《Heaven's Calling Online》


 Chapter 1- Orphaned

    "Your parents are dead." It was then, in that moment, when I truly realized how cruel the world was.


    My parents had died during a plane crash.


    And that night, in that moment, when my sister and I became orphans.


    My sister cried, and I cried with her.


    When we awoke, we were still unable to comprehend what had happened.


    Our parents were dead. I cursed under my breath. "Dammit! Why did it have to be like this?!"


    No. I wouldn''t accept it. My sister could still live a life. It was then, that I swore to myself,


    that I would help my sister have a fulfilling life.


    The life that a plane crash had taken away from us.


    Getting 3 part-time jobs, I woke up early, I cooked breakfast for my sister, then I came home late.


    Always exhausted more by each passing day.


    As I was an avid gamer, I was stunned by what was revealed.


    With the announcement of the new game, Heaven''s Calling Online, the first ever Virtual Reality game.


    HCO quickly became the  topic of gamers and gaming websites.


    Dark Eden Industries,  The creators of Heaven''s Calling Online (HCO)


    had released a minimal amount of information relating to the game.


    There were 4 races- Elves, Humans, Dwarves, and Beasts


    Elves boasted high agility, but low defensive capabilities,


    Humans were a balanced all-around race,


    Dwarves had high health, defense, and attack, but low speed.


    Lastly the Beasts.  Beasts had high attack, and high speed, but lower defense.


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!"The rest of the information would have to be discovered by the players."


    - stated DarkEden Industries.


    Dark Eden Industries had announced that they would be giving away 500 HCO capsules in 1 week.


    Evan, who recognized the chances of him winning would be nearly impossible, signed up regardless.


    Evan, if he had any free time, devoted it to studying.


    1 week had passed, and Dark Eden had started calling of the winners for the HCO capsules.


    "Please notify us if you hear your name called. The first winner of our HCO capsule giveaway,


    Is Nathan Smith! Next is Jeremy Rias..." With each name called,


    Evan''s nearly non-existent hope whittled.


    "And our last winner is..." Evan had given up once he had heard the next name. It wasn''t his.


    "Heh, I already knew that I wouldn''t win..." I mumbled to myself dejectedly.


    Even one of the HCO capsules were priced at $10000, which with Evan''s current state,


    would be too expensive to even think about buying.


    One week later, I received a phone call at midnight.


    "Because a previous winner was unable to contact us, you have been picked to win a free HCO


    capsule."


    ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Skip the first 3-4 chapters If you don''t care for reading build ups. (It gets better as I get better, I recommend at least reading chapter 9)


    Next Chapter</a>

 Chapter 2 - Welcome

    I froze. "Could you repeat that again? I think I''m sure misheard you."


    "Congratulations sir, you have won a free HCO capsule. "


    "Please contact DarkEden Industries for information about the installation process."


    I hurriedly replied, and was unable to contain my excitement ,


    As I heard that they would come the following day to install the HCO Capsule I had just won.


    *Ding-Dong* -The door bell rang.


    As I opened the door, there stood the capsule installers.


    After negotiating where it should be installed,  they quickly installed the HCO capsule and left.


    I stood there for a few moments, dazed from the fact that I had actually won the HCO capsule.


    Only 50000 capsules were being sold worldwide, excluding the 500 being given away.


    The unbelievable odds of obtaining the capsule were beyond me.


    30 minutes after scouring the internet for information about HCO,


    The only other information announced was that it had a realism rate of 95%, and a pain-threshold of 40%.


    a relatively high  percentage that could not be normally shrugged off.


    But also with that information, it was stated that once a reached a certain amount of time had passed,


    or a certain extend of pain was afflicted, the system pertaining  to pain would stop.


    In 3 days, the HCO servers would go live.


    DarkEden Industries announced that any extra information would systematically be released.


    1 hour. In 1 hour, HCO servers would go live.


    I showered and ate in preparation.


    It was time. "3... 2... 1... Connect- Heaven''s Calling Online."


    In a feminine voice, the AI spoke,


    "New user detected."


    A screen appeared with the four races.


    Did you know this text is from a different site? Read the official version to support the creator.-"Please select your race. The four races included El-"


    "Human," I interrupted. A pop-up appeared.


    [Confirm human race? [Yes] [No] ]


    I selected [Yes],  and the pop-up changed.


    [Human Confirmed.]


    After selecting my race, another screen was projected. It was a projection of my body.


    [Character Customization] appeared above the projection.


    I altered my appearance in a way so that you wouldn''t recognize me if you just glanced,


    but if one had looked closely enough I would be somewhat identifiable.


    Next, a 3D rendering of a map appeared.


    There were four maps, and each centered around a town.


    [Please select your starting town.]


    The four towns were named as such:  [Drei], [Skyr], [Kaya], and [Arke].


    I chose one at random. Kaya.  After selecting Kaya as my starting town, another screen appeared.


    [Charater Name? ____ ]


    I input ''Dragon.''


    [Error- Name taken]


    "Hmm... how about ''Phantom''?


    [Error- Name Taken]


    "Wth? I started once the servers launched, how could they already be taken?!"


    ''Douche''.


    [Error- Name Taken].


    ''Shut Up''.


    [Error- Name Taken]


    [Error- Name Taken]


    [Error- Name Taken]


    After many more failed attempts, I ended up with a name that I forgotten about.


    Enveloped by light, I was transported into Kaya.


    -¡¶Welcome To Heaven''s Calling Online, Player:  Horizon ¡·-


    -----------------------------------------------------------------------


    Next Chapter</a>


    Sorry if I have inconsistent chapter posting.

 Chapter 3- A Terrible Idea

    After an hour of adventuring around the town, and gathering information.


    Horizon(Evan) had learned that HCO used the basic currency of Copper-Silver-Gold-Platinum.


    Where 100 Coppers equal 1 Silver, 100 Silvers equaled to 1 Gold,and 100 Gold was equal to 1 Platinum.


    DarkEden Industries had released information relating to HCO, consisting of:


    1 Real World Hour was equal to 4 In-game hours,


    Classes/Professions could be selected after reaching the Level 20,


    and that there was a website dedicated to auctioning In-Game loots and materials for Real World currency,


    EternalParadise.


    EternalParadise had an exchange ratio of [ 1 Gold Coin = $50 Real World Cash].


    Some other information included the Rarity levels:


    <ul>


    <li>Grey/Gray - Basic


    White - Common


    Green - Uncommon


    Blue - Rare


    Red - Super Rare


    Gold - ???


    Pink - ???


    ??? - ???


    </li></ul>


    ( ??? - Unknown )


    Quest Difficulty Levels currently known were:


    <ul>


    <li>E - Easy


    D - Basic


    C - Mediocre


    B - Hard


    A - Monstrous


    </li></ul>


    Horizon checked his stats and equipment-


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Player Status</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Player</td><td colspan=''2''>Horizon</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Level</td><td colspan=''2''>1</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Alignment</td><td colspan=''2''>Neutral</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Class</td><td colspan=''2''>Novice</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Race</td><td width="25%">Human</td><td width="25%">Gender</td><td width="25%">Male</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Title</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>None</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>-</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Health</td><td width="25%">40</td><td width="25%">Mana</td><td width="25%">20</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Health Regen</td><td width="25%">0.1/Sec</td><td width="25%">Mana Regen</td><td width="25%">0.1/Sec</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Damage</td><td width="25%">7~10(+1~3)</td><td width="25%">Defense</td><td width="25%">4(+1)</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Critical Strike</td><td width="25%">0.5%</td><td width="25%">Fame</td><td width="25%">5</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>-</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Strength</td><td width="25%">5</td><td width="25%">Dexterity</td><td width="25%">5</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Vitality</td><td width="25%">8</td><td width="25%">Agility</td><td width="25%">5</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Wisdom</td><td width="25%">4</td><td width="25%">Intelligence</td><td width="25%">4</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Unspent Stat Points</td><td colspan=''2''>0</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>-</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Balance</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Platinum</td><td width="25%">0</td><td width="25%">Gold</td><td width="25%">0</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Silver</td><td width="25%">0</td><td width="25%">Copper</td><td width="25%">20</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Novice Short Sword</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Damage</td><td width="25%">1~3</td><td width="25%">Durability</td><td width="25%">10/10</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Quality:</td><td colspan=''2''>White</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>~A poorly made sword made using cheap materials</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Worn Leather Tunic</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Defense</td><td width="25%">1</td><td width="25%">Durability</td><td width="25%">10/10</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Quality:</td><td colspan=''2''>White</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>~An old leather tunic worn by years of use</td></tr></tbody></table>


    His stats were relatively low, but that was to be expected, because after all,


    he was still only Level 1.


    After browsing the shops for weapons or armor, he ended up using 17c on a new spear.


    Evan had preferentially liked using high-reach melee weapons over any other weapons,


    (Pikes, Glaives, Halberds, Quarterstaffs, And  Spears.)


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Ordinary Spear</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Damage</td><td width="25%">2~3</td><td width="25%">Durability</td><td width="25%">10/10</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Quality:</td><td colspan=''2''>White</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>~An ordinary spear with no interesting qualities</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Prepared with his new spear, Evan had set off to go to the gate leading out of Kaya.


    Immediately upon reaching the gate, he was confronted by a group of 3 players.


    "Hey you! Wanna party with us? We were looking for another party member, so, how about it?"


    Horizon politely declined and continued past the party of 3.


    Horizon had terrible experiences about betrayal with his past games,


    and because of such, had trouble trusting other players.


    Leaving the gates of Kaya, Horizon was stunned by the amount of visual effects that this world had.


    He was able to see each blade of grass, as each blade of grass swayed with the wind.


    The surrounding monsters seemed to consist of Foxes and Boars, with an average level of 2.


    Since Evan had already spent 3 hours inside the game (45 RealWorld Minutes),


    he calculated that he would need to attend his part time job soon.


    Dismissing the nearby monsters, Horizon had ventured farther out,


    In search of higher level monsters.


    As Horizon ventured further out, the rising monster levels became ???.


    Horizon recalled that when the ??? appeared, there was at least level difference of over 10.


    Horizon had just noticed the [Goblin - Lv.???] he had accidentally aggroed.


    Just in time, Horizon leaped out of the path of the goblin''s sword.


    Miss!


    Horizon quickly returned blows by repeatedly stabbing the goblin with his spear.


    2!


    1!


    1!


    Horizon let out a half-hearted chuckle as he saw the damage counters appear.


    Horizon tried stepping back, but felt a searing pain shoot through him as the goblin''s sword hit him.


    43!


    Horizon was instantly killed, and became a ghost.


    (Ghost Mode is a spectator mode that is activated once a player dies.) (But you should know that)


    A message appeared.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Because you have died, you have been locked out. Time remaining until able to respawn: 23 Hours, 58 Minutes.]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Horizon logged off and left for his part time job.


    College would start in one week.


    Evan had needed to study for college, and hope for a scholarship.


    Evan only had time to log in for 30 minutes a day, between switching from his part time jobs.


    The rest of his time he had devoted to his study, and any needs of his sister.


    Whilst searching the HCO forums,


    DarkEden had announced that there would be 100000


    HCO capsules released into the market during the next week.


    Checking the Online Leaderboards, Evan wasn''t surprised to see his ranking.


    Needless to say, his rank was #50500.


    Last place.


    The next lowest was already Level 12.


    With those 30 minutes of his time, Evan would harshly train himself.


    In the game, every day, Horizon would train his spear and sword skills.


    Whenever he neared the last 10 minutes of his time, he would usually seek a monster to test his skills.


    He was never able to beat any.


    Each day, he traveled farther out, and found harsher environments, and with it,


    his reaction times, skills, and calculations.


    Skill Masteries


    <ul>


    <li>[Beginner] - The lowest level of mastery


    [Amateur] - Beginning to grasp basic understanding


    [Mediocre] - Sufficiently skilled


    [Exceptional] -  Excels in skill


    [Advanced] - Mastering the arts


    [Expert] - A Master of the arts


    [Master] - Complete understanding


    {{Advancing each tier garners rewards and skills.}}


    </li></ul>


    <table><tbody><tr><td width="25%">Skill Name:</td><td width="25%">Skill Quality:</td><td width="25%">Skill Mastery:</td><td width="25%">Skill Progression:</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Pole Mastery</td><td width="25%">Uncommon</td><td width="25%">Mediocre</td><td width="25%">58%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Increases damage using items classified as poles. +9% Damage</td></tr></tbody></table>


    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.


    <table><tbody><tr><td width="25%">Skill Name:</td><td width="25%">Skill Quality:</td><td width="25%">Skill Mastery:</td><td width="25%">Skill Progression:</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">One-Handed Swords Mastery</td><td width="25%">Common</td><td width="25%">Mediocre</td><td width="25%">23%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Increases the damage dealt using One-Handed Weapons by +9%</td></tr></tbody></table>


    A skill he gained while traveling was [Harvest.]


    <table><tbody><tr><td width="25%">Skill Name:</td><td width="25%">Skill Quality:</td><td width="25%">Skill Mastery:</td><td width="25%">Skill Progression:</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Harvest</td><td width="25%">Uncommon</td><td width="25%">Amateur</td><td width="25%">45%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Allows user to forage for [Blue]items. Higher mastery will allow more to be gathered, and allow for the gathering of higher tier materials.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Other skills he had obtained included


    <table><tbody><tr><td width="25%">Skill Name:</td><td width="25%">Skill Quality:</td><td width="25%">Skill Mastery:</td><td width="25%">Skill Progression:</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Iron WIll</td><td width="25%">Rare</td><td width="25%">Amateur</td><td width="25%">12%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>After receiving large amounts of damage on multiple occasions, the player has adapted a resistance all forms of damage. -2% Damage taken.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td width="25%">Skill Name:</td><td width="25%">Skill Quality:</td><td width="25%">Skill Mastery:</td><td width="25%">Skill Progression:</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Presence</td><td width="25%">Rare</td><td width="25%">Mediocre</td><td width="25%">55%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>By observing his surroundings and stealthily navigating, the player has learned how to track other presences and hide their own. Effective against +15 Levels.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td width="25%">Skill Name:</td><td width="25%">Skill Quality:</td><td width="25%">Skill Mastery:</td><td width="25%">Skill Progression:</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Inspect</td><td width="25%">Rare</td><td width="25%">Amateur</td><td width="25%">76%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>After closely identifying many materials, had gained a higher tier form of [Identify] Allows the inspection of [Blue] Items</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td width="25%">Skill Name:</td><td width="25%">Skill Quality:</td><td width="25%">Skill Mastery:</td><td width="25%">Skill Progression:</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Crafting</td><td width="25%">Uncommon</td><td width="25%">Amateur</td><td width="25%">12%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>By creating weapons and tools, the player is able to create [White] weapons and tools.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    As college started, Evan had to drop one of his part time jobs, since their schedules conflicted each other.


    The change in income had greatly affected Evan, as he needed the college degree,


    but the part time job was the main  source of his income,


    Because they were the only source of income.


    Suddenly recalling EternalParadise, the website that held the transactions and auctions for HCO.


    As his schedule was cleared from the part time job he had just given up for his college class,


    he quickly logged into HCO.


    Horizon checked his inventory and found what he needed.


    [Teleport: Kaya.]


    As the scroll in his hand crumbled away, Horizon had materialized in his starting town, Kaya.


    As he approached an NPC shop, another player had stopped him.


    "If you''re trying to sell your items, I will buy them." (Player Merchant)


    "Okay, do you know how much these are worth?" (Horizon)


    After sifting through Horizon''s materials, the player merchant was astounded.


    Where did he manage to find all these high quality materials?! (Player Merchant)


    The player merchant smiled greedily.


    "I''ll take them for 20 silver." (Player merchant)


    Horizon noticed the player merchant''s greed filled eyes, and quickly denied the offer.


    Horizon continued on his original path, to the NPC Merchant.


    After finding the price that the NPC would pay for these materials,


    Horizon''s distrust of players grew once again.


    After collecting 1Gold and 175Silver, Only then did he realize how badly he would''ve been scammed.


    After he made a transaction to EternalParadise for 1 Gold, he recieved $50.


    Logging out, Evan checked his banking account, and found an extra $50.


    He was amazed, just by selling some materials


    that he had gathered, he was able to make $50.


    It was then that Evan decided to quit other one part time job, and focus on HCO for his income.


    As Evan logged into HCO, he checked his stats.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Player Status</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Player</td><td colspan=''2''>Horizon</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Level</td><td colspan=''2''>1</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Alignment</td><td colspan=''2''>Neutral</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Class</td><td colspan=''2''>Novice</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Race</td><td width="25%">Human</td><td width="25%">Gender</td><td width="25%">Male</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Title</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>None</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>-</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Health</td><td width="25%">5</td><td width="25%">Mana</td><td width="25%">4</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Health Regen</td><td width="25%">0.1/Sec</td><td width="25%">Mana Regen</td><td width="25%">0.1/Sec</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Damage</td><td width="25%">1(+1~3)</td><td width="25%">Defense</td><td width="25%">1</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Critical Strike</td><td width="25%">0.1%</td><td width="25%">Fame</td><td width="25%">5</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>-</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Strength</td><td width="25%">1</td><td width="25%">Dexterity</td><td width="25%">1</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Vitality</td><td width="25%">1</td><td width="25%">Agility</td><td width="25%">1</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Wisdom</td><td width="25%">1</td><td width="25%">Intelligence</td><td width="25%">1</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Unspent Stat Points</td><td colspan=''2''>0</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>-</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Balance</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Platinum</td><td width="25%">0</td><td width="25%">Gold</td><td width="25%">0</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Silver</td><td width="25%">183</td><td width="25%">Copper</td><td width="25%">3</td></tr></tbody></table>


    It was then that Horizon remembered something that he read on the forums.


    -Dying will result in a random decrease in stats.


    "....................."(Horizon)


    ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------


    Next Chapter</a>


    Please let me know if there are any errors, or holes in the chapter. Thanks!


    Sorry for any chapter posting inconveniences.

 Chapter 4 - False Start.

    Evan had searched that forums for data pertaining to death and stat losses.


    Apparently, defeating mobs had a random chance of regaining lost stats due to death. After leveling up, lost stats can


    No longer be recovered.


    Evan immediately logged in to HCO and started grinding.  After a few hours of repeatedly slaying foxes, he was able to


    regain the stats that he had lost.  Horizon was suddenly disconnected.


    Evan had tried reconnecting, but was unable to. After checking the HCO forums,


    he saw comments that were similar to what he had experienced.


    They were also unable to connect to HCO.


    DarkEden had announced that because they had released the 100000 new HCO capsules.


    As the 100000 new users had logged in, the server underwent an overload, And the HCO servers had crashed.


    They were currently trying to fix the issue, and apologized for any Inconveniences,


    And that they would announce if anything had occurred, and when the servers should be back up.


    With nothing to do, Evan resigned himself for college preparations.


    College would start tomorrow, and Evan was only half prepared.


    After cooking for his sister and showering, Evan had studied for a while then he went to sleep.


    Checking the forums after he woke, HCO was still offline.


    Atlas college, Evan had earned a half-scholarship after applying to community projects and


    submitting online works.


    Entering Atlas college, Evan had found his Tech and TI class.


    Evan sat by the left side near the middle of his class.  Behind him, sat James.


    Evan was bullied and picked on by James since middle school,


    Evan never knew why James chose to pick on him, except that James was a by all means, a jerk.


    Earlier within the hallways while being insulted by James, Evan had found out that James was dating


    a beauty named Kate. Evan held a certain contempt for Kate after Kate had accidentally insulted him.


    James and Kate had been dating for a while.  After meeting Kate at a party, James had developed an interest in Kate.


    They had become acquainted with each other through many parties, after many attempts by James to woo Kate,


    Kate gave in and had started dating James. After they both decided to join Atlas university,


    Kate came to meet James at Atlas when the college opened its doors.


    When Kate found James, she realized that James was bullying a man,


    Before she could close her mouth, she had accidentally insulted the young man.


    "James, why do you waste your time talking to someone like him?"(Kate)


    Kate had meant this as a way to stop James from bullying the young man, but


    She realized that her comment was an insult towards the young man.


    James who saw Kate, pushed Evan, and smiled towards Kate.


    "Hey, Kate"(James)


    After greeting each other, Kate looked back, but saw the young man was no longer there.


    Feeling guilty, Kate decided that she would have to apologize to the young man later.


    "Students, Quiet down please, class is starting." (Professor)


    As the students gradually ended their conversations and quieted down, the class professor started again.


    "Hello, We will start this class by introducing ourselves, I am your class professor, Professor Duncan"(Prof. Duncan)


    When the first student came up to introduce their self, they made a statement about HCO


    "Hello, my name is Jason, I play a game called Heaven''s Calling Online, if anyone else plays it,


    Add me, my name is "KingOfSoul." (Jason)


    After the mention of HCO, the entire classroom started talking about it.


    Soon after, it became the norm for the introductions.


    It seemed like the 100000 HCO capsules that DarkEden had sold was no joke.


    The everyone in the class seemed to have started HCO.


    There were also several comments about the crash.


    "Hello, my name is Kate, nice to meet you, I play Heaven''s Calling Online, and my name is SereneKat"


    Tch. Evan mumbled to himself. "It seems Jame''s girlfriend is in my class."


    Since it was Evan''s turn to introduce himself, Evan reluctantly went up.


    "Hello, my name is Evan, nice to meet you."


    This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.


    Evan introduced himself as quickly as possible without seeming rude, then returned to his seat.


    Kate noticed the young man, and took note of his name. Evan.


    She would find him later and formally apologize to him.


    As the lecture ended, Evan grabbed his materials and left first.


    As Kate saw Evan leaving, she quickly packed her stuff, then tried finding Evan.


    Kate looked around, she was unable to find Evan. She told herself that she would  apologize the next time she saw him.


    Returning home, he checked with his sister to find out if she needed anything, made lunch, then silently ate.


    Checking the forums, as soon as Evan saw that DarkEden had announced that the HCO servers were back up,


    He immediately logged in.


    As Horizon looked around, he noticed that he was somewhere else. This wasn''t here he logged off.


    Horizon quickly checked his stats. He was back to Level.1.


    Horizon logged off quickly and checked the forums.


    The first thing he saw was that DarkEden had announced what happened.


    He missed the notice the first time because he was only paying attention to see of the server was online or not.


    What he missed was the change labeled at the top.


    Because the HCO map became corrupt, they had to delete it, and in its place, a entirely new world


    Was now set as the main.  The only things that seemed to stay the same were the skill masteries.


    All items, Levels, and other statuses had been reset.


    The comments on the forum included varying opinions.


    <table><tbody><tr><td><ul>


    <li>1. DestinedOne- I think it''s nice that the world and stats were reset, now we can all start at the same pace


    2. BrazenFist- STFU! You''re only saying that becaz you didn''t even have the game before yesterday. All our work went to hell.


    3. GrapeUrMum- Ha! Must suck you you noobs >:3 Get Rekt


    4. BrazenFist- @GrapeUrMum I''m going to kill you in the game when I see yur lil punk ass.


    5. FlyingTurtle- I agree with @DestinedOne, I think that it will be more fair to all the players.


    6. Smashurface- WTF?! I LOGGED IN AND ALL MY F*CKING STUFF IS GONE! THIS IS TOTAL BULLSH*T!


    7. Yunosuke[Moderator]- Please watch your language, @Smashurface.


    8. Smashurface- <Message Deleted>


    9. Smashurface[Banned]- <Message Deleted>


    10. dArKDeAtH- This kid''s a frickin idiot...


    11. Yunosuke[Moderator]- Warned, and then Banned.


    </li></ul>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    Logging in, Horizon decided that he would look around. As he stepped forward, a new interface appeared.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Please Select Your Kingdom- [Runa] [Faer] [Kaer]]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    It seemed that because the old world was destroyed, he would be able to select a new location to start in this new world.


    After a short while, he chose the Runa Kingdom.


    A few things had changed. The kingdoms were far larger than the towns, the architecture seemed more advanced,


    And the trainers that assisted class selection could be used once someone reached level 5.


    His starter equipment was the same ones that''s he had started in the old world with.


    Most of the players from the old world had already seemed to have run off, leaving behind only the new players,


    And the players that were recruiting to make parties and/or guilds.


    Horizon was invited by a party of 4. After a slight hesitation,


    He decided that at level 1, partying wouldn''t hurt to start with.


    And so began the true start of HCO.


    ----------------


    Next Chapter</a>


    These things take so long to write...


    Whatever. Here you go.


    I must say, After you get started, it becomes a lot easier to write.


    Compared to the earlier chapters, this seemed to be the best, and the easiest to write.


    Leave a reply of what you think, and if there are any holes or mistakes, or maybe say Hi. Thanks for reading!

 Chapter 5- Class Change

    The party consisted of 4 players, 2 guys, and 2 girls.


    After accepting the party invite, I took the initiative and introduced myself.


    "Horizon, As for my class, I haven''t yet decided. Pleased to make your acquaintance. I am Level 1."(Horizon)


    "Hello, and thanks for joining our party. My name is Arsonel, and I am the party leader. We''re all friends IRL,


    so everyone in my party knows each other. As for my class, I am going for a Knight or Swordsman. My current Level is 3."(Arsonel)


    As the party leader, Arsonel seemed to be experienced with gaming, and was most likely one of the lucky 50500 early players.


    The other party members had begun stepping forward to introduce themselves.


    "My name is SilentCry, I am planning to become a mage.  My level is currently 3."(SilentCry)


    SilentCry seemed to be an average player, but it seemed he wasn''t a part of the lucky 50500 early players.


    Only the 2 girls were left to introduce their self.


    "Hi, My name is Aisha, Please to meet you, I am currently level 2, currently trying for the assassin/rogue class."


    Aisha seemed nice enough, she seemed to be the youngest member of their party. As for her looks, she was quite pretty.


    Lastly, there was Astral. She was significantly much more beautiful than Aisha, and she introduced herself as a rouge.


    "Hello. I go by Astral, I was one of the lucky 50500 players who obtained a capsule, like Arsonel. During the old world,


    I was a Level 23 Rouge."


    Level 23?! She must have been within the top 10 to be such a high level!


    Moreover, it seemed she had a lot of experience with games.


    Horizon''s evaluation of her changed greatly. He also noticed that Arsonel and SilentCry had expressed some form of interest in Astral, but he kept that information to himself.


    As they left the front gates, they were surprised as they noticed Horizon equip a spear.


    Most players generally equipped swords or axes, but Horizon was the first person that the party had seen wielding a spear.   More so, he was also dual wielding his spear along with a sword.


    After killing foxes for a while, Horizon had gained 2 levels, and was currently level 3.


    Each level gained grants 10 stat points.


    Horizon had 20 stat points, and put 8 into STR, 8 into DEX, and 4 into AGI.


    "Status"(Horizon)


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Player Status</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Player</td><td colspan=''2''>Horizon</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Level</td><td colspan=''2''>3</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Alignment</td><td colspan=''2''>Neutral</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Class</td><td colspan=''2''>Novice</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Race</td><td width="25%">Human</td><td width="25%">Gender</td><td width="25%">Male</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Title</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>None</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>-</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Health</td><td width="25%">40</td><td width="25%">Mana</td><td width="25%">20</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Health Regen</td><td width="25%">0.1/Sec</td><td width="25%">Mana Regen</td><td width="25%">0.1/Sec</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Damage</td><td width="25%">17~20(+2))</td><td width="25%">Defense</td><td width="25%">5</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Critical Strike</td><td width="25%">0.9%</td><td width="25%">Fame</td><td width="25%">5</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>-</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Strength</td><td width="25%">13</td><td width="25%">Dexterity</td><td width="25%">13</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Vitality</td><td width="25%">8</td><td width="25%">Agility</td><td width="25%">9</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Wisdom</td><td width="25%">4</td><td width="25%">Intelligence</td><td width="25%">4</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Unspent Stat Points</td><td colspan=''2''>0</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>-</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Balance</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Platinum</td><td width="25%">0</td><td width="25%">Gold</td><td width="25%">0</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Silver</td><td width="25%">2</td><td width="25%">Copper</td><td width="25%">57</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Effects</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>None</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Crude Wooden Spear</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Restrictions</td><td colspan=''2''>None</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Damage</td><td width="25%">2</td><td width="25%">Durability</td><td width="25%">3/5</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Quality:</td><td colspan=''2''>Gray</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>A poorly carved spear made by a new crafter</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Novice Short Sword (1-Handed)</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Restrictions</td><td colspan=''2''>None</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Damage</td><td width="25%">1-3</td><td width="25%">Durability</td><td width="25%">8/10</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Quality:</td><td colspan=''2''>Grey</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>A Poorly made sword using cheap materials</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Worn Leather Tunic</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Restrictions</td><td colspan=''2''>None</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Defense</td><td width="25%">1</td><td width="25%">Durability</td><td width="25%">9/10</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Quality:</td><td colspan=''2''>White</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>~An old leather tunic worn by years of use</td></tr></tbody></table>


    His attack potential had increased by a large amount compared to before.


    After an hour, Arsenal and his party all reached Level 5, they decided to go back into Kaya to get their class change.


    Class Changes did a few things.


    By changing your class, your stats would increase, and stat conversion would be changed.


    (Stat conversion:   A Swordsman will have a STR conversion of 1.2, While an Archer will have a STR conversion of 0.8


    If the knight has 100 STR, his base damage will be 120. If the Archer has 100 STR, his base damage will be 80.)


    Class changes also let someone equip class-restricted gear without penalties.


    If you encounter this narrative on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Most of all, class changes would allow players to learn class restricted skills, unable to be learnt by some other classes.


    Having left the party, Horizon decided to find the next town.  Traversing through the [Green Forest], Horizon had encountered his first Boss.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''3''>Possessed Wolf</td><td width="25%">Green</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>An outcast wolf that became mutated after being possessed by an evil spirit</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Boss Skills</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Twin Slash</td><td width="25%">Rend</td><td width="25%">???</td><td width="25%">???</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Twin Slash was most likely a melee attack used my attacking with both claws,


    but he had never heard of the skill Rend.


    Initiating by slashing the wolf''s eyes with his sword, he quickly followed up with a few stabs of his spear.


    32![Crit!]


    15!


    16!


    15!


    As the wolf retaliated using Twin Slash, Horizon vaulted himself into the air using his spear.


    Miss!


    With his old world experience, he calculated the wolf''s claw''s trajectory, and stabbed downwards with is spear,


    stabbing through the wolf''s paws, and trapping it into the ground below.


    17! [Snare!]


    Trapped, the wolf helplessly watched as Horizon carved chunks of his health away.


    14!


    18!


    20!


    16!


    Horizon had miscalculated one of his steps and accidently  stumbled. The wolf seeing this chance, activate savagely bit into Horizon!


    32! [Rend]


    Retreating a few meters, Horizon checeked his status.


    [Rend  II - 12 Seconds] - Deals damage over time. The more the target moves, the move damage is taken. 1 Meter = 1 Damage


    Realizing the dangers that movement would cause, Horizon grabbed his spears he had crafted earlier and launched them at the wolf.


    12!


    15!


    13!


    28![Crit!]


    As the last spear pierced into the wolf''s skull, he had a critical hit and the wolf was destroyed.


    <table><tbody><tr><td> Possessed Wolf Has Been Defeated.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Level Up!


    Level Up!


    Horizon had reached Level 5.


    Once Rend had ended, Horizon approached the items left behind.


    They were both emanating a green aura.


    As he grabbed the first item, he heard behind him some talking.


    Sh*t. Someone was approaching. Horizon quickly threw the item in his hand into nearby tree as the person appeared.


    It was a party of 4. Sh*t. After killing the boss, Horizon only had been able to regen 20 hp.


    -


    Noticing some commotion, Baron had approached the area along with his party of 5.


    Upon reaching the noise, he saw 2 things. A solo player, and a dead boss.


    The solo player hadn''t yet pickup the item drops. Noticing this, he smirked.


    "Give us the drops and we''ll let you live." (Baron)


    Of course Baron had meant to kill the solo player anyway, whether he handed him the loot or not.


    Tch. Horizon grimaced.


    He had just killed this boss to hand over the loot? He wouldn''t accept it.


    He quickly distributed the stats he gained from leveling. +8STR, +8DEX, +4 AGI.


    Throwing one of his spear towards Baron, he quickly equipped another.


    Baron had barely dodged the spear, and unluckily for the person behind him, they met a spear with their face.


    33![Crit!]


    Taking his sword, Horizon lunged towards another player and rammed his spear point first into their head, making them stumble backwards, and quickly following this, Horizon''s sword pierced their chest.


    24![Crit!]


    38![Crit!]


    By hitting certain areas, it was easy to achieve critical hits. The unlucky person at the receiving end quickly died.


    "Everyone attack him!" (Baron)


    After his entire party focused attacking Horizon, he quickly died. But not after a total of 3 players were killed.


    Evan cursed at his killers. Because Horizon had taken the first hit, he was marked as a [Red Player] while his murders were still [Green Player]s.


    Baron was dumbfounded as of how one player was able to kill 3 of his party members before he was able to kill the solo player. It must have been luck.


    As Baron approached the loot from the dead boos, he identified it and smiled.


    It was a Green sword. During the early game, having a green item would give a head start to any player that had one.


    Having died, Evan quickly logged off and began started preparations for their dinner.


    After he and his sister finished eating, he decided that he would finish studying, Check the forums, and then finish anything else he needed to do.


    The next day as Evan was in class, he was approached by Kaye.


    "About yesterday... I''m sorry if I insulted you..."(Kate)


    He looked up. It took a few seconds before he recalled Kate from his memory.


    "Sure, Whatever, I''m fine." (Evan)-without really caring much.


    James, who was nearby at the time, saw as Kate was apologizing to Evan, and grew furious.


    Why was Kate talking to someone like Evan? Upon moving closer, he heard that Kate was apologizing.


    Apologizing?! To loser?! Outrageous! Moreover, Evan had blew her off, not even caring to talk to Kate.


    James kept note to teach Evan his place later.


    Upon class ended, Evan quickly left for home to check to see if the item he had thrown to the side was still there.


    Reminiscing  of the people who had killed him, his contempt for them grew.


    As he respawned in Kaya, he ran towards the nearest class change trainer there was and took it, without checking to see what it was in his hurry to retrieve the hidden items.


    As he came upon the place where he threw the items, he was unable to find it, and he saw that there were trails leading to it.


    Dammit! he had killed the boss only to have all the items stolen away from him.


    As he remembered something, he quickly check his class.


    Dancer.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>-Player Disconnected-</td></tr></tbody></table>


    ------------------------------


    Next Chapter</a>


    Not sure how it ended that way...


    Please notify me of any errors.

 Chapter 6 - Grinding

    Dancer.


    Why. Did I have to get dancer.


    Evan cursed at his own stupidity.


    As Evan logged back into HCO, he immediately went to see if he could have a skill change.


    As he was trying to enter the gates of Kaya, he stopped himself before the guards noticed him.


    He remembered that he was still a Red Player.


    Horizon logged off to check the forum about any information about the dancer class.


    There were none. It had seemed that Horizon was the only player to have chosen the Dancer class.


    After logging in Horizon had checked his current stats.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Player Status</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Player</td><td colspan=''2''>Horizon</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Level</td><td colspan=''2''>5</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Alignment</td><td colspan=''2''>Caution</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Class</td><td colspan=''2''>Dancer</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Race</td><td width="25%">Human</td><td width="25%">Gender</td><td width="25%">Male</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Title</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>None</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>-</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Health</td><td width="25%">50</td><td width="25%">Resonance</td><td width="25%">0</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Health Regen</td><td width="25%">0.1/Sec</td><td width="25%">-</td><td width="25%">-</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Damage</td><td width="25%">31-33(+3~5)</td><td width="25%">Defense</td><td width="25%">5</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Critical Strike</td><td width="25%">0.1%</td><td width="25%">Fame</td><td width="25%">-32</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>-</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Strength</td><td width="25%">26</td><td width="25%">Dexterity</td><td width="25%">26</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Vitality</td><td width="25%">8</td><td width="25%">Agility</td><td width="25%">18</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Unspent Stat Points</td><td colspan=''2''>0</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>-</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Balance</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Platinum</td><td width="25%">0</td><td width="25%">Gold</td><td width="25%">0</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Silver</td><td width="25%">26</td><td width="25%">Copper</td><td width="25%">33</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Effects</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Resonance- STR, DEX, AGI +0.0%</td></tr></tbody></table>


    By changing his class to dancer, he had no apparent stat conversion changes, and class changes on average gained 30 stat points, while his Dancer class only granted him with 15 stat points. Even more so, his INT, and WIS stats have disappeared, along with his Mana bar.


    The [Resonance] bar he had gained was at 0, and so he refuted it as a useless thing.


    The Dancer Class truly seemed useless.


    While checking with his skills, he had learned 2 skills.


    <table><tbody><tr><td width="25%">Skill Name:</td><td width="25%">Skill Quality:</td><td width="25%">Skill Mastery:</td><td width="25%">Skill Progression:</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Behold</td><td width="25%">Dancer(Common)</td><td width="25%">Beginner</td><td width="25%">0%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Attracts nearby aggro, and increases speed by +5%</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Unauthorized content usage: if you discover this narrative on Amazon, report the violation.


    <table><tbody><tr><td width="25%">Skill Name:</td><td width="25%">Skill Quality:</td><td width="25%">Skill Mastery:</td><td width="25%">Skill Progression:</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Refine</td><td width="25%">Dancer (Common)</td><td width="25%">Beginner</td><td width="25%">0.01%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>[PASSIVE]By wasting less movement,grants a +1% boost to STR, DEX, and AGI.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Refine could be level just by walking and was a passive, so it would automatically level itself,


    and Behold could be used for speed, at the price of aggro.


    Walking back into the forest, he tried using Behold, but a message appeared


    <table><tbody><tr><td>[Not Enough Resonance]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    How was he going to be able to use skills if his resonance stat was 0?!


    Horizon''s evaluation of the dancer class fell once more.


    As Horizon decided that he would become a hardcore solo player, he wouldn''t


    meddle with players, and use NPCs only for selling his items.


    -


    After hours of grinding, Horizon reached Level 14.


    He distributed his stats each level as such. +4STR +3DEX, +2AGI +1VIT


    STR helped him in the areas of raw damage,


    DEX had helped his adeptness and attack speed,


    AGI allowed him to move faster, and hit more accurately,


    and VIT ensured that he wouldn''t be killed instantly.


    By excessively crafting weapons, Horizon had increased his the tier of his spears.


    Horizon was forced to make spears often, because the item drop restrictions, spears he crafted were stronger than the debuffed good weapons.


    The weapons that Dancers were able to use without any punishments were sparse and few.


    With his [Crafting] skill, he was able to bypass the normal restrictions of items that he found, because he was allowed to use any weapons that he had created.


    By skipping his classes and ordering pizza was the price Evan had paid for playing for 3 day in-game. (18 Hours)


    As he checked the forums, the highest level that was claimed and confirmed was Level 12.


    Evan smirked as he realized that he was one of the top players.


    <hr />


    Next chapter</a>


    Sorry, Short chapter.


    Please tell me if there are any holes or issues.


    (¨s¡ã¡õ¡ã)¨s¦à ©ß©¥©ß I GOT TABLES


    (I just recently learned how to code in the tables. They took really long...)

 Chapter 7 - Blacksmith

    "Hey, Wake up."(???)


    *Jab* "Wake up"(???)


    Evan woke up. He had fallen asleep in his Tech college class.


    "Class is over"(Girl who sat behind Evan)


    "Oh, sorry you had to wake me up, and thanks... Uh..-"(Evan)


    "Aria, my name''s Aria."(Aria)


    "Are you OK? you seemed really tired."(Aria)


    Evan had paid the price for staying up all night to get to level 17.


    "Yeah, I''m fine, thanks for asking. Aria"(Evan)


    "Well, Cya later then. Bye"(Aria)


    Evan realized that he had drool running down his mouth and quickly wiped it off.


    Crap. it was there the entire time wasn''t it?...


    Yesterday by auctioning off the items he had obtained from grinding, he was able to make enough money to not have to worry about the month. Early game items'' worth would drop over time, so he had to sell most of the items quick. And, his dancer class wouldn''t allow him to equip most items anyway.


    His crafting skill now allowed him to create [Green] Spears, but, sadly nobody used spears,


    so his thoughts of selling them would never work out.


    Most players had become Knights, Swordsmen, Archers, Assassins, or Mages. Others took Merchant, Healers, or Shamans. But only Horizon had taken Dancer.


    Upon his crafting skill reaching [Exceptional] he had the option to change it into a similar profession.


    <table><tbody><tr><td width="25%">Skill Name:</td><td width="25%">Skill Quality:</td><td width="25%">Skill Mastery:</td><td width="25%">Skill Progression:</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Crafting</td><td width="25%">Uncommon</td><td width="25%">Exceptional</td><td width="25%">0.2%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Player is able to create weapons and tools up to [Green] Tier.


    [Progression Avalible. [Weapon Smith] [Technician]</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Weapon Smith Has been learned!</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td width="25%">Skill Name:</td><td width="25%">Skill Quality:</td><td width="25%">Skill Mastery:</td><td width="25%">Skill Progression:</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Weapon Smith</td><td width="25%">Rare</td><td width="25%">Mediocre</td><td width="25%">0%</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>The user is able to create more complicated weapons. [Green] Teir.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Once Horizon had saw this, had immediately attempted to create a weapon.


    With his new [Weapon Smith] Skill, he wanted to see what new weapons he could make.


    After 5 failed attempts, he had to go buy more iron to use as a materials.


    On his sixth attempt, he was able to successfully create a weapon.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Item Successfully Forged!</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Crude Glaive</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Restrictions</td><td colspan=''2''>30 STR, Level 10</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Damage</td><td width="25%">13-17</td><td width="25%">Durability</td><td width="25%">20/20</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Quality:</td><td colspan=''2''>Green</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>A poorly created glaive, but due to the crafter''s skill, has a keen edge.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Claim Crude Glaive with signature? </td></tr></tbody></table>


    Horizon denied. He had no need to label something.


    Horizon had tried to make a better melee spear weapon and ended up with a glaive.


    The glaive he had created had better stats, and he had enough STR to wield it, so he equipped it.


    Logging off, Evan checked the forums of any updates. DarkEden had released that pets were now in the game, but nobody knew how to tame one.


    Since his [Red] player status had run out, he was able to enter the towns again without being targeted by players or town guards.


    Upon entering a town received a message-


    <table><tbody><tr><td>For being the first player to discover Phiren, you have gained 3500 EXP and a 10% increase in profits from selling, and 10% decrease when buying items in Phiren for 1 hour</td></tr></tbody></table>


    After selling his junk materials and items, he went to the blacksmith. If he was able to wield items that a dancer wasn''t naturally able to hold because his crafting skills allowed him to use most things he made, would the [Blacksmith] skill allow him to create heavy armor that he would be able to equip?


    Being stuck with only light armors allowed him speed in place of heavy defense, but as a dancer, his AGI would be abnormally high.


    After finding the blacksmith, the blacksmith was unwilling to teach him.


    "If you truly want to learn how to blacksmith, you must learn how to gather your own metals."(Blacksmith)


    <table><tbody><td colspan=''4''>Quest Recieved!</td><tr><td colspan=''4''>Learning to blacksmith</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Restrictions</td><td colspan=''2''>Ask Phiren''s Blacksmith to teach you how to learn the skill blacksmith.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Quest Description</td><td colspan=''2''>Find 5 iron ores and show them to Phiren''s blacksmith</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Quest Rewards</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>+Exp 2000


    This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.+Familiarity: ???- Depends on how well the player does.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Using his harvest skill, he was able to find a cave and mine 5 iron ore without any problems.


    Upon returning to the blacksmith, he showed the blacksmith the iron ores he had collected.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''2''>Quest Completed!</td><td colspan=''2''>Learning To Blacksmith</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Quest Rewards</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>+2000 EXP


    +13 Familiarity</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "Ah yes, Blacksmithing, this skill will take a lot of time and dedication, are you up to it?"(Blacksmith)


    "Yes, I am, sir."(Horizon)


    "My name isn''t sir, it''s Taron. Call me Taron."(Taron)


    "Yes Taron, I''d like to learn the Blacksmithing skill."(Horizon)


    <table><tbody><tr><td>By learning Taron''s name, you have grown closer to him.


    +18 Familiarity


    +10 Fame


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    "Let''s begin by teaching you the basics, I''ll show you how making a dagger is done. After you have learned how to melt ore, we can move on."(Taron)


    Taron began by heating the ores in a furnace. As the iron began glowing slightly red, Taron brought it from the furnace, and to the anvil.


    "Begin by heating the ores until they turn emit a reddish color, but not too red, as the iron would become too soft to properly handle."(Taron)


    As Taron repeatedly heated the iron after he hammered it, the iron slowly began to take shape. After the iron had been hammered into a blade shape, he began tempering and the process of quenching the sword, suddenly plunging it into cold water made it change it''s attributes slightly, and created a harder blade. the blacksmith then sharpened the blade using a grinder, and after attaching the hilt and handle, the blacksmith  showed Horizon the completed iron sword.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Fine Iron Sword </td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Restrictions</td><td colspan=''2''>30 STR, Level 15</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Damage</td><td width="25%">30-38</td><td width="25%">Durability</td><td width="25%">40/40</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Quality:</td><td colspan=''2''>Blue</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>A finely crafted sword made by an experienced blacksmith.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Special Effects-</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>+5 STR, +5 VIT, +50HP</td></tr></tbody></table>


    This was the first [Blue] item that Horizon had seen, and as far as he knew, there were only 5 other blue items.


    "Hey old man Taron, this is a pretty good sword you made..."(Horizon)


    "Hah! Of course it''s a good sword! I made it after all! And don''t call me old man, i''m not that old yet."(Taron)


    "Here, you saw me do it, now you try"(Taron)


    After failing 2 times, Horizon was finally able to make a sword. it was harder and took a lot longer than he thought it would.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Horribly Forged Stick</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Restrictions</td><td colspan=''2''>None</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Damage</td><td width="25%">2-5</td><td width="25%">Durability</td><td width="25%">5/5</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Quality:</td><td colspan=''2''>Gray</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>This item can hardly be considered a sword, as much as a stick.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Special Effects-</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>None</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "..."(Horizon)


    I feel totally insulted by the description of this item... to be that bad that it would hardly be considered a stick was really bad...


    He could hear the old man Taron laughing in the background.


    "Listen here young''un, There are many more better ores, and also, using infusions and attributes can give a sword special properties."(Taron)


    "Got it old man Taron."(Horizon) -Replied with a smirk


    "Hey, hey, take this hammer if you''re going, you don''t seem to have one, so you can sue mines, you remind me of a kid I met years ago...(Taron)


    "And come back if you can, If you get better I wanna compete with you, so you better work on your forging skills kid."(Taron)


    <table><tbody><td colspan=''4''>Quest Recieved!</td><tr><td colspan=''4''>Quest title</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Restrictions</td><td colspan=''2''>Quest Requirements</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Have learned the blacksmith skill from Taron and have gained his trust.</td><td colspan=''2''>Come back when you are able to craft [Blue] or higher tier items.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Quest Rewards</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>+Familiarity ???- Depends on player''s actions.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    "I''ll come back and beat you one day, old man Taron."(Horizon)


    "Hah!  We''ll see about that. This old man''s got a couple of tricks up his sleeve."(Taron)


    Leaving Phiren, Horizon had learned the new skill Blacksmithing, and had gained a friend; Taron.


    -------------------------------


    Next Chapter</a>


    T.T I didn''t know what to write.


    Sorry if this is boring.


    I don''t really have time to do this on the weekdays, so most chapters will come out on the weekdays or summer. and I have no plot.

 Chapter 8 - Missing

    Noa. She wasn''t home. She should''ve been home by now. Did something happen to her? My sister Noa,


    I had promised to take care of her, a promise to my parents, and myself that I had to keep her safe. I hoped nothing bad had happened.


    She hadn''t picked up her cell phone. Rushing to her school, I was still unable to find her. Noa. Where was she? Even if she was my step-sister, she was still a part of my family.


    Why was my brother trying so hard? We had almost never talked. Evan was my step-brother, My father, and his mother.


    Even though we had been together for over a year, even I knew how little we interacted, Yet he would always try his best for me. I never did anything for him. It was his birthday tomorrow, and I had decided to surprise him.


    After seeing my brother leave the house, I unlocked the door and brought inside the cake I had recently bought for his birthday. I didn''t know what he liked, so i decided to buy a sweater for him.


    To ease the burden on my brother, I had gotten a job. He had told me just to study and have fun for the both of us, but I couldn''t be at ease when my brother was bearing such a burden for me, who had never done anything for him. I couldn''t understand why. I said it over and over in my head, and was unable to understand why.


    Where is she? Did I do something wrong? Unable to find her, I returned home. As I opened the door, and there she was.


    My dearest sister. She had said something, but I didn''t hear her, as I ran and hugged her.


    "You''re safe, Noa, Thank goodness you''re safe, I was so worried."(Evan)


    I (Noa) was stunned. Had I accidentally worried my brother? Instead of surprising him with his birthday, I had made my brother worried almost to tears. How terrible was I?


    "H-happy birthday, Brother.(Do you want me to use Nii-San?)"(Noa)


    It was my birthday. I had entirely forgot about it. My sister... She remembered and had tried to throw a surprise party.


    "Thank you... Noa."(Evan)-Wiping his eyes.


    How could he be so happy to see me after I had made him so worried? I couldn''t understand my brother''s seemingly endless kindness. (Noa)


    "Here, brother, I didn''t know what you liked, so i gave you a cat-plush key-chain. Y-you can return it if you don''t like it though."(Noa)


    "Thank you Noa, I''ll keep it with me, Thanks."(Evan)-replied with a full on smile.


    "Let''s go eat somewhere, is there any place that you want to try?"(Evan)


    "It''s fine, I''ll go anywhere you want to go, so you can decide."(Noa)


    Was it just me, or was she trying to secretly say something?


    "If it''s okay, I heard that there''s a new restaurant the had opened recently, would you mind going there?"(Evan)


    "That sounds fine to me, Brother."(Noa)


    After they had finished visiting the new restaurant,  Evan had checked the forums.


    Someone had finally got a pet. Apparently, you were allowed to only use a single pet at a given time, but you were allowed to have up to 3 pets.


    Upon reentering the game, he received a message


    <table><tbody><td colspan=''4''>-World Event-</td><tr><td colspan=''4''>Heaven''s Purge</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Restrictions</td><td colspan=''2''>Quest Requirements</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>10000 Players Above Level 15</td><td colspan=''2''>Survive The Longest</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Quest Rewards</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>???-Depends On Player Ranking</td></tr></tbody></table>


    It was the first world event. Apparently, upon 10000 players reaching Level 15, a world event was started. It would begin in 3 HCO days.


    In order to survive, I decided that I needed to grind.


    103!


    98!


    178![Crit!}


    I had defeated another [Lizard Man - Lv. 17]


    <table><tbody><tr><td> Level Up!</td></tr></tbody></table>


    I had reached Level 18.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Player Status</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Player</td><td colspan=''2''>Horizon</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Level</td><td colspan=''2''>18</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Alignment</td><td colspan=''2''>Neutral</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Class</td><td colspan=''2''>Dancer</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Race</td><td width="25%">Human</td><td width="25%">Gender</td><td width="25%">Male</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Title</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>None</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>-</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Health</td><td width="25%">108</td><td width="25%">Resonance</td><td width="25%">10</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Health Regen</td><td width="25%">0.1/Sec</td><td width="25%">-</td><td width="25%">-</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Damage</td><td width="25%">110-143


    (+13-17)</td><td width="25%">Defense</td><td width="25%">21(+5)</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Critical Strike</td><td width="25%">0.1%</td><td width="25%">Fame</td><td width="25%">5</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>-</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Strength</td><td width="25%">78</td><td width="25%">Dexterity</td><td width="25%">65</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Vitality</td><td width="25%">21</td><td width="25%">Agility</td><td width="25%">44</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Unspent Stat Points</td><td colspan=''2''>0</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>-</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Balance</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Platinum</td><td width="25%">0</td><td width="25%">Gold</td><td width="25%">7</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Silver</td><td width="25%">53</td><td width="25%">Copper</td><td width="25%">12</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Effects</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Resonance- STR, DEX, AGI +0.5%


    Refine - +2.3% All Stats</td></tr></tbody></table>


    His Refine skill would give him a large boost in his stats near the later game, so it was a skill that he treasured. Other than that, he had been able to get a relatively large amount of gold, and he had a decent damage, but he would need to work more towards his VIT, because he had an excessively low hp count, though, it was probably higher than the 10-Point STR players.


    87!


    Something had attacked Horizon, and it would kll him if it got another attack off, Horizon quickly activated Behold, since he was already aggroed, He would be able to use the speed boost without really changing the situation.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''3''>Kuranel - Goblin Chief</td><td width="25%">Blue</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Kuranel, Known to attack unprovoked, had become the goblin chief after killing the previous chief.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Boss Skills</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Heavy Smash</td><td width="25%">Berserk</td><td width="25%">???</td><td width="25%">???</td></tr></tbody></table>


    A [Blue] Boss... This could drop something interesting.


    132!


    154!


    376![Crit!]


    Horizon had slashed the goblin twice using his glaive, and then successfully stabbed his sword into the goblin''s skull.


    The goblin had started to glow a reddish hue. This must be the skill Berserk. If he could live long enough, the side effects of berserk would debuff the goblin. Using his high agility, he was able to throw spears into the goblin.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    97!


    87!


    99!


    78!


    178![Crit!]


    85!


    187![Crit]


    Occasionally  hitting the goblin''s head, he continually threw spears at the goblin until he ran out of spear. Having regenerated to his full health with the assist of herbs and potions, he began another melee.


    143!


    156!


    134!


    The goblin''s hammer flashed, and came ramming into Horizon at a ridiculous speed. Heavy Smash!


    103!


    What massive damage! Horizon had blocked the attack using both his Glaive, and his sword, and he jumped back to reduce the damage, but he had almost been killed regardless.


    Seeing that the Goblin had no longer glowed red, the Berserk timer had run out.


    Seeing his chance, Horizon flew towards the goblins and unleashed a flurry of slashes and stabs.


    186!


    197!


    494![Crit]


    The Berserk must have  really harsh debuff to make the goblin take such large amount of health.


    Out of the corner of his vision, he saw the goblin''s club flying towards him. It was one of the ??? skills. Crap! Horzon reflexivly jumped to dodge the club, but his glaive was kncked into the air away from him. Horizon turned rapidly in the air and smashed the glaive''s pommel.


    The glaive flew with frightinging spee towards the goblin''s head.


    976![Crit]


    A massive number appeared and the goblin had glowed brightly for a second before fading.


    <table><tbody><tr><td> Kuranel - Goblin Chief has been defeated! </td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td> Level Up!


    Level up! </td></tr></tbody></table>


    He had achieved level 20! He put all his points into VIT, Doubling his Hp.


    As the observed the items, he had gotten 16 Silver, a few materials, including a silver ingot, worth 4 silver ores, 2 White items, and 1 Blue Item.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Goblin Chief''s Saber</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Restrictions</td><td colspan=''2''>Level 18, 50 STR</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Damage</td><td width="25%">40-57</td><td width="25%">Durability</td><td width="25%">23/40</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Quality:</td><td colspan=''2''>Blue</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>The sword that the previous golbin cheif had wielded before he was killed by Kuranel, who became the next chief.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Special Effects-</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>+1% lifesteal


    +10 VIT, +7 AGI</td></tr></tbody></table>


    This was an amazing sword! His dancer class would also allow him to handle light, one-handed swords. He would be able to steal life, which would be especially helpful considering his low HP, and his high damage. The {Goblin Chief''s Saber] had over double the damage of his current weapons, and gave him bonus stats.  Horizon without a thought switched it with his current sword.


    Upon reaching level 20, an intermediate class progression was now avalible.


    As the world event would start in 1 day, I needed to equip myself with better weapons and armor. Withiut a forge, i wouldnt be able to efficeintly create weapons or armor, so i had decided to go to another town.


    Raier, as the town was called, was filled with players and NPCs. After finding the nearest forge, I had started to create the weapons that I would need. I had discovered that my Weapon Smith skill and my Blacksmith skill both had increased the qualities of the items I would create. After making 2 Green Armors and 1 green blade, i had started working with the silver ingot that I obtained from the boss. As Taron, had explained that the better the ores were the higher the qualities, he had also said that alloys could have differing properties when mixed in different amounts. Using Iron and the Silver, I was able to create another glaive, but this time It''s tier was green-superior.


    The -superior suffix meant that it would be at the peak of the green tiers, and comparable with some blue tier weapons.


    [/b]


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Reinforced Silver Glaive</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Restrictions</td><td colspan=''2''>Level 20, STR 75</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Damage</td><td width="25%">40-50</td><td width="25%">Durability</td><td width="25%">50/50</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Quality:</td><td colspan=''2''>Green-Superior</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>A well made glaive, created by a skilled black</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Special Effects-</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>+100 HP, + 7 STR, +1 Lifesteal</td></tr></tbody></table>


    This was great, another weapon that he could use. It was slightly more than double the previous glaive''s damage range.


    He also equipped the armor that he made, but they were ordinary armors with no special effects, and we''re a plain green tier.


    <table><tbody><tr><td> The Event Is Beginning</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Another message appeared immediately after I had closed the previous message.


    <table><tbody><tr><td> Do you want to participate in the event? There will be limited-time rewards.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Horizon had already planned to join the event, so he confirmed that he would be participating.


    <table><tbody><tr><td> Event Rules:


    You are allowed to kill other players, this will not affect your status, (Red players) and they will drop items normally as if killed. Killing players do not grant any bonuses in rewards.  A new feature has been added. The Hunger bar will decrease over time, and as the lower it gets, the lower your base stats will be. As a up-side, food may give slight increases and buffs.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    And so, Horizon was teleported to a new location. It was a large arena, at least 10km squared, and he was competing with 2500 other players, and so, there must have been 4 arenas, with 2500 players in each. Wait no, some players might have declined, so maybe only 3 arenas, as Horizon deducted. After checking over his equipment, he reinforced some of them using his blacksmith skill. It would be starting soon.


    <table><tbody><tr><td> Event: Heaven''s Purge has begun.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <hr />


    Please notify me if there are any holes within the plot, or any areas that need more explaining.


    Also, if someone pointed out my many mistakes, I would appreciate it.


    Thanks for reading.

 Chapter 9 -Illusionist

    With the new feature, Hunger, he wanted to test its effects. But, he would wait till later to see if anything is happening.


    In this world, the monsters were very high leveled, reaching to the 30s, and some were even higher. With this high of a level difference, players would very likely have to team together to take the high leveled monsters, and most of the players did team up, as Horizon later found out.


    The first party that Horizon had stumbled upon was an aggressive group of 5 players, 2 warriors, 1 mage, 1 archer, and 1 healer. This was a pretty good formation to have a team in, and each of them seemed confident, so he guessed that they were probably around the 17s or 18s.


    They started attacking Horizon as soon as then noticed him, but because of his Behold, he was able to escape using the speed, and because he aggroed the nearby monsters, the party wouldn''t be able to ignore something that has almost twice their level attacking them.


    With a first bad encounter, Horizon grew wary of the other parties. With their aggressive tactics, high levels, and experience, they would be a late-game party.


    With the deaths of 7 monsters he had killed, the increased rates of EXP and drops due to the higher level difference he had been able to level up. After repairing his armor using his blacksmithing skill, he needed to find a source of food because his hunger bar was quite depleted. It seemed that every 10% it dropped after 50%,  the rebuff would become slightly higher! starting with -2% all stats at 50%, and he assumed that reaching 0% would cause the player to die, or have a serious debuff.


    Using his Inspect skill, he was able to differentiate the harmful plants, herbs, and fruits from the edible ones, Slowly filling his hunger.  As he walked around harvesting fruits, materials, and ores, he had stumbled upon another group. From his past experience, he was wary of any wandering parties. There seemed to be 7 in this party, quite a large number.


    Even with his Presence skill, they noticed him. They didn''t seem like to be an aggressive party, but they also seemed to be very experienced.


    As they approached Horizon, they layed their hands in front as to show Horizon that they weren''t holding any weapons or hiding any weapons.


    "Hey, do you need a party?"(???)


    Horizon was wary of the fact they had invited a stranger to their party with no precautions taken. They were either very sure of their strength, wanted to ambush him, or very idiotic.


    With their current party size, and that they were still in the game, it was most likely not the latter one.


    "I apologize for declining this offer, but I''m already with a different party."(Horizon)


    ''If he had revealed that he was alone, then they could make a move without worries on him, and he''d prefer not to have to kill other players, or be killed unnecessarily.''


    Horizon confirmed after they had left that they were not trying to tail him, and re-continued grinding for levels.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Event:


    Only 1000 players remain. Monster spawn rates have increased.


    Hidden items will now appear randomly.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Unperturbed by the announcement as it would only assist in his grinding, the hidden items mentioned would most likely be unable for his use, so he did not care to actively look for them. but kept in mind that they could possibly be sold for an amount of currency. The spawn rate was somewhat noticeable, but not to an extreme degree, as they seemed to spawn a slight bit faster, but not fast enough to create a large issue for him.


    212!


    417![Crit]


    198!


    He had just defeated an Elite monster. Elite monsters carried a larger size, aggro range, and superior stats to that of a normal monster. Elite monsters were a rarer variant of a monster and generally dropped better loot. Elite monsters could be considered mini-bosses, in which that they were noticeably stronger than the average monster, but not yet at the tier of a boss monster.


    The items dropped from the defeated  Elite monster included 3 items, but only 1 was colored. (uncolored = white/gray)


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Breeze-Fang Amulet</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Restrictions</td><td colspan=''2''>None</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Defense</td><td width="25%">10</td><td width="25%">Durability</td><td width="25%">50/50</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Quality:</td><td colspan=''2''>Blue</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>An amulet infused with the blessing of the winds.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Special Effects-</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>The wearer''s speed is increased by 3%


    +10 AGI +5 DEX</td></tr></tbody></table>


    It wasn''t a bad item, and additionally, it was an accessory. Accessories were different from the basic defense armors, such as a chest-piece, leggings, boots, helmets, and similar items. Accessories were more rare and sought after because they were an additional equip, allowing for increased stats. Having an accessory that increased his speed was a miracle. along with his dancer class'' AGI buffs, the amulet would allow him to move faster, allowing for faster grinding and easier evasion, not that he ever got hit much anyways.


    As time had progressed on, another notice was received.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Event Update:


    500 Players remaining


    Monster spawn rates considerably increased,


    Monster level average increased as time passes,


    More difficult monsters now spawn.


    Monster drops increased 1.1x


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    This was his chance to get more loot and EXP! Horizon no longer went out of his way to kill normal monsters, as he noted the EXP received from the rarer variants of monsters was noticeably higher, but still slayed any monster that was near his position.  Slaying Elite and Superior( a rare variant weaker than Elites) monsters, his EXP bar filled slowly up, as did his inventory. He had sparsely encountered the remaining 500 players, and when he did, he had hidden his presence until he determined he was a safe distance away from them. Thankfully, nobody had noticed him yet as he did this.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Inventory Capacity Exceeded.


    Extra items will now induce a speed penalty.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    He was originally worried about the penalty, but his high AGI stat had made the speed reduction penalty quite negligible, as it had hardly hindered him.  The speed penalty slowly increased as he kept adding items into his already over capped inventory.


    *Clang* There was a distinct sound of fighting in the distance.


    Horizon changed his route towards the noises. Upon reaching the source of fighting, he found 3 parties battling each other and a Blue boss in the vicinity.  The first party which he instantly recognized as the party that had attacked him in the beginning, He was not surprised to see that they were still alive, as he noted their prowess from before, excluding the death of their archer, who seemed to have been killed in the current battle.  The second party, the largest one, was the group of friendly seeming players that had approached him earlier, had a slightly higher amount of players, but some of them had been killed, leaving only 6 left in his party. The third party was a party that he had not encountered before. They consisted of 4 players, and none of them yet defeated.


    He also noticed that he was not the only watcher. He had counted at least 17 people around the surrounding area using his presence skill, and it there were at least 2 parties formed within those 17 or more players. They were most likely waiting for a chance to steal the Blue boss.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''3''>Markshvel, The Iron Titan</td><td width="25%">Lv.40 Blue</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Markshvel, A titan of iron who controls the earth. He has wandered aimlessly, searching for an opponent to defeat.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Boss Skills</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Regrowth</td><td width="25%">Iron Shell</td><td width="25%">Earthen Strike</td><td width="25%">???</td></tr></tbody></table>


    As to why they were trying to defeat a monster over twice their level, he had no idea, and a Blue Boss-type to boot.


    *Shiing* Another player had been defeated, and one of the third party''s members was gone. Each party now had a considerably low force, and both parties hiding took this chance to PK and steal the boss. With the different parties indulged in fighting each other, Horizon took notice as the remaining watchers, consisting of 2 other parties joined in the battle. He also noticed that one group was leashing the boss into a different region than the fighting, as a chance to defeat it, but they were promptly stopped.


    After all the players had been defeated, the remaining players were 2 players from the third party. After they had regenerated their health, they approached the blue boss, who was a little distance away, in open plains. From the forest that Horizon had spectated from, he activated his Presence skill, and moved towards the player drops. The pair that was currently battling the boss had neglected taking the loot, prioritizing the take down of the boss over the player items.


    After collecting the dropped items, he retreated into the forest near where the 2 players from the third party were battling the iron titan. He slowly sifted through the loot, and a few items caught his eye. Among them was another blue accessory, and 2 green armors that he could use.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Steel Chain mail</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Restrictions</td><td colspan=''2''>None</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Defense </td><td width="25%">20</td><td width="25%">Durability</td><td width="25%">37/50</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Quality:</td><td colspan=''2''>Green</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>An ordinary piece of chain armor</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Special Effects-</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>+100HP</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Orc leather Greaves </td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Restrictions</td><td colspan=''2''>Lv.15</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Defense</td><td width="25%">15</td><td width="25%">Durability</td><td width="25%">23/30</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Quality:</td><td colspan=''2''>Green</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>A pair of old greaves made from orc leather</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Special Effects-</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>-0.1% damage taken</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Chainmail wasn''t considered a heavy piece of armor (i.e Full plated) so he had no problems equipping them, and the greaves also caused no conflict with his class.


    Switching his attention to the iron golem once more, the pair fighting it were struggling against such a high leveled boss, and their prowess in skill was unmistakable. As one of the players fell, there remained one player left. The remaining player''s skill seemed slighlty superior to her partner who had been slain just earlier. Horizon ran in and swiftly slashed at the golem multiple times.


    67!


    48!


    97![Crit!]


    53!


    With the golem''s iron-type, high level, and blue status, it had an unsurprisingly high amount of defense. No wonder the earlier group had such trouble in taking it down.


    He felt a glare from the swordsman the golem. It was very likely that she(the swordsman) had assumed that he was attempting to steal the golem, but was unable to do anything, because she was aggroed by the golem and would be killed if she did anything rash. As they brought down the golem''s health, the golem had entered an enraged state, where the boss'' stats would be increased, and more powerful.


    As the golem''s health grew ever so lower, the swordsman ''s blade emitted a faint glow. Horizon quickly backed off the golem, as the swordsman released her skill, and had drained the last of the golem''s health. The golem fell, but something seemed wrong. The message. A window should have appeared when the golem was defeated, meaning that the golem wasn''t finished yet! Seeing the low-healthed swordsman approaching the golem, he cursed at her mistake, and ran towards her. Just as she reached the edge of the corpse, the golem grew a faint black glow.


    Regrowth! One of the golems skills, he had forgotten about it because it had never used it, but it seemed that it was automatically activated once the golem had fallen. As the golem''s fist flew at the unaware swordsman, he shoved her out of the way. If she died, then he wouldn''t be able to take the boss golem by himself.


    Meeting the fist in the air. he swung his sword and glaive ferociously at the fist.


    32!


    45!


    37!


    41!


    <table><tbody><tr><td> Markshvel the iron golem had been defeated </td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>-Level Up-</td></tr></tbody></table>


    He quickly grabbed the first item he got held of as pain surged through him.


    572![Crit]


    He was smashed with the full force of the golem''s Earthen Strike, at around just the same time he had killed it.


    His vision faded black as he died, then flashed brightly as he was teleported into his starting kindgom, Runa.


    <table><tbody><tr><td> Event: Heaven''s Judgement has ended.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Another window appeared in front of him.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Event Heaven''s Judgement has ended. Do you want to keep your name private?</td></tr></tbody></table>


    If he was within the leaderboards, then he could be targeted by other players, and he would prefer to not be pursued by others, so he declined the publication of his name.


    Well, it was too bad that he had died when he was so close to achieving the first place prize, but it was his own fault for doing so, and he wouldnt be able to do anything about it now.


    but it was such a shame that he came so close. Other than that, the event had dropped quite a bit of loot, and the exp he had gained during the event amounted to a generous sum.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Event Statistics : Horizon</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Player Ranking</td><td colspan=''2''>2</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Monsters Killed</td><td colspan=''2''>379</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Players Defeated</td><td colspan=''2''>0</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Treasures Found</td><td colspan=''2''>0</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Event Rewards</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Pacifist-Title : Kill no players during an event


    +10 All stats


    +500 fame


    -


    Purger-Title : Kill the most monsters in an event, kill over 3x next rank


    +10% Damage


    If you encounter this story on Amazon, note that it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.+20% damage to basic monsters (Non-Elite/Boss Etc.)


    +5% chance to do 200% damage


    -


    Underdog-Title : Kill a massive amount of monsters with higher levels


    +Negate Level Difference Debuff (Normally if fighting a higher level player, your stats will be decreased by a percentage, and theirs increased.)


    +10 All Stats


    -


    For ranking second, you have gained the following rewards


    10000 Exp


    500 Fame


    1 Random Rare[Blue] Equipment


    1 Random Uncommon[Green] Equipment


    50 Gold


    Random Hidden Class Promotion Card(Dancer)</td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td>-Level Up-</td></tr></tbody></table>


    He was finally able to achieve a title, and 3 of them too. Titles were obtained through completing various things, or achievements,


    He distributed his unused stat points, then equipped the titles had had just gained.After doing so, he had inspected the Random Hidden Class Promotion Card Items that he had obtained from the event.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Random Hidden Class Promotion Card</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Restrictions</td><td colspan=''2''>Lv.20</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Quality:</td><td colspan=''2''>Gold-Mythic</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>A card that grants the user a hidden class, based on the user''s skills, and stats. Occasionally affected by location.


    Caution : The class change can''t be declined once used, and the card disappears after one use.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Although it had the effect of being unable to deny the change after use, he didn''t mind, as it would be a better rank than his dancer class, an he needed a promotion anyways.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Your class has been promoted the the hidden class Illusionist Dancer.


    Stat ratios altered.


    New Skill(s} learned :


    <table><tbody><tr><td width="25%">Skill Name:</td><td width="25%">Skill Quality:</td><td width="25%">Skill Mastery:</td><td width="25%">Skill Progression:</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Masquerade</td><td width="25%">Mythic</td><td width="25%">Beginner</td><td width="25%">0/100000</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Using illusions, you are able to change your appearance,


    When your appearance is changed, your stats will change ratios.


    Max Aliases : 1


    Current Aliases : 0


    You can set an Alias, Fame gained by set aliases will remain permanent, and can be changed into with a lower cooldown ratio.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Player Status</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Player</td><td colspan=''2''>Horizon</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Level</td><td colspan=''2''>22</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Alignment</td><td colspan=''2''>Friendly</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Class</td><td colspan=''2''>Illusionist Dancer</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Race</td><td width="25%">Human</td><td width="25%">Gender</td><td width="25%">Male</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Title</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Pacifist, Underdog, Purger</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>-</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Health</td><td width="25%">475</td><td width="25%">Resonance</td><td width="25%">0</td></tr><td colspan=''2''>Defense</td><td colspan=''2''>1</td>[/tr]<tr><td width="25%">Critical Strike</td><td width="25%">2%</td><td width="25%">Fame</td><td width="25%">780</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>-</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Strength</td><td width="25%">114</td><td width="25%">Dexterity</td><td width="25%">102</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Vitality</td><td width="25%">55</td><td width="25%">Agility</td><td width="25%">89</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Unspent Stat Points</td><td colspan=''2''>0</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>-</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Balance</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Platinum</td><td width="25%">0</td><td width="25%">Gold</td><td width="25%">73</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Silver</td><td width="25%">96</td><td width="25%">Copper</td><td width="25%">22</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Status Effects</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Resonance- STR, DEX, AGI +0.0%


    +2% LifeSteal


    +Negate Level Debuffs


    +Chance to 2x damage</td></tr></tbody></table>


    His stats weren''t bad, and he had a relatively high amount of fame, he then decided that he would see what effects this caused towards the other NPCs. Browsing the player merchants and NPC merchants, he decided upon a player merchant that seemed to offer decent prices for selling items. As his items were appraised, his over-cap bag slowly depleted.


    "I don''t know where or how you got such high tier materials and equipment, but I consider that these would be worth 70G."(Player Merchant)


    ''70 Gold? That nearly doubled the amount of gold he had right now, and the merchant seemed to be very trustworthy.''


    After he had sold the items to the merchant, he turned to leave but was stopped by the merchant.


    "Can you help me out? I''m trying to get to the next town, and you seem like you''re strong. I could offer you 10 Gold if you will help me get there."(Player Merchant)


    "Make it 5 Gold, I was on my way to the next town anyway, I don''t mind if you come too."(Horizon)


    ''If he grew relations with a merchant, he would possibly be able to get discounts and possibly some rare items. Although the idea of losing 5 gold hurt, the potential gain he could get would amount to much more. He was also clueless about the next town, as he never followed the roads, but kept that to himself.''


    "Tell me when you''re ready, By the way, I''m Horizon, pleased to make your acquaintance."(Horizon)


    While waiting for the merchant, who''s name was apparently Arkas, he decided to find out who the event winners were, and the identity of the swordsman.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Event Rankings</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Your Rank</td><td colspan=''2''>2</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>1st Place</td><td colspan=''2''>Avrora</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>2nd Place</td><td colspan=''2''>(Hidden)</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>3rd Place</td><td colspan=''2''>SacredFlame</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>4th Place</td><td colspan=''2''>TyrantDemon</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>5th Place</td><td colspan=''2''>Miru</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>6th Place</td><td colspan=''2''>ShadowColossus</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>7th Place</td><td colspan=''2''>Baron</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>8th Place</td><td colspan=''2''>Astral</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>9th Place</td><td colspan=''2''>Aisha</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>10th Place</td><td colspan=''2''>(Hidden)</td></tr></tbody></table>


    It seemed the swordsman''s name is Avrora, Her partner was SacredFlame. Baron was there also, the bastard who had stole the loot from the boss he had killed, he wouldn''t ever forgive, Astral, and Aisha, names he had remembered from whence he had partied with, just a few days prior. There was also another Hidden player, not including himself.


    Only the did he remember, the item he had snagged when he had killed the boss during the event.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''4''>Soul Of Platinum</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Quality:</td><td colspan=''2''>Mythic(Gold)</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>The purest form of Platinum, obtained from defeating an elemental golem.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>A very condensed and pure piece of platinum, infused with the soul of an elemental.


    Used as a material for various items.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Another Mythic item! The only other mythic item he had was the promotion card, and that was a prize from the event. He wasn''t able to forge with Mythic materials, so kept in mind promoting the tier of his Blacksmith skill.  His thoughts were interrupted by the merchant, Arkas.


    Tiriel, The next town, and the one Arkas had requested to go to, averaged a time of 1 day walking. Horizon found the pace Arkas was traveling irritatingly slow, but didn''t let it show. As he was a merchant, he had a LUCK stat that only a few other classes had.


    The classes that the basic trainers taught were: Healer- A SUPPORT class, that used spells or various methods to heal their parties or their self. In formations, healers were generally in the back, and were a necessity in parties. Healers can deal damage to Undead, and some Dark-type monsters.


    Next, Knights. Knights were a TANK class, that had great defense, health, and damage. Knights wore heavy armor, and generally fought using heavy armor (Full Plated), Two-Handed Swords, or With a One-Handed Sword, and a Shield. Knights had many Crowd Control (CC) skills, and took the most damage in battles.


    After that, the Swordsman. Swordsmen were the physical DAMAGE DEALERS. Swordsmen fought with either Half-Plate or Full Plate armor, wielded Two-Handed Swords generally, But occasionally two One-Handed Swords.  Swordsmen had decent defense, great attack, and a decent amount of health. That, or they had a massive amount of damage (10-Point STR) After the swordsmen, Swordsmen''s skills  almost always had skills that dealt damage. In this group exist Axemen, who use large axes to chop away at enemy health.


    The Archers were RANGED ATTACKERS. Specializing in dealing damage from large distances, and had some CC skills. Archers used bows and daggers. Archers would be far away from the front line and would pick off the enemy. Their high speed and dexterity allow then to hit hard, while they were safe.


    Monks Have massive amounts of HP and defense, and tank better than Knights, but they also deal less damage. They tank damage while their teammates deal damage. Their weapons of choice, their fists.


    Rogues. Rogues focused on dealing as much as damage as possible, as fast as possible. Focusing on their crits to deal damage, they also use poison to drain their opponent''s health.


    With high speed, they use their agile bodies to rush in and deal damage, then quickly back off.


    Mages. Mages arguably had the best damage potential in the game, are able to deal large nukes to the enemy health, and massive AoEs that devastate armies. But they because they ussually have low health, and are slow, once they are in melee range, their advantage is negated.


    The other classes included : Bard, Enchanter, Merchant, Artisan, Shaman, and a few other classes, including Dancer.


    Dancer was a class that had high speed, surpassing that of Rogues, and were the class that had no known combat skills. They used buffs, and other skills, but other than that, seemed to have no other skills. Dancer buffs were more potent, but the Shamans, who were the buff class, had a larger range of skills, and thus the dancer class was shunned.


    ''Who was that player? They were either an idiot, or......... yeah, they''re an idiot.'' Avrora pondered.


    Yes, she had won the event, but only because the suspicious player had saved her, but he died in the process. He could''ve easily let her die, and he would have gotten the first place prize, which was far superior to the second place prize. She had been foolish to approach the boss that she though was killed, but he noticed it.  He didn''t seem to have a party with him, unless they had been defeated, but something felt off about the way that he fought. He was a solo player. To make it to the end, by himself, he wasn''t an ordinary player.


    Even she who had made it that far, was accompanied by her party of 7 people, who she all knew well since they joined the event together. She had originally assumed he was trying to PK her, and steal the boss, but her thoughts changed after he showed no sign of attacking her, and he even fought quite well against the boss.


    After the event had ended, she had obtained a mountain of rewards, but they all felt wrong, as she didn''t feel that she deserved someone else''s work. SacredFlame, her party member, and the party leader, had congratulated her, and even insulted the player who had saved her. SacredFlame who had died to the boss, had noticed Horizon taking the items dropped from the defeated players that they had neglected to check. he was unable to do anything. because if he ran at him, Avrora would take all the damage and the boss would be lost. He swore, it was a PKer.  He admired Avrora for being able to take the  both the boss, and the PKer alone.  This, he was mistaken about, but SacredFlame wouldn''t cope well with it, so she left him to his ravings.


    As the party leader, SacredFlame declared that they should share the items, as the entire party worked towards it, and Avrora was unable to deny this, so SacredFlame announced that since he was the leader, he should naturally be able to chose the first item. This slightly enraged Avrora, but she said nothing. SacredFlame had hogged the best items, from both the boss, and the event. She also noticed how he said nothing about his personal rank, which was 3rd place. Being one of the top 3, he undoubtedly also had reaped good rewards from the event that he made no regard to share.


    -


    As Arkas had finished replenishing his hunger, he and Horizon continued to Tiriel. Horizon had noticed earlier, the suspicious players who had slowly surrounded them while they were replenishing, and prepared himself if they began attacking him. Arkas who had finally noticed them, froze still, and looked around. Horizon heard Arkas swear in a low voice. As 2 players walked from the forest surrounding the path, Horizon tensed. They had offered to let them both live if they would be as so kind to surrender their goods, obviously drunk on the idea that they outnumbered them. Horizon had glanced at Arkas, who was still frozen, before answering.


    "I''m sorry but I''ll have to decline the offer." Horizon replied.


    "Do you think you''re in any position to say no?" One of the bandits aggressively replied.


    Horizon gave no answer as he lashed out with his glaive, quickly draining both the bandits health into the red zone.


    "Kill them both!"


    Someone screamed from behind. Apparently it was the leader of the ambush.


    Horizon had activated behold  as he prepared to fend off the attackers.


    <hr />


    I  haven''t dropped this, I have just been kinda busy for the past 2 weeks, so I apologize.


    Please notify me of any errors or tips you have, and I was planning to make this longer, but I felt that I''ll post this for now, and make it up later.


    I finished writing this really late... so expect some errors. both from by idiocy, and staying late.

 Chapter 10 - Evolution

    Horizon had visual confirmation on 13 other players, but his presence skill insisted that there were a few other players hiding around still within the forest surrounding them. Neutralizing the ranged enemies would have to be his priority, since they might kill Arkas.


    From his inventory he threw spears at seemingly random areas, into bushes, the trees, and over the bandit''s heads, each spear hitting a mage or archer.


    275![Crit]


    289![Crit]


    312![Crit]


    323![Crit]


    <table><tbody><tr><td>You killed player Arexel -50 Fame


    You have killed player Dreadnaught -50 Fame


    You have killed player Skreem -50 Fame


    You have killed player 5n1p3r -50 Fame


    </td></tr></tbody></table>


    As his fame rapidly decreased he swore. Because he had initiated with the first hit, it would count as a PK towards them and he would keep losing his fame. With the level advantage, he was able to hit hard, and because the spears had hit mages, archers, and their healers, their already low base health could be drained with one hit. With his ever decreasing fame, he adapted his tactics to allow them to hit him before he retaliated, or his alignment would quickly change him into a red-aligned player.


    21!


    17!


    31!


    18!


    I cursed as I saw my health drop, If this was a 1v1 situation, their low damage output could be easily neglected, but in groups, their damage couldn''t be shrugged off so easily. With no other choice than to kill them and become a red player, I ran towards them hoping to end this as fast as possible.


    "What the hell is this kid?!", The bandit swore as my glaive tore through his body, instantly killing him, while my sword had already slayed the other bandits. With the remaining bandits retreating, I realized that I wouldn''t have to lose anymore fame, but since I had already become a red-aligned player, it had made no difference to me. As they ran, each retreating bandit fell one after another as spears erupted from their bodies, leaving behind only their dropped items.


    "H-h-how did you do that?!"Arkas stammered as he recollected his thoughts.


    Horizon apathetically gave a shrug as if it was nothing and added- "I guess it''s too bad I''m a red-aligned player now though."


    As Horizon collected the bandit''s items, he was disappointed in their low quality. The best item that they had dropped was a Superior-Green sword, but it''s stats were lower than his current sword, both in tier, and in level requirement.


    Nonetheless, he grabbed all the items, as they could still be sold for something.


    Reaching Tiriel, he parted ways with Arkas, as he had an Infamy count of 270.


    When green-aligned, completing quests, event rewards, special achievements, and killing red-aligned players will occasionally grant Fame, but killing green-aligned players, certain NPCs, certain achievements, quests, and such, would decrease fame. As your fame grows, its becomes more difficult to gain Fame, and losing Fame becomes much easier. When Fame reaches a value below 0, it becomes Infamy. Infamy very similar to Fame, but reversed, helping NPCs, and certain quests or achievements will decrease Infamy while killing green-alignment players will increase Infamy. Gaining and losing Infamy goes by the same rules of Fame. A difference between these is when a Red-Aligned player kills another Red player, the killed Red player will lose Infamy while the one who had killed the other will gain Infamy. General monsters count as red-aligned, and as such will occasionally increase Fame upon killing, but do not grant Infamy.


    Fame and Infamy gave certain effects, and increased levels in both would increase the effects. The current known alignment tiers were


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''2''>Peacemaker


    +1% All Rewards


    -1% NPC prices


    +0.3% All stats</td><td colspan=''2''>+500 Fame</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Civil


    +1% All Rewards


    -0.5% NPC prices</td><td colspan=''2''>+300 Fame</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Helper


    +1% Money drops</td><td colspan=''2''>+150 Fame</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Familiar


    +1% Money drops</td><td colspan=''2''>+50 Fame</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Neutral


    -No Effect</td><td colspan=''2''>50 Fame ~ 50 Infamy</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Cautious


    +10% Aggro range</td><td colspan=''2''>+50 Infamy</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Deviant


    +0.5% Damage Increase</td><td colspan=''2''>+150 Infamy</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Cruel


    +0.5% Pierce</td><td colspan=''2''>+300 Infamy</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Malicious


    +1% Drop rate</td><td colspan=''2''>+500 Infamy</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''2''>Wicked


    +1% To Randomly Debuff Enemy When Attacking</td><td colspan=''2''>+750 Infamy</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>-</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>With each ascending tier, the effects from the previous tier(s) will stack.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    -


    Unable to enter Tiriel for the time being, he had noticed a player with a pet inside the gate, and as such his interest was piqued and he decided to find a decent pet to tame. In order to tame a pet, you needed a rare drop, generally an item relating to the monster you were are attempting to tame.


    An example of such was a slime. The slimes around the beginner towns were called Green Slime. In order to tame these green slimes, you needed a rare drop from them called Slime Nucleus. Another requirement of this was that the slime you were trying to tame was a rare variant known as "Baby". "Baby" monsters were always level one.  Using a Pet Rune. Pet Runes were sold by special NPCs in certain towns, and Pet Runes have various tiers, each more proficient at catching than others. When taming pets, depending on the pet, the chance of taming it will change with the pet''s characteristics, rarity, and traits.


    Without access to Tiriel, he realized that he would also be unable to tame  a pet even if he grinded for the rare Tame Drop. He then remembered his Masquerade skill, which he had never looked into. As he activated it, an interface showed up, letting him set an Alias. If he had remembered correctly, Aliases would have a separate Fame stat.


    A straight nose, deep violet eyes, black hair, and an emotionless smile. His Alias, which he left nameless was created as such. Checking his fame stat, it had been set at 270 Infamy. As making this as difficult as possible to exploit, when an Alias was initially created, it replicated the user''s Fame.


    Horizon resigned himself to defeating monsters to raise his fame, having to kill twice as much as monsters, he would need to start as soon as possible if he had hoped to tame a monster anytime soon.


    Having logged off,  he walked out of his room, and into the kitchen. "Hey Noa, is there anything you''d like to eat?"


    Noa replied that whatever he made. she''d be fine eating. Searching through their refrigerator, he was unable to find anything that would work for dinner.


    "I''m shopping, anything you want?" questioned Evan. Noa gave a short reply from her room that if he could bring some ice cream for them, that would be nice. Locking the door as he left, Evan gave a sigh as he turned and began walking towards the open-air markets. Evan who had browsed at the stores found that the open- air markets gave better prices, and healthier foods, as compared to the indoor stores.


    "How much for these?" asked Evan as he waved assorted vegetables towards the sales clerk. Having been asked the question, the sales clerk replied that it would be $5 for them. Seeing that these were slightly overpriced, he turned away but was stopped as the sales clerk quickly added that for him they would be less. If you listened carefully you could hear the sales clerk mumbling about how hard it was to sell their products. Evan was experienced with dealing with the products of the open-air markets, as he always found the best prices, and would hardly ever have an undesirable deal.


    After he had finished with the open air markets, he proceeded to the indoor stores for the ice cream that Noa had requested. As he neared the store, he couldn''t help but notice a large sign screaming "Closed For Maintenance."


    My luck sucks doesn''t it? The next closest store was 7 blocks away, and by the time he had returned the ice cream had already melted. "Ah... Sorry about that, the store was closed and I had to go to a different one," explained Evan as he gave the melted ice cream to Noa, who had a mixed emotion on her face, that could only be described as  one of humor and disappointment. "Well, thanks anyways,", Noa replied as she stuffed the ice cream into the freezer. "But did you always smell that bad?"


    Earlier, While returning from the market, Evan had accidentally bumped into someone as they were running by. He recognized them, but couldn''t place their name. While turning corners, and trying to move out of the way, he had fallen and tripped over a garbage can that was near them. They did give a short apology, but ran off in a hurry towards the closed market, which he noticed had a line growing from it.


    After trying to get the stain off, which he did to some degree, he asked around, wondering what was taking place. He was given suspicious looks from his smell but was eventually answered. There was going to be another release of the capsules. DarkEden had now started to distribute them worldwide, and explained that the language differences would be dealt with using an integrated translation system, that would make it difficult to tell if someone was from another part of the world. Though Evan was quite sure that it would still be easy to guess who was from where, considering that they were each culturally different. (I.e honorifics, and addressing each other(Mister -> Uncle/Big Brother))


    After he finished preparing and eating their dinner, he caught up on his late assignments for his tech classes and after that he returned to HCO to grind his Fame levels up.


    Slaying a countless number on monsters, he had not only set his fame level to the Friendly tier, but he had also gained levels up to 24, and his bar was set at around 90%.


    On his return trip to Tiriel, he was able to kill enough monsters to level himself up. As he reached level 25, 2 windows appeared. The first indicated that he had leveled up, but the second contained an interface he had not yet known about. Race Evolution.


    Race evolving was a mechanic that he had never heard about. It allowed a user to evolve their race. Upon selecting a race, the race would have racial skills and other effects.


    This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it.


    <table><tbody><td colspan=''4''>Race Evolution I</td><tr><td colspan=''4''>You may now evolve your race.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Current Possible Race Evolutions For HUMAN</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Dwarf


    -By evolving into a Human-Dwarf, your base stats for STR and DEX will increase by 10%


    Dwarves have the racial trait [Dwarven Resistance] which reduces damage taken from physical and fire-element attacks.


    and the racial skill [Practiced Strike] which will increase in damage every time it is used during a fight, but will reset when the user leaves combat for a set time.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>---</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Vampire


    -By evolving the Vampire race, all stats will be increased by 15%.


    Vampires have the racial trait [Vampiric Curse] which will bleed enemies on attacking, but when above ground during the daytime, or when attacked by a weapon with silver as a material, will clear all buffs, and reduce all parameters by 30%. And the Racial skill [Flight] which allows the user to fly for a set amount of time.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>---</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>High Human</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>-By evolving the High Human race, skill proficiency will by increased by 2x, and all stats increased by 2%


    Evolving High Human grants no racial trait or skill.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>---</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Reptilian


    -By evolving the Reptilian race, AGI, VIT, and STR will increase by 3%


    Reptilians have the racial trait [Scaled] which will increased movement speed by 5%, and reduce damage taken by 2%


    and the racial skill [Strike] which temporarily increases movement speed by 30%, and the next strike will deal an additional 50% damage.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>---</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Ogre


    -By evolving the Ogre race, VIT and STR will increase by 10%


    Ogre''s have the racial trait [Brutality] which adds a small chance to Cripple enemies when attacking.


    The Ogre''s racial skill is [War Cry]</td></tr>which increases the STR and DEX of nearby allies by 5% for a short duration.<tr><td colspan=''4''>---</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Were-Human


    -By evolving the Were-Human race, VIT, STR, and AGI will increase by 5%


    Were-Humans have the racial trait [Morph] which allows the user to morph  into an animal (Set: Wolf) and each animal will give different buffs.


    Their racial skill is [Track] which allows them to detect players within a radius, effectiveness and range may differ.</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>---</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>Specter


    -By evolving to the Specter race, AGI will increase by 15%


    Specters have the racial trait [Apparition] which gives a 20% reduction in damage taken by physical attacks, but an increase of 10% magical damage taken.


    Their racial skill is [Spectral Haunting] will grant the user an on-hit debuff towards the enemy of a 2% decrease in damage and defense.</td></tr></tbody></table>


    Carefully inspecting each of the skills, Vampires were the strongest class, and had the flight skill, bu they could easily be countered by attacking them with a silver weapon, and their vampiric curse had a massive debuff which would be active half of the time, so he quickly excluded the vampire class from the possible race evolutions. Dwarves, Ogres, Reptilians, Specters, and Were-Humans all had decent racial traits and skills, but the High-Human''s skill proficiency would come in handy for many tasks.


    <table><tbody><tr><td>Your race has been evolved into High Human</td></tr></tbody></table>


    By having the skill proficiency trait, he would be able to master his passive skill [Refine] and fill his resonance bar quicker, which would come in handy when in prolonged combat, although the dwarf''s [Practiced Strike] emulated this, it was only within the damage parameter.


    Satisfied with his evolution, he used Masquerade and raised his Alias'' Fame stat.


    Walking on the large stone path that led to Tiriel, He left the path and ventured a distance from other players and deactivated his Masquerade skill. Through the doors that led into Tiriel, he could see that it was large, though, not as large as Kaya was.


    Peering through the shops, he finally ended upon the door that led to the special ''Tamer Shop'' which sold the Pet Runes, as well as various pet accessories.


    He ended up buying [500 Pet Rune II], which was the second tier of Pet Runes with slightly higher tame rates, but couldn''t find any Tame Drops for decent pets.


    Apparently, Horizon had been very slow on the uptake of pets, as, within Tiriel''s Townsquare,  almost every player seemed to already own a pet, and others were even selling pets, for quite a profit.


    As he searched through the players selling pets, he found an interesting pet, a Scarlet Bird, which had decent stats but it was way overpriced for the stats that it gave. He tried to bargain for lower prices, but was unable to reach a realistic amount.


    Unable to find a viable pet, he was disheartened and stopped looking. Walking past the grand gate that led out of Tiriel, he followed the gravel path that would lead further out from the town, and into the next area.


    As he walked upon the road, he observed in detail how each party fought, and took note of the skills of their classes. He was occasionally glared at by these parties, some of which contemplating whether to rob and/or kill him, but so far no parties had taken the initiative to attack him, and they left each other to their own things.


    Whilst taking in the scenery in stride, his thoughts were interrupted by screaming. Shaken from his train of thoughts, he followed the origins of the scream and came upon a party being attacked by a horde of monsters.


    It seemed that a small guild was attempting to grind in the area when another player came by with a train of monsters. Aggro dumping the mobs onto the party, the majority if the party was taken out by the sudden appearance of the monsters. Apparently the player who had been doing this in the area had a reputation, but nobody had been able to do anything about it because they had to focus the monsters that he was training. (Training is basically aggroing a bunch of monsters and leashing them so they aggro another group.)


    Seeing the chance to grind EXP and loot, he equipped his weapons and began a dash towards the massive amounts of monsters. With his glaive and sword taking down monsters with several slashes, his EXP bar slowly rose.


    When the monsters had all been eliminated, he began searching through and grabbing all of the items that he could grab. Approached by the remaining players of the party, they offered him some form of compensation for helping them, but his conscience would not allow someone who had already suffered to give something away that they would need so much.


    He left the three remaining party members alone, and walked towards the Tharien Mountains, which apparently had high leveled vicious monsters according to the forums and chatter that he had overheard in his stay within Tiriel.


    The encounter with the train of monsters had allowed him to raise his passive skills to the next tier, and had gave him a nice amount of monster drops.


    The Tharien Mountain''s monsters were indeed high leveled. Horizon had approached an armored insect and tried to use [Identify], but was unable to get it''s exact level, meaning that they had a level advantage of over 10 levels.


    <table><tbody><tr><td colspan=''3''>Inzekt Silver Shell</td><td width="25%">Lv. ???</td></tr><tr><td colspan=''4''>A hard shelled creature that roams the  Tharien Mountains.</td></tr><tr><td width="25%">Health: ???</td><td width="25%">Mana: ???</td><td width="25%">DMG AVG : ???</td><td width="25%">DEF : ???</td></tr></tbody></table>


    After landing a combo of hits on the SilverShell he was stumped by it''s unrealistically high amount of health and defense.


    47!


    75!


    58!


    109[Crit!]


    The process of taking a SilverShell wasn''t hard, but because of its large defensive qualities it would be very time consuming. Before he was even able to take the SilverShell to half health, another SilverShell monster had appeared.


    Seeing that attacking 2 SilverShell was not much harder than taking on 1 SilverShell, he leashed them and kited 3 more SilverShells, in addition to a monster with the appearance of a mantis, which he found out was called Inzekt Mantis. It seemed like the creators of HCO a very bad naming sense. Or was very lazy.


    With first SilverShell defeated, his EXP rose a noticeable amount.


    ''With the massive EXP gain from these creatures, he would be able to level up in no time!''


    Indulged with his thoughts from the EXP he had gained, he just barely was able to dodge the Mantis'' attack, and was grazed by the edge of it''s claws.


    458!


    Horizon almost choked himself when he had seen his health drop and saw the massive amounts of damage that these creatures were able to deal. No wonder the other players rarely came here. it had near-invincible shelled bugs, and a mantis that could kill with 1 strike.


    With his raised Resonance stat, dealing with the monsters became easier over time, and he quickly took care of the mantis and the SilverShells.


    <table><tbody><tr><td> -Level Up- </td></tr></tbody></table>


    The massive amounts of EXP gained from the monster train earlier, and the SilverShell''s and Mantis'' noticeably large EXP boosts allowed Horizon to achieve yet another level.


    With this level up, he had learned a new skill.


    <hr />


    Yay, more cliff hangers. :P


    Notify me of any errors please.

 Dropped. (If you couldnt already tell. Sorry)

    Due to the lack of motivation to write this, and the spur of the moment idea that brought this, I apologize for any hopes placed on this. I got stuck writing chapters, and deciding how it would continue, and starting over again on paper. Getting nowhere, I just gave up, plain and simple. No elaboration here. I never thought that I''d even be noticed, so I thank and apologize to anyone who reads this. I''ll probably make another attempt at his, but as a fore note, it''s probably going to be another spur of the moment then dropped story.