she finally managed to get a lucky blow and pierce the beast in the neck. With a woeful little cry, the [Sand Lizard] collapsed and Meatshield stood up from her first kill. Her appearance was a complete mess when she turned to Theo, as if to receive his opinion on her hunting skills. He really had to figure out what was wrong with this girl! ¡°Shoddy. If it weren¡¯t for your ridiculously sturdy body, you¡¯d have died a long time ago,¡± he said. Gobthnora nodded along with her master¡¯s judgement, ¡°Brain dead girl is shame to proud Goblin warriors.¡± The princess turned and looked at the defeated monster, then back to the blade in her hand. For the second time since Theo met her, she seemed to be contemplating something. After a moment, she squatted down and began carving off awkwardly sized chunks from the [Sand Lizard]. Slave [Princess Anastasia Therasa Bolevolo XVII] has learned a new skill! [Beginner Monster Harvesting] has been added to the slave¡¯s list of skills! Although it was a pitiful attempt, the girl had actually gained a skill out of it. It might have been that she was close to learning it before Theo enslaved her, or it could have just been due to her overwhelming hunger. This would at least allow Theo to make a bit more money from the low level monsters. After retrieving a large chunk of the [Sand Lizard]¡¯s flesh, she quickly shoved her petite face into the meat and ravenously tore into it. Theo didn¡¯t know whether to be impressed or horrified by the act, but with her ludicrous Constitution, she was at least unlikely to come down with a case of food poisoning. Like a starving piranha, Meatshield quickly consumed the rest of the corpse and left behind little more than a pile of skin and bones. Her master collected the essence and turned to the nearest monster.Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon. ¡°Again, and this time learn how to dodge its attacks or you won¡¯t get to eat it,¡± he said. Gobthnora chuckled eerily as she leaned on her staff, ¡°At least she has the appetite of a proper Gobbo.¡± Meatshield only nodded her head and unceremoniously walked up to the next lizard. Theo didn¡¯t concern himself too much with training the Goblin slave, as she was a spellcaster, which was outside his area of expertise. Although it wouldn¡¯t hurt to teach her how to defend herself in close combat, he was apprehensive about any kind of physical proximity with the sycophantic little menace. It would probably be a necessity in the future, given her class, but he needed to build a sense of distance before that. What¡¯s more, she was already level 9, and couldn¡¯t level up any more until Theo did. As a Shaman, Gobthnora was considered to be an all-rounder. Her attributes would most likely be distributed fairly evenly, if you ignored the innate penalties a Goblin had to their Strength and Constitution. Her spell list would be quite diverse, with elemental damage spells and healing spells alike, but where the Shaman really shined was its battlefield control. Shamans¡¯ unique spells were mostly for buffing allies and weakening enemies. Theo didn¡¯t know if Gobthnora¡¯s [Goblin War Dance] would affect him or Meatshield, but there was only one way to find out. ¡°Gobthnora, use your war dance,¡± Theo issued the command with a stern look. The Goblin jumped in surprise at the sudden order, her staff clinking loudly as she excitedly turned to stare at him. Her feet shifted uncomfortably, and she seemed to struggle to maintain eye contact for any length of time. ¡°M-master wishes to see Gobthnora¡¯s dancing¡­ keekeekee¡­ to move her body for master¡¯s pleasure is¡­¡± [Inflict Pain] -57 He struck her with the spear again. ¡°KWAK! A-as you wish master,¡± it only took her a few moments to pick herself up off the ground this time around. She wasn¡¯t building up a resistance to the skill, was she? In short order, the Goblin lifted her staff in the air and began hopping up and down with an awkward gait. The chiming of the baubles seemed to ring in time with a rapidly beating heart, and Theo could feel a surge of energy rising through his body. It reminded him of the days spent raiding bosses with his Guild, when he would be under the effects of a dozen different buffs and blessings. He had missed this addictive surge of power. Slave [Shaman Gobthnora] has used [Goblin War Dance]! All nearby Goblins receive +20% damage; Immunity to Fear. Non-Goblin allies within the area receive half the usual bonus. Theo wore a thin smile on his face, ¡°Not bad, half is still something,¡± he thought. Seeing the smile, Gobthnora seemed to have strange thoughts running through her head and she picked up the pace. Meatshield, who also received the effects of the buff, actually had some noticeable changes. Her rate of attack increased and her movements became fiercer. She actually grabbed onto the [Sand Lizard] and started biting it. While he would have liked to see her using the weapon instead, it did cause Theo to realize something. ¡°So, she was afraid after all¡­¡± It was understandable. Although she didn¡¯t show it outwardly, or much of anything for that matter, she was still a young woman and a princess at that. Fear of death was a natural human instinct, and it slowed her reaction speed by a few degrees. Whether she was now totally immune to that fear, or just resistant to it, Theo had no way to know. Either way, it was another good thing. Several hours of tedious grinding passed by in a flash, and Theo only had to chase away a group of thick-headed players one time. Two guys and girl, they were equipped like a warrior, mage, and archer respectively, though they didn¡¯t have any classes yet. He didn¡¯t even have to kill them, himself. After the first arrow struck Gobthnora, she started wailing in anger, before charging up and tossing a [Fireball] spell. It was instant death for the group of low-leveled players, who left behind nothing but a few random essences from their inventories. At least Theo gained a bit of information from the encounter. He wouldn¡¯t gain any Evil points if the slaves did the killing. Theo wanted to test this out and see if it held true when he was the one giving the order, but there weren¡¯t any other players dumb enough to attack the Goblin after that little display. Gobthorna was already as gleefully Evil as one got, and Theo didn¡¯t think her alignment could go any lower. Just to be safe, he moved to a more secluded spot and had Meatshield go up against the level 5 monster in the area, the [Carrion Bird]. It was similar to the [Sand Lizard] in terms of agility, but because it could fly, the princess wouldn¡¯t be able to rely on her patented grappling skills to tie it down. It was better training for her in the long run, and she seemed to prefer the taste of bird meat over lizard. After getting a bite of it, she even seemed to be more enthusiastic about hunting them, though that could have been purely Theo¡¯s imagination. Gobthnora couldn¡¯t keep up her [Goblin War Dance] all of the time, as it slowly drained her MP, but that was quickly remedied by her firemaking skills. It only took a few minutes of resting in order to completely refill the empty value, and she even showed off her ¡®unique¡¯ skills with Goblin cuisine. ¡°Eyeballs are squishiest part of bird head, for making best sauce. Gizzard chewy and make good on humie breadcrumbs!¡± she spoke, as Meatshield watched with what Theo could only assume was rapt attention. With the recovery granted by the [Goblin Campfire] and a full stomach, Theo had the woman engage in one battle after another. He would occasionally critique her movements or reprimand her when she took a blow she should have dodged. It was nearly impossible to get a read on the girl¡¯s emotions, but she would always nod mechanically when Theo asked her if she understood her punishment. After only a single day of hunting, the slaves had built up something of a rapport. Meatshield would kill the monsters and harvest their meat, while Gobthnora would serve as a coach and portable chef. She seemed to enjoy watching the human woman getting beaten on by monsters, as well. When asked about it, she confirmed that all Goblins enjoyed watching the suffering of others, including other Goblins. It was one of their favorite past-times, and the larger clans even made a macabre play out of torturing friends and victims alike. ¡°Ahh¡­ Gobthnora longs for the suffer-pits of her homeland!¡± she cooed nostalgically in her high, screechy voice. Theo had no interest in asking the Goblin where her homelands were located, unless it was to go there and grind up his skill proficiencies. Somehow, he didn¡¯t think the shaman would take any offense to the idea. Meatshield successfully acquired both the [Beginner One-Handed Mastery] and the [Dodge] skills, as well as the unexpected [Beginner Unarmed Mastery] from her repeated attempts to bite and grab at the monsters. She could even successfully dodge one out of five attacks from the [Carrion Bird] now, which put her on par with some of the less coordinated players in the game. Theo had more or less decided what he was going to do with her by now. It wasn¡¯t until he checked how his skills were coming along that he noticed a blinking light in the corner of his player menu. It was the messenger informing him of a new mail in the inbox. Theo had forgotten he silenced it before his dealings with Old Man Snake Eyes. He thought maybe Bai was trying to get in touch with him, ¡°That nerd better not be bothering me to brag about his date tomorrow,¡± Theo mumbled and opened the alert. Tanya: Hello? :3 Tanya: Are you there? Tanya: You¡¯re not ignoring me are you? : 0 Tanya: You can¡¯t just ignore me! >: ( Tanya: How dare you? You¡¯re lucky I don¡¯t report you for harassment! >.< Theo somehow felt no further desire to read the piled up messages. He had forgotten about the strange woman in his friends list, and was without a clue as to why she had tried to contact him. He was worried she might ask him to meet up for another beating. Tanya: Fine! Tanya: Be like that! Tanya: I saw that post about you on the forums¡­ Tanya: First to reach level 10? That was you, right? Tanya: It couldn¡¯t be anyone else, with the damage you deal. Tanya: Bullying weaker players¡­ that¡¯s really like you, you know that? Tanya: You¡¯re really mean! Tanya: Be glad I don¡¯t let everyone know how mean you are! : P Was this a punishment for all of the bad karma Theo had acquired in his past life? That was a thing, right? Karma? Tanya: Also, Slave Master? So you really were that type¡­ scary¡­ Theo shut the window before he was forced to take his anger out on something. Although they were entirely ignorant of their master¡¯s interactions with the interface, the slaves still noticed the sudden change in his attitude. Each was probably wondering what they must have done to put their master in such a foul mood. Gobthnora didn¡¯t even offer to comfort him with her body, so he must have been giving off a truly menacing aura. ¡°If I ever see that girl again, she¡¯ll have to rethink her definition of the word scary!¡± he growled silently. Turning to his slaves, ¡°Get up, we¡¯re going hunting,¡± he snapped. ¡°As you wish, Master!¡± was Gobthnora¡¯s response. As usual, Meatshield nodded. Chapter Eighteen: Two Steps Back Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Eighteen: Two Steps Back
A roaring [Strike] glittered under the evening sun, crashing to the earth with a stone-shattering rumble. The attack sent a number of sharp rocks flickering out like meteoric shrapnel. The [Carrion Bird] squawked as several projectiles connected with its wings, causing it to take a sudden turn downward. As it tumbled through the sky, the player who had activated [Strike] reversed their grip and flung their oversized sword into the sky. It struck the off balance [Carrion Bird] and dealt a brutal Critical Hit to the beast¡¯s underside. The bald-headed, filth riddled bird was flung into the air before quickly returning to the ground with a soft thud. The powerfully-built warrior lifted her great sword with a triumphant yell. ¡°HA!¡± Her large frame and stern features seemed at odds with her bubbly response, as she drove the weapon into the paralyzed monster. [Strike] -123 As she hit with her final attack, the [Carrion Bird] exhaled for the last time and the swordswoman was encased in an aura of golden light. Level up! A wave of euphoria washed over Tanya as her confidence filled to the brim. She could at last take out a [Carrion Bird] by herself, and she even reached level 6 in the process. It was normally considered quite difficult for a heavy sword wielder to fight against flying monsters. ¡°Huhuhu¡­ just you wait Theo, I¡¯ll catch up to you in no time!¡± there was a scary look in her eyes as she looted the body of her most recent kill. After the humiliating incident with the current highest-level player in the game, and her many ignored messages, a certain obsession had crept its way into the woman¡¯s life. A powerful drive to crush the handsome face of the man she hadn¡¯t been able defeat had transformed Tanya¡¯s evening hobby into a matter of pride. Tanya allocated her new attribute points and happily inspected her character profile.
Character Information
Name: Tanya (6) HP: 330/330
Race: Human MP: 290/280
Class: Novice Attack: 69~84
Alignment: Good Defense: 5 (8%)
Attributes and Runes
Strength: 29 (+0) Head Rune: Novice Head Rune
Agility: 5(+0) Heart Rune: Novice Heart Rune
Intelligence: 5(+0) Core Rune: Novice Core Rune
Constitution: 23 (+0) Rune Locked Empty
Willpower: 11 (+0) Rune Locked Empty
Charisma: 17 (+0) Rune Locked Empty
Luck: 8 (+0) Rune Locked Empty
Skill List
Skill Name Level Exp. to Next Lv. Tag
Beginner Conditioning Lv. 6 17%/100% *
Beginner Heavy Sword Mastery Lv. 4 44%/100% *
Beginner Meditation Lv. 5 39%/100% *
Beginner Persuasion Lv. 3 16%/100% *
Beginner Rune Mastery Lv. 3 7%/100% *
Dodge Lv. 3 31%/100% *
Perception Lv. 3 22%/100% *
Stealth Lv. 3 16%/100% *
Strike Lv. 1 92%/100% *
Tanya was glowing with vitality as she hoisted the heavy sword and turned to find her next unsuspecting target. Although she had just leveled up, there was no reason she couldn¡¯t take down a few more of these [Carrion Bird]s before moving on. They gave out good experience when you weren¡¯t forced to fight them with a group. As she scanned the horizon, a small object poked out of a nearby pile of large, sandstone boulders. It seemed to be some kind of skull, and if it wasn''t actively moving, she didn¡¯t think she would have seen it at all. It bobbed up and down slowly, as if purposely trying to attract her attention. ¡°Is it a new kind of monster?¡± Tanya thought, readying her sword. She had become far more familiar with the level of difficulty in this game over the last week, and after reading some of the horror stories from players in other cities, she wasn¡¯t going to drop her guard for a second. What might look at first like a cuddly forest pal could actually be a vicious beast in disguise! Tanya began to take cautious steps in the direction of the foreign object. ¡°Kee?¡± The object made a strange noise as it rose into the air. Bits of metal and coin hung from cords that were wrapped around horns protruding from either side, and the whole thing was mounted on a gnarled branch being held aloft by four tiny green fingers. A green, hairless face followed in the wake of the staff. It had two yellow eyes the size of acorns that adorned a head that seemed too large for its tiny body. Its nose was equally out of proportion, and a pair of large floppy ears dangled from the sides of its oblong skull. Both were pierced with various bone ornaments that clacked when it moved. The creature had a human like body, with a round little torso and unnaturally skinny limbs. Its total height was about one meter, and it was wearing a patchy, burned robe. ¡°That is?¡± Tanya activated her [Perception]. [Goblin] ¡°Goblin? Like the weak little trash monster? Huhuhu¡­¡± a rather Theo-like grin crept across Tanya¡¯s face as she spotted her newest target. The Goblin had clearly taken notice of her, and regarded her with a curious expression. Tanya wielded the massive slab of iron that was her weapon and carefully got into position. She would have loved to learn a skill which let her charge at the target before an attack, because it just didn¡¯t feel as awesome when you had to walk up to the monsters and crack them over the head.Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. The green faced creature then did something Tanya couldn¡¯t have expected. It smiled a sharp-toothed grin and stuck out its tongue. Why did this creature¡¯s appearance remind her of that devil-faced bastard somehow? It even started mumbling something under its breath. ¡°You little! Eat sword!¡± Tanya stomped up the rockpile after the Goblin and took a swing at it. Contrary to the scene she had imagined, Tanya¡¯s quarry scurried away before the blade even came close. She had never faced any of the more intelligent monsters in the game, and the surprise maneuver was entirely unexpected. The great sword crashed into the pile of rocks with a bang, and Tanya was carried forward by the heavy weapon¡¯s momentum. It took all of her strength to right herself. It was at that moment that a strange green light shot forth from the Goblin¡¯s staff. It flew towards her with a blinding speed, changing shape to take the form of a thin ring. It passed through her chest and wrapped around her, tightening in the process. She was overcome with a sickening, twisting sensation in her bones, and her legs felt as if they were stuck in an invisible quagmire. You have received spell [Bogwarp]... Movement speed reduced by 30% for 30 seconds. ¡°M-magic!¡± Tanya squeaked in surprise at the sudden debuff. A morbid heaviness embraced her person as she struggled to adapt to her body¡¯s strange new slowness. After all the time it took to grow accustomed to her character''s alternate height and weight, Tanya realized she had zero experience moving when under a condition like this. Sharpening her senses for an incoming attack, Tanya heard more strange words she didn¡¯t understand pouring from the Goblin¡¯s mouth. Was it another magical spell? When she tried to crane her neck, it was like doing so against a pounding gale. The warrior looked up just in time to see the Goblin¡¯s wind-up before it flung a ball of fire in her direction. She didn¡¯t even have a chance to dodge before the soft-ball sized orb crashed into her chest and exploded outward in all directions.The HP that had been completely refilled after her level up was immediately reduced to 0 from the direct hit, and her avatar scattered into a number of red particles. Everything went black, and when she regained her sight, Tanya was standing around the town square in Oasis. ¡°What¡­ what just happened?¡± Back at the location of the ¡®battle,¡¯ Gobthnora kicked over a stone that had been charred black by her [Fireball]. Sitting next to it was a completely unrecognizable human corpse that was still softly smoldering. ¡°Keh¡­ Master was right, the humies are very dumb. Stupid humie can¡¯t even tell how mighty Gobbo Shaman is!¡± after pilfering the corpse, she let out a putrid little exasperation, ¡°Didn¡¯t leave any presents behind for master!¡± In frustration, the shaman beat the deceased Tanya with her staff for a good minute. As a way to increase productivity, Theo had set the Goblin to what he conveniently called ¡®autoloot.¡¯ After discovering Gobthnora¡¯s affluence of Evil and realizing that he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about her actions affecting him negatively as long as he wasn¡¯t forcing her to do it, he came up with a plan to keep the shaman busy while he was beginning Meatshield¡¯s training. Theo would have the relatively high level Gobthnora frequent the more secluded areas where players would go to hunt, and wander around looking for things that could be of value. If he knew anything about those greedy players, they wouldn¡¯t be able to resist attacking the new and fragile-looking monster. Gobthnora¡¯s personality was pretty nasty, so a few well placed suggestions cemented the idea that it was perfectly fine to roast players into ashes if they bothered her. Of course, since she was there to look for valuables, she would obviously bring back anything the players happen to drop. Just because they didn¡¯t lose any experience for dying in PvP under level 10, it didn¡¯t mean they wouldn¡¯t risk dropping their loot. Weapons and runes weren¡¯t included in this, but if a lucky player managed to find gear they couldn¡¯t equip and carried it around in their inventory, that was perfectly fair game. ¡°Block!¡± the butt of Theo¡¯s spear slammed into Meatshield¡¯s shoulder and knocked her off balance before another blow connected with her solar plexus. The girl stumbled back and stared at her master with an empty look. Theo still had no idea if she was complaining or not, ¡°Do you think that you can rely on your body to protect you against giants and dragons?¡± he scolded her, ¡°Dodge the big attacks and block the weak ones!¡± ¡°Now dodge!¡± Theo activated [Lunge] and crashed into Meatshield, who tried and failed to dive out of the way. Her HP slowly plummeted, but she would be fine after resting near Gobthnora¡¯s [Goblin Campfire]. With her absurd Constitution and the amount of beatings she had taken over the past day, her [Beginner Conditioning] skill was skyrocketing. Theo wouldn¡¯t know how fast the progression was until it upgraded to the next level, but it would likely be enough to shock even him. After observing her movements for a day and a half, Theo came straight home from his trip to the gym and began to drill the princess on the basics of combat. The girl¡¯s selling point was her incredibly high HP and unique defensive ability. It would be a waste not to take advantage of her talent in this area, and Theo had resolved to maximize her viability as a tank. The issue was, after watching her various battles, he had roughly calculated her Strength and Agility from her movement speed and damage dealt. The result was that she wasn¡¯t particularly gifted in either of these attributes. Her Willpower was abysmal, and even if it turned out be quite high, her Intelligence was useless without any any MP. Charisma and Luck, on the other hand, were impossible to calculate from combat. Theo could only assume Charisma was her second highest attribute since she was royalty, but there was no way to take advantage of it with her personality the way it was. At least Strength could be trained up properly and boosted with most combat equipment, and if he could get her a class that allowed her to make use of her Charisma, she had a build that could actually work. For the time being, he needed to teach her how to balance attack with defense. With a proper shield, and knowledge of how to use it, Theo figured this princess would make a solid defender until monsters started throwing around magic and status effects. After that, he would need to find some way to make up for her terrible mental resistances. After ¡®teaching¡¯ Meatshield for another ten minutes, the haggard woman needed a breather and Theo let her rifle through the mound of food she had collected. It seemed like no matter how much this girl ate, she would always be hungry for more. Was this a side effect of an NPC losing so much HP all of the time, or did it have something to do with her status as a Bolevolo? The mysteries surrounding Meatshield only seemed to pile up. After returning his [Steel-Edged Partizan] to the Inventory, Theo held the back of his right hand up to his face. The complex little rune that appeared there was his unique brand and would be applied to all of his slaves in the future. It rose to level 2 following the enslavement of the princess, but after that it refused to budge an inch, even if he tagged it. The system was blocking its progress until he met a certain criteria, much like it did with players who had reached enough experience to hit level 10. One could not cross that line without obtaining a class first, and any proficiencies earned would be void. Theo had worried that he wouldn¡¯t be able to raise the skill at all without enslaving high profile targets, and became concerned that he had wasted a slot on the easily obtained Gobthnora. His concern wasn¡¯t relieved until Meatshield leveled up for the first time. After grinding up to level 6 last night, Theo finally saw the proficiency of this skill rise, and it increased by an entire 20%. Leveling slaves and enslaving¡­ that made two ways he had found to improve the quality of his brand. ¡°But what if they¡¯re useless in combat?¡± Theo mused. Crafting? Gathering? Entertainment? If the slave didn¡¯t work, the master wouldn¡¯t grow! ¡°No wonder so many Slave Masters were terrible players in the past,¡± he let out an exasperated sigh and turned to look at Meatshield, who was gnawing on a piece of [Goblin-Made Vulture Jerky] the shaman had cooked. Theo honestly couldn¡¯t bring himself to try any of Gobthnora¡¯s cooking, and was again grateful for his ability to go without eating. Bweep! Bweep! Theo sat bolt upright at the sudden pinging noise, ¡°An alert? I didn¡¯t set an alarm for now...¡± his interface responded to his mental commands and pulled up the alerts page, ¡°Ah, phone.¡± When Theo received a text message on his mobile phone, he was alerted in the game thanks to a synced account with his Lucid Lock. It was a habit from the days when he communicated with his trainers, sponsors, and contacts from the game frequently. In this life, the feature was doing little more than collecting dust. The only phone numbers he had were those that he needed for work or family. He had long ago deleted all of the numbers that belonged to his friends back in college, since his past self resolved never to see them again. It was a really childish thing to do, in hindsight. Theo wasn¡¯t sure whether to be filled with pride for how much he had grown over the years or embarrassment at the knowledge of where he had originally come from. It was even more confusing when you threw time travel into the equation. At first Theo figured it was his little sister sending him a message. She was the kind of kid who would still try to bug him when she got bored. To his disbelief, the name that appeared before him wasn¡¯t ¡°Molly¡± but ¡°Mary Ann.¡± ¡°They¡¯re not trying to get me to come in on Valentine¡¯s day are they? I already quit¡­¡± he complained to nobody in particular. Still watching over the ravenous Meatshield, Theo decided he could spare a few minutes to talk to a former coworker. Mary Ann wasn¡¯t really a frivolous person, and if she was texting him this late, it was more than likely something at least a bit serious. Mary Ann: [8:43PM] Hey Rick, you live nearby right Rick: [8:44PM] Nearby you? I don¡¯t think so? Mary Ann: [8:46PM] Out right now Mary Ann: [8:46PM] Yeah, you do Rick: [8:46PM] Where are you? Why do you know my address? Rick: [8:50PM] Mary Ann? Mary Ann: [8:51PM] I¡¯ve seen you paid checks Mary Ann: [8:51PM] Paychecks Rick: [8:52PM] Are you alright? Mary Ann: [8:55PM] You¡¯re sweet Mary Ann: [8:55PM] I¡¯m coming over Rick: [8:55PM] What do you mean you¡¯re coming over? Rick: [9:00PM] Mary Ann? Rick: [9:02PM] Mary Ann? Chapter Nineteen: Clumsy Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Nineteen: Clumsy
¡°She¡¯s drunk.¡± This was the thought that immediately came to mind when Theo reread the conversation. He¡¯d have to be an idiot not to come to that conclusion. Just imagine, it''s Valentine¡¯s day and a woman you have no intimate relationship with texts that she¡¯s going to show up your place. This situation reeked of drunkenness. It was possible that she was just a lonely stalker, but Theo thought he knew better. Mary Ann was cheerful and social with what had always appeared to be a well-adjusted personality. There could be kinks in Theo¡¯s perception, naturally, though that would make him a rather poor judge of character. Then again... After a moment¡¯s decision making, Theo turned to the princess, ¡°I¡¯m going now, guard the cave and wait for the green one to return,¡± he ordered. The woman, who was still chewing on her jerky, simply nodded. Theo shook his head tiredly and logged out of the game. The Lucid Lock menu greeted him with a polite chime as he returned to the real world, and he became aware of his slightly awkward posture on the futon. After rolling over and disconnecting, Rick stood up and looked around his apartment. It wasn¡¯t depressingly empty, but there was a certain level of poverty apparent in his belongings. The most expensive piece of property Theo owned was the Lucid Lock, but everything else seemed to have been fished out of a thrift store. That wasn¡¯t too far from the truth, actually. What Rick hadn¡¯t taken from his college dorm, he had picked up on the side of the road. It was amazing how much you could accomplish with some determination and a friend with a truck. Although the place was a little pieced together from odds and ends, it was by no means dirty. Rick didn¡¯t use his home enough to get it too messy, instead opting to spend most of his time in the game. Whatever he dirtied was quickly cleaned by habit after a rather strict upbringing. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not like I¡¯m under any responsibility to tidy up for trespassers,¡± Rick chuckled to himself, though he was already in the process of doing it. Lately, the more RIck found himself interacting with people in the real world, the more he found himself thinking of his family. In his past life, they were never on his mind that much, but he couldn¡¯t help considering the choices he had made before and the possibility of changes this new life might let him make. It gave him an uncomfortable feeling in his stomach. Bzzrt! After about twenty minutes of waiting, the buzzer on his apartment wall rang loudly, drowning out his thoughts. His room was on the the first floor of a long, two-storey residential building that hugged a minor thoroughfare on the outskirts of the city¡¯s downtown area. The whole neighborhood had been subsidized housing before a flood ravaged most of it, but the buildings had long since been refurbished. Now, the majority of the current residents were poor college grad-students, and he was grateful for how little noise they made. Excluding a few rage-fits during finals season. Rick unbolted the lock on the door and opened it just as the buzzer went off for the second time. What he saw almost took his breath away. Mary Ann had always been pretty, but Rick had only seen her in a work uniform. After he left the minimart the first time, he never spoke to the woman again. It wasn¡¯t until he saw her now that all of the memories and impulses of the unrequited, boyish crush he had harbored at the time came flooding back to him. ¡°Rick!¡± Mary Ann had a sort of excited lilt to her voice that was obviously the result of her flirtations with a hearty amount of alcohol. Her pupils were wide and her face was flushed, though it looked like she hadn¡¯t walked too terribly far to get here. Rick felt a bit bad when he saw the pair of high heel shoes dangling from her slender fingers, and quickly moved out of the way. ¡°Hey, come in,¡± he said. Unceremoniously she dropped her shoes on the floor and began to remove her coat. Anatomically speaking, Rick wondered where she had hidden all of this hair? It was everywhere, instead of tied up like at work. The warm brown stood out against the soft creamy tone of her skin as it curled around her face and flowed down to the middle of her back. Her red silk dress hugged her modest breasts with a slight v-neck that showed off a hint of cleavage, and a daring seam plunged to her hips in the back. It was the type of dress that demanded in the wearer a decided amount of bravado, due in no small part to its inability to hide one¡¯s undergarments. In this case, Mary Ann had solved the issue by simply not wearing any. It was clearly not an outfit someone would wear on a first date. Whoever she had been planning on meeting was a lucky man. Mary Ann snuck by him with a little wobble in her step and an expression of slight disappointment. He wondered if she had been hoping for a more jaw-dropping reaction, but Rick wasn¡¯t the sexually inexperienced kid he appeared to be. He could thoroughly appreciate her looks without letting it show on his face, and he wanted to reveal no intention of getting into bed with her tonight. Rick was a proud creature, and while not really a romantic, he wouldn¡¯t tolerate becoming someone''s ¡®bad night booty call.'' He chuckled internally at the thought as he shut the door and rebolted it. ¡°Wow, it¡¯s a lot cleaner than I thought!¡± Mary Ann exclaimed, giving a little twirl as she inspected his living space. Rick watched the presentation stone-faced, though he silently confirmed that the woman was a sight to behold from any angle. ¡°It¡¯s home,¡± he said disinterestedly, taking note of something in her hands. ¡°You didn¡¯t clean up just because you *hic* had a girl coming over, did you?¡± she playfully nudged Rick with her shoulder, and he couldn¡¯t help but get a whiff of her perfume from the sudden bodily contact. Rick ignored the question and pulled a brown paper bag out of her hand. Even if he wasn¡¯t necessarily a big guy, he was still strong enough to dislodge something from her unsuspecting hands. Mary Ann opened her mouth as if to protest the sudden action, but Rick cut her off. He pulled the bag down, revealing a tall glass bottle filled with clear liquid. ¡°Vodka?¡± Rick had guessed she would bring something to drink, but he had expected a cheap wine or some other kind of fruity beverage. ¡°This is more serious than I thought¡­¡± he muttered internally. Mary Ann retrieved the bottle back into her arms with a pout, turning her head, ¡°It¡¯s not for kids!¡± she chirped, smiling impishly, ¡°Not unless they ask nicely.¡± Rick almost gulped. This girl was really planning on having her way with him! What a different side of her he was seeing. He actually considered playing along with her clumsy plan for a moment, but quickly wiped the thought from his head. Rick wasn¡¯t going to turn his apartment into a crime scene! He was only nineteen in this life, and so Mary Ann clearly underestimated him and his adolescent libido. Rick thought it was funny considering she was only twenty-two herself. ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough from you,¡± he said with a slightly furrowed brow, though his tone couldn¡¯t help but be inviting, ¡°Are you going to tell me what you¡¯re doing here or not?¡±You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Mary Ann stripped the bag and threw it on the floor, triumphantly holding up the bottle of liquor. ¡°You ask too many questions! Drink with me!¡± she urged, tugging at his arm and pressing something decidedly perky against him. Rick sighed, ¡°You¡¯re not going to talk to me until I do, are you?¡± he asked. Mary Ann cutely shook her head, took a step back, and unscrewed the bottle. Rick could pick up the smell of cheap Vodka even from a few feet away. Without an ounce of grace, she tilted the bottle up to her lips, but Rick once again snatched it from her. This time he had to strong arm it a bit, and some of the liquor splashed on his feet. ¡°Not like that,¡± he couldn¡¯t help but reprimand her. He ignored her demure complaints and set the bottle on his kitchenette counter before opening a cabinet and retrieving a set of shot glasses. Being underage didn¡¯t mean a thing to a college bachelor, and Rick had received these as a gift from a buddy on his last birthday. He didn¡¯t know if he had ever ended up using them, though. Rick wasn¡¯t a particularly heavy drinker. ¡°Sit,¡± he ordered, and Mary Ann shockingly did as he said. She plopped down on the old futon and crossed her hands over her lap. Was this good-girl act supposed to be part of her seduction attempt, or was she just too drunk to protest? Rick sat next to her and placed the bottle and glasses on the little table in front of them. A piece he had proudly picked up at a yard sale for next to nothing. ¡°This is an interrogation, not a party. One shot, one answer, got it?¡± he wagged a finger at the woman, reminding him of how he treated Meatshield most of the time. Being a Slave Master might be affecting his perception of how to deal with people in real life¡­ Well, he had always been pretty bossy. Rick was hoping that if he could keep her talking instead of drinking, he might be able to avoid a messy situation tonight. Mary Ann nodded eagerly, and the pair knocked back the shots of the hot, unpleasant swill with practiced motions. ¡°Okay, so what happened?¡± Rick asked with a long exhale, still airing the taste of gasoline out of his mouth. Mary Ann opened her mouth to reply, and somehow, half an hour passed in the blink of an eye. Why was there only a third of the Vodka left? ¡°And then he *hic* had the balls to break up! With me! With a fucking text message!¡± Rick was having trouble following what Mary Ann was saying. His face was hot, and it felt like his ears were stuffed with cotton. It wasn¡¯t until Mary Ann slapped the table and poured him another shot that he was overcome with a panicked moment of sobriety. ¡°Shit! I forgot! This isn¡¯t my old body! I can¡¯t hold my drinks...¡± the thoughts passed through Rick¡¯s head in a fleeting, elusive manner. He still drank the shot. Mary Ann¡¯s body was already shoved up against his own on the small futon as they had unitentionally gravitated towards the center. There was a pleasant, warm feeling that spread through his shoulder as she rested her head on him, hair draped over his arm. Rick felt as if his heartbeat was speeding up, and he watched Mary Ann rock gently as his chest rose and fell. How much time had just passed? ¡°So why did you come here?¡± Rick spoke slowly, unsure if he had already asked the question. Mary Ann turned and stared at him, her eyes a bit distant while she was lost in thought. Rick immediately regretted asking the question, as the soft gaze tore into his mental defenses. He had always been most attracted to Mary Ann¡¯s eyes, especially when she had that lively and confident look to her, but he didn¡¯t think this was a bad change of pace either. When she finally moved to speak, he couldn¡¯t help but redirect his vision to her moist, pink lips. ¡°You know, Rick, you¡¯re a good fr-¡± ¡°Fuck it, doesn¡¯t matter,¡± Rick said, cutting her off as he leaned in and stole the words from her mouth. Neither side paid any attention to the strong alcoholic taste of the kiss, which seemed to go on for a few seconds too long, and Mary Ann collapsed against Rick¡¯s chest when they finally parted. She was panting. One of her hands fell on his shoulder and the other in his lap, and there was only a split second glance between the two before she pulled herself up to rush headlong into another kiss. ¡°Mmf,¡± a cute noise escaped Mary Ann¡¯s mouth as Rick pressed against her. She ran a hand through her hair to push it behind her ear, and then delicately swept her fingers down the line of Rick¡¯s jaw, leaving them resting against his neck. Rick¡¯s hands grabbed her by the waist and pulled her into his lap with a surprising amount of strength, leaving her straddling him as she struggled to command more of the kiss than Rick would allow. Tongues brushed as the hazy minded couple blissfully reveled in the feel of one another. Just as it seemed they were about to suffocate in their embrace, Rick pulled and sucked on her lower lip. Mary Ann let out a gasp as her thighs tightened around his waist, and her nails pressed into his firm skin, searching for some kind of purchase. She grabbed the collar of his shirt and stared at him with wide, hungry eyes. The look on her face only served to ignite the carnal centers of Rick¡¯s mind. His hands ran the length of her back, pulling up the hem of her dress as his fingers explored the woman¡¯s supple curves through the thin fabric. Mary Ann¡¯s tender lips locked with his own and after a moment she sank her teeth into his bottom lip, seemingly pleading for more. Rick gently pulled away, his breath grazing her cheek and sending a warm, tingling sensation washing over her body. Taking advantage of the slight recoil, Rick¡¯s mouth pounced on her delicate, exposed neck. The flushed skin was quickly drawn tight. ¡°Ahn!¡± Mary Ann let out a moan. The surprise motion sent Mary Ann¡¯s spine straightening and she snapped her head back. He relentlessly teased the sensitive skin below her jaw and she involuntarily bucked against him. When she felt the second quick bite coming, her grip tightened and her chest heaved. Rick felt as if a hot wire was burning his skull, driving him to kiss and pull and possess more of the woman on his lap. It wasn¡¯t enough to say he was excited as his arms supported the small of Mary Ann¡¯s back, her hips gently rocking. The more he teased her the more fervent her movements grew, until he felt her fingers running through his messy hair. When they tightened and pulled, his mouth moved down her neck and he found himself toying with her collarbone. As if she couldn¡¯t stand the sudden stimulation, Mary Ann pulled on Rick¡¯s head and dislodged him. Before he could send her mind reeling any further, she cut off that dangerous tongue of his with her own. The barriers between the two fell one after the other as they exchanged hurried breaths and their greedy hands began wandering. Rick could feel the slender fingers tugging at his shirt as the fabric was rolled up and something ticklish dove beneath it to caress his bare skin. Mary Ann¡¯s dress was pulled past her hips as his own hand returned the favor. It was like lighting a match, and the woman shuddered under his touch. There was a whirlwind brushing past Rick¡¯s ears as Mary Ann tore the shirt up over his head and pressed her lips against his chest. She ran her mouth up his sternum and licked at his neck playfully. The heat that was filling his lower body was almost unbearable, and he felt a welcome relief in the pressure as the button on his pants was undone. ¡°Mary Ann,¡± Rick said with a heavy breath as she began prying at his zipper. Even if he¡¯d had a bit to drink, the barrage of overwhelming sensations had restored at least some of his sensibility. Rick was still single in this life, and had been for a while. He was living alone and hadn¡¯t been planning on female company this evening. How could he have possibly been stocked with the necessary precautions? Before he could force the Mary Ann¡¯s skillful hands off of him, something hot fell over his shoulder and ran down his back. An awful smell immediately assaulted his nose, and the raging libido was doused in cold reality. She threw up on him. ¡°Mmn¡­ Rick¡­¡± Mary Ann was murmuring peacefully on the futon when Rick finished washing off. The woman had scrambled to the bathroom seconds after the incident and stumbled out a short while later spouting one rampant and incoherent apology after the other. Not sure what else to do with her, Rick patiently calmed her down. She passed out almost as soon as her head hit the futon. His own head, among other things, was throbbing, but it wasn¡¯t a problem that couldn¡¯t be fixed by a shower. Since he felt uncomfortable leaving her out there alone, he only took as much time as he needed and left the bathroom with a sober look on his face. When he checked the clock, Rick was surprised by how little time had actually passed. He leaned against the wall with a sigh, skull still buzzing. The bizarre affair had only taken an hour, but left what could be weeks worth of awkwardness. At least it could have, but Rick didn¡¯t dwell on these things. Although others might complain about the mess she had made, Rick found such a woman compelling in her unsightliness. He was understandably averse to anyone who tried to hide their motives, but Mary Ann had ended up showing him a refreshingly human scene. The little flame he¡¯d harbored for her was long gone, but in its place a genuine interest had taken hold. Not that anything would come of it. Rick didn¡¯t want, nor did he have the luxury, to date. Few outside of weirdos like himself would qualify this as a pleasant experience. On the other hand, he¡¯d be lucky if Mary Ann was able to look him in the eye again. Rick tossed what remained of the crime scene in the garbage and pulled the spring on the futon. The creaking metal monstrosity promptly unfolded from couch size to bed size, but the jarring movement and loud noise failed to rouse the sleeping woman in the slightest. She rolled over and mumbled something as her arms locked one of his pillows in a vicegrip. ¡°Looks like I was worried for no reason,¡± he mumbled as he fell on the virgin half of the futon. Rather than allow himself to sink into the peaceful embrace of exhaustion, he pulled the Lucid Lock helmet over his eyes. It was the first pang of guilt he had felt all night. Chapter Twenty: Six Days Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Twenty: Six Days
¡°Go! Block it!¡± Theo shouted the directions to his slave. Slave [Princess Anastasia Therasa Bolevolo XVII] has used unique ability [Blessing of the Stonekin]. Defense increases by 80; Movement Speed reduced to 25% for 120 seconds. ¡°Ack! Stupid humie! Protect Gobthnora better!¡± Waves of scaly flesh crashed into the petite woman¡¯s battered shield as she intercepted the attack. She was knocked back a couple of meters, but she had successfully taken the brunt of the damage for the squishy Goblin behind her. With a sturdy Meatshield in front of her, Gobthnora had only received shock damage from the attack, which was quickly restored by the passive healing spell [Lesser Regeneration]. This useful magic was like the reverse of poison, restoring a small percentage of HP every few seconds and effectively boosting the target¡¯s passive health regeneration. Gobthnora had picked up the ability when she reached level 10, which allowed Theo to confidently bring his slaves into the lair of the [Desert Serpent Queen]. Although [Lesser Regeneration] wouldn¡¯t be able to serve the group¡¯s needs forever, it worked well with Theo¡¯s usual strategy of taking as little damage as possible. In addition, Meatshield¡¯s massive HP pool would see more benefit from the percentage based healing as opposed to static values. The only downside was that Gobthnora had to split her MP between damage, healing, buffs, and debuffs. She spent every fight constantly chanting her spells while Meatshield protected her. For the time being, Theo didn¡¯t need to rely on his tank to absorb damage for him. The passive healing was enough to negate the dangers of the shock damage. ¡°Watch out for falling rocks!¡± Theo didn¡¯t allow his slaves to grow complacent during their fights. When he had branded them, it was essentially freeing the pair from the enslavement of the system and putting them under Theo¡¯s control. The only real difference was Theo was much more of a taskmaster and perfectionist! How could the War God possibly allow himself to raise up subpar servants? Although it could resist the effect somewhat, the [Desert Serpent Queen] was significantly easier to handle under the speed debuffing effects of [Bogwarp]. Theo was hacking away at the boss¡¯s HP bar in a relaxed manner. His attack value was lower than it had been the first time he fought her, but he could focus less on dodging and more on damage. The [Rampage] ability was useful for speeding through the early part of the fight, and the second phase was handled easily with Meatshield¡¯s tanking. This was already the fourth time this week the party had killed the boss. In order to avoid any mishaps, Theo had tackled the monster alone the first time and allowed his slaves to watch from the safety of the entrance. He spent the battle pointing out the strategies and weak points while ordering his slaves to watch the timing of the attacks carefully. The fanaticism in Gobthnora¡¯s eyes had increased by a measure after watching this display. Meatshield seemed unimpressed, but then the only thing that truly appeared to grab her attention was the thought of carving up the boss for its meat. At least they were both intelligent enough to grasp the proper rhythm when it was their turn to try. Meatshield carefully parried a chunk of debris that was careening towards the Goblin with her shield. Without missing a beat, the shaman launched a smoldering [Fireball]. It crashed into the [Desert Serpent Queen]¡¯s massive head and tore off a good chunk of her HP. A [Lunge] pierced the thick scales on the boss¡¯s neck, and she finally hit the ground with a cavern-shaking roar. ¡°Keekee! Gobthnora is true queen of desert now!¡± the Goblin celebrated their victory with her usual excessive boasting. Meatshield eyed the snake with a greedy gleam in her eye. Theo only dismounted the beast and dropped to the floor of the cave. His stern expression immediately informed the slaves of what was to come. No amount of pride or gluttony could conquer the cold bucket of water that was their master¡¯s calculating glare. ¡°We¡¯ll start with the princess,¡± Theo said soberly, ¡°Although you can manage to the fend off the boss with your blessing, you can¡¯t rely on that. The [Desert Serpent Queen] can hardly be considered a proper enemy. You won¡¯t have the luxury of wasting your powers on this kind of opponent. That habit of taking hits when you should be dodging isn¡¯t gone, either! How many times did I need to save you from the infant snakes this time? Don¡¯t just focus on defending. You should always be watching the battle and finding ways to disrupt the enemy¡¯s movements. Offense is defense!¡± Theo watched as Meatshield nodded her head, and he sighed. ¡°Gobthnora, you¡¯re too distracted by the monster¡¯s attacks. You need to trust in Meatshield to protect you while you''re casting. What¡¯s more, the timing on your spells is still off. You have to work harder to sync up the final words of your incantation to align with the time when the target reveals a weakness. Think ahead! Always!¡± The Goblin was already in the dirt groveling after the word ¡®distracted¡¯ was spoken, ¡°Gobthnora is not worthy of master¡¯s guidance! Gobthnora thanks master for sparing her pitiful life!¡± Theo stifled his annoyance at the little performance. He said, ¡°Alright, go ahead and start dismantling the corpse, but reflect on your mistakes while you do. If you¡¯re this sloppy in the next fight, it¡¯s no dinner and three strikes each!¡± Theo collected the loot from the [Desert Serpent Queen] and looked at his overflowing inventory. Although it wasn¡¯t guaranteed to get runes and weapons from the Elite enemies, the boss would always drop at least one thing. The first run of the Withered Ash Hollow wasn¡¯t so lucrative, but in the second and third he was quite lucky. This time could be considered average. Although he had collected a few pieces of equipment that could increase the power and abilities of his slaves, Theo had kept all of it himself. He couldn¡¯t afford to spoil them and have them become overly reliant on gear. It was a problem that all too many players fell into as they rose in level. There was a fire in Theo¡¯s eyes as he foresaw his plans slowly coming together. ¡°I¡¯ll need to head back to town now, the [Steel-Edged Partizan] is low on durability, and it should be time for frontrunners to be hitting level 10,¡± he said as he organized the loot in order of value. It had been almost six days since the incident with Mary Ann. Theo managed to avoid a rather embarrassing conversation when she woke up the next morning by sleeping inside of the Lucid Lock. He wasn¡¯t sure what kind of expression the woman would have on her face, but it was probably a once in a lifetime sight for him. Too bad¡­ Mary Ann presumably left without too much of a huff, since she didn¡¯t bother to wake him up. Theo wasn¡¯t sure which one of them should be feeling cheaper after the whole affair. At least he discovered an interesting fact in the process. Mary Ann was just as strong willed and thick skinned as he¡¯d thought, and it only took her a single day to text him.If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. The apology was pretty much as expected, but she went a step further and made it clear that what had happened was her fault and he shouldn¡¯t feel bad about it. It was clearly a bit sloppy and sent in a rushed manner, but it showed that she wasn¡¯t going to hesitate and overthink things. Rick informed her that he didn¡¯t consider it a big deal, and that she didn¡¯t have to worry about it affecting their relationship. It was the simple truth. Half a day later she got back to him, and seemed to be pretty much over it, at least on the surface. Theo mentally commended her, and the two had shared a slow, sterile correspondence ever since. To his own surprise, Mary Ann had stopped calling him diminutive names and started speaking to him like an equal. ¡°Did she still feel a bit bad about the whole thing?¡± he wondered. There was a noise coming from the body of the [Desert Serpent Queen]. Meatshield had proven to be especially talented in the field of dismantling monsters, and she quickly put her [Goblin Shortsword] to work. Although it didn¡¯t increase the amount of essences and loot he received, it had started producing more crafting ingredients after her [Beginner Monster Harvesting] skill leveled up a bit. Once the job was done, Theo led his slaves back to the cave they had turned into their base of operations. The pile of food had continued to grow, showing that the pair were going out and hunting on their own when Theo wasn¡¯t around. It wasn¡¯t like he expressly prohibited the initiative, but he also didn¡¯t want them to get into any trouble. He still remembered the forum post that popped up after a few days of Gobthnora¡¯s ¡®auto-looting.¡¯ Gathering Players to Take Down Goblin Field Boss! This Menace Must be Stopped! Thankfully, they had yet to put together the fact that she was a PvP entity, since the finer points of the system were still unexplored. If the players had paid attention to the fact that their experience wasn¡¯t falling, they would have realized that the ¡®Field Boss¡¯ was considered player controlled. Since Goblin wasn¡¯t one of the races you could pick, Theo was worried that they might link her status to the only Slave Master in the game. At least he had managed to make a small profit out of it, and he had even picked up the [Mercenary¡¯s Abandoned Shield] for the princess. It was a subpar piece of equipment that dropped from random chests that occasionally spawned around the ruins that dotted the desert. Theo hadn¡¯t bothered searching them because the loot was pretty random and rarely of any value. He already had to toss the junk to make room for more valuable supplies. ¡°Although slaves can carry cargo, it¡¯s a pain that they don¡¯t have an Inventory. Maybe if I level up the [Slave Master¡¯s Brand] a bit more¡­¡± Theo quietly wished as he inspected the mark. His brand was unchanged, even after getting Meatshield to level 8 and Gobthnora to level 10. The progress was quite good, but it only slowed over time. At this rate, it wouldn¡¯t level up until both of his slaves hit level 15. Theo himself had reached 11, putting him only one step ahead of the other diehards. Too much time had been wasted raising the slaves, and he had to split the experience from all of the boss hunts with them as well. He could only hope that their grinding speed would increase as the slaves grew more competent, or he would soon fall behind the crowd. The First Journey Cape was still empty when they left the Withered Ash Hollow, but it would soon be overflowing with players. After that happened, it wouldn¡¯t be a safe place to grind anymore. ¡°We¡¯re heading into the city,¡± he spoke after a few minutes of contemplation, ¡°Gobthnora will stay behind and watch the cave, and before you say anything, the town guards will kill you on sight if you try to follow me. I¡¯m not going to make an enemy of the entire city for your sake.¡± The Goblin sulked, but said nothing. This might have been the first time in her entire life she was regretting her various acts of Evil. He turned to Meatshield, ¡°You¡¯ll be following behind this time. I need to buy a cloak to cover your face in the future, so the money for that will be coming out of your food storage.¡± She cocked her head to the side. This was a gesture Rick had taught her to inform him when she didn¡¯t understand something. He could have chosen anything, honestly, but this was simple and he liked the cuteness aspect. What¡¯s more, other NPC¡¯s might be able to understand her this way if they ever got separated. For a girl like Meatshield, it would be equivalent to being her social [Block] skill! ¡°Just follow me,¡± Theo said. The city of Oasis looked as splendid as always. The grim-faced guards standing outside the city gates were dressed in shiny brass armor and holding glittering pikes. Despite the ornamental nature of their dress, these guys were far stronger than any of the adventurers, and even Theo had no confidence in his ability to deal with them at his current level. Hundreds of fellow players flooded in and out of the city, breaking into groups and planning out their activities for the day. Theo flipped his hood up. As the top level player, Theo was still something of a public icon, but his inability to raise his level more than once in a week¡¯s time had put a damper on much of the gossip about him. While the rest of the playerbase caught up, more and more names were being thrown around with a sense of celebrity. It might have become his calling card, but black hoods would always remain fairly innocuous as long as there were plenty of teenagers in the game. With the [Steel-Edged Partizan] safely tucked away in his Inventory, there was little to no chance of him being recognized. The tattered looking Meatshield who followed a step behind him, on the other hand, attracted plenty of looks. Her wild appearance mixed her with adorable, lackadaisical charm caused many of the other players to flash a weird smile. Some of them even seemed to consider approaching her, but looked to have reconsidered when they noticed how close she was standing to Theo. ¡°Maybe I can make use of this¡­¡± was the only thought on the Slave Master¡¯s mind. The first stop for the day was the bank. Progress halted a few times due to Meatshield¡¯s slow pace. It seemed she wanted to stop and take in the sights. After dragging her along, Theo finally managed to work his way through the crowd and reach the front counter. He consolidated the stock of sellable loot for a final time and left anything else for later. After a trip to the blacksmith, Bryan, who still remembered Theo and regarded him with an air of cautious deference, the duo was ready to visit what had become the most bustling location in all of Oasis. The Auction House was no less expansive than the complex surrounding the Adventuring Guild, and the design was similar in many ways. True to Oasis fashion, it was an open air building with few doors, and massive sandstone columns supported its domed roof. A towering golden spire rose above the building, sporting the crest of the Merchant Guild for all to see. Although the Auction House was technically run by the Merchant Guild, all of the real proceeds from the transactions went to the game developers. Now that more than 10% of the players had reached level 10, they were finally starting to see that sweet income from the currency exchange. It was unthinkable how much money had already changed hands over the past few days, and more and more governments around the world would be seeking to get involved once they discovered the potential profits. There were dozens of private rooms, NPC appraisers, and women in skimpy outfits wandering around and showing the arriving adventurers'' their highest form of hospitality. Of course, all of these benefits were there for the big spenders or those with a high reputation in the Merchant Guild. Most of the players were unable to take full advantage of this place in the current market. Theo only needed to use the simplest feature of the Auction House for now, and that was to put his goods up for sale. Without their [Mercantile] skill reaching a high level, it was impossible for a player to set up their own shop. While the trade function could be used for player to player levels of interaction, there was no way to properly advertise your goods this way. Dream World Online didn¡¯t come with any kind of world or city chat functionality, and you would have to pay out of pocket to have advertisements posted around town. Theo certainly wasn¡¯t willing to go that far just yet, though it would be to his benefit to acquaint himself with a proper merchant in the future. ¡°If I enslaved one, I wouldn¡¯t have to pay a percentage of the earnings,¡± the gears in Theo¡¯s head could be heard turning. Theo chatted brusquely with the receptionist at the Auction Counter, before placing the entirety of his inventory up for sale. The initial fees were waived thanks to his unique status as D-rank adventurer, though he would still owe a percentage of any money made from selling his goods, and would be charged an additional sum if the items failed to sell within the standard three-day time limit. Theo couldn¡¯t afford to have them up for any longer than that, but he had complete confidence that everything he posted would sell. Stacks of crafting supplies, Lesser-quality essences, and rare equipment soon flooded the market. While he was there, he bought a pair of cloaks, two of dozens of identical cloaks that hopeful Beginner tailors were trying to sell. The price was next to negligible due to the lack of demand, but Theo still made a note of it in his mental ledger. Why should a Slave Master be expected to pay for all of his slaves items and gear? Well, everything they owned belonged to him anyway, so perhaps it was a bit excessive. His errands complete, Theo had one last order of business that required his attention. The three shady figures that had been following him since he set foot in the bank still needed to be dealt with. Chapter Twenty-One: It was a Trap Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Twenty-One: It was a Trap
¡°First things first,¡± Theo handed the human sized cloak he had purchased to Meatshield and instructed her to put it on, ¡°I need you to wait for me by the big fountain, remember? The one you saw when we came here?¡± The princess stuck her head and arms through the drab garment, and was immediately draped in linen cloth. He patted her on the back and shooed her away, but the girl was turning back and staring at him every few feet. It seemed that she had also noticed something wrong, and was unwilling to leave him. If Theo didn¡¯t know this was just because of her buggy programming, he might have been a little touched. ¡°Go. That¡¯s an order,¡± he said. Unable to refute the magic of the [Slave Master¡¯s Brand] Meatshield finally turned around and ran off towards the fountain with dainty little steps. Theo was silently watching the men who had followed him, and was glad to see they didn¡¯t go after his slave. Well, it would have been a waste since she was sitting in a public place with guards around. Theo had already used his much improved [Appraise Humanoid] on these targets. [Castle Pawn] Lv. 20 Human HP: 770/770 MP: 385/385 They all three had more or less the same attributes, and unfortunately, Meatshield would only get in his way if she was here. Her lack of skill proficiency would keep her from being able to attack or block with a decent chance. Even with his own Lv. 5 [Lesser Polearm Mastery], Theo wouldn¡¯t be able to properly attack them. ¡°That bastard really went and did it¡­¡± Theo¡¯s scowl was hidden under his hood as he walked. He quickly slipped behind the shadow of a watchtower and found himself traveling down a set of stone stairs. This was a path which led into the city slums. Although there wasn¡¯t much of a change in the quality of living between the poor in the city proper and those in the slums, the biggest difference was the lack of protection provided by the city. There weren¡¯t any guards to get in the way, and they wouldn¡¯t show up unless there was a serious threat to public safety. Theo had no way of knowing if the pursuers were stupid, or just excited to have an easier target when they willingly followed him. At this point, they weren¡¯t even trying to hide their presence, not that they were doing a very good job of it in the first place. These guys were weak even for level 20 NPCs, grunts who served the criminal organization Castle by doing various odd jobs. They couldn¡¯t even really be considered fighters or enforcers. If Theo was faced with an actual Knight or Bishop of the syndicate, there wouldn¡¯t be any helping him at this level. A lot of the city¡¯s water waste flowed into this area of Oasis, so there was a persistent dampness and odor to the district that wasn¡¯t present elsewhere. Most of the houses were fashioned from stone, and one tightly packed tenement after the other was jammed side by side. The ¡®streets¡¯ that ran between the buildings were little more than cramped alleys, that wound about in a labyrinthine fashion. Very few players came here for this reason. Right as the three men were beginning to close the gap to within five meters, Theo dove into a nearby highrise. Few if any of the buildings around here had doors, as they were a waste of precious wood that could keep you alive on a cold night. Even if you had one, it was likely to get stolen before the day was out, so most people made do with a simple cloth draped over the doorway. The interior of the first floor reminded Theo of his own cramped apartment. The small room had little more than a pile of cloths for bedding and some makeshift cooking instruments tucked away in the corner. Everyone who lived here slept around on the floor wherever they could find space, and many of them wandered from building to building each night. The young couple making eyes at one another in the corner of this room were startled by the sudden, rowdy entrance, and were quickly chased off to a higher floor. Theo didn¡¯t have any time to concern himself with the NPCs, and immediately drew his newly repaired [Steel-Edged Partizan]. It wasn¡¯t anything more than a simple Lesser-rank weapon, but in Theo¡¯s hands it seemed to roar like a dragon when he brandished it. Trundling footsteps crossed the threshold of the tenement as the first of the [Castle Pawn]s tore his way through the covering. There was a small, thirty-centimeter dagger in his hand that had a cold, curved edge to it. [Lunge] Theo darted forward and slammed the spear into the man¡¯s chest. Although he could fight above his level, Theo was still trapped by the constraints of the system. A large MISS floated up above the man¡¯s head, but the effect was still within Theo¡¯s expectations. NPCs had strange ways of dealing with a MISS. Unlike most monsters, who couldn¡¯t care less if you hit or missed and would try to rip you to shreds regardless of how many times you attacked, the intelligent AI¡¯s were very concerned with their own wellbeing. Although it might not have been to the extent of the Goblins, these human constructs were still able to feel fear when faced with an overwhelming obstacle. The damage might have been 0, but the overwhelming ferocity of Theo¡¯s attack caused the man to stop dead in his tracks. The follow-up strikes that homed in on his vitals were like a shadow of death. Throat, eyes, heart, and even the most important thing to him as a man were all pierced by Theo¡¯s spear in a matter of seconds. The damage to his HP was minimal, but his morale had been totally crushed. Skill proficiencies were only one of the many ways a player could enhance their combat abilities, but at the end of the day the most important thing was the technical mastery of the player. The NPCs judged the threat of their target based almost entirely on this singular aspect, and in this regard Theo couldn¡¯t be outdone even by a Heroic-tier boss. Of course, without the proper attributes like Strength and Agility, he would not only be one-shot by these enemies, his body wouldn¡¯t even be able to keep up with the speed of their attacks. System and expertise, these two aspects would always be two sides of the same sword in Dream World Online. The thought on the man¡¯s mind was plainly written on his face, and that was, ¡°This guy can kill me anytime he wants!¡± The thug¡¯s will-to-fight seemed to cave in, and his knees went weak. He struggled to stand as the other two tried to push him out of the way. The [Castle Pawn] refused to walk even a step further towards that terrifying spear, and he couldn¡¯t understand why anyone who was right in their head would ever enter this building! The only reason he didn¡¯t run was because the way out was blocked. Why did he have to accept this stupid job!? Even a rat will bite when backed into a corner, and the man charged at Theo with shaking hands, wildly swinging his dagger. Theo couldn¡¯t help but smile when he saw this. The building wasn¡¯t really an advantageous place for him to pick a fight, since he used a spear as a weapon. The dagger actually held the advantage in this enclosed space, but the important thing wasn¡¯t to escape from the pursuers. The big bad wolf had led these three poor little piggies to this place because there was only one entrance. He had them trapped! Windows? They were small holes hardly wide enough to fit your arm through. If you wanted to leave, you would have to defeat Theo first!Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Heeheehee¡­ shall we play, then?¡± Theo easily dodged the clumsy attack and tapped the man on the neck with the edge of his weapon as he passed. This fight was actually easier than Theo had thought it would be. He had forgotten to take into account his incredibly useful [Inflict Pain] skill. The psychological damage of this attack was quite a bit higher than a regular attack, and it even seemed to have a built in accuracy modifier. Whereas only one in ten average strikes might hit normally, [Inflict Pain] seemed to have success rate of 1 in 3. This was likely because it functioned partially like a magical spell, which had no MISS chance as long as it hit. Slave Masters weren¡¯t expected to grind up their weapon proficiencies, Theo realized, so their skills were treated a bit differently. It was good news. For Theo, the fight was a brief affair, but for the [Castle Pawn]s it was likely an eternity long descent into Hell. The bodies of the three men were already cold on the floor. Even if he had been limited to hitting only once in twenty attacks, Theo could still slowly kill them off one by one, it would just take him that much longer. In that span of time, the thugs might have fled and revealed his abilities to organization, and Theo wouldn¡¯t have any real way to stop them. This would only lead to Castle sending more dangerous foes in the future. Hence, he trapped them. Once they passed out from a combination of fear, pain, and exhaustion, any chance of his attacks missing was gone. They were all killed on the spot. Theo might have thought to interrogate them, but what was the point? He already knew why they were here and who had sent them. ¡°At least they recovered my alignment a bit,¡± he muttered. In order to avoid any complicated moralistic arguments, Dream World Online took a very simple approach to alignment with its point system. Right and wrong, circumstance, partial accountability, none of these words meant anything to the system. If you started a fight with or killed a Good or Neutral player or NPC, it was considered Evil. If you did the same to an Evil character, it would be considered Good. While there were various local laws and customs that were in place throughout the world that could affect your reputation, these alignment mechanics never changed. The stance of the devs was plain to see. Good people don¡¯t kill other good people. Even if you were the one who was under attack, you would still receive a penalty to alignment if you slew the attacker. You were spared the Evil points gained from starting the conflict, and that was it. This gradual exchange of Evil when fighting other players was mitigated by the fact that it required a lot of points to adjust your alignment, so even if you went on a slaughtering spree occasionally, it wouldn¡¯t affect you that much. It was only those who caused too much trouble and constantly abused others, those who dropped to the Evil alignment, who were suddenly turned into targets for elimination. Not only was their no penalty for hunting them down, you would be rewarded for it. Slave Masters, as agents of Evil, were popularly wiped from the game in Theo¡¯s past life to this end, and he had to be careful not to repeat the mistakes of those who came before him. Slave Masters were once such popular targets that they were given the pathetic title of Alignment Potion! If you wanted to be Evil in this game, it required one thing: Power. Not just personal power, but political, economical, and military power. For the time being, it was better to stay Neutral at all costs. Thankfully, almost every last agent of Castle was considered Evil by the system. Fighting against the international criminal syndicate for a little while wouldn¡¯t be too bad of an idea, but he needed a higher level if he was going to do that. The levels of the higher members easily crossed the 100 mark. It certainly wasn¡¯t a safe plan to hang around Oasis, even with the guards present, because Old Man Snake Eyes simply had his withered old hands in too many pockets. It was a shame to leave behind the little cave and the nice loot farm that was the [Desert Serpent Queen], but he was backed into a corner. Theo didn¡¯t care too much about having to skip town, since he had already accomplished all of his goals here. Even if he couldn¡¯t hang around and wait for his goods to sell, the proceeds would be automatically deposited in that city¡¯s bank. He could withdraw coins from any of his accounts without a fee, so he just needed to reach a place with a bank and he was fine. Of course, Theo wasn¡¯t going to travel the countryside for free, nor was he planning on traveling unprotected. The most obvious solution was to visit the Adventuring Guild. ¡°You¡¯re late,¡± Caoimhe¡¯s voice was polite, but Theo could clearly hear the dissatisfaction in her tone. This woman reminded him a lot of Elizabeth, the kind that he was the worst at dealing with. The more he interacted with her, the deeper her claws would sink. ¡°I had other appointments,¡± Theo deflected the greeter¡¯s comment with a shrug. Caoimhe¡¯s stern features only hardened further when she heard Theo¡¯s dismissive words. This was definitely a woman he didn¡¯t want to enter a verbal spar with, so he refused to take any of her bait. It was something she seemed to pick up on immediately. ¡°D-rank Theo, you do understand that your mission reward will be docked for a late confirmation, yes?¡± she asked. Theo nodded. ¡°Then if you take into account the cost of the mission supplies, and the penalty from accepting an E-rank task in the first place, the total reward has been completely discounted,¡± Theo was amazed that she managed to say all of that without a scowl. ¡°It¡¯s fine,¡± he said, ¡°I¡¯ll just take another mission to make up for it.¡± The woman sighed, ¡°I would hope so, D-rank Theo. Without the proper achievement points, we will be forced to reduce your rank.¡± Theo again nodded along, though he tried not listen too hard to the greeter¡¯s cutting words. Seeing that the man before her had no intention of denying his mistake, a small smile actually graced Caoimhe¡¯s features for a moment. She might have hated everything about Theo and his nonchalant attitude, but it was easiest to work with a compliant customer. ¡°Then for your next mission-¡± she began. ¡°I plan on traveling a bit,¡± Theo interrupted her, ¡°something like an escort mission would be fine.¡± There was a cracking noise from the other side of the counter, but since Theo couldn¡¯t see Caoimhe¡¯s hands from behind the desk, he had no idea of what she had just snapped in two. It was probably a pen or something. ¡°D-rank Theo, are you informing me that you¡¯re seeking a transfer?¡± she asked just as cordially as ever. Clearly, she took a lot of pride in her status as the A-rank greeter, and would probably end him on the spot if he insulted that position. ¡°That¡¯s not the case,¡± he shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m just getting out and seeing the sights. I don¡¯t plan on taking missions from another Guild branch.¡± Caoimhe narrowed a pair of emerald eyes at him, ¡°You¡¯re certain about this?¡± ¡°For the time being¡­ a caravan heading anywhere with a bank branch is fine,¡± Theo didn¡¯t try to hide the obvious implications of this statement. He might have been running, but he certainly wasn¡¯t hiding. Theo wasn¡¯t so confident as to think he could avoid the detection of Castle¡¯s information network. Even within the Adventuring Guild, they were sure to have spies that were watching his every movement. Doubly so if he were correct and the one behind this mess was Old Man Snake Eyes. Since this was far from her first rodeo, Caoimhe only shrugged and retrieved another mission briefing from a cabinet behind the counter. This time, it was a D-rank escort job, though the reward was quite a bit higher than Theo expected. ¡°Are we expecting some kind of danger?¡± he asked, looking over the form. ¡°The merchant in question is transporting some rather valuable cargo to the port city of Aleside, and has already hired dozens of armed guards for this mission,¡± Caoimhe said casually, ¡°This mission was actually given priority status. For someone who could clear out an entire Goblin camp by their lonesome, this shouldn¡¯t be too difficult for you, D-rank Theo?¡± A smirk crept across Theo¡¯s face. Difficult? This was perfect for him. ¡°Good job, whatever-your-name-is!¡± he thought. He had forgotten her name, and thankfully didn¡¯t inform her of this faux pas out loud. The more protection the caravan had, the more protection he would be afforded by their presence. He nodded along complacently and accepted the mission at once. What¡¯s more, the increased reward would earn enough achievement points to tide him over until he could accept missions again. This was exclusively a win-win situation! ¡°Very well, the details are all there. This time, all of the supplies will be provided by the employer, so you shouldn¡¯t have to worry about - and he left again.¡± Theo had already turned around with a slight spring to his step after receiving the mission, and he paid no attention to the various imaginary daggers that were digging into his back. Chapter Twenty-Two: The Burned Siblings Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Twenty-Two: The Burned Siblings
The Goblin¡¯s little frame was completely engulfed in the cloak. Theo was forced to remember another eccentricity of the NPC species. When a player equipped a new cosmetic item, it would automatically fit to their character model. A tailor could alter this size specifically, if the player wanted to wear something with a different fit, but for the most part the sizing option was considered pretty good. However, this automatic sizing didn¡¯t apply to the system generated characters. For Meatshield it wasn¡¯t an issue since, although slightly shorter than average, she was still a normal-sized human. Gobthnora on the other hand looked like a child wearing a bed sheet over her head. Theo would have told her to take off the ridiculous outfit, but he couldn¡¯t bear to separate the Goblin from the cloak after seeing her reaction. ¡°Keekeekee! Master has purchased a gift for Gobthnora! This is Gobthnora¡¯s happiest moment since she first rode the dreaded squeal-beast!¡± her face, which was hidden under the folds of the fabric, was probably glowing with worship. ¡°Does Master enjoy seeing Gobthnora in this human dress?¡± she asked with an air of anticipation. Well, Theo couldn¡¯t deny that he did prefer this to looking at her usually, ¡°Mn, it looks good,¡± he said, nodding. The Goblin hopped gleefully, muttering something about ¡®new beauty and chances.¡¯ ¡°I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t need to tell you twice, but the humans won¡¯t care to have a Goblin as company,¡± Theo added, ¡°Keep your face hidden at all times and don¡¯t say anything. I¡¯ll come up with some kind of excuse.¡± Gobthnora nodded absentmindedly, ¡°Yes, Master is most wise.¡± After retrieving Meatshield and returning to the cave hideout, Theo explained the next mission to his slaves. He didn¡¯t have to worry about Meatshield opening her mouth and causing any trouble, but the Goblin was another story altogether. He had considered having her stalk the caravan from a distance, since her [Stealth] skill was actually quite developed, but if she happened to get spotted by one of the scouts, he wouldn¡¯t have any excuse to step in and protect her. At least if he kept her by his side, he would be able to use his [Lesser Persuasion] to bluff away most issues. Refugees weren¡¯t uncommon around Oasis, and he had already fabricated a story about how he was escorting a young lady and her younger sister to Aleside on the side. Plenty of mercs engaged in side jobs like this on caravans, and there shouldn¡¯t be an issue as long as they didn¡¯t get in the way or attract any trouble. ¡°Good, pack up whatever food you need for the next couple days and let¡¯s get going, the caravan is gathering in an hour,¡± he ordered. After a moment¡¯s thought he added, turning to Meatshield, ¡°And no, you can¡¯t take it all.¡± The woman¡¯s face was blank, but after spending a week or so together, Theo could more or less grasp his tank¡¯s most basic emotions. This look in particular reminded him of a young girl forced to take only one of her precious stuffed animals on a long trip. Theo shook his head as he considered ways to fix the personality of this slave. ¡°Ah... a problem for another day,¡± Theo said to himself as he inspected the items in front of him. When everything was packed up and rolled into some of the leftover beast skins Meatshield had harvested, the trio bid a fond farewell to their little home. Theo would miss this convenient grinding location. Maybe he would come back here someday. By the time they reached Oasis, the large train of wagons was already gathering together outside the gates. Dozens of players hung around to watch the organization of the caravan, since this wasn¡¯t really a sight you could catch outside of the game. There were nearly sixty armed and unsavory looking guards milling about and chatting, with a few of them engaging in little games and swapping swill and stories. The prickly wall of mercenaries was enough to dissuade any of the players from approaching, but Theo wasn¡¯t bothered by it. He approached one of the armed men, a bald-headed and muscular middle aged man with a nasty scar splitting the features of his face in half. His armor was tattered and battle scarred, but the cutlass on his hip was in excellent condition. Theo already felt a bit of respect for the man just from looking at him. ¡°A good day to spill some blood, eh?¡± Theo said, holdingthe spear across his chest in a mercenary¡¯s salute. [Lesser Persuasion] was used successfully! Mercenary Quinn¡¯s affinity towards Slave Master Theo increases slightly! This was a traditional greeting among the regulars around Oasis, and was enough to warrant an appropriate response from the man. ¡°And a good day to earn some coin! Hail, spearman, are you with the caravan?¡± the mercenary, Quinn, drew his sword and gave Theo a similar salute. ¡°That I am!¡± Theo replied, ¡°I¡¯m the dispatch from the Adventuring Guild.¡± ¡°Oho! And no greenhorn by the look of you! Good! We always need another sharp blade around here!¡± Quinn said, ¡°Checking in with the boss?¡± Theo nodded, ¡°When I can find him.¡± Meatshield, who was standing just to the right of Theo, scooted a few inches closer to him. The shield that hung from her makeshift travel pack made a slight shifting noise as her hand closed around the hilt of the [Goblin Shortsword]. Gobthnora stood a foot back, taking up as little room as possible and not making a sound. ¡°These are?¡± Quinn couldn¡¯t help but notice the pair. Theo turned to look over his shoulder nonchalantly, ¡°Just a favor for the Guild, an escort for a couple of little ladies to Aleside.¡± Quinn scanned the trio with a cautious air, but his bisected face eventually broke out into a broad, toothy grin. He stood up from the crate he was resting on and extended a hand to Meatshield. For a mercenary, a handshake was a customary greeting to show that you accepted somebody, but weren¡¯t worried about them killing you. Theo nudged the placid-faced woman with his elbow, ¡°Grab the man¡¯s hand and keep your arm loose, then bow¡± he said. This wasn¡¯t the time or place to teach Meatshield what a handshake was, so all he could do was order her to finish the gesture for the man. Due to Theo¡¯s mock expression of embarrassment over the situation, it looked like a heartwarming scene of a kind mercenary and an ignorant young woman sharing a moment. The only thing that ruined it was Meatshield¡¯s absolutely deadpan look. ¡°This young lady is?¡± Quinn asked the woman for her name. ¡°Rasa,¡± Theo interrupted, having already prepared a fake name for his slave in the event someone asked, ¡°and this is her sister Nora.¡± He gestured to the smaller of the two. ¡°You¡¯ll have to excuse them. They don¡¯t have the heart to talk much. Just lost their steader and parents to a brush fire, and I¡¯m taking them to live with their uncle.¡± Mention the words ¡®brush fire¡¯ to citizen of Oasis, and one would almost always receive a bit of a pity in response. Even though it was difficult to grow crops around the city, there did exist a few farms, but most people bought a parcel of land they called a ¡®steader¡¯ from the Merchant Guild and raised livestock instead. You could regrow a field after a sudden fire, but to repopulate a herd of animals was a much more arduous task. Brush fires and monsters attacks were just two of the many dangers facing those who lived outside the city walls.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°I see, a shame to hear it, and the little one is?¡± he looked at the short bundle of cloth behind Theo with a hint of concern. Quinn appeared to have all the markers of a genuinely nice guy, but Theo didn¡¯t drop his guard. ¡°Don¡¯t worry, just some light burns, but it¡¯s made her a bit self-conscious,¡± Theo said with a hint of a reluctant smile. As always, if it was with an NPC, Theo¡¯s acting skills would be impeccable. Quinn finished shaking Meatshield¡¯s hand and turned to the robed Gobthnora, ¡°Don¡¯t worry lass, you won¡¯t find anyone who likes scars more than this uncle.¡± He pointed to his own split face and smiled again. Theo genuinely wondered what the story behind the man¡¯s scar was, but he didn¡¯t have the time to ask him right now. He still needed to check in with the leader of the caravan so that the mission could officially begin. Theo couldn¡¯t afford to get too attached to anyone, either. It was highly likely that this caravan would be attacked, since it didn¡¯t match the habits of the system to spawn a Guild quest if there wasn¡¯t going to be a slaughter involved. ¡°E-excuse me,¡± a slight voice rose from behind Quinn. Theo¡¯s head turned sharply at the noise, having not noticed the sudden approach. He was letting himself get too lost in his own thoughts ever since he started playing the game with these slaves. It had been exhausting suppressing his usual mannerisms around them. ¡°Did I hear you say you were from the Adventuring Guild?¡± the voice was a little more robust this time. It was a young man with a pleasant but simple face. His eyes were small and blue, with long eyelashes and thin brows. He had the same aura as one of those newbie players, minus the confidence that came from being effectively immortal. The leather armor around his chest and arms had clearly never seen real combat. Much like Theo, he was holding a spear. ¡°If it isn¡¯t Tom!¡± Quinn smiled so wide he was forced to squint his eyes, though his voice was playfully harsh, ¡°Did you finish checking those horses?¡± Tom laughed with the older merc in a clearly friendly manner, ¡°Not yet, not yet,¡± he waved his hand, ¡°I just overheard something interesting and had to come over.¡± Quinn turned to Theo, ¡°New blood, this one. Don¡¯t bother with him. He¡¯s got a head full of loose sand,¡± he said, clapping the smaller man on the back and returning to his seat. Tom took the teasing in good stride and bowed his head slightly to the Slave Master before crossing his spear over his chest. Theo returned the salute, easing the sharpened nature of his features before he took a step forward and extended his hand to the young man. Seeing the gesture, Tom could only sigh reluctantly and shake Theo¡¯s hand. Doing so was essentially the same as admitting he was no threat. ¡°Chore boy? Someone¡¯s lover?¡± Theo asked Quinn from over Tom¡¯s shoulder. Quinn¡¯s uproarious laughter was enough to shake the crate he was sitting on, and he hooted loudly, ¡°Hoo, you hear that Tom? Looks like the adventurer here has you pegged right off the bat! In more ways than one!¡± Tom was immediately flustered, ¡°That-that is! Just because I have a slightly feminine face! I¡¯m still a man, you know?¡± he protested. Quinn and Theo exchanged a knowing smile, ¡°Don¡¯t throw a fit, lad, just a bit of humor,¡± he said, and then added for Theo, ¡°Tom here is new to the fold, but he¡¯s young and has a bit of talent. He¡¯s got a bit of a fascination with adventurers, though.¡± It wasn¡¯t rare for the NPCs in the game to admire the adventurers of the Adventuring Guild. They were heroes that protected the world in exchange for fortune and fame. It was an incredibly prestigious position in most parts of Orpheum, and every player in the game was granted a trial membership. If they understood how valuable such a thing would be to the average denizen in this world, they might be a little more grateful. Well, compared to the average commoner, the players really did have the unlimited potential necessary to warrant their status. The chances of the NPC, Tom, ever becoming a true adventurer was next to nothing, and so he had to settle for being a run-of-the-mill mercenary. ¡°It¡¯s not a fascination!¡± Tom said, ¡°I¡¯ve heard that adventurers are strong, and I¡¯ve alway wanted to try my skills against one!¡± It seemed even NPCs could get fired up under the right circumstances, but Theo brushed off the hot-blooded young man¡¯s challenge for now. ¡°Take me to the caravan leader, and I¡¯ll consider showing you a thing or two,¡± Theo said, breaking his grip on the man¡¯s hand. While he was talking, Theo took the opportunity to use his [Appraise Humanoid] skill on the young merc. Normally, it was difficult to use your [Perception] ability on NPCs while talking to them, as the action gave the AI an impression you were rather rudely staring at and inspecting them. Most players would choose to do this from [Stealth] or from a far enough distance away as to not be noticed, but Theo had the habit of inspecting their attributes whenever the NPC was distracted, to avoid offending them. Tom¡¯s stats were about what Theo expected. [Mercenary Tom] Lv. 10 Human HP: 420/420 MP: 370/370 Most of the mercenaries that were guarding this caravan were around level 15, which was the intended level for one taking this mission. As such, it seemed like Tom was something of an unusual entity here. The system wouldn¡¯t have drafted a lower level NPC into this quest unless it had some kind of purpose in mind. Theo¡¯s senses for hidden content were tingling, but there would be time to deal with that later. ¡°D-do you really mean it? I¡¯ll get to trade blows with an adventurer? And another spearman at that?¡± Tom was literally shaking with excitement. The ever-jovial Quinn chortled and said, ¡°You¡¯ll need to finish all of the chores first, boy, before we head out. Then maybe the adventurer here will consider taking care of you tonight!¡± the implication of the man¡¯s words were clear for everyone to hear. A few of the other mercenaries looked over with wry grins and were chuckling openly, causing Tom to turn red with a combination of anger and embarrassment. Seeing that he was about to get distracted again, Theo sighed and patted him on the shoulder roughly. ¡°Ignore it,¡± he said sternly, ¡°A warrior doesn¡¯t fight with his face.¡± [Lesser Persuasion] was used successfully! Mercenary Tom¡¯s affinity for Slave Master Theo increases slightly! ¡°Good words!¡± Quinn said with a nod. Hearing what Theo had said, some of the mercs that were paying attention gave a short, non-verbal agreement and went back to their preparations. These mercenaries may have had more than a few rough edges, but they respected the ideals of strength and courage. Tom relented to being Theo¡¯s guide, and nobody sought to interrupt the four people as they made their way through the crowd of merchants and mercenaries. ¡°I¡¯m amazed Mr. Quinn took such a shine to you,¡± Tom said after they escaped the older mercenary¡¯s earshot. ¡°Oh?¡± Theo said with mock intrigue. Tom nodded his head and leaned in to say in a hushed tone, ¡°Mr. Quinn is actually the captain of the Splitskull mercenaries, and he leads more than half of the men here, myself included. Although he¡¯s pretty nice to me, he¡¯s got a bad rep for being a real hard-ass.¡± Theo figured he was just lucky with his [Lesser Persuasion], and didn¡¯t dwell on it. A good first impression went a long way with the NPCs. Theo put on an air of mystery as he replied to Tom¡¯s amazement, ¡°The day you understand why he likes me is the day you¡¯ll be a true warrior.¡± He couldn¡¯t help but snicker internally as he watched the young man¡¯s mind race to decipher the true meaning of the words. Although this guy was a little bit annoying and decided to barge into Theo¡¯s peaceful caravan mission, it wasn¡¯t such a bad thing. If the man named Tom wanted to play around a little bit, Theo had no problems granting his wish. At least it would serve to make the trip more eventful. ¡°Alright,¡± Tom said after a short while, ¡°The boss is right over there, by the shaggy-looking pinto, I¡¯ve gotta go take care of a few things.¡± After walking a few feet away, Tom turned back to him. ¡°I¡¯ll be expecting those pointers you promised me!¡± the young merc was wise enough not to shout it this time. Theo waved a hand to the man who wandered back into the crowd. The head of wispy blonde hair was reflecting the harsh sunlight and caused him to stick out like a sore thumb. After seeing him off for another moment, Theo turned to Meatshield and scowled under his hood. ¡°Aren¡¯t you standing a bit close?¡± he said. Meatshield nodded. ¡°If you know it, then why are you still doing it!¡± Theo hissed. He repositioned the woman a few feet away and finally approached his employer. The head of the merchant caravan was a tall man in his late thirties with a handsome, rough face and dark hair. His beard was neatly trimmed and he was dressed simply, like any of the other merchants. It would be hard to pick him out from a crowd, and Theo found this to be the best part about working with Incubated NPCs. He hated dealing with the pretentious caricatures of human beings that some of the Synthesised characters would prove to be. The man¡¯s name was Roland, and he was not only welcoming, but incredibly grateful for Theo¡¯s assistance. It was enough to say that Theo¡¯s position in the group was equivalent to the mercenary captain, Quinn. The fact that he was a D-rank adventurer entitled him to total control over the security for this trip, if he so wished, but Theo wasn¡¯t interested in doing any more work than what was required of him. There would be few chances to grind up his level along the journey, so he would have to take every opportunity to go hunting when the merchants stopped to make camp. The caravan leader even offered to give a seat in his wagon to the siblings ¡®Rasa¡¯ and ¡®Nora,¡¯ but Theo politely declined. He came up with the story that the pair didn¡¯t want to accept any more favors, as they were already receiving special treatment from the Guild. Just like that, all of the formalities were taken care of and Theo was ready to accompany the wagon train on the long road to Aleside. According to the guides, it would take about four days, which was the equivalent of four days in the real world as well. The time required for completion was why escort missions were so unpopular among the playerbase. All day was spent traveling and not fighting monsters! Chapter Twenty-Three: Under the Moonlight Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Twenty-Three: Under the Moonlight
Escort missions had a different set of criteria for completion than most other quests. For starters, there was the long period of time over which the quest took place. It was hardly fair to force a player to stay logged into the game the entire time needed to accomplish one of these jobs. As such, players were free to log in and out as they pleased, and they would stay with the group as long as they were resting in one of the wagons. At the end of the quest, the players'' total contribution to the overall safety of the caravan would determine the level of completion received. Additionally, increasing time logged on during the mission and repelling hostiles to protect your client both increased this rating. Players often had to consider their own schedules in relation to the time in the game. If you worked during the day, it wasn¡¯t really wise to accept a mission where most of the traveling would be done while you were forced to log out. It was a serious commitment. Before accepting the quest, Rick didn¡¯t have time to take all of this into account, so he was forced to make some changes to his schedule. He had to contact his favorite nerd and let him know that he wouldn¡¯t be able to show up to the gym at their usual time, at least for the next four days. Although Bai complained a bit, he didn¡¯t make any headway getting Rick to change his mind. That addict always made the game his highest priority. All he could do was tell Rick to keep up the training and not slack off. Back in the game, Theo made an effort to stay away from most of the mercenaries. He usually stood near the central cart and tried to keep his slaves under control, taking in the scenery as it passed. It wasn¡¯t very difficult. The majority of the guards were unwilling to get on the bad side of an adventurer, even if they considered him something of an outsider, especially at the beginning of the journey. The only people who regularly made the effort to check on him were the caravan leader, Roland, and the merc-in-training, Tom. Occasionally, the mercenary leader Quinn would drop by to share a few words before making his rounds. The first day of the journey took place close to Oasis, and as such the road was fairly safe. At times, low-level monsters attacked, but only those too stupid or too angry to realize how vastly outnumbered and outmatched they were. Theo didn¡¯t even have time to intervene before the trained guards easily took care of the problems. Just as the sun was getting ready to set, a group of scouts returned and led the caravan to a decent site for the night. The tired beasts of burden could finally put down their cargo to take a well-deserved break. It was impossible to travel around the clockbecause the horses needed to rest, although there were plenty of exotic ways to get around this problem in Dream World Online. Only, such luxuries were too expensive for a simple merchant like Roland and his companions. ¡°Alright, you two can take your rest,¡± Theo said to Meatshield and Gobthnora as they finally reached the campsite. It was said more for appearances than anything. As long as Theo was the one asking, Gobthnora wasn¡¯t the type to complain, although Goblins were unsuited to long-winded activities like travel. Meatshield however, was completely unphased by the trip, and could probably go on for twice as long while carrying the Goblin on her shoulders. Her stamina was just that impressive. As a player, Theo didn¡¯t feel any physical exhaustion no matter how much he walked, so he was still raring to go even after the hours of travel. While the NPCs set up camp, he took the opportunity to logout and take care of his usual business. Two hours passed and he was ready for a busy evening. Theo had considered bringing his slaves out for combat practice at night, as to not waste precious grinding time, but eventually decided against it. He didn¡¯t want to travel too far from the carts in case there was an attack, and he couldn¡¯t risk revealing the pair¡¯s combat abilities in front of the caravan members. As far as the traders and mercenaries were concerned, these were simply two young girls still in mourning over the loss of their parents. He ordered both slaves to stay on the outskirts of the group and to not attract any attention. Venturing out into the surrounding wilderness to hunt monsters by himself, the Slave Master was the most relaxed he¡¯d been in a long while. He lost himself in the elation of battle as he faced down the level 12 [Verminous Worm]s in the area. They were large monsters almost as wide around as the [Desert Serpent Queen], but much shorter, giving them a fat, fleshy appearance. The monsters¡¯ diets consisted mostly of stones and minerals, not people, but their nasty temper meant they would attack on sight. On average, the [Verminous Worm] was even dumber than the rocks it ate, but made up for its stupidity with sheer toughness and a nasty ability. It habitually spat an acidic fluid that would cause serious damage to armor and weapons, and as such was an unpopular target. Unless their numbers grew too large, most players wouldn¡¯t bother with them. Luckily, only the area around the mouth was corrosive, and Theo could easily close the distance and dance around to strike their exposed rears. He gleefully slaughtered one of these creatures after another, feeling a sense of respite from the humdrum life of training his slaves. Theo had just finished wrenching his spear from the tubby body of the [Verminous Worm] when he felt that something was off. He activated his vastly improved [Perception] skill and scanned the horizon. Surely enough, he received a system message. You are being watched! The adventurer stood still and planted his spear in the ground, ¡°Alright, come out, I know you¡¯re there.¡± Classic lines like these were always fun to say, and Theo did so while suppressing his smile. After a moment had passed, a figure crawled out of a patch of rocks. His spear was gleaming under the moonlight, and the glossy finish of his leather armor seemed oily black in the darkness. ¡°It figures,¡± Theo said, ¡°What are you doing here, Tom?¡± Tom smiled, his teeth lighting up his slight face, ¡°Haha, you caught me, huh?¡± he said bashfully. Picking up his spear, Theo turned it on the young man, ¡°Answer the question first.¡± Tom leaned his own weapon against his shoulder and raised his hands, ¡°Alright, alright, you went off on your own and I followed you,¡± he looked over at the corpse of the worm Theo had just slain, ¡°Did you kill that by yourself?¡± ¡°Among other things,¡± said Theo. Tom let out a high whistle, failing to hide the hint of a mockery on his features, ¡°That¡¯s really impressive, you know? I don¡¯t think I could do the same.¡± The young man took a few steps forward as if to get a better look at the creature, but as he passed by Theo, he doubled back and struck out with his polearm. The blade cut through the night air as it plunged towards its target. The Slave Master couldn¡¯t help smirking as he waited for the incoming attack. The point of the spear struck Theo¡¯s chest with a dull thud, shaving off a chunk of HP. The young mercenary had been looking for an opportunity to get into a scrap with him all day, and Theo had long since foreseen this outcome. As for why he didn¡¯t dodge the attack, was there any need to? Theo wasn¡¯t sporting the same fragile build as when he first started the game and was even a level higher than his opponent.The narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation. ¡°Good, that¡¯s your handicap then,¡± Theo said, sweeping his spear down and knocking Tom¡¯s weapon away, ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can do it again.¡± Tom quickly recovered and launched another attack. His thrusts were powerful and true, with a good sense of distance and coverage. It was clearly a league above the average level 10 NPC, with equivalent skill to a similar Elite enemy. Of course, Tom wasn¡¯t an Elite, so it was something for him to be proud of. While the skill was there, it still wasn¡¯t enough to touch Theo, who was used to reading much faster opponents and could easily dodge. Trying to land a proper blow on Theo was like trying to pin down a shadow. What seemed like a perfect hit would end up grazing the air, as Theo took advantage of the invincibility frames of his [Dodge] skill with perfect timing. To an NPC, it really did appear to be an inhuman level of ability. Unlike the hot-headed Bai, who grew flustered by Theo¡¯s defensive prowess, Tom seemed used to fighting opponents well above his skill level. He was probing, searching for any opening that he could take advantage of. Only, that opening never came. ¡°Is that it?¡± Theo mocked him, dodging under another blow. The young man said nothing, entering into a defensive stance in anticipation of Theo¡¯s next attack. It was a good idea, but too little, too late. Theo¡¯s spear was as slippery as an eel, piercing through the attempt to block as if nothing stood in its way. The sharp point came right to the tip of Tom¡¯s nose, just barely pricking him and causing a cold sweat to wash over his body. Unwilling to admit his loss, the mercenary swung his spear again, trying to knock the blade away from his face. Although he registered the collision between the two hafts and prepared a counterattack, he was stopped by the spearpoint that appeared between his eyes. Recoiling from the shock, Tom nearly fell on his rear, but managed to just barely right himself. Theo pulled his weapon back and stood still, a wicked grin plastered on his face. ¡°Did you want to go again?¡± Smiling as if he had already won, Tom leapt forward and cast out a wide sweep. It was the same skill Theo loved to use, [Fend]! How could Theo not know all the ins and outs of this technique after years of PvP combat? He could easily recognize it, and just as easily defend against it. [Fend] He countered with an identical application of the skill, sweeping the man up in the attack and sending both parties flying backwards. While Tom went tumbling onto the dirt, Theo landed more or less unperturbed. Rebounding just as smoothly, his feet kicked off the ground as he launched a follow-up strike. The most important aspect of the [Fend] skill was its ability to reposition an opponent who got too close while retaining the range advantage of polearm class weapons. It could provide excellent momentum when used offensively, but that benefit would be lost if your follow-up was delayed. [Lunge] Combo x2! -208 With a single motion, almost half of Tom¡¯s HP was gone. For an NPC, this could be considered a devastating blow. If Theo followed up his attack with another flurry, he could easily put Tom in a shallow grave, but where was the fun in that? He might be able to manage the social fallout as the fledgling mercenary had attacked him first, but it would create a hostile atmosphere between him and Splitskulls for the rest of the trip. Theo was still counting on their protection, so he mercifully spared the young man an untimely death. Theo cracked his neck and placed the spear over his shoulders, ¡°Alright, that¡¯s enough of that,¡± he said, ¡°Quinn was right, kid, you¡¯re not too bad.¡± Tom¡¯s armor had a rather nasty hole drilled through it now, finally giving him his first battlescar. If this was a fantasy novel, it would probably serve as a memory that would motivate the young man in the future. The battle under the moonlight with the mysterious adventurer... Theo smiled when he thought of it. Tom looked like he wanted to continue, but couldn¡¯t bring himself to speak. ¡°Thank your luck,¡± Theo warned him, ¡°if I wasn¡¯t worn out from fighting these damn worms, you¡¯d be dead right now.¡± Theo¡¯s face was practically glowing with bad intentions. [Lesser Persuasion] was used successfully. Mercenary Tom¡¯s fear of Slave Master Theo increases slightly! It was a ridiculous statement given Theo¡¯s status as a player character. He would have to fight for hours on end before mental exhaustion set in, but it was enough to quash any silly ideas. Tom stood up and dusted himself off, tending to his injured shoulder carefully. If he had seen the kind of damage that Meatshield took on a daily basis, Theo wondered if the young man would lose all faith in himself and give up as a mercenary. No, it wasn¡¯t fair to compare that abnormal girl to other NPCs. Not even Gobthnora was that merciless to herself; however, it was Theo¡¯s favorite quality about the princess. ¡°You¡¯re good,¡± Tom said through gritted teeth. Theo chuckled, ¡°Good? I guess that¡¯s one way to put it,¡± and after a moment, he added, ¡°So what possessed you to come out here and get yourself done-in tonight?¡± Tom couldn¡¯t help but laugh at his own sorry state, ¡°I don¡¯t suppose you¡¯d take overconfidence as an answer?¡± Theo narrowed his eyes. ¡°It happened when I was a kid,¡± Tom said listlessly, ¡°It¡¯s not an uncommon story, a mercenary ends up on the wrong side of a conflict, and the other side has adventurers.¡± ¡°So that was it?¡± Theo thought to himself, ¡°This guy wanted to get strong enough to hunt down the adventurer who killed someone important to him? And it¡¯s an NPC adventurer too...¡± Theo couldn¡¯t blame him for wanting revenge, though. It was a concept that never made much sense to him until he ended up on the other end of it. He knew what it was like to feel the kind of hatred that makes your body shake and your blood boil, so much so you want to roll over and die, but can¡¯t. Theo had to agree, at times it felt like it was worth killing over. Of course, a sob story like this wasn¡¯t enough to soften the Slave Master¡¯s heart. ¡°You¡¯re going to get yourself killed,¡± Theo said. The mercenary sighed, ¡°You sound just like Quinn.¡± ¡°Well he¡¯s right,¡± there was no point beating around the bush, NPC adventurers were terrifying entities even when compared to Theo, but he added, ¡°Well, I have a soft spot for suicidal idiots. If you want to die, I¡¯ll be happy to oblige.¡± Tom looked at Theo like he was looking at madman, and quickly shook his head, ¡°I¡¯m not that crazy!¡± he sputtered. Theo laughed, ¡°Then maybe you want to come with me to kill some more of these beasts? You might learn a thing or two, if you can keep up.¡± ¡°You - do you really mean that?¡± the young man¡¯s face lit up. Theo clapped a hand on the mercenary¡¯s shoulder, causing him to seize up from the sudden jolt to his wound. Tom almost bit his tongue and fell over, but Theo¡¯s firm grip kept him standing. ¡°Just as long as you¡¯re not dumb enough to turn that spear on me again¡­¡± he said. [Lesser Persuasion] was used successfully! Mercenary Tom¡¯s fear of Slave Master Theo increases greatly! ¡°Got it?¡± Theo hissed. Tom could only manage to gulp down a mouth of saliva and nod along. He really was thanking the Gods that he hadn¡¯t pissed off this man any more than he had. Tom thought he had seen the darkest parts of humanity when he glimpsed the look in Captain Quinn¡¯s eyes during combat. Those eyes had seen the deaths of hundreds of men, and that many more at his own hands. The adventurer, though? His eyes were still bright and lively, but seemed to overflow with a positive love for killing. He was a monster. These weren¡¯t eyes that could possibly belong to a human. ¡°Now then,¡± Theo reached into his inventory and removed one the [Goblin Shortsword]s he kept around for when Meatshield broke hers, ¡°do you know how to take apart a monster?¡± Tom was at a loss for words for a moment, but didn¡¯t dare not answer, ¡°I-I do, as part of my training.¡± ¡°Good,¡± the Slave Master handed the young man the blade, ¡°That¡¯s going to be your job for the next few nights.¡± Theo had been feeling the sting of not having Meatshield around to harvest the good parts of the worms he killed. They held a useful item for crafting corrosive potions in the form of their [Acidic Bladder], but it was a rare drop if you just went around killing them. Now that Tom was going to be accompanying him, his profits could increase. ¡°W-what about sl-sleep?¡± Tom immediately regretted asking the question. The adventurer, who was already trotting over to the body of the [Verminous Worm], turned back with a scowl on his face, ¡°Are you sure that¡¯s what you want to say to the man who just saved your life?¡± Theo appeared more than willing to leave out the fact that he was the one threatening the man¡¯s life in the first place. Mercy was good and all, but Theo didn¡¯t believe in charity. Now that he knew Tom could take Meatshield¡¯s place as a harvester, there was no way he was going to let the kid off the hook. ¡°Just hurry up, the sooner I reach my quota, the sooner you can get some rest!¡± he shouted. Tom had no choice but to relent as he looked over the [Goblin Shortsword] in his hand. After contemplating something foolish for a moment, he painfully followed after the crazed man. It was only a few days more, and he decided it was in his best interest to concede, for now. Besides, he had come here to watch in the first place. Chapter Twenty-Four: Before the Storm Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Twenty-Four: Before the Storm
At the time, Tom had no concept of how much he would come to regret following Theo that night. The next day, he was practically falling asleep while trying to accomplish all of his duties and chores, and dreading the brutal pace of hunting with the adventurer in the evening. Even though he was only one person, the man was like a monster killing machine. It didn¡¯t matter if it was the clever and powerful [Rock Wolf] or the indomitable [Thunder Tusk], there was only one outcome once Theo had them in his sights. Tom¡¯s job was to take apart the bodies and make sure all of the good parts were harvested. It was an unforgiving and arduous task that he had always hated, especially when it came to the monster called [Thunder Tusk]. The two meter tall pig-like creature was covered in rough scales that were painful to the touch, and generated electricity from the ridge of spines that grew along its back. What¡¯s more, that electricity didn¡¯t totally disperse after the huge creature¡¯s death. If he wasn¡¯t exceptionally careful in how they were dismantled, Tom was sure to suffer a shocking penalty. By the time he finished carving one of the monsters, Theo had usually attracted the attention of another and was stabbing at it with his spear. At least the show was always interesting during the rare moments when he had the luxury to watch the spearman¡¯s battles. Tom hadn¡¯t known it was even possible to fight monsters like this. There were no flashy movements or special techniques outside of the usual [Fend] and [Lunge]. The adventurer wouldn¡¯t even waste time adapting to his opponent¡¯s combat style, as if he already knew every move they were going to make. He only occasionally took a hit from the monsters, and even when he did, it was a grazing blow that didn¡¯t seem to do any real damage. Although he had experienced it himself, Tom still had to say the most unusual thing about Theo was his overwhelming aura of confidence. It was like nothing in this world would be worthy enough for him to consider it a threat, no matter how dangerous the subject. Rather than inspiring, it was terrifying. The man acted like a suicidal maniac who was incapable of death, and even if his spear blows were only simple and accurate jabs, they all carried that soul-crushing confidence. Ramming his spear once more into the side of the [Thunder Tusk], the porcine monster¡¯s heavy body finally collapsed under the weight of its many wounds. No matter how many times it tried to discharge the electric shocks, Theo always happened to be standing in a spot where they wouldn¡¯t hit him. Rather than dodging, it seemed more accurate to say that the man was just incredibly lucky. ¡°Alright, one more for the pile,¡± Theo called, nonchalantly wiping the monster¡¯s splattered gore from his face. Of course, Theo had no idea that he was covered in blood and viscera. That was something only visible to Tom¡¯s NPC eyes. ¡°These guys really are the best kind for grinding,¡± Theo mused about the fight to himself. Monsters who traveled alone and acted like kings were usually the easiest to pick off, even more so if they were like the [Thunder Tusk], which was overly reliant on its special electric ability. To a player fighting it for the first time, the bolts of hot plasma it shot out seemed to come completely at random and strike just as unpredictably. Theo knew from experience that nothing in this world was completely random though, and everything would always have a pattern to it. Once he knew when the monster would activate its ability and where the bolts would land, he just had to make sure he wasn¡¯t standing there to take it. Enemies tended to grow in intelligence as they increased in level, though there were always exceptions. The [Rock Wolves] for instance were rather annoying for Theo to deal with, since they were calm and confident, and not stupid enough to let him easily take advantage of them. They would try to stay just out of the reach of his attacks and then dive in for a feint while another one of the pack flanked him from behind. If they got injured, they would even try to run for safety or call for help. It was an awful target in terms of efficiency. Theo much preferred the level 15 pig. As his thoughts wandered, he found himself thinking of Meatshield and how she would cry if she discovered that she was missing out on such a succulent ham buffet. Well, he didn¡¯t think she could cry even if she wanted to. After watching her closely for a while, he was starting to piece together a clearer picture of what exactly happened back in the Goblin¡¯s Cave, and all he needed now was a bit of proof to confirm his suspicions. ¡°Hey,¡± Tom called out to him after the most recent kill was sprawled out and bleeding on the dirt, ¡°how did you do that thing earlier?¡± Theo didn¡¯t bother wasting his hunting time trying to puzzle out what the mercenary was referring to, and said, ¡°Did what? Be specific or I¡¯m taking away your talking privileges.¡± Tom recoiled from the answer, realizing that the adventurer valued time over life, and promptly responded so that his meaning was clear, ¡°Earlier when the [Thunder Tusk] tried to side-swipe you, you somehow avoided it even though you weren¡¯t looking.¡± Although the deal was for Tom to try and pick up some skills or strategies by watching Theo fight, the man didn¡¯t use anything but the most basic maneuvers. As far as he could tell, rather than being incredibly skilled or powerful, this malefic adventurer was just inhumanly slippery. Not even attacks in his blind spot could hit him! Theo wasn¡¯t sure how to answer this question with anything resembling honesty. How was he supposed to explain to an NPC that the D-rank adventurer in front of him had been baptized in thousands of battles against similar monsters? That he had fought against the Gods of this world, that he HAD been a God of this world? How did Theo manage to dodge a monster¡¯s attacks in his blind spot? The answer was that he didn¡¯t have a blind spot! If one took away the system help that he gained from his [Perception] skill, Theo was still totally aware of every movement that took place within the reach of his weapon. You would have to be on the level of Elizabeth, the incarnation of the invisible hand of Death, if you wanted to sneak up close to him! Even she would have a problem if his guard against her wasn¡¯t lowered to the minimum. Of course, this was one of the reasons why Theo didn¡¯t enjoy fighting ranged attackers. There were ways to manage them, if he could predict the trajectory of their projectiles and dodge early, but he couldn¡¯t do that if there were too many archers, or if they were hidden from him. ¡°I would be dead by now if I didn¡¯t keep my secrets just that,¡± Theo decided to just ignore the kid¡¯s expectant face and feed him some bullshit, ¡°The [Thunder Tusk] has an electric field around it that makes my hair stand on end. I can feel it from a few feet away.¡± ¡°Ah,¡± Tom¡¯s reply couldn¡¯t be anything but short when he received such an answer. Theo smirked and said sagely, ¡°If you want to improve, you need to learn how to take advantage of not just your enemy¡¯s weaknesses, but their strengths as well.¡± He paused just long enough to confuse the young man and then continued, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s go, the night¡¯s still young, after all.¡± The words were punctuated by a cold laughter. This was the second night of hunting, and the caravan would be reaching the halfway mark tomorrow. That was when it would be at the highest risk of getting attacked, if only because of the commonalities of the system¡¯s quests. Theo wouldn¡¯t go so far as to call these habits or quirks, but more like programmed opinions on what made for a good or dramatic storyline. If Theo¡¯s predictions were correct, tomorrow would be the day when the true mission started. Finally, after killing off dozens of monsters that evening, Theo was washed in golden light. Two levels in only two days, this wouldn¡¯t be possible if not for the huge boost he had received from dispatching three level 20 enemies previously. The amount of experience gained from killing an enemy twice your level was exceptional, even if they were weak to begin with. Theo pulled up his character profile, ignoring the beleaguered Tom.
Character Information
Name: Theo (13) HP: 530/530
Race: Human MP: 500/500
Class: Slave Master Attack: 96~122
Alignment: Neutral Defense: 12 (10%)
Attributes and Runes
Strength: 65 (+0) Head Rune: Empty
Agility: 8 (+3) Heart Rune: Desert Heart Rune
Intelligence: 5(+0) Core Rune: Serpent Prince''s Core Rune
Constitution: 34 (+5) Arm Rune: SerpentQueen''s Wrath Rune
Willpower: 30 (+0) Leg Rune: Empty
Charisma: 45 (+3) Rune Locked Empty
Luck: 5(+0) Rune Locked Empty
Skill List
Skill Name Level Exp. to Next Lv. Tag
Appraise Humanoid Lv. 5 6%/100%
Beginner Conditioning Lv. 3 8%/100%
Beginner Meditation Lv. 6 37%/100%
Dodge Lv. 9 98%/100%
Fend Lv. 2 24%/100%
Inflict Pain Lv. 2 13%/100% *
Lesser Persuasion Lv. 3 21%/100% *
Lesser Polearm Mastery Lv. 7 58%/100% *
Lesser Rune Mastery Lv. 3 19%/100% *
Lunge Lv. 3 15%/100%
Perception Lv. 7 42%/100%
Slave Master''s Brand Lv. 2 37%/100%
Stealth Lv. 1 0%/100%
Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site. His character was coming along splendidly, though he was starting to feel the loss of the Warrior class bonuses that gave a boost to his Strength and Constitution. He could make up for the weaker build by meticulously grinding up his combat skill proficiencies, but that was only going to last him so long. He had considered increasing his Strength more over the Charisma attribute, but that would be wasting one blade to sharpen another. Slave Masters specialized in manipulation, and many of his later abilities would no doubt require a good Charisma to take advantage of. Theo sighed and closed the information screen. He wasn¡¯t looking forward to the attention that would come from the forums once they realized his level had shot up after only a couple of days. This was the benefit of fighting by himself instead of with his slaves, though he had to admit that the loot wasn¡¯t nearly as good as when they could take on a boss every day. Rather than become disillusioned by his class choice, Theo could only resolve to work his slaves twice as hard in the future. Checking the time and realizing how late it had gotten, the Slave Master turned to the man who was finishing up his work on the deceased [Thunder Tusk]. ¡°We¡¯ll wrap it up here for now, Tom,¡± he said with a hint of reluctance, ¡°This will be the last night I¡¯ll need your help.¡± There was a finality to Theo¡¯s tone that startled the young man, ¡°The last night? Don¡¯t we have two more days until we get to Aleside?¡± Theo couldn¡¯t help but chuckle, though his smile was one devoid of any joy, ¡°It won¡¯t be necessary, don¡¯t worry,¡± he patted Tom on the shoulder for the last time and made certain to collect all of the monster¡¯s loot, ¡°You¡¯ll see soon enough.¡± Tom only looked at him with a confused expression and shrugged his slender shoulders. There wasn¡¯t any point in arguing with Theo when his mind was made up, this was something Tom had learned all too well after traveling with him only briefly. The caravan wasn¡¯t very far away from the hunting spot the pair had chosen, and the return trip was one filled with silence. The night air in the deserts around Oasis were always shockingly cold, and it was impossible to separate oneself from the ever present buzzing of insects and the occasional howl of a [Rock Wolf] or [Desert Coyote]. A large nocturnal scorpion with a luminescent carapace skittered away from their heavy steps and took shelter in a nearby crevice. The crescent moon was like a sharp blade which hung in the sky, giving the sands a silvery coat of light. The picturesque scene was ruined; however, when the two spearmen reached the top of a steep hill and caught sight of a dull orange glow in the distance. At this hour, the campsite was usually lit by a few scattered torches for the benefit of the night watch, and nothing else. Something had happened. Their approached revealed a caravan that had been mobilized into a circular formation, with the mercenaries running around like diligent little ants. Merchants and their families huddled together near the center of the camp, where a massive bonfire had been constructed. A few of the men had armed themselves with whatever weapons they could find. Panicked shouts could be heard over the distance. ¡°This is¡­¡± Tom¡¯s voice was hushed as he looked down at the chaotic sight. ¡°It¡¯s just the start,¡± Theo said. Looking at the other man, the mercenary couldn¡¯t get over the excited gleam in those deep, dark eyes. It was the look of one who was expecting¡­ no, looking forward to... a slaughter. Tom picked up his pace as he rushed towards the caravan, and Theo leisurely followed after him. They quickly descended the face of the cliff and came out just a few hundred meters away from the hastily constructed defensive line. The guards keeping watch immediately ran forward from every direction, but it seemed like they recognized one of their own as soon as Tom was illuminated by the fire light. ¡°Tom! By the Gods, you scared me. We thought you might have been dead!¡± one of the men, a hulking reptilian beastman wielding a notched fauchard said. The beastman didn¡¯t forget to cast a cautious glance at Theo¡¯s relaxed expression. Although he didn¡¯t say anything to the adventurer, he was clearly suspicious of him. ¡°Rizzack! What the hell is happening around here?¡± Tom shouted. The beastman shook his head, closing his bizarre vertical eyelids with a pained expression, ¡°It¡¯s something you¡¯ll need to see for yourself,¡± he moved out of the way, motioning to the other guard to let the pair through, ¡°Go on in.¡± Tom didn¡¯t wait for Theo as he charged off towards the center where the flames were still crackling loudly, while the Slave Master sauntered on by. As he passed the Scalekin, Rizzack, he heard a hushed voice in his ear. ¡°You better have a good explanation for this, adventurer.¡± Theo smirked and shook his head. Almost as soon as he was visible, a couple of robed figures ran up to him. One was short while the other was child sized. Meatshield was looking at him with her usual vacant appearance, though Theo could feel a hint of anxiety there. Gobthnora was equally silent, but stood quite a bit closer to her master than usual, as if expecting something. In a rare show of affection, Theo patted the Goblin on the head, her oversized robes shuffling between his fingers. ¡°Everything alright?¡± he asked simply. The Goblin nodded, though if one listened closely, they could hear a characteristically high chuckling noise muffled under the pile of linen cloth. ¡°Good, you know what to do, then,¡± Theo turned to Meatshield and sized her up for a moment, ¡°You come with me.¡± The woman peacefully complied and followed a step behind him as Theo entered the wild scene. Gobthnora stood back for a few minutes before wandering off at a slow pace. Her tiny body easily disappeared into the shadows of a nearby tent. The tent that Roland the caravan leader used had been slightly more fortified than the others, and looked like a hastily slapped together command center. Several of the merchants and a couple of the higher ranking mercenaries were gathered around inside. Their voices were low, but flushed and anxious faces clearly showed that they were arguing about something. Tom was also standing with the group of men, his small profile softly shaking. When Theo arrived on the scene, the discussion stopped and a number of heads turned in his direction. One of the mercenaries Theo recognized as the vice-captain of the Splitskulls, another Scalekin called Lozan. He was glaring as though he wanted to show Theo personally how the mercenary group got their name. It failed to phase the adventurer in the slightest. ¡°Don¡¯t greet me all at once,¡± Theo said, flashing the party a curious glance. Roland was the first to speak up, ¡°Adventurer Theo¡­ are you aware of what¡¯s happening here?¡± he started off with a rather leading question. ¡°From the looks of it¡­¡± Theo turned and glanced back at the campsite with an expression of mock contemplation, ¡°I would guess we¡¯re expecting a siege. Is that correct?¡± ¡°You wretched ad-,¡± Lozan took an intimidating step forward and brandished his heavy blade, but was forced to retreat when a chilling spear blow crossed the space between them in a split second. ¡°Take another step, lizard, and we¡¯ll be one man short on defense tonight,¡± Theo¡¯s voice was calm, but there wasn¡¯t any need to clarify the threat. [Lesser Persuasion] was used successfully! Mercenary Lozan¡¯s fear of Slave Master Theo increases slightly! ¡°Theo! Stop it!¡± Tom said quickly, moving between the two. Theo eyed the man with a slight smirk and then turned back to Roland, ¡°So why all the hostility?¡± Theo asked. Roland looked back and forth between the other men in the tent, exchanging glances of confirmation among the group. After getting their non-verbal agreement, he grimaced and took a step to the side, revealing the inside of the tent. He said, ¡°If this was just a matter of a bandit attack, we wouldn¡¯t be nearly as panicked, but¡­¡± Lying in the back of the tent was something that Theo would never fail to recognize. The merchant leader¡¯s bed had been occupied by another body. It was covered from head to toe in a sheet as a show of respect, and a pale, calloused hand was clearly visible as it drooped over the side. Upon seeing the corpse, Tom bounded across the length of the tent and dropped to his knees in front of the cover. He was still shaking as he pulled up the top of the sheet, but dropped it just as quickly. ¡°Q-Quinn!¡± Tom could barely suppress the agony in his voice. Rather than paying any attention to Tom¡¯s grieving, the others were all looking at Theo with cold, fearful eyes. They seemed to see something in that all too placid face that confirmed their previous suspicions. The only thing that kept them rooted to the spot was the threat of the one man in camp who could have possibly been a match for the mercenary captain. Meatshield instinctively moved in front of her master, reaching for the shield on her back before Theo stopped her. He wasn''t smiling anymore. Chapter Twenty-Five: Good News, Bad News Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Twenty-Five: Good News, Bad News
To everyone¡¯s surprise, the first person in the tent to speak was Tom, ¡°It couldn¡¯t have been Theo!¡± he said firmly as he stood up from the side of the bed, ¡°I was with him all night!¡± Before Theo knew it, Tom was casting him an earnest, trusting glance. The Slave Master was forced to shrug and nod along with the young mercenary¡¯s words. ¡°I¡¯ve been taking him with me to hunt monsters at night, if you were wondering what we¡¯ve been doing in the evening,¡± Theo would have known if Tom was the one who killed the man, after all, and there was no reason to implicate himself any further. The sudden declaration caused the other men to turn back and forth in shock, and the voices began to pick up once again before Lozan quieted everyone down with a harsh tone, ¡°Tom, is that really true?¡± the scalekin asked. Tom nodded. ¡°There wasn¡¯t any time when you two were apart?¡± Lozan growled. Theo sighed internally, already knowing what was about come. When the caravan stopped to set up the camp, Theo would log out to take care of his various needs and responsibilities in the real world. It was a necessity as a player, but there would be no way for the NPCs to track him down during this time. As far as they were concerned, he would have dropped off the face of Orpheum. Tom seemed taken aback as this thought dawned on him as well, ¡°T-that¡­¡± although he couldn¡¯t bring himself to say, his expression was enough confirmation to reignite the fire in Lozan¡¯s eyes. The Scalekin snapped his head in Theo¡¯s direction, forked tongue flicking from his long mouth as he demanded, ¡°Explain yourself, adventurer!¡± What was Theo supposed to say? He couldn¡¯t possibly have an alibi for that time period, because he simply didn¡¯t exist. If this fact was explained to the AI¡¯s in the game, they would only treat him like a crazy person. ¡°I have nothing to say,¡± Theo said with a sharp glare, ¡°I have no need to report my whereabouts to you. Isn¡¯t that right, Roland?¡± Roland perspired under the adventurer¡¯s scrutiny, before shaking his head, ¡°Mr. Theo, if you could, for everyone¡¯s sake, explain away this misunderstanding.¡± On the other side of the tent, Tom was still giving him a pleading look. The amount of trust that was overflowing from those simple blue eyes would have moved the hearts of most ordinary men, but Theo was unaffected. ¡°After we broke camp, little Nora was feeling tired, so I had to put her down for a nap. Isn¡¯t that right Tom?¡± Theo said with slight smile. Tom jumped when he heard this, and quickly stumbled over his words to corroborate the story, ¡°Right! Right! He went off with the little girl! I saw him.¡± Theo made a gesture as if to say, ¡®There, are you happy now?¡¯ Lozan clearly wasn¡¯t. His voice hissed as he spoke, ¡°And after that?¡± he demanded. Lozan really couldn¡¯t be blamed for being so upset after the loss of his captain and good friend, but Theo wished the overgrown lizard would quit trying to make his life harder. Theo was willing to forgive him when all of this was said and done, but if the Scalekin kept it up much longer, he wouldn¡¯t be merciful when it came time to apologize. ¡°I was watching something interesting,¡± Theo shrugged. This time it was Roland who said, ¡°What? What do you mean, Mr Theo?¡± ¡°See? This is how you should be treating me,¡± Theo thought as he turned his gaze from Lozan and the merchant boss to the young mercenary. ¡°Tom,¡± Theo said casually, ¡°that man you were meeting with this afternoon, the one on the black horse with a red bandana over his face¡­ who was he?¡± The lies passed from Theo¡¯s mouth as simply as if he was breathing. The core existence of a player-character was deception. Tom¡¯s face was plastered with confusion, ¡°T-Theo? What are you talking about?¡± the man couldn¡¯t help but sound a bit panicked, as he considered the implications of his accuser¡¯s words. ¡°You followed me last night,¡± Theo said firmly, ¡°It was only fair I follow you back. Now, answer the question.¡± ¡°Are you accusing one of my mercenaries of something?¡± it looked like Lozan was already getting ready to take over the position of captain in Quinn¡¯s absence. ¡°Theo, please stop with this and just tell us where you were!¡± Tom implored of him. Theo shrugged, ¡°I¡¯m telling you what happened,¡± his eyes narrowed on the blonde mercenary with a murderous intent, ¡°That bandit was a member of the Black Mountain Clan. Why were you meeting with him this afternoon?¡± At this point, the extra points in Charisma were showing their worth. Several of the merchants and mercenaries, who weren¡¯t a part of the Splitskulls, turned their inquisitive eyes on Tom. This was human nature. When there was only one suspect, it was easy to come to a conclusive decision, but the minute you complicated the situation people would begin to argue. Of course, Theo had no basis for what he was saying, seeing as he was logged out, but then neither did the NPCs when they accused him. Theo didn¡¯t give the others time to deflect his claims, ¡°If I¡¯m not mistaken, Roland, the reason things are so chaotic is because of the Black Mountain Clan¡¯s imminent attack, about 60-70 armed riders, was it?¡± One of the merchants actually gasped. ¡°H-how did you know that?¡± Roland asked. Theo knew this because he could estimate the danger level of this mission based on the reward he was going to receive. Just how many of these quests had he accomplished in his past life. The Black Mountain Clan? That was the only bandit organization in this area with enough members to threaten the caravan, so it was simple enough to know this fact in advance. Theo frowned, looking ashamed of himself, ¡°I let my judgement grow clouded¡­¡± looking across the tent at Tom, it was clear that he was about to explode in a rage after listening to the words of the man he had just stood up for, ¡°I wanted to protect Tom, I believed in his ignorance. I thought if I could just kill the messenger, we could avoid a conflict and Tom wouldn¡¯t have to suffer any punishment. The information about the attack was on the bandit¡¯s body, but... I had no way of knowing Tom would do something like this¡­¡± ¡°You bastard!¡± Tom charged across the tent at Theo, but the one who stopped him was actually Lozan. ¡°Calm yourself Tom!¡± he warned the young man, ¡°If you¡¯re too rash, you¡¯ll only be helping this damned charlatan.¡± Clearly, the Scalekin mercenary wasn¡¯t willing to believe him, but it didn¡¯t affect the Slave Master¡¯s confident act. Theo scowled at Tom, his face a picture of betrayal. It was a look that he was all too practiced at lately. ¡°I¡¯m at fault for putting the caravan at risk, and for that I accept responsibility. As for the murder of Captain Quinn, you could say I¡¯m responsible as well, but I¡¯m afraid the killer isn¡¯t me!¡±Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences. ¡°He¡¯s lying! He¡¯s clearly lying!¡± Tom shouted. Roland stuttered, ¡°Mr. Theo, d-do you have any proof?¡± he asked. ¡°Did you have any proof when you accused me!?¡± Theo snapped at not just Roland, but the entire group. Several of the men flinched, and even Tom¡¯s struggle was stopped by the sudden shout. The tent became silent, and several people who had heard the shouting were gathering around now. All of the attention was on Theo. ¡°As it stands, I actually do have proof,¡± Theo held up one of his fingers, ¡°First, who here can vouch for Tom¡¯s location after we broke camp?¡± he asked. Tom¡¯s eyes widened in shock when he realized that nobody was speaking up for him, ¡°I was fetching water for the horses!¡± ¡°I saw him go!¡± Lozan backed up his own camp. The skepticism in Theo¡¯s voice was clear for all to hear, ¡°And after that?¡± Silence. When even Tom had no way to defend himself, it wasn¡¯t so much a nail in the coffin as giving Theo a hammer. All he had to do was use it properly, and this case would be closed shut. Theo lifted another finger. ¡°Second, the wound that Quinn died from, if I¡¯m not mistaken, it should have been a knife to the back?¡± he said. Tom¡¯s shoulders shook as he heard this, but he quickly shut his mouth and didn¡¯t say anything that might incriminate him. Theo was the only one who noticed, but he did not let his satisfaction show. ¡°Again, Mr. Theo, how could you possibly know that?¡± Roland was reeling from one shock after the other. Theo nudged the girl by his side, ¡°Show them the blade I gave you, Rasa.¡± Meatshield nodded her head and opened her cloak, revealing the tattered and burned clothes that covered her body. On her hip was one of the [Goblin Shortsword]s that he kept her stocked with. Upon seeing the blade, there was another silence that filled the tent, and continued until Theo spoke again. ¡°This is a weapon that I happened to pick up, one of a pair. I gave it to the girl for her protection, and it should match the wound perfectly,¡± he explained. Lozan hissed again, ¡°How does that prove Tom is guilty!? If anything, it¡¯s only a mark against you! Are you trying to dig your own grave, adventurer?¡± Tom was silent as he looked at the blade, something dawning on him. Theo shook his head, as if he was trying to correct a silly child¡¯s misconception, ¡°I¡¯m sure we can all agree this girl, as a simple rancher¡¯s daughter, was in no way a threat to the captain. However, there is one more of these blades. Tom?¡± ¡°I - I didn¡¯t do it! I swear!¡± he shouted almost hysterically, ¡°He gave me the blade, yes, but I didn¡¯t use it to kill Captain Quinn! He was my friend! My teacher!¡± Tom¡¯s voice actually cracked as he said this. Several of the merchants, upon hearing this and considering Tom¡¯s actions, had dark, ponderous expressions. It was unclear which camp they were in now, but they were forced to consider the possibility of Tom¡¯s guilt. Lozan was as supportive as ever when he refuted, ¡°What worth do the stories of an accused murderer have? You could be making up this whole story about the swords, and there¡¯s no way to know for sure it was used for the murder!¡± Theo nodded grimly, ¡°Of course, the new captain is correct in this regard, but I wouldn¡¯t be standing here if I didn¡¯t have an absolute proof,¡± Theo lifted a third finger, ¡°Every member of the Black Mountain Clan is marked with a brand on their left hand. This is the absolute law of their group.¡± What brand? This was a blatant lie, but it didn¡¯t need to be true to achieve its desired effect. Theo had accomplished his goal of applying enough pressure that all of the leaders of the group were not against him any more. Without the two admittedly circumstantial bits of evidence, there was no reason to even pay attention to this kind of accusation. Now, with the ability to clear his name only a single article of clothing away, Tom would have to be an idiot to not refute this claim. All eyes were on the young mercenary, who had frozen like a block of ice. There was no sign of the previous hysterics or distress, and his facial features were still as death. He didn¡¯t so much as flicker an eyelash as the situation fully dawned on him. ¡°Tom, go on, take off your gauntlet and show this fool you¡¯re innocent,¡± Lozan urged, but when the man didn¡¯t respond to him, he repeated, ¡°Tom?¡± Tom¡¯s voice was colder even than his face, and his soft eyes sharpened as they narrowed on Theo¡¯s smug grin, ¡°Tsk¡­ you bastard, so you already knew everything,¡± he spat. The tent burst into an uproar, but the words had already been loosed. Lozan may have been big, but he was far from slow witted. It didn¡¯t take him more than a second to heave the massive sword into a combat position and put up his guard. ¡°Y-you were actually¡­¡± his voice was mixed with confusion and hatred. ¡°Shut it, lizard,¡± Tom snapped, ¡°before I add your head to my collection.¡± The lizard in question was a veteran of dozens of battles, but upon hearing the threat, his finely honed instincts as a fighter and beastman caused him to heed the command. If he crossed this man, this short blonde human with a feminine face, he would be dead before the words left his mouth. ¡°When did you know?¡± Tom asked carefully. Theo shrugged, having dropped his serious air after getting the reaction he wanted, ¡°Since the first time we met. You still have that bad habit of collecting faces, don¡¯t you?¡± Tom¡¯s voice dropped a few octaves as he let out a low, familiar growl, ¡°How? The disguise should have been perfect.¡± ¡°Oh, don¡¯t get me wrong, you really are talented at what you do, not a single hole at all in your act,¡± Theo said, sounding genuinely impressed, ¡°But being a Shapeshifter isn¡¯t really all that useful when your target knows about it ahead of time.¡± Theo had been on to Tom from the beginning. Although the Shapeshifter¡¯s disguise could be considered flawless by any stretch of the imagination, a lack of information proved to be its fatal flaw. In this case, it was lack of information about Theo¡¯s greatest asset, his memories of his past life. The first time Theo met the creature, the Shapeshifter was in Kruger¡¯s form, standing guard outside of the Gambler¡¯s Den. At that time, there was no way to know about its true nature, but later he met the actual Kruger in the crime lord¡¯s office. At the time he assumed this was because the Shapeshifter wasn¡¯t suited for direct combat, though that seemed to be wishful thinking now. What gave it away was the [Slave Master¡¯s Brand]. The Kruger outside had its brand on the outside of the left hand, while the actual Kruger¡¯s brand was nowhere to be seen. It was then that he pieced together the existence of a Shapeshifter slave belonging to Old Man Snake Eyes. This was the real reason Theo had asked the creature to reveal its left hand. Even with Shapeshifting magic, the brand would remain in its original position! ¡°Hmph, cheeky human,¡± Tom had yet to make a move, but most of the tent¡¯s occupants had already realized how useless they would be in this conflict and began to back out to safety. ¡°Knock off that Kruger act, too, I know you¡¯re not him either,¡± Theo scowled. As opposed to the one in front of him, Theo had a rather good impression of the half-beastman who had threatened to separate his head from his shoulders. Come to think of it, he had a similar relationship with Bai at first. Maybe it was Theo who had a slightly warped view of what necessitated a decent personality. ¡°Elizabeth was like that too,¡± he muttered internally. ¡°Heh, hehehe, HAhahAhAHAHa!¡± Tom threw his head back and cackled loudly, the voice wildly fluctuating in pitch and tone, as if trying to settle on a single choice. Theo almost felt like clapping when he saw the overly dramatic reaction. Shapeshifters weren¡¯t well known for their mental stability, and what¡¯s more, they were actors by nature. Rather than the true perpetrator of this set-up, it was safer to say that this was only another of this cryptic individual¡¯s identities. These creatures could not only take on the appearance of their subjects, but also the memories and personality down to even the smallest feature. Theo didn¡¯t know the fate of the original Tom, but it wasn¡¯t too farfetched to assume he was dead. ¡°I like you, other Slave Master! I really, really, like you!¡± the Shapeshifter grabbed it¡¯s face as Tom¡¯s features began to melt and distort, ¡°Is this love? I think this might be love!¡± Theo chuckled, ¡°Haha, I¡¯ve always heard I¡¯m quite popular with the criminally insane,¡± he teased. The creature¡¯s body began to shift as well, filling out Tom¡¯s clothing with a shockingly robust figure, though it was far from muscular. Did this idiot think Theo would hesitate to attack if it distracted him with sex appeal? The expansion was so drastic that the patch over Tom¡¯s damaged armor tore open. Theo didn¡¯t bother trying to interrupt the transformation, but gave the signal to the few left in the tent that this was their chance to leave. ¡°We still have bandits to worry about,¡± he reminded them, ¡°Rally the mercenaries and get ready to repel the attack, I¡¯ll take care of the ringleader.¡± ¡°My love,¡± a sultry voice that seemed to positively ooze charm crashed against Theo¡¯s ears and a powerful sensation stirred in his chest, ¡°I really love that part of you that removes the pests from our personal time¡­ excluding one.¡± Shaking off the uncomfortable sensation, Theo patted his reliable Meatshield on the shoulder, ¡°Who? The girl? You wouldn¡¯t expect a Slave Master to fight without his weapons, would you?¡± The woman laughed expectantly, her assets visibly jiggling as long crimson locks curled around her shoulders. The nails on her perfect little fingers slowly elongated, turning into a full set of viciously curved talons. ¡°Of course, my love,¡± she seemingly whispered the words right into his ears, ¡°It¡¯s always more fun with a few toys, after all.¡± ¡°Succubus, huh?¡± Theo smirked at the Shapeshifter, ¡°You really do get around, well, it¡¯s not as bad as the real thing. Honestly not my type at all.¡± He leveled his spear at the unnaturally beautiful woman who was scantily clad in Tom¡¯s ripped clothing, and a thin veneer of coldness glossed over his eyes. Like this, as if he was channeling her monotonous expression, Theo could have been mistaken for Meatshield¡¯s brother. In the real world he might not be able to totally control his reactions, but in the game it was child¡¯s play to suppress his emotions. As long as she wasn¡¯t flinging real charm magic around, Theo wasn¡¯t going to be affected by an ambient seduction. [Perception] [???] Succubus. Lv. ?? ¡°I might actually die here, huh?¡± he thought to himself. The woman ran one of her claws along the full, red lips which didn¡¯t move an inch even when she spoke, ¡°I¡¯m coming now, my love, I hope you can keep me satisfied longer than the last one.¡± Theo wondered if she was talking about Tom or Quinn. Chapter Twenty-Six: A Fiery Embrace Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Twenty-Six: A Fiery Embrace
¡°Oh, my love, you¡¯re even more wonderful than I thought,¡± the Succubus sang as her talons scored the air where Theo¡¯s head had been only a second earlier. Trails of shimmering red light cut through the night air. Every attack was aimed to kill with extreme prejudice, though one would think from her words that the woman was trying to gingerly caress the face of her lover. The smell of blood and fire permeated the space around her, as if her very presence was designed to invoke the darkest parts of the human heart. Theo had faced his fair share of demons, so he knew this aura all too well. It was only tolerable at this level because it was merely a facsimile of the real thing. Shapeshifters could copy the abilities of any form they assumed, but it was still just a copy. Theo managed against the woman by employing his finely honed evasive skills, but he was constantly pressured by the repeated swipes. With her Strength, and especially her Agility, dwarfing his own, Theo was forced to rely on his vast combatexperienceto predict her attacks. There was hardly a moment left for him to think about fighting back. ¡°Dammit, if I only had [Basic Polearm Mastery] this would be a lot easier¡­¡± Theo¡¯s body flickered out of the way of another blow, as though he hadn¡¯t moved an inch. Big movements would only leave him vulnerable by taking up more time. By combining action cancel with his [Dodge] skill, he could avoid attacks without necessarily sacrificing his position. ¡°Teeheee! More! More! Play with me more!¡± the woman¡¯s lascivious body was almost on top of him at this point, with hardly a foot separating the high-speed exchange. [Fend] As was to be expected, the skill resulted in a MISS and she flung herself at Theo again. Having failed in his attack, he was struck across the chest by those razor sharp talons. All at once, a third of his HP was gone. Stopping to savor the moment, the Succubus licked her claws with a long, flexible tongue. Although Theo couldn¡¯t see the gore, he was well aware of the sentiment and her intent. ¡°Mmn¡­¡± the woman¡¯s body shook in excitement as she squirmed with pleasure, ¡°This taste, it¡¯s even better than I could have imagined.¡± Theo smiled through the wounds, ¡°You really get into your role, don¡¯t you?¡± Even in the midst of a life or death struggle, Theo couldn¡¯t break the habit of toying with his opponent. This was a game after all, a world designed for him to play in, how could he not take advantage of it? ¡°I¡¯ve never met anyone like you, other Slave Master,¡± the Succubus said coyly, ¡°You''ve provided me with one surprise after another. You even framed little Tom for murder.¡± The fighting stopped, andthe two combatants measuredone another carefully. Despite her nature, the Shapeshifter was probably more shocked than anyone to see that Theo was keeping up with her. She was used to slaughtering lower level targets without any resistanceat all, but she had clearly miscalculated Theo¡¯s abilities despite watching him for a few nights. The adventurer had been careful not to show off his true level of skill in front of the enemy. Theo on the other hand, had a firm grasp of his opponent. ¡°Level 40, maybe even higher... ¡° he hissed internally. ¡°Isn¡¯t mystery the spice of life?¡± Theo replied, readying his spear, ¡°Besides, you tried to frame me first.¡± The Succubus let out a simpering little giggle, ¡°Speaking of that, other Slave Master, how did you manage to set up your plan in the first place? As an expert in this field, I can only say my pride is wounded by your show of¡­ teehee¡­ prowess.¡± Theo smirked, ¡°Naturally, I had my slave sneak into the tent where you hid the body and stab the corpse after your poison took effect. I have two of those blades after all.¡± The roaring bonfire at his back illuminated everything around the pair, but none of the mercenaries were willing to engage in a battle that their eyes could hardly keep up with. Thankfully, they couldn¡¯t hear what the two were talking about or they might turn on him after hearing this little fact. If the Shapeshifter wasn¡¯t so wrapped in up in the personality of the sadistic Succubus, she might have tried to make use of this information, but that would ruin the fun wouldn¡¯t it? ¡°The farm girl you enslaved? She¡¯s cute, but doesn¡¯t really seem like the type,¡± she said with what Theo thought sounded like a hint of jealousy. ¡°You¡¯d be surprised by what that girl is capable of,¡± Theo didn''t hesitate to boast about his slaves. Although Meatshield couldn¡¯t find a space or opportunity to intervene in the fight, she was still watching carefully from the side. Theo had no doubt she would throw her body in front of him at the slightest provocation. After all, his safety was always her highest priority. ¡°To think you would even stab a dead man in the back, you really are my type!¡± the Succubus cooed. ¡°Of course,¡± Theo dived back into the fray as he struck out with his spear, trying to harry the opponent to the point where he could disrupt her attacks, ¡°I was willing to stab Tom in the back without even being certain he was a spy!¡± The blows fell on empty air as the Succubus nimbly flexed her body, taking advantage of her Shapeshifter¡¯s physique to dodge in seemingly impossible ways. Her whole waist actually shifted several inches to the left just to get out of the way of his pinpoint strikes. If Theo¡¯s stats were higher, he would have the speed to make up for this disadvantage, but it was simply beyond the capabilities of his current build. Although he could see the openings in her movements, he wasn¡¯t fast enough to take advantage of them. ¡°Ahn~ Cruel and clever, and handsome to boot¡­ I love you more and more with every passing moment!¡± Despite her words, the Shapeshifter swung her grotesque ¡°fingernails¡± at him again with unyielding ferocity. ¡°Bandits! I hear hooves!¡± a guard in the distance started shouting. ¡°Every man to arms!¡± it was Lozan¡¯s voice that replied, showing off his skill as a veteran mercenary, ¡°Spears to the front! Break their charge!¡± The sounds of galloping horses pounding against the earth shook the camp. Metal clashed against metal as the mercenaries prepared a hasty phalanx. A cloud of dust, illuminated by harsh firelight, was all that was visible of the charging bandits. Contrary to the dramatic nature of films, the horses were fast enough to close the distance without any sense of anticipation, and the sounds of screams, shattering bones, and clanging steel erupted from the direction of the carnage. ¡°Doesn¡¯t this sound get you all excited and tingly?¡± the Succubus drilled forward with her hand, trying to tear Theo¡¯s eyes from their sockets, ¡°I love it when humans spill blood!¡± ¡°Try it yourself sometime!¡± Theo roared, striking out with this [Steel-Edged Partizan]. [Inflict Pain] -23. Daze resisted! The Succubus let out a cry as the attack struck her in the abdomen. She flew back several feet, her body once again squirming in an erotic way.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement. ¡°Haa¡­ haa¡­ this feeling! It¡¯s been so long since Master last let me taste this bliss!¡± she moaned. ¡°So she wasn¡¯t just a sadist? Or is this the Shapeshifter¡¯s true nature? Maybe she would get along with that weirdo girl. Was Tony her name?¡± Theo couldn¡¯t help but let his thoughts wander. If only it was enough. With the regeneration speed of a level 40+ character, this kind of damage wouldn¡¯t be any threat to her at all. It would be hard for him to kill the Succubus even if she was bound and gagged. ¡°Wait, what am I saying? Is this woman¡¯s way of speaking starting to affect me?¡± Theo thought. The melee in the distance was still echoing in every direction as the fight between the level 13 adventurer and the opponent that vastly outclassed him dragged on. It became clear to the Shapeshifter that Theo wasn¡¯t a threat to her life at all, and her attacks increased in daring and frequency. No longer wishing to dodge his attacks, she flung herself and the murderous talons at him with suicidal confidence. Theo was completely unable to counterattack anymore, and his dodging was being pushed to the limit. Keeping up with this pace was starting to take a toll even on him, and he took another couple of hits from the Succubus. If it wasn¡¯t for his own bit of regeneration, Theo would have already died. ¡°It would be a real pain in the ass if I died here!¡± he thought, ¡°My respawn point is still set in Oasis.¡± Reflecting, Theo considered, ¡°This mission will be a failure, my level and adventurer rank will both drop without a doubt, and there are Old Man Snake Eyes and Castle to worry about.¡± As a player, it was possible to make enemies out of the NPCs, but impossible to truly die. The way the system handled this incongruity was to track a hidden value commonly referred to as the player¡¯s ¡®Heat.¡¯ The higher the Heat, the more drastic measures the NPC would take to hunt down the player. If the player was killed by the NPC or one of their subordinates, the Heat would drop to zero, but this didn¡¯t mean the grudge was gone. If it became known that the player was still alive, usually if they continued operating in an area near their antagonizer, the Heat value would start to rise. Eventually, the player¡¯s character would be targeted again, and the NPCs would say something clich¨¦ like ¡°So you were alive, after all¡­¡± It didn¡¯t matter how many times they killed you, they would always be shocked by your sudden revival! However, even more than losing all of his progress and hard work, Theo had another, more important, reason why he refused to die. ¡°Like hell I¡¯m going to die at the hands of this embarrassing, perverted Shapeshifter!¡± Theo actually shouted out loud, ¡°I¡¯m the God damned War God!¡± ¡°Wha-?¡± the Succubus, who was absorbed in her bloodlust, was shocked into stillness by the unusual declaration. ¡°NOW!¡± Theo roared. From out of the shadow of the nearby tent, a green light shot forth. It flew with exceptionally quick speed, but the Succubus made to dodge it all the same. However, another body tossed itself in front of her. It was Meatshield! The Succubus slammed into the shield with a dull thud and the green light wrapped around the woman, transforming into a binding ring that clung to her limbs. Gobthnora cast her [Bogwarp] spell with brilliant timing, and the sense of coordination she had built up with Meatshield allowed them to successfully debuff the Shapeshifter! Although the high level enemy could resist the effects to some degree, she didn¡¯t have any more Constitution than the massive [Desert Serpent Queen]. The unwelcome surprise knocked the Succubus off balance. ¡°Th-the other girl! She was also your slave!¡± the woman¡¯s eyes went wide, ¡°H-how!?¡± ¡°This is what you get for underestimating me!¡± Theo fumed. As a slave herself, the Shapeshifter naturally understood the limitations of the [Slave Master¡¯s Brand]. Knowing Theo had just become a Slave Master, she had incorrectly believed it was impossible for him to have acquired two slaves this soon. Whatever her opinion on the ¡®child¡¯ that had been traveling with them, she would have never believed it could have been a threat to her. ¡°Go!¡± the order shocked the Succubus out of her temporary stupor, but it was already too late. It was Meatshield¡¯s ultimate attack! She threw her slender arms around the Succubus and pinned her! Slave [Princess Anastasia Therasa Bolevolo XVII] has used unique ability [Blessing of the Stonekin]. Defense increases by 80; Movement Speed reduced to 25% for 120 seconds. ¡°Thi-this pest! Why are you so heavy!¡± although the Shapeshifter was strong, she wasn¡¯t a melee character. How else could Theo survive her direct hits to begin with? Under the effects of the [Bogwarp] spell and Meatshield¡¯s exceptional weight, she could no longer move at all. Even when she tried to shapeshift out of the grip, the ability itself didn¡¯t have enough explosive force to break apart the princess¡¯s desperate death grip. ¡°G-get off me! ACK!¡± as she cried out in distress, something struck her in the back. An eruption of flame rose into the air, kicking up wind and dust as the roaring conflagration enveloped the woman and her stony captor. It was Gobthnora¡¯s [Fireball]. No matter how high your level got, if a magic spell managed to hit you, you would take full damage! This was why mages of any level were so valuable in large scale PvP conflicts! Even a group of inexperienced spellcasters bombarding an area would be enough to take out several opponents. ¡°You may have the shape of a demon, but I¡¯m guessing you don¡¯t resist fire as well,¡± Theo¡¯s smile was enough to stir even the heart of the crazed shapeshifter. ¡°Y-you¡­ you can¡¯t. AAAH!¡± Another [Fireball] smashed into her exposed back, kicking up even more dust. Although Meatshield was also caught up in the blast, her defense and sky-high HP were more than enough to absorb the damage. The same couldn¡¯t be said for the Shapeshifter. ¡°Heeheehee¡­ I wonder how long you can endure this¡­¡± he teased with his signature laugh, ¡°because I assure you, my slaves can keep it up all night!¡± Theo¡¯s spear plunged into the woman¡¯s nape, activating the [Inflict Pain] skill as he twisted the blade with a seemingly sadistic glee. The face of the Succubus was rolling and cracking under the combined synergy of the [Fireball] and [Blessing of Stonekin]. Her expression was twisted, but Theo could still see the fear in her warped eyes. It didn¡¯t matter how much of a masochist she was, few beings could withstand the agony of being burned alive. You have delivered justice upon an truly Evil being! Alignment: Good +50... You have committed an act of blatant cruelty! Alignment: Evil +50¡­ Another [Fireball] erupted around the woman. ¡°D-damn you other Slave Master!¡± the Shapeshifter screeched, losing all of the charm it carried in its succubus form. ¡°You should have expected to die when you decided to work against me!¡± Theo stabbed the woman without any reservations, his alignment rocketing up and down like a rollar coaster. Despite the fact that her HP wasn¡¯t likely to drop below half, even if Theo had Gobthnora continue the bombardment for twice the entirety of the two minute time limit on Meatshield¡¯s skill, the Succubus had no way of knowing that. Theo had surprised her one time after another over the past few days, and she had subtly grown to believe he really was capable of everything he said. That unyielding aura of confidence had seeped into her bones. Once again, Theo had used the sophistication of the system¡¯s AI against itself. ¡°I hope they¡¯ve reserved you a comfortable bed in Hell,¡± Theo whispered delicately as he struck her again with his spear, doing his best to sync up the activation of [Inflict Pain] with his Goblin¡¯s [Fireball]. The Shapeshifter was caught between not only her programming and fear, but also the orders of her Slave Master, ¡°I-I can¡¯t fail my Master! I WILL kill you!¡± she cried. Fire erupted once again, scorching the ground a gruesome black color. The smell of burning flesh was considered an aspect of the gore system, so Theo was spared from the nauseating stench. Even still, he took a deep breath through his nostrils as if savoring the sadistic discourse and responded. ¡°Doesn¡¯t every Slave Master love it when they struggle?¡± he asked. When these words left Theo¡¯s mouth, something seemed to snap in the woman¡¯s mind. Terrifying, agonizing memories of months of soul and body-breaking torture flooded her head. The silhouette of the terrifying Old Man Snake Eyes seemed to overlap with the image of the Slave Master in front of her. Her heart was beating so fast it felt like it would burst, forcing silvery blood to seep from the wound near her neck. The flames licked her skin with such an unbearable heat that the her panicked sweat evaporated in an instant. ¡°No! NO! NO MORE! No! No! Please no more!¡± the tears in her eyes were boiling under the crackling fire, and she was pelted with another [Fireball]. ¡°Run.¡± The word was so quiet, so simple, so beautiful. She had no way of knowing if it came from the voice of the Slave Master or from her own shattered psyche. She had to run! Run away and finish this man off another day! If she didn¡¯t¡­ she would die! She would definitely die! As if a benevolent God was listening to her prayers, the grip of the girl around her waist seemed to slacken. Her malleable body twisted and slipped free from the grasp just as another sphere of fire crashed into the dirt. Several scalding rocks were launched in all directions like shrapnel that cut her face, but she didn¡¯t care. Massive, throbbing wings of flesh unfolded from her back as she ran, and her body lifted into the sky. Under the glow of the bonfire, the woman¡¯s form disappeared into the night sky like a frightened startled bird taking flight. The Shapeshifter didn¡¯t even dare look back. ¡°Well, she¡¯ll be back¡­ after all, ¡° Theo cast a sideways glance at Meatshield, who had stubbornly clung to the foe even after her skill had worn off, and the various burns on her pale white skin, ¡°A Slave Master¡¯s orders are absolute.¡± Grabbing his spear and turning to his other slave, ¡°Gobthnora, cast a [Lesser Regeneration] on her,¡± he ordered. ¡°But, but Master is also injured,¡± the Goblin protested, pointing out the claw marks on Theo¡¯s chest. ¡°You''re almost out of magic, right? This is nothing,¡± he laughed it off, taking a step towards the battle with the bandits, ¡°Go and hide out with the rest of the civilians. Your Master has to take care of a small matter, first.¡± The smell of blood and fire were still fresh on the night air. Chapter Twenty-Seven: Skullsplitter Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Twenty-Seven: Skullsplitter
Although the mercenaries were skilled and valiant, it didn¡¯t take long before the casualties began to pile up. They were outnumbered and the Black Mountain Clan were mounted bandits by trade. They were vicious warriors and extremely skilled at engaging these types of guards. If it hadn¡¯t been for the sordid affair with Old Man Snake Eyes, Theo probably would have traveled to Black Mountain and cleared them out eventually. Killing human warriors gave less experience than monsters, but there were always more of them around. You have slain an Evil NPC! Alignment: Good +20¡­ You have slain an Evil NPC! Alignment: Good +20¡­ After the loss of their leader, Captain Quinn, the Splitskulls were outmatched by their opponents and understandably demoralized. More than anything, they were fighting just to protect their lives at this point, and it hampered their ability to cause any serious damage. Without help to turn the odds in their favor, it was inevitable they would lose if things continued as they were. This all changed when Theo entered the fray. The battlefield was where he shined most, especially when the opponents weren¡¯t able to properly focus on him as he weaved in and out of the melee with a spear flashing in all directions. The whirlwind of grim steel was like a breath of new life in the mercenaries¡¯ lungs. Rallying behind the the adventurer¡¯s sudden appearance, the bandits were quickly pushed back. Since it wasn¡¯t easy to recruit reliable new men into their fold, the Black Mountain Clan didn¡¯t hang around once they lost their momentum, and quickly retreated. In total, they had lost only thirty men, and a third of those kills went to Theo alone. The mercs were less fortunate, with only two dozen or so left standing after all was said and done. Lozan was covered in cuts and bruises, but remained alive all the same. He didn¡¯t have a good opinion of Theo, but wasn¡¯t ungrateful either. While the Scalekin weren¡¯t official members of the Beastman Clan, and thus far removed from their usual customs, they still knew how to respect a proper warrior. ¡°We actually survived,¡± he huffed, ¡°You managed to kill the assassin?¡± Theo could only shake his head, more in disappointment over the lost experience than the failed revenge. An enemy of that calibre would probably be enough to get him an entire level, though most of that would have gone to Gobthnora for doing all of the damage. As it was, the system just didn¡¯t allow for it. If not for the fact that the woman was so mentally fragile, he would have been dead once Meatshield¡¯s skill ended. He would have died long before that if she wasn¡¯t equipped with Tom¡¯s sub-par level 10 Runes. ¡°She got away,¡± he said with a pained expression, ¡°but I doubt it¡¯s the last we¡¯ll see of her, or the Black Mountain Clan.¡± Lozan cursed in the language of the beasts, letting out a raspy hiss in the process, ¡°Damn it all! I can¡¯t believe we let a traitor into our ranks!¡± Theo had dealt enough psychological damage for one evening, and didn¡¯t rub in the beastman¡¯s failure, ¡°Don¡¯t beat yourself up,¡± he comforted the Scalekin, ¡°Shapeshifters are masters of infiltration, and Tom was most likely replaced just before we left.¡± Lozan turned to look at Theo with disbelief as the rest of mercenaries got to work sorting through the carnage of the aftermath, ¡°A Shapeshifter? Such things truly exist? But what was their goal?¡± Of course Theo wasn¡¯t going to tell the mercenary that he was the cause of all of this. The Shapeshifter was after his head on orders from Old Man Snake Eyes, and the bandits were just an inevitability of the quest. Some manipulation might have taken place to properly align the assassination with the attack, but the imposter Tom¡¯s ultimate goal was to get the Splitskulls to do his dirty work for him and kill Theo. ¡°The Shapeshifter seemed to be working for the bandits, though I have no idea how they managed to get one on their side. By killing Quinn and turning you against me, they hoped to break our two sharpest blades before the battle even began,¡± Theo came up with a convenient lie to explain the situation. Lozan spat on the ground, ¡°Those filthy cowards! And to think we played right into their hands. If you hadn¡¯t caught onto it beforehand¡­¡± ¡°Don¡¯t thank me,¡± Theo denied the credit with a distressed humility, ¡°This all could have been avoided if I had been more decisive.¡± The atmosphere was heavy when the dust finally settled. Roland was aghast at the number of casualties, though it could have been more for the fee he would have to pay out to every deceased mercenary¡¯s family. Theo had a fairly high opinion of the man, but a merchant would always be a merchant. Very few of them could be considered truly good people. ¡°We need to gather the caravan and move,¡± Theo told him, ¡°If we hurry and avoid the road, we can reach Aleside late tomorrow, but it¡¯s better than suffering another attack.¡± ¡°That¡­¡± Roland was clearly worried about the risks of rushing their journey, but he couldn¡¯t afford to lose his cargo or the whole mission would be forfeit. He would be ruined. ¡°I will inform the others,¡± the merchant leader eventually relented. ¡°I will take up the vanguard and clear away any monsters in our path,¡± Theo reassured him, ¡°You only need to worry about keeping everyone together. Lozan!¡± The Scalekin jumped, not expecting Theo to call on him, ¡°W-what is it?¡± ¡°Take the rest of the men and bring up the rear, do everything you can to keep the people moving. We can¡¯t afford to rest now,¡± Theo stopped, as if considering something, ¡°How many scouts are left?¡± Lozan thought to protest Theo¡¯s sudden bossiness, but couldn¡¯t refute his authority. Theo was the strongest fighter left, and everyone there, including himself, was relying on the adventurer¡¯s aid. It wouldn¡¯t pay to offend him now, so he reluctantly gave up the right of command. ¡°Three,¡± he said with a newfound resolve. Theo nodded, it was half of the original number, ¡°Round up any uninjured horses from the bandits, we¡¯ll need the extras. Give one to a scout and have him ride ahead of us to warn Aleside of our arrival.¡± Lozan nodded and did as he was told. If only to keep up appearances, Theo visited the location of the terrified civilians and merchant families to check on his ¡®charges.¡¯ The two had little trouble blending in with the others, and Meatshield was resting there with the same ever present blank look on her face. Under the effects of [Lesser Regeneration] and her scary vitality, if not for her clothing, no one would be able to tell she was even injured. The cloak had been completely burned up in the battle, and her clothes were in absolute tatters, showing off large portions of her pristine skin. ¡°Don¡¯t know why I was worried,¡± Theo lamented his fleeting distress. ¡°Mr. Theo, are we safe?¡± one of the women, who Theo had been introduced to as Roland¡¯s wife Lydia, spoke up for the group. It seemed like she had served as the moral backbone of this group during the crisis, and everyone consciously gave her room to talk. ¡°For now,¡± Theo said with a nod, ¡°but we¡¯re not out of trouble yet. Roland is getting us ready for a forced march to Aleside. It¡¯s going to be hard on you all, but I implore you to put up with it for the sake of your own lives.¡±This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there. Even with his NPC management experience, compassion didn¡¯t really suit his character. All he could do was force everyone to keep moving with the harsh reality of the situation. Lydia had a briefly pained look for a moment, but quickly recovered her spirits and turned to the rest of the noncombatants. She was a strong woman and a good wife. With her help, Theo wouldn¡¯t have to worry about the morale, it appeared. As he turned around to see to the preparations, the merchant¡¯s wife called to him again, ¡°Mr. Theo, the girl Rasa, she seems to have suffered some injuries in the chaos.¡± Theo looked at the unaffected Meatshield and wondered what part of her looked injured, ¡°I gave the silly girl a weapon, and she wanted to put it to use. You should all thank her for the sacrifice.¡± Several of the civilians turned to Meatshield with looks of gratitude; although, a few of the men found it hard to establish eye contact with either her or Theo. They seemed be nursing their own shame at the mention of a young girl finding the courage to fight when they hadn¡¯t dared to risk their own lives. ¡°We¡¯ll make sure she¡¯s taken care of,¡± Lydia said with a grateful bow. Theo nodded. It would be good if they could find some free clothing for the girl too. Her old clothes wouldn¡¯t hold up for much longer. Having slaves really was more work than he had expected. ¡°Leave the younger girl, Nora, alone though. She¡¯s not ready to interact with people just yet, and all of the fire has her on edge,¡± Theo warned the woman with a stern glance. Although she was a bit startled at first, Lydia nodded. Taking into account the amount of manpower they had lost, the frightened caravaneers still managed to get the carts into traveling condition in half the usual time. It was a relief that Roland and Lydia were charismatic enough to keep the people on task. The greatest enemy at this point wasn¡¯t danger, but anxiety. Since Theo didn¡¯t have the [Ride] skill yet, he would be thrown off any horse he tried to mount. He was forced to run ahead and forge a new path with the help of the scouts. Since they couldn¡¯t afford to take the safe, slow road any more, Theo had to pull the aggression of any monster they passed. It was a grueling task that would be impossible for any regular player, and even Theo was feeling the mental, if not physical, toll of fighting all night, dealing with the Shapeshifter, and repelling the bandits. He pushed his tired mind to the brink while he carved a bloody trail through the craggy wilderness. Water grew scarce, the horses slowed, and tension mounted. The wilds weren¡¯t caring, and people often tripped over the dangerous terrain. Small injuries and stress began to build in the travelers and one of the carts snapped an axle. Without the time to repair it, they were forced to abandon whatever wasn¡¯t of value. A fight almost broke out at that point, but Lozan kept to his word and interceded on behalf of Roland. When the rule of martial law made itself clear, the conflict was quickly extinguished. Theo was covered in wounds almost constantly, having to rush down every pack of enemies and dispatch them as quickly as possible. Not even he could avoid so many attacks coming from all directions and still clear the road in a timely manner. It was good for his [Conditioning] and [Meditation] skills, but after about six hours of constant battle, his [Steel-Edged Partizan] finally gave out. The durability was never good to begin with, and it had taken quite a bit of damage over the past few days. ¡°Adventurer, although I may never forgive you for the death of the Captain, by all accounts I also owe you my life,¡± shockingly, it was Lozan out of all the mercenaries who stepped forward to commend his efforts, ¡°This is the finest gear we Splitskulls have, and it will be best served in your hands. Take it, and consider us even.¡± He was by all appearances outwardly grateful, but Theo scoffed internally, ¡°One weapon is worth all of your lives? You stingy bastards!¡± He had to take the words back, however, when he saw the statistics on the jagged, brutal-looking polearm. [Skullsplitter] - A heavy Poleaxe that once belonged to the chief of the Skullsplitter Orcs. After growing sick of the confusion between the two groups, a conflict arose between the Orc clan and the Splitskull mercenaries. True to its name, this weapon almost split the mercenary captain¡¯s skull when the chief was slain in single combat. It then became a symbol of Splitskull pride. What it lacks in flexibility, it makes up for with raw damage and durability. Quality: Lesser; Durability 140/140 Damage: 33~76 Theo was a bit surprised when he saw the weapon¡¯s description, ¡°So that was the story behind Quinn¡¯s scar¡­ what a ridiculous reason¡­¡± All the same... Good weapon! This was like gaining an extra 30 points of Strength! Theo¡¯s weapon of choice as the War God was the Heroic-tier glaive, [Autumn¡¯s Reach], which was crafted especially for him by the greatest NPC craftsman in the game, the Dwarven King Dejas Rhyson IV. It was one of the strongest weapons in the game, and the second heaviest in terms of weight, only losing out to another top-tier player¡¯s [Black Meteor Fullblade]. Although [Skullsplitter] couldn¡¯t compare to either of those weapons, it was safe to say Theo welcomed the familiarity of the increased weight. Until now it felt like he was wielding a pointy toothpick. He swung the ferocious axehead around expectantly, startling even the large-bodied Lozan with his brute strength. At least for a little while, it seemed like Theo¡¯s damage concerns had been taken care of. With the new equipment, the monsters that stood in his way fell one after the other. The elation of the fresh loot was enough to restore Theo¡¯s spirit and rejuvenate his mind. Any ill feelings he had towards the Splitskulls were gone, and he had even forgotten the embarrassment he almost suffered at the hands of the Shapeshifter. This was the power of a gamer¡¯s obsession! Stars were twinkling overhead, but the beautiful view did little to soothe the members of the caravan. Without the ability to see the horizon, and with no road to follow, it was impossible to tell how far or close they were to their goal. It was this uncertainty that fueled their anxiety and caused them travel in a terrified silence. Every foreign sound from skittering vermin or falling rocks seemed to transform into a potential bandit ambush to the ears of the weary travelers. The only relief was the smell of salt in the air, indicating they were growing closer to the shore. ¡°We made it!¡± a parched throat shouted heartily. It was one of the scouts, a lithe half-elf half-human named Craig, who was usually given the night shift thanks to his Elven-improved night vision. Although half-elves couldn¡¯t see as well in the darkness as full-blooded elves, or their cousins the dark-elves who had perfect darkvision, the starlight overhead was more than enough for him to work with. Though everyone heard the good news, not one of them was feeling at-ease enough to convey their excitement. The group remained eerily quiet, but everyone took a collective sigh of relief as the information was fed down the train of carts. Even Theo, who had delighted in monster slaying after receiving his new armament, was glad to hear it. He desperately needed to take care of his needs in the real world and get some actual rest. After crossing the sloping terrain for a short while longer, the glowing lights of Aleside were finally visible in the distance. As a port city near Oasis, trade was understandably the staple of commerce, though it was far from the largest port under the control of the Merchant Prince. Aleside was a smaller city of ill-repute, known as a haven for smugglers and other unsavory kinds of merchants. Of course, anyone seeking to keep a low profile could find what they needed here, and Theo didn¡¯t bother questioning what kind of goods brought Roland and his family here instead of one of the larger ports. The caravan made their way into the city, and the forward scout had made sure to ready aid for them upon his earlier arrival. The guards allowed the merchants and mercenaries inside even at the late hour, quickly shutting the gates with a loud clang. The walls of Aleside were paltry in comparison to Oasis, but civilization was impossible in this world without at least some defenses. Monsters were just that persistence of a problem for all the denizens of Orpheum. Several medics for hire and those selling food and provisions were standing around idly, as if someone had tipped them off that willing customers would be arriving soon. This was typical of places like Aleside, where the government was loose at best and coin ruled everything. Roland and his ilk would do the same thing if they were in the other shoe, after all! It wasn¡¯t as if they were high priority travelers, and it was already enough that they hadn¡¯t been forced to wait outside the walls until morning. ¡°Mr. Theo, it was a harrowing journey, but we made it. I owe you my everything¡­¡± Roland didn¡¯t hesitate to improve his relationship with the talented adventure. Merchant Roland is truly grateful for your assistance! Merchant Roland¡¯s affinity for Slave Master Theo increases greatly! Theo wasn¡¯t one to turn aside goodwill, and humbly accepted the thanks, ¡°I was just doing my job, no¡­ I brought more troubles on you from the beginning. Thank you for looking after me.¡± The conversation concluded shortly after that, and Theo accepted the small windfall of coin that was customary for this kind of mission. His completion rating had long since reached the maximum after single-handedly guiding the caravan for the day, so he received the maximum possible reward for his efforts. It was no small sum of money at this early point in the game, if you left out the big spenders at the currency exchange. Lozan also gave him a brief thanks, but their relationship was considered over as soon as Theo took the [Skullsplitter]. The new captain of the Splitskull Mercenaries would have a long road ahead of him trying to rebuild the group¡¯s military might. ¡°Alright you two,¡± Theo called to his slaves, ¡°You¡¯ve earned a night of rest just this once, but we have a lot of work starting tomorrow.¡± Even though he had arrived safely, Theo wasn¡¯t far enough away from Old Man Snake Eyes to sleep soundly. Every second he stayed would be more time for his pursuers to gather their strength. His first priority was to procure a ship and flee the territoriesaround Oasis, but to do that would be no easy task. Something else camebefore all that¡­ his bladder felt like it was about to explode! Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Bloody Auction Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Twenty-Eight: The Bloody Auction
With the money he earned from the quest reward, Theo was able to afford a room in an inn for the slaves to rest in. It wouldn¡¯t be wise to leave them wandering the streets at night in a city like Aleside. Since he was an adventurer, the guards by the main gate would let him in and out of the city at any hour, but he had no desire to make camp outside the walls when the Shapeshifter could still be prowling around. Although players didn¡¯t need to rest, there were several benefits to logging out in an Inn or other resting place. There was a [Well Rested] buff that would last for a while depending on how long you stayed logged out, as well as a slight increase in the amount of experience you earned from killing monsters. The nicer the inn, the better the buff, but the more you would have to pay. Since he had picked the most basic, cheapest room in the city, Theo wasn¡¯t expecting much. Meatshield didn¡¯t show any preference for staying inside as opposed to camping, and Gobthnora¡¯s skin seemed to crawl at the idea of sleeping in a bed previously used by humans. Either way, at least they wouldn¡¯t get into trouble this way. Thankfully, the pair had plenty of food left, and he wouldn¡¯t have to pay for any extra meals. ¡°I¡¯m going to rest now,¡± he told them, taking a seat in rickety wooden chair in the corner and logging out. When Rick removed the Lucid Lock helmet, the first thing he noticed was the incredible stiffness in his joints. How many consecutive hours had he been logged into the game? He stretched briefly before taking care of his hygienic needs. The apartment was as still as ever, with a hint of light peeking out of the cracked bathroom door. It was a sobering feeling to return to this place after such an exciting series of events. Despite the lack of air conditioning, there was persistent chill in the air, and the occasional bump would sound from one of the other rooms in the complex. Rick ignored them. He was sitting on the futon with his eyes barely closed, falling into a state of light sleep. After years of practice, it wasn¡¯t difficult to take short naps this way and wake up whenever he needed. This was a vital skill to have during siege events, Field Boss fights, and arduous competitions. Some rest would always be required when these things dragged on, and it was impossible to log out for more than an hour or so. Contrary to feeling refreshed after his brief sleep, Rick was groggier than ever. He remedied this feeling with a cup of coffee and engaged his usual activity of strolling through the forums. In the end, he almost spit his coffee all over the screen. Slave Master Theo Strikes Again! The Bloody Auction takes hold of Oasis! ¡°Why does this keep happening to me?¡± Rick looked over the new top thread with a strained expression. The Bloody Auction wasn¡¯t an event planned by the developers, but one instigated by a specific player. Over a dozen valuable pieces of equipment entered the market all in the course of an afternoon, and all of them were posted by the top-level player, Theo. With the sudden acquisition of funds by rich players, the addition of gear to purchase was like throwing chum in shark infested waters. Even those who weren¡¯t around to bid on the gear sent representatives to do it for them! What kind of crazy bastards went nuts over low-level boss gear? In short, Guilds. Just because it wasn¡¯t possible to establish a Guild until you reached a certain level and had a degree of reputation, there were all kinds of unofficial player alliances that met both in and outside of the game. Although the gear wasn¡¯t that spectacular in the long run, the competition between these groups was fierce, even more so in a difficult game like Dream World Online. More than anything, it seemed they wanted to avoid letting the other Guilds take any kind of advantage away from them. After a day of heated bidding on the various items and equipment, the Guilds finally showed up and threatened to take control of the auction by force. The end result was that several large scale battles exploded in the areas around Oasis. Recruitment efforts ramped up, and the degree of the conflict continued to rise as the final day approached. The perpetrator of this bloodbath, Player Theo, was nowhere to be found! It seemed many people had the idea to have him take down the auctions and privately sell the equipment, but the Slave Master seemed intent to let the fighting continue! Some purposed he might have simply logged out, but the rise in his levels made it apparent that he was still very active in the game. The consensus from the playerbase was clear, Theo had planned the entire ordeal to stir things up! Despite the fact that this kind of sentiment was nothing but wild speculation, the community ate it up. Theories about the mysterious top player were running wild with claims ranging from, he was hired by Emerald Axis to shake things up, all the way to him being an anti-Guild anarchist! His ominous sounding class didn¡¯t help in this regard, and there was only one word to properly describe his new status. Infamous! Rick had heard the early Auction House battles were fierce, but he hadn¡¯t been around back then to actually witness any of it. He should have known that dropping such big bait would attract the biggest predators. All of this could have been avoided if he had just parceled out the auctions over the course of a week, but that damn Old Man Snake Eyes had forced him to rush and then flee the city. A huge mess had fallen right into his lap! ¡°You just wait, you withered old sack of skin and bones. I¡¯ll make sure to pay you back for this!¡± Rick shamelessly shifted all of the blame onto the NPC he had antagonized in the first place, ¡°as for these guys¡­¡± The thought of logging in and leaving an explanation and apology for the misunderstanding crossed Rick¡¯s mind. He actually got about halfway through a lengthy post before he realized that it went against his new place in life. That¡¯s right, he had six years of advanced knowledge and more skill than anyone in the world! He was going to be the best, and wouldn¡¯t be able to avoid the backlash that came from success. ¡°Might as well make things clear!¡± he resolved. Theo (OP): Fighting over my scraps? Desperate people are always so unsightly. Maybe I¡¯ll put something worthwhile up for sale next time, I only hope you can treat me to a better show. He posted it with his official account and immediately logged off the forum. If they actually bought the fact that it was him, it would no doubt rile up the players even further. It was essentially the same as kicking over a beehive, but there was no harm in speeding up the process when it was inevitable in the first place. A top-level player who stayed completely unaligned would always have a target painted on his back. ¡°Hmm¡­ it¡¯s almost four. I should call the nerd to let him know I finished early,¡± Rick checked his clock. To no real surprise, Bai didn¡¯t pick up. The guy didn¡¯t seem fond of using the phone to communicate, and preferred to talk in person if at all possible. Of course it was also past three in the morning, and you¡¯d have to be a serious night owl to be up for a conversation at this hour. Although Rick was fairly sure Bai was awake, there didn¡¯t seem to be any way to get a hold of him. Rick considered skipping out on the early gym trip due to to his exhaustion, but eventually decided it would be better to go. Rick was panting and out of breath after his morning jog to the gym. The familiar store front greeted him with its usual shining windows, but at some point in the last few hours there must have been a storm of some sort. The ground outside was still damp and a few puddles had collected in the cracked streets. The neon sign on the front of the gym had one letter out and another was flickering. Rick cracked a smile as he sucked in the cold wet air.The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Rick?¡± a familiar voice called out to him from a few feet away. Bai was standing there dressed in his usual baggy sweats, with a hoodie pulled up over his head. His face was a little red from the cold air, especially his small now-rosy nose, but his breathing didn¡¯t seem labored at all. Bai really was in good shape, and Rick thought he looked a little Rocky-esque in his training ensemble. ¡°Oh! It¡¯s Bai...¡± Rick¡¯s greeting was as blunt as ever. The man smiled and waved as he walked closer, ¡°You were on a quest? Did you not slack, then?¡± Bai asked cheerfully. Rick waved back, ¡°Finished early, and it just happened to be the right time,¡± he said. There was an elated, if smug look on the young man¡¯s face, and he proudly stated, ¡°Just on time! Was going to begin Rick¡¯s training when you got back.¡± ¡°Great¡­ just what I needed¡­¡± Rick bemoaned inwardly. The pair entered the gym, and Bai took down his hood. Rick couldn¡¯t help but look at his companion a little oddly when he noticed the short ponytail he was wearing. Bai¡¯s hair was shoulder-length when Rick had first met him, but it grew quickly. Still, there was something a little off about the style that Rick couldn¡¯t quite place. He might have thought on it further if the man hadn¡¯t promptly dragged him off. ¡°Hahaha! You said that? Is a very Rick thing to do!¡± Bai chortled when Rick told him about the events on the forum. It was hard to keep his guard up around Bai, and Rick enjoyed having someone with a bit of skill to share his experiences in the game with. Almost all of their conversations were about things which took place in Dream World Online. Because he had school and work on his schedule, Bai had less time to play than Rick, and had just recently reached level 9. It was time for him to start worrying about what class he would pick. Bai didn¡¯t keep up with the events on the forums, and he adamantly denounced the kinds of people who spent time gossiping instead of improving themselves. He wasn¡¯t shocked in the slightest when Rick informed him that he was the infamous, highest level player in the game, though he left out the parts about being a Slave Master. Bai seemed to take the news as a given, even going so far as to claim it was only natural. He wouldn¡¯t accept anyone other than the best as his ¡®brother.¡¯ ¡°If you¡¯re going to pick a class, I have a tip for you,¡± Rick said, stretching out his tired muscles after experiencing Bai¡¯s hellish training, ¡°White Wall has a hidden class called the Martial Artist.¡± The Martial Artist was an interesting class, and it was strong if you knew how to use it. In Rick¡¯s past life, one of the top players in the game had this class, and they had fought in international tournaments on more than one occasion. That old guy had apparently been a famous Martial Artist and instructor in the real world, and took full advantage of his skills in the game. Even in his prime, the War God had to acknowledge the Asura as a worthy rival. If he hadn¡¯t been playing just to show off his skills and promote his school, he could have been as famous as Theo. Unlike the Warrior, which focused heavily on Strength and high-damage weapon skills, the Martial Artist got bonuses from most of the attributes and prioritized massive combo chains. They were a little weaker in head to head combat, but learned how to channel MP into their basic attacks and had good survivability thanks to their high Agility and evasion. If the class had a single flaw, it was that it was very difficult to use, and required a high technical ability. They were also a little worse at fighting big monsters and the like, but would shine in combat against other humanoids. Bai¡¯s interest was immediately piqued. Unfortunately, the class was very unpopular for one specific reason. The requirments to get it were just too difficult! Unlike the Slave Master, which needed a convoluted and lucky exchange with the devious and manipulative Old Man Snake Eyes, the Martial Artist class trainer was easy to locate. Master Fan had a dojo in White Wall that accepted all students, but only by completing the crazy old master¡¯s absurd training and proving your skill in repeated fights, would he be willing to hand over the secrets of the class. Millions of players wanted to become a Martial Artist at first, but only a tiny portion of them were willing to put up with the dojo¡¯s brutal and time-consuming teaching methods. Rick didn¡¯t think Bai was going to fail in getting this class, since he was already a trained fighter with his own harsh training regimen, but he delighted at the idea of the suffering the man would have to go through in the near future. He gleefully passed over the location of Master Fan to the unsuspecting nerd before they finished up for the morning. ¡°Ah, Rick! I will have something to talk about tomorrow. Don¡¯t be late!¡± Bai added cryptically as they left the gym. While Rick had to jog to the discount-priced gym out of necessity, it seemed that Bai lived just around the corner from this place. The run he took every morning was something he did for his own benefit, and he circled the neighborhood numerous times in the process. Rick found it amazing that Bai always had the energy to work out after something like that. Rick returned to his apartment, shedding his sweat-stained clothing and taking a quick shower. When he was finished, he was still tired and sore but admittedly refreshed. It was a gratifying feeling when he took a look at himself in the mirror and discovered the faint outline of muscle on his skinny body. He¡¯d been a regular at the gym for nearly three weeks now, so it wasn¡¯t strange to see a little bit of progress, not that he ever planned to escape the confines of his slim figure. Bai was also pretty slender, so Rick didn¡¯t think the extra training would result in the development of any unnecessary mass. ¡°First things first,¡± Rick worked up his enthusiasm, ¡°Let¡¯s check out the bank once it opens. If this Bloody Auction thing lives up to its name, I¡¯m sure to have made a hefty sum. Maybe even as much as a hundred gold?¡± Currency in Dream World Online was divided into the standard Copper, Silver, and Gold coins. Ten copper coins was equal to one silver coin, and ten silver was worth one gold. At this early time in the game, the exchange rate for one gold coin should be around $2.50. This number would fall as the economy gradually inflated, but right now it was enough if he could pay his rent. After grinding for another week around the player-barren Aleside, he should be able to make it. For reference, the amount he got from completing the D-rank escort mission was 5 gold coins, enough to afford the 1 silver inn fee fifty times! Just the thought of making $250 in the first month of the game was already enough to get Rick¡¯s blood pumping, and he sprawled out on the futon and logged into the game without any further delay. The sun was just beginning to rise over Aleside, and rays of soft orange light trickled in through the dust covered slats of the inn¡¯s wooden windows. Theo scanned the room and quickly located his two slaves. Gobthnora was sprawled out on the floor, snoring with a high-pitched squeal. Meatshield was seated on the end of the bed, staring at the spot where he had logged in from with those big, grey and white-flecked eyes. She wasn¡¯t blinking. It was a bit unnerving when she did that, but he had gotten used to it¡­ a little. She was wearing the clothes that had been given to her by the kindly merchant¡¯s wife, Lydia. It was a simple outfit made for simple people, with a white blouse and brown plaid skirt that reached the girl¡¯s knees. Her shoes were on the floor, and plain stockings covered her lightly rocking legs. One of Meatshield¡¯s odd personality quirks was that she didn¡¯t enjoy wearing shoes. Whether this was programmed into her from the beginning, or was something she had picked up by going barefoot for so long, Theo wasn¡¯t able to tell. ¡°Wake her up,¡± he said shortly, gesturing towards the sleeping Goblin, ¡°Then get ready to go hunting for the day, I have a few errands to attend to first.¡± Meatshield nodded, but when Theo walked towards the door, she quickly followed after. As usual, she didn¡¯t want to be very far from him. ¡°I meant now!¡± he snapped. ¡°Soon... I can figure this girl out as soon as we¡¯re out of harm¡¯s way,¡± Theo comforted himself. In truth, he didn¡¯t know what he would have done if he had to deal with Meatshield¡¯s personality and she wasn¡¯t an asset in combat. He was worried that releasing a slave might damage the rate at which his [Slave Master¡¯s Brand] leveled up, and that wasn¡¯t something he was willing to do right now. After a quick hello with the innkeeper at the front desk, Theo went ahead and paid for another night. He didn¡¯t know if NPCs or slaves got the bonus experience from being well rested, but it was worth a shot to try, since they had to stay somewhere at night and he had more than enough money to afford this place. Despite the low price it wasn¡¯t too shabby, though far from what he had been used to as a God-tier player with his own custom-made Guild home. The bank didn¡¯t open until roughly 7:00am, so Theo took the time to acquaint himself with the layout of the city. There was a chance the Shapeshifter had already infiltrated Aleside, and it would pay to have an escape route mapped out. She wouldn¡¯t be so stupid as to engage him in a fair fight without proper equipment again. In the meantime, he could check to make sure nobody was following him. Theo also took the opportunity to bind his respawn location to this city, just in case. He did so at the statue of Aleside¡¯s founder near the town hall. Most every settlement in the game had a landmark like this for just such a purpose. In Oasis, it had been the Eternal Fountain in the market square. ¡°I¡¯d like to make a transfer and a withdrawal, please,¡± Theo said when the bank finally unlocked its door and he was sure the coast was clear. The bank teller was a tired looking man with dusky brown hair and sunken eyes, who responded to Theo¡¯s request with a plodding dialogue. It was quite different from the adorable counter girls who staffed the Oasis branch, but that was just how it was out here in the boonies. ¡°Your current balance, sir,¡± the man said slowly. Theo¡¯s heart almost leapt out of his mouth when finally saw the number listed in the corner of the bank window. ¡°This¡­ is real?¡± he could hardly form the words. Copper: 8 Silver: 4 Gold: 597 Chapter Twenty-Nine: Changing Priorities Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Twenty-Nine: Changing Priorities
Theo pointedly ignored the prompting look from the the bank teller as he inspected the sum of money earned from the auctions. This was even after the fees had been taken out by the Auction House for the items that failed to sell! Everything except an incomplete stack of [Lesser Air Essence] and a few of his more long-shot crafting items were bought up by the end of the auction for an absurd amount. He would need to stop by an Auction House office the next time they were in a city with a Merchant Guild branch and pick up the official receipt showing the final bid for each of the items. ¡°Wait,¡± Theo considered, when had he started thinking in terms of they? In a moment, all of Theo¡¯s plans were thrown out the window. He felt as if he was standing in a whole new world. This amount of money wasn¡¯t just enough to set him up for the next couple of months, but it would also afford the purchase of any creature comforts required for his character or slaves in the meantime. By the time this windfall escaped him, he should have acquired enough gear to start another Bloody Auction. He had known that staying ahead of the crowd would be profitable, but he never expected this. It was understandable, when Theo entered the game previously, many of the major powers had already been established, and these positions failed to change much over the course of the game. Items like the ones he posted were already flooding the market, and the base price on them had dropped considerably. Perhaps Theo could have predicted this kind of response if he had an in depth knowledge of the economic habits of Dream World Online, but statistics had never been his strong suit. ¡°If I was always the first to put out the new high-end gear¡­ would this trend continue?¡± Theo couldn¡¯t help but think. A monopoly like this¡­ it couldn¡¯t be sustainable right? It would be dangerous to think that way. Eventually, even the big Guilds wouldn¡¯t be willing to spend that much money just to stay one step ahead of their competitors, would they? When Alabaster Alliance had been founded, Adrian had always taken care of selling the loot Theo collected and raising funds from Guild activities. What were the real profits from all of those transactions? Had he been scammed by his Vice-Guild Leader for much longer than he thought? Ignorance and hindsight was a nasty tasting cocktail. Theo had to stop and calm his mind for a bit before adjusting his plans accordingly. A world of freedom opened up in front of him, and frankly, it scared him a bit. To say that these revelations changed everything would be an understatement. ¡°Like this¡­ 50 gold should be enough for any expenses I have in the near future¡­ the rest of it I can go ahead and sell.¡± Cash would only become more valuable the longer the game existed! Theo didn¡¯t have to think twice about what was the proper decision. He removed 550 gold from the bank and immediately put it through the currency exchange. This was essentially the same as selling the gold back to the developers, and the feature could be accessed through a convenient service right there at the bank. He immediately received a receipt of the transaction, and the money would be deposited into his real world bank account after pending for a day or so in limbo. $1331.33 That was more than he made in a month of working at the minimart. Theo¡¯s next task was to visit the Post Office. Compared to his new fortune, the cost required to send a completion notice to the Adventuring Guild was completely negligible. Although he had already received the monetary reward from completing the escort, Theo needed to official contact the Guild branch in Oasis if he wanted to properly receive the Achievement Points earned. He didn¡¯t want a repeat of the Goblin¡¯s Subjugation incident. ¡°I should be able to hire a ferry to the next location with this much,¡± Theo said, feeling like a newly minted man. He tried not to let the sudden success rush to his head. This was all earned from his hard effort and lucky timing. Theo wouldn¡¯t necessarily be able to replicate this event in the future, no matter how hard he tried. The conclusion he eventually arrived at was that he needed to stay calm and keep to his original plan. A few things could change, but that didn¡¯t mean everything had to be thrown out. His slaves would still need to level up if they were going to escape the reach of Old Man Snake Eyes. Although he no longer needed to raise funds around Aleside to afford their passage, Meatshield and Gobthnora wouldn¡¯t be able to fight stronger monsters without the proper skills. The key to everything was to continue grinding like a madman! Theo collected ¡®the girls¡¯ and brought them to the Town Hall. He needed to first speak with the local Monster Subjugation Officer. The elderly man with neat hair and a fine suit gave the ragtag group a few skeptical looks, but didn¡¯t dare to refuse the aid of a D-rank adventurer. These officers were dispatched by the major governments of the world to issue rewards for killing monsters in the interest of public safety. Since no other players had yet to venture this far, Aleside was considered to be at serious risk in this regard. As opposed to other quests, which gave out decent runes and weapons, these infinitely repeatable subjugation missions only rewarded the player with a bit of petty cash and some reputation in the city. The reputation was the most important thing right now, as it would make chartering a vessel that much easier. When the trio arrived outside the walls, Theo briefed the slaves on the changes they needed to make to their monster hunting tactics. At first he hadn¡¯t allowed them to engage in this kind of behaviour because he felt it would ultimately prove detrimental to their skill growth. With the shadow of the Shapeshifter ever lingering, however, speed was of the utmost essence, and he couldn¡¯t deny the efficiency of such a time-tested strategy. Theo would put his dodging skills to use and round up a group of monsters, bringing them back to Meatshield who would absorb the damage. Gobthnora would bombard the bunched up targets from afar with her [Fireball] spell. This allowed the group to dispatch multiple enemies at once, as opposed to taking them out individually, effectively tripling or even quadrupling their gains. To no surprise, the plan was met with resounding approval from the two women. Well, Meatshield didn¡¯t seem to have any opinion on the matter, but Gobthnora was all for watching the other slave take a beating while she burned everything to cinders. Just like that, Theo and his slaves began to clear out every nest of monsters they came across. Although poor Meatshield was ruthlessly attacked, under the effects of [Lesser Regeneration] she would be back to full HP by the time she finished harvesting all of the bodies. In the interim, Theo would be out gathering up more unsuspecting victims. It took some time for Gobthnora and the princess to get used to the new rhythm, but they had always shown a genuine talent for this kind of work. After only a single afternoon, Aleside¡¯s western field had been transformed into a barren, scorch-marked wasteland. The only thing that slowed down the slaughter was the need to check back with the Monster Subjugation officer every time the group filled their quota. At first the man seemed to think they were returning with their tails between their legs, but he quickly changed his tune when he saw their results. By the fourth time Theo finished the mission, the dapper old man was already referring to him as ¡°Master Adventurer¡± and welcomed the trio with a hearty smile. No doubt, the officer was profiting more from Theo¡¯s work than anyone else.Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Of course, the monsters would soon respawn and the process would begin anew. As opposed to Bosses, which respawned on a timer, Dream World Online¡¯s basic monsters had a dynamic spawning system. Each territory in the game had an invisible meter that tracked player activity. The more players in a territory and the more they hunted, the fewer monsters would spawn in that area. This applied to all territories except the fields surrounding the designated starting cities, which were locked into a ¡®very high¡¯ respawn rate. This system was designed to cut down on ¡®boom¡¯ areas, where a certain monster was found to be more profitable to hunt for whatever reason, causing players to flock to that location. If something like that happened, the territory would be marked as too active and the monsters would grow more and more scarce. Eventually, the players would be forced to move on to new hunting grounds and the spawn rate would gradually return to normal. Eventually, an area that was left overpopulated for too long would spawn a terribly destructive Field Boss, but that wasn¡¯t something which would happen until much later in the game¡¯s lifespan. Since Aleside only had Theo, it had a brutally fast respawn time, so much so that Theo¡¯s group almost ended up wiping on a few occasions. New monsters would suddenly appear in the midst of a battle, and if it hadn¡¯t been for Theo¡¯s ability to handle these surprise groups, his slaves would have certainly died. Theo would have probably gotten away unscathed, though. Even if he had the money for it now, paying a Priest to resurrect them would incur a hefty fee. NPC services were always absurdly expensive. Contrary to his belief that this light-speed grinding method would negatively affect the growth of his slaves, the goblin and the princess seemed to thrive in such a precarious environment. Maybe it was an innate feature of NPCs that life-threatening situations accelerated their learning potential. With the very real possibility of death a near-constant, Meatshield noticeably improved her dodging and blocking capabilities. Level was one thing, but Theo could see an actual change in her combat mentality as the fights dragged on. More importantly, she made it through alive without abusing her [Blessing of the Stonekin]. Gobthnora was much the same. At first she would be lucky if even three monsters were caught in the blast range of her [Fireball], and she would often damage Meatshield in the process. By the end of the day, Meatshield was only a little singed, and four or even five monsters would be roasted by each attack. To whatever end, out of all the common MMO features the Dream World Online devs left in the game, Aggro Management wasn¡¯t one of them. Monsters of lower intelligence would always attack the nearest target, even if there was a more threatening player in the backline. At higher levels, as the AI grew more sophisticated, the players would be forced to learn the habits of each hostile species and understand how to read their movements and intentions. An ogre that was fighting head to head with your Knight could suddenly break away and target the Priest, or even turn tail and run. It might even be leading you into a trap. To make up for this, ¡°tanking¡± in Dream World Online relied heavily on slowing and stunning skills, as well as clever battlefield control and target herding. Fighting multiple more-intelligent enemies could quickly lead to a mess that would wipe out even over-leveled parties, but Theo had years of experience in managing and diverting monster aggression. He tried his best to teach Meatshield how to position herself in order to lead the monsters around, but there was only so much information he could cram into the girl¡¯s skull at one time. ¡°To the left! Never leave a line of attack between the target and the spellcaster! Don¡¯t stop moving! Dodge heavy! Block light!¡± one order after the other was shouted out in the chaotic battles, until Theo was hoarse. This continued until the slaves were simply too exhausted to fight. No matter how much their HP and MP was regenerated, the two would reach a point where they had to stop or risk making fatal mistakes. Since Gobthnora¡¯s physical expenditure was smaller than Meatshield¡¯s, but the latter¡¯s endurance was much better, they had the strange habit of running out of steam at around the same time. In this case, they had battled for nearly seven hours straight, minus the trips back and forth to town. Even Theo grew weary of having to constantly save the two from one sudden death after the other. Watching his slaves out of breath and panting as they rested next to the [Goblin Campfire], he couldn¡¯t help but smirk and think to himself, ¡°Maybe it¡¯s true what they say about women who spend a lot of time together syncing up.¡± He kind of doubted this was what they meant, though. Despite what should have been a festive atmosphere after a long and profitable hunt, Gobthnora and Meatshield were both staring at the fire silently with pensive expressions. Due to Theo¡¯s perfectionism, it had become habit for the pair to reflect on their experiences after a battle. From the looks of it, they were clearly bothered by the number of times Theo needed to rescue them. Though that could have just been his ego talking. For the first time since he had back-to-back enslaved the pair, Theo felt a little touched. How could he not recognized that look? After his stay in the hospital, he had come back to Dream World Online feeling as if the whole world has passed him by. He felt weak and inadequate, and his competitive blood boiled. The feeling plagued him, refusing to leave him alone until he proved that he could be the best. Of all people, it was his slaves who reminded him of the desire to improve at all costs. ¡°Maybe they¡¯re not the only ones who need to reflect¡­¡± Theo thought. The battles lately, aside from the first fight with the [Desert Serpent Queen] and the lucky retreat of the Shapeshifter, had been far too easy for him. How much had he actually improved his playing ability in the last few weeks? This kind of leisurely attitude just wasn¡¯t like him, and even if there was nothing he could gain in combat with low-level mobs and bosses, there was still a lot he had to learn about being a Slave Master. He carefully inspected the glowing rune on the back of his hand, and walked towards the campfire with a sigh. ¡°Huddle up,¡± Theo called out, ¡°Even if you¡¯re not fighting, there¡¯s plenty you have left to learn.¡± Theo would normally consider this a good day and logout to get some rest for a little while, but he decided to remain in the game and spend the next few hours trying to impart some theoretical knowledge to his slaves. If they were going to grow into NPCs that could rival the best, he would have to make sure they thought like the best. He started with basic concepts, like how to read the movements of beast-type monsters, and even went on to assign them homework for when he was gone. Although it was hard to breach concepts like HP and MP management in the AI¡¯s that were unable to acknowledge such terms, he did his best to work around the limitations of the system. ¡°Master is wise beyond even the greatest Gobbo Oracles!¡± Gobthnora didn¡¯t hesitate to praise Theo¡¯s investment in her. Her personality was set to ¡®ambitious¡¯ by default, so she delighted in any opportunity to increase her own power and authority. As soon as she was returned her ability to speak openly, she made a point to do so as often as Theo would let her. After the slaves had been educated, the Slave Master made a point to educate himself. Theo didn¡¯t fully understand the ins and outs of his class, and had been overly reliant on his past experience as a Warrior. The first thing he wanted to learn was how to make the best use of the [Slave Master¡¯s Brand], and the conclusion he reached after some testing was shocking. The magical compulsion of this ability directly affected the NPC¡¯s ability to act, but did not change their thought processes or perceptions. In fact, it actually hampered their ability to come to conclusions on their own and properly execute skills. For instance, Theo could order the slaves to act a certain, very specific way, but their movements would be slow and forced as the magic conflicted with their original habits and intentions. If Theo ordered Gobthnora to ¡°Never hit Meatshield with a [Fireball] spell,¡± she would be forced to wait until her attacks met the criteria of the order. Were the opportunity never to arise, she would spend the entire battle sitting in the back doing nothing. Even ordering the Goblin to ¡°Try not to hit Meatshield with a [Fireball],¡± would conflict with her innate desire to do so. The slave¡¯s mentality and understanding was also integral to using the [Slave Master¡¯s Brand] properly. An order to ¡°Love me¡± could be so vague that each slave would react to it differently. Whereas Gobthnora might start praising him and trying to seduce him constantly, Meatshield would probably fail to react at all. It was questionable if she even knew how to ¡®love¡¯ somebody. If he ordered the princess to ¡°Follow one meter behind me at all times,¡± she could probably manage, but an order to ¡°Follow two-hundred and forty-three centimeters behind me at all times,¡± would be so specific and confusing that she would fail it ninety-nine times out of a hundred. Theoretically, if orders were used carefully and subtly, serious problems in the slave¡¯s actions could be slowly corrected over time. As long as they didn¡¯t conflict with their ability to act, it was possible to forcefully instill good habits when they fought. It was something that would require a lot of trial and error to perfect, but Theo was actually beginning to grow excited now that he saw the potential of his class. He was used to micro-managing his own actions down to the smallest detail, and enjoyed scheduling and problem solving probably to an unhealthy degree. If Theo hadn¡¯t been so self-centered in the past, he might have actually made a competent Guild Leader. ¡°Could it be that I¡¯m well suited to this sort of thing?¡± Theo mused as he watched the pair sit and think on the information he had given them, ¡°Heeheehee, I¡¯m looking forward to seeing what kind of monsters I can make¡­¡± Chapter Thirty: Coffee for Two Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Thirty: Coffee for Two
¡°Rick! Where are you going so fast?¡± Bai¡¯s voice clapped against Rick¡¯s ears in its usual bossy manner. Rick turned around to look at his workout partner, who was wiping the sweat off his brow with a paper napkin. He didn¡¯t bother trying to figure out where Bai had been hiding such a thing. A moment passed wherein Rick tried to figure out if he had missed a prompt somewhere, but his mind had been preoccupied with new slave raising strategies as of late. ¡°What?¡± Rick asked blankly, channeling the look Meatshield normally gave him. Bai frowned, ¡°You made the promise to talk with me today,¡± he said. ¡°Was there something like that?¡± Rick couldn¡¯t help but wonder as he tried to jog his memory, but the expression on Bai¡¯s face seemed to indicate that he wasn¡¯t lying. Not one to waste his time on things that didn¡¯t have to do with Dream World Online, Rick immediately struck at the heart of the issue, ¡°So what was it then?¡± Bai shook his head fervently, ¡°Oh no! You don¡¯t get out of this so easy. Come have a coffee with me!¡± a surprisingly strong hand gripped the sleeve of Rick''s windbreaker. ¡°You¡¯re not going to break my arm if I say no, are you?¡± Rick couldn¡¯t help but say. The young man gave him a look as if to say, ¡®just try me.¡¯ Precious grinding time was going to be lost just like that? This was a kidnapping! Someone! Anyone! Call the police! Don¡¯t just look on with those same strange expressions! ¡°Fine,¡± Rick almost considered saying something along the lines of ¡®you¡¯re paying though,¡¯ but held back due to his recently flush bank account. It would be a stretch to say he wasn¡¯t able to afford a cup of coffee. ¡°So, what, you want go to the Corner Branch?¡± he asked. The little grocery store always had the best coffee at the best price. ¡°Are you always so cheap? I want to go to Neiman¡¯s! You can treat! Big money maker after Bloody Auction, no?¡± Rick immediately regretted telling his companion about the ruckus on the forums. Last time he checked, the post he had made served its purpose and thoroughly riled up the community. They were already swarming the thread and making all varieties of sensationalist comments. If all went according to plan, this would make the next auction even bigger than the first, so what if he made enemies of the game¡¯s future superpowers? No matter how much of a show they made out of boycotting him, what kind of player could pass up such good loot? ¡°I¡¯m not paying for you,¡± Rick firmly stood his ground. ¡°Tsk¡­ cheapskate,¡± Bai complained. Despite a barrage of pouting and curses in a language Rick was grateful he didn¡¯t understand, the diehard gamer didn¡¯t budge an inch. He put his well developed ¡®Ignoring Skill,¡¯ which he had studiously advanced over the years by tuning out his guildmates, to good use. After traveling foronly a few minutes, Bai was forced to relent and agreed to pay his own share. Once Rick was assured of his victory, he relaxed and they conversed pleasantly as they walked the thirteen blocks to Neiman''s, the upscale breakfast, bakery and coffee shop Bai had mentioned. Public transportation would have been quicker, but it was a passable enough day outside, and they ignored the green and white striped awning where a number of small two or four-person carts were parked in a row. It had been awhile since Rick could afford to rent one of the self-driving vehicles, as the prices were set with tourists rather than locals in mind. Rick spent an entire three minutes attempting to scale the icy wall of his disinterest towards anything but the game, and by then he had exhausted his entire repertoire of small talk subjects. Thankfully, his companion was more than willing to make up for his silence. It was strange to hear Bai talk about subjects like school and friends, and it seemed like he had a fairly well developed social life. Rick thought back to the tiny contacts list in his phone and smiled. This was the way it should be. The coffee shop, Neiman¡¯s, was a local place that was pretty popular among the college students in the area. There were just too many young people in this place that were willing to waste an exorbitant amount of money on things they didn¡¯t need. Even if the coffee was worth the higher price tag, Rick didn¡¯t think he would be able to tell the difference enough to appreciate it. If there was one thing he had learned from selling items in Dream World Online, it was that value was something created by people. Even bits of data and numbers could be worth hundreds of dollars! ¡°This place is¡­ fancy,¡± Rick said, not sure he knew what the right word to describe the cafe was. ¡°You never come here?¡± Bai asked. Rick shrugged, ¡°It¡¯s not really on my radar¡­ ah, but my sister would like this kind of place,¡± he said, struggling to fish up a topic of conversation. Bai looked at him as if he had changed places with somebody else, ¡°Rick has a sister?¡± ¡°What? It has nothing to do with me, talk to my parents if you¡¯re that shocked,¡± he smiled and said. ¡°Parents too? Rick didn¡¯t spawn in game like monster?¡± Bai joked back with him. The pair shared a laugh as Rick held open the door, suddenly thinking this wouldn¡¯t be such a bad expenditure of time after all. The inside of the cafe was done up like any other cozy, down to earth coffee shop, with dozens of paintings from local artists covering the walls and an overabundance of hardwood furniture. The lighting was dim and comfortable for early morning, and the few other customers were all the kind that stayed completely engrossed in their own affairs. The only thing that set the shop apart were the small screens mounted on the ends of all of the tables, tastefully set in what appeared to be handmade wooden frames. Rick thought they looked like varnished driftwood. He supposed it helped to keep the aesthetic of the store consistent, but had to suppress a frown when he looked at them. Rick was too used to the low-tech and energetic style of taverns and restaurants in the virtual world, and it was one of the contributing factors to why he found it so easy to stay inside all day. Of course, it was impossible not to notice how out of touch he was with the real world, but Rick could usually ignore it when it wasn¡¯t staring him in the face.Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author. An unoffensive, jazzy soundtrack filled the air as Bai swiftly scoped out the floor and found them an out of the way table. He unceremoniously took a seat and waited for Rick to accompany him, which the man did with another sideways glance at the front counter. It was a long, wooden bar with dozens of confusing looking instruments behind it and large glass display case showing off a few of the pastries and simple meals you could order. The back wall was painted to function as a chalkboard in old fashioned style, but it was jampacked with so many pointless doodles and in-jokes from the employees that there was no discernible menu he could find. The baristas weren¡¯t too swamped at the moment, but what work they did have to finish was completely unimpeded as they hurried back and forth. The counter was pretty much just for show at this point. ¡°Let me guess, Rick drinks black coffee only?¡± Bai teased him as he scrolled down and pressed a large, inviting button on the touch screen of the table¡¯s little monitor. A pleasant jingle played from a speaker that must have been set into the table, and the screen faded to black before the pair was met with the face of a pretty girl with a strong jawline and short, fuchsia tinted hair. Her lip and nose were both pierced, and she had a bit of a standoffish air about her. A sleeve of colorful asian-style tattoos curled around her shoulder and was clearly visible given the black tank top she was wearing. ¡°It¡¯s Veronica today! Hello Veronica,¡± Bai chimed to the woman on the screen. The woman¡¯s stern features lightened when she seemingly looked out of the monitor and saw Bai¡¯s face, ¡°Hello Bai! It¡¯s good see you again!¡± The woman didn¡¯t seem to take notice of Rick until he sat down at the table. ¡°This is a new face, welcome to Neiman¡¯s! ¡± Veronica said in a brusque but friendly way, ¡°Hello, I¡¯m Veronica, I¡¯ll be your virtual barista today. Can I get you a list of our specials?¡± Rick waved his hand in a dismissive gesture, but the AI wasn¡¯t capable of really holding it against him. This was one of the conveniences of modern technology brought about in the last few years or so. Virtual service was popular anywhere that could afford to implement it, since the AI¡¯s didn¡¯t need to be paid and could easily remember vastly superior amounts of information. They would always be perfectly polite, helpful, friendly staff that could recognize the customers from their voices alone and recall past orders. ¡°Don¡¯t bother with him,¡± Bai said, ¡°He¡¯s just a stick in the mud.¡± ¡°Should I give you a minute to think on it?¡± Veronica asked. ¡°Yes,¡± Rick said bluntly. ¡°Alright then, just call if you need me!¡± after saying as much, the screen faded out again and was replaced with a slowly scrolling Neiman¡¯s logo. Bai regarded Rick with his usual curiosity, as though he were inspecting an alien lifeform, ¡°Are you always so rude to AI?¡± Rick sighed, shaking his head, ¡°There¡¯s no point in treating it like a human. It¡¯s a program, it doesn¡¯t get offended.¡± ¡°I think is fun,¡± Bai shot back, ¡°You can ask many questions. Veronica always have an answer.¡± As if to prove his point, Bai pressed the button on the screen and the virtual barista once again appeared in front of them. She didn¡¯t seem at all bothered by the immediate recall only moments after Rick had shooed her away. . ¡°That sure was quick! Are you two ready to order?¡± she questioned with a bubbly laugh. Bai smiled mischievously and asked, ¡°Veronica. My friend Rick. Do you like the way he looks?¡± Not seeing the point in the conversation, Rick turned to look at the screen, which he knew had a small camera built into it. While Veronica seemed to give him a once-over and ponder something, the program was scanning his face and saving the image into it¡¯s memory. ¡°He¡¯s pretty handsome!¡± Veronica quickly came to a decision, adding playfully, ¡°But I think he could smile a bit more!¡± It was a generic response from a low-level AI. The NPCs in Dream World Online weren¡¯t the kind that would always try to please you. Even Bai seemed to think the answer sounded forced, and gave Rick a wry smile as a form of apology. Veronica¡¯s AI on the other hand seemed to have come to the conclusion that Rick was looking to flirt with her, and gave him a few long glances of her own. All he could do was shrug and place his order to get her to go away. In the end, he did order the black coffee. ¡°So what did you want?¡± Rick finally got around to interrogating the man across from him, who was taking hold of a drink that he didn¡¯t even know how to pronounce. Rick hadn¡¯t ever seen coffee that was orange in color before, and he¡¯d never seen anyone add that much salt to something they planned on drinking, either. He didn¡¯t know what he should have expected a nerd like Bai to order, but he didn¡¯t expect it to be something he wasn¡¯t at all sure he would make eye contact with. Rick diverted his gaze by staring into the depths of the small mug in front of him. ¡°I can¡¯t believe I paid five dollars for this,¡± he eyeballed the liquid as if it had personally wronged him. Bai finished waving to the woman who had brought them the drinks from the counter. He seemed to know her personally, and she looked pretty young, so maybe it was someone he went to school with? The way the barista was sizing Bai up caused her to wander into the path of Rick¡¯s glare, which scared her off before she could waste any more of their time by flirting with his table guest. ¡°That was Kate,¡± Bai said, ¡°You scare her off.¡± Rick¡¯s expression was one of complete unaccountability, ¡°Good.¡± As though it was a comfort to him, and confirmed that Rick hadn¡¯t been replaced with a strange pod person from outer space, Bai smiled at the blatant show of his friend¡¯s antisocial nature. He took a sip of the thick orange brew that reminded Rick of a [Rejuvenation Potion] and made a pained expression. ¡°If you hate the way it tastes, then why are you drinking it!?¡± Rick once again stifled any additional monologue with the aid his mug. ¡°That matter when I first approached Rick, do you remember?¡± Bai asked as he shifted the topic of conversation in a more serious direction. Rick would be lying if he said he did, so he didn¡¯t, ¡°Nope.¡± ¡°I thought you were stalker,¡± Bai failed to show even an ounce of hesitation as he proudly repeated the misunderstanding that had led to their first real conversation in this new life. ¡°Right,¡± as was to be expected, the memories all came flooding back the moment Bai brought it up, ¡°What about it?¡± Bai once again took a pained sip from his drink, ¡°Some others say he come back,¡± his voice was only as hushed as it needed to be, ¡°Worried that it might be serious.¡± Rick wanted desperately to ask what all of this had to do with him, but even he knew better than to act in such an inappropriate way. He couldn¡¯t possibly be that dense all of the time. Bai wasn¡¯t the type of person who lacked confidence in himself, and he certainly wasn¡¯t scared of any random stalker. This was evident in how the man had so brazenly accosted him. If he was bringing it up to Rick, of all people, then it probably had a certain amount of importance. Seeing that Rick wasn¡¯t bailing from the conversation, Bai breathed a sigh of release and continued, ¡°The gym is around the corner from my home. Only natural that I care about it enough to call the police, but no help.¡± This elicited a scoff from Rick, who wouldn¡¯t have expected anything less. If it was an upscale neighborhood, the police would probably be all over it, but for the neighborhood where Bai lived? He would have more luck calling a superhero for help. This was a lesson Rick had learned a year or so from now in his past life the hard way. It was really an odd feeling when he thought of it like that. ¡°You want me to help,¡± it wasn¡¯t a question. ¡°I want Rick to help,¡± Bai was straightforward when it mattered. ¡°No.¡± ¡°Rick!¡± ¡°No.¡± ¡°B-big bro!¡± there was a pair of large, brown eyes peering at Rick from the other side of the table. ¡°Fine.¡± Bai almost leapt across the table and ended up forcing the police to show up whether they wanted to or not. The fire in his eyes reminded Rick of himself when he was hunting down monsters. He couldn¡¯t help cracking a smile at the overblown reaction, and finally conceded it was a good thing that he had come here today. It took a full three minutes before Bai could calm down after the embarrassing exchange, and Rick felt it was about time for his turn to hold the upper hand in this relationship. ¡°So I can see Rick for stake out?¡± Bai always seemed to want repeated confirmation of their plans. ¡°Yes, for the last time,¡± Rick protested, ¡°One hour only, okay?¡± ¡°And you don¡¯t mind missing the game?¡± Bai probed. Rick frowned. Of course he minded! The game came before anything else! ¡°Of course I mind! The game comes first!¡± Rick said. With this final joke, the dynamic duo went their separate ways. They agreed to meet up an hour earlier every morning to do their part and keep an eye out for any suspicious individuals. Apparently, there were other people that Bai had already roped into taking the earlier shifts, but for whatever reason he wanted Rick to help him out with the last one. They were essentially serving as an impromptu Neighborhood Watch, and while Rick didn¡¯t want to lose the time, the idea of leaving Bai in the lurch left a sour taste in his mouth. The extra expenditure in the real world just meant he had to somehow squeeze an extra hour of efficiency out of the virtual world. It was as simple as that! Chapter Thirty-One: Soldier Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Thirty-One: Soldier
Theo studied the girl in front of him with an intense expression. It was finally that time! This moment was long overdue and had all but plagued Theo¡¯s dreams for the last few nights, or at least it would have if he ever wasted time sleeping. Meatshield was close to maxing out her level 9 experience points, but she wouldn¡¯t be able to advance any further unless she got a class. There were all kinds of classes in the game, and when it came to NPCs, it was very difficult to tell which one they would ultimately receive. Unless they were trained in a very specific way, they would normally default to whatever best suited their personality. Unlike players, they couldn¡¯t just visit a trainer and complete a quest. It was for this reason that Theo was agonizing over how to make sure Meatshield didn¡¯t end up with something useless. Although all classes had their advantages and disadvantages, a noncombat option would doom her to never fulfill the role for which Theo needed her. Most Slave Masters, if Theo remembered correctly, preferred to enslave only those who already had a class, like Gobthnora being a Shaman. This was definitely the most reliable option, but Theo preferred to have complete control over the process. When he had originally planned to enslave the [Captured Woman] he assumed she was going to have generic villager abilities. With just a bit of combat training, it would be a certainty that she would class up into something appropriate. The problem was Meatshield ended up far from ordinary, with a background that remained a mystery. As a princess, she could have any number of strange skills that could skew the results of his training. Without a way to check, it was impossible to fully control the direction of her progression, but Theo desperately wanted to make sure he could keep Meatshield. She was clever, obedient without effort, and had the unique [Blessing of the Stonekin] on top of her exceptional attribute growths. She was top shelf goods! The only option Theo had come up with was to increase the number of combat skills she possessed. With this thought in mind, he visited the pawn shop in Aleside and bought every type of weapon he could find. Over the last few days, he had trained her in all of them! Swords, Axes, Daggers, Twinblades, Polearms, Staves, Heavy Weapons, Throwing Weapons, Bows, and Slings. Theo made sure she acquired all of these skills. Even if she wasn¡¯t going to raise any of them beyond Beginner Lv. 1, he hoped it would be enough to hedge his bets and influence her fate. Although Bai complained to Theo every day about the training he was suffering through in order to obtain the Martial Artist class, even he would be appalled at the training regimen Meatshield was forced to undergo. Since she couldn¡¯t kill monsters or risk classing up too soon, every battle was carried out against either Gobthnora or Theo. Having his slaves compete against one another was one of his plans to increase their combat understanding and round out their training. From his perspective, Theo had believed the two women were getting along pretty well, but that perception was shattered after witnessing their first sparring match. They were really going at it with the intent to kill! [Fireballs] went crashing into the sandy terrain, leaving the battlefield a crater-pocked no man¡¯s land as Meatshield dove and struggled to evade the oncoming eruptions. Her goal was to close the distance between herself and the Shaman. The princess had little to no experience going up against ranged attacks, and ended up eating an explosion to the face on more than one occasion. If it was anyone else, they would have dropped dead after two or three hits, but the petite woman was nothing if not tenacious. She viciously pushed through the spells and swung a [Battered War Axe] at the other slave. The Goblin, who had more experience, would usually find a way to escape melee range and counterattack. If Theo hadn¡¯t been around to referee, Meatshield would have ended up cooked numerous times. The first few matches went to Gobthnora hands down, but the princess found one way after another to improve her approach. Theo gave them both advice on how to fight, but it seemed like Meatshield was ultimately the one learning the most. After nine rounds of sparring, she finally cornered the Goblin by driving her into a pothole made by one of her own errant [Fireballs]. The girl leapt upon her prey like a hungry animal. If it weren¡¯t for the fact that she only had [Beginner Polearm Mastery], she might have actually dealt some damage. As it was, all of her strikes resulted in a MISS against the level 12 Gobthnora. Theo still called it as Meatshield¡¯s win and scolded the Shaman for her lack of battlefield awareness. The Goblin was the type who learned best from setbacks, so this kind of loss was good for curbing the little creature¡¯s rampant ego. Of course, Theo had to take measures to make sure Meatshield didn¡¯t get full of herself either, and proceeded to thrash her so thoroughly in the next match that she didn¡¯t even have the opportunity to use her [Block] skill. It was an important lesson, and one which everyone needed to learn. There was always someone better than you! The Monsters only grew more powerful and dangerous the higher your level went, and not even Theo in his War God days was strong enough to take on a Raid Boss by himself. Apparently, Meatshield was the competitive type, because she started practicing with her weapons during her admittedly scarce free time. The woman would move around the [Goblin Campfire] fighting against an enemy only she could see. Dozens... hundreds... thousands of blows struck empty air, but no matter which weapon she tried to use, it seemed like the girl never once proved victorious against the imaginary foe. Theo didn¡¯t need to think twice about whose shadow she was chasing. This continued for almost an hour until... Slave [Princess Anastasia Therasa Bolevolo XVII] has learned a new skill! [Beginner Combat Tactics] has been added to the slave¡¯s list of skills! ¡°Combat Tactics?¡± Theo, who was plotting out tomorrow¡¯s training schedule, looked up from where he was seated as he heard a chime that had become all too familiar over the past few days. [Combat Tactics] was a skill that only NPCs could learn, and was an exceptionally rare one. Out of the thousands of troops the Alabaster Alliance had brought up during the Great War Era of Dream World Online, only a select few received this skill, no matter how much the Guild tried to pry it out of them. It was one of the holy trinity of NPC war skills! With one of these skills, an NPC could be a low-ranking military officer, with two they could promote to a high-ranking military officer, and with all three they could serve as a General! [Combat Tactics], [Leadership], and [Command]! Since [Combat Tactics] was a skill that only NPCs could learn, there wasn¡¯t much known about it or the way it functioned. The developers were tight lipped as always, but most players hypothesized that it improved the quality of the NPC¡¯s AI by adding knowledge from historical texts and the ability to predict outcomes based on all acquired information. It was useful in any context, since an improvement in the AI meant an increase in all other aspects as well. [Command] let NPCs better maneuver large groups, and was the easiest of the three skills to obtain through practice and education. [Leadership] was usually something the NPC had from the moment they were born or created, and provided circumstantial attribute bonuses and increased authority over those in a lesser position. Theo didn¡¯t know if Meatshield had the [Leadership] skill or not, but there was at least a chance of it since she was technically royalty. ¡°Lucky!¡± Theo could help but turn his gaze on the young woman who was busy swinging a sword back and forth.Stolen story; please report. He had planned out a long-term strategy to help the slave eventually gain this skill, hopefully by the time she reached level 60, but could never have imagined she would pick it up by herself! This was what one referred to as a natural talent. Whatever her fate would have been in the game world before her storyline was cut, it didn¡¯t matter with the acquisition of this new ability. Slave [Princess Anastasia Therasa Bolevolo XVII] has reached the necessary requirements to advance a class. The slave¡¯s class will advance from Novice to Soldier! Class advancement! Soldier? There¡¯s a class called Soldier? Theo bolted upright, ¡°Wait! Don¡¯t just go getting a class without any warning!¡± Slave [Princess Anastasia Therasa Bolevolo XVII] has learned a new skill! [Adaptability] has been added to the slave¡¯s list of skills! ...[Endurance] has been added to the slave¡¯s list of skills! ...[Training] has been added to the slave¡¯s list of skills! Slave [Princess Anastasia Therasa Bolevolo XVII] has reached the necessary requirements to advance a skill! The slave¡¯s skill will advance from [Beginner Conditioning] Lv.10 to [Lesser Conditioning] Lv.1! Meatshield continued swinging her sword as if nothing had happened, but Theo was almost shaking with excitement. Although he wasn¡¯t sure about the exact specifications of the Soldier class, there was no denying from the skills it granted that it was a combat class. Of course, it had been the girl¡¯s signature ability so far, [Conditioning], that finally reached Lesser-rank when she hit level 10. It was a shame that Theo had never heard of the Soldier class before. The only conclusion he could reach on the matter was that it was a special NPC class, and players couldn¡¯t receive it. That, or the requirements for this class were so obscure that it had never been discovered before. It wasn¡¯t like it was an impossibility, just incredibly unlikely. Before Theo could properly inspect his slave with the [Appraise Humanoid] skill, he received another system message. Slave [Soldier Anastasia Therasa Bolevolo XVII] has used [Training]. Strength and Agility increased by 5% for 12 hours. ¡°This is¡­ a self-buff?¡± Theo¡¯s mind was racing when he heard the effects of the skill, ¡°Can she just use it at will?¡± With a duration that long, it probably had an equally long cooldown. It reminded Theo of a buff that a few of the commander type skills granted, though those bonuses were given to anyone that trained under the holder for a period of time. Could it be that Meatshield was able to use it to gain the benefits for herself? Theo decided to go ahead and check her stats. [Soldier Anastasia Therasa Bolevolo XVII] Lv. 10 Human Elite HP: 1590/1590 MP: 175/175 Current Effects: [Training: Strength +5%; Agility +5%; 11:58:16] It looked like the Soldier¡¯s attribute bonus didn¡¯t increase Constitution, or her HP would have gone up by an extra 100 points when she leveled. That implied a focus on damage dealing over durability. Well, it wasn¡¯t like Meatshield really needed any extra HP in the first place. No player would be able to catch up to her until they hit their second class advancement unless they massively over invested in a single attribute. ¡°At least one of the points should have gone into her Strength, so where did the other go? Agility?¡± Theo was staring at the woman with an obsessive gaze. Not having information about his slave¡¯s new class was driving him absolutely crazy. After agonizing for a few moments longer, he realized that the only way to discover the truth was to put her through field testing. As long as he paid close attention to all of her actions, it would inevitably reveal the details of these new skills. ¡°Clean up the camp,¡± Theo stood and made an executive decision, ¡°That¡¯s enough rest, we¡¯re going hunting again.¡± Gobthnora¡¯s face glowed with excitement, ¡°Master will round up the puny weak monsters for Gobthnora to burn?¡± she asked, clearly fond of their activities over the past few days. Meatshield turned with a blank expression on her face. ¡°Change of plan, our new Soldier is going to take the lead,¡± Theo said. ¡°Soldier?¡± Gobthnora looked at the princess, ¡°Is dumb humie girl?¡± Theo ignored the Goblin¡¯s confusion, unwilling to try explaining player knowledge to the AI, and instead called to Meatshield, ¡°Do you feel like you can do it?¡± She nodded. It was impossible to tell what was going through the woman¡¯s head, but she probably felt a multitude of changes in her body. At least compared to her usual self, the princess seemed to be overflowing with energy. After sorting through the pile of weapons that she had been using like toys lately, Meatshield decided on the [Battered War Axe]. It was her favorite, and took advantage of her Lv. 8 [Beginner One-Handed Mastery]. It took a couple of fights to discover the extent of his slave¡¯s changes after obtaining the Soldier class. The result was a series of completely one-sided dominations on Meatshield¡¯s part. Against the level 13 [Rock Wolf], the previous Meatshield would have only been able to win by taking advantage of her superior HP and [Block] skill to stay close and spam high MISS-chance attacks. Her usual strategy was to use her body like a grindstone and slowly wear the prey down. This strategy now seemed obsolete. After the class change, she hit with almost half of her attacks. No matter how much her Strength or Agility increased from class advancement or [Training], it shouldn¡¯t have been possible to do this without a huge boost to her skill proficiency. [Combat Tactics] could allow for more accurate attacks and a higher chance to score Critical hits, but it was too low level to show such effects. Judging from the names alone, this was mostly likely the result of her [Adaptability] skill. ¡°Hunters get the [Sniper] skill, which can increase accuracy with ranged weapons, and the Weapon Master archetype can do the same with [Favored Weapon]... but how does [Adaptability] work?¡± Theo was taking mental notes throughout the entire fight, and had Meatshield swap weapons halfway through. The result when using a [Bent Spear] was that her accuracy dropped by a significant amount, but her attacks were still more accurate than they had been. This proved to be the case regardless of what type of weapon she used, though the end results varied wildly. While he couldn¡¯t be absolutely certain, Theo had a deep understanding of the way skills worked in Dream World Online, and eventually came to a conclusion regarding the effects of [Adaptability]. If he was correct, it was a synergy-type skill. It was similar to to the augment-type, like the way his own [Appraise Humanoid] skill interacted with [Perception]. The difference between synergy and augmentation was that the latter usually resulted in a linear net positive, whereas the former would have a multiplicative or derivative effect. In this case, Theo surmised that [Adaptability] allowed Meatshield to share a certain amount of proficiency between all weapons depending on their similarity. In other words, improving the level of her [One-Handed Mastery] would give her a decent bonus to hit with [Daggers], but less so for [Heavy Swords]. ¡°It probably works with ranged weapons too¡­¡± Theo considered, ¡°Is this because I taught her too many weapon skills?¡± As for [Endurance], this skill didn¡¯t remain a mystery for very long either. To put it simply, it was another passive skill, one that gave her a small chance to gain the benefit of the [Endure] effect any time she was hit. At Lv. 1 it appeared to have about a 2% chance. So, not that likely, but the outcome was still good. An endured hit was the same as a free partial dodge. Meatshield would take some shock damage, but that was it. Another layer had been added to the turtle¡¯s shell, though Theo didn¡¯t know if the skill gave additional bonuses or not. Her Agility had gone up from the class change as well, confirming Theo¡¯s earlier suspicions. ¡°A mobile and flexible hit and run type class, with a bit of survivability. It rounds her stats out nicely but doesn¡¯t really take advantage of her strengths. Seems to have a high skill cap too¡­¡± Honestly, Theo would have preferred if Meatshield¡¯s class was designed for defense instead. If she had become a Knight, she could have been pretty much untouchable. Like this, he would have to keep tabs on her growth at all times, just to make sure she didn¡¯t grow into a jack-of-all-trades style build. For the time being, using her as anything other than a tank would still be a waste. ¡°Stupid humie really is different! Master was right, like always!¡± Gobthnora observed with a scoff. The Shaman didn¡¯t enjoy being out of the limelight, but Theo ignored her protestations, ¡°How is your body? Have you adapted to it yet?¡± he asked the princess. Even players had a tough time getting used to sudden increases in their attributes, to say nothing of NPCs who generally had inferior comprehensive skills. Meatshield might have shaken her head in response, but looked as if she wanted to continue fighting until she learned how to better control her new power and speed. ¡°Good, we¡¯ll¡­¡± THWIK! An arrow plunged into the dirt less than a meter from where Theo was standing. The slaves reacted immediately and entered the combat formation they had practiced, with Meatshield positioning herself and her shield between Theo and the archer. She did so just in time to intercept another projectile with her shield. Ever unphased, Theo turned to look towards the direction of the attack, ¡°Mounted archers¡­ bandits?¡± A dust cloud was rapidly approaching from the west, a sure sign of horses. From this distance, they would be upon the trio in a minute or so. There was no time to run, and although the walls of Aleside were still visible from their hunting ground, it was too far to reach safely. ¡°Gobthnora!¡± Theo called. Despite her cowardly nature, the Goblin had never shown an ounce of fear when her master was around. She snapped to attention. ¡°[Fireball]! Aim for the horses in the front!¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Gobthnora turned her beady yellow eyes on the approaching horsemen and began to chant, ¡°Gobthnora hate filthy land hippos!¡± Chapter Thirty-Two: Keep Talking Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Thirty-Two: Keep Talking
[Fireball] was a simple and reliable spell of elementalist magicians, and remained one of their staple attacks even into the late stages of the game. Despite her newly polished combat skills, Gobthnora still had the habit of throwing the [Fireball] with an exaggerated wind-up, and the orb of fire went hurtling through the air in the direction of the charging horses. Her aim and timing had improved¡­ The spell dropped to the ground just in front of the lead horse, who ended up galloping right into it without being able to stop. An explosion roared and sent the beast hurtling to the side. Cries and whinnies echoed over the craggy earth as the small band¡¯s momentum was completely upset, and they went tumbling over one another. ¡°Good! Retreat to Aleside and warn the guards,¡± Theo ordered decisively, and turned to Meatshield, ¡°You go too, and protect her!¡± After a moment he added, ¡°Oh, and don¡¯t forget to keep your cloaks on.¡± ¡°Master will let these foolish humies taste Hell! Keekeekee!¡± Gobthnora didn¡¯t hesitate to scurry away from the riders who had recovered and were resuming their charge. The idiots who charged headlong into the [Fireball] spell were thrown off balance, but not for long. More than anything, it had served the purpose of disrupting the mounted archers, which were Theo¡¯s primary concern. Meatshield did as she was ordered and followed after the Goblin. It seemed like the strength Theo had shown her in their fights had impressed upon her how little he actually needed her protection. ¡°I wonder if that¡¯s why she started taking things so seriously lately,¡± he mused with a slight smile. The horsemen were already approaching. Theo withdrew [Skullsplitter] from his inventory and looked over it¡¯s glinting, jagged edge. If they thought he was intimidating with the [Steel-Edged Partizan] in his hand, Theo was looking forward to the enemies¡¯ expressions when he started swinging around this horrific-looking poleaxe. There were at least a dozen horses whose hooves pounded against the dirt, and the sound was deafening when the men rode past. Weapons flashed wildly, and the exchange lasted only a second as the riders triumphantly roared. They were already circling around and preparing to finish off the battered fighter that they had overrun, but their eyes went wide when they saw the hooded figure standing around leisurely. It was like a pleasant breeze had passed him by. ¡°Kirk!¡± one of the horsemen shouted as he caught sight of something out of place in the scene. One of the riders was sprawled out, his horse clearly knocked to the ground during the pass. It was squirming in pain as the animal tried to right itself, and paid no attention to its unseated rider when it finally stood up. The sight of the mount limping away from the fight sent a chill down the spines of the bandits. The feeling only intensified as the hooded man began walking closer to their comrade. Mounted charges were certainly terrifying to the ordinary soldier, but only when you were in tight formation with nowhere to maneuver. Damage was multiplied by the force of the charge, that was, if you were hit. As long as Theo had room to dodge, this puny number of attacks wasn¡¯t enough to touch a hair on his head. Afterall, as long as you avoided the horses, each rider was only given one opportunity to strike, if even that. The dismounted man was still gathering his bearings after having the wind completely knocked out of him, and turned to look up at the looming shadow of death that was approaching. Fumbling hands reached for the blade at his waist, but the [Skullsplitter] had already dropped. -170 [Inflict Pain] -119. Dazed! There was a terrible crunching noise as the blade struck the man, and his voice cracked under the pain of the skill. The weight of the blow drove him back into the ground, where another attack quickly finished him off. It was a chilling and brutal sight. His movements were simply too casual, like he was swatting a fly. The mounted bandits may have been dumbfounded at first, but they were trained fighters and were already readying another charge. All of their rage was focused purely on him. Theo was glad to see that he had successfully attracted the riders¡¯ attention, and readied himself for another round. ¡°One down, how many more to go?¡± he smiled. Taking advantage of the riders slower approach, [Skullsplitter] flew through the air, kicking up a torrent-like wind. After grinding against large groups of monsters, Theo¡¯s level had reached 14 and his [Fend] skill had increased as well. With the extra weight from his weapon, the riders at the front were swept up in the skill and knocked to the ground. Several blades and spears landed in the dirt where Theo had been standing, but he had already moved out of the way by activating his usual combo. [Lunge] Combo x2! Critical hit! -693 With the aid of a lucky Critical hit, one of the men afflicted by [Fend] was skewered in a single blow. NPCs were just too fragile compared to monsters in this game, well, Theo would have been dead if he took a hit like that too. Although the body, from Theo¡¯s perspective, was simply tossed away and fell on the ground, he could only imagine what kind of carnage the NPCs had just witnessed. Several of them froze in place before a whirling blade connected with the side of a man¡¯s head as a kindly reminder to pay attention. ¡°Adventurer!¡± one of the bandits called out with a shaking voice. The morale and bloodthirst of the group was washed away by a cold wind. It had only taken a few seconds for the group of twelve to be reduced to nine, and yet their target was completely unscathed. Theo didn¡¯t have any intention of letting these ruffians run away, though. He was getting close to reaching [Basic Polearm Mastery], and more than ready to let loose all of the stress he had accumulated during his slaves¡¯ training. These bastards had shown up at just the right time! The resulting battle was completely one-sided. ¡°W-we¡¯ll burn your damn village to the ground!¡± the one remaining bandit was holding a small axe and looking at Theo. It didn¡¯t matter if it was man or beast, weapon or armor, the adventurer didn¡¯t care. Everything fell under the gleam of that terrifying polearm. The man had just watched all of his friends being cut to ribbons. If he wasn¡¯t so terrified, his blood would be boiling over in a rage. He had never regretted the decision to join the Black Mountain Clan until this day! Memories of his life flashed before his eyes as he felt his death approaching, inch by inch. Cold sweat poured from his forehead, and he gritted his teeth so hard they hurt. With a foreboding aggravation, Theo looked at his HP which had dropped by more than half when the man had struck him only a second prior. A single thought went through his head. ¡°Why are you always so in character!¡± he roared, swinging the poleaxe in a wide arc. The man was tossed back by the [Fend] skill, but he landed daintily after executing a perfect aerial somersault, and looked up at Theo with frightened eyes. The portion of mentality where the bandit ended and the Shapeshifter began was rolling back and forth, warping between exultation and agony as the man¡¯s face began to slowly change shape.Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. ¡°Ah! Why are you always so slippery? I thought for sure I had you that time!¡± the man chirped with a shaky voice. ¡°Hmph, do I need to put you back in the fire to teach you a lesson?¡± Theo shot back venomously. Honestly, if he hadn¡¯t decided to dodge the seemingly harmless bandit¡¯s attack at the last moment, he really would have died. It was only because he was so stingy with HP that he managed to escape with only the shock damage. Even that much had been enough to put him a step away from death¡¯s door. The Shapeshifter clearly wasn¡¯t going to underestimate him again. ¡°I¡¯ve been wondering what was taking you so long to track me down. Turns out you¡¯ve been playing bandit this whole time,¡± Theo muttered. The Shapeshifter spoke up, ¡°Well at first I tried to assassinate you the old fashioned way, but you damned adventurer, never sleeping... eating... using the lavatory... bathing¡­ do you have any idea how much trouble you¡¯ve been to kill!?¡± Theo didn¡¯t really know how to explain the fact that, as a player, he didn¡¯t need to do any of these activities. From the perspective of an assassin, he really was an annoying entity. It appeared the thing had been waiting for an opportunity to get him alone this whole time. It was probably still afraid of Meatshield¡¯s and Gobthnora¡¯s killer combo, not that he could blame it after what had happened. ¡°So you made an opportunity yourself,¡± Theo prompted. The chatty Shapeshifter shook its melting and reforming head, ¡°I didn¡¯t expect you to send your slaves away, honestly, I was just hoping they would be tied up by the bandits. Then you went and killed every last one of them by yourself¡­ this poor body was so scared! He was really about to piss himself!¡± Theo was letting it talk, biding his time while he searched for a way out of this predicament, but there didn¡¯t seem to be one. There were options available if only he had been one level higher, but he just had to get himself into a situation like this right now. With the level 40-something opponent taking him seriously, and since he didn¡¯t have the help of his slaves, the chances for victory were absolutely zero. He might be able to hold on for a while, but without the [Parry] skill¡­ ¡°Am I just supposed to lay down and die?¡± Theo pondered his potential death carefully. All in all it wouldn¡¯t be too bad. He would respawn in Aleside and his Heat would be reset. It would get Old Man Snake Eyes off his back for however long he needed, and he would only get stronger before their next confrontation. Even when it came to losing his experience points, it wouldn¡¯t take that long to get them back. The positives actually outweighed the negatives, but Theo was limitlessly stubborn. He wasn¡¯t going to go down without a fight, and readied [Skullplitter] with death-defying resolution. Seeing his behavior, the Shapeshifter gave him a smile. It had already been established that Theo was outmatched in a fight. He couldn¡¯t deal any real damage to the assassin, who only had increased its attributes since their last bout. There was a limit to how much one could defend without the ability to counterattack. This must have been what monsters felt like when they were forced to go up against Meatshield. ¡°Enough talking, I¡¯m eager to get your head and go home already,¡± the Shapeshifter lunged at him with the axe. Theo began to dodge the attacks with every ounce of skill he could pull out of his current condition. Every swipe that came his way seemed to do so at a speed his eyes couldn¡¯t keep up with, but it was possible as long as he could read the direction of the attacks. His [Dodge] skill had already reached lv. 10, and the cooldown time was as low as it was ever going to get. When it maxed out he would receive the [Counter] skill, which would grant a small damage bonus after a successful dodge, but that wasn¡¯t something he could make use of right now even if he had it. The Shapeshifter¡¯s axe hewed through the hem of his poncho, and Theo couldn¡¯t get out of the way in time. He only partially dodged the attack, and his HP plummeted as a result. Smelling the scent of blood, his assailant only grew more bold. They had only been fighting for a few rounds and already Theo was on the verge of death. It was impossible to rely on his HP regen to keep him alive this time. ¡°Looks like this is the end of the no death streak¡­¡± Theo wasn¡¯t one to give up prematurely, but he didn¡¯t see any alternatives. -65 ¡°Wait, what?¡± he was so surprised that he nearly let the Shapeshifter hit him again, but managed to roll out of the way just in time to avoid another swing. His gaze turned to the perpetrator of the sudden damage. [Rock Wolf] Lv. 13 A wolf! No, wolves! A small pack of mobs had spawned right on top of them! Would this be considered good luck or bad luck? ¡°What the, why are these things - get off me!¡± the Shapeshifter shouted annoyedly. Although mobs in Dream World Online usually ignored targets that were a much higher level instinctively, it was a different story when Theo was present to send them into attack mode. Several of them lunged at the pair and began snapping their jaws wildly. Although he was off balance, Theo still managed to dodge and put some distance between himself and the sudden interlopers. ¡°Chance!¡± Theo immediately turned around and started running. ¡°W-wait! No! Come back here!¡± a rapidly fluctuating voice called after him. The Shapeshifter swung its weapon and immediately cut down a pouncing [Rock Wolf], but there were two more gnawing at its heels. Ignoring the futile bite attacks, the Shapeshifter turned after its retreating prey and screamed in frustration. Theo was currently dodging another attack and pushing his body as fast as he possibly could. The would-be assassin roared and the pair of grotesque wings grew from its body once again. The Shapeshifter took off from the ground as the wolves circled below and then flew off after the escaping Theo. The surprise monster spawn wasn¡¯t enough to keep the now aerial Shapeshifter tied down, and the distance between Theo and his pursuer shrunk rapidly. Getting out of this situation still seemed to be nothing but a pipe dream. At this rate, Theo was going to get caught. ¡°It¡¯s not enough¡­ but it does give me an idea!¡± the opportunistic player suddenly changed direction. ¡°Oh no you don¡¯t!¡± the chaser shouted. From this vantage point, it easily saw what Theo was trying to do. He was running towards another pack of monsters! His plan was to leapfrog the monster respawns until he got within the safety of the walls. The Shapeshifter crashed into the ground just in front of him and swung the axe once again, but Theo dove past the blow and woefully took the shock damage with a grimace. He only had 43 HP left! Even a stiff breeze would be enough to knock him over at this point, but his mind was made up the moment he saw a way out. Pushing his dodging skills to the absolute maximum, he charged up to a nearby [Thunder Tusk]. The huge pig creature, upon seeing its territory invaded, immediately started bucking and snorting. The Shapeshifter''s attack route was cut off by the sudden rampage, but it wasn¡¯t strong enough to knock aside the tanky creature in a single blow. The axe smashed furiously into the beast¡¯s leathery hide, and in response it let loose its signature ability. Bolts of electricity poured out of the monster¡¯s spine and spread in all directions like a spider web. The surrounding space was completely lit up by the sudden attack, and even the Shapeshifter couldn¡¯t escape unscathed. It was struck by an errant thunderbolt and screeched in pain. ¡°ARGH! Damn it all! You fucking pig!¡± it struck the [Thunder Tusk] again and again in a fit of rage. The Shapeshifter had a short fuse to begin with, and went off at the slightest provocation. The creature moaned pitifully as it let out another storm of electricity, and collapsed on the ground with a final huff. The bloodlust finally cleared from the Shapeshifter¡¯s eyes, and it scanned the horizon with a determined expression. It couldn¡¯t stand to let that smug bastard live even a second more! ¡°Where¡­ where did he go?¡± Theo was nowhere to be seen. Aleside was still too far away for him to have escaped already, and his silhouette should have been easy to spot if he tried. There weren¡¯t any rocks or shrubs to hide behind either! It was as if he had completely disappeared! The Shapeshifter wasn¡¯t a slouch when it came to stealth and detection, and quickly activated its [Perception] skill, or the NPC equivalent of such. The distorted eyes on its face changed shape, becoming large and hawk-like, and glowed with a golden light. Everything nearby seemed to be encapsulated in its vision, and a wicked grin too wide for its face crept across the Shapeshifter¡¯s features. ¡°Found you!¡± it screamed and lunged at the unmoving body of the [Thunder Tusk]. The Shapeshifter¡¯s arms bulged wildly, swelling up like a massive lopsided gorilla as it dug a handful of meaty fingers into the dead monster¡¯s flesh. With a heave, the obese body was flung to the side, revealing a tattered and dusty looking Theo beneath it. The bastard had tried to hide under the body of the fallen [Thunder Tusk] and play dead! It wasn¡¯t just the assassin¡¯s arms that were swollen, as it was filled with an overinflated sense of ego at the sight of imminent victory. The image of the battered man who had tortured it previously was like the most refreshing sight in the world to the enraged Shapeshifter. It wanted to wring the life out of this annoying insect with its bare hands, and make him scream in agony until he begged for death! ¡°Finally¡­ finally, finally, finally, I get to kill you!¡± it repeated gleefully. Theo wasn¡¯t paying attention. His eyes seemed to be locked onto the ground, or something there that only he could see. Every second the Shapeshifter kept yapping was another step closer to his salvation. ¡°I¡¯m going to rip off your legs first, and then your arms, and then¡­¡± it was still going. ¡°3¡­ 2¡­ 1¡­¡± Theo spit out a mouth of sand and smiled up at the babbling assailant. The Shapeshifter looked at him, dumbfounded, as though he were a madman, but how could it understand a strategy that was only available to players? It wasn¡¯t a common sight, but Theo knew that thirty seconds after a non-player opponent changed targets, it would be considered out of combat. If that was the case... ¡°My win,¡± Theo said shortly. He logged out. Chapter Thirty-Three: Different Paths Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Thirty-Three: Different Paths
¡°Ugh¡­ how embarrassing can you get¡­¡± Rick rubbed his head as he removed the Lucid Lock helmet. He was actually sweating. That battle had just been too close for comfort. In the end, it was luck that ultimately allowed him to get out of the situation with his fragile life intact. Winning a fight against a higher level opponent when he didn¡¯t have all of the necessary skills was too much to hope for. What he wouldn¡¯t give for the chance to learn Meatshield¡¯s [Adaptability] skill. It was already a miracle that his [Lesser Polearm Mastery] was level 10 and ready to rank up at any time, but he was faced with enemies beyond even that. ¡°That bastard is probably throwing a tantrum right now,¡± Rick mumbled, thinking of the look in the Shapeshifter¡¯s eyes when he suddenly disappeared. There were plenty of space warping magics and special items in the game that could be used for a sudden escape. Of course, the unexpected logout was going to be rationalized away with such an explanation by the AI, since that was just way the system worked. NPCs would always manage to come up with a convenient explanation, even if it was one that made absolutely no sense. It only meant that the Shapeshifter would be coming after him more viciously than before. That thing had a crazy amount of pride for a slave, and wouldn¡¯t take this insult lying down. It was only a wonder what kind of Hell it was going to raise as a result of the repeated failures. Rick was good at planning things far ahead, but when it came to predicting the behaviors of others, he simply didn¡¯t have enough experience outside of programmed NPCs. He excelled at one on one conversations, though. Just to be safe, Rick decided not to log on for a while. Although the Shapeshifter wasn¡¯t likely to hang around the site of his disappearance, there was still a chance it would be waiting to ambush him when he returned. The day was still early, and there wouldn¡¯t be anything wrong with taking care of some chores in the real world while he had downtime. He was starting to run short on groceries, and would have to visit a few specialty shops to get everything he needed to maintain his strict diet. ¡°It¡¯s annoying not having a car,¡± Rick said to himself, sighing as he was forced to walk all over the city, ¡°I miss Luke.¡± Luke had been his virtual chauffeur in his past life, one of many standard issue self-driving programs that came pre-packaged in new vehicles. If he¡¯d had the good sense to let the AI drive him back and forth to the bar that night of the incident, he wouldn¡¯t be in this situation in the first place. He¡¯d probably still be alive and kicking in the future. Rick had already been tipsy before he left though, and didn¡¯t even give it a thought. Right now, he could afford the public transportation instead of walking, but why waste the money when the goal was to pass the time in the first place? He wasn¡¯t suffering to get by anymore, but he still didn¡¯t have enough petty cash to spend it flippantly. When he walked the streets of Aleside, Rick had to keep his guard up at all times. He had powerful enemies, and Orpheum was a far cry from the peace and comfort of the modern world. Just the ability to leave his home and go to the grocery store without the risk of being attacked was a luxury for which he felt very grateful. Peace was something that most people might take for granted, but even in the real world there were places where danger was waiting around every corner. That sense of safety immediately fled him when he saw a pack of young adults walking in his direction. His first thought was to run into the nearest store, but the person in the lead had already taken notice of him. ¡°Is that Rick?¡± the girl who spoke pointed a damning finger in his direction. University students! This was a city with no less than three major campuses and various other high-level programs of study. It wasn''t a stretch to say the young people easily outnumbered the elderly, especially in the parts of town that Rick frequented. In his superficial sense of security, he had ignored the fact that many of these people still knew his face. Although he couldn''t dare hope to recall the majority of these students after the years spent apart, there was a face he wouldn''t be able to forget no matter how hard he tried. ¡°Rick!¡± a tall young man with a slightly heavy build immediately waved and approached him. The glasses he was wearing framed his somewhat square face nicely, giving him a mature look that made him stand out like a sore thumb when surrounded by the flock of youngsters. He just barely managed to blend in thanks to the baggy collared shirt he was wearing, which was gaudily decorated with an ink-painting dragon and thunderbolts motif. Rick nearly flushed with embarrassment as memories from his past life, and his many childish antics, came flooding back to him. Desmond Carter had been Rick¡¯s best friend since diapers. He was an unapologetic consumer of all things geek culture, and had shared that love with Rick for as long they had known each other. They had even gone off to the same college and become roommates. If Rick had a brother, he couldn¡¯t possibly have been any closer to him than Desmond. While the two hadn¡¯t parted on necessarily bad terms, Rick had become something of a recluse after dropping out. It was a time when he had closed off all connections to the outside world, and it was only natural the two had drifted apart. It wasn''t until years later that Rick found out what had happened to his friend. Desmond had gone on to be something of an internet celebrity. He followed his long-time dream of being a journalist who wrote articles about his favorite games and TV shows. The revelation had given Rick the kind of closure he needed to close the book on that chapter of his life, focusing on his career in the game instead. It had been a long time since he¡¯d thought about Desmond, but seeing that smiling and all too welcoming face was more than Rick could handle. He hadn''t even been this stumped when Mary Ann showed up at his apartment with dubious intentions, ¡°Des¡­ that''s¡­ how are you?¡± Des was the shorthand his friend had always gone by. As someone who had already lived and died beyond his years, Rick compensated for his awkwardness with overt formality. The group of college students staring at him like they were meeting for the first time, and even Desmond seemed bothered. If one had asked Rick to act like his nineteen-year-old self, he wouldn''t have been able to do it. He didn''t even really remember what it was like. There was a heaviness in the air before the girl who had pointed earlier, a shorter than average young woman with bleached blonde hair, broke the silence, ¡°Rick, we haven''t seen you in forever, what''s up?¡± For the life of him, Rick couldn''t recall this girl¡¯s name, but he couldn''t very well say that out loud. He could only smile blankly and say, ¡°Things are fine. Getting by and all that. I¡¯ve been making money playing Dream World Online lately,¡± although it wasn¡¯t the most socially acceptable thing to say at this point in time, Rick would never feel ashamed of his work in the game. One of the guys in the back who was standing around and checking something on his phone looked up for a moment, but after taking a glance at the unfamiliar face, quickly went back to what he was doing. The motion didn¡¯t go unnoticed by Rick, who assumed this was the only one of this group who had a vested interest in Dream World Online. Although Desmond was an avid gamer, he was serious enough about his education not to mix work and play. He¡¯d grown up in a fairly impoverished household, but maybe the taste of the good life he¡¯d gotten from befriending Rick was what motivated him so much.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon. Rick¡¯s family had always been well off, at least on the surface. ¡°That¡¯s awesome,¡± the cheerful young woman quickly recovered from Rick¡¯s words and said, ¡°We were just about to hit up this great Greek place, did you want to go with?¡± Rick felt a little worse about not remembering this person. ¡°I¡¯m sure Rick¡¯s busy right now, guys, let¡¯s not hold him up any longer,¡± it was Desmond who had spoken first. Contrary to the way it may have sounded, Rick¡¯s friend wasn¡¯t trying to brush him off. Out of everyone here, Desmond was the only one who understood how difficult things were supposed to be for the current Rick, who was, as of their last conversation, still struggling just to find a home. He was trying to give him an easy way out of an awkward situation. How could he know that Rick really was making good money out of playing an online game? Even if that was the case, Rick honestly didn¡¯t feel like going out with a bunch of kids. The unnamed girl frowned, but didn¡¯t argue, and led the other two guys away with her. Nobody said anything when Desmond hung back to talk a little longer with Rick, since they were all at least vaguely aware of the relationship between the two. ¡°Is everything alright, man?¡± Desmond asked, his brows scrunching up tightly as he spoke. Rick laughed it off, ¡°It¡¯s fine¡­ I¡¯m not doing too bad, so don¡¯t worry about it.¡± The taller man couldn¡¯t help but add, ¡°And your old man?¡± Hearing the words made the surreal situation sink into Rick¡¯s stomach like a heavy boulder, ¡°Not yet¡­¡± all he could manage was a mumble, ¡°Anyway, I - uh, have to get going.¡± ¡°Hey, Rick, keep in touch okay? You don¡¯t have to do everything alone,¡± Desmond said the words as if he was trying to lighten the mood, but Rick¡¯s expression only sank further. It wasn¡¯t like he didn¡¯t appreciate the sentiment, but there were some things in life that you never wanted to experience twice. Rather, there were some things in life that were impossible to experience twice. Rick wasn¡¯t sure what he was going to do with himself when that time came, but he didn¡¯t want to think about it right now either. All he could do was smile and nod his head. The group of students were standing just out of earshot, and Rick couldn¡¯t help but look over at them. ¡°You should get going, I just need a bit of time,¡± he forced the words out with the same ease as when he was lying to an NPC. It wasn¡¯t a skill he was grateful to have right now. Rick really would have liked to reconnect with his old friend and fix the relationship he had let fall apart in the past, but that wasn¡¯t something he could do anymore. He was a different man now, who had vastly different opinions and experiences and six year of growing up. That fact would only grow more obvious the longer he stayed around his friend, who seemed to Rick as if frozen in time. Desmond would manage to get along just fine without Rick in his life, or rather, he would prosper and eventually end up right where he had always wanted to be. Who was Rick to try and take that away from him? How selfish could he possibly be to try and change the future that would be the best for the man who had always been his best friend? Sentimentality never seemed to suit Rick very well, but he was somehow certain that they had always been meant to part ways here. ¡°Yeah, I¡¯ll see you later,¡± Desmond said, sauntering off after the group with a final wave of his hand. Rick had to swallow a lump in his throat. All the way to the grocery store, and even after he had arrived, Rick felt like one of the NPCs in Dream World Online. He was on autopilot, with only the sense of purpose and direction he had given himself when he first stepped foot out of his home. Rick didn¡¯t want to think about any of the thoughts that were weighing on his mind, and so he ignored them. Despite the world moving around him, he seemed to finish his chores without any time passing at all. It wasn¡¯t until he was standing in the small, chilly apartment that he finally put away the annoying feelings buzzing around his skull. The Lucid Lock was sitting on his coffee table in the same place he always left it. The little LED light showing that it was powered on still blinked the same heart-warming blue as always. That¡¯s right, this was a new life, and he had already decided what he was going to do with it. Rick didn¡¯t know what the motivation behind whatever power that sent him back in time was, but it didn¡¯t affect his plans. Changing his mind? That was just another way for him to be selfish. Rick restocked his pantry and folded his body into the creaking old futon. The Lucid Lock started up with its usual siren-song chime and invited him into the world of Orpheum. Theo was waiting for him. He logged in. To put the situation bluntly, the entire area had been torn to pieces. It looked like something had attempted to claw up all of the dirt around the place where Theo vanished. Without stopping to enjoy the sight of the wanton carnage, the Slave Master bolted towards the safety of Aleside. His HP was still in critical condition, and all of his efforts would be wasted if he got punked by a random mob on the way back. Thankfully, that didn¡¯t happen to him... this time. By the time he reached the safety of the port city¡¯s walls, his HP had regenerated most of the way, and any chance of meeting a grisly end at the hands of the Shapeshifter was put off for the time being. The guards, seeing the familiar face of the adventurer who had been traveling back and forth lately, greeted Theo with a hearty smile. Even though his alignment was Neutral, Aleside was a city where that was the case for a majority of its denizens. He had also built up a decent amount of reputation after monopolizing the monster hunting in the region for the past few days. It was going to be another day or two before any of the other players made their way here, so he had to wring all he could out of Aleside before that happened. At Level 14, he was still in the lead, but the players were reaching the point where they would be forced to travel this far out to hunt. Those who followed the spoon-fed beginner quests would end up in the far more popular city of Trinity, but that didn¡¯t mean this place would be completely neglected. Almost as soon as he arrived, he was met by a large, armed force. The Aleside guards weren¡¯t as well-equipped as the Oasis guards, and had much lower levels. If he was forced, Theo wouldn¡¯t have any trouble dispatching a few of them by himself, but that would mean making an enemy of the Merchant Alliance which ruled the area. Angering those greedy bastards would be a hundred times worse than pissing off Old Man Snake Eyes or Castle. Theo was already risking the wrath of one superpower if Meatshield¡¯s secret got out, and he certainly didn¡¯t need two of them after his head. Behind the group of armed men, Theo could make out the shapes of Meatshield and Gobthnora, who were both thankfully still cloaked. For a moment, he was worried one or both of their secret identities had been leaked, but that didn¡¯t appear to be the case. The guards moved aside to let the pair through, but instead of the heartfelt reunion they might have expected, the women walked up to Theo without saying a word and took up positions behind him on either flank. It was like two stoic knights returning to the side of their liege, rather than a pair of innocent girls seeing their benefactor well and out of harm''s way. Of course, neither of the slaves were particularly worried about their unnaturally strong master, who had never shown himself to be anything but indomitable. After recovering from his shattered expectations, a man with a slightly more grizzled appearance approached the trio with measured steps. Theo recognized him as Guard Captain Alaine, who he had seen a few times around the town hall when he was turning in subjugation missions. Alaine was a strong and experienced Elite NPC, and he was no less threatening than the Shapeshifter. It was good that he didn¡¯t appear to be hostile. ¡°D-rank Adventurer Theo,¡± the man said in a surprisingly tepid voice, ¡°It¡¯s good to see you return safely. I¡¯ve heard you¡¯ve been a great aid to the Monster Subjugation Office as of late.¡± Theo nodded, saying casually, ¡°As an adventurer, it¡¯s only natural.¡± ¡°Good. Good. I¡¯m glad to hear it,¡± Alaine seemed relieved at Theo¡¯s unpretentious attitude, and continued, ¡°Although I wish we could meet under better circumstances, I¡¯m afraid I come as a bearer of bad news.¡± ¡°So that was what the guards were for¡­¡± Theo thought, before saying, ¡°Then we shouldn¡¯t waste time. I assume you want me to accompany you somewhere more private?¡± [Lesser Persuasion] was used successfully! Guard Captain Alaine¡¯s affinity for Slave Master Theo increases slightly. The guard captain coughed and rubbed his stubbly face. His eyes, which were sunken and tired-looking, blinked in shock. It wasn¡¯t rare to meet an adventurer who was compliant to the law, but there was always the chance they wouldn¡¯t be. What¡¯s more, it was refreshing to see one who didn¡¯t need to have every last thing explained to them. Although the only adventurer the NPC had ever met was in fact Theo, his opinion of them had long since been hardwired into his programming. ¡°Very well, follow me then,¡± he said with a bit more energy, and turned with a flourish of his sandy brown cape. Theo suppressed a sigh of exasperation at the sudden news. When NPCs behaved this way, it almost always meant one thing: a forced quest! Chapter Thirty-Four: A Clandestine Encounter Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Thirty-Four: A Clandestine Encounter
The council room of the town hall was large but hardly ornate. Even though these merchant rulers were men who knew how to enjoy the finer things in life, they were by nature the most frugal kind of people. The table top that filled the bulk of the room sat upon a singular heavy base, seated on a simple hard-weave rug. Theo couldn¡¯t really see all of the chairs but they looked comfortable enough. The walls were decorated with simple paintings and bookshelves lined both side walls and held dozens of collected volumes of various laws and codes. Large windows dominated the far wall, where heavy curtains had been pulled aside to let the evening light pour through. The mayor, who was seated at the head of the table was doing so with his back to the setting sun, giving him a rather powerful impression when one walked into the room. The rest of the seats were taken up by a variety of citizens, including the other members of the council that controlled Aleside, mostly government officials, business owners, and local landowners. The mayor was a sallow man with strict features and thinning hair. He was dressed like a typical Oasis plutocrat. Since there wasn¡¯t anything like air conditioning in the world of Orpheum, the room was swelteringly hot, but nobody dared to complain about it. Sweat pooled on the foreheads of nearly everyone present, excluding a tall buxom woman with long brown hair who sat near the end of the table. From the looks of it, she appeared to be some kind of spellcaster. When Theo arrived, he was immediately the center of attention, and the council members regarded him as though he were some kind of living embodiment of plague. The only sympathetic looks came from the mayor, his new friend, the Monster Subjugation Officer, and the mage woman who didn¡¯t appear interested in the least and somewhat frustrated at being there. ¡°D-rank adventurer Theo, as you requested mayor,¡± the guard captain, Alaine, introduced Theo to the room of people, though it was clear they already recognized him. Theo stepped forward and took a slight bow as a formality, though there wasn¡¯t any reason to say anything. No matter what he said, there wasn¡¯t going to be much of a way out of this situation without making even more enemies than he already had. It was best to just hear them out and play along. ¡°Theo, it¡¯s good to finally meet you, Charles has told me much about you,¡± the mayor said cordially, smiling through his distressed expression. Charles must have been the name of the official who gave the monster subjugation missions. Theo gave the dandy old man a grateful nod, which was returned in kind. This didn¡¯t go unnoticed by the others, but they didn¡¯t speak after it. There would not have been a reason to bring Theo here if these self-absorbed NPCs hadn¡¯t already come to a conclusion. Why would they give him the ability to speak his mind when it wasn¡¯t required by law? ¡°I¡¯ve been informed that you are currently unaware of our predicament,¡± one of the men, an older bushy-bearded fellow who was dressed like a scribe, said, and he passed a tightly bound scroll down the table in his direction, ¡°This should clear up any misconceptions on your part.¡± Theo recognized the scroll as a missive from the Adventuring Guild. This may as well have been the game¡¯s equivalent of a draft letter. Thankfully, it contained a very useful system protection that removed the penalty for death during the events of the quest. The scroll was eventually handed over to Alaine, who presented it to Theo. Of course none of the council members wanted to approach the armed and dangerous adventurer when he might retaliate at any moment. Theo received the letter from the guard captain with a stoic expression and unrolled it to take a look. The game provided a quest tracker for the player¡¯s convenience, but Theo didn¡¯t enjoy windows popping up all of the time and had it turned off by habit. It was just too easy to get sidetracked by the information the system gave youand forget to look out for bonus content. D-ranked Adventurer Theo, It has come to the Guild¡¯s attention that due to your recent actions, a group of [Threat Level: D] bandits, Black Mountain Clan, desires your immediate extermination. This has placed the Oasis jurisdiction city of Aleside in a dangerous situation. The leader of the Black Mountain Clan has requested your execution in exchange for the safety of the citizens of Aleside. It is the Guild¡¯s policy not to involve itself in such disputes, but it has come to our attention that the quarrel between yourself and the bandits is due to actions you have taken in service to the Adventuring Guild. As such, the Guild will be taking full responsibility for the conflict, and the city of Aleside will support you in this matter. An emergency mission has been posted to subjugate the unruly Black Mountain Clan, but the punitive force will not be able to arrive in less that 48 hours time. Due to the circumstances, and because you are the only the adventurer present in the Aleside territory, the city government has hired you for a mission. A dossier detailing your objective should be delivered to you by a representative of the Guild along with this letter. Refusal of this mission will result in immediate termination of your status as a member of the Adventuring Guild. Sincerely, Caoimhe Dahlia Fillilita, A-Rank Liaison As soon as Theo finished reading the letter, he noticed a small postscript scroll across bottom of the missive in luminescent ink. It faded just as quickly as it had appeared, and was clearly a way of sending secret messages using a magical trigger. P.S. Do your best, and try not to die! <3 ¡°Sarcastic bitch!¡± Theo cursed the woman in his heart, though his face remained placid. The letter was more or less what he had expected, but for some reason the little message from the greeter was enough to ignite a fire in his belly. ¡°Well, it¡¯s not anything I hadn¡¯t expected,¡± Theo said, taking a moment to inform the council members of his prior knowledge. The rest of the men looked at him as if he was a suicidal maniac, but that was normal for the interactions most NPCs had with adventurers. The players were functionally immortal, and they had no fear of failure outside of the small loss of time investment they would face. It was impossible for them to feel pain or fear like the AIs. Theo had long since grown used to to this kind of expression. ¡°So you were aware, already,¡± the mayor spoke for his cabinet, doing his best to save face for the startled men. Theo only shrugged, turning towards the woman who had been impartial up to this point. ¡°I am guessing this is the messenger from the Guild?¡± For the first time, the woman turned to look at Theo, ¡°Clever. I like that. So am I to believe you were aware of me from the beginning?¡± Theo honestly had no idea who this person was, but she was clearly the prideful type that expected people to understand her importance beforehand. Given her ability to suddenly appear before the backwater politicians without much of an explanation, it was probably the case that she could use teleportation magic. That meant that she was at least level 100, which seemed to imply a status of an A-rank NPC adventurer. She was truly an opponent that Theo couldn¡¯t hope to combat, even if she was on the low end of the threat level, but there was nothing stopping a level 200 NPC from casting level 100 magic. With his current [Perception] skill, it was was insult to try and discover the truth behind the lax woman.Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere. ¡°How could I not?¡± he lied openly, ¡°Well, I can only pay my respects now, that I have the chance,¡± Theo said. The woman in the witch-looking outfit finally turned to him and inspected him with a pair of icy azure eyes, that felt as if they were piercing his very soul. This was a common effect upon those who fell under the perception of one many levels above them. It wouldn¡¯t be an exaggeration to say this woman could even peek into Theo¡¯s future, his fate was so easy to view for a high leveled figure, if only such a thing were possible for player characters. Contrary to the frustration Theo expected to cover her features, the woman quirked an eyebrow at him, followed by a sudden bolt of fear that shook her to her core. It was only through thousands of hours of interaction that Theo could make such a judgement, and for the first time since he encountered an NPC in Dream World Online, he was stumped by their reaction. ¡°What¡­ could she have seen?¡± he murmured. ¡°Well,¡± the woman cut him off before he could stew any longer in his own thoughts, ¡°I came here just to bring you this dossier, I¡¯m sure a respected individual such as yourself will know what to do with it.¡± To the shock and awe of all of the Aleside bigwigs, the pair of adventurers, despite their vast disparity in status, regarded one another as equals. The woman spoke with Theo as if she was regarding an old friend, and handed him the packet of documents with a curious smile. ¡°My name is Beatrice, Witch Beatrice,¡± she said with a coy smile. Theo had to keep from freezing up as he smiled and accepted the mission briefing with a respectful grin. This was Witch Beatrice. Forget about level 200, she was a terrifying level 300 Boss NPC! She was the high protector of the mage¡¯s college of Barantis! She was also an adventurer, but she was beyond even the A-ranked class. The only reason why Theo suspected she might be here was because she was the closest and most convenient NPC the system could make use of. Even the most powerful boss in the game was still just a delivery boy for the the AI that ran the whole show. ¡°Hohoho, for a young one, you certainly know how to treat a woman!¡± she laughed, showing off her figure in a decidedly suggestive way. The system was equally biased towards fan service, it seemed. Theo could cite this character¡¯s entire backstory better than she could, by any measure, but he managed to restrain himself in this instance. He wasn¡¯t the same War God he had been when they last¡­ *ahem*... met. How could he possibly forget this name and face? ¡°Does this make me a sleaze at this point?¡± Theo couldn¡¯t help but think. Naturally, the high leveled NPC who could solve this entire issue with a wave of her fingertips wouldn¡¯t step in to solve the problem. The less effort a character had to make to fix an issue, the more expensive it would be. The issue was the same when Theo had become the War God. An entire cult of NPCs sprouted up to celebrate his rise to divinity, and it was profited from in each instance by the Alabaster Alliance. Even then, the most petty of requests could still end up being heard if the God himself had a moment to spare and sense of pity or boredom. ¡°I thank you for your aid in this matter,¡± Theo replied, trying to lead the god-like entity on. The woman smiled, easily seeing through the lower-ranked adventurer¡¯s provocations, ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to handle a small matter like this¡­ Theo,¡± she said. Why did he suddenly feel like someone was breaking script here? He tried not to let the shock show on his face when he eyed the woman. Although she had made it clear that she wasn¡¯t going to help in this incident in any tangible way, her words were enough to increase Theo¡¯s credibility as an adventurer beyond even the league of C-ranked adventurers. This was one of the true rulers of this world, a Hero who had long since retired! If she said that the world was flat and gravity flowed in the opposite direction, who would dare to contradict her!? ¡°Rest assured,¡± Theo followed up shortly, ¡°My matters won¡¯t bother the High Scholars in this case.¡± Even Theo himself wasn¡¯t sure why he had answered in this way, but Beatrice only smiled back at him pleasantly, ¡°When that time comes, you know who to ask,¡± she winked. ¡°Why are you winking? This isn¡¯t Tazzharath! Please don¡¯t remind me of that incident!¡± Theo¡¯s mind was racing, trying to keep up with the woman¡¯s bountiful¡­ *ahem*... exposition. The High Scholars were the ruling body of Barilantis, and would always be Beatrice¡¯s most sensitive subject. She would rail on and on about how those old bastards were always telling her how to live her life. As the youngest and most powerful witch of the last hundred generations, and a ripe old 300 years herself, they were the only entities in the world that could boss around the walking nuclear warhead. ¡°Very well,¡± Theo finally stopped trying to push for help and accepted his fate. Beatrice gave him a look as if to say, ¡®I¡¯ll see you around,¡¯ and exited the room with a resounding popping noise. Almost as surely as she had arrived, the woman was gone, most likely not to be seen for a good long while. When you got into the many hundreds in age, you tended not to pay too much attention to the way time passed. Even the six extra years Theo had lived wasn¡¯t anything of consideration in comparison to the terrifying spellcaster¡¯s life. ¡°I had never expected you to know such a distinguished guest,¡± the mayor said in his best impression of a casual voice. Although he couldn¡¯t possibly comprehend the nature of Theo¡¯s relationship with the Witch Beatrice, the mayor was opportunistic by trade. It was only a shame that he was already on Theo¡¯s side from the beginning. It would take him a while to convince the rest of the council members just how wrong they were by placing the woman¡¯s acquaintance in danger, but that wouldn¡¯t serve to protect Theo¡¯s life in the meantime. The only thing the man could do was try to express as much goodwill as was within his power, even if that meant giving up a room in his own home. Theo denied the preferential treatment as the meeting dragged on. His role in the ensuing conflict was going to be simple. He was the vanguard that would meet the bandits on the field of combat outside the walls of Aleside. Theo wondered if this was a quest that had always been programmed into the game from the moment an adventurer set foot inside the city, or if it was really the result of his own actions in the game. This was always something that would remain a mystery to the playerbase. Theo¡¯s ultimate goal was to go out in front and get slaughtered by the bandits, in the hope that his death would placate the Black Mountain Clan long enough to get them to pack up and go home. It was the kind of desperate strategy that only the large dark bureaucratic menace that infected Orpheum could come up with, but how could the prospective world ruler himself really discount such a strategy? If Theo was placed in the same situation, with the same information as those in power, he would probably make the same decision. Theo wasn¡¯t worried about holding the line, since low level bandits would never be his equal in combat no matter how many of them there were. It was only the looming shadow of the Shapeshifter that caused him to feel apprehensive. The bandit army wasn¡¯t far out, and it was impossible for him to travel outside of the walls and grind up experience before the conflict unfolded. That would be the same as leaping openly into the waiting arms of Death. ¡°All that I request is a place for the girls by my side, I know that the conflict will be dangerous, but I¡¯ve tried and failed to get them to leave,¡± Theo¡¯s voice was calming, gentle even, as he requested permission to bring a mute princess and a sociopathic Goblin into combat with him. The only thing the councilmen heard was another selfish concession given to the average adventure, and they didn¡¯t at all consider the emotional impact on what could very well have been two unwilling sacrifices. If this was all he asked for,the profit-minded merchant community couldn¡¯t possibly deny him. Theo knew this, and presented his action as a final favor to a dead man, rather than an ostentatious request. Although Charles the Monster Subjugation Office had an inkling of the relationship between the three, only the mayor fully understood after the exchange with Beatrice, how important this man might be to not only Aleside or Oasis, but the entirety of Orpheum. If it wasn¡¯t on direct order from the Adventuring Guild itself, he wouldn¡¯t have dared let this man step onto the field of battle. Given the situation, the group easily granted Theo complete leeway to do with the girls as he wished, without having to worry about the interference of the guard. Alaine gave the adventurer a curious glance, but the ¡®just trust me,¡¯ look that was returned to him was enough to placate his concerns for now. He had a good opinion of Theo, and expected an adequate explanation from the man when the time finally came for the both of them to offer up their lives to the Black Mountain Clan. Theo bowed to the merchant leaders and decided to take his leave, ¡°I¡¯m afraid I have nothing left to do but wait in response for the invader¡¯s actions, I¡¯ll fulfill the mission to the best of my ability.¡± The Slave Master left the room with air of man who was already on death row. Considering the various strings Castle seemed to pull behind the scenes, that might very well be the case. ¡°Let ¡®em try, I¡¯ll show these bastards the real wrath of the War God¡­¡± Chapter Thirty-Five: One Step Closer Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Thirty-Five: One Step Closer
¡°What? You cancel on me again!?¡± Bai was obviously none too pleased to hear that Rick was reneging on his promise to serve in the neighborhood watch. Nothing strange had happened to them just yet, and there had been no sign of the supposed stalker. The pair would walk the streets in the middle of the night while keeping an eye out for anything suspicious and exchanging their typical banter. It wasn¡¯t too terribly unpleasant, but Rick couldn¡¯t bring himself to take the waste of time seriously. He was doing it as a favor to¡­ a friend? Bai was probably something like a friend by this point, despite Rick¡¯s original intention to make use of him in the future. It was a shame to leave the young man disappointed, but that was just the way things had to be. Rick couldn¡¯t predict how long the siege of Aleside would last, and he couldn¡¯t afford the interruption if it really came down to it. His chances of survival were low, so he had to do everything he could to improve his odds. Bai eventually sighed with a dejected tone from the other end of the line, and said, ¡°I understand, Rick. Game for you is same as job. Work comes first.¡± Rick could feel a surge of gratitude well up in his chest, and he said, ¡°Thanks Bai, I¡¯ll treat you to a coffee next time, alright?¡± He could make out a light chuckle, ¡°Damn right you will!¡± Bai informed him sharply. Rick chatted with the nerd for a little bit longer before finally hanging up the phone. Since he knew he was going to be in the game for a while, he went ahead and fed himself and made sure to use the restroom. He even got in an hour or two of actual sleep, trying to reach his best condition. After the number of life and death battles he had been shoved into lately, Rick surmised that he was close to 40% of his top form, which was a subjective measurement if nothing else. ¡°If I¡¯m going to win¡­ I¡¯ll need to reach [Basic Polearm Mastery], or there¡¯s no chance,¡± he decided. With his plan established and his resolve firmed, Rick entered Dream World Online to prepare for his most dangerous task yet. ¡°So that was it¡­¡± Guard Captain Alaine was currently sharing a drink with Theo in the Aleside barracks, where the adventurer had decided to stay for the time being. Theo had informed him that Meatshield and Gobthnora were actually his apprentices, and were training to be adventurers in the future. From the way he talked about them, it was as if he was discussing his own flesh and blood, and for some added realism, Theo had requested that Alaine take care of the two if he fell during the battle. Gobthnora and even Meatshield, both seemed a bit agitated by the praise their master had heaped upon them in public, but stuck to their acts and said nothing. ¡°They may be young, but their skills will shock you. I trust them to take care of themselves, but¡­¡± Theo said. ¡°Say no more,¡± Alaine was a rather upstanding guy, and easily agreed to protect the girls. ¡°Many thanks,¡± the Slave Master nodded graciously, and then added, ¡°There is one more thing I want to ask of you, Alaine.¡± The guard captain raised a bushy eyebrow, ¡°Oh? Do tell.¡± ¡°I feel close to a breakthrough in my spear technique these days and feel like a proper spar is all I need, but to impose at this hour seems...¡± Theo breached the issue as formally as he could. In short, he wanted to fight against Alaine to accelerate the proficiency acquisition of his [Lesser Polearm Mastery] skill. The trained soldier was probably the only one in the city who could give Theo a good fight, and he wouldn¡¯t have to worry about accidentally killing the higher level opponent. ¡°Haha, well aren¡¯t you relaxed?¡± the man said with a laugh. Despite his words, Theo could make out a certain excitement in Alaine¡¯s sunken eyes. There were few combat NPCs that didn¡¯t want to test their skills against the legendary adventurers, and such a spar was an excellent opportunity to do so. Although he put on airs for a bit and pretended to deny the request, Theo knew that it was already a done thing. It only took a few minutes of casual conversation to get the guard captain to accept. The news quickly spread throughout the entire barracks, of a fight between their respected captain and the mysterious new adventurer who was making a name for himself. With the sudden bleak news of the upcoming assault, they probably wanted to indulge in any kind of distraction that was available. As such, the area outside the training field was completely packed with guards and militiamen, who were eagerly awaiting the start of the combat. Some were eating and drinking, while others were chatting boisterously and even making bets. ¡°Go get him captain!¡± ¡°Better not go down too fast, new blood!¡± ¡°Show us what an adventurer is all about!¡± Under his breath, Alaine spoke to Theo as they each picked out a suitable training weapon from the racks, ¡°I should have tried this out a long time ago¡­ it¡¯s good for morale to see your commanders fight.¡± These dull blades were going to be a lot less threatening than actual weapons, even if both of the men could just as easily kill one another with wooden sticks. Theo naturally picked up a wooden spear, and Alaine went with a sword. It was a classic choice, and it was obvious from the way he wielded the weapon, he was quite good. Though his level might be lower than the Shapeshifter, his combat skills were a step above. This wasn¡¯t going to be an easy fight, but as long as he used an appropriate instrument, Theo could still level up his weapon proficiency. ¡°I¡¯ll try not to beat you up too bad,¡± Theo said with a confident grin. ¡°Likewise!¡± Alaine replied, taking up a place on the other side of the pitch from his sparring partner. It was customary for opponents to begin a spar with probing attacks, to get a feel for the threat they were facing. Fortunately for Theo, it didn¡¯t matter how skilled his opponent was, he would be able to adapt without effort. Although he had chosen a defensive style of combat in his match against Bai, this time he wanted to show off just how domineering a master polearm wielder could be! [Lunge] MISS! Theo opened by expertly chaining his skills together in between normal attacks, as if possessed by a furious tornado. One strike after the other roared as they cut through the air, kicking up wind and dirt. Alaine¡¯s wooden sword cracked against the haft of the spear, carefully parrying the incoming blows. Despite the captain¡¯s best efforts, Theo¡¯s weapon wove about, borrowing the momentum of each swing to turn aside the difference in strength. For every attack he managed to block or dodge, another would be a clean hit. MISS! MISS! MISS! Only Theo could see the words floating up over Alaine¡¯s head every time his weapon broke through his opponent''s guard. Of course the level thirty-something Aleside Guard Captain was no match for the War God in a game of skill, but all of the blows that connected felt too light. It was as if Theo wasn¡¯t trying to hurt him in the slightest. This was a spar where the goal wasn¡¯t to kill, but the guard captain didn¡¯t know how he felt about being treated so daintily. He had to admit that the adventure was an absolute monster though. If this was a fight to the death, he felt like he would already be riddled with holes by now. [Plow] Alaine swung his blade with a disarming amount of force, causing Theo to be caught up in a knockback effect. Since the one-handed sword was shorter and faster than the spear, it wasn¡¯t really viable to counter the force with his [Fend] skill. Instead, he borrowed the momentum to retreat out of the way of the captain¡¯s follow-up strike. The audience clamoured to get a better look as the fight, which had been dictated entirely by Theo up to this point, suddenly shifted. Of course Theo wanted to strike out with his weapon as many times as he could, since that was the only way to properly accumulate experience points. Now that he was forced onto the defensive, he would have to mix his attacks with dodges in order to fight properly. Since he still couldn¡¯t manage to do any real damage to his opponent, he once again fell into a position where he was unable to retaliate. Whoosh! The wooden blade cleaved the space above his head as he ducked under another swipe. Skill [Dodge] has reached Lv. 10 (Max)! Skill [Counter] has been unlocked! ¡°Oh, so it was that time,¡± Theo had almost forgotten about maxing his [Dodge] skill. Now, every time he dodged one of Alaine¡¯s sword swings, he would receive a small boost to damage for a second or so if he managed to attack in that window. The difference was negligible when he couldn¡¯t actually land a proper hit, so he moved the skill acquisition to the back of his mind.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. The fight continued until the spear was finally able to land a solid [Fend] on its target, causing the opponent to be knocked backwards just long enough for Theo to regain his momentum. It took four tries before the skill actually managed to connect, which could be considered pretty lucky. Theo tried to follow it up with a [Lunge] for the combo damage, but the attack once again resulted in a miss. Theo could only imagine what was going through his sparring partner¡¯s mind after being struck with so many glancing blows. It was probably why the man was trying so hard to crack his foe over the head. ¡°That adventurer is really something, he can even go toe to toe with the Captain,¡± said one of the guards. ¡°It looks more like he¡¯s just playing around with him, to me, I can barely even make out what that guy is doing¡­¡± another added. ¡°Eh? Aren¡¯t you a spearman too?¡± a comment sounded. It was clear to everyone that the mysterious stranger was a step above even their guard captain, but this was without all but the most basic skills Theo had available. He felt like a bird who had lost its wings! The first step to getting back his original power was to get access to the [Parry] skill. Although he could hit an opponent¡¯s weapon to disrupt their attacks, this was generally considered a subpar option to dodging before one gained [Parry], which came standard with all Basic-tier weapon skills. After that, you could deflect an incoming attack to activate the [Riposte] effect. A [Riposte] was just like a regular attack, but it had no accuracy modifier! This was because a [Parry] was already gated by the attributes of the attacker and defender. If your opponent was many times stronger than you, it would be impossible to parry their attacks in the first place. It was a skill which could still be used to close the gap with those up to level 60, and by then he probably wouldn¡¯t have to worry too much about accuracy unless his opponent was someone like Witch Beatrice. If Theo was going to stand any chance against the Shapeshifter when it inevitably appeared, he was going to require this skill! Eventually, Alaine called an end to the spar because he couldn¡¯t carry on any longer. The surrounding guards clapped at the demonstration, but were noticeably disappointed by the lack of a decisive victor. How could there be? Alaine wasn¡¯t fighting to kill, so his attacks weren¡¯t going to be so aggressive Theo couldn¡¯t dodge them, and at the same time, the adventurer wasn¡¯t able to really harm his opponent. ¡°By the Gods, where did you learn to fight like that?¡± Alaine was forced to ask as he doused his sweating head in a flagon of water from a nearby trough. Theo decided to just stick to the backstory he had made up for himself on the spot, ¡°I learned this technique from a Beastman hunter named Galen,¡± he explained. Hearing this, Alaine gave a sound of awe, ¡°So that explains the savagery, truly impressive. The Beastmen are natural warriors!¡± Theo put aside the casual racism and laughed it off. There weren¡¯t many humans who understood the intricacies of the Beastman culture, and he didn¡¯t feel like trying to explain it to them. Just saying that he learned how to fight from one of them was enough to shock most people. Even trained soldiers of the great kingdoms were cowed by the might of a true Warrior of the Clan. Any one of them would be enough to crush the Shapeshifter and Kruger even if they fought together, but alas, the system didn¡¯t have the habit of letting higher leveled NPCs over meddle in the affairs of the lower level ones. After a short rest, the rounds of sparring began again. When Alaine couldn¡¯t carry on any longer, many of the regular guards offered to stand in and try to give Theo a run for his money, though they were quickly trounced and sent running back. Thankfully, without too much injury, since Theo needed their help later. Even when they came at the adventurer in a group, they weren¡¯t a match for him, but he thanked each and every one of them for the bountiful harvest of experience. At some point, Meatshield volunteered to go up against her Master, though in truth she just walked out onto the pitch with her shield and axe. It seemed she didn¡¯t really understand the concept of using training weapons, but then Theo had raised her in a terrifying kill or be killed environment for as long as he¡¯d known her. It was actually cute to see her so readily entering the fray, and a few of the guards rallied together to give the pretty young woman their support. It wasn¡¯t until they saw the girl¡¯s utterly barbaric, win at all costs style of combat, that they were forced to shut their mouths. ¡°Scary¡­ she¡¯s even scarier than the adventurer,¡± one of the men said. Upon seeing the unapologetic thrashing that Theo administered to the vicious young woman, someone else said, ¡°I wonder if all adventurers have to go through training like that.¡± ¡°Now that¡¯s really scary¡­¡± A few of them glanced over to the unmoving and unspeaking pile of cloth that was Gobthnora, and subtly wondered what allowed this little thing to travel with such a pair of monsters. The only conclusion they could come to was that she was equally terrifying, though they probably wouldn¡¯t be happy to know their guesses were spot on. Gobthnora didn¡¯t pay much attention to anything that couldn¡¯t benefit herself or her master, so she spent most of the time silently cheering him on. ¡°Crush all of the puny humies! Crush them into bone dust!¡± she would chant quietly, punctuating her little charm with a high-pitched giggle. ¡°Alright! I¡¯m ready to go again!¡± Alaine said with an almost excited air. Theo, who had just finished beating down the stubborn princess for the third time, was looking off into space with a satisfied expression. Nobody else could see it, but he had just been surrounded in a pillar of golden light. Not only had all of his hard work paid off, it had even resulted in him reaching Level 15 before the big battle. He owed a sincere debt of gratitude to these guards, who he had built something of a rapport with over the last couple hours. The very least he could do was try to make sure as many of them survived the conflict as was possible. ¡°No need,¡± Theo gripped his spear, enjoying the rush of energy that flooded his body after getting a new level, ¡°I think I¡¯ve got what I needed.¡± Alaine seemed excited for his new comrade, ¡°Excellent! With your spear on our side, I think those damn bandits have really bit off a tougher cut of meat than they expected!¡± He laughed jovially, and even went as far as to clap Theo on the back. Theo returned the goodwill, but was distracted by the need to assign his new attribute points. After doing so, he appeared to space out as he checked his character information.
Character Information
Name: Theo HP: 580/580
Race: Human MP: 560/560
Class: Slave Master Attack: 122~166
Alignment: Neutral Defense: 12 (7%)
Attributes and Runes
Strength: 75 (+0) Head Rune: Empty
Agility: 8 (+3) Heart Rune: Desert Heart Rune
Intelligence: 5(+0) Core Rune: Serpent Prince''s Core Rune
Constitution: 38 (+5) Arm Rune: SerpentQueen''s Wrath Rune
Willpower: 34 (+0) Leg Rune: Empty
Charisma: 51 (+3) Rune Locked Empty
Luck: 5(+0) Rune Locked Empty
Classes
Class Name Level Exp. to Next Lv.
Slave Master 15 1%/100%
Skill List
Skill Name Level Exp. to Next Lv. Tag
Appraise Humanoid Lv. 6 55%/100%
Basic Polearm Mastery Lv. 1 1%/100% *
Beginner Conditioning Lv. 5 23%/100%
Beginner Meditation Lv. 7 83%/100%
Counter Lv. 1 0%/100%
Dodge Lv. 10 MAX
Fend Lv. 3 12%/100%
Inflict Pain Lv. 3 71%/100% *
Lesser Persuasion Lv. 5 4%/100% *
Lesser Rune Mastery Lv. 5 2%/100% *
Lunge Lv. 4 2%/100%
Parry Lv. 1 0%/100%
Perception Lv. 8 7%/100%
Slave Master''s Brand Lv. 2 69%/100%
Stealth Lv. 1 3%/100%
This was all he could do. The rest of the battle would come down to how well he could execute his plans. Theo couldn¡¯t say he was afraid, but excited rather. Feeling the thrill that accompanied dancing along the razor¡¯s edge was the whole reason he got so attached to this game in the first place. Without the rush, where was the fun? Sure, grinding was enjoyable and relaxing in its own right, but that was only because he knew to what end it was serving. Now that he had made all of his preparations, it was time to ready the troops. They didn¡¯t know when the Black Mountain Clan was going to show itself, so they had to be ready for battle at all times. ¡°I wonder¡­ if Bai would like this sort of thing,¡± Theo¡¯s mind wandered for a moment. Chapter Thirty-Six: The War God Returns Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Thirty-Six: The War God Returns
The armed forces of Aleside weren¡¯t anything to write home about. The majority of their military might was part of the navy. Most of them were out to sea at the moment, and the town guard had less than a hundred men in total. It was enough to police the city and that was about it. Because of the morally ambiguous nature of the inhabitants, the men rarely had much to do. Since the number of archers on both sides was woefully inadequate, the battle would boil down to a big brawl outside the front gate. Arrows were just too expensive for the low-level bandits to waste ineffectively showering the enemy¡¯s wall. On the other hand, there weren¡¯t enough bows on the defending side to keep the bandits out if they were allowed to reach the walls. It would be a different story when the budgets and numbers started to inflate, and war became a game of slowly breaking down a large fortress that had been armed to teeth. Smaller conflicts like this were far shorter and chaotic by comparison, and neither side would hesitate to retreat and regroup when things didn¡¯t seem to be going their way. That was why Theo¡¯s position in this battle was so significant. The minute he appeared, it would be like dropping a huge stopper in the middle of the invaders'' tracks. There was already the assumption that the opponent would avoid him at all costs, trying to outmaneuver him. Well, he was their ultimate target, so it would only be a matter of time before they sent a ringer after him. The Black Mountain Clan leader probably wouldn¡¯t show up, but there was a high likelihood of a level 20 or so Elite lieutenant being sent to tie him down. It was similar to how the Shapeshifter had kept him out of the fight during the caravan mission. In a straight up fight, the Aleside guard was outmatched, and the city wasn¡¯t willing to pay out of pocket to hire mercenaries just to protect a random adventurer. Their whole plan was, after all, to feed Theo to the wolves while making a show of trying to fight back. This play was only meant to keep up appearances for the Guild¡¯s benefit. It wouldn¡¯t surprise Theo in the least if some of the council members had already spoken to the bandits and planned to hand him over at some point, for a price of course. Given the involvement of Old Man Snake Eyes and his agents, that wasn¡¯t too far off. While the defenders might have had a good impression of Theo at the moment, they probably wouldn¡¯t hesitate to leave him behind if their own lives were at risk. Even Alaine, despite possessing a generally upstanding character, didn¡¯t want to die for the sake of a stranger. There was nowhere to patrol on the simple stone barrier that kept the monsters out, and Theo was forced to sit around, [Skullsplitter] at the ready, idly listening for the sounds of hooves. In his boredom, he cast a glance at his slaves, who were standing by his side. Meatshield was patiently inspecting her weapon, which had finally been upgraded to a decent quality Beginner-tier axe, courtesy of the guard. Unfortunately, they didn¡¯t have any armor for a woman of her size. Although armor didn¡¯t really count for anything in this game where most everyone had at least some level of superhuman strength, it still would have been sturdier than her villager clothing. After all of the monster fighting, her outfit had already been torn up again. It was an occupational hazard of NPCs, and Theo would have to remember to get her some more solid garments the next time he had the chance. At higher levels, it would be unlikely that any of her clothing would manage to survive the various explosive attacks she was likely to face. How was Theo supposed to keep up with that kind of expense? Gobthnora was eagerly awaiting the impending slaughter, like any good Goblin. Smiling wryly, Theo could only imagine what kind of sadistic thoughts were running through that little head of hers. A while passed, and there was a distant sound that could be heard gathering in intensity from the other side of the wall. Alaine, who had been organizing the men, turned to Theo and nodded. The pair opened the gates and took up positions at the makeshift defenses hastily erected on the main road into the city. A dozen or so of the most elite soldiers equipped with the best gear the city had to offer, as well as Meatshield and Gobthnora, followed after them in silence. There were a few Frisian horses and dirt mounds constructed to stop a cavalry charge, but they were ostensibly props. From the distance, a cloud of dust could be seen approaching, but as the sound picked up, the hearts of the soldiers went cold. The vibrations traveling through the earth were enough to cause the metal of their armor to clang violently as a mob of black shadows came into view. Although there was a limit to the number of horses the Black Mountain Clan could field, there were well over a hundred of them. The pounding hooves quickly brought the force of armed invaders within sight of the small group. This was just a formality to officially discuss Aleside¡¯s denial of the Black Mountain Clan¡¯s terms of surrender, but the full force of the enemy was far beyond what the small guard had expected. Putting aside the thundering advance of the mounted soldiers, the swarm of dark shapes that followed after felt like the final nail in the city¡¯s collective coffin. It was too many¡­ far too many. The Black Mountain Clan was only supposed to have a force numbering in the low hundreds, if even that many were combat worthy. The encroaching rabble that brought up the rear were more than twice that amount. As the only two with a decent [Perception] skill, Theo and Alaine could tell immediately that many of these men were a cut above the roughly dressed bandits. ¡°Castle really did intervene this time¡­¡± Theo couldn¡¯t help but whisper as he scanned the additional soldiers entering the field. This could only mean the Shapeshifter and Old Man Snake Eyes had sunk their claws deep into the fresh meat that was the Black Mountain Clan. Unlike the bandits, which only had an average level of 12 or so, these black clad mercenaries were at least level 18 or 19, with some even entering into the low 20¡¯s. Most of them would be considered veterans at this point, though it was possible a number of average thugs had been included to fill out the ranks. Either way, it wasn¡¯t a comforting thought. These trained killers were different than the [Castle Pawns] Theo had faced earlier. Even if their levels were a bit lower, they weren¡¯t the type that would be frightened easily as long as they had the advantage of numbers. Theo could feel the apprehensive eyes focusing on his back as the soldiers quickly reconsidered their chances for surviving the upcoming battle. ¡°Are you sure you want to do this?¡± Theo decided to give his benefactor a way out, and asked Alaine with a heavy voice. The gears in the man¡¯s head were clearly turning, but he confidently met the adventurer¡¯s stern gaze, ¡°What¡¯s done is done. I protect the city and its people, and we have offered you shelter here. Don¡¯t look down on my men just because we¡¯re out in the backcountry!¡±This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience. Hearing the reassuring words of their Captain, the guards couldn¡¯t help but rally behind the only thing they had left, their pride. Cries went up from both sides of the walls as the guardsmen reaffirmed their resolve. ¡°Even if we die, we¡¯ll hold these walls long enough for the army to get here!¡± Alaine shouted, thrusting his sword in the air, ¡°Let¡¯s see if any of these damn bastards are left standing after that!¡± Theo couldn¡¯t help but smile when he heard this, watching the sliver of goodwill that he¡¯d felt towards the guardsmen resonate with the charismatic NPC¡¯s words. It appeared, that if he really was going to make it up to them, Theo would have to show them all what it meant to truly be an adventurer in this world. ¡°Then we¡¯ll have to change plans,¡± Theo said, shocking Guard Captain Alaine out of his momentary bloodrush, ¡°If you want to live, what we need now isn¡¯t force.¡± ¡°Theo, you¡­ you think we can get out of this?¡± Alaine looked a little taken aback, just as he was preparing to risk his life. The man almost regretted asking the question when he saw the fire ignite behind the glassy surface of the adventurer¡¯s sharp, black eyes. He knew the man was a strong and skilled fighter, but what he saw there now was beyond anything he could explain. Theo might have regularly worn the pride of one who was once called the War God, but it had been a long while since he felt the actual power coursing through his veins. Although he wasn¡¯t gaining attribute bonuses or skills from this feeling, the aura of slaughter that surrounded him grew thicker by the second. ¡°Take the men back behind the wall, there¡¯s no need to discuss anything with this trash,¡± as he motioned towards the enemy forces, his voice laced with ice, as if he was referring to the lives of insects. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Alaine could feel something shaking at his core. ¡°Hee¡­ heehee¡­ heeheehee!¡± Theo couldn¡¯t help but laugh as he shed the skin of a low-level adventurer and donned his full War God persona, ¡°The only thing men truly respond to is fear.¡± The thoughts that Alaine was currently experiencing were complex enough to make him consider Theo¡¯s ridiculous strategy. A single man striking fear into the heart of an army? Was something like that really possible? He had heard tales of the legendary figures that founded the Adventuring Guild and protected this world, who were supposedly capable of such great feats, but were any such heroes left today? ¡°I¡¯m sure you¡¯ll be able to handle a small matter like this¡­ Theo.¡± Why did the words of that woman from the Guild suddenly appear in his mind now? Was what she said really true? Was this just a small matter for the man called Theo? ¡°I¡¯ll trust you,¡± Alaine said firmly, not sure if he believed his own voice, and with that he turned around, ¡°Everyone back into the city! Fortify the gate and prepare for battle!¡± The voice echoed loudly, and the guards were left with no further choice but to retreat back to the paltry safety of the walls. A few of them let out gasps of relief, though they didn¡¯t dare to look at the back of the one man who would meet the enemy head on. That was simply more than they could comprehend. ¡°Rasa, Nora, come here,¡± Theo ordered his slaves, using their cover names because the soldiers were still in earshot. The two appeared by his side, clearly aware of when their master was being serious. ¡°This is an order, stand at the gate and watch. Only move to protect yourselves or one another. If I die, your priority is your own safety. You are not to perish under any circumstances.¡± ¡°M-master¡­¡± Gobthnora whispered, feeling the pull of the absolute order magic from the Slave Master¡¯s Brand, but Theo already knew what she was going to say. ¡°I understand that you want to help,¡± he stopped her, ¡°but the more you act, the bigger targets you¡¯ll become. Try to help the city if you can, but remember my order to survive above all else. Watch, I want you both to see just what kind of Master you¡¯ve sworn yourselves to.¡± Meatshield cocked her head, the lack of understanding and acceptance clear in her features, but she would follow the order given to her without complaint to the best of her abilities. That was always one of her strong points. With nothing further to say on the matter, Theo dismissed them and took up a stance a few dozen meters away from the front gate. [Skullsplitter] felt warm in his hand. ¡°We haven¡¯t known each other long,¡± Theo murmured to the poleaxe, ¡°but can you feel it? Can you feel the battle calling to you?¡± Once weapons reached a certain level in the game, they became precious magical artifacts. Whether it was spirits, elementals, or simply the rules that drove this computer generated world, they were usually possessed of a certain awareness. If intelligence could be simulated, it didn¡¯t really matter what form it took. His glaive, [Autumn¡¯s Reach] had been like a partner to him, and while [Skullsplitter] was simply inert steel, Theo couldn¡¯t break the habit of encouraging his armament before a big battle. Whether it was truly something special, or merely the force of the galloping horses, the poleaxe seemed to vibrate excitedly in his hand. After gathering up in what Theo could only assume was intended to be an intimidating line formation, a small detachment of riders broke off from the main force and rode his way. They were lead by a man in heavy, tarnished armor. He approached with a clear air of superiority, but the moment he entered Theo¡¯s line of sight, the man couldn¡¯t help but drop himself a few pegs as his sense of danger kicked in. Why was there only one man here to meet him? That build, the clothes, the poleaxe¡­ ¡°So, they¡¯ve decided to just give you over?¡± the man did his best to sound smug, but it was clear his guard was up. The anxiety he was feeling, it shouldn¡¯t have been from this one person, so he could only be ready in case the city guard had prepared an ambush. He didn¡¯t pay much attention to the ¡®bait.¡¯ ¡°There¡¯s no need to talk with dead men,¡± Theo replied casually, lifting [Skullsplitter] as if spoiling for a fight. The bandit was a lieutenant of the Black Mountain Clan, third in command! Did this single adventurer really think he could be his match? Let alone, he still had twenty of their best men at his back! ¡°You talk big for someone who¡¯s about to die, did you really-¡± There was a brief moment when the air shook, followed by a flash, and bandit felt the ground fall out from beneath him. He had barely seen it happen, but the horse he was riding on, his partner through a dozen battles, was beheaded in an instant. ¡°Enough talk,¡± Theo¡¯s weapon dropped once more, clamoring like a thunderbolt gouging the earth, ¡°This. Is. War.¡± The bandit lieutenant just managed to roll out of the way as [Skullsplitter] crashed into the body of his mount. At the end of the day, he was a skilled warrior with years of experience under his belt. He wasn¡¯t going to be caught completely off guard just like that! The man quickly drew his saber, but by the time it was free from its sheath, Theo had appeared before him. [Lunge] -460 ¡°Kuhack!¡± he spat, barely mustering a chance to defend as he held up his weapon in a weak attempt to deflect the incoming blow. The world seemed to move in slow motion, as the riders behind him struggled to react to this unforeseen course of events. Beheading a horse and dismounting a rider in a single swing was no easy feat, but there was reason behind Theo¡¯s ability to take such a commanding initiative in this first fight. [Rampage]! The 50% damage boost showed its terrifying efficacy only after Theo had thoroughly increased his overall power. The bandit lieutenant''s awkwardly placed blade was somehow able to deflect the terrifying attack. His stance widened, and he felt his bearings returning in a flash. In the rush of excitement, he caught sight of a opening. The foolish adventure had left himself vulnerable for a counterattack. Seeing his opportunity, the man leapt forward in a frenzy, his sabre seeking another trophy! Clang! The poleaxe seemed to defy space itself as it swept the blade aside. [Parry]. [Riposte]. -231 [Fend] -174. Knockback! The bandit couldn¡¯t speak as the breath was forced from his lungs. Where had the ground gone? He saw a pair of cold dark eyes, watching as if the wind was blowing aside a stalk of grass. Together with a gleeful smile, the face of his killer was burned into his memory. The poleaxe arrived before him in an instant. [Lunge] Combo x2! -681 It was the last thing the lieutenant, third in command of the Black Mountain Clan, would ever see. Still readying their weapons, the bandits weren¡¯t truly aware until the body of their leader fell impotently to the ground. The black-haired man was standing over the corpse with blood still fresh on his blade. Rage. Fear. Confusion. The men were overcome by a flurry of emotions, making it even more difficult to comprehend the man¡¯s next movement. ¡°One,¡± he spoke aloud. As if ending the lieutenant was no different than breathing, the death of one man wasn¡¯t something that gave Theo reason to pause. There was no such thing as as drama on the battlefield. That could all wait until the killing was over and done with, and there were still a few hundred men left. [Skullsplitter] swung down on another of their number in clean movement. ¡°Two.¡± Chapter Thirty-Seven: Playing a Game Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Thirty-Seven: Playing a Game
¡°N-no! Wai- URK!¡± Like an executioner¡¯s blade, [Skullsplitter] lived up to it¡¯s name. Theo didn¡¯t see the head flying from the man¡¯s shoulders, but he could certainly imagine it. Spears and sabers cut through the space that stood between the attackers and their target. In the minds of the bandits, they could already see the man skewered and broken, but all that could be heard was the clattering of weapons. Horses stamped and whinnied as they were left with nowhere to go. Some knocked into one another, while others turned and kicked at their own shadows in fright. There was another thunder-bolt like crash as something heavy caught the neck of another bandit and pulled him free of the saddle. There wasn¡¯t any screaming. ¡°He¡¯s there!¡± at least three of the men said it at once. Turning the startled animals in any direction only revealed the harsh outline of swinging poleaxe. When he was moving, Theo was like a stalking tiger, and when he struck he did so with comparable ferocity. Here, there, weapons were launched at anything even remotely resembling the adventurer. Some of the bandits wanted to move back, others thought to close in, but without a leader they were left flailing like a headless serpent. ¡°Everyone, we need to- fuuargh!¡± anyone with a bright idea would immediately paint a target on his chest, upon which [Skullsplitter] seemed to hone with an unerring, deadly accuracy. ¡°Thirteen,¡± the voice was detached, uninterested almost, but it was like an alarm bell in the bandit¡¯s heads. All of them silently wanted to know, without the time to count, how many of them were left? Up to this point, Theo¡¯s weapons when facing more powerful enemies had always been momentum and fear. The psychological effects of self-preservation were two-fold, fight and flight. The determination of which route the foe would follow was balanced on a precarious edge known as choice. Aggression arose from a failure to find a way out of a dangerous situation, whether brought about by mental or physical stimuli. Even if there was a clear path of escape, one could manage to hold their ground if they refused the other option due to the effects of honor, courage, desperation, or any number of other reasons. In that case, the only choice was to crush these mental barriers one after another, until there was nothing giving the man a desire to fight. It was important to make the afflicted choose, of their own free will, to abandon all hope of victory. ¡°Twenty-three.¡± Theo was standing outside the front gate with the bodies of the fallen bandits littering the ground around him. Not one of the riders had chosen to flee, showing just how determined they were to finish off the man who had killed their leader. Camaraderie and revenge were both powerful motivators, as the Slave Master knew from personal experience. This only worked in his benefit, as the bandits were mercilessly evicted from the world Orpheum. Horses scattered in fear, seemingly more intelligent than their riders. The army standing on the horizon wasn¡¯t paying much attention until the dust finally cleared, revealing the lone adventurer standing among the carnage. It was the first message Theo wanted to send to the bandit army. If you come here, you will die. All races in Dream World Online were capable of impressive and impossible feats of strength and skill. It wasn¡¯t unreasonable to believe that such a threat existed, carefully hidden by the enemy in the event of just such an invasion. The casual way the man looted the corpses of the fallen and sat on the ground with his poleaxe leaning against his shoulder sent a second message. If you don¡¯t come here, you won¡¯t die. Theo¡¯s plan didn¡¯t include rushing into the enemy camp in a suicidal attempt to kill as many of the men as possible. His only goal was to stall as long as he possibly could. With so many incoming attacks, it was impossible to not take some damage, and the multiplication effect of his [Rampage] ability was a double-edge sword. Down to a little under half his HP, Theo took full advantage of the game¡¯s increased regeneration value when sitting every opportunity available. With his current stats, it would take minute or so to fully replenish his health before the next wave of attacks arrived even with the increased values. The only question was, what was going to come his way next? ¡°Fuck¡­ that monster actually got stronger...¡± one individual in particular was watching the fight with rapt attention. The Shapeshifter, under the guise of Army Commander Hoak, hadn¡¯t taken its eyes off Theo since his arrival on the field. It was no stretch to say this whole course of events had been orchestrated to put the adventurer down for good. Theo¡¯s eventual goal in coming to Aleside had been clear from the outset, but what wasn¡¯t clear was why he hadn¡¯t left the Oasis territory on a ship already. Once he did leave, they wouldn¡¯t have a chance to remove him again, so Old Man Snake Eyes had called in a favor to bolster the forces of the bandit army. With their ability to gather information, the time limit for Theo¡¯s execution was already known. When the punitive force from Oasis managed to get here, it would be an absolute slaughter and the Black Mountain Clan would be permanently destroyed. The Shapeshifter could not have cared less; however, time was of the essence because the adventurer must be dead before that happened.. ¡°Commander Hoak! Your orders?¡± and officer spoke to his leader. The so-called Commander Haok was a thin, scarred-faced man with long black hair and underlying attractive features. It was clear to see that even on the horse he looked tall, and behind his broad shoulders was visible a pair of matching blade handles. The Shapeshifter carefully weighed its options. The goal was to kill Theo, not to ravage Aleside and aggravate Castle¡¯s relationship with the government. The hardest part, prying out the elusive target, had already accomplished, but it was done in a way which also tied the Shapeshifter¡¯s hands. Even if he sent his entire army out, it wasn¡¯t as if they could all attack the man at once. If they brought out the archers, Theo could simply retreat into the city. ¡°They¡¯ve got a tough nut, but we have more than enough weight to crack it,¡± Hoak¡¯s voice was thin and dignified, ¡°Have the men attack in shifts, don¡¯t give the adventurer a chance to rest.¡± ¡°And the mercenaries, sir?¡± the officer asked. Hoak¡¯s smile was gnarled by a variety of scars, ¡°Send them first, of course, why else are we paying them?¡± Just because the Shapeshifter was Old Man Snake Eye¡¯s slave, didn¡¯t mean it had any love for Castle. There was no such thing as trust or affection in the creature¡¯s cold, dead heart. ¡°Silly Theo¡­ do you really think I won¡¯t come out if you¡¯re standing around in the open?¡± the Shapeshifter hissed. From the distance, Theo watched as another group of men started moving out from the enemy formation. It looked to be about forty men, mostly mercenaries. It would take them approximately two minutes to reach him, and right behind them was another contingent of soldiers waiting.This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version. ¡°So they want to play it slow? Fine by me¡­¡± he stood up, his voice booming out over the battlefield, ¡°Try to cross me, and it will be the last step you ever take!¡± The words did nothing to slow the charging Castle mercenaries, and a mass of black clad men quickly swarmed over Theo¡¯s position. A cry of pain rang out. [Skullsplitter] roared and crashed into the nearest soldier. Theo didn¡¯t hesitate to dive into the mob, his weapon bending and thrashing as his body turned, carving open a path in the impending dogpile. Before he could be encircled, he crushed an unsuspecting attacker with a precisely timed [Lunge]. He parried one blade and dodged another, interrupting his opponents further attempts to advance with a rapid-fire barrage. Although his attacks were strong, the [Rampage] effect had worn off a while ago, and the mercenaries had plenty of HP. His life would be easier if he could cut these guys down in a single blow, but that wasn¡¯t a possibility at his current level. The raging poleaxe didn¡¯t discriminate against its targets, and its wielder treated the entire mass of soldiers as single, confused, slow moving entity. Large groups were only useful against a single agile opponent if they could successfully tie him down, and Theo had no intention of letting that happen. He never focused on killing any specific enemy at one time, and carefully conserved his skills for emergencies. Just by using [Dodge], [Counter], and [Parry], he was able to weave in and out of the formation. [Lunge], [Fend], and [Inflict Pain] were reserved for opening up routes of escape. It was impossible to make out the words of the mercenaries as screams of pain, provocation, and rage muddled together under the clashing of steel. ¡°Twenty-four,¡± Theo called as one of the men¡¯s HP was finally depleted. ¡°Do you need to see it? Why your strategy won¡¯t work?¡± Theo mused to himself as he crushed his target¡¯s windpipe with the haft of his poleaxe. ¡°Twenty-five.¡± ¡°Twenty-eight.¡± ¡°Thirty-three.¡± Time crawled, the number of wounds continued to grow, and every blow became that much more likely to take a life. The pile of bodies mounted, and the men only grew more more frantic. Confusion started to spread, and several of them struck one another by accident as they swung wildly to preserve their lives. ¡°What are you doing?¡± the shapeshifter, who was watching from a distance shouted at his officers, ¡°I told you to attack in shifts! Why aren¡¯t they retreating!?¡± The confused bandit leader stared on with a shocked expression, ¡°They! They are! It¡¯s just¡­¡± ¡°Thirty-five!¡± Theo roared as he used [Lunge] to chase down a fleeing target. ¡°Where are you trying to run?¡± Theo¡¯s cold eyes gleamed, ¡°Didn¡¯t I tell you earlier? The minute you try to cross me¡­ you¡¯ll die?¡± He raised the [Skullsplitter] and drove it into another man as he tried to run past, activating his [Inflict Pain] in the process. The bloodcurdling screams that followed were so chilling that even the Shapeshifter felt the fear. Of course, the dazed mercenary wasn¡¯t long for this world. Theo smiled, ¡°Thirty-six.¡± ¡°Idiots! Send out the order! Have the second detachment attack!¡± Hoak roared. It took a few moments for the order to propagate, but the waiting forces eventually charged into the fray. Seeing the bloodshed, these old war dogs naturally wanted to try their hand at the crazed adventurer. How could they be mercenaries, if they weren¡¯t willing to risk their lives in the first place? Just the thought of what kind of bonus they¡¯d receive if they killed the black-haired man caused their blood to boil. However, there was a difference between risking one¡¯s life, and running into certain death. The first batch of soldiers to face Theo¡¯s [Skullsplitter] was already beginning to learn the distinction, and it would only be a matter of time before the other ones followed. Guard Captain Alaine, who had quickly taken up one of the few spots in the gate¡¯s cramped little watchtower, was also witnessing the events unfold below. The way Theo fought was slow, methodical, and cautious. No movement was wasted, but there was a subtlety to his actions that was difficult to catch if you weren¡¯t watching from a distance. The men who were jostling for their lives in the melee wouldn¡¯t notice it, but they were being herded and separated one by one. It was like the adventurer could sniff out their fear and pain, and placed the soldiers closest to breaking the furthest away from salvation. The moment they tried to make a run for it. ¡°Heeheehee! Fifty-seven!¡± This kind of awareness in the midst of a life or death battle¡­ no, this wasn¡¯t a battle... ¡°It¡¯s like he¡¯s playing a game,¡± Alaine couldn¡¯t pull his eyes away. Theo pried [Skullsplitter] from another job well done, and turned to look over his shoulder at the field of bodies. ¡°No more?¡± he was still in good condition, but had lost track of how much time had passed, and his head was starting to throb. Players were blessed with essentially infinite stamina, leaving the bandit¡¯s plan to exhaust him utterly pointless, but the fighting was beginning to take its toll on his mind. Everything felt slower, hazy even. ¡°Seventy-eight¡­¡± Theo felt a pain in his heart as another few bodies faded away into particles. He just didn¡¯t have enough time to kill every last one of them and also gather up the loot. Every minute, a few more would disappear from the field. They were probably still laying around taking up space in the eyes of the NPCs though. It was nice that he could ignore the clutter. It seemed as if the invading forces were deciding their next move. Theo inspected his skill progress during the lull while he sat down and took another breather. There was nothing more refreshing for his tired mind than enjoying the spoils of his efforts. The results were actually a little better than he expected, since most of these guys were a higher level than he was, though he could only imagine what kind of stink this was going to make when the devs caught wind of it. Well, all they could really observe was the numbers, they wouldn¡¯t be able to see him fight. It was their own fault for making the fights so preferential to the players. ¡°Oh, I¡¯m pretty close to reaching Good alignment¡­ I need to watch that¡­¡± Thankfully, there was a limit to the amount of Good points one could gain from killing over a certain period of time. The cap was pretty low, so it would take at least a few more days of ¡®punishing¡¯ evildoers like this for his alignment to make a change. Theo wasn¡¯t entirely sure what happened to a Slave Master who ended up with the Good alignment, but if it was anything like the other classes with restrictions, he would lose all access to his class specific abilities. That meant he wouldn¡¯t be able to use the [Slave Master¡¯s Brand] to command his slaves anymore. It might even release them, for all Theo knew. ¡°Do I need to torture somebody or kill a random guy?¡± he couldn¡¯t help but think as eyed the number. As he was idly investigating the changes in his attributes, Theo looked up to sound of approaching hooves. Heading towards him were a number of riders, similar to the bandit elites who had approached him earlier. There was no way for him to know what kind of conclusion they¡¯d come to after sacrificing that last group of soldiers, but if the leaders were showing up now, it was probably time for things to get serious. ¡°Adventurer Theo!¡± the man who called out to him was an average looking guy with short hair, who could have passed for a farmer just as easily as a bandit, ¡°We seek to discuss new terms with you on behalf of the Black Mountain Clan.¡± Theo let out a cold breath as he looked over the thirty or so heavily-armed riders. It wouldn¡¯t be the death of him if he tried to kill them here, but he was uncertain about the one who had spoken. Unlike the previous bandit officer that he had taken by surprise, it wouldn¡¯t be so easy to get the best of someone who had already seen him at work. He also couldn¡¯t lock down mounted soldiers the same way he could the regular troops, and they would inevitably get away if they chose to flee. It would have been better if they had just sent another mob his way. ¡°Speak then, what do you want?¡± he didn¡¯t give them the slightest amount of respect. The rider seemed to expect this kind of treatment and didn¡¯t appear to mind it. In fact, Theo scared him half to death just by standing there, ¡°A duel!¡± ¡°Denied!¡± Theo was far more comfortable keeping to the status quo. The man frowned, ¡°Don¡¯t be too quick to decide. We might not be able to hold you down, but that isn¡¯t the case for the people behind you. Our target was you to begin with, so we¡¯ve mercifully held back our attack.¡± In other words, they were holding the city hostage. It was a ridiculous sentiment when they hadn¡¯t even scratched the gate, but with their current numbers, neither he nor the guardsman would be able to stop them. The other thing that worried Theo was that they didn¡¯t swarm him with their far greater numbers. He was confident that he could still escape and try to take off the head of the proverbial serpent even if they tried to fill the entire field with bodies, which had been his plan. It was bothersome that they hadn¡¯t tried it before offering the duel option, as if the leader was avoiding him. If he was a free man, Theo could just leave the city to the bandits for a day or so before the punitive forces arrived, but he was under contract with the Adventurer¡¯s Guild to protect Aleside. He also felt it would be a shame if those idiot guards went and got themselves killed. ¡°Explain,¡± Theo didn¡¯t feel like wasting any extra words, and he felt his stomach turn over when the bandit smiled at him. ¡°You will face a warrior of our choosing six hours from now, at our camp. Bring only yourself and your weapon, and we¡¯ll resolve this conflict.¡± ¡°This is such an obvious trap he might as well just tell me to kneel right now¡­¡± Theo¡¯s thoughts were venomous, but he didn¡¯t need to respond in kind. He didn¡¯t need to say anything. ¡°We¡¯ll be waiting for you,¡± said the man before taking his group and leaving. The horses trotted carefully, as if they were avoiding obstacles in the path that Theo couldn¡¯t see. Chapter Thirty-Eight: Waking Up Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Thirty-Eight: Waking Up
Theo didn¡¯t head back inside the walls until he finished looting what was left from the dead mercenaries. Six hours was a long period of time to come to a decision, and it was pretty much certain that the bandits were stalling. As to what kind of plan they were going to try, Theo couldn¡¯t say. He didn¡¯t have a good read on just how deep their resources ran, or to what lengths they were willing to go. He wasn¡¯t even sure if they had ulterior motives or not. After checking his spoils from the battle, Theo led Gobthnora and Meatshield inside the gate. The Goblin was eager to congratulate her master on a splendid victory, but refrained from speaking around the other humans as she had been instructed. ¡°Theo!¡± the first one to meet the adventurer was Alaine, ¡°I can¡¯t believe it, you actually managed to drive them back!¡± Theo couldn¡¯t bring himself to wipe the scowl from his face, ¡°For now¡­ this fight isn¡¯t over yet.¡± The guard captain wasn¡¯t a gullible or terribly optimistic man, and nodded his head tersely as he remembered the last group of riders that approached the walls, ¡°What did they want?¡± ¡°A duel,¡± Theo began, ¡°tonight, at their camp.¡± Alaine frowned and shook his head, as if expecting the answer, ¡°You couldn''t have brought good news, I suppose.¡± Theo returned the gesture, ¡°War is full of bad news, let''s just be glad there''s time to prepare.¡± The guard captain smiled half-heartedly, attempting to lighten the mood, ¡°You¡¯ve done enough for now. You should get some rest and leave the grunt work to us.¡± It was a nice sentiment, but Theo didn''t really feel like taking it easy, ¡°It''s part of the job,¡± he said, ¡°but you¡¯re right. I could do with some shuteye.¡± Having finished with the conversation, Alaine recommended Theo return to the barracks. He needed to meet with the city council and inform them of the current situation. There was too much to discuss and too little time. He gave a short goodbye and stationed some guards in the watchtower to keep lookout in case the invaders tried anything. Theo took a seat in the bed that had been provided for him, allowing him to log out for a bit. The morning had passed quickly, and it was already growing dark in the real world. Light from the streetlamps filtered through the studio apartment''s small windows, painting the room in shadows. Rick removed the Lucid Lock and stared at the ceiling. ¡°A trap for certain, but why now? Why this way?¡± Rick couldn''t wrap his head around the enemy''s plan. Where was the Shapeshifter? Why were they so intent on conserving their forces? What kind of warrior did they have that made them think it would be able to beat him. Especially after he had single-handedly killed almost a hundred men? He didn''t believe the Shapeshifter would blow its cover just to face him in direct combat with the entirety of the Black Mountain Clan as witnesses. Even if it did, Theo was confident he could escape now that he had the much needed [Parry] skill. It was a lifesaver against foes that depended upon weapons. Between that and his own abilities, they shouldn''t be able to hold him even if he was surrounded. It might be the enemy was overconfident, but underestimating his foes could have disastrous results. Rick wasn¡¯t afraid of death, after all, he was protected from the drawbacks by the Guild order. If he wasn''t a stubborn man, he might have failed on purpose just to get out of this mess, but he didn''t see any harm in trying his best. Play to win, or don''t play at all, this was one of the rules required by the gamer in Rick. Eventually, he fell asleep with his own thoughts, waking up a few hours later. The battle was more more exhausting than he had originally thought. After biting into a bar of chocolate, Rick gave up trying to plan for an outcome he had almost no control over. He was just a hired hand in this conflict, and the final say would be up to the people of Aleside. It was almost midnight when Rick finally returned to Dream World Online. When Theo logged in he was met with one fewer slave than usual. In most circumstances, the first thing he saw was Meatshield¡¯s expressionless face, but this time she was nowhere in sight. Ever since the girl¡¯s class change, her priorities had completely shifted to her combat training. The stubborn princess practiced every day as if possessed. In the corner, Gobthnora was sitting and idly rubbing a pair of sticks together. With little to do these days, surrounded by potentially hostile humans, the Goblin had taken up a number of strange hobbies. In a way, Theo felt bad for the little agent of mayhem. Even in the midst of a siege, she was forced to keep up the guise of a small human child. He would have to remember to let her vent after all of this was over. ¡°Oh, Master is awake at last? Gobthnora trusts your sleep was well?¡± she called, lifting her head. It seemed like she filled in his absence with rest as the excuse. It wasn''t too far from the truth. Perhaps due to her slowly increasing intelligence, or just from listening to him interact with so many humans as of late, her words had grown more eloquent. Theo didn''t answer her right away, as he considered something, and eventually asked, ¡°Gobthnora, tell me, do you have any knowledge of trapmaking?¡± Hearing this, Theo could see her big pointy ears perk up from beneath her cloak, ¡°As Shaman, many Gobbo¡¯s techniques have been teached to Gobthnora. She cannot be expert Big Killmaster, but as Cheef of Raiding Party, has some knowledge.¡± Gobthnora was always at her happiest when Theo gave a task her to complete. Seeing as it was best to be prepared for the worst, he asked her to gather the supplies she would need. If there was one area where Goblins excelled, aside from burning themselves and others to cinders, it was stealing and scavenging. The excited shaman scurried away from the room with a spring in her step, making sure to let nobody see her as she left. During their chat, Theo had inquired after his other slave. From what he had heard, she was busy on the training pitch. Many of the soldiers were quite taken with the princess, but due to the lack of manpower, there was a shortage of people willing to fight with her. Rather, she was too dangerous of an opponent for anyone but Theo to spar with. The moon was like a crooked Cheshire grin in the sky as the Slave Master walked onto the pitch. Sure enough, the girl was there, inspecting the pile of training weapons. Although she was quite partial to axes, Meatshield didn¡¯t forget to round out her training as Theo had instructed. [Adaptability] would only show it¡¯s true worth when she had a large number of high-level weapon skills. He watched as she picked out a bow and slung a quiver of practice arrows over her shoulder. ¡°Combat Tactics at work¡­ she¡¯s understood how important ranged weapons are,¡± Theo studied. It was almost unheard of for a designated tank to pick up a bow, even in a game as a versatile as Dream World Online. It required a high Agility attribute to do any real damage with it, and that was an expense the Constitution-needy role couldn¡¯t usually afford. Theo had no real control over the girl¡¯s attribute growth, but what she lacked could be supplemented by her [Training] skill. The buff to her Strength and Agility would trigger any time she engaged in at least an hour long workout, and her diligence made sure it was almost always active.Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit. Smirking, Theo withdrew [Skullsplitter] from his inventory and let the heavy axehead fall to the ground with a thud. The sudden sound drew Meatshield¡¯s attention, and without hesitation she turned and fired the previously strung arrow in his direction. Ranged attacks tended to have an aim adjustment based on one¡¯s skill level. Since the girl¡¯s [Bow Mastery] wasn¡¯t very high, the missile sailed over Theo¡¯s head and struck a nearby pillar with a twang. Seeing who it was she had targeted, Meatshield dropped the bow and with dainty steps ran up to inspect her Master¡¯s well-being. Her face was as deadpan as ever, but the girl expressed as much concern as she knew how with her body language. Theo resisted the urge to comfort the slave, and walked past her with [Skullsplitter] still in hand. ¡°It¡¯s good that you¡¯re learning how to fight,¡± he began, ¡°but you¡¯re sorely mistaken if you think practice is all you need.¡± Meatshield, who had been following behind him at her usual distance, stopped when she heard this. Rather than cocking her head to show confusion, she narrowed her big eyes slightly and nodded. ¡°She¡¯s noticed it too, huh?¡± Theo mused, and continued, ¡°When I was training with the Beastmen Clan, I learned a lot about myself. I do the things I want to do, even if it¡¯s foolish or risky. If I want to fight, I fight, and if I want to kill, I kill. Did you know your master was that kind of petty guy?¡± Meatshield nodded firmly, but Theo only chuckled. ¡°A wise old dog once told me¡­ Killing makes us stronger, but it can also make us weaker. The more you kill, the more you forget why you are killing. A true warrior must be driven, not to lose himself in the act, and forget about the spirit,¡± he paused while allowing the memories to wash over him, ¡°With your talent and determination, you¡¯ll become a great fighter some day, but if you ever want to reach my level, you¡¯ll need to find your spirit.¡± He swung the jagged poleaxe, once again gripping the surrounding space with a suffocating pressure. It was as if the man was commanding the air to move out of the way, sending it fleeing from the blade¡¯s edge. Dominate everything! Destroy all obstacles! Leave nothing spared! ¡°Wake up, girl! This is what a God¡¯s spirit looks like! Do you really think your meager resolve can compare?¡± No words were spoken, but the idea seemed to impress itself upon the princess as she watched. Theo had to suppress a laugh when he saw the starstruck expression on her face. It was a good look for her, decidedly different from the usual. He had been impressionable like that too, back when he was still a mid-level challenger with dreams of making it big. There was nothing true about his words, but there was nothing false either. Every person experienced the world differently, and they all needed motivation to accompany them on their journey. He wasn¡¯t sure if the same could be said for NPCs, but he rarely got sentimental enough to indulge himself in these sorts of behaviors. Meatshield would just have to put up with having such a selfish master. ¡°Theo! So here you are!¡± Alaine¡¯s now familiar voice called to him from the other side of the field, waving at him urgently. ¡°It¡¯s almost time!¡± Theo hid a glinting smile in the dark, ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can find some spirit tonight,¡± he said in a hushed voice as he walked past the princess, before shouting to Alaine, ¡°Alright, let¡¯s hear what those old merchants have decided!¡± Meatshield continued to stare at the space where Theo had swung his weapon earlier, clearly thinking about something. The Slave Master decided not to bother her any further. Whatever she was thinking, that was her own business. Alaine was also a bit intrigued by the woman, but decided not to ask. As far as he knew, the pair were master and apprentice, which was something most NPCs in Orpheum valued as an important and private relationship. There was a lot of risk that came with passing on one¡¯s knowledge and experience to future generations. While they walked, the captain of the guard filled Theo in on the events that had taken place up to now. The bandits hadn¡¯t moved towards the walls, keeping their rather intimidating position in the distance. Word had yet to arrive from the punitive force, but they were expecting a message to come in the next few hours. There weren¡¯t a lot of magic users in small communities like Aleside, and so they had to wait for an advanced rider or trained animal to make the trip. ¡°I¡¯m sure it doesn¡¯t surprise you, but the council has decided to agree to the terms of the duel,¡± Alaine informed Theo. ¡°You¡¯re right, I¡¯m not surprised,¡± Theo replied casually. The grizzled veteran let out a sigh in response. It was clear as day that sending the adventurer out to fight was a decision that would most likely get him killed. Alaine and the mayor had both argued to ignore the challenge on Theo¡¯s behalf, but under the rule of the Merchant Alliance, anyone with enough wealth was warranted a proper vote on the matter. In the end, a few of those who supported the mayor had tried to overturn the decision, which was nice, though ultimately insufficient. The majority of the voters had chosen to look after their best interests, and were more than willing to sacrifice Theo if it meant keeping their livelihoods. He couldn¡¯t blame them. ¡°Do you think you¡¯ll be able to make it out of there alive?¡± the guard captain asked. Theo considered his odds, ¡°I¡¯ll be fine as long as they haven¡¯t taken any special precautions, but you can only guess at the chances of that.¡± Alaine nodded. There were still a few hours until the appointed time, but at last there was some good news to accompany the bad. With the added time given to them, Aleside had been able to contact some of the ships patrolling nearby and request help. The Merchant Alliance Fleet was under the direct control of Oasis, and had a responsibility to provide aid if they could. The only issue was in how much those military officers would be willing to offer. According to Alaine, out of the three captains they were able to get in touch with, only one of them was likely to go out of his way to help. From the sound of it, this Captain Mayhew was one of those righteous types, with a strong sense of justice. Although he had a reputation for being a bit heavy-handed in doling out punishment, he had a strong dislike for law-breakers. His soldiers were also strict and well-trained, and it would be a huge benefit if Aleside could bolster its forces with some Marines and another Officer. ¡°They should be able to reach the port in a few hours. Less if it weren¡¯t dark, but they can follow the lighthouse,¡± Alaine said. ¡°Lighthouse?¡± Theo turned to look at the oversized structure that shone its beacon in the distance. ¡°Aye,¡± Alaine also glanced that way, ¡°been around longer than the city itself, from what I heard.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not inside the city wall?¡± the adventurer couldn¡¯t help but notice. As if thinking the same thing as Theo, Alaine frowned, ¡°The steward that lives there... he¡¯s an old hand and can take care of himself, so the defenses were never built that far out.¡± ¡°If it were to be captured¡­¡± Alaine had a nasty look on his face, ¡°Even if we sent the whole damn guard, we couldn¡¯t hold it.¡± ¡°Dammit, this changes a few things,¡± Theo¡¯s gears were turning in an attempt to uncover a solution, ¡°Alaine, I need your twenty most trustworthy guards,¡± he wasn¡¯t shy in asking for the extra muscle. ¡°But you¡­¡± before the man could protest, Theo interrupted him. ¡°I¡¯ll send the girls with them,¡± he assured, ¡°If it¡¯s those two, they¡¯ll be able to hold it.¡± ¡°Your apprentices?¡± Alaine seemed to think it over for a moment, ¡°I understand your confidence, but are you sure they can handle it?¡± Theo smiled, ¡°Have I been wrong yet? We just need to get them out of here without anyone noticing.¡± The man was too used to Theo doing the impossible by now to disagree. Something was better than nothing, even if he didn¡¯t want to give up the manpower, ¡°They can take a boat. The bandits shouldn¡¯t have any eyes on the water.¡± Theo nodded, ¡°Oh, and don¡¯t mention this to anyone on the council¡­ I¡¯m sure I don¡¯t need to tell you why.¡± Alaine forced down his usual protest, and the pair quickly went their separate ways. It took a bit of time to round up the Goblin, and by the time he returned, the small unit had already been gathered. At least ten of the men had been the guards who accompanied Theo outside the gates earlier, and the others were also recognizable. He had even gone a round with a few of them. After explaining their mission, the men were understandably nervous, especially when it came to bringing the girls with them. Meatshield and Gobthnora certainly didn¡¯t look like much, but they were both Elite NPCs and trained by none other than the War God. In all honesty, they would be the lynchpin in this operation. ¡°I expect you both to heed my orders. Keep yourselves alive before anything else,¡± Theo gave them one final reminder before turning the two over to the guards. He didn¡¯t need to be around to see them off on the boat. Almost every man here had been on a ship at some point in their life, and the journey wasn¡¯t exactly far. The adventurer had his own issues to worry about. Just because he was confident in his own victory, that didn¡¯t mean it was impossible for things to go wrong. Before anything else, he had his own mission to accomplish, and that would be the most difficult and dangerous task of all. ¡°Good luck,¡± Alaine said to him as the adventurer checked his supplies for the final time, ¡°We¡¯ve given you all the aid we can.¡± Theo smirked at the man, ¡°It¡¯s more than the Guild is paying me, anyway.¡± With that, the gate opened with a slow and ominous creak, and Theo¡¯s outline was visible in the torchlight of the city walls. Outside, a figure on a pale horse was waiting for him. Chapter Thirty-Nine: Weak Point Rebirth: RIse of the Slave Master Chapter Thirty-Nine: Weak Point
Moonlight shone on the road out of Aleside, making the white horse glow with a silvery malevolence. The salt air was cool as the wind rolled in off the nearby sea, and Theo turned up the hood on his poncho. There wasn''t a risk of taking ill effects from temperature unless it reached an extreme level, but he didn¡¯t care to enjoy the chill right now. Small puffs of sand were kicked up with every step he took towards the dimly flickering fires of the bandit¡¯s war camp in the distance. ¡°You¡¯re awfully quiet,¡± the man on the horse said with a gravely voice. He had seemed surprised when Theo didn¡¯t bring a mount of his own, but how could he know Theo wasn¡¯t able to ride one? [Ride] was skill you could only get when you reached level 30, and players had to make do with other modes of travel in the meantime. ¡°Is there anything to say?¡± Theo replied. The man chuckled, ¡°Usually they got some sort of last words,¡± he provoked. Last words? Even if the entire army ganged up on him in a surprise attack, the only ones who would be speaking their last would be those dumb enough to get in Theo¡¯s way. Supposing the bandits were honest and kept to their word, which had an approximate likelihood of zero, the adventurer still couldn¡¯t find any reason not to kill as many of them as he was given the chance. The only reason this guy got to keep his life for now was because his ugly head would make a poor welcoming gift. ¡°Words are for the civil and the weak,¡± Theo smirked, ¡°Which are you?¡± The bandit scoffed and turned away. He was only here to show the way, since it was possible Theo would try to escape under the cover of darkness. Though the man didn¡¯t think he would lose his life if the two fought, with the adventurer¡¯s skill, there was no choice but to admit his inferiority. Adventurers and monsters¡­ They were sworn enemies, but most NPCs considered them of the same breed of walking natural disasters. Theo took the opportunity to scan the horizon. Despite the darkness shrouding the desert wasteland, he could make out his surroundings as though it were the middle of day. It really was very kind of the city to have provided him with a couple of gifts before he left. [Owl¡¯s Eye Rune] Rune Point: Head; Rank: Lesser lv. 5, MP +200 MP Regen +3 per second Willpower +4 Intelligence +7 Special Ability: [Night Vision] - Allows the wearer to see normally at night. Special Ability: [Hunter¡¯s Mark] - Marks a foe with the symbol of Artana, Goddess of the Hunt. Effect: All attacks made against the target ignore 10 points of Defense. Duration: 24 Hours. Base Chance: 110%. Target: Single, 30 meter range. Cooldown: 24 Hours. The bonuses on it were subpar for the level, almost inferior even to the [Serpent King¡¯s Head Rune] Theo had auctioned earlier, but it was useful if only for its ability to give the one wearing it [Night Vision]. There were many races which had this quality innately, like Goblins for instance, but humans had to use runes or magic to make up the difference. According to Alaine, it was a popular choice for guards that got stuck with the night watch. As a night owl himself, Theo couldn''t help but feel a certain kinship with this rune. Along the way, his [Night Vision] enhanced [Perception] managed to reveal a few bandits hidden away throughout the area. They were lookouts, and he might have missed them otherwise. It wasn''t particularly useful information to have, but made him feel more secure about any potential ambushes in the future. It took some time to arrive at the bandit camp, which appeared more or less as Theo had imagined. Having led his fair share of military campaigns in the past, he could tell this place had all the hallmarks of a temporary raiding platform. The wilderness site was covered in small, easily constructed and deconstructed tents, divided into a number of units. Typically, each group of men would stick to their own ten man unit, fighting and living together under a veteran soldier who had the responsibility of reporting to the superior officers. As bandits, the rules might be a bit more lax than an official military unit, but the vestiges were still there. Supplies were few and far between, just enough for a night or two, accounting for travel. The plan clearly hadn''t been to stay long, perhaps with hope to have already sacked the city and been on their way by now. Campfires were the primary source of illumination in the living quarters, along with a few torches in key areas. Many of the men were standing about, armed and expectant, waiting for the arrival of the adventurer. There were fewer of them than Theo had anticipated. Other than that, things were clean and neatly organized. Although the bandits favored a rough appearance on average, it seemed they took their work fairly seriously. Theo had never seen the hideout of the Black Mountain Clan, but he could imagine it operated in much the same way. It wasn''t easy to function as a lawbreaker so close to a massive settlement like Oasis, and required a certain respectable efficiency to pull off successfully. The Castle mercenaries had their own camp not far away, which was faintly illuminated. There didn''t appear to be a lot of activity, and Theo could clearly make out a lack of personnel with his enhanced vision. It was a foreboding sight. In the center of the bandit camp, a large area had been cleared out. Behind it was a tent that served as the base of operations for the higher-ups. An all too ominous huffing noise was coming from inside as the flaps on the tent billowed back and forth under some unseen force. Theo tuned out the jeers and whispers of the surrounding enemy forces, sharpening his senses in the event of a surprise attack. [Skullsplitter] never left his side for a moment. ¡°Good, you showed up,¡± the voice that called out to him was the same from earlier, the plain-looking man who had delivered the challenge in the first place. He was standing next to the tent flap, looking calm and collected. Theo expected something akin to overbearing smugness, but the bandit didn''t give his thoughts away. If anything, he looked tired. As mere stooges in this whole ordeal, the Slave Master had a bit of sympathy for them. Their losses were already fairly significant just considering Theo¡¯s contributions. ¡°Let''s get this over with,¡± Theo said nonchalantly, ¡°I¡¯d rather not overstay my welcome.¡± The man smiled bleakly, ¡°Nonsense,¡± he said, ¡°We may be bandits, but the Black Mountain Clan doesn''t mistreat our guests!¡± Several of the nearby outlaws called out in raucous agreement. Theo noticed the listlessness in the man¡¯s voice. Despite his words, he didn''t seem too interested in the events taking place. Who was this strange bandit, and what was his game? ¡°Listen up adventurer,¡± he began, ¡°You owe us a debt in blood for our brothers you killed, but that doesn''t mean you''re the only one. Get out of this alive and your business with us is over.¡± Theo raised an inquisitive brow, ¡°That simple?¡± The man shrugged, ¡°Simple is as simple does. We''re robbers, killers, sure, but so are you. It¡¯s a sad day when fellow murderers can''t come to an agreement.¡± At this, most of the bandits went quiet. It seemed like Theo had been underestimating them this entire time. He wasn¡¯t the only one who felt something was off about this situation. It was evident from the mood that the Black Mountain Clan was aware of how suspicious the recent activity had been, and maybe there was even more to it than that. ¡°Those mercenaries don''t seem to be present,¡± he said. The man went quiet for a moment before shaking his head, ¡°Gone off to wreck up that little town, I''m afraid. Snuck off like a bunch of rats, and took our illustrious leader with ¡®em. Now what about that situation doesn''t sound unsportsmanlike?¡± ¡°You weren''t with them to begin with, I take it?¡± Theo asked. ¡°I''m sure I don''t need to explain it, Mr. Adventurer. They lived up to their end of the bargain, and we ours, so business is concluded as you¡¯d expect,¡± it was hard to tell if the bandit was lying or not, but Theo felt inclined to believe him given the circumstances. He still very much intended to return the favor of targeting his life to the Black Mountain Clan, but at least now they didn''t have to take the retribution personally. For the time being, he had to focus on getting out of this predicament before the city cracked. It appeared the invasion of Aleside was still part of the true enemy''s plan, but Theo had no clue as to why. Were they hoping to cause enough damage to prevent his escape? He could just go to a different town if that was the case. It could only mean there was something up for grabs that Castle valued more highly than revenge.This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. ¡°I need to hurry¡­¡± Theo decided, saying, ¡°You can understand if I don''t feel like chatting. Bring out your fighter so I can end this already.¡± The man in charge gave a short shrug and turned. He pulled back the heavy lip of the tent curtain and motioned to something inside. After a moment, there was a loud thud like a boulder had been rolled over. Theo readied his weapon, and surprise flashed in his eyes as a meaty pig snout exited the tent with a snort. Sparks flew from the ends of the huge nostrils, which were quickly followed by a gargantuan head. Large tusks poked up through the mouth of the creature, like rows of crisscrossing blades. It grunted as it carried itself forward on one stubby leg after the other. [Ruckus Raiser] Lv. 20 Elite Thunder Tusk ¡°A pig!?¡± Theo''s internal monologue roared, ¡°They want me to fight A PIG?¡± The huge beast was almost twice the size of an ordinary [Thunder Tusk], and three times as fat. Its massive electric spine crackled with a hissing charge, and the air was filled with the reek of hideous breath and ozone. The stump-like legs looked as if they could barely sustain the creature¡¯s weight, and its scabby hide was studded with bony plates and scar tissue. This was an area leader, like the [Desert Serpent King], and a challenge that was designed to be fought by a well-prepared party. ¡°See, I have a way with animals,¡± the bandit''s exceedingly ordinary face was filled with pride as he patted [Ruckus Raiser] on the flank, ¡°Found this one here just the other day and thought Charlie would make a real nice present for the boss, though, I''d rather be taking your corpse with me instead.¡± Theo frowned, thinking, ¡°A Beastmaster¡­ great¡­ no wonder the bandits could raise so many horses, and what kind of name is Charlie!?¡± The appearance of the large monster was certainly surprising, but there was a sense of relief in knowing that this was probably the Black Mountain Clan¡¯s last big reveal. There was no more need to worry about them putting him up against something he couldn''t handle. On the other hand, this opponent presented a different issue entirely. ¡°Tanky¡­ this is going to take too long.¡± Theo needed to get back to Aleside and help repel the attackers a soon as possible, and the scariest thing about [Ruckus Raiser] was that it was basically a damage sponge. Like any good [Thunder Tusk] it specialized in Defense and HP, which made it hard to take down even with multiple sources of sustained damage. With just himself, how long would it take to whittle away? ¡°Are you trying to kill me of old age with this thing?¡± Theo complained to himself. ¡°Have fun now you two, try not to play too rough!¡± the man chimed as he left the ring, and the oversized swine wasted no time in charging at Theo with a row of razor sharp tusks. The adventurer jumped and rolled out of the way, digging the blade of his polearm into the creature''s side as it trundled forward. Despite its overwhelming size and pitifully small legs, it was fast. A nasty surprise for the uninitiated, but well within Theo¡¯s expectations. -114 Weak! This thing''s Defense was nothing to joke about, carving off a huge chunk of Theo''s damage potential. Even when he thrust the poleaxe into its backside on the downswing, it created a loud clanging sound. There was no hesitation as Theo activated the power of his new rune. His eyes flashed as the [Hunter''s Mark] hovered like a glowing ethereal beacon over the pig¡¯s head. This ability was also useful for tracking down elusive targets, another guard-centric ability, though only the user could see it. [Fend] was no help against such a big opponent, so Theo had no way to maximize his assault with a combo. It really was the most troublesome kind of enemy for him at this point, and he wondered if it was chosen for this fight on purpose. [Lunge] -193 The attack, which had managed to wriggle past the beast¡¯s armor plating, only served to further aggravate its target. [Ruckus Raiser] roared and decided to show off its claim to fame. The ridge along its back bloomed a fluorescent white. Theo moved away to dodge the incoming lightning bolts, but realized too late that something was wrong when the attack never came. The entire area was washed in a brilliant light. You have received [Flash]. Blind resisted! ¡°Dammit!¡± Theo cursed as something heavy crashed into the ground just in front of him. You have received shock damage! -133 Even though he had managed to luckily resist the [Blind] effect of the skill, he was still disoriented for a moment. How was he supposed to know this creature had such an annoying ability? Theo had been overconfident and in a rush, and barely managed to avoid a direct hit. It was an opportunity to reevaluate his approach and focus on caution, but that wasn¡¯t an option he was willing to choose! -143 -145 -142 [Skullsplitter] unforgivingly slammed into the creature¡¯s side, but the thing¡¯s HP bar hardly budged. The bandits spectating from the side grew speechless as they watched the ferocity of the battle between the man and the monster. The comparatively tiny black-clad adventurer didn¡¯t lose out at all in ferocity against [Ruckus Raiser], exchanging blows with the giant pig as if it was his most hated enemy. The hushed conversations were varied, but the general consensus was, ¡°We really wanted to make an enemy out of this crazy guy?¡± ¡°Just die already!¡± Theo brought [Skullplitter] down on the beast¡¯s slobbering snout, sending it reeling in pain for the first time in the fight. -144 You have hit a weak point of [Ruckus Raiser]. You do not have the skill to take advantage of this bonus. A system message chimed in to remind Theo that he was once again fighting an enemy out of his league. Weaknesses started showing up on monsters after level 20, and were an important source of damage for those who favored light, fast attacks. Some of the later enemies were too tough for the low-power weapon users to properly fight otherwise. As such, [Exploit Weakness] was a skill that Assassins and Hunters received for free, but any class could learn it if they met the prerequisites. Theo hadn¡¯t reached that point yet, so he didn¡¯t receive any bonus damage from striking [Ruckus Raiser]¡¯s snout. That didn¡¯t make it a totally pointless gesture though, as the monster¡¯s AI would act differently if you repeatedly targeted the same weak point. Most often they would take measures to protect themselves, buts seeing his foe¡¯s reaction after taking the hit was the stroke of inspiration Theo needed in this fight! [Inflict Pain] -93. Daze resisted! You have hit a weak point of [Ruckus Raiser]... [Inflict Pain] -92. Daze resisted! You have hit a weak point... [Inflict Pain] Critical hit! -149. Daze resisted! You have hit... Theo relentlessly targeted the creature¡¯s weak point with his [Inflict Pain] skill, causing the monster to snort and buck as its eyes glossed over. Most beast-type monsters were completely immune to the fear that NPC¡¯s experienced, but in its place was another powerful emotion. Rage! Especially for the overly proud and pompous Elite monsters, they were almost certain to lose their cool if aggravated to a sufficient degree. Although the same effect could be achieved with regular methods, [Inflict Pain] was incredibly handy for expediting the process. At level 5, the amount of pain from each attack couldn¡¯t be overlooked. [Ruckus Raiser] has become enraged! All damage dealt increases by 30%! All damage taken increases by 30%! The effect wasn¡¯t as exaggerated as [Rampage], but that wasn¡¯t the important part. ¡°Ch-Charlie! What are you doing?¡± the plain-looking guy shouted in distress as the porcine beast began to thrash about wildly. Beastmaster NPCs had keen senses, and even without the system to inform them, they could tell when something was wrong with one of their tamed beasts. Theo¡¯s plan was two-part, and he dashed towards the edge of the arena. [Ruckus Raiser] was hot on his heels, bolts of lightning flying from its spine and crashing into the surrounding bandits without recognizing friend from foe. Normally, since the Beastmaster was their ally, this wouldn¡¯t be possible, but¡­ ¡°Enraged monsters don¡¯t follow orders!¡± Theo smirked wryly as he flew towards the one controlling the rampaging mound of lard. Not every monster a Beastmaster could tame had the ability to enter the enraged state, but those that did gained both a major strength and a major weakness. If the bandit lived long enough to reach level 60 then he could learn a skill to calm the beast down, but that wasn¡¯t something the AI could possibly know. ¡°D-don¡¯t come over here! What are you doing!?¡± seeing nowhere to run, the man yelled desperately, ¡°Charlie! Stop! It¡¯s me!¡± [Ruckus Raiser]¡¯s eyes were totally focused on Theo, and had no care in the world about who it crushed as long as the infuriating insect in front of it was killed. As the bandit in charge was about to be the one experiencing said crushing, he was left with no further options. ¡°Unsummon!¡± the man activated a brand magic similar to the one used by the Slave Master, and the giant pig was stopped in its tracks by powerful restraining force. It struggled to break free from the magic binding, but before its massive body could move even an inch further, it shattered into hundreds of shining white particles. [Unsummon] was a skill that sent a tamed beast back into the Beastmaster¡¯s [Stable]. Low level Beastmasters could only use one beast at a time, and had to [Summon] them if they wanted to battle. Although [Unsummon] had an instantaneous casting speed, the same couldn¡¯t said for the spell that called the monster out. The man disorientedly thought to call for help, but was stopped by a sudden concussive force. [Fend] sent the Beastmaster flying through the air and onto the ground, completely cancelling his attempt to [Summon]. Before he could raise his head, a cold blade was pressed to his neck. Theo stood over his captive with [Skullsplitter] baring down, a vindictive expression on his face, ¡°Give me one reason,¡± he spat. The man seemed only momentarily afraid before he regained some calm and his features returned to normal, ¡°Them,¡± he gestured with his head slightly, avoiding the sharp bits of the poleaxe. Dozens of bandits had overcome the confusion of the situation and rapidly approached with weapons drawn. Although none of them stepped any further, it was clear the scene had deteriorated into a hostage negotiation. Theo wasn¡¯t threatened, but he didn¡¯t really want to fight either. Enough time had been wasted already, and if it wasn¡¯t for the inevitability of their horses catching up to him, he would have fled the moment he found out Aleside was being attacked. ¡°Your offer?¡± Theo said quickly. ¡°Let me go. We call this done. You can go save your little town, and I can finally go home,¡± the man replied. Theo liked this idea, ¡°Deal.¡± Everyone took a collective, somewhat dumbfounded, sigh at the anticlimactic decision. The Beastmaster was the clever sort, and knew just what to offer to get himself out of this situation. Theo probably could have hung around to extort more out of the bandits, but he was in a rush. ¡°Good, then if you could-¡± the man¡¯s voice was drowned out by a sudden sound. Bweep! Bweep! You have been contacted by an Emergency Service number. Answering this call is highly advised. Repeat: You have been contacted by¡­ ¡°Emergency service? Someone didn¡¯t set the apartment on fire, did they?¡± Theo panicked and answered the call without thinking, ¡°Hello?¡± A slightly startled voice answered from the other side, ¡°Oh! Uh. Right, hello. Is this a Mr. Rick Nelson?¡± it was a man. ¡°Right, is something wrong?¡± he asked. There was a slight pause, before, ¡°That is¡­ well¡­ Do you know a Roo-ee Lee-ang Bai?¡± It took Rick a long moment to figure out what had been said, ¡°Bai? Yes, I know him. What happened?¡± ¡°Ah, good,¡± the man sounded a bit relieved, ¡°No, I mean. This is Officer McGuire. There¡¯s been an incident and your friend is currently in the hospital.¡± ¡°Bai is... in the hospital?¡± Rick repeated the words absentmindedly. Chapter Forty: Relief Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Forty: Relief
¡°Thank you for your time Mr. Nelson, and please, try not to worry too much,¡± Officer McGuire said as he finished their conversation. The phone clicked off as Rick¡¯s mind quickly returned to the game and he became aware of his surroundings once again. The bandits couldn¡¯t hear the conversation he was having with the police officer, so they were standing around awkwardly waiting for him to pull his weapon away from their leader¡¯s neck. The tension was needlessly high as Theo sighed and took a step back. ¡°It¡¯s about time,¡± the man on the ground visibly relaxed and rubbed his neck as if to make sure it was still intact. ¡°Now get out of here,¡± Theo said with a harsh glare, feeling in no mood to play around with these guys, ¡°I don¡¯t need to tell you what kind of state you¡¯ll be in if the Oasis army catches you.¡± Hearing this, the bandits quickly stowed any ideas they might have had about turning on the adventurer, saving them for later. They were on a time limit, and it would be best if they could disappear as soon as possible, preferably without leaving any needless tracks back to their base. The Beastmaster stood up and began instructing his men with a series of sharp orders, before turning to Theo, ¡°Alright adventurer, you¡¯re free to go. I¡¯d hurry if I was you, it looks like the trouble has already started.¡± ¡°If only it was that easy,¡± Theo muttered, stowing [Skullsplitter] in his inventory. More than enough time had passed to put the player in a non-combat state, and he took a long look at Aleside. The walls were illuminated by his [Night Vision] and the faint sounds of combat could be heard in the distance. Theo¡¯s expression was complicated as the potential ramifications of his actions cluttered his mind, but there were certain problems that even the War God couldn¡¯t solve. Right now, Rick was needed. ¡°That damn nerd better have lost a limb¡­ or two¡­¡± he cursed with a reaffirmed resolve. Ignoring the shocked expressions of the Black Mountain Clan members, Theo vanished before their eyes. Rick nearly tore the Lucid Lock from his head, bolting upright in the futon as he scanned his surroundings. There was nothing out of place in his apartment, but in his scattered state of mind, it was difficult to remember where all of his things were. With the most agile movements he could manage in his tired state, Rick pulled a bag from the hook on the back of his front door and shoved the VR game device inside it. Although he normally kept it plugged into the outlet, the Lucid Lock did come standard issue with an onboard battery for portability. Rick grabbed his wallet from the counter and checked the location of the hospital as he took a step out into the chilly night air. The streetlights flickered overhead as he tightened the collar on his jacket and found his way to the nearest public transport kiosk. If it weren¡¯t so late, he might have tried to figure out some other method to get across town, but for the moment he didn¡¯t have any other options. He put some of his hard won funds on a travel card, and the station¡¯s pleasant jingle echoed around the empty streets. The inside of the car was neat and clean, with enough room for two average-sized adults. A convenient touch screen was embedded into the empty dashboard in place of a steering wheel. Rick keyed in his location and tapped the card against the scanner in order to pay. After running through a short security check, the car started up with a dull thrum and turned out onto the road. The drive to the hospital would take some time, and since Rick didn¡¯t feel too keen on paying for a return trip, he pulled out his phone. Rick: [3:43AM] Mary Ann, are you still on shift? Mary Ann: [3:45AM] Yeah, what''s up? Rick: [3:45AM] Can you pick me up from the hospital after you get off? Mary Ann: [3:46AM] Hospital? What happened? Are you okay? Rick: [3:46AM] Not me. A friend. I had to take a PT car. Mary Ann: [3:48AM] Oh. Let me check. Mary Ann: [3:54AM] Yeah. It''s fine. You alright? Rick: [3:55AM] I''ll be okay. It''s a long story. Mary Ann: [3:57AM] Gotta start closing up. I''ll let you know when I''m leaving. Good luck. Rick: [3:57AM] Yeah. Thanks. A few minutes later the public transport car pulled up to the Emergency Waiting entrance and let Rick out. Since he didn''t pay for a round trip, the car would automatically drive itself back to the nearest stand. There was actually a rather large one right there in the Hospital. The advent of self driving cars had been a huge aid to the people who couldn''t otherwise manage their transportation needs. Patients who couldn¡¯t operate a vehicle for whatever reason were especially common. The hospital was cold and sterile, as usual, decorated in white tile and linoleum with only the occasional spattering of color. Glowing signs which hung from the high ceilings pointed the way through the narrow, labyrinthine corridors. For whatever reason, the ER wasn¡¯t very busy tonight, which was a welcome site at any time. At the front counter, a woman was seated, and she gave Rick a once over as he approached. After deciding he didn¡¯t seem suspicious, her features eventually settling on a professional smile. ¡°Hi, I''m looking for a¡­ Bai? Last name Bai, I mean,¡± Rick clarified. After a fairly standard greeting, the staff member ran her fingers over a nearby screen. It didn''t take any time at all to pull up the room information, but every second that passed only mounted on Rick¡¯s concerns over the current state of affairs in Aleside. Gobthnora and Meatshield were probably in the most danger, but he had no choice to bury his disparate feelings and have confidence in the two. Rick would kill them himself if they dared to die on him. ¡°I''m sorry sir, that room is currently under a security restriction,¡± the woman said, carefully trying not to offend him while she judged the situation. Rick was pulled back into the real world, ¡°Um, the police asked me to come.¡± The woman picked up a phone and dialed a number, and after a moment she asked, ¡°Your name?¡± ¡°Rick¡­ Nelson,¡± he said. A few more words were exchanged between the woman and whoever she was talking to, before she said, ¡°An officer will be down to escort you in a moment sir.¡± The news didn''t make Rick feel any better, but he stifled the sick feeling in his stomach and waited all the same. Thinking better of trying to bring his bag in with him when the police were still around, he opted to leave it with the woman at the desk. Although he wasn''t sure if that was proper or not, she didn''t turn him down and stored the bag with a smile. It was pretty lax as far as security went, but considering Rick came here on police orders, there probably wasn''t much of a reason to suspect him of harboring ill intent. A couple of minutes passed, with Rick too nervous to take a seat. He had a long and storied history with hospitals, not including his own major stint in one during the alternate timeline, and kept a habit of avoiding them at all costs. Few people were worth him not making an excuse to get out of visiting one, but he would have chosen to check up on Bai even if he hadn''t been asked to come here by the police officer. It might have been that he felt a sense of guilt over this whole series of events, as if he could have prevented it had he accompanied Bai this evening.Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation. Eventually, a tall young man with dark hair, wearing a police uniform, exited the elevator. He looked around for a moment before spotting Rick standing by the reception area and approached him. The smile on the man''s face helped to put Rick at ease, if only just. ¡°You must be Mr. Nelson,¡± the man spoke in a familiar voice, and extended his hand, ¡°I''m Officer McGuire, we spoke on the phone.¡± Rick shook the hand and tried his best to seem composed, ¡°Yeah, I hope I didn''t take too long.¡± The man laughed, ¡°Don¡¯t worry about it, you got here sooner than we expected, actually. If you don¡¯t mind, I¡¯d like to go over tonight¡¯s events before we go up?¡± Rick nodded his head, but couldn¡¯t help but ask, ¡°But, is Bai alright?¡± Officer McGuire made a slightly distressed face, ¡°According to the doctors. It¡¯s going to take a little while to recover, but the damage is minor. Tough kid, not everybody can take a knife wound and still subdue a perp. Make no mistake, it was lucky nobody was more heavily armed,¡± the officer explained. ¡°Knife wound!?¡± Rick almost shouted, barely controlling the volume of his voice for the sake of the ill and uneasy. McGuire waved his hands in an attempt to calm Rick down, ¡°Woah, woah there. It was just a pocket knife! A few stitches and a some rest, that¡¯s all!¡± Rick sighed in relief, ¡°Then¡­ why call me?¡± he was starting to get annoyed for a different reason. ¡°Look, I understand your concern, just take a seat and I¡¯ll explain everything,¡± McGuire insisted, and led the distressed young man over to the nearest out of the way place. Rick felt like arguing further, but common sense held him back and he reluctantly agreed. Over the next few minutes, he was forced to listen to an account of the night¡¯s events, at least as far as the police had managed to conclude. Officer McGuire was very clear on the fact that things could still change in the course of the investigation, which was one of the reasons they wanted to contact him so urgently. Although Rick wasn¡¯t prepared to give an official statement on the matter, this conversation wouldn¡¯t have to count as such. After the explanation, Rick could only feel the clawing sense of guilt grow larger and larger, before it was swiftly crushed by an exasperated frustration. Bai had been patrolling as usual, when he was accosted and eventually attacked by a stranger. According to Bai¡¯s own testimony, the man was most likely the stalker they had been keeping an eye out for, though the police weren¡¯t willing to reveal any identities just yet. As for the motive behind the assault, the suspect wasn¡¯t talking. Bai proved to be a bit more trouble than the man had expected, and in a panic, he resorted to using a knife. The wounds Bai received were almost certainly from the weapon found on man¡¯s person, who was eventually restrained by Bai and reported to the police. It was a really shocking story, and the officers had arrived to apprehend the pair shortly thereafter. It seemed to be an open and shut case at first, but before the police could get a proper report on the matter, they were required to seek appropriate medical attention for Bai. That was when things got difficult, as Bai wasn¡¯t willing to visit the hospital under any circumstance. A fight almost broke out and the police were eventually forced to arrest him! The issue only grew more complicated when they found out Bai wasn¡¯t a US citizen, but was present in the country on a student visa, making this an potentially international issue. There were plenty of complicated laws and regulations in play that Rick didn¡¯t care to understand, but from the sound of things, the police were really facing a lot of trouble. During all of this, Rick¡¯s name was the only one they could get from the irate Bai, who refused to divulge anything further. In other words, Rick was currently their only reliable source of information on the primary victim involved in this case. Actual responsibility for providing documents would fall to the university and academic association that were sponsoring Bai¡¯s overseas education, but their office wasn''t available for contact at this hour. It was Bai who had given the police Rick¡¯s phone number in an attempt to placate them. In other words, he had sold him out! ¡°I¡¯ll tell you now, I don¡¯t really know that much about Bai. I didn¡¯t even know his first name until you told me,¡± Rick said carefully, much to the officer¡¯s chagrin. Ruiliang Bai¡­ it really was a mouthful. ¡°Then what can you tell us?¡± McGuire prompted, producing from his hip a small booklet and pen, presumably to take notes. Rick patiently, but annoyedly, explain his relationship with the mysterious martial arts nerd. He left out the merciless opinions he had about the young man¡¯s character, and focused on the events of the last few nights. He didn¡¯t leave out anything he felt would be important in the police investigation. After a few minutes, his stock of information was finally exhausted. Officer McGuire sighed, pocketing the notes, ¡°Well, it¡¯s better than nothing. Thank you for your cooperation Mr. Nelson, I suppose you¡¯ll be wanting to see your friend now?¡± ¡°Yeah, to finish him off¡­¡± Rick vented internally, though all he said was, ¡°Please.¡± The man thankfully didn''t waste any more of Rick¡¯s time and brought him to the room where Bai was waiting. With modern medical technology, it only took about fifteen minutes to apply the stitches, though due to a head injury Bai sustained in the scuffle, the hospital wanted to keep him overnight. When Officer McGuire offered to give the two some time alone, Rick agreed, and the kind policeman even offered to fetch his bag. The officer wasn''t allowed to leave the hospital either, apparently. Upon entering the room, Rick''s aggravation with his friend was violently repressed. The usually cheerful and exuberant young man was seated in the bed with a grim expression on his face. He didn''t seem to be in too much pain, but his mood clearly wasn''t good. Rather than frustrated, he looked apologetic when he finally turned towards Rick. ¡°Geez, the least you could do is crack a smile¡­¡± Rick thought. ¡°Rick¡­¡± Bai hung his head, ¡°I am sorry! It was in the wrong to bother you!¡± ¡°It''s fine,¡± Rick tried to play it off with a sigh, ¡°You had me worried.¡± Bai appeared equal parts relieved and surprised by the reaction, ¡°But, your game¡­¡± ¡°Spare me,¡± Rick cut him off, ¡°I can''t stand to see you looking so pitiful.¡± He plopped down into a chair next to the bed and looked over the confused Bai, who had a few scuffs on his face, with messy hair and puffy eyes. Had he been crying? That seemed unlikely, but for some reason Rick couldn''t shake the feeling. ¡°You look kind of like your character from here,¡± Rick said with a chuckle. There was a moment of silence before Bai¡¯s expression began to change. Laughing? Crying? it was hard to tell the difference. He didn''t hold back with the tears, but the familiar smile had also returned. The scene struck Rick with a powerful, awkward sympathy, and he struggled not to let it show on his face. ¡°Rick¡­ is¡­ so stupid!¡± Bai said rouughly in between his struggling for breath, ¡°Game is all you think about!¡± It took a minute or two before any sense of composure returned to the room, and Bai was ready to speak again. ¡°I really was scared, you know?¡± he said awkwardly, ¡°Not to fight, but siren and police, everything felt like end of the world.¡± Rick frowned, ¡°Just be glad you aren''t dead,¡± he scolded. Bai nodded, wiping his messy face, ¡°Mmn. I was stupid, too.¡± ¡°Geez¡­ quit crying, really,¡± Rick said, ¡°You sound like a little girl.¡± Bai choked back a noise, ¡°I am a girl! Can cry if I want to!¡± There was another pause, and Rick sighed. Although he didn''t want to believe it at first, the news came straight from the horse''s mouth after all. Rick had always just assumed Bai was a guy from the way he acted, but that misconception had finally been cleared up when he spoke with Officer McGuire earlier. He had originally glossed over the news back then, unable to handle the shock along with the stress of the situation. Well, it was partially Bai¡¯s fault for never correcting him during their time together. The embarrassing reveal was thankfully overshadowed by the evening¡¯s more pressing matters. ¡°Rick is blind, he didn''t figure it out,¡± Bai managed to find the energy to tease him. He sighed, ¡°Yeah, yeah, I¡¯m a big idiot, I''m sure you had a good laugh with that one¡­¡± Rick said, allowing his companion a sense of levity. The topic was a welcome departure from the gravity of the situation, ¡°I don''t care much for it,¡± Bai explained a bit sourly, ¡°I prefer the Rick who talked to me like a man.¡± ¡°I''m not going to think of you any differently because of something like that,¡± Rick said defensively, adding, ¡°As far as I''m concerned, your gender is just big nerd.¡± Bai promptly slung a curse at him in a foreign language, before the pair finally broke down and shared a laugh. The tension in the room evaporated almost instantly, and when it seemed like Bai wasn''t going to pursue the matter any further, the two were able to talk normally again. ¡°Rick, I need you to do a favor,¡± Bai said. He raised an eyebrow. What could the usually proud guy¡­ girl¡­ clearly this change would take Rick some time to get used to¡­ What could Bai possibly need help with so badly that he would forgo his sense of superiority to ask for it? Of course, Bai never held back when it came to being totally shameless. ¡°For the hospital bill, I need money.¡± ¡°Rat bastard!¡± Rick suppressed his internal dialogue. Before he could respond with a definitive and snappy shutdown, there was a knock at the door, followed by a voice, ¡°I hope I''m not interrupting. I brought your bag.¡± It was Officer McGuire. ¡°You¡¯re interrupting! You¡¯re definitely interrupting!¡± Rick was barely able to restrain his thoughts this time. Bai naturally didn''t allow Rick the time or platform to protest, ¡°Please come in!¡± she said. Chapter Forty-One: Battle of Aleside Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Forty-One: Battle of Aleside
Side A - The Walls Alaine braced himself against the cold wind as reports of an attack echoed up the chain of command. Anything that could serve as a barricade was battened against the front gate. The news had come shortly after Theo left, and while the defenders weren¡¯t caught completely off guard, they were already as well prepared as possible. Supplies and defenders were simply too limited. The sounds of shouting erupted as flaming jars of pitch were thrown wildly over the barrier separating the two sides of the conflict. Although the damage was minimal, the manpower necessary to put out the fires couldn¡¯t be spared. Alaine was already shorthanded after sending his best men to defend the lighthouse. Large patches of ground were quickly set ablaze, sending up clouds of acrid smoke into the sky. Thankfully it was outside and free to blow away, but it still contained a powerful, sulfurous odor that stung his throat. ¡°Watch the walls!¡± he shouted over the noise, trying not to cough, ¡°Don¡¯t get distracted!¡± The first ladders hit the top of the wall with a clatter. It was only a few meters high, so it was not difficult for the mercenaries to quickly scuttle up to the top and drop down on the other side. Although the first men to do so were quickly intercepted by the guards, it was difficult to kill them before more followed. The town¡¯s defenses were never meant to repel human invaders in the first place. Alaine drew his sword and charged at the nearest mercenary, sweeping his blade across the man¡¯s stomach with a powerful swipe. His rage boiled over as he thought of just how detestable these men were. It had been years since he was a real soldier, and though he was now just a small time guard captain, the experience he had gained on the battlefield was considerable. It seemed one of the mercenaries had twisted something when he dropped from the wall to the ground, so Alaine mercilessly kicked him over and hacked at his vitals. In the time it took one of his men to dispatch a single enemy, the furious captain had killed at least three. He remembered the scene of the adventurer, Theo, slaughtering his way through impossible odds, and the image of that battle kindled his will to fight. It was the same for many of the other guards who, like a ferocious set of jaws, snapped shut around the first wave of the enemy coming over the walls. Eventually, one of the fire jars struck a building, and the wooden structure was soon engulfed in flames. Though they were close to the sea, the wood was dry from the desert heat, and few of the structures were made with stone. Wildfires were one of the greatest concerns the village faced, but due to the limited space available, they were left with no choice but to build in a tightly packed manner. The fire would inevitably spread out in all directions if it wasn¡¯t stopped. Knowing this, a few of the more stout-hearted citizens rushed to gather water and help with damage control, but were quickly set upon by the bloodthirsty mercenaries. The guards were too few to stop all of the men pouring over the walls, and their forces were already spread thin. In other parts of town, the guards stationed there had already been totally wiped out. The losses were a heavy blow to the men valiantly fighting on, but the responsibility fell squarely on the shoulders of bad luck. It was easier as long as Alaine was around to lend his blade, but one man wouldn¡¯t be able to turn the tide of the battle. Smoke billowed up into the air, painting the night sky a blazing, bloody red. The dirt roads were already dyed with blood, but the battle was just beginning. Alaine huffed, covering his mouth with a sweat-slicked hand as he tried to block out some of the haze. A nearby guard rammed his spear through a mercenary¡¯s leg before the haft snapped in two. The man quickly pulled out a blade from his waist and charged into a group of three black-clad invaders. Although he managed to cut down two of them in blind rage, he was knocked down by the last one. Charging forward, the guard captain blocked the death blow, and knocked the blade from the mercenary¡¯s hand with sheer force. His second attack took the man¡¯s life. ¡°It¡¯s ok-¡± Alaine turned back to help the fallen guard, a man named Yates, but he had already been run through by another mercenary¡¯s blade. ¡°Dammit!¡± he roared and jumped on the attacker, cutting cleanly through his shoulder blade and down to the sternum, huffing in exhaustion. ¡°Oh, you look strong,¡± a voice cut through the sounds of battle like a knife and hit him with a chill, inducing a twinge of anxiety. Following his instincts, the captain ducked just in time to avoid one of the blades that sailed over his head. The man who had attacked him was tall and thin, with a brutally scarred face and long black hair. His narrow eyes were slightly opened in surprise as he swept out with the second blade. Alaine swiftly parried the strike and managed to dodge backwards, opening up the distance between himself and the dangerous new foe. Another mercenary thought to take advantage of the momentary lapse in attention, but found a sword sweeping across his neck before he managed to land a blow. ¡°Hoak!¡± growled Alaine, who had been briefed on the opposing army leaders¡¯ appearances. ¡°You don¡¯t look like a mercenary, would you happen to be the captain here?¡± Commander Hoak asked in a far too nonchalant voice. Seeing their employer attempting to pull some information out of the man, and looking at what had happened to the last idiot who tried to launch a sneak attack, most of the surrounding mercenaries decided to take this opportunity and rush into the burning city. The majority of the town guard had been forced to retreat to the second line of defense in the city square, but the remaining resistance needed to hold the invaders long enough for the others to regroup. Alaine lunged at the enemy commander, ¡°My name is Alaine Bellamy, captain of the Aleside guard, and I¡¯ll be your executioner tonight!¡± Hoak scoffed and struck out with his twin blades, but was startled when he failed to turn aside the guard captain¡¯s blow. A flurry of strikes lashed at him one after another, and he found himself quickly being pushed back. Of course, this was because the true form of Army Commander Hoak was the Shapeshifter, who had almost forgotten it wasn¡¯t well-suited for fair fights after being surrounded by weaklings for so long. It could be said, that for this area, Alaine¡¯s level was something of an anomaly. While the Shapeshifter wasn¡¯t weak, it realized this man wouldn''t be easy to take down. It parried another attack and, faced with a potentially fatal battle, didn''t hesitate to use the innate advantages of its race. Alaine expertly read the directions of the Shapeshifter¡¯s strikes to dodge, but gasped as Hoak¡¯s skinny arms stretched and bent in impossible directions, curving around his guard and leaving a gash in his armor. ¡°What is this!?¡± Alaine retreated from the close combat, but was pursued by the Shapeshifter, whose upper body became thick and bloated with muscle. The twin blades fell upon the captain in unison by activating the [Double Slash] skill, but the sudden thunderous attack hit only the ground and sent up a cloud of bloody dust. Alaine had barely managed to roll out of the way. The ability to move around attribute points to maximize effectiveness in combat was a useful talent of the Shapeshifter, though it hadn¡¯t been able to use the option against Theo, who necessitated an overwhelming advantage in speed just to have a chance of landing a blow. In comparison, Alaine was actually the easier opponent. ¡°You! You aren''t Hoak! Who are you!?¡± Alaine barked. The Shapeshifter gave the man a coy, distended smile, ¡°You''re right,¡± it said in it''s usually chatty manner, ¡°The real Hoak couldn''t join us, I''m afraid. He¡¯s a little busy feeding the worms.¡± Alaine stood up and readied his weapon. Seeing an opportunity to buy some time and regain his breath, he said, ¡°You have some nerve attacking us. What''s your aim, monster?¡± To his surprise, the stranger was rather forthcoming with the information, ¡°Simple, I want the head of that adventurer, for starters. Although I suppose it¡¯s too much to hope he was killed by those incompetent bandits. Aside from that¡­ well let''s just say it¡¯s recently come to our attention that he has something my superior wants. Something I''ve been lead to believe is being kept here in this city.¡±Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon. ¡°Something he left?¡± Alaine wasn''t aware of any valuables Theo might have stashed in Aleside. ¡°I''m afraid I can''t explain, confidential and all that,¡± the Shapeshifter said, ¡°Are you quite finished resting now? Rather than questioning you, it''s much easier just to kill you and add that old head of yours to my collection.¡± ¡°You wish!¡± Alaine shouted as he rushed toward the Shapeshifter, whose body warped and twisted at oblong angles. A pair of flesh wings erupted from the creature¡¯s back with a squelching, bone-snapping orchestra of grotesque noises. Its face blossomed into a wicked grin as it brandished the twin blades and swept them at the valiant guard captain. In the distance, the crackling blaze and ringing of steel roared in all directions.
Side B - The Lighthouse The pair of slaves had been in hundreds of battles in the few weeks since they had come under their Master¡¯s control. Together they had fought giant serpents, assassins, and packs of ravenous beasts. It seemed they would soon add human soldiers to the list of things they¡¯d been taught to ruthlessly slaughter. Anastasia now had a strong combat instinct that drove her, an uncanny ability to sense and react, and a body that was as strong and sturdy as stone. She was a natural born fighter. Gobthnora, on the other hand, enjoyed nothing more than listening to the screams of panicked individuals as they were consumed in fire, and only the thick cloak she wore could hide the gleaming grin that accompanied her face at all times during battle. Although the guards were somewhat reluctant to follow the orders of the strangely garbed child with the eerily high-pitched voice, they had given the captain their promise. They would do everything in their power to protect this place. The group arrived at the Aleside Lighthouse well before the battle started, and if the girl¡¯s suggestions had been foolhardy or out of place, they wouldn¡¯t have hesitated to turn her down. Instead, the child swiftly commanded them to unload a number of wooden crates from the small vessel which had transported them along the jagged shoreline to the rocky outcropping where the lighthouse stood. Amazed, the men peered into the crates as they opened them. Junk! They were overflowing with junk! Random pointy objects, ropes, planks, strings and wires, bottles of flammable oils and other dangerous sundries were laid bare before them. Taking her master at his word, Gobthnora had hoarded anything and everything she could get her little fingers on. She gleefully instructed the soldiers in the purpose of each object and how to best use the item in the act of maiming another human being. At first, the Lighthouse attendant was startled by the armed forces¡¯ sudden appearance, but once he heard the news of an impending attack the old steward swiftly decided to join them in the fight. This was his home, after all. The path to the lighthouse was an arduous one which traveled over sharp, sea-foam slicked rocks. The steward rarely ventured out for supplies, and preferred his privacy, so no road had ever been constructed over the jagged pass. His information was vital in setting up the defenses with the limited time, but even then, progress was hampered by the guards inability to properly navigate the area. More than one of them had slipped and fallen into the waters, taking precious minutes for his comrades to fish him out. When all was said and done, the path to the lighthouse had been transformed into a veritable minefield, littered with all sorts of nasty traps in addition to its already hazardous layout. Although it was difficult to make out their handiwork in the overbearing darkness, the men still felt a macabre sense of pride at what they had managed to accomplish in such a short time. Few of them could speak with any confidence however, when they stood next to the stone-faced young woman who had shouldered a vast majority of the burden. She was like a tireless workhorse with a one-track mind, and her pale skin and the axe blade that shone through her tattered outfit made her seem like some kind of celestial warrior maiden. Gobthnora, who was growing more clever by the day, had spent a good deal of time memorizing the patterns of inferior human speech, though her harsh words were mostly learned from Theo¡¯s regular beratements, ¡°Bah! Bad work all around! You¡¯d be lucky to kill a pig with these kinds of traps!¡± it took all her self-control not to mention the majesty of the intricate traps created by the Goblin Big Killmasters, ¡°Especially you, stupid brick-for-brains girl!¡± As the guards quickly learned, the relationship between the two adventurer apprentices wasn¡¯t a harmonious one. The little girl was absolutely merciless when it came to talking down to the older one, with a colorful vocabulary that would make even these men, who had grown up around sailors and cutthroats, cringe. Despite this, the other one never spoke a word back, leading them to wonder why she was so deferential. ¡°They¡¯re coming!¡± shouted one of the guards, who had been stationed on lookout due to his own [Night Vision] granting rune, as he came scrambling over the rocky terrain in a hurry. ¡°Back to the¡­ tall, square rock thing!¡± Gobthnora still had some work to do when it came to fleshing out her vocabulary. The guards didn¡¯t see any reason to argue as they took up their positions inside and around the hastily fortified lighthouse. The small bottom floor which served as the steward¡¯s home wasn¡¯t large enough to fit all of them, so several men were stationed on the stairs and in the yard. To everyone¡¯s surprise, it was the young woman and the little girl who took up a position on the front line. ¡°Don¡¯t die,¡± a light, charming voice echoed in the night air. It was high, but not in the same way as the little girl¡¯s screechiness. If the other voice reminded them of the loud and obnoxious gulls that flocked around Aleside, then this was like the lilting melody of songbird. It sounded refined and calm, with an air of nobility that caused something to stir in every man there. As boys they grew up in a rough town, and that had naturally instilled in them a rather limited worldview. They simply hadn¡¯t heard anything like it before, and the enchanting words seemed to cause a well of confidence to spring up inside all of them. The effect was only amplified as they realized it was the first time they had heard the woman speak, giving them sense of smug satisfaction. Each of them suddenly felt lucky to have lived to hear something so sweet. Die? Only if it was for you Rasa! I¡¯d die to hear you call my name! Of course, they were trained men that understood the situation, and stifled their desires as they watched the charming girl and her small companion take up their positions. ¡°So you do talk!¡± Gobthnora exclaimed at her companion, honestly quite shocked. Anastasia turned to the Goblin with a difficult to read expression, ¡°I can,¡± she said simply, ¡°Don¡¯t¡­ get in my way.¡± Gobthnora huffed, ¡°I roast you if you do the same!¡± she retorted, ¡°Stupid humies can¡¯t see even though it so bright¡­ so kill where Gobthnora tells you!¡± The shaman¡¯s voice was low enough to where the others couldn¡¯t hear it, but the young woman by her side nodded in response. Anastasia had acquired something of a taste for bloodshed, and at the notion of big battle, her eyes gleamed with anticipation. It was her only real similarity with the Goblin by her side. Since none of the traps were explosive in nature, the noises springing up along the lighthouse trail were muffled by the sounds of crashing waves on all sides. It was impossible to tell how effective they were, but what was supposed to be a stealthy assault quickly devolved into a chorus of panicked screaming. Gobthnora let out a little titter, as only she could see the carnage in all of its splendidness, and took immense pride each time one of the unwitting invaders was skewered or crushed or flung into the sea. ¡°M-my leg!¡± one of the men wailed in agony. ¡°My turn!¡± Gobthnora chirped as the first of the tenacious mercenaries moved within range of her spells. The poor bastard saw it coming, how could he not, it being a ball of fire and and all? Only, where could he dodge? The [Fireball] erupted against the rocks, leaving the man a charred and smoking husk. One spell wasn¡¯t enough to kill him, but by the time his companions managed to try and drag him back, another spell landed and more of them were cooked under the Goblin¡¯s fire. It was then they realized what was happening. ¡°Spellcaster! They have a mage!¡± Few words inspired more dread in a large conflict than the one called ¡®mage.¡¯ Slingers of long-ranged, usually explosive death, you could find yourself ended in the cruelest way imaginable without ever knowing who or what had killed you. Even if they were veterans, between the traps and the [Fireballs], their morale was shaken. It was clear their stealth attack had failed. ¡°It¡¯s just the one! Don¡¯t hold back! Charge!¡± one of the mercenary leaders quickly rallied the men and rushed them headlong towards the lighthouse. The most effective strategy against a spellcaster was always to close the distance as quickly as possible, but the number of traps only grew more numerous and deadly as the men approached. The screams broke against the pounding waves, and even the guards in the lighthouse were feeling unnerved by the sounds. So the little girl was a mage¡­ the men all let loose a collective sigh of relief, thankful they hadn¡¯t tried to get on her bad side. ¡°There¡¯s two of them here! Attack!¡± the first mercenary finally crossed the threshold of the trap-laden area and bounded into the flat lawn around the base of the lighthouse like he had escaped from hell itself. Anastasia drew her weapon and shield and stood in front of the Goblin, who easily threw her fireballs around the girl-shaped wall with a practiced motion. The mercenary could taste the blood on his sword as he charged at the stoic woman, swinging his blade with reckless abandon. As the weapon collided with the girl¡¯s shield, carrying the full weight of his body with it, he heard a terrible cracking noise and his wrist bent at an odd angle. His fingers unclenched involuntarily, and he let out a howl of pain. The man felt the wind forced from his lungs as the woman¡¯s shield connected with his abdomen, throwing him off balance, and a heavy axehead swiftly lodged itself in his collarbone. He was knocked to the ground. After his guard was broken, the petite woman rained blows on his defenseless body until he was nothing but a corpse. ¡°Kill!¡± even when shouting, Anastasia¡¯s voice wasn¡¯t much of a warcry, but the guards poured out of the lighthouse as if a fire had been lit in their bellies. The invaders weren¡¯t startled by the sudden arrival of soldiers for long, and continued their headlong charge. They had no choice but to take this lighthouse, and soon! There was no turning back! Chapter Forty-Two: Following Orders Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Forty-Two:Following Orders
The first thing Rick did when he retrieved his bag was remove the Lucid Lock and look it over to make sure nothing had been tampered with. Seeing this, Bai turned with a hint of curiosity. Officer McGuire, who didn''t appear to know what he was looking at, asked vacantly, ¡°What¡¯s that?¡± For a younger man, it was considered odd not to keep up with the latest gaming trends, but it wasn''t as if it never happened. Still, it was a rare opportunity to see the almost extinct breed of a technologically uninitiated person. Bai smirked at the man¡¯s interest, having already grown used to Rick¡¯s eccentric focus on the game. She knew the moment her friend made sure she was alright, he was going to dive back into the game. ¡°It''s the VR game helmet,¡± Bai said patiently, ¡°Rick¡¯s job is the game.¡± McGuire raised an eyebrow at the explanation, ¡°Oooh, so you work on the game, Mr. Nelson?¡± he asked. ¡°I work with it,¡± Rick said, still inspecting his property, ¡°You could say I sell benefits, I''m sure you''ll have to learn all about it.¡± Entirely new laws had been written regarding the proper procedure to follow when interacting in a virtual environment. Most officers were required to take compulsory education on the matter, and as Dream World Online paved the road for competitors, the laws would grow more and more complicated. It was something that didn''t directly affect Rick, so he never paid it much attention, but he had plenty of dealings with game sanctioned law enforcement during his past experiences. Bai smiled, ¡°Going to go kill more monsters, Rick?¡± she teased. Rick laughed, ¡°You could say that¡­ it''s urgent, so I''ll explain after I''m done,¡± he turned to the police officer, ¡°I have someone coming to pick me up in an hour or so, is it alright if they come in?¡± ¡°I can allow it, if it''s only for a bit, but they''ll have to leave if anyone else shows up,¡± he said. Rick nodded and turned to Bai unapologetically, ¡°We¡¯ll discuss that other thing later,¡± he said, referring to Bai''s earlier request for his hard earned money. He knew she wouldn''t have asked if her situation wasn¡¯t serious, so there was no reason to turn her down without knowing more. Realizing this, Bai let out a sigh of relief and didn''t complain when Rick donned the helmet. As he activated the interface, his consciousness slipped away and entered the game. The bandit camp was abandoned when Theo opened his eyes. Anything overly incriminating had been burned away, leaving only a few tattered remnants, dozens of hoof tracks, and just as many footprints in the sand. The tracks and footprints went in several different directions to throw off any trackers, but would be gone with the wind long before anyone arrived to investigate further. In the distance, the fire in Aleside had been reduced to a few smoldering embers. Leave it to a bunch of merchants to prioritize their businesses even in a crisis, if they had left the fires burning Theo wouldn''t have to worry about the lighthouse. Thankfully, the beacon was still glowing in the night sky. With the range on his [Night Vision] limited to the power of a low-level rune, he couldn''t make out anything else this far away. It was impossible to tell exactly what condition the city was in, or if the battle was still raging. ¡°Luckily, I came prepared,¡± he said, activating the special ability of another gift that had been received from the city guard. [Swift Stride Rune] Rune Point: Legs; Rank: Lesser Lv. 1 Strength +3 Agility +5 Movement Speed +6% Special Ability: [Hustle] - Increases overland movement speed while not in combat. Effect: Movement Speed +35%. Duration: 15 minutes (Cancelled if user enters combat). Target: Self. Cooldown: 1 Hour. With this, the efficiency of travel would increase significantly. Although Theo originally requested a one-time [Teleport Glyph] that could take him back to the city immediately, his request had been promptly denied. The council members didn''t want to risk their offering getting cold feet and escaping in a way that further infuriated their aggressors. Honestly, if they had understood the real threat of who and what they were dealing with, they could have saved themselves a lot of trouble. In the end, two runes was all they had chosen to give in support of their protector. Theo took off in the direction of the city, bounding over rocks and shrubs which dealt a small amount of damage to him if he passed too quickly. Environmental damage was a real threat in Dream World Online, as it cut into to your health based on a percentage and wasn''t affected by regular defense. If he wasn''t careful and accidentally ran over the edge of a cliff along the way, he might find himself dead before he even made it back. Thankfully, the bandits had pitched their camp just up the road, and it was mostly a straight shot back to town. As he got closer, Theo heard the sounds of battle growing increasingly louder. It seemed the conflict had yet to be resolved, or the Marines had managed to arrive earlier than expected. He stopped in his tracks however, when he spotted signs of movement. Not from nearby, but in the distance, a small black shadow was rising above the wreckage of the burnt out structures. If it weren''t for his increased [Perception] skill, he wouldn''t have noticed it. The figure, all too familiar to the adventurer, had a pair of awkward, fleshy wings that beat against the curling trails of smoke as it took off into the sky. It headed in the direction of the lighthouse. ¡°Dammit!¡± Theo cursed as he swiftly changed direction. At the other line of defense, blood was still flying. With her absurd health pool and the benefits of the [Lesser Regeneration] spell, Anastasia was an unshakable bulwark. The guards which rallied around the stalwart woman were like a sharp spear to complement her shield. The mercenaries, who were sandwiched between the fierce resistance and the field of deadly traps, only grew more panicked as the battle continued. Their ability to attack was sorely hampered by the lack of space, and the havoc being wreaked on their back line forced them to bunch together awkwardly. The sinister little mage was purposely targeting the troops in the rear with her repeated tactical [Fireball] strikes, aiming for any sufficiently large groups. Standing around was a death sentence, and more than a few men had been pushed aside in the tussle and thrown into the churning waters below. Their superior disappeared halfway through the struggle, either dying or becoming incapacitated by unknown means. One of the mercenaries tried to tackle the woman with the axe, but was quickly skewered by the guards buzzing around her like furious hornets. The lighthouse steward was especially dazzling, flinging his old bones into the melee and sweeping around a heavy curved blade. The brilliant steel was soon dyed in crimson blood that glittered under the moonlight. Thinking it was an easy target, only a hundred or so men had been sent to capture the Lighthouse. It wasn¡¯t until there were only a couple dozen of them left that it became apparent this battle was already lost. If there had been any chance of survival, they might have given up, but as things were, their only choice was to fight until the end. It was with a pitiful yawn that the battle drew to a close, and when the final man fell, a cloud of eerie silence settled over the field until one of the guards shouted.Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators! ¡°We - we did it! Haha! We did it!¡± his voice was hoarse from exhaustion, and he didn¡¯t seem to be aware of the numerous wounds that covered his body. All of the guards were in equally poor shape, even after cycling in and out while holding the line. Three had lost their lives, and more than twice that were completely incapacitated and in a dangerous condition. How they had managed to fight in their present condition was a mystery, though more than one of them turned to look at the young woman in her tattered, blood-spattered clothes. The flimsy shield she was using had been hacked to pieces early on, but despite that, she was never once pushed back. If anything, she seemed completely unaffected by the whole ordeal. ¡°Hmph, Master was too worried about these pitiful hu- err, people,¡± Gobthnora huffed. Despite her bravado, she was actually more exhausted than most of the guards. She had been casting on empty for a while, pushing her small body¡¯s supply of magic to continue flinging spells even when she wanted nothing more than to collapse in the dirt. ¡°Not going to lose to stupid humie girl,¡± she kept telling herself as she managed to stay standing one grueling minute after another. ¡°Miss Rasa,¡± the gentle voice of the old steward sounded, clearly showing a fondness for the girl, ¡°You have done a great service this evening. Why don¡¯t you take a rest while we clean up any stragglers that might be lurking about?¡± he offered graciously. None of the guards, weary as they were, seemed willing to refuse, earning a scoff from the Goblin. Anastasia just continued to stare into the middle distance with a blank expression, ¡°One more,¡± she said softly. The group quickly readied their weapons at these words, following the woman¡¯s eyeline into the field. Sure enough, a figure was hurriedly approaching them, having to weave through the field of bodies with hobbled steps. ¡°C-captain!¡± one of the guards, the one with the [Night Vision] rune, shouted. Although the others weren¡¯t initially willing to believe it, after a few moments, the man¡¯s words were proven to be true. The figure was revealed to be none other than Guard Captain Alaine, who appeared from the darkness in tattered and bloodstained armor. Only the princess, the goblin, and the steward failed to lower their weapons. Alaine was panting as he closed the distance, hardly visible in the faint illumination provided by the lighthouse. ¡°Thank the Gods, you¡¯re okay,¡± Alaine said, the relief clear on his face, ¡°I came as soon as I could.¡± One of the men staggered over to their captain, ¡°Sir, how is the city?¡± he asked urgently. Alaine grimaced for a moment and shook his head, ¡°There were too many of them¡­ I barely managed to escape after getting held down by¡­ by some kind of monster,¡± he said, ¡°This whole attack was just a ploy!¡± ¡°What do you mean, Alaine?¡± the steward asked. ¡°Bertram¡­ I should have known you¡¯d survive, you old salt,¡± Alaine flashed a quick smile when he saw the man, before continuing, ¡°I was a fool, it was all because of that damn adventurer.¡± ¡°An adventurer?¡± Bertram finally relaxed his guard, but his wrinkled face remained serious. Alaine glanced over at Anastasia and Gobthnora, his expression difficult, ¡°You weren¡¯t there to see him, but this whole thing started after an adventurer came to town. He¡¯s the one who brought those girls.¡± Feeling uneasy at the sudden unwanted attention, the pair in question stiffened. ¡°Captain, I don¡¯t understand,¡± one of the guards protested, ¡°Wasn¡¯t Theo fighting with us? Didn¡¯t he risk his life to protect the city?¡± Alaine scowled, ¡°Use your head for a second!¡± he barked, ¡°What kind of man could actually fight off that many foes by himself? In truth, he sold us all out and was with them the entire time!¡± Anastasia didn¡¯t feel an ounce of conflict at raising her weapon against the guard captain, her stoic features sharpening into her best facsimile of a glare. It appeared very similar to the one Theo usually showed when he was criticizing her combat skills. Alaine gave a dry laugh, ¡°See what I mean?¡± he said as if this action was enough proof to support his claims, ¡°Those girls aren¡¯t that man¡¯s apprentices. They¡¯re his slaves! It doesn¡¯t take a genius to realize the connection between these Castle dogs and a Slave Master!¡± Gobthnora sidled up to her companion¡¯s leg, ¡°Humie girl, this is looking not good,¡± she whispered. Hearing all of this at once, the men were suddenly frozen with indecision. On one hand, there was their captain, who they all trusted implicitly. These were Alaine¡¯s most loyal men after all. However, the image of the beautiful and courageous Rasa selflessly protecting them with her own body had already carved a place into their hearts. How could such a woman possibly be their enemy? The lack of a reaction seemed to go counter to Alaine¡¯s expectations, and he was left wearing a confused and hurt expression. ¡°Captain is acting very strange!¡± Gobthnora wasn¡¯t going to stand around and let the man throw logs onto the fire, and she quickly spoke out, ¡°Why did he run away like coward? Shouldn¡¯t the captain be fighting for the city?¡± Anastasia shot a downward glance at the Goblin as if seeing her in a new light. She hadn¡¯t expected to find any support from the little creature, yet Gobthnora was able to counter so easily in this situation. This sudden inconsistency wasn¡¯t lost on the guards, but given their currently beleaguered state, it was enough that they could already follow the conversation. This certainly wasn¡¯t the celebration they had been expecting after their victory. ¡°Don¡¯t let these she-devils cloud your judgement!¡± Alaine pleaded, ¡°Their hands are dyed with the blood of hundreds of innocent lives! I swear it!¡± It was the steward, Bertram, who stepped forward, ¡°Alaine, old friend, you¡¯re sounding like a madman. I understand that you¡¯re upset, but this isn¡¯t the time or place to be turning on one another like animals. Are you certain you have all of your facts straight?¡± The old man¡¯s voice seemed to hit the frantic guard captain like a bolt of lightning, and he let out a deep sigh. The fervor in his eyes cleared slightly, though he didn¡¯t let his gaze move from the two slaves for even a moment. ¡°You¡¯re right, Bertram, I¡¯m sorry. I lost my head¡­¡± he said a bit more rationally. The moment the scene seemed to have calmed down, Anastasia and Gobthnora made their move. As the princess charged forward, the Goblin quickly stepped back to ready a spell, but they simply weren¡¯t fast enough. The guards were paralyzed when they saw this sudden behavior, but Alaine only smiled. The moment the steward was within reach of the guard captain, a wicked claw erupted from the imposter¡¯s hand and dug through the man¡¯s chest. The poor old fellow gasped in shock as he was flung towards the charging woman. The force of the collision knocked Anastasia off balance as she was forced to catch Bertram. It happened all too quickly, and by the time the nearby men had even a vague idea of what was happening, Alaine had already leapt past them with a blinding speed. The princess was still tied down trying to settle the body of the steward who, although seriously injured, was still breathing. She didn¡¯t have much concern for anyone but her Master, but she had been ordered to try and protect these people if she could. Even though her Master seemed to hate loud and obnoxious things, she actually risked speaking in order to encourage them not to die. Why else would she go to such lengths? ¡°Captain! Stop! What are you doing!?¡± one of the guards who couldn¡¯t wrap his head around the situation tried to intervene, but the unforgiving claws swept over his face and sent him reeling backwards. Gobthnora, who was used to observing the way battles unfolded from the back, was the first to understand what was happening. Her little legs shook as the Shapeshifter charged in her direction. She was a spellcaster, and the only one here who could serve as any kind of threat to the terrifying entity. Even though she realized all of this, what could she do? Her Master¡¯s order burned in every fiber of her body, urging her to protect her own life at all costs, but nothing she could think of would get her out of this situation. ¡°Only move to protect yourselves or one another¡­¡± Sharp teeth pierced her little green lips. She was slower, weaker, and every option she could think of was one that led to her inevitable demise. It would be going against thousands of years of her Goblin instincts, but Gobthnora looked up at the Shapeshifter and decided not to run away. Her incantation spilled out unhindered as a pair of hideous claws hung over her head like a guillotine. ¡°I¡¯ve been meaning to pay you back for a while!¡± the Shapeshifter roared as it struck out, its face contorted into a deeply satisfied expression. ¡°Stupid Rasa better not die!¡± Gobthnora yelled valiantly as a green light leapt from her hands and struck the attacker just as its blow landed. Anastasia¡¯s hand suddenly erupted in searing pain, as the [Slave Master¡¯s Brand] activated its punishing effects. It was the first time she had been subject to such agony since first accepting the mark, but the pain was drowned out by a deeper, even more nauseating feeling. The magic of the brand made absolutely certain the princess knew why she was suffering, and that was because she had just failed to follow one of her master¡¯s orders. Guilt, shame, loss¡­ such complicated feelings were lost on the young woman. The pain only seemed to fuel something stronger¡­ ¡°Let¡¯s see if you can find some spirit tonight¡­¡± she heard the echo of her Master¡¯s voice. Rage... Now that was a feeling that Anastasia could really understand. Chapter Forty-Three: Payback Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Forty-Three: Payback
A tendril of green light flashed, striking the Shapeshifter and constricting its limbs like a writhing serpent. Although the body of the little spellcaster was stiff and unmoving on the ground in front of it, the killer had no time to savor the sweet taste of revenge as it fell under the effects of the deeply uncomfortable [Bogwarp] magic. ¡°Gah! Not this damn spell again!¡± it hissed in anger, trying to adjust to the miserable creaking and twisting of its bones. As a creature whichenjoyed an unnatural amount of control over its own body and form, the Shapeshifter more than most was thrown off balance when it suffered the debuff. Although it could resist a portion of the speed reducing effects, the sudden loss of its equilibrium caught it off guard. Gobthnora¡¯s final spell left it vulnerable to the whirling war axe that was flung towards its head. It was Anastasia¡¯s [Thrown Weapon] skill. Even though the axe wasn¡¯t designed to be thrown in the first place, it still enjoyed the benefits of the woman¡¯s [Adaptability] class feature. The weapon connected with the Shapeshifter, causing it to stumble forward in surprise. There wasn¡¯t much damage done, but the mental blow was enough to distract it momentarily. ¡°What is-¡± before it could speak, it was struck again. The princess made full use of her [Unarmed Mastery] as she threw a punch at the Shapeshifter¡¯s face just as it managed to turn around. The petite fist smashed into the warped visage of what had once been Guard Captain Alaine¡¯s jaw. Although she wasn¡¯t trained in any true hand to hand combat, she fearlessly jumped onto the monster and started raining blows on every exposed spotshe could find. ¡°Bitch!¡± although Anastasia¡¯s sudden attack was enough to momentarily stun the Shapeshifter, she couldn¡¯t overwhelm the much stronger opponent. The creature swept out with a heavy arm, trying to knock the girl away, but the blow never connected. The princess ducked out of the way, rolling backwards now that she had lost the element of surprise. A trickle of blood fell from the Shapeshifter¡¯s lip, causing it to taste the stinging sensation of humiliation. This weakling had actually made it bleed! Still slowed by the [Bogwarp] debuff, the Shapeshifter turned and ran after the woman, brandishing its claws which still dripped with the Goblin¡¯s blood. Before it could properly close the distance, its prey picked up a spear from one of the fallen mercenaries and hurled it overhand like a javelin. The Shapeshifter swung its claws downward, knocking the projectile out of the way and sending it crashing into the rocks. At that moment, something else clanged against its chest and it looked down at a dagger that was sticking out of the armor it had stolen from the guard captain. The creature leapt forward. Anastasia was a Soldier, and this battlefield was her home ground! She quickly pried a wooden round shield from a random body and held it over her head just in time to block the Shapeshifter¡¯s wrath filled lunging attack. The claws sunk into tightly packed boards, but were promptly turned aside by the woman¡¯s practiced [Block] skill. Since the level difference was too high, Anastasia took some shock damage, but she had more than enough HP to ignore it. An [Adaptability] buffed [Shield Bash] slammed into her foe¡¯s chest, followed by another fist. Unaffected by the skill¡¯s knockback effect, the gruesome claw managed to reach out and catch the woman¡¯s hand in midair. The Shapeshifter remained faster than its opponent even when slowed, but the princess was like a rabid beast as she slapped the shield against the creature¡¯s exposed face. ¡°Agh! Dammit, you dare to attack my face again!?¡± the Shapeshifter roared and stabbed the claws at the woman. It was a clean blow, but attacking the woman¡¯s unnaturally durable body felt like striking the trunk of a thick tree. Even with the claws piercing into her chest, Anastasia didn¡¯t bat an eyelid, instead taking advantage of the force of the strike to break free from the Shapeshifter¡¯s grasp. As she slid over the blood-slicked ground, the various lessons from her Master overflowed in her head. [Combat Tactics] was working overtime to process all of the information he had drilled her on day after day. ¡°You¡­¡± a hoarse voice croaked from the ground, ¡°What are you all standing around for? Help her!¡± the steward, Bertram, called weakly. The guards who had been watching the fight unfold snapped out of their confusion. Realizing they had fallen into the imposter¡¯s trap, the trained men didn¡¯t hesitate, charging forward and fighting back against the Shapeshifter. Though there were only a handful of them left standing, they fearlessly jumped in to defend the woman who was still fighting bravely. Their indecision and foolishness had cost them dearly, and their attacks were fueled by a righteous fury. ¡°Trash!¡± the Shapeshifter scowled as it easily dodged or withstood the blows, seeking to claim a life with every sweep of its claws. The guards, more than half dead already, stood no real chance against their opponent, but not a one of them thought of running away. Two men went down in the blink of an eye, but a figure suddenly threw itself in front of them, tackling the monster and driving it back a few steps. Anastasia rammed her head into the Shapeshifter, knocking it off balance before hacking at its neck with a broken sword that she had picked up somewhere. ¡°Don¡¯t die!¡± she said briefly to the men, ¡°Get Master!¡± ¡°Again, with you? Don¡¯t you know how to stay down!?¡± the Shapeshifter clawed at the woman¡¯s back, leaving a trail of glistening red marks down the girl¡¯s pristine white flesh. The Shapeshifter didn¡¯t seem at all perturbed by the jagged blade sticking out of its collarbone, warping Alaine¡¯s face into a distorted version of itself. Jagged teeth grew from its mouth, which quickly widened as it bit down onto the girl¡¯s shoulder. It was still suffering from the fear of Anastasia¡¯s last deathgrip, and wanted to try and break free of the grapple in the shortest amount of time possible. The young woman''s face flickered in pain, but her arms were like a steel vice. She returned the favor by biting back into the Shapeshifter¡¯s neck with pearly little teeth. Unlike the stoic Anastasia, the fake Alaine seemed incredibly protective of its head, and quickly tried to recoil. Without the benefit of her [Blessing of the Stonekin], the princess wasn¡¯t able to hold on, but she had long since learned not to use it unless absolutely necessary. After wrestling for a moment longer, she was kicked away roughly. A couple of guards stepped forward to attack the Shapeshifter while it was tied down, but one of them quickly barked, ¡°What are you doing? She¡¯s right! The only one who can handle this thing is the adventurer!¡± The men froze in indecision. ¡°We have to find him!¡± ¡°How? He was supposed to be at the bandit camp!¡± The Shapeshifter leapt away from the disoriented princess, readjusting its blooddrenched maw to speak, ¡°You think that pitiful fool can kill me? I''ve already put him on death¡¯s door more than once!¡± it howled. Anastasia grabbed a nearby sabre and charged forward, cleaving the air in front of her. The nimble monster swiftly danced out of the way, sharpened teeth curving into a grin. ¡°Master is stronger than you!¡± the girl asserted as she slashed at the creature again and again. The monster cackled, ¡°You think he can save you? After I kill him you''ll find out what a real Master is like, stupid little girl!¡± The two combatants reengaged savagely, as though they had lost all concept of everything except slaughtering their opponent. Blood flew as Anastasia''s blade hacked into the monster¡¯s arm, but she was forced back by another swipe before she could latch onto her target again. The Shapeshifter seemed to be taking care not to mortally wound the woman, but the claws mercilessly targeted her arms and legs, seeking to debilitate her. ¡°What, aren''t you going to use your little Bolevolo charm, princess?¡± the Shapeshifter mocked her, ¡°See what good it will do you after I hand you over to Castle! You''ll get to taste the same Hell I did!¡± At this late juncture, the creature confidently revealed its true agenda. After their last run in, the news had leaked the moment Anastasia used her [Blessing of the Stonekin]. The most valuable thing Theo had in his possession was the princess herself! With such a slave in their possession, it was only a wonder what kind of sinister plans the criminal organization had in store. Old Man Snake Eyes made his order absolute, they must obtain this priceless pawn at all costs!If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it. The princess didn''t seem to react to the taunt at all, falling back only to fling more weapons at the monster. Anything she could get her hands on was a potential projectile, but the higher leveled Shapeshifter fearlessly intercepted the attacks. [Lunge] -179 [Hustle] effect cancelled! A jagged poleaxe descended from the darkness like a falling meteor. [Skullplitter] slammed into the body of the Shapeshifter with the entire weight of the black-clad adventurer behind it, and a lucky hit sent the monster reeling backwards in shock and confusion. As Theo came flying in over the rocky terrain, he twisted his body and swept out with the weapon like a madman, cutting through the air in a wide arc that made the Shapeshifter scramble away in shock. ¡°You!¡± it tried to speak, but the man roared over the creature with a thunderous shout. ¡°Lay another damn finger on my things! I dare you!¡± Theo¡¯s arrival swept away the Shapeshifter¡¯s momentum and left it staring wide-eyed, mouth agape at the enraged Slave Master. Theo felt the instant Gobthnora lost her life, as his [Slave Master¡¯s Brand] informed him of the sudden loss in skill proficiency. At that moment, his rage burst to life like a roaring flame, and he charged headlong through the battlefield. His body was covered in scrapes and bruises from the sage terrain, but nothing could slow him down. Although his arrival was far from stealthy, all of the parties involved were too distracted to even notice him. He took the opportunity to leap into the fray, and even while shouting wildly, his weapon never stopped moving. The Shapeshifter couldn''t get a word in edgewise as [Skullsplitter] came screaming towards it like a cannon, but the creature ducked under the blow just in time for the weapon to sweep back around and crash into its arm with a bone-snapping crunching noise. [Inflict Pain] -80. Daze resisted! ¡°Gaahhh!¡± the Shapeshifter screamed as the attack hit it squarely. Even though his skill proficiency was a bit low to take on the Shapeshifter, there was a big difference between [Lesser Polearm Master] and [Basic Polearm Master]. Even at level 1, the bonus it provided, combined with the accuracy modifier of his meticulously raised [Inflict Pain] skill, was enough to breach the creature¡¯s MISS chance. The Shapeshifter raked it''s claws across empty space in a fit of rage, but the creature¡¯s eyes widened in horror as the adventurer¡¯s weapon easily met the blow and deflected it. [Parry]. [Riposte]. The poleaxe kicked up a spray of pebbles as it swept out in a wide arc. Theo took advantage of the guaranteed [Riposte] to chain together with his [Fend] skill! -93. Knockback! The body of the Shapeshifter was like a limp doll as the heavy weapon effortlessly tossed it through the air. Theo had always suspected this skill would be especially effective against the monster, considering the need to have a sufficiently low weight to fly the way it did. Its body disappeared from sight as it went careening into the battened door of the lighthouse, shattering the barrier in a cloud of wooden splinters. Everyone, the princess included, watched in shocked silence at the sudden upturn. Theo took this moment to place a hand on his slave¡¯s bloodied shoulder. The touch sent a surge of heat through the girl¡¯s body, perhaps from the pain, or from something else entirely. ¡°You did good,¡± was all the man said before taking off into the building after his prey. Inside the comfortable, little home that had been fashioned from the bottom floor of the lighthouse, all of the furniture was turned aside. Despite the pitch darkness inside, Theo could make out his surroundings with perfectly clarity, a fact unknown by the Shapeshifter, who tried to leap out of the shadows and land a surprise attack. Theo didn¡¯t flinch as he confidently took the blow, watching his HP drain with a shocking speed. Just as the creature was hoping to follow up with its assault, thinking it had the advantage, [Skullsplitter] slammed into its claws and pushed them down into the stone floor. A scream of pain echoed in the cramped space as Theo¡¯s [Fend] once again took advantage of the [Riposte] state to launch the Shapeshifter backwards. Although his weapon had a minimal effect, the collision with the stone walls was different. Man made structures could still deal environmental damage, which didn¡¯t give a damn about the difference between their levels. Still, it wasn¡¯t enough. The Shapeshifter had plenty of HP to spare, and it recovered from the blow just as quickly as Theo could swing his weapon again. The little room was already in chaos, but the destruction only mounted as each struggled to take the advantage. The sharp claws exchanged a number of blows with the poleaxe, but the monster wasn¡¯t foolish enough to let itself fall into Theo¡¯s trap for a third time. Any time Theo successfully parried, it would go on full defense and move back to escape his follow-up attack. ¡°Dammit! Dammit! Dammit! Why are you always such a thorn in my side?¡± the Shapeshifter spat viciously. Unlike their previous bouts, Theo was like a monster now that he could properly threaten his opponent. The mere fact he didn¡¯t have to focus purely on defense revealed meant the adventurer could now restrict his attacker. The best defense was a good offense, and it caused the Shapeshifter to deeply regret its inability to finish the man off sooner. With his uncanny ability to dodge even its most furious assaults, how was it supposed to deal with him now that it had to pause to protect its own life? ¡°Like you¡¯re one to talk!¡± Theo¡¯s face was painted with cold rage, ¡°I lost one of my slaves to a worthless trash mob!¡± The overly proud Shapeshifter snapped at being called trash, but before it could retaliate, [Skullsplitter] tore into its midsection. Waves of searing pain radiated out from the blow. [Inflict Pain] -84 The Shapeshifter was suddenly reminded of the man¡¯s face when he ruthlessly tortured it with flames during their first battle. The look in his eyes then was nothing compared to the terrifying glare the Slave Master was using on it now. It realized, Theo had only been posturing before. What it was facing now was the contempt, ferocity, and prowess of something beyond this realm. The creature¡¯s spirit wavered as the sovereignty of the War God bore down like a heavy anchor. [Bogwarp] had long since worn off, but its movements somehow seemed even slower than under the debilitating debuff. In a blind panic, the Shapeshifter started swinging its claws wildly, ¡°No! No! No! I won¡¯t go back! I won¡¯t go back a failure!¡± [Parry]. [Riposte]. [Fend] -95. Knockback! Trapped with the momentum of Theo¡¯s onslaught, the monster¡¯s body was flung into the nearby stairwell. Cold stone scraped against its armored back as it barreled up the passage. There was no time to stand as the poleaxe fell upon it, and the Shapeshifter was forced to scramble up the stairs on all fours like an animal. Splinters of rock chipped away as the heavy blade connected with the staircase, leaving a clean groove in the masonry. ¡°Did you really think you were ever a threat to me?¡± Theo said coldly, ¡°You were always just a minor annoyance. A trash mob like you wants to kill me? The only thing your guts are good for are painting my blade.¡± ¡°Shut up!¡± it screamed ¡°Just shut up!¡± The Shapeshifter clambered to its feet, but couldn¡¯t bring itself to strike out for fear of retaliation. It took another few steps back, slowing ascending the staircase into the higher floors of the lighthouse. There was nowhere to go but up. ¡°I¡¯ll make you pay for what you did to my Goblin.¡± Step after step, the Shapeshifter was torn between its desire to fight and flee. ¡°I¡¯ll make you pay for what you did to my Princess.¡± As if hoping to regain some morale, the creature opened its mouth and barked, ¡°Do you really think your puny attacks can do anything to me? They hardly even sting! I¡¯ll get out of this just fine and chase you to the ends of Orpheum! I¡¯ll make it so that you¡¯ll never be able to sleep peacefully again! My Master¡­ Castle will destroy everything you¡¯ve ever cared about!¡± Theo¡¯s expression remained unmoved, ¡°I¡¯ll make you pay for what you did to Aleside.¡± ¡°You can¡¯t do anything! You can¡¯t do anything!¡± the Shapeshifter screamed with another step backwards. ¡°It¡¯s going to hurt¡­¡± Theo said, ¡°A lot.¡± [Skullsplitter] crashed into the floor and the Shapeshifter skittered backwards, its limbs shifting and distorting as if to more quickly retreat from the monster that was chasing it. Sharp claws tore into the stone walls and propelled it upwards like a spider. The poleaxe was never far from it, homing in like a magnet as mortar and rock began to fill up the stairwell. Theo charged forward, his weapon pushing back the clouds of dust and sending a battering wind at the fleeing Shapeshifter. The door to the uppermost level was flung open with such force it was almost torn from its hinges. One oblong limb after the other flew into the sanctuary of the open room, where a large glowing crystal was set into a sturdy, salt-rusted metal brace that hung from ceiling. A stiff breeze whipped around the top of the lighthouse in the open night air. Despite the beacon shining brightly, the majority of the light was directed towards the black waters below by some kind of mechanical apparatus. Having been the first to enter, the Shapeshifter quickly bounded towards the crystal. Its claws scraped against the glassy surface, and it gripped the beacon threateningly as Theo¡¯s calm footsteps soon followed. The man looked at creatures¡¯ pointless actions, but couldn¡¯t bring himself to feel any humor in this situation. He wasn¡¯t in the mood to play anymore. His slave was dead, the city was in shambles, and his friend was waiting for him in the hospital. ¡°I¡¯ll break it!¡± the Shapeshifter shouted desperately. ¡°Too late,¡± Theo pointed his blade at the Shapeshifter, ¡°We¡¯re beyond that point.¡± Realizing it had no way left to salvage the situation, the creature roared and smashed its swollen arm into the crystal. At the very least, it needed to glean at least one victory in this whole debacle. As the glowing gem toppled to the floor with the the groan and creak of twisting metal, the Shapeshifter turned to intercept the inevitable blow from Theo¡¯s poleaxe. So what if it couldn¡¯t kill him now? It wasn¡¯t a meat-headed warrior anyway. It could simply wait for the proper place and time to assassinate the man! There would be time to eliminate the Slave Master and abduct the princess as long as it managed to get out alive! Only, the blow never came. Theo¡¯s flung himself at the Shapeshifter, and the pair of bodies tumbled across the room towards the railing lining the lighthouse balcony. It all happened in a moment, as Theo kicked off the ground and easily threw himself and his unwilling captive over the edge. A pair of razor sharp claws tore into the man¡¯s back, trying to make him let go, but Theo only felt a slight tickle from system. ¡°What are you doing!?¡± the Shapeshifter screamed, trying in vain to unfold the wings from its back. The fleshy appendages quickly collapsed under the added weight and were totally unable to gain any purchase in the midst of a free fall. The noise of the wind whistling past as the two picked up speed was deafening, and they cleared the rocky cliff where the lighthouse stood.The jagged shore below seemed to rapidly reach up from the sea to meet them. The voice that passed into the Shapeshifter¡¯s ears was dull, disinterested even, ¡°Payback.¡± The system rang out... ... ... You have died! Chapter Forty-Four: Rising Sun, Setting Sail Rebirth: Rise of the Slave Master Chapter Forty-Four: Rising Sun, Setting Sail
The Shapeshifter opened its eyes. ¡°Ha! Hahaha! I''m alive!¡± it screamed in delight. The body of the adventurer sprawled out on top of it, tangled up with the creature''s tattered body. No matter how hard it strained to move the corpse away, its arms were mangled beyond repair, and what had been its chest cavity was partially caved in from behind. Internal organs had been shoved around wantonly during the free fall, allowing it to somehow survive. Although it had passed out for a while, it would recover after a period of time. ¡°I did it¡­ The girl escaped, but at least that damn adventurer is out of the way forever!¡± The voice was little more than a tattered rasp, since one of its lungs was barely working. The Shapeshifter smelled the blood approaching before it heard anything. Still, without the ability to dislodge the adventurer''s mangled body, it frantically looked around for something to defend itself with, but then a sound rang out as the rocks on the pitch black shoal shifted. Light footsteps approached as a figure with porcelain white skin slicked with red came into view, tattered clothes whipping in the seabreeze. A long curved blade reflecting the moonlight, glistened in her hand.The sword was the same one that had followed Bertram the lighthouse steward into battle. ¡°No! No!¡± the Shapeshifter''s eyes twisted in their sockets to get a better look. The girl with long black hair stood over the creature, her usually blank expression a study in contempt, as she stared down at the Shapeshifter. ¡°You don''t¡­ have to do this! Your Master is dead! I freed you! I freed you!¡± it shouted desperately as the princess held up her weapon. ¡°Master isn''t dead,¡± Anastasia said with a hushed tone, gently running her slender fingers over the brand that glimmered on her chest, ¡°I can feel it.¡± The Shapeshifter''s heart shook, although it wasn¡¯t sure if it was from hatred or fear. A corpse was definitely lying on top of it. Was it body replacement magic? An automatic revival charm? Was this bastard protected by the Gods or something else!? Could the girl be lying? The thoughts clattered around in the monster¡¯s broken skull as it tried in vain to understand the girl''s words. ¡°But¡­ you should just become food all the same,¡± and Anastasia swung the blade down. Gargled screams were drowned out beneath the crashing waves, as the crescent blade rose and fell. The Shapeshifter had always been overly protective of its head, so Anastasia put two and two together. It had always loved to talk about its macabre hobby with such glee, but now its fate would be to end up in someone else''s collection. The princess took one final look at the pair of corpses before pushing them both into the water. She didn''t notice the absurd boost she¡¯d just received to her level, or the fact that all of her wounds were suddenly gone. ¡°It would probably taste bad anyway¡­¡± Anastasia murmured as she began to scale the cliffside. ¡­ Completely unaware of this exchange, Theo respawned at the Founder¡¯s Statue in Aleside and was immediately beset on all sides by a mob of furious combatants. The city square had become the last line of defense, with most of the citizens barricading themselves inside the Town Hall andthe few remaining guards blocking the entrance. From the boarded up windows, several men with crossbows fired wildly into the crowd of mercenaries. One of them even shot at Theo, though the bolt missed him by a mile. ¡°Dammit! Your leader is dead, leave!¡± Theo roared as he dove into the combat. The mercenaries didn''t pay the whirling dervish of death and destruction much attention at first, but those nearby quickly remembered the display Theo had put on in front of the city walls. The moment he returned, the already frenzied battle erupted into even further chaos. Theo, already ticked off by the fact he had to kill himself to take out the Shapeshifter, didn''t have an ounce of mercy to spare for the bloodthirsty Castle soldiers. Like a raging stormfront, he swept into their flank and started slashing body parts and hacking off heads with reckless abandon. ¡°The adventurer! The adventurer is back!¡± one of the guards shouted triumphantly. The words were not lost on the invaders, but they were in no mood to retreat with victory this close at hand. A staggering number of attackers surged toward the adventurer forcing Theo to break free of their encirclement. The battle seemed far from over as the exhausted remnants of the guard tried to redouble their efforts. At that very moment, the deafening roar of cannon fire erupted from the direction of the harbor. Huge geysers of seawater burst into the air as a number of warning shots landed just outside the boundaries of the city. The crack and boom of the artillery fire signaled a death knell that gripped the mercenaries¡¯ hearts with an icy claw. ¡°Reinforcements! The Marines made it in time!¡± Theo felt a rush of relief as he smacked another man across the side of the head with his poleaxe. Despite the sabotage to the lighthouse, the Marines still managed to get close enough to make out the location of Aleside. Although it was much too dangerous to dock without the much needed light, the cannons clearly warned that help was on the way regardless. Like a cat jumping in surprise, all of the mercenaries not embroiled in direct combat turned tail and ran for the city walls. The undefended city gate provided a clear path of retreat. Scattering like cockroaches, the men flooded out of the city en masse. No spoils of war were worth claiming, if it cost them their lives, besides the invading army had already loaded up on anything worthwhile they could loot. Theo couldn''t help but be impressed by just how professional they had been with their ransacking. The moment the adventurer finished mopping up the last of the fleeing mercenaries, he turned and spied a familiar figure in the midst of the town guard. Relatively unscathed but completely flabbergasted, the mayor stood with a decorative cavalry sabre in his hand as he witnessed the unsightly retreat. ¡°Mayor!¡± Theo called out as he approached, causing the nervous man to drop his sword in surprise. He barely managed to gather enough of his wits to form a reply, ¡°Mr. Theo, by the Gods we did it, I''m - I mean, we''re still alive!¡± Theo rolled his eyes, thinking, ¡°Speak for yourself, I¡¯ve already died once tonight.¡± Thankfully, as stipulated in the mission decree, he incurred no penalty for that death. Which was as it should be since the Guild forced the mission upon him in the first place. Of course, that protection was a one-time only benefit. ¡°Planning to go down with the ship, were you?¡± Theo couldn''t help but say, seeing the skinny, sallow-faced man¡¯s attempt to arm himself. As a government official, the ridicule would have been brutal and endless had he tried to escape. Not to mention, all of his business assets were tied up in the citizens here, and he couldn''t afford to sacrifice his reputation. Theo didn''t know if it was an honorable or a selfish gesture, but he had noticed that those two things overlapped too often for him to worry about the distinction. The Mayor mumbled something under his breath before Theo continued, ¡°There''s still some trouble brewing at the Lighthouse, so I''ll leave things here to you. I¡¯ll expect a full debriefing when I return!¡± he called shamelessly. The Mayor rather wished he could keep the indomitable adventurer close to him in these unsure circumstances but couldn''t find a single reason to delay the man. That, and Theo had already run off. ¡°S-spread out!¡± he ordered quickly over the raucous cheers of those still alive, ¡°There might be some more hiding out!¡± Theo ducked into a nearby ransacked building and let out a sigh. He would prefer to stay and boost his contribution some more, but time was against him. After taking a look at the clock in his menu, he realized he had no choice but to logout again. He wouldn''t be half as worried if Alaine¡­ The Slave Master scowled¡­ ¡°Dammit¡­¡± he murmured as his body disappeared into a cloud of shining particles. The bright hospital lights left Rick temporarily blinded as he removed the helmet. At the first sign of him stirring, the two other people in the room turned to him. The two pairs of eyes trained on him made him feel as if he were some kind of criminal about to be questioned, but Officer McGuire was nowhere to be seen. Of course, Bai was watching him with a rather amused expression, but the addition of a somewhat peeved looking Mary Ann was unexpected.This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there. ¡°Rick! You actually made me drive all the way out here to watch you play a game?¡± although her words were a bit harsh, Rick didn¡¯t feel any actual anger from her. He sighed and shook his head, unsure of what to say. Bai chimed in, though hardly to the rescue, she said, ¡°I was just telling Mary Ann that Rick is always playing the game, even when his friend is in hospital.¡± ¡°You should be ashamed!¡± Mary Ann scolded him, though she did so with a smile peeking through her features. Rick had no idea what these two had been talking about while he was in the game, but it was clear that they were messing with him. He frowned at the pair of jokesters, but didn¡¯t have the energy to argue with them. It had been an exhausting day, to the point he was actually considering sleeping through the aftermath. ¡°Spare me, please,¡± he said, leaning back against the wall. The women took the opportunity to tease him a bit more while he wasn¡¯t fighting back, and Rick almost dozed off listening to them go back and forth with their various little jabs. There wasn¡¯t a chance the two of them knew each before all of this, was there? Perhaps it was just his tendency to pick up friends who wanted to bond over their mutual exasperation with him, but they were getting along quite well for people who had just met. ¡°So Rick, what did you have to deal with in the game world that was so important?¡± Mary Ann asked, and Bai followed up with a look of equal interest. Rick didn¡¯t see any harm in letting the two know what kind of mess he had gotten himself into, and took a few moments to get the story straight. He started from the journey to Aleside on the cart, going over the first bandit attack, being drafted into the city defense by the guild, the battle with the Beastmaster, and culminating with his duel at the lighthouse. He left out anything related to his class, but for the most part found it unnecessary to embellish the tale any further. ¡°Well, so I logged out once the Marines showed up.¡± he finished after a few minutes. Mary Ann was staring at him with her jaw hanging open, and nearly jumped on him in frustration, ¡°What? What about Alaine? You don¡¯t know if he¡¯s alive! And the girl you were escorting, what about her? Her sister just died, how could you leave her there like that?¡± Gobthnora and Meatshield had transformed from slaves into refugees that fell under his protection. Bai grimaced from over in her hospital bed, ¡°Rick is like a monster¡­ somehow I feel bad now...¡± she might have been thinking back to the duel they had after their first encounter and realizing the distance between them in the game after hearing about his absurd exploits. Rick looked at the girls with a confused expression, ¡°You were the ones just making fun of me for getting too involved in the game!¡± ¡°I didn¡¯t know it was that serious!¡± Mary Ann grit her teeth, ¡°Mmm, I want to know how it ends!¡± she sounded like she just missed the finale to her favorite television show. The man sighed, ¡°I need to get home first, don¡¯t you think?¡± ¡°Oh, right,¡± Mary Ann snapped out of her irritated state. Rick stood up, putting the Lucid Lock back into his bag. He stretched for a moment as a wave of mental exhaustion washed over him, and couldn¡¯t help but let out a yawn. ¡°Bai, just send me the bill, okay? It¡¯s fine as long as you pay me back,¡± he had almost forgotten to wrap things up with his friend before he left, ¡°Just focus on resting and getting better.¡± ¡°Rick! Thank you!¡± Bai promptly bowed her head, ¡°I promise to pay it back. I will!¡± Mary Ann quirked an eyebrow, ¡°Wait, what? Since when does Rick have the money to pay for anything?¡± The man scowled at her for a moment before realizing he hadn¡¯t told her about the events at the auction house. Bai had heard the whole story beforehand, so of course knew that Rick had some extra cash. At least, enough to cover for the poor college student who didn¡¯t want to face her parents. Bai had enough on her plate now worrying about her coursework and scholarship, and Rick never had any real intention of leaving her in the lurch. ¡°I¡¯ll tell you about it in the car,¡± he told Mary Ann, ¡°Now we need to get going before the policeman kicks us out.¡± In the end, Rick left the hospital feeling sicker than when he entered. Of course, he wasn¡¯t there for treatment, but it reminded him why he avoided these things in the first place. He hoped it would be awhile before he had to return. The young man was hoping to rest on theway home, but the car trip back with Mary Ann was anything but quiet and soothing. ¡°Are you kidding me? That¡¯s more than I make in a month!¡± after hearing about the Bloody Auction, she almost ran into the back of another car leaving Rick a basket of nerves in the passenger seat, ¡°Hell, you could¡¯ve probably made twice that if you spaced it out! You could have even hosted it privately!¡± ¡°Mary Ann! The road!¡± Rick couldn¡¯t help but call out as she swerved past another driver on the highway. ¡°Not to mention, low balling the price across the board? What were you thinking?¡± she continued. ¡°The truck! The truck!¡± Rick clung to the dashboard. He hadn¡¯t been this scared when he was facing down an actual army of the Gods, but Rick had completely forgotten about his exhaustion by the time they pulled up to his apartment. It was a huge relief when he finally stepped out onto the familiar sidewalk. He raised a hand to wave goodbye to the woman, his knuckles slowly returning to their normal color. ¡°I-I¡¯ll remember what you said next time,¡± Rick attempted to placate Mary Ann as best he could. She nodded firmly, as if making up her mind, before looking as if she suddenly remembered something important, ¡°Oh, right, Rick.¡± ¡°Huh? Yeah?¡± he turned back. Mary Ann smiled at him, ¡°It was a nice thing that you did for your friend back there. +2 cool points.¡± ¡°Is¡­ that supposed to mean something?¡± Rick asked vacantly. She winked at him, ¡°I guess we¡¯ll see.¡± Mary Ann rolled up her window before he could make fun of the stupid line and pulled off onto the road. Rick couldn¡¯t help noticing how much more relaxed her driving appeared, causing his anger to spike. This woman had been messing with him on purpose. ¡°I should have taken a picture of her after she passed out,¡± he quietly lamented the missed opportunity for blackmail before returning to his room. By the time he logged back into the game, the sun was starting to rise and peep through the shutters. Although that wouldn¡¯t be enough to deter him from sleeping, Theo had a day of virtual meetings, red tape, and reputation salvaging to look forward to rather than resting. His first line of business was to collect the princess, who was seated by the lighthouse where the front door had once been. Next to her was a large pile of weapons looted from the mercenaries. They were all mass-produced and of subpar quality, but he could probably turn them over to Aleside for a bit of reputation. He put what he could into his already stuffed inventory. The guards weren¡¯t anywhere to be seen, presumably having returned a short time before to seek medical attention for their wounded. ¡°We¡¯re going,¡± was all Theo said, and Anastasia quietly took up her preferred place by his side. Gobthnora was dead, but not forever. Although he would have liked to revive her as soon as possible, that was simply an impossibility. Money wasn¡¯t the issue, and there was a priest in pretty much any town who would be willing to call her soul back to the mortal plane, but that would involve revealing two things Theo had no intention of making public just yet. One, it would reveal that the little girl Nora had been an evil Goblin, which wouldn¡¯t sit well with the citizens of Aleside. Two, it would reveal his status as a Slave Master, which would also be a bad idea. ¡°The longer she¡¯s gone, the more troublesome it¡¯ll be,¡± Theo muttered sourly. According to the lore, in order to be revived, a soul had to be called from the afterlife and returned to Orpheum. In the case of most players, this was done automatically. For NPCs, it was a bit more complicated. After they died, unless the system preserved them for story purposes, there was no ¡®soul¡¯ left to answer the call. It was just assumed they preferred to stay in the afterlife and refused to be revived. Slaves naturally didn¡¯t have a choice in this matter, as even their soul was bound by the contract with their master. Theo hoped the Goblin was merely in stasis while she was dead, but in truth there was no way to know what she might be experiencing. Slave Masters in the alternate timeline weren¡¯t really known for opening up and sharing their mysteries. After putting down a few pockets of resistance from some trapped mercenaries, the navy quickly took control of Aleside and declared martial law until further notice. Theo, as one of the big players of the battle, was tossed aside and forced to wait for orders to come down from above. It was during this waiting period that he discovered his slave''s sudden rise to level 13. It didn¡¯t take long for Theo to understand what had happened. Honestly, it was better that his slave got the experience for killing the Shapeshifter instead of him, since she was already falling behind and it would avoid attracting attention from the game devs. The experience Theo got for completing the quest, after the numerous battles, was already enough for him to level up. Not to mention, the achievement points he received from the Adventuring Guild were astronomical, and thankfully without a snarky letter from his liaison. The city of Aleside wanted to reward him as well, but Theo simply requested the runes they had previously provided. After some arguing, he was eventually forced by the Mayor to accept an honorary citizenship. It entitled him to buy property here if he so chose, but that wasn¡¯t something Theo had the capital for now. The most harrowing event of the day was when he received a system alert granting him the [Savior of Aleside] title and a large number of Good alignment points. Apparently, he dodged a bullet without even knowing, as the system also informed him that he had lost a significantly large portion of these points for negotiating with the bandits who attacked Aleside and allowing the Shapeshifter to ¡®escape.¡¯ Even still, the number was dangerously close to pushing him over into the Good alignment, and he reminded himself to be less charitable in the future. With all said and done, it was finally time to say goodbye. After chartering a reasonable sized boat to take him to the only place he could think of to revive his Goblin, a number of the citizens, including the surviving guards, the Mayor, Bertram the lighthouse steward, and even the Monster Subjugation Officer, gathered to see him off. ¡°Mr. Theo, we wanted you to have this,¡± the Mayor was still as respectful as ever after his exchange with Beatrice, ¡°The men believe that it¡¯s what the late guard captain would have wanted.¡± [Bellamy Family Insignia] - The Bellamy family is considered a powerful household in the Merchant Alliance, and this insignia bears their mark. It once belonged to the third son of Alistair Bellamy, Alaine, before falling into your hands. Although Alaine had an estranged relationship with his family, the Bellamy house would no doubt thank you for its safe return. ¡°A quest item? Bellamy family? Isn¡¯t that...¡± Theo mused as he received the token, though he could hardly bring himself to consider it a stroke of good luck, ¡°That guy should have lived long enough to tell me about this himself¡­¡± Theo gratefully accepted the gift with a difficult to read expression, along with a care package that Bertram and the guards had arranged for the princess for some strange reason, and boarded the boat. The citizens of Aleside didn¡¯t stick around too much longer and soon the sails unfurled and the town grew smaller and smaller until it became a speck on the horizon. ¡°Ravenperch, city of pirates and thieves! Here we come!¡± Theo couldn¡¯t help but smile as the salt air whipped against his face. Bweep! Bweep! ¡°Huh? Another call?¡± Theo turned away from the side of the boat and quickly linked to his phone, ¡°Hello?¡± ¡°RIck?¡± the voice that came from the other end of line belonged to his little sister, Molly, though it sounded urgent and choked. ¡°Molly? What¡¯s wrong?¡± it felt like years since he¡¯d last spoken with his sister, and he racked his brain to try and recall what kind of emergency might have happened around this time in his life. ¡°It¡¯s Dad! Rick, he¡¯s¡­ he¡¯s¡­ Mom is¡­ You need to come back right away!¡± That¡¯s right¡­ he had forgotten. Update Hey everyone, Stick here. Sorry about the unexpected length of this break. IRL events took much longer to manage than I had originally anticipated, and left me in a position that made it painfully difficult to get any writing done. My editor has also been unavailable lately, which only made the process more taxing. I just wanted to let everyone know that the story isn''t abandoned and that it will be returning soon, albeit at a shorter release interval for the time being.The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. Thank you all for your patience so far. A new chapter will be released tomorrow, and then every Wednesday and Saturday after that for a while. Q&A was supposed to be finished by now, but do to conflicts that arose from story changes, a lack of editing, and a cancellation from my cover artist, has been pushed back once again. All I can say is that it will be done when it''s done. Look forward to Book 2, and have a good day! More to come, Stick Book 2, Chapter 1: Voyage [Hidden for Now] Book 2, Chapter 1: Voyage
The wind whipped against Theo¡¯s hair, keeping his hood plastered to his shoulders as he adjusted his position to better intercept the breeze. There was a dull thrum coming from the wooden planks under his feet as waves washed against the hull of the ship, causing the vessel to sway gently. The sails up above rumbled with the sudden change of wind, and Theo frowned despite the picturesque scenery. He didn''t have much patience for anything that got in the way of his plans, including the fickle mistress called mother nature. Nearby, the wayward princess that had recently become his bonded companion for life relaxed against the bannister of the ship with an ever-vigilant apathy. Although it sounded like a fairytale kind of relationship, the truth was far from romantic. She was his slave, though that might have been an understatement given the depth of their bond. Even though he was just a game character right now, and she was merely an artificial intelligence created by said game, as her Slave Master it wasn''t an exaggeration to say that Theo truly held complete control over her body and soul. It hadn''t occurred to him at the time he gained these powers, but after having experienced some of the ins and outs of his new virtual occupation, he had more questions than answers regarding the origins of the strange class. There were too many mysteries surrounding the true nature of the Slave Master, and seemingly no information to find. In actuality, Theo had more knowledge of the virtual reality MMORPG, Dream World Online, than any other player, or perhaps person, in the world. This wasn''t his first life, but in fact his second. He had once spent six long years slowly reaching the apex of the playerbase, and becoming the feared and influential War God that crushed all opposition under his iron heel. Although he preferred to think of himself as an avid gamer before anything else, his gung-ho attitude had placed him at odds with not only his enemies, but his friends as well. The very people who had supported his meteoric rise in the game had turned on him, and his fall from grace had come all too swiftly. However that version of reality was meant to play out, Theo would never know, because he had died. It was an accident, or at least it seemed that way, since he was intoxicated at the time. When he came to after his sudden death, he had been returned to the past unmarred by the trials of time, retaining all of his painfully accumulated experience in the process. Although Dream World Online had only been released for a short time in this new life, he had already taken up a tenuous position as highest level player in the game, and had been making waves throughout the blossoming community with every step he took. Thinking back on his first few weeks in Dream World Online, Theo wondered how they had ended up so eventful. Too many things had happened too quickly, and only now was he able to take a step back and reflect on his choices. His desire for revenge against those who had slighted him in his past life, his ex-best friend and lover who had colluded to put an end to his reign, still flickered like a dull ember in his chest. It was like a wound that refused to close, one that threatened to erupt at any moment and consume him. His desire to take up the mantle of the Slave Master was due in no small part to avoid the mistakes of the past. The slaves were absolutely loyal to him, and he could use them to attain the same heights he had once reached without having to rely on the capricious aid of others. On the other hand, his life had changed. He had become friends with a person he never truly associated with in his last life, and even had a brief flirtation with a past co-worker that he could have never predicted. Then, there was the call from his sister. Shortly after he left the town of Aleside, a small port city where a bloody battle had erupted between the locals and a group of bandits, exacerbated in no small part by his own actions, she had called him. It was too soon. Prior to his revival, when he had been a young man just starting to get his life together, he hadn¡¯t been in a speaking relationship with his family. A call from his sister was something he must have ignored, or at least forgotten in the obsession that began to rule him as he fell deeper into his virtual escapades. His sister, Molly, was a girl who spoke from the heart. As he recalled the words she had shared, it was easy to feel the intensity of her emotions. Fear, anxiety, concern¡­ these were normally tools which Theo used to manipulate those who stood against him, but now he was feeling them for himself. Was it guilt over his past decisions that caused him to feel this way? Much as those he harbored a desire for revenge against were completely unaware of their sins, his innocent sister had no concept of the many mistakes and sleights Theo had made against her, but for the man who was living his second life they were all too fresh in his memory. ¡°I owe this to her¡­ I don''t want Molly to go through everything alone again,¡± this was the decision that Theo arrived at, without needing to give it much thought. When faced with this decision once before, his father''s condition and his mother''s judgment were both evils that Theo had originally fled. He might have chosen to do so again if time hadn''t already changed him. The anger and frustration he harbored had dimmed greatly over the years, and he knew there was a deep regret left behind by his past actions. Theo wondered if one day his desire for revenge would fade in such a fashion, but he hadn''t lived long enough to truly know the answer to that question. He turned to the girl at his side, whose long black hair was tousled and singed from their previous battles. Her tattered clothes were covered by a heavy cloak which engulfed her petite frame, but even with such a haggard appearance it was impossible to ignore this young woman''s unique beauty and charm. Since their destination was the debauched and unruly pirate city of Ravenperch, many of their fellow passengers were of the unsavory variety, but even these rough and weathered sea dogs were cowed by this ex-princess and her silent, lofty demeanor. She was a Soldier, a rare and unexplored class that even Theo hadn''t originally understood. That, combined with her experiences in Aleside, seemed to have planted a seed of unshakeable and sturdy authority that the other NPCs appeared to pick up on immediately. All of the men refused to encroach on her territory, and simply admired her from afar as she obsessively guarded her master''s person like a faithful hound. ¡°I''m going back into the cabin to rest,¡± Theo said in his usually dismissive voice, ¡°You''re free to do as you wish.¡± As the man who had once shaken the world of Orpheum as the War God, Theo also commanded an impressive arrogance that seemed all but baked into his bones. It was only those who truly spent time with him who could tell this was merely a side effect of his deep and abiding infatuation with the game, which was all too apparent when he lost himself in the joys of grinding experience and earning loot. The slave girl, whose full name was the unapologetically wordy Anastasia Theresa Bolevolo XVII, regarded her master in her usual manner. She was ostensibly without an immediately definable personality, and had been that way since Theo acquired her. Although he believed her perfectly capable of the action, she rarely spoke, and her face was normally the picture of absence. In their short time together, Theo had grown able to decipher a few of her extremely subtle changes in expression, and he could tell that she was worried about him. As opposed to his other slave, the sycophantic Goblin Shaman, Gobthnora, this girl noticed every little change in Theo''s demeanor. She was utterly devoted to protecting him, to the point where she had garnered the position of Meatshield in Theo''s mind. Her own well being seemed to be the furthest thing from her mind, which thankfully aligned well to her unnaturally high Constitution and HP scores. This young woman was secretly a terrifyingly hard to kill tank! The Bolevolo princess was cloaked in her own share of mysteries and idiosyncrasies that Theo had yet to fully wrap his head around, but he wasn''t in the mood to ponder her hazy origins and lack of personality for the time being. She followed him as far as the stairs, but decided to stay above deck after her master disappeared into the cramped bowels of the vessel. The woman seemed to have a strong distaste for cramped or claustrophobic spaces, perhaps due to the circumstances Theo had rescued her from in their first encounter.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. It was actually his second slave, the Goblin Shaman, who had kidnapped the woman and kept her in bondage at a time when she was supposedly just a simple merchant''s daughter. The Shaman had since lost her life during the events of the battle in Aleside, but Theo could still feel the sliver of the Goblin tied to him by the magic which enslaved her. It should have been a simple matter to resurrect a fallen slave, but because of the stigmas attached to slavery and Goblins in the civilized world, he had yet to do so. Ravenperch might be a dangerous and chaotic place, but it was without such harsh prejudices. After lying out on a cot in the damp and musty underbelly of the ship, ignoring what most other would find distasteful, Theo closed his eyes and proceeded to log out of the game. The Lucid Lock Virtual System which took the form of a slick and streamlined helmet, was removed from Rick Nelson''s head back in the world of the real. The twenty-five year old man in the body of a nineteen year old stood up from the futon that dominated the floor of his small studio apartment. In many ways, it wasn''t much different from the place he had just left. The only light source was the street lamps outside the narrow windows, and the entire place was wrapped in a cold, quiet solitude. On the coffee table was a pile of envelopes, most of which were coupons or catalogues from local grocery stores. The topmost envelope, however, was actually a hospital bill from a few nights ago. Since his strange time traveling rebirth, he had grown quite fond of a diminutive, martial-arts obsessed foreigner named Bai. The bill was actually for this new friend. After an incident involving a stalker, who had unexpectedly served as the impetus for their friendship, Rick had somehow ended up saddled with the fees. Since he had recently earned a respectable sum of money thanks to one of his more eye-catching stunts in the game world, it wasn¡¯t much of a problem, but looking at the charges filled him with equal parts annoyance and satisfaction. Bai was an intelligent and hardworking young woman, with a personality like a pleasant slap to the face. They were oddly compatible as friends, as both played the game and were fiercely competitive. He smiled slightly and then shook his head. After paying his rent and the hospital bill, Rick was already more than half-way back to being once again destitute. Now that he had to factor this unexpected family emergency into his plans¡­ Funds were going to be tight for a while. He picked up his phone and thought about sending a text to his only other listed contact, Mary Ann, who was technically a few years his senior and employed at the same minimart as Rick. By some miracle, exchanging numbers with her in this life had led to them growing quite a bit closer, and he didn''t hesitate to chat with her whenever he was feeling conflicted. Despite a somewhat rocky start to their relationship, Mary Ann had a solid head on her shoulders when she wasn''t elbow deep in liquor, and she had a certain charisma that made her easy to confide in. Rather than discuss his family issues with her, Rick exchanged a few messages related to his in game attempts to earn money from selling his extra loot. In addition to being wise beyond her years, he had discovered that she had a talent for business, and was well acquainted with any number of arguably unethical strategies to maximize his profits. These kinds of conversations were just the thing the young man needed to get his mind off more depressing issues while his character was locked down on the voyage. Most players would consider it pure idiocy to waste days on long distance travel at this point in the game where every wasted minute was like a knife in the gut, but Rick had different priorities from the burgeoning virgin playerbase. He was already level 16, with the nearest competition still a bit behind. Even the most diehard of players, those who didn¡¯t care to reveal themselves, were just now reaching 15. He had time to waste, and was probably the only player in the game who could take on significantly higher level opponents. Once he reached Ravenperch and the bountiful hunting grounds in its surrounding area, there was no doubt in his mind that the gap would only grow wider. In many ways, the events in Aleside served as both a blessing and curse. On one hand, his progress had been accelerated thanks to the nonstop battles, but on the other, he had let the thorn called Castle dig deeper into his skin. Even if they thought he was dead for the time being, Theo would go right back to being public enemy number one as soon as the international, in-game crime syndicate discovered he was still alive. Thankfully, Ravenperch was ruled over by the Pirate Familia, who was in direct conflict with this powerful enemy. Castle had weak ties there, and the Familia would step in to interrupt their plans on principle, regardless of who they were targeting. Theo also had some information from his past life regarding the current leader of the Familia that he could put to his use, though that was only in the event of an emergency. He was currently trying to avoid attracting anymore attention from the game developers with his seemingly impossible actions, and causing a huge uproar in Ravenperch wasn''t on the agenda. If anything, Rick hoped to pass through the city silently and without incident. The rest of the evening was spent packing and managing his affairs. Rick had already booked a train ticket back to his hometown with the last of his funds, and contacted his landlord to set up an early payment for this and his next month¡¯s rent. He wasn''t sure how long he was going to be gone for, but it was better to be safe than sorry. It was painful seeing his once plentiful bank account drained down to a few measly dollars, but it only reaffirmed his resolve to excel in the game. After he had successfully finished all of his arrangements for the following day, he picked up his phone again. Even though it was the middle of the night, he knew that the person he had to call would still be awake. ¡°She''s never asleep¡­ like mother, like son, I guess?¡± Rick mused a bit apprehensively. The ringtone was like a series of funeral bells as it slowly chimed off, one by one. Rick couldn''t suppress the nervousness that built up inside if him as he patiently waited. Although he could confidently confront demons and dragons without batting an eye, there were certain things in life that no amount of bravado would help against. When it came to this woman, the sense of dread was enough to cause his palms to sweat. ¡°Linda Nelson''s office, this is Linda speaking,¡± crisp, professional, and a bit grim, his mother''s voice was exactly as Rick remembered it. How she could manage to maintain this kind of tone given the circumstances was beyond Rick''s ability to understand. Maybe he was a lot like this when dealing with his fellow Guild members in the past, utterly unflappable. ¡°Mom,¡± was all he could say. ¡°Rick? I''m¡­¡± she paused for a moment, and Rick could hear her reposition the phone, ¡°I heard from Molly that she managed to get ahold of you, I''m sorry if she interrupted anything important.¡± The words stung worse than Rick could have anticipated, but it was easier to handle they felt so deserved. He repressed his knee-jerk reaction to retaliate. ¡°No, it''s fine,¡± he said simply. His mother took a few seconds, as if evaluating her son''s response before she replied, ¡°Did you need some money? You''re still working at a corner store, right?¡± The conflict in Rick¡¯s heart ran deep, but for his mother, the events that would lead up to their eventual falling out had yet to happen in this timeline. He had to constantly remind himself of this fact as he listened to her speak. In her mind, she was embroiled in little more than a petty spat with her irresponsible son, the college dropout. Rick frowned, ¡°No, I took care of it myself,¡± he immediately placed himself an arm''s distance away from his own emotions, ¡°How is dad?¡± ¡°Worse than usual,¡± the reply was equally distant, but Rick could hear a hint of sadness in the woman''s words. ¡°And Molly?¡± he asked. ¡°You know your sister better than I do,¡± she said, ¡°You two were always close.¡± Rick felt a bit taken aback, wondering, ¡°Was that really the case?¡± ¡°But you''re going to be here, that''s all that really matters, Rick,¡± as opposed to her earlier words, his mother seemed to be forcing herself to show something akin to approval, ¡°I¡¯m¡­well, anyway, it''s going to be hard on everyone for a while.¡± ¡°Yeah¡­¡± Rick wasn''t sure what else to say. ¡°I''ll be working tomorrow when you get here, but I''ll leave some money for you and your sister. I know you''ll probably be tired after the trip, but you should take her out to eat somewhere.¡± Rick parroted himself, ¡°Yeah.¡± As if satisfied with the conversation, Rick could hear his mother''s tone stiffen before she responded to someone he couldn¡¯t hear, ¡°Huh? Oh, okay. I have to go Rick, I''ll see you tomorrow.¡± The goodbyes were all too brief before the woman disconnected, and Rick was left alone with his thoughts. He felt a seething contempt well up from somewhere in his chest, but couldn''t exactly place where it was directed. He felt drained after the short exchange and collapsed on to his futon. The Lucid Lock was still blinking enticingly next to his head, and rather than think to too much, he reached out to pick it up. ¡°You could at least try to sound like you care,¡± he said to nobody in particular.