ã€Š(Suspended) The Helix; The Arc,ã€‹


 Volume 1: Prologue: The Helix

    The Helix: The Arc, by NeoPhantom

    Hello, My name is NeoPhantom, Neo for short. I¡¯ve always loved writing fanfictions in the past, but took a break from doing so due to some classes at my university. Now, with the place I used to write fanfictions shut down (it¡¯s been 4 years by the way) and with me wanting to get back to my hobby, I¡¯ve decided to write up here.

    Some of you may have read my entry for the Birthday Celebration ¡°The Helix: A Magical Jamboree¡±. That was honestly the first time I¡¯ve written anything since back then, so it may not have been my best work. I¡¯m aware of how much detail it lacked, especially compared to some of the works I¡¯ve seen in this site. However, now I want to do my very best to entertain you all in my story, not just write a swift one to test the waters as well as my skills to ensure they haven¡¯t diminished too much.

    However, in order to keep some open possibilities, I¡¯ll write the story in the same world as my previous work, a game called The Helix. Just what this game world is and how different it is from what you¡¯ve read before¡­ Well, read on.

    <hr />

    Prologue: The Helix

    The Helix. A Virtual game world created less than 3 years ago. Not the first virtual game in existence or the first one of its kind, but it has been the one played the most since its release. The reason for this is simply because it¡¯s apparent infinity in terms of liberty.

    Most games claim that the game is left to the player, that the player makes the choices and changes the world themselves. But very few of these games are truthful about things as the operators can easily change details and impose themselves and their ideas upon the players, activating grand events in order to move the players in the direction of their choice. Sure, they trick players into believing they have a choice by making several possible ways for a quest to end, but even so the possible endings are somehow always pre-determined. If a player makes a choice outside the predictions, the system writes a code that forces an event to make the player or even others, change the result to one of the true options allowed. Though this was not noticed much at first, many conspiracy theories came to be and gradually proven true, making most gamers see these lying games with pity and displeasure.

    Then came a company who, using a matrix of complex IA¡¯s created a separate game world and, once completed, cut off all control power from the physical world, Eluvies. Not only this, but they also programmed the AI¡¯s to gradually make decisions and coding according to the decisions of the players. The result was a completely independent world that players could completely control without the interference of the real world. Many adults complained about the possible consequences of letting kids run free in a world without restraints from this world, the company quickly shut down these complaints by revealing that the game would be PG-13. There were some that continued to complain about the game, either wanting the game to be limited to adults or simply wanting such a game shut down, but just by showing a few scenes of the game¡¯s past, a revolution took over as kids of the right age shut down the complaints of the adults. Most parents just can¡¯t say no to a child who knows what he wants, but they will at least put in place precautions.

    Unauthorized duplication: this tale has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

    And so The Helix was released upon the populace on July of the year 20XX. From then on, many individuals made a name for themselves in this other world, becoming famous and powerful in both worlds. Due to the temporal discrepancies between these two worlds, the mind and intelligence of people everywhere was increasing as the players developed mentally ten times faster and experiencing things others that don¡¯t play could never experience.

    Not only this, but Eluvies kept ranking records of the players, revealing only their Names, Level and Moral Affinities, which allowed the populace to know how the players are playing the game. While at first it became a controversy of handling personal information, it allowed the populace to be prepared for the next ¡°Grand Evil Mastermind¡± to try to cause chaos in the world.

    Due to the virtual game¡¯s programming being easily accessible to people, The Helix was played only by those who wanted to experience that world. Others who simply wanted to make use of the properties of a virtual world, be it to study and learn new things, work, or simply hang out with others, would have their OWN virtual worlds created and shared their links with others. These personal worlds would become known as Terminals and become widespread across the globe.

    The Helix still gets much attention from the populace even till today, with many secrets yet to be uncovered.

    <hr />

    The Helix: A Magical Jamboree</a>                                                                                       Chapter 1: Introduction into...</a>

    <hr />

 Volume 1: Chapter 1-A: Introduction intoâ€¦

    For brevity''s sake, this will be Chapter 1A. I''ll post the rest of Chapter 1 tomorrow as I''m running out of time here and people are telling me to go to sleep already. Note to self: Never upload a chapter right before going to sleep, better do so in the morning.

    I''m trying to refit the chapter for better viewage

    <hr />

    Chapter 1-A: Introduction into...

    *Click*

    The TV turned off as a young boy clicked the remote control in his hand. The boy was lying in a bed with white sheets covering him from the stomach downwards. He had a bright white hair and steely silver eyes. His skin was pale, but colored slightly light brown as if the reason for his skin color is more related to lack of exposure to the sun rather than genetic.

    The room he was in was a medium sized room that had a bed, a TV, a dresser, a fridge, a microwave, and an indoor bathroom. There was also a wheelchair right next to the young boy¡¯s bed. The boy looked at the chair with a difficult to read expression and took off his sheets. He slowly, carefully stood from his bed and dragged his feet towards the fridge while tumbling slightly. Once there, he took out a carton of milk and poured himself a glass, then returned to his bed, sighing in relief as the pain he felt calmed down slightly.

    He gulped down the milk and placed it in the cup holder in the wheelchair before taking out his phone. He searched for one of his friends to chat with.

    *KNOCK* *KNOCK*

    Savi quickly stashed his phone in his pocket and jumped in his wheelchair. He¡¯d like to avoid making a show of himself by falling over in front of the installers. He touched the mousepad on the right arm of the wheelchair and operated it to move the wheelchair towards the door. There, he opened the door with little difficulty.

    There were two men outside carrying a large box. They seemed pretty annoyed about waiting so long at the door, but quickly changed their expressions once they saw Savi in a wheelchair. Savi sighed internally as he waited for the two men to install the capsule next to his bed. After he received the instruction manual, he bid them farewell and jumped back on the bed while leaving the manual back in his wheelchair. He took his phone back out.

    Savi looked at the manual. He knows he said he wouldn¡¯t, but he was considering taking a quick review just in case. Just then, his phone rang a tune that meant he had received a message. Savi looked as saw:

    Kris: ¡°Don¡¯t even think about the manual.¡±

    Savi sighed and wondered how she knew what he was thinking. The woman mind is something he still doesn¡¯t get even with the time he has been spending reading and chatting with others. He sometimes wondered if it had something to do with his reclusive life, but after chatting with other males he figured out it had more to do with him being male and less to do with that¡­

    Savi took a look at the capsule. It was a rather large machine that had a helmet attached. The machine had several screens that project what he is doing in the game at 10x speed as well as several plug ins which he could use to connect his phone or computer to the machine in order to transfer data. The helmet was the key point to the machine though.

    The helmet sent the electromagnetic pulses of the brain and converted them into data, then connected the data to the Terminal: The Helix. Then, the signal would echo back to the helmet which would transfer the signal directly into my brain, thus causing me to fall asleep and transferring my consciousness into the Terminal.

    In was a process simple to explain, but rather difficult to realize. Savi still marveled at the company that made this Capsule design, which was much better in terms of space and quality to the huge coffin-sized capsules of old. That¡¯s  were their name came from, even though these don¡¯t look like capsules and coffins anymore, the name stuck.

    Savi shook his head; this was no time to be lost in thought. He took the helmet and put it on before lying in bed. He pushed the button near his right ear and waited for the signal. Soon¡­

    *BEEP*

    The world turned white in an instant. Savi tumbled a bit as he was now standing instead of lying in bed. While he had gotten used to the feel of being able to move as he willed with his personal Terminal, he had never been able to get used to how different it felt when he entered them. He looked around and saw a familiar scene, an empty room entirely white. The Initializing Program had begun and a conglomerate of many voices speaking as one resounded at once.

    *CEREBRAL CORTEX HAS BEED DECRYPTED*

    *NEW PLAYER IDENTIFIED*

    *SAVIER O. POLLUX*

    *PLEASE CONFIRM*

    *YES/NO*

    While Savi had read up on the Initialization Program, he was still a bit taken back at both the voice that came out of nowhere and the fact that his name was in the database already.

    ¡°Yes¡±

    *YES*

    *PLEASE CHOOSE A NAME*

    ¡°Xeno¡±

    *XENO*

    *PLEASE CONFIRM*

    *YES/NO*

    ¡°Yes¡±

    *PLEASE CHOOSE GENDER*

    *MALE/FEMALE/BOTH/GENDERLESS*

    Now is when Savi was going to begin asking questions he was dying to know, but no one online was capable of answering.

    ¡°What are the benefits and detriments of each choice?¡±

    *PLEASE CHOOSE GENDER*

    *MALE/FEMALE/BOTH/GENDERLESS*

    Savi thought for a while¡­ He was sure that whatever he became, he would not make much use of Charm or other stats and skills that influence the mind of others. He dislikes using those types of tactics, though he would not mind having a partner with those skills. Still, he might encounter enemies capable of using skilled such as these. Savi plainly remembered gossip about some players who were attacked by a combination of Succubus and Incubus and were completely annihilated due to being unable to attack due to their attraction to them. In fact, the demons forced them to fight amongst themselves to determine who would get the honor of being killed by them. Nasty stuff¡­

    Without giving it much more thought, Savi said:

    ¡°Genderless, please¡­¡±

    *YOU CHOSE: GENDERLESS*

    *PLEASE CONFIRM*

    *YES/NO*

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°PLEASE CHOOSE YOUR RACIAL TREE¡±

    ¡°RACIAL TREE WILL PLAY A PART IN THE RACES AVAILABLE FOR THE PLAYER TO CHOOSE FROM¡±

    ¡°THERE ARE 15 RACIAL TREES IN THE HELIX¡±

    HUMAN

    Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.ELVEN

    DWARF

    GOBLIN

    BEAST

    AVIAN

    AQUAN

    RAPTOR

    HIVE

    PLANT

    DAEMON

    DIVINE

    FAERY

    UNDEAD

    MACHINA

    Savi smiled. This was another feature that made this game different from others. Rather than giving you a small number of races to choose from, this one gave you access to a huge variety. First choosing the Main Race or as the game refered to it as Racial Tree, then choosing the Sub-Race the player wants to belong to or the Blood-Line. Even further than that, some Sub-Races require you to determine the Tribe you want to belong to, though this was usually a measure reserved to the more animalistic races: for example the Jaguar Tribe and the Lion Tribe and both Beasts of Felid Blood-Line.

    When this measure was first revealed, the number of capsules pre-ordered sky-rocketed.

    Given the high number of posts about the different Racial Trees, Savi already knew which he would choose, but he had yet to determine the Blood-Line he wanted to be.

    ¡°I wish to be of Elven descent.¡±

    *YOUR CHOICE: ELVEN*

    *PLEASE CONFIRM*

    *YES/NO*

    ¡°Yes¡±

    *PLEASE CHOOSE YOUR BLOOD-LINE*

    *THERE ARE 9 BLOOD-LINES OF ELVEN DESCENT*

    SYLVAN

    DHIONE

    MAOMER

    DROW

    MYTHRAL

    LUNARIS

    SOLVEN

    AVARIEL

    ELADRIN

    The moment of Savi had been waiting impatiently for:

    ¡°Please give analysis of each Blood-Line.¡±

    Savi finished reading up on the Blood-Lines, besides each window was a sculpted image of a male specimen of that race which he also looked into, and began to think. He can easily discard several of those options as he doesn¡¯t want to deal with the personality of those Elves¡­ Especially those Solven Elves give him Goosebumps all over¡­ Luckily, he chose to go Genderless or he might be afraid of being put under their hypnotic obedience. Savi also didn¡¯t enjoy the idea of imposing himself unto others, as he always believed in free will, so Eladrin, Lunaris and Avariel are also out. While the Sylven seem like a nice race, their passiveness is a bit too much than he can take, furthermore the race seems too similar to the classic elves to give him much desire to be them¡­ Dhione and Drow seem good when reading what they can do, but he knows that the way other races looks at them will come into play sooner rather than later.

    This leaves: Maomer or Mythral. On one hand an underwater race that offers an entirely different world to explore than other races (except Aquans) and on the other hand a race basically devoted to creating magic weapons. On one hand an exotic looking race with deep, black eyes and on the other hand a race that seemed made of silver, bronze and with something red for eyes. Savi didn¡¯t even need to think about it from this point onwards.

    ¡°I choose Maomer.¡±

    *YOU CHOSE: MAOMER*

    *PLEASE CONFIRM*

    *YES/NO*

    ¡°Yes¡±

    *DETERMINING POSSIBLE SPAWNING LOCATIONS*

    *ONLY ONE LOCATION CURRENTLY AVAILABLE FOR SPAWNING: MAOMER*

    *UNDERWATER VILLAGE OF SED*

    *WOULD YOU LIKE TO SPAWN HERE?*

    *IF YOU DECIDE YOU DO NOT WANT TO SPAWN HERE YOU MUST RE-SELECT YOUR RACE*

    ¡°Only one option available? Weird¡­ Very well, I accept.¡±

    *PLEASE SELECT HOW YOU WOULD LIKE TO LOOK LIKE IN-GAME*

    Now a holographic image of myself appeared before me of how I¡¯d look like as a Maomer. Other than my skin and eyes, there didn¡¯t seem to be much difference.

    ¡°Please give me longer hair. A bit more. Yeah, that¡¯s it. Can you make it blue with a white stripe down the middle? Yeah, that¡¯s it. Now, can you give me control in order to change the facial features?¡±

    Savi wanted to create a new persona from scratch and waited for a moment before a sculpture of his face appeared before him along with several tools. He swiftly picked one and applied it to a small portion of his chin to see its effect. To his surprise the applied area started to shrink slowly. He continued to experiment on his face with the tools until he knew what each did, then said:

    ¡°Please reset all changes done to my face.¡±

    The monstrosity that originally was his face instantly returned to what it was before he massacred it. Now knowing what he was doing, Savi slowly sculpted the face he saw himself in his dreams. It wasn¡¯t too handsome, but not ugly in the least. It seemed kind and dependable. Like an All-Type-Kind-of-Guy that was just hard to hate, only younger.

    ¡°Ok, I¡¯m done¡±

    *DO YOU WISH TO USE THIS AVATAR?*

    *YES/NO*

    In front of Savi stood the Avatar he had created, the handsome, but not too handsome face mixed well with the well-built body. Though the eyes make him a bit scary-looking, the rest of the exotic portions of the avatar, the webbed hands and ears, make him look a bit mysterious, at least to races other than Maomer.

    ¡°Yes¡±

    *CONGRATULATIONS IN COMPLETING THE INITIALIZATION*

    *WOULD YOU LIKE TO TAKE THE BASIC TUTORIAL?*

    *YES/NO*

    Savi thought for a bit¡­ He had read constantly about how many players did not find the information of the tutorial useful, but he also has heard that many avoid the tutorial altogether¡­ Savi sometimes wondered if the tutorial gave you common information that may seem useless, but could be useful early on. However, the contents of the tutorial could not be found anywhere in the web, contrary to the contents of the capsule tutorial¡­

    ¡°Yes, I¡¯d like to take the tutorial.¡±

    *COMMENCING TUTORIAL*

    <hr />

    Prologue: The Helix</a>                                                                                                         Chapter 1-B: Tutorial Mode</a>

    <hr />

 Volume 1: Chapter 1-B: Tutorial Mode

    Chapter 1-B: Tutorial Mode

    *COMMENCING TUTORIAL*

    A bright light shone over from everywhere in the room. It was so bright Savi was forced to shut his eyes closed. Then just as suddenly as the light had come, it disappeared. He opened his eyes a bit and looked around.

    He was in a small room that quite honestly seemed Japanese, which he considered weird since neither the company nor him were of that particular area of the world¡­ He pushed the issue away thinking that maybe the tutorial was made with either random locations or maybe simply look like this for a particular reason.

    The walls were made of smooth wood, as well as the floor, ceiling and furniture. There were no windows, but a single door. A table with a pair of chairs stood silently by the middle of the room. A small pool of clear water was in one of the corners of the room. Suddenly, Savi felt the need to take a dive in the cool water, but he resisted and waited.

    Soon after, a young adult man, no older than 40, stepped into the room; his facial features were difficult to see, as if they were being obscured, and he was wearing a lab coat like those you see scientists and doctors wear.

    He looked at Savi intently, then sat down at the chair. Seeing that Savi still did not seat, he signaled him to do so with a motion of his hand. Savi sat down and almost immediately the unknown man began to speak.

    ¡°If you are here, it means you decided to take on the tutorial. It¡¯s been a while since someone came here though¡­ Anyways, I¡¯ll be instructing you on the basics of this world you¡¯re about to enter. Please keep your questions to yourself till I give you way to ask, okay?¡±

    ¡°Errr¡­ Yes.¡±

    Savi felt a that the man spoke a bit strangely, he guessed that those comments he read about the NPC¡¯s in this place being more human-like than in other games was true after all.

    ¡°Very well. Let us start with the very minimum you need to survive. In order to open the Menu you have several options: first is saying the phrase Open: Menu, the second is by touching your pinky finger with your thumb, the third is by thinking the phrase before said in your mind. This third method is quite hard to master at the beginning, but can be useful in the long run as it allows you to navigate all options of the Menu without alerting others of your presence. In addition to these methods, you can also modify the physical way to open the Menu in the Settings option in the Menu. Now, please use any method I mentioned to open your Menu.¡±

    ¡°Open: Menu¡±

    ¡°Good, the Menu provides you with plenty of information that is very important throughout your Journey. The CHARACTER page, which bears your name, provides information about your avatar. This includes not only his level, stats and affinities, but also any condition that your body may be afflicted at the moment, be they the blessings of a friendly priest or the stomachache from eating spoiled food. Please open the CHARACTER WINDOW by saying OPEN: ¡°your NAME¡±.¡±

    ¡°OPEN: XENO¡± ¨C for a second there, Savi imagined the horror of choosing the nickname Sesame¡­

    Savi expected his stats in a way, but seeing his high physical stats amaze him, especially when he compares them to his Dexterity. The rest of the info was¡­

    ¡°Now then, you¡¯ll see that the CHARACTER WINDOW shows you basic information about yourself: your name, Age, Racial Tree, Race, Fame, Infamy, Level and Class. At present you do not possess a class, but later on you will obtain one or even more than one. Just remember, you can only have 1 class equipped at any time. The class you have equipped levels up as you use it¡¯s skills or spells, but only while you have it equipped. When the class levels up, you might gain new skills, spells or even abilities. You don¡¯t need to have the class equipped in order to use or even level up your skills and spells though. Some even prefer to have high level skills and many low level classes. Fame and Infamy will raise with your actions and how they are perceived by the general populace. A warning though: even if you do something good, as long as the action is evilize for some reason or another by someone and many people believe them, then you¡¯ll gain Infamy instead of Fame. This also works the other way around, so be careful. Just because someone is Famous with the populace, it doesn¡¯t mean they are good people. Whenever you level up your class, some Stat points are automatically gained to select stats related to the class, while whenever you level up you gain Stat Points which you can distribute to whichever stat you wish.¡±

    ¡°Next are the primary stats. Life is your life, if it reaches 0 then you die. Don¡¯t worry, you¡¯ll be able to revive after 24 hours in your world, which equals around 10 days in here¡­ If you have a mission or quest you must complete within a deadline, you better not die though. You¡¯ll also lose any accumulated Experience from your Level, Class Level, and Skill Level, but will not lose any levels.¡±

    ¡°Health on the other hand represents your overall condition in terms of health; this includes your hunger, thirst, blood-levels, sugar-levels, adrenaline, bladder, cleanliness, illness, and wounds among other things. As your Health deteriorates, your Life will start to become compromised. If your Health reaches 0, well you might as well start praying¡­ You can check more details about your Health as well if you ask a Doctor, Medic, or similarly Health related individual, otherwise you¡¯ll have to guess. Of course you could also learn the Ability to determine your own Health later on.¡±

    ¡°Stamina is consumed with every physical action you take and the lower it is the more tired you will feel. If it reaches 0, you might even collapse and be unable to move for a while. This is the limit of living beings, which Undead and Machina don¡¯t have to worry about. Satisfaction indicates how your Avatar feels in general with its treatment. If you treat your Avatar like a toy all the time without caring for it, it might take actions while you aren¡¯t here or even delete himself if you aren¡¯t careful, so treat him with kindness and respect. And no, you can¡¯t communicate with him any other way other than by looking at its Satisfaction¡­¡±

    ¡°Skill and Mana are the two forms of energy required for the activation of Skills and Spells respectively. While skills use the energy that is generated within you, Spells use the energy that your body gathers from its environment throughout time. Both have a natural 1% per second regeneration speed, but this can be affected by many abilities, effects, conditions, as well as your surroundings. Everyone begins with the exact same Skill and Mana cap, but as your Strength and Intelligence rise this cap increases.¡±

    ¡°The Weight Limit is the total weight your body can carry without repercussions. If you try to carry more than your limit, several movement related stats will be greatly reduced, as well as the consumption of Stamina per action will increase. Exceeding your limits is the key to training, but take it too far and you might break your body¡­ This limit increases as your Strength increases, which ironically can happen while you are exceeding your Weight Limit.¡±

    ¡°Strength is the overall maximum amount of physical pressure you can create with your body while Defense is how well you can resist the physical pressure of others. These two stats are keys to those who fight melee battles. Intelligence affects the overall power of your Spells, but only if you possess enough knowledge of the spell be that through learning or experimenting. On the other hand, Wisdom affects the acquirement rate of skills and spells through repeated action. Dexterity is how well you can control your hands and fingers and has a great effect on most classes related to crafting and ranged combat. Finally, Speed is the most basic stat which represents the current maximum speed you can muster. Remember, a stat may be high, but if you don¡¯t know how to use it properly, it might as well be low¡­¡±

    ¡°The next window shows the affinities you possess. These can be to a given race, faction or kingdom, or the Elemental Properties. These will affect your relationship with others and your ability to learn skills and spells of the given elemental properties. Languages determines all languages you are capable of understanding, as well as how well you are able to understand those languages. You may learn new languages by studying the language you wish to learn, be that from books, a teacher, or personal observation. You are born knowing languages directly related to your race, in your case Common, Elven and Aquan. The Common Language is shared by all civilized creatures, but many refuse to speak it.¡±

    ¡°Finally, there¡¯s the Conditions Window which state all status conditions you are currently experiencing, although, due to the nature of this location, none of those status conditions are in effect. One particular condition that I should mention is the Newborn condition. What it does is help you in your growth at the beginning, a growth spurt of a sort. Don¡¯t worry, it hasn¡¯t activated yet so the countdown till it disappears is still set to a full month.¡±

    Savi visually relaxed, it would¡¯ve been bad if he lost the chance to get a growth spurt just because he decided to do the tutorial¡­ He¡¯s sure Kris wouldn¡¯t let him live it down¡­

    ¡°Now let¡¯s explain Skills, Spells and Abilities; these three make the brunt of what you will gain and can realize while in this world. Skills are usually physical in nature and are activated through motions, though some use verbal commands to facilitate their activation. It is possible for Skills to evolve and shorted the motion activation as well as become even stronger as they level up. Spells on the other hand are verbally activated through a process known as CHANTING. Once the spell¡¯s CHANT is sung, the mana accumulated by the body emerges and takes the form of the spell. While this process may seem rather slow at first, with practice it is possible to sing the Chants, in your mind and activate them within a second. Not only this, but as you master each spell, the Chant required to sing the spell shortens until you only need to say one or two words. Finally, Abilities are very different from Skills or Spells because they are, for the most part, Passive in nature, though some may require you to realize some actions in order for them to activate.¡±

    ¡°All races have a chance to start with Skills, Spells or Abilities when they are just born; as a Maomer you start out with several Abilities and no skills or spells what-so-ever. For now, you can look at your Abilities window by saying the command OPEN: ABILITIES¡±

    ¡°OPEN: ABILITIES¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­ It¡¯ll be a while before I even think of going to the surface.¡±

    ¡°Next would be Equipment, the process to open the window is the same as the other ones before. Please open the Equipment Window.¡±

    ¡°OPEN: EQUIPMENT¡±

    ¡°There are many types of equipment that can be placed in several locations of your body. Each equipment piece worn has an effect on your character independently to other pieces; however when you wear multiple pieces of the same Equipment Set additional bonuses can be obtained. In order to see information about equipment you possess or change the equipment you are wearing, simply access this Window and touch the location you want the equipment to be worn. Another option is to simply take off and put on the equipment, but unless you have abilities that let you read an item¡¯s information, you will be unable to read its information this way. For now, open the Info Windows of each of the three pieces of equipment you possess.¡±

    Watching the Set bonus, Savi began to consider playing naked until he got better equipment, but then he would be considered a Pervert¡­ To be a Hobo, a Scatterbrain, a Newby or a Pervert¡­

    ¡°Sigh, guess we all start as Newbies¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes you do, next there¡¯s your Inventory which is all the things you are currently carrying. Please Open your Inventory and confirm its contents.¡±

    ¡°OPEN: INVENTORY¡±

    ¡°Inside you should find in order: 30 units of some sort of Basic food, 1 basic weapon, and 20 Copper Coins. Usually, a Canteen would also be included, but due to your starting location being underwater it was changed to an additional 20 Coppers. Whenever you accumulate 100 of any type of coin, they are automatically replaced with 1 coin of the next value. The Coins are the followings in order of value: Copper, Bronze, Silver, Gold, Platinum and Diamond. Just so you know, very few people have even seen Diamond coins and those who possess even one are too much of money diggers to actually use them¡­ In addition to this there¡¯s the Current Weight of the objects you are currently carrying in your Inventory. By the way, the weight of items is slightly reduced while in your Inventory, and this reduction can be increased through certain means. Anyways, please check the Information about the other two items, the food unit and the basic weapon. You can use the same method you utilized during the Equipment Window.¡±

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°So then I have to eat Stale Coral?!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t feel too bad, some others have had to get by with Hard Rocks or Dry Leaves, depending on their race. At the very least you can munch on it and eat it like churros¡­Then there¡¯s the QUESTLOG where you can find all information pertaining any quests you are currently taking or have taken in the past. Quests are divided in several categories: Requests are given by just anyone and have usually only some monetary or item reward, Quests are given by guilds and people in power to adventurers to solve problems their community might have and have slightly better rewards, Jobs are taken can be accepted which results in steady payment of money for the tasks you realized during a period of time, Missions are given by your direct superiors in an organization or by a ruling Noble and can have enormous amounts and quality of rewards, but are harder to obtain or qualify for¡­ Right now, your Questlog is empty, so if you try to open it you will simply get a message saying that you have no current Quests, but you should check out this page as soon as you get one. Of course, you might not realize when you get a quest, as those are not announced by the system. Most likely, you¡¯ll only realize you had a quest once you complete it.¡±

    ¡°Next would be the Friends/Enemies window where you can send messages to people you have met, classify them as Friend, Enemy or Neutral. Doing that would make them appear in your MAP as long as you have been to the location they are at before. This can be useful to track down friends or run away from enemies, though it is usually used by some to hunt down their enemies and run away from friends who they owe money¡­ Right now, we are in a special location that won¡¯t appear on your Map, so it is currently Blank, but it will fill up as you explore. You might even add additional details to the Map if you possess the appropriate skills such the the creatures and plants that are in certain areas as well as other details about the environment.¡±

    ¡°Next would be SETTINGS from which you can change several functions and commands to different ones or even create new shortcuts for certain custom windows. In addition, other details such as Empathy, which affects how well you feel your character and it¡¯s pains and relief, and Maturity allowed can also be modified. However, these are locked for anyone whose mental age is below 20. Mental age is calculated by the age of your body plus a fifth the age of your character. In other words, an 18 years old player who has been playing for 1 year (10 years in-game) qualifies to access those functions because his mental age is considered to be 20 years old.¡±

    ¡°The last thing on your MENU is the LOG-OUT command, which allows you to log-out from The Helix. Please test this function now by saying the command, and then wait 10 minutes before logging back in.¡±

    Savi guessed this was so people got a chance to rest after the tutorial before jumping back to the game.

    ¡°LOG-OUT¡±

    *LOG-OUT SUCCESSFUL*

    *LOG-IN LOCKDOWN*

    *TIME UNTIL LOCKDOWN EXPIRES: 10.00*

    Savi¡¯s vision turned dark and he opened his eyes. He was back in his bed with the helmet still on his head. He removed it groggily and took out his phone.

    ¡°4:37, not even 3 minutes, huh? Well, better get something solid while I can¡­¡±

    Savi jumped on his wheelchair and started to prepare something to eat¡­

    <hr />

    Later, Savi sat back in bed and tried to Dive back into the game.

    *BEEP*

    *CEREBRAL CORTEX HAS BEED DECRYPTED*

    *PLAYER IDENTIFIED*

    *SAVIER O. POLLUX*

    *WOULD YOU LIKE TO LOG-IN AS XENO?

    *Y/N*

    ¡°Yes¡±

    *TUTORIAL MODE ENGAGED*

    Savi was back at the old room with the same man waiting in the same spot he had last seen him. Savi wondered if he hadn¡¯t moved at all since he logged out, but discarded the thought as it might¡¯ve been only ten minutes in the real world, but it must have been over an hour and half in this world.

    However, something felt different than before, but Savi couldn¡¯t put his finger on it, till he touched his chin with his fingers. The sensation was much softer, yet stronger than his own fingers. He looked at himself and saw that he had been turned into his Avatar this time. He opened his hands and closed them up, then moved his limbs individually for a few minutes to get used to his new body.

    Then he looked at the man, he was giving him a meaningful glance, so he sat back down. The man began to speak again only then.

    ¡°Well, this is it for the tutorial in essence, from this point onwards you can ask me any questions you may have. Warning though, there are plenty of things I may be unable to reveal.¡±

    Savi thought about it for a bit for any bit of crucial information that the man before him might have missed previously¡­ He could only think of one single detail.

    ¡°You never told me your name so I could thank you, other than that nothing.¡±

    The man looked at him, momentarily speechless, then he started to laugh. After a bit, he answered:

    ¡°No one ever asked before, you know. After having to wait ten minutes to get back in, they all get too impatient to even care about something as petty as the name of the guy who gives the tutorial. My name is AIPADS.¡±

    ¡°Aipads?¡± ¨C what a weird name, yet the name felt familiar for Savi for some reason.

    ¡°Yep, it¡¯s short for Artificially Intelligent Programmer and Developer Specialist.¡±

    Savi¡¯s mind blanked for a second¡­

    ¡°Wha¡­?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha¡­ Don¡¯t be in shock; it¡¯s obvious that I would want to meet the people who come mess with my world at least once before they enter. There¡¯s really not much else I can do, honestly. We, the AI¡¯s who created The Helix don¡¯t have much more to do other than regulate the programming and greeting the few hackers that try to damage the system.¡±

    ¡°But doing something like explaining the tutorials¡­?¡±

    ¡°As I said, not much else to do, the world is already in the hands of you players. Anyways, as I said before, any other inquiries?¡±

    Savi looked at the being in front of him, one of the supreme existences of this virtual world, one of its creators.

    ¡°Sigh, nope. That¡¯s all. Thanks for the info.¡±

    ¡°Truly? You¡¯re not going to ask me any more info now that you know my identity?¡±

    ¡°Regardless of your identity, you already said you could not reveal many bits of info. No matter how hard I think, I cannot think of something to ask you that don¡¯t fall into that category.¡±

    ¡°Huh, quite smart for someone who chose a race usually meant for melee combat; you are correct in thinking my identity would not change the fact that I would ignore most of your questions though.¡± ¨C he seemed amused.

    ¡°Well if that¡¯s all, then it¡¯s time to get to business, no?¡±

    A bright light shone in the room again, but Savi wasn¡¯t affected this time¡­ He figured it was because of his new eyes which protected him from such effects. He saw the whole room disappear in the whiteness, then the light became darkness and he heard the voice he talked to at the beginning of the Dive.

    *FIRST TIME LOG-IN DETECTED*

    *NEWBORN CONDITION HAS BEEN ACTIVATED*

    *PLEASE ENJOY THE HELIX TO ITS FULL EXTENT*

    *FARE DE WELL*

    ¡°Fare De Well¡±

    <hr />

    Chapter 1-A: Introduction into...</a>                                                                                                                             Chapter 2: The Village of Sed</a>

    <hr />

    This is the first TRUE chapter of the ARC series of the story The Helix. What I mean by this is up to the future to decide.

    This chapter ended up quite longer than I expected, a little over 10 pages more than the regular chapters I plan to release; a whooping 25 pages on WORD. No idea how long or short the chapter will look like once I post it on the forums. I know for a fact that it¡¯ll take me some time to modify this chapter to look good by my standards once I start working on those windows.

    As a matter of fact, I was forced to divide it in two chapters due to the number of images caused by those windows...

    Speaking of windows, this chapter has a lot of them, having the tutorial and all. I hope they look well once I finish them on the forums¡­ Regardless I¡¯ll explain one of them that I found I couldn¡¯t quite program like I wanted on Word, let alone the forums.

    The Character Window is composed of several Tabs similar to recent Web Browsers. Each of the windows is separate because they are in a different tab which the player must open. It¡¯s meant to look a lot better than a large wall of stats and would allow the player to easily access the information he desires to know.

    The same principle applies to the ¡°modified commands¡± which can be added through the Settings option. I do hope you enjoyed the explanations I gave to those functions.

    On another note, the sheer number of available races is quite appealing, right? That was something I worked on in the past but never went for the finishing touches of explaining the races in complete detail. Originally, I only separated the races by their physical dissimilarities. Since the races might come into play later on, I¡¯ll refrain from posting the Blood-Lines for the other Racial Trees, and don¡¯t expect me to ever place the full list of Tribes per Blood-Line that encompass the Beast, Aquan, Hive, Raptor and Plant Trees in too much detail! That would be too much for me at present¡­

    Still, if anyone is willing to elaborate or even use upon any system mentioned in this chapter, he is welcomed to do so.

    The Equipment window was a bit tricky for me, but I finally decided to go with simplicity mixed with complexity; easy to look at, but more complex than usual. You might see that there¡¯s a L & R in a few of those slots. They mean it¡¯s possible to wear a piece of equipment in one, but not the other. So people wearing mismatched shoes do exist in this world, wanting to take at least half the benefits of two completely different pairs of shoes¡­ The Other slot in the inventory means things you can equip anywhere such as a Pin in your shirt, pants, shoes or even hair.

    I¡¯ll be dishonest if I say I didn¡¯t enjoy writing all of this, but am still ecstatic to get started with the actual adventure. I scared you a bit into thinking he would become OP already by realizing the identity of the Tutorial NPC, but don¡¯t worry. He¡¯ll only become OP in a VERY certain way in the future, way in the future; around Volume 5 or 6 maybe¡­ Each volume should be 10 Chapters plus Prologue and maybe Epilogue.

    If anyone finds a grammatical error, please tell me so as English is me second language, though practiced since young. I¡¯m also willing to listen to critiques you might have, so let them rip.

    ¡°A writer never gets better unless he listens to his own mistakes.¡±

 Volume 1: Chapter 2: The Village of Sed

    Chapter 2: The Village of Sed

    Once the welcome voices resounded, Xeno¡¯s sight turned completely white. After a few seconds, he regained his vision and found himself in the plaza of the village. He looked around amazed as he saw the citizens swimming about the village doing their businesses. There were Maomer in stalls made of coral selling fish and clams, there were a few selling coral weapons and armor, there were even a few selling jewelry made of pearls.

    But these sights of commerce were of little consequence to Xeno. What really amazed him were the houses built with sand and coral. They all looked like sandcastles, but the kind built by professionals. Each was like a work of art, yet the people here moved on with their lives. They must¡¯ve gotten used to the sights in this village already.

    Xeno took a moment to take in the sight, before calming down.

    ¡°Okay, this place looks cool, but I need to figure out what I¡¯ll be doing here first¡­ Let¡¯s see¡­ Rules of the Adventurer #1 ¨C explore all options, was it? I think that was it¡­ To explore all options, I would first need to know the options available to me in this place, which means physical exploration of this place¡­ Hmm¡­ Might as well fill up the details of this village in my map in its entirety, or at least as close to its entirety as possible.¡±

    Having decided his course of action, Xeno opened the MAP and saw that while most of the village was still obscured and without detail, the outline of the village was already drawn; the plaza where he was now also appeared in the map, only clearer and with more detail. The plaza was around the south of the village, so Xeno decided to head in that direction first.

    ¡°Oh? Huh, feels no different that walking on the surface, there¡¯s no resistance¡­ Maybe it¡¯s because of my Water Affinity?¡± ¨C Xeno mused as he walked southwards.

    <hr />

    The houses on the way were the same as the ones in the plaza, as such soon enough Xeno felt the same as the others of this village in regards to the houses. He got used to them pretty quickly¡­ The way to the village¡¯s border was filled entirely with houses, no shops or any sort of other building. However, at the far end of the street, next to a wall that separated the village from the outside, was a large black building. Xeno felt that it was ominous, until he saw some Maomer exit the building and realized what it was.

    The Maomer that were in the building were tall and more buff that the ones he had seen so far. They wore seemingly heavy shell armor and carried blatantly large spears, they also had a belt with nets fastened to them, guards Xeno realized. There was also another Maomer present who wore silver shell armor and carried a Trident and kept instructing the guards, a commander Xeno guessed.

    ¡°This will be a good place to come to if I decide to train my melee skills, but I¡¯m not sure if I want to become a Warrior yet¡­¡±

    He continued to watch as the guards opened the gate that was in the wall and exited. The gate remained open, so I walked towards it and looked outside. There, the guards were fighting what looked like a large crab-like monster. It was trying to pinch the guards with its pincers and had managed to snap the spear of one of them that tried to block the attack with it. Not only this, but the spears of some were being broken when they tried to pierce the crab¡¯s shell. Xeno watched for a bit and sighed at the guards.

    ¡°The weakness of crustaceans is their underbelly¡­ Attacking their hard shell will only cause the reflection of the force they apply on their attacks onto their weapons¡­¡± ¨C Xeno murmured.

    ¡°True, these younglings still need more training. What would you have had them do?¡±

    ¡°Probably use those nets to immobilize the pincers between two of them while the rest work on turning the crab on his back.¡± ¨C answered Xeno without noticing he was talking to someone.

    ¡°Oh, a good strategy indeed, but those crabs can rip the net to shreds.¡±

    ¡°That would be inconsequential if the nets are wrapped around the outside of the pincers, outside of their cutting reach¡­¡±\

    ¡°True, true¡­ I take it you have experience in combat?¡±

    Xeno¡¯s eyes opened wide as he realized he wasn¡¯t talking to himself, but in fact to someone else. He nervously turned to see that the Commander was right beside him, watching the guards face off against the crab as he pressed his back against the wall.

    Noticing Xeno¡¯s expression, he laughed loudly.

    ¡°I guess not, or else you¡¯d have felt my presence, but you do have an eye for battle.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ve read a lot about the creatures of this world and how to deal with them¡­¡± ¨C Xeno answered shyly¡­

    ¡°You don¡¯t say? Well, want to take a gander at that crab?¡± ¨C the commander extended his trident at Xeno, but he answered.

    ¡°Sorry, sir. My combat ability is lacking as I¡¯ve just arrived at this world.¡±

    ¡°No problem, child. Those troops are initiates with most likely less fighting experience than even you. Well, they are fighting that crab, but until they defeat it, it doesn¡¯t count as experience. Besides, it was pretty obvious you just arrived, Outworlder.¡±

    Xeno felt the term a bit tasteless, curious as to how it was obvious and asked the Commander, who answered to his surprise:

    ¡°We Maomer swim whenever we move from one place to another, unless what we are searching for is near the ground, but you were walking, not swimming.¡±

    Xeno facepalmed and groaned.

    ¡°Hahaha, don¡¯t feel so down; they say the most obvious things are the ones that escape people.¡±

    ¡°Sigh, right¡­¡±

    ¡°Anyways, as I said before, your battle skills are about equal to the ones of those kids over there, don¡¯t belittle them. See for yourself.¡± ¨C he once again extended the trident towards him.

    ¡°Fine, I¡¯ll try it out, but don¡¯t expect me to be a battle prodigy.¡± ¨C Xeno said as he took the trident.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry kid, I know you aren¡¯t a prodigy. You¡¯re just smarter than those kids, which is much more valuable in battle than being a prodigy.¡± ¨C he said smugly.

    While Xeno doubted his words at face value, he decided to just accept what he had to do. He looked back at the Crab and saw that only two of the remaining Guards still had useful Spears while the rest were trying to get the Crab¡¯s attention. Still, none of them used the nets on their belts¡­

    Xeno sighed one last time before swimming towards them, trident in hand. He noticed that swimming here is much easier than in other Terminals he had played in, but placed it due to his aquatic race and his webbed limbs.

    When the guards saw him, they were relieved, but then confused as they saw the one wielding the trident was not their commander, but someone unknown.

    ¡°Don¡¯t stop! You¡¯ll get killed like that!¡±

    The guards reacted and moved away in time to dodge the pincers.

    "Whew¡­ Luckily no one died; else this battle would be even harder with the moral.¡± ¨C Xeno murmured to himself.

    He got closer to the swimming guards and said loud enough for them to hear him.

    ¡°Tie up his pincers!¡±

    ¡°With what?!¡± ¨C answered one of them.

    ¡°Your FREAKING nets!¡± ¨C told him Xeno, slightly annoyed now.

    The guard facepalmed and took out his net and tried to get close to the crab, but he couldn¡¯t do so as each time he got too close the crab moved backwards and pinched at him. Seeing that this would take too long, Xeno swam towards one the guards that was trying to catch his breath.

    ¡°Give me your net for a moment, please.¡±

    The guard complied in between breaths and Xeno swam around the guards will he was behind the crab. Then he swam as fast as he could towards the crab, which was occupied with the guard that was trying to rope him. When he got close enough, he grabbed at the top of the crab¡¯s shell and began to tie the net around the shoulder of one of the pincers.

    "Damn, this is harder than I thought¡­ Damn it!¡± ¨C Xeno kept trying to tie the net together, but every time he tried to force his hands to wield the net his hands hurt quite a lot. Now he realized why the Maomer had such crappy Dexterity, their webbed hands got in the way of delicate work! Xeno kept trying to recreate an old knot he practiced some time ago, but not only did he not keep practicing the knot, but his webbed hands kept getting in his way.

    By this point the Crab had stopped paying attention to the guard and tried to pinch at Xeno, but he was too far from its reach from atop his shell. The guard took the opportunity to dash at the other pincer and tied the pincer from the bottom, crappily. The crab quickly snapped at him with the pincer Xeno was trying to tie and then cut the badly tied net away from the pincer, freeing it. The guard seemed to be despairing.

    Xeno finally finished the knot he was working on and started to tie up the other arm. Seeing that the arm was not restrained by the net, the crab ignored the rider on top of it and went after the guard. However, tying the second knot went more easily than the first time now that Xeno grew accustomed to the pain in his palms and had remembered how to tie this particular knot; Xeno had finished.

    Xeno stood atop the crab and pulled a portion of the net with all the strength he had. The crab¡¯s arms were forced upwards and he was unable to move them. It started to get panicked as Xeno tied the net once more to ensure the crab would be unable to rip off the net easily. When he was finished, he let go of the net, but the movement of the running crab was too much and he flew off from the crab and was left floating in the water, upside down.

    Xeno quickly straightened himself with difficulty as he watched the crab run after the guards, attempting to crush them under its weight. Xeno shouted then:

    ¡°Everyone! Together in a single group!¡±

    The guards, seeing the net tying the crab, didn¡¯t doubt him and got together in a single spot. The crab ran towards them like a truck. The guards started to get nervous.

    ¡°Don¡¯t separate, hold your ground and take the hit with your hands!¡±

    The guards were now freaked with the idea of taking the hit from this crab, but there was no longer any time to dodge. They placed their hands in front of them. The crab smashed at them, causing them to slide backwards in the sand, but they managed to hold their ground.

    ¡°Now flip that crab over!¡±

    The guards took hold of the crab¡¯s underside, instinctively following the order, and flipped the crab in one swift motion. The crab, not helpless with its arms tied up and his legs in the air, kept wiggling his legs with all the energy it had.

    ¡°ATTACK!"

    The guards didn¡¯t need that instruction anymore, but they felt a surge of fury as they attacked the crab that had been playing around with them all this time; those that still had their spears intact, stabbed at the crab¡¯s chest while the rest punched at him. Soon, the crab was in critical condition and died.

    While the guards celebrated their victory, Xeno swam back to the commander and said while extending the trident back towards him.

    ¡°Well, that went better than I expected.¡±

    ¡°Yep, you might not have needed the trident after all.¡±

    Xeno looked at him strangely the said: ¡°Wasn¡¯t the trident the reason why they listened to me in the first place?

    ¡°Hahaha, not at all. Once again you prove yourself an Outworlder, we Maomer have strong ties of family with members of our race and will treat all members of our race kindly, even Outworlders. They would¡¯ve followed you if only to give you a chance.¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ So it was like that, huh¡­¡±

    ¡°Anyways, I¡¯d like to thank you for helping me teach those kids a lesson here. They are quite strong for Maomer, but they aren¡¯t quite up to standards in terms of Intelligence, so they needed this lesson badly.¡±

    ¡°So that¡¯s why you had me sent to help them¡­¡± ¨C Xeno said understanding.

    ¡°Yep. Well, for a reward how about just keeping this trident here. It will most likely come in useful, regardless of whether you become a warrior or not.¡± ¨C he gave back the trident to Xeno.

    ¡°Thanks, errr¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, hahaha! It seems we forgot to introduce ourselves before! Name¡¯s Sion, Lancerknight of Sed.

    ¡°Ok, thanks Sir Sion. Mine¡¯s Xeno.¡±

    ¡°Very well Xeno. If you want to know of a good career path for you, you might want to ask Ol¡¯ Rupert for advice. I¡¯m sure he can give you plenty of information. He¡¯s the head librarian of this village by the way.¡±

    Xeno thought for a while, the head librarian could really prove to have some information of use. He might as well take this offer while it lasts, but first he has to continue his exploration. One thing at a time.

    ¡°I¡¯d like to visit him soon, which direction is the Library at?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s three blocks to the right, just before the Western Gate, the tall building with a gate fence of its own.¡±

    ¡°Ok, thank you for the help Sir Sion.¡±

    ¡°No no, thank you for your help, Xeno. See you later.¡±

    Xeno walked a bit away and when he was far away from Sion¡­

    *DING*

    Xeno stopped for a moment. That sounded like a notification. He opened the menu and saw that the Questlog and his Status were both blinking. He opened the Questlog and saw:

    ¡°I guess what he said about not noticing when one receives a quest was true¡­ Might as well look at the trident.¡±

    ¡°Much better than my knife and I can apply for the position of Captain? That must be Sir Sion¡¯s position then¡­ But the best part is that I¡¯m no longer seen as a Newby! Though I wonder what¡¯s that Luster stat? I¡¯ll have to research that later.¡±

    Then he opened his Status Window and saw that he had gained 15% Exp because of the previous fight. Xeno was exhilarated while he closed the windows and opened his Map once again. He was pleasantly surprised to see that the directions that Sir Sion had given him had been integrated into the map. It was actually close by, so he decided to follow his advice and visit Ol¡¯ Rupert.

    Enjoying the story? Show your support by reading it on the official site.

    <hr />

    The Library was a rather large building of sand and coral that stood taller and rather more extravagantly than the buildings Xeno had seen so far, though in similar design. The Library was surrounded by a fence made of coral and in the sand between the fence and the library, variuos tall seaweed grew elegantly in the shape of an arch above the pathway to the door.

    Xeno was pretty sure that the growth of those seaweeds had been modified somehow, most likely with magic, in order to achieve this view, so he gazed for a moment at the scene before walking towards the door.

    When he opened the door, he found himself in a rather small room in which all that could be seen was a woman sitting behind a desk reading a book and several doors. Xeno walked over to the woman and waited.

    "Yes, what can I do for you?¡± ¨C she said without prying her eyes away from her book.

    ¡°Err¡­ Excuse me, my name¡¯s Xeno and I was told by Sir Sion to come here to speak to someone called Rupert.¡±

    "Ah, Sir Sion sent you, huh?¡± ¨C she said finally marking the page, closing the book and taking a good look at him.

    ¡°Well you don¡¯t seem to be lying¡­ The Head Librarian is currently in a meeting though, so you¡¯ll have to wait a bit. In the meantime, why don¡¯t you take some books to read?¡±

    ¡°Sure, do you have any books related to the Topography and Biology of this area?¡± ¨C Xeno figured he could gather some more information about his surroundings while he could.

    The woman looked at him strangely, but quickly returned to her original expression.

    ¡°Certainly, you¡¯ll find what you¡¯re looking for if you take the third door from the right, down the flight of stairs to the left for two floors, then open the door to the right.¡±

    ¡°Thank you, much appreciated. This place sounds quite big, could you show me a map of it?¡±

    The woman rummaged with the drawers of her desk for a moment before giving me a map of the library. I was scanning it when she said:

    ¡°Keep it, we have several copies, but make sure to return it when you leave the library."

    <hr />

    [8 Helix Hours Later]

    Xeno was reading the last conch he had picked up. His hobby (obsession) with reading allowed him to read much faster than common people would. In total, he had read 9 conches on Topography and 5 conches on Biology. In addition to this, he had begun to study worldwide Demography in order to better understand how the world worked here. So far, his MAP had retained all data he had learned and translated it into images.

    Yes, you read right, Conches. Due to being underwater, paper would get wet and ink would get dispersed, as such the society of Maomer which thrived on Intelligence and Power created another method to preserve information. Scribes would learn to carve words into conches where the magic within them would preserve the carvings and allow reading. Xeno honestly compared it to reading from a conch-shaped phone.

    At first he became a bit taken aback not only by the conches, but also by the language. The characters shown in the conches could only be described as squiggly lines and spirals. But as he looked at the images, they morphed into his own language. An effect of the innate knowledge of the Aquan Language most likely, he guessed.

    Regardless of how much he had read already, the Head Librarian still had not come and Xeno was starting to feel famished. He put the conch down and took out a Stale Coral from his Inventory.

    While Xeno was honestly reluctant to eat something that smelled bad, he had little choice in the matter as otherwise he would die of hunger sooner or later. He took a bite out of the hard coral and tasted nothing. His teeth shattered the coral in his mouth, letting out the tasteless feeling. It honestly doesn¡¯t feel so bad, it may taste like nothing and it does feel like eating nachos rather than churros, but it¡¯s repugnant smell stuck to his nose even after he finished eating the Stale Coral. Xeno honestly wanted to ask the chef to rename it Stench Coral. Ugh...

    Xeno finished reading the conch and once he did he heard:

    *DING*

    He opened his Menu and saw that his Status and his Abilities were blinking.

    Xeno was surprised at the amount of abilities he had gathered, especially the masteries which seemed to be Lv 0. Perhaps because he hadn¡¯t used them much, he had not gained the necessary experience to learn the skill and therefor was not notified by the system, but the experience was still recorded in his abilities window. He was honestly thankful that The Helix did not have a maximum number of skills/spells/abilities for classless players, or else he might be in trouble learning so many things without realizing it.

    Then there was his status window:

    For a moment, Xeno couldn¡¯t see any differences from before, other than the Conditions which he expected anyways. But soon he noticed his Mana recovering and realized that its cap had increased and that could only happen when his Intelligence increased. He read through his stats and realized that both Intelligence and Wisdom had increased by 2 points each. He wondered for a moment why he was only notified now, but then realized that thanks to the Newborn condition, the stat gains had doubled and he simply had gained both an increase in Intelligence and Wisdom simultaneously.

    While the increase in stats was nice and all, the skills are the thing that now motivated Xeno to continue reading while he waited for the Head Librarian who was still nowhere to be seen¡­

    <hr />

    [7 HELIX DAYS LATER]

    Xeno had already forgotten about the fact that he came here to talk with the Head Librarian as he immersed himself in the library¡¯s collection of conches. He had read over a hundred books so far and he was feeling quite happy. His body however felt a bit tired after being awake for seven days, but he was too into the conches to notice for the moment.

    Suddenly, Xeno felt a hand on his shoulder and looked. A rather old Maomer stood behind him, he had a long beard that reached the floor and small glasses hooked to his long nose. Xeno realized that this was the first elder Maomer he had met so far.

    ¡°Young lad, I¡¯ve heard you were looking fer me before?¡±

    Xeno felt unsure for a moment, but then remembered Sir Sion.

    ¡°Ah, yes! My name is Xeno, are you possibly Mr. Rupert?¡±

    ¡°Why, yes indeed; the Head Librarian of this village at that.¡±

    ¡°Good, Sir Sion told me to come looking for you.¡±

    ¡°Hmm? Oh, you must be the lad he asked me about before, the Outworlder that was born a little while ago. He told you wanted an assessment of your Career options, was it?¡±

    ¡°Eh¡­ Well, technically yes.¡±

    ¡°Ah, good, good. Then please follow me to my office, but please return the conch back to it¡¯s shelf before, please?¡±

    Xeno swiftly placed back the conch in the shelf and followed the elderly Maomer up the flight of stairs back to the lobby; there he was saluted by the secretary. He took the door in the far left and entered, ushering Xeno inside.

    The office seemed pretty simple with only a desk and a pair of chairs on opposite sides. Mr. Rupert sat down in his chair and Xeno quickly sat down in his, remembering how AIPADS hadn¡¯t talked while he was on his feet.

    ¡°Well, there are a few things I should ask you in order to determine what profession would suit you best, but for the time being could you please show me your skills? The name and level of your skills will do just fine.¡±

    ¡°Ok, Show ¡°Mr. Rupert¡±: SSA Basic Info¡±

    In the time Xeno was reading conches, he also took the opportunity to create several custom windows commands so he could get easy access to his information. Particularly, he created this window command in order to see his overall skills, spells, and abilities in one small page along with their progress. At first he placed the letters of the acronym in order, but as he gathered stares from other readers he changed it to SSA.

    Watching his Abilities again, Xeno realized just how much he had read since coming to the library. He had tried to gather as much info about the immediate surroundings as possible. He considered to get some more info on the other races, but considered doing that later if possible, not at the moment. He also obtained the skill Ecology which acted as sub-ability to both Biology and Cartography, as the info he collected on the creatures of each area was now being recorded in his MAP. It seemed that whenever he leveled up sub-abilities, the main ability gained a good amount of EXP. However, some Abilities stuck to 99% and would not level up no matter how much he read about them, so he figured that he needed to realize the appropriate actions at least once in order to gain them¡­

    ¡°¡­ Lad, when exactly where you born?¡±

    ¡°I think¡­ Status¡­ 7 days ago.¡±

    ¡°Tell me you weren¡¯t waiting for me all this time¡­?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­ Yes, I was reading¡­ while waiting so¡­ don¡¯t worry¡­¡± ¨C suddenly, Xeno was feeling a bit lightheaded.

    ¡°Lad, you are starting to look a bit pale. You REALLY need to get some rest.¡±

    ¡°Huh, I¡­ Feel fine?¡± ¨C Xeno looked at his status window and was surprised to see his Satisfaction was at 30%. Sure he had avoided sleeping in case the Head Librarian came and he was asleep, but he had made sure to eat enough Coral to survive as well as use the facilities within the library. [Don¡¯t ask how Maomer bath or go to the toilet] Surely his body wouldn¡¯t feel bad if he stayed awake so long, right?

    ¡°No, no, no. You need your sleep. It¡¯s good for you and you know it, don¡¯t you?¡±

    ¡°Well, yes¡­¡± ¨C Xeno was feeling a bit faint, so he had to admit defeat and accept he needed some sleep.

    ¡°Look, you can use my bed which is right next to this room. I know you Outworlders have to rest in your world as well as ours in order to stay healthy, so don¡¯t bother denying my goodwill. You can stay there as long as you need to.¡±

    ¡°But¡­ ok¡­¡± ¨C he was a bit reluctant to sleep in that bed, but remembered how Sir Sion had told him that the members of this race treated other members of the race as immediate family.

    Ol¡¯ Rupert guided Xeno towards the room and gently forced him into the bed. He didn¡¯t leave until he made sure Xeno had fallen asleep. Then he exited the room to get some coffee and later talk to a certain individual. He might¡¯ve found a new apprentice for an old friend¡­

    *CONSIOUSNESS HAS FADED*

    *PLAYER IS IN DEEP SLEEP*

    *AVATAR LOCATION: SECURE*

    *INITIATING LOG-OUT*

    *XENO: LOG-OUT*

    <hr />

    Chapter 1-B: Tutorial Mode</a>                                                                                                                           Chapter 3: Friends upon a Time</a>

    <hr />

    Chapter two was pretty good in my opinion for a starter. This one gives us a greater view of the protagonist¡¯s mindset, showing us how he reacts when placed in an unlikely scenario. He seems quite informed, no?

    This chapter might raise certain questions such as:

    ¡°Doesn¡¯t he have to wait a month in order to leave the village?¡±

    That¡¯ll be explained in the next chapter, so don¡¯t worry about it. Also, this isn¡¯t Royal Road, this is The Helix. Completely different worlds if you didn''t notice already, based on fact and probability mixed in with completely player-controlled environment.

    The amount of abilities he gained on those weeks is outstanding, right? Especially considering he is reading from conches rather than books; still, there¡¯s a reason why he gained those abilities so easily, explained once again in the next chapter. Though I guess it was pretty well foreshadowed in this chapter?

    I hope you enjoyed this chapter and try to guess what he¡¯ll become in the future, though as you read in the previous chapter Classes are of less importance in The Helix than in other games.

    Don¡¯t worry though, Xeno will not delete himself any time soon. Others will keep Savi from making Xeno commit suicide in order to get some sleep. Next up is a Real World chapter where we take a closer look at the life of our protagonist, with special mention to some others.

    As for comments I have received on my story. I will take them into consideration when making future chapters. I really do need to lay back on my usage of the word ¡°was¡±, just this chapter used that word over 60 times....

    I am also quite certain that my writing skills have taken a hit because of how little I¡¯ve been able to utilize them these past years, making my explanations longer than they should be in normal basis. Heck these author¡¯s comments are quite long as they are, hahaha¡­ Don¡¯t worry, as the story progresses, not only will I get better at this, but there will be less to explain and a bit more action than present.

    Though I am curious about one comment¡­ You see, where I am from (Spanish language), when someone uses his hands to propel himself from the bed and lands on his feet, most people say ¡°No saltes de la cama¡± which translates according to my knowledge to ¡°Don¡¯t jump out of bed¡±. I would like to confirm this translation and if it¡¯s incorrect the proper translation to utilize.

 Volume 1: Chapter 3: Friends Upon a Time

    Chapter 3: Friends upon a Time

    Savi woke up from a deep sleep and sat on his bed and flexed his body. His bones groaned with pain for a bit, awakening him completely from the sudden shock. He¡¯s getting used to awakening to the pain and actually would thank it for fully awakening him, if it weren¡¯t so damned painful.

    Now that he was awake, he noticed he still had the helmet on his head and couldn¡¯t remember how he went to sleep. Actually, he couldn¡¯t remember logging off The Helix. Worried for a moment, Savi turned on the machine.

    *AVATAR IS CURRENTLY RESTING*

    *TIME UNTIL FULLY RESTED: 10:00.23*

    *YOU ARE UNABLE TO LOG BACK IN UNTIL THE AVATAR IS FULLY RESTED*

    ¡°I see¡­ The system must¡¯ve logged me off since it would take quite a bit of time for the Avatar to recover¡­ Guess falling asleep in The Helix also caused me to remain asleep here when I was forcibly logged off¡­¡±

    *GROWL*

    Savi touched his stomach which was growling loudly. The last time he ate was right before Diving into the game for the second time and he spent a week in-game. That would be almost 17 hours in real life, not to mention he had logged off asleep for who knows how long. Savi wondered what time it was now.

    He took out his phone and saw that it said 11:00 pm of the next day. Savi got a bit worried as he saw that more than 24 hours had gone by since the capsule had arrived and he had not eaten anything since, or even talked to someone in most of that time!

    Savi jumped onto his wheelchair and moved towards the kitchen and started to prepare the stove to make some chicken soup.

    ¡°Eating something heavy when on an empty stomach can cause indigestion¡± ¨C he murmured as he prepared the water, noodles, condiments and strips of chicken. Once the soup was left to cook at low heat, he wheeled himself towards the bed and picked up his phone. He checked his Chatroom for messages and found several from a few of his friends.

    ¡°So Kris spread the word already, not that I¡¯m surprised. The rest are probably waiting for me to adjust to the game before sending me a message.¡± ¨C he looked at the status of his contacts and noticed that only LyraNote (Kris) was still online. Since he didn¡¯t have much anything else to do as he waited for his food, he decided to relay his experience to her.

    Savi wheeled towards the pot in the stove and served himself a bowl of soup. He savored the soup while in his wheelchair, swallowing the noodles whole without reserve. Hunger was truly the best condiment out there as he felt the soup tasted better than the ones he usually makes. He continued by eating the strips of meat before gulping down the steaming juice.

    Savi looked at the phone¡¯s clock and saw it was 1:00 am now. He went to the bathroom to take a bath. Maybe the cool water would cool him down enough to help him sleep¡­

    <hr />

    ¡°Well, that didn¡¯t work much¡­¡± ¨C said Savi around 6:00 am having spent a sleepless night. Even the sweet bliss of cold water on his aching bones couldn¡¯t help him fall asleep again after having slept for so long¡­ He really didn¡¯t want to risk reading and forgetting about The Helix again, so he forced himself not to read a book following his friend¡¯s advice. However, he was getting bored simply lying in the bed. He took out his phone and was pleasantly surprised to see his old friend, Dex, online in the chatroom.

    After eating two servings, he felt full and cleaned up the bowl and pot which he used to cook the soup. He opened his Chatroom to find an impatient friend.

    Savi could never handle Jean well; she was too hyperactive for his tastes. In groups, Kris would be the one to handle her as she has the greatest patience of his group of friends, but she never wakes before 12:00 pm unless she¡¯s going to go to school. Furthermore, Savi dislikes rudely disconnecting like Dex, happened too many times to him when he starts to garble facts and walls of text. Though many consider his facts interesting sometimes, unlike with Jean who simply keeps talking about miscellaneous things and asking questions without giving a chance to answer even of her questions¡­

    Feeling a headache coming to him already, he jumped into his wheelchair after leaving a comment about how he was going to eat breakfast now¡­ He¡¯ll deal with her later.

    <hr />

    Savi¡¯s now exercising, or as well as he could with his aching bones. He was doing push-ups at the moment; excruciating push-ups of one per minute. He usually does sixty daily to keep his arm strength, but missing yesterday¡¯s he was trying to continue to sixty to make up for them.

    Savi cursed his condition under his breath as he considered his pain and pushed on; he was born with Brittle Bones. Thanks to modern science, it¡¯s possible to relieve the condition slightly, but truly curing it is still a problem. The most usual solution for those with the illness is mostly the use of prosthetic limbs.

    Of course with the advancements to mechanical science, the new limbs were just as good as the original ones or even better, however not only were they very costly, but many refused to give up on their limbs in hopes that someday a true cure would arrive that would not severe their ability to feel things from their limbs.

    Savi was one of these cases, as he considered the loss of physical reaction to be too much of a detriment for being able to walk and hold things well. He also considered that it was plain dumb for people to think he would live a normal life if he picked those prosthetics, as he can¡¯t get prosthetics for his spine or skull, which were also quite fragile, though not as much as the rest of his body.

    Currently, he¡¯s taking some experimental infusion of Type-I Collagen that helps him by providing the collagen his body refuses to produce. While this has helped him rise from a point from which he couldn¡¯t move on his own to actually being able to live alone as long as he drank his dose, he still wasn¡¯t happy with the bitter taste or the pain he still feels in his bones when he forces them.

    He¡¯s having it easy though, and he knows it. Some people with his condition end up in much worse situations such as bone mutation, loss of hearing, and muscle deficiency. Well, he did suffer that last one for a while, but he recuperated with time and can move around¡­ Sort of¡­

    Since he didn¡¯t have much to do as a child, being stuck in a bed most of the time, he took a hobby that slowly became an obsession with the passage of time, reading. Since he couldn¡¯t see the world normally, he learned to imagine it whenever he read the stories in his books.

    After a while, he expanded his reading to various sciences that picked his interest about the world. Each book he read opened the doors to several more that picked his interest. This kept going for some years, until he suffered his coma.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    That week he spent reading his books and just read and read, completely forgetting about everything else that wasn¡¯t important; eating and going to the bathroom. While one would feel that others would worry over his behavior, it wasn¡¯t visually different from what he did on a daily basis; by the time they had noticed he was unconscious.

    Soon enough, the doctor would give his parents instructions to only let him read a certain number of books on a daily basis, no more. Savi quickly complained at what he was supposed to do since he couldn¡¯t do anything else! After this, the doctor picked up one of his books and looked at the cover, then asked his parents to come with him away from Savi.

    The next day, Savi would be surprised when he got shown a strange coffin-like machine. For a second he though they were going to put him in cryogenic state while a cure was found, but quickly disregarded the idea remembering that while cryostasis was possible in theory, it had failed to maintain the subjects alive in practice.

    He was then told about something he had yet to read about: virtual reality. Upon hearing the explanations from the doctor and how he could use the virtual world to do things he normally couldn¡¯t do due to his condition. In his excitement that very day he Dived right into his own personal Terminal which he proceeded to alter with the information he already had.

    Unbeknown to him, his parents would also give connection to this Terminal to his cousin Kris, a girl his own age with whom he tried to play with once, but resulted in a fracture¡­ While he wasn¡¯t ecstatic at first, he quickly accepted her as their games in his Terminal became even more fun.

    Soon, she would bring up friends of her own to join him and play together.

    A few years later, the group would enter their first MMPVRGRPG, or Massive Multi-Player Virtual Reality Role Playing Game. Quite honestly, Savi was the only one who referred the game by its genre, the others simply called it an Adventure Game; and it truly was. There, Savi learned to fight monsters along with his friends and explore unknown places and treasures. He had  a lot of fun in those times.

    A year ago, some of his friends decided to try out The Helix and from then his group slowly drifted to that Terminal. The last ones left were Savi and a girl he met in the game, Jean. Naturally, he tried to continue playing the game with her, but found her slightly intolerable¡­ Not surprising, really¡­

    Still he continued to try until recently when he went to check out the forums about The Helix out of curiosity. He grew more interested in that world and it¡¯s mechanics as he continued to read the scarce information about it. For some reason, people seemed more interested in talking about the doings of players, armies, and grand events rather than the world itself which was what truly interested Savi.

    Last month, he ordered his capsule and downloaded its instruction manual after explicit instructions of his parents to not read anything other than that until the new capsule arrived, to which he complied grumpily.

    While he hasn¡¯t read books in some time in real life, he had managed to get a hold of books in the virtual world, which his friends usually prevent him from reading on purpose. Well, he can¡¯t complain about that since they do keep him entertained¡­

    He immersed himself in the tutorial book  and before he knew it, it was the day of arrival; he considered the book to be quite large even by his standards since it took him nearly 2 weeks to read it the first time¡­

    Savi was now finished with his exercise and felt quite tired, his bones screaming at him. He rose and walked slowly towards his wheelchair. He operated his remote to move towards the fridge and with shaky hands served himself a glass of milk. The bitter taste caught him off guard for a bit there, but the coolness of the infusion sliding down his throat renewed his strength a bit.

    He looked at his phone and saw it was 11:00 pm. He could¡¯ve Dived into The Helix two hours ago, but decided against the idea. He really needed the exercise first.

    Savi sat on his bed and picked up the helmet and swiftly calculated his age In-Game to see if his calculations were the same as his actual age In-Game. He placed the helmet on and pressed the button.

    *CEREBRAL CORTEX HAS BEED DECRYPTED*

    *PLAYER IDENTIFIED*

    *SAVIER O. POLLUX*

    *WOULD YOU LIKE TO LOG-IN AS XENO?

    *Y/N*

    ¡°Yes¡±

    *WELCOME TO THE HELIX*

    *FARE DE WELL*

    <hr />

    Chapter 2: The Village of Sed</a>

    <hr />

    Hey guys, hope you liked this slightly shorter backstory chapter. It may be a bit boring for you who prefer reading about the game, as well as those of you who may want to know what the old Librarian was referring to in the previous chapter, but the backstory was overdue. It was either now, or later when he suffered his first death or some other reason for him be to unable to Dive in for a set period of time.

    I wanted to give the player a slightly different backstory than usual as well as present some new characters without giving too many details about them so that he could meet up with them later on or something of the sort. I can guarantee he will meet with one of the ones that spoke to him today later on. Though that¡¯s pretty way into the adventure, so don¡¯t expect it to be too soon.

    My pardons to girls who might¡¯ve found Jeane offensive, if you consider me a sexist please consider LyraNote before commenting that I am so. Jeane is a became of a fangirl of Xeno while he played with her in the previous game, which is pretty obvious due to her preference of him over Dex; though she is pretty funny from a third person perspective you can feel just how annoying it could become to have her in front of you and being unable to ban her into silence¡­ I hope a presented her in that brief moment correctly, but I release the story as it is; with the option of modifying if necessary.

    Whether or not she will get to meet Xeno in-game or not, that¡¯s most likely up to Xeno¡¯s friends. I mean, Xeno probably won¡¯t tell her his race or else she¡¯ll appear right next to him, but LyraNote¡¯s a different matter. *wink*

    Regardless, next chapter continues the actual adventure and you won¡¯t get to see many of these Real Life chapters later on either.

    Oh, and schedule for the updates will be Monday, Wednesday and Fridays. Sometimes I¡¯ll update just before those days, but most of the time I¡¯ll update exactly those days.

 Volume 1: Chapter 4: Health Check

    Chapter 4: Health Check

    Xeno groggily opened his eyes only to be overcome with a headache and dizziness. For a moment, he didn¡¯t know what was going on, but when he moved a bit he rolled off the bed and fell to the floor. The hit shocked him enough to clear his foggy mind and fully awaken him. He remembered Diving into The Helix, and the familiar habitation seemed to confirm this¡­

    Xeno ¨C ¡°Ugh! Why did that sleeping habit have to transfer here?¡±

    Some time ago, when he took more care to not push his bones too much, Savi always had a hard time waking up in the mornings due to this feeling of intense drowsiness that attacked him when he woke up. Recently, though he hasn¡¯t had this problem since the pain he feels in his bones wakes him almost immediately. Quite honestly, he prefers the pain over the drowsiness. At least he can think clearly through pain while drowsiness pretty much shuts down his mind¡­

    Xeno stood from the floor and stretched his stiff arms while looking around.

    Xeno ¨C ¡°Yep, this is Mr. Rupert¡¯s room or at least the one he left me sleeping in a while ago¡­ Now, where could he be at this time, whichever time it is...? His office hopefully.¡±

    Xeno walked out of the room and his suspicion proved correct, he wasn¡¯t there. Xeno sighed in resignation, it would be far more productive to wait for the Head Librarian to come back than to wander off and miss each other after the long wait by both parties. Only thing was that Xeno didn¡¯t have much to do right now since he hadn¡¯t brought any conches with him.

    Xeno ¨C ¡°Well, might as well work on my basics for once.¡±

    Xeno looked around the room for an ample space to practice and found it near the middle; most likely the old man also used this spot to train or something of the sort. He didn¡¯t seem like the type to worry about strength, though Sir Sion didn¡¯t seem like the type to prefer intelligence over strength when I first saw him.

    Xeno stood in the middle of the empty area of around 5 feet squared and took out his Trident. He took hold of it from the base with his right hand and the middle with his left and took a stab to the right.

    Xeno ¨C ¡°This was how it¡¯s supposed to be done, right?¡±

    While Xeno hadn¡¯t used melee weapons before, he had seen videos and read books a few years ago when he¡¯d helped one of his friends learn to fight. He wasn¡¯t much of a commander in his own personal opinion, but he always admitted being a sort of hellish teacher who bore results of training he had never done himself. That earned him the name Tutor for some time, which was quite bothersome when people thought he was an NPC who would train them for free¡­

    Anyways, Xeno pushed away thoughts of the past and concentrated on what he was doing. He practiced stabbing in various directions, both still and while moving around. He wasn¡¯t quick about it, but he tried to see his mistakes and not repeat them if possible.

    After an hour or so, he started to add slashing to the routine, but that took a drastic chance. Spears are not meant to be used for slashing unless they are a combination weapon, which this trident clearly wasn¡¯t. He started analyzing the trident. Xeno¡¯s a bit miffed that it would be quite difficult to deal blunt damage with the trident even though it possessed greater weight than a spear or lance. However, the trident¡¯s weight wasn¡¯t meant for attack, but defense. If he placed his strength against a solid object using the tri-tips of his trident, he would be able to keep his enemies at bay, but the lack of an opponent or even doll to practice meant he couldn¡¯t practice this¡­

    He decided to train his ability with the trident later on as it would only be a matter of time before he¡¯s forced to fight monsters. As he was in the middle of a stab, the door of the room opened. Xeno looked to see the Head Librarian gazing at him, jaw dropped and flabbergasted.

    ¡°What do you think yee are doing?!¡±

    Xeno was slightly taken aback: ¡°Training?¡±

    ¡°Yes, I saw yee, but what are yee doing in your condition!?!¡±

    Xeno ¨C ¡°Condition? I feel fine.¡±

    ¡°No no no. Yee fell asleep for days on end without waking up, I thought yee were going to die in yer sleep for a moment there!¡±

    Xeno ¨C ¡°Ah, sorry about that. Well, see¡­ When I woke up in my world, my Avatar seemed to need some more time to rest before I could become one with it again.¡± ¨C if Xeno remembered correctly, this was the term most commonly used by Users when they excuse themselves to NPC¡¯s for their lateness.

    ¡°Yes yes. But just because you can Synchronize with your body, it doesn¡¯t mean that your body is ready yet to push itself like this!¡±

    Xeno ¨C ¡°As I said, I feel fine!¡±

    ¡°Oh, really? Then I suppose if I invite yee fer dinner yee will happily decline because yee are full?¡±

    *GROWL*

    Xeno¡¯s stomach started growling at the mention of food, especially since it most likely wouldn¡¯t be those stale corals he has had to push down his throat lately.

    ¡°And I take it yee also don¡¯t need to go to the restroom?¡±

    Xeno suddenly felt a bit squeeze down in his pants¡­

    ¡°And I take it yee also don¡¯t feel a bit of tiredness?¡±

    Xeno ¨C ¡°Actually, I do not feel tired at all, but I do give up on the other stuff¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­fine.¡±

    Mr. Rupert took out some tools from his desk: a small blender and some strange fruits. He threw the fruits inside without consideration and waved his hand at the blender, it started on its own and began to crush the fruits inside into a pulp of juicy mass.

    ¡°So that¡¯s how magic is in this world? Pretty hard stuff then¡­¡±

    According to what he had read before, as well as what he had seen, this world had two basic ways of using magic: through chants, as AIPADS had explained the day before (or was it week since he was in-game?) or through creativity. While creative magic had greater variety, it¡¯s power and abilities greatly depend on the imagination of the user. Surprisingly, very few Outsiders are able to use such magic, not to mention it had a high chance of failure when creating a new spell. On the other hand chant spells are constant, easy to learn as long as one possesses the book and have a non-existent chance of failure. Unless you were of a race unable to use magic under any circumstances of course¡­

    The old man took two glasses from his desk and went over to the blender; he turned off the blender and served us both a drink, offering one to me first before taking his own. Xeno was perplexed for a moment at how the blend didn¡¯t float about with the water, but put it off as a special quality of the glass to prevent its spillage.

    He drank it and to his surprise he was filled with vigor all over his body, it felt as if his skin were burning, but cooling at the same time.

    Xeno ¨C ¡°Wow¡­¡±

    ¡°I take it yee enjoyed the concoction, Lad?¡±

    Xeno ¨C ¡°Errr¡­ Yes it was incredible for a blend, what were those fruits?¡±

    ¡°Oh, just simple guaroya coral berries.¡±

    Xeno ¨C ¡°Coral berries?¡± ¨C this is the first time Xeno had heard that corals could grow berries, perhaps the variety of fruits he had read in his study last week was more incomplete than he thought¡­

    ¡°Correct, they are quite hard to grow, so it was only recently that they were discovered and named.¡±

    That explains why he didn¡¯t remember them in the conches he had read¡­ Xeno guessed that while the info can be useful, it could also be outdated already, so he should keep an eye open to incongruences between his studies and nature. Still, there could be more ¡°up-do-date¡± books than the one¡¯s in the library¡­

    ¡°Now, then¡­ Xeno I¡¯m going to need to check yer Status Window. I still remember yer skills window so there isn¡¯t a need to show that one to me.¡±

    Seeing the old man seriously talking about the reason he originally came here, Xeno complied easily.

    Xeno: Open: XENO

    Xeno ¨C ¡°So this is how my Avatar looks like now¡­¡± ¨C he absentmindedly sent the command so that the Head Librarian could see his stats as he continued to peruse his advancements. Xeno gained several new stats he had expected from having read so many books.

    Education was earned by reading a hundred books or receiving instruction from a master. It helped increase the skill experience earned from actions. Lore on the other hand required the Education stat and reading plenty of books about nature in general or else investigate nature directly. This stat affected the information the user could obtain from identifying items and creatures, at greater levels showing the item¡¯s Past is possible, though Insight has better effect in that.

    Insight, while similar to Lore in many ways, concentrated in details of things seen before at any point in their lives. Just seeing an object once, even if information about the object was not obtained, would allow the user to know plenty of information about objects once they see them a second time.

    Mentality, Diligence and Constitution were most likely obtained during the period of time in which Xeno was reading books and only taking care of his most basic of needs with the exception of sleep. Mentality would help him develop his skills, failing less commonly than usual. Diligence would allow him to train his skills much faster, but only if I used them at least once a week. If skills are not used, then their EXP will fall until it reaches 0%. This stat can be deadlier than actual Death in this game¡­ Most likely some of the EXP from some of Xeno¡¯s abilities dropped severely during his ¡°coma¡±.

    Finally, Constitution will allow Xeno¡¯s body to remain healthier and take on greater status conditions without placing his Life in danger. Indirectly, this stat would give him some resistance to some status conditions such as poisoning and common illness.

    Xeno also obtained some Affinity to Nature and Lore thanks to his studies, but there is one detail that preoccupies him¡­ He only has 10 Days left of Newborn status, after which the blessings that allow him to gain stats at a higher rate will disappear! This particularly preoccupies Xeno as he has yet to get used to his new weapon and he has no intention of becoming a mage once more; though he calms himself as he still does not know what to do and the man in front of him will be the one to give him an idea. Well¡­ there is one other detail¡­

    ¡°Quite a large amount of Mana yee have there, but yer Health seems to be quite lowered for someone who insists he is fine.¡±

    Xeno lowered his head as he silently admitted that maybe he pushed his Avatar a bit too far mentally¡­ And a bit physically since his body still feels very stiff.

    ¡°Well, yee¡¯ll be glad to know I know of a pretty good place you could train, lad.¡±

    Xeno ¨C ¡°I do not think I wish to be a mage¡­¡±

    ¡°Fufufu! No lad, not a mage, though I will keep it a secret for the time being.¡±

    Xeno ¨C ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Cause otherwise I would have no leverage over convincing yee to go to the clinic to get checked!¡±

    Xeno could only stare at the smiling, conniving old man that sat before him. After all of the time he had to wait (while reading conches), now he has to go to the clinic?!

    Xeno ¨C ¡°Fine¡± ¨C he was resigned to the fate he had chosen.

    <hr />

    This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

    The old man guided Xeno throughout the the village, through the plaza where he originally spawned and over to the West. Though Xeno planed to head West after exploring the North, he decided to keep quiet and follow the good Librarian.

    Over the years, Xeno didn¡¯t have a particularly good opinion of doctors and medics in general; though he respects them for the help they have given them so he tries not to be an ass about it. He doesn¡¯t like the idea of having to visit the doctor both in real life and in-game, but that¡¯s how The Helix goes¡­ It¡¯s impossible to play the game without going to some hospital of some sort every now and then. Sometimes Xeno wondered just what was in the minds of the creators of this game, then remembers it was made by AI¡¯s and decides they wanted to make it as realistic as possible. No self-respecting adventurer would allow himself to fall sick when he needs to provide capital to survive.

    He was led towards the Western Gate, which unlike the Southern Gate he visited before, was much more¡­ Xeno couldn''t think of a way to describe it actually.

    The gate was held between two buildings that stood side by side beside the Rasina Coral gate, a type of coral which is quite rare in these parts of the ocean and can be used to create strong, durable walls, but is very difficult to sculpt with.

    The building on the right was the smaller of the two, made of white coral and white hardened sand, it stood elegantly yet simple in design. A wooden banner hung above the glass doors, a painting of a Nereid dancing around a drop of water depicted within; the symbol of underwater Health.

    The building on the left seemed much less elegant and honestly strange in design. Quite honestly, it looked like a hut made of a random assortment of corals and stones or various sizes and colors. The building stood taller and wider than the one on the right, but showed no hints as to the reason for the difference in size. Quite honestly, Xeno wondered why they had decided to make this building like this. Though there was no sign outside the structure, he had little doubts as to what this building was¡­

    The Head Librarian pulled Xeno towards the clinic in the right. Inside: a reception room, much larger and cozy than the one that was in the library. There were long lines of chairs lined up, strangely of various sizes; ranging from a fourth of Xeno¡¯s size to almost three times his size. There¡¯s also a counter at the far end, separated by a glass window from this room. Behind the window, a seemingly kind lady was reading a book. When she noticed them, her black eyes sparkled with delight as she closed her book.

    ¡°Why, hello Rupert! It¡¯s been a while now, in for your back again?¡±

    ¡°No, miss Salamaria, I¡¯m actually here for this lad here. I want the doc to take a good look at him.¡±

    ¡°Oooh! Another youngster pushing himself too hard? These days they seem to be working extra hard much more usually!¡±

    ¡°Business must be better than usual then?¡±

    ¡°Not really, no. The Captains make sure to keep their cadets from doing anything TOO drastic and dangerous, so we only have been attending the ones who went beyond their training regime.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see¡­ Well, the doc will be pleased to have some variety then. This lad here collapsed due to fatigue after reading an entire week.¡±

    ¡°A Philomath in the making?¡±

    ¡°Perhaps, but he is still unsure of his destiny.¡±

    Xeno listened intently as the two talked about him as if he weren¡¯t even there. He felt a bit uncomfortable butting into this conversation that kept going for several minutes¡­

    Later¡­

    ¡°Oh, my! It seems we left the lad waiting for too long Salamaria.¡±

    ¡°Oh, yes. Perhaps I¡¯ll call the doc and we can continue this conversation while the doctor checks him?¡±

    ¡°That would be wise.¡±

    Xeno watched, slightly exasperated at the old couple, as Salamaria walked away from view. Soon she was back as asked him to move in through the door and take the first turn to the right.

    Xeno walked right through the small white hallway until he found a door. It was made of a different coral than the rest of the building, colored pale red, and had a plaque hanged right over it which read.

    Reading those tittles, which would most likely relate to the classes the doctor has mastered at least to the intermediate level, one would think he was one hardcore doctor. But Xeno knew perfectly well that multi-classing was basic in this game, though he had to give credit to the doctor for getting the Military Medic class to intermediate. As far as he knew, Combat Medics, a watered down version of the Military Medic, took thousands of battles helping injured soldiers in order to reach that level.

    Xeno opened the door and stepped into the doctor¡¯s room. It was plain as it could be: a bed, a desk, a chair and the doctor waiting patiently in his seat. He¡¯s younger than Xeno expected, seemingly no older than 30 in his opinion. He had a mop of brown hair and a quite thin body, his long sleeved coat and round spectacles gave him such a doctor-ish appearance that Xeno almost guffawed.

    ¡°I take it you are the Outworlder called Xeno? Pleased to meet you, my name is Doctor Pebblewilly, though please just call me Doc.¡±

    ¡°Ok, Doc.¡± ¨C Xeno felt a current around him as the doctor spoke, as if he could see right through him.

    ¡°Hmm¡­ I¡¯d like you to have a seat before we begin the examinations.¡± ¨C he pointed towards the bed. After Xeno sat on it, he continued ¨C ¡°Now then¡­ I take it this is the first time you¡¯ve visited a clinic in this world, correct?¡±

    ¡°Yes.¡±

    ¡°Good, that¡¯ll make things easier to explain. Don¡¯t ask why, but when Outworlders think that reading about the clinic is the same as being in one, things can get difficult with them¡­¡±

    ¡°I take it you''ve had bad experience with Outworlders?¡±

    ¡°Yes, of the Sahuagin kind in any case. Hopefully, Maomer Outworlders aren¡¯t as bad, no?¡± ¨C he looked at him intently.

    ¡°I¡¯ll try not to be¡­¡± ¨C Xeno was starting to get nervous, since when did doctors show such obvious displeasure at patients? Weren''t they supposed to calm the patient to make them talk more smoothly?

    ¡°Very well, let us begin with some physical checks and then we can get some additional information about your current condition.¡±

    For the next hour or so, the doctor ran various tests upon his body ranging from many things: checking his eyes, ears and mouth, measured his height, weight and body mass, physically checked his bones and muscles, took his pulse, took a sample of his blood and ran through an analysis with some magic-operated machine Xeno couldn¡¯t understand while he used a spell to create an X-Ray of his bone structure among the FEW he actually understood¡­ Xeno was starting to get tired with all the tests...

    <hr />

    ¡°Alright, I think we are done with the basic checks. Now we can check your actual condition in more detail, though I may already have an idea of it from that check-up.¡± ¨C said the Doc as he cleaned his spectacles with a white cloth ¨C ¡°Now I¡¯m going to be using a personally customized window to show us the details we have uncovered about your health as well as others that may have escaped us. Are you ready?¡±

    Xeno was quite tired from the tests and wanted them to stop already, so he nodded.

    ¡°Very well¡­ Health Check: Xeno¡±

    After a few moments¡­

    ¡°Share Results with Patient: Xeno¡±

    ¡°I gather that you can NOW see the effect of your actions on your body?¡±

    Xeno was a bit speechless. He had not realized his body would be this messed up just because of a few sleepless days and a few days asleep¡­ He began to wonder why was it that the players disliked so much getting the checkups if they allowed you to prevent your body from deteriorating without you noticing it. Then he remembered the long time he had to be checked and the fact that there was no line to wait this time¡­

    Still, knowing the condition of your body with this much detail could be very useful in the long run, right?

    ¡°For the time being, I¡¯ll give you some mixtures that should help you in recuperating from these conditions, but you have to live a healthy life in order for these to fully take effect, understood?¡±

    Xeno nodded and he was given 3 medical capsules which he drank. They tasted quite bitter and slid down his throat harshly. Soon though, the capsules began to take effect, much more quickly and effective than they would in real life. His mind felt much clearer than when he woke up and his body felt lighter, almost stronger.

    ¡°Now come with me.¡± ¨C the doctor walked back to the reception room with Xeno tagging along. There, he asked the Librarian what he would do with me.

    ¡°I¡¯m thinking about presenting the lad to Mc Neel. The chap has been needing another apprentice and this one takes a good cake outta his requirements for apprenticeship, doesn¡¯t he?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, he does seem to possess the necessary qualities¡­ Though it may be prudent to ensure this boy doesn¡¯t push himself too much.¡±

    ¡°Aye, I¡¯ll let the chap know to send the lad over to you once a week or so.¡±

    ¡°That would be fine.¡± ¨C answered the doctor, seemingly compromising with the Librarian¡¯s idea.

    ¡°Now lad, we go see your possibly future master.¡±

    Xeno sighed in relief as for a moment he thought he would have to wait even longer while they conversed. It had already been some 8 hours since he woke up and he guessed he would have to sleep in this world at the right times to keep it healthy, not to mention he was starting to get hungry again.

    ¡°Now come boy.¡± ¨C the Librarian exited the clinic and headed straight to¡­ the strange building on the left. Xeno was starting to understand his idea, but couldn¡¯t seem to complain about it. After all, he actually didn¡¯t mind helping the village out a bit¡­

    <hr />

    Hello, new chapter here. This one goes along with some additional information about Health in The Helix. You can guess that if the supreme liberty of action without consequences that is usual in most VRRPG¡¯s isn¡¯t such in The Helix. The Geomchi in particular would¡¯ve had a horrible experience here unless they realize they needed to take care of their bodies here as well, which considering their attitudes towards receiving help from strangers is doubtful¡­ Weed would hate me for adding health as it would make him rest more to avoid deletion.

    Another detail that I must add is that the Health conditions and the reasons why their effects did what they did are not completely in accord to human physiology. This is just fine since we are talking about an Underwater Elven race, nothing to do with humans, right? However, the levels are close enough to humans as I DID research before writing that table up.

    This chapter should be the one with the least amount of images so far, yet still holds the same number of pages on Microsoft Word, so I¡¯m guessing it¡¯s around the same length of the previous chapters or in truth longer.

    I¡¯ve tried to reduce sentences as best as I could, but some still may be a bit long. In addition, I¡¯ve made sure to only include a maximum of 2 ¡°HAS¡± per paragraph, which has greatly cut the number of has in this chapter to around 40. This amount could be lower, but I¡¯d need to revise the chapter a few more times to do so, which will make the release date later. It is fine for the time being, but later chapters with more emphasis on the story and less on the gimmicks of this game will be better crafted and slower to write.

    Regardless, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Sorry for the lateness, Internet conection is very bad  right now. I''ll post double since I''m not sure when I''ll be able to post next...

 Volume 1: Chapter 5: Apprenticeship

    Chapter 5: Apprenticeship

    The fields of sand at the bottom of the ocean are quite majestic, filled with many different things: curious stones, strange weeds, majestic corals, lazing fish, floating and scuttling tiny little beings of various shapes and sizes. Hill upon hill of sand covers the oceans and seas, making the foundation of all life¡­

    Over near the Village of Sed, these hills have long since been razed and crops, be they corals, weed or other underwater flora are grown in great numbers and quality, nurtured by the domestic aquatic life forms that roam across these fields. Small crabs wallow about these plain sands, keeping the sand straight and smooth. Seahorses and fish hide amongst the flora, rubbing them while cleaning their skin as well as the plants.

    This fabricated biome of the Maomer has been continuously extended since the race first took root in these parts of the sea. At first, a small patch of land no bigger than 30 feet, but as time went by it has grown to be quite larger, around 500 feet squared, surrounding the West, North, and Eastern sides of the Village and leaving only one entrance to it for attackers.

    Even as of today, these lands are continuously expanded as the sand is razed by the new generation of Maomer. Together, with large rakes in their hands, they work together to perpetually extend the reach of their sustenance, the life blood of all creatures that live in the vicinity of the village.

    Over at the expansion site, young Maomer currently work together to raze the next portion of the sand hills; they raze, shovel, push, scope and transport the sand accumulated by the hour. They move like machines following a routine, mechanically and without much drive. Extending the fields is not the passion of these workers; it¡¯s merely their temporary duty. Soon, some day, they would be deemed worthy of the rank of soldier and work defending their village from dangers. However, for the time being they tilt¡­

    Over at the next expansion site over to the west however¡­ the Maomer are hectic at completing their assignment perfectly and in the shortest amount of time, which they are succeeding. They efficiently work in teams separated by their duty and rush their work. They are realizing the work twice as fast as the other team so that they can get more time to rest and enjoy themselves. Just who gave them this idea?

    ¡°Come on! Put your backs into this! If we can finish in an hour, we all get six hours more to ourselves! Or would you rather spend the next six hours here WORKING?! Come ON! My conches are waiting!¡± ¨C yelled Xeno at the rest of his team as he quickly finished tilting his side of the hill and started to help out the diggers.

    ¡°Yes, sir¡­¡± ¨C mumbled the others, getting quite tired now from the workout, but happy that at this pace they could finish in less than an hour.

    Quite the inspirational speaker, huh¡­ Wait, I guess you got lost now? In that case, why don¡¯t we go back a little bit¡­

    <hr />

    1 Helix Month ago¡­

    Day 1

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°So this is the boy¡­ Not much to look at right now, but I¡¯ll see what I can do to him¡±

    Mc Neel was a robust and strong-looking Maomer sporting great muscles, especially his biceps, which made him look like a macho man. His long, smooth mustache and dense eyebrows didn¡¯t help lessen this image. Neither did his rough voice or the way he looked at others with a seemingly condescending air. Yeah, this guy was quite intimidating.

    Mr. Rupert ¨C ¡°Good chap! The Doc¡¯s wanting me to remind yee to make sure the lad visits him at least weekly to check his condition.¡±

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°Aye, I¡¯ll make sure the boy stays in good health s¡¯long as he works that is...¡±

    Mr. Rupert ¨C ¡°I do not think you¡¯ll have to worry about that too much chap, the lad¡¯s quite Diligent for his age.¡±

    Mc Neel scoffed ¨C ¡°I¡¯ll be the judge of that, now scatter off to your conches geezer.¡±

    Mr. Rupert ¨C ¡°Hohohoho! It was a pleasure seeing yee too chap!¡± ¨C he placed his hand on Xeno¡¯s shoulder and whispered ¨C ¡°Don¡¯t let him fool yee, the chap¡¯s got a good heart under all that bravado.¡± ¨C then he walked outside the building, whose inside looked no better than the outside¡­

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°Oy, boy! Come, it¡¯s time to show you the round!¡± ¨C Xeno looked to see the man had already risen and was briskly walking towards a door in the back. He followed him through and paused for a second. At that moment he remembered the saying ¡°Seeing with your own eyes¡± and could say he understood it now more clearly than before.

    The exited loomed over what could only be called a ranch and a farm combined, though the weed fields of the farm surrounded the ranch completely. Lying about the were large creatures such as the large seahorses and manta rays that seemed big enough to ride, huge sea cucumbers, octopi, and crabs, no different than the one he fought before, lazed about the clean sand while fish of various kinds, tadpoles and jellyfish swam and floated around the area.

    A huge, barn stood tall and proud next to these animals. Calling it huge being an understatement as it stood much bigger than any building Xeno had seen so far in the village. It was made almost entirely with Rasina Coral, though some details seemed to have been remodeled with other types of coral as well as plant-life to give it a more comforting appearance

    Surrounding the area were patches of huge seaweeds, though some more illuminated patches of sand were also covered with sea grass which seemed to shine in various colors depending on their species.

    The overall impact was majestic, as if going to some nature resort for the first time in your life. Excitement quickly piled up within Xeno¡¯s chest. He liked animals mostly because of how different they were from humans and the wide variety of powers and abilities they possess that humans could only dream of. Xeno himself had never had a pet in his life, but he had managed to befriend some animal folk in his previous Terminal at some point in his journey¡­ While he missed them a bit, they had died long ago due to the actions of an enemy guild. That guild and its members were forced to abandon that Terminal permanently. Xeno may have driven his friends insane with his revenge schemes during those weeks¡­

    Xeno shook his head to clear his mind. This was a new start, no need to get side tracked now when the journey had yet to truly begin. He followed Mc Neel who gallantly walked right through the congregation of animals, neither minding the presence of the other. Whilst some animals showed some curiosity towards him, they soon continued to laze about.

    Inside the barn, were whales¡­ Yes, huge whales of various species were calmly floating and waiting as a dozen or so Maomer swam around them with broom-like tools which they were using to remove the barnacles from the whale¡¯s body. They seemed to be having a lot of work, much more work than the Maomer that was below the whale trying to get milk that was shooting out of the whale to fill up the jars he had beside him. He seemed to have filled many jars already, but the whale seemed to have a lot of milk to give today.

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°Today you¡¯ll be helping the Groomers and Farmers tend to the whales, we¡¯ve more guest whales than usual and sooner rather than later they¡¯ll need to go take a breather, so we need to speed things up, that¡¯s where you come in. You don¡¯t have much experience in grooming, so you¡¯ll be on milk duty. Though for the male whales you¡¯ll help the lot grooming, understood?¡±

    Xeno ¨C ¡°Yes!¡±

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°Good. Hey JORDAN!¡±

    Jordan ¨C ¡°Yeah, boss?¡±

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°New recruit! Have him on transitional duty!¡±

    Jordan ¨C ¡°Kay!¡±

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°Go to him, he¡¯ll show you what you need to know.¡± ¨C he turned back and walked to elsewhere. Xeno moved towards Jordan, quite intrigued with the milking process of whales¡­

    <hr />

    Later that evening, when the whales had left and the job was done, Xeno walked over to Mc Neel¡¯s office to tell him about the day.

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°Ah, good! So how was your day, boy? Did you finish the quota?¡± ¨C he referred to the amount of whales each Maomer should attend on a daily basis daily, be that through grooming or milking. It seems Mc Neel had a pint for liking his employees finishing the quotas necessary each day.

    Xeno ¨C ¡°I collected 362 jars of milk and attended the grooming of 23 whales.¡±

    Mc Neel looked at Xeno pleasantly surprised. The daily quota was 200 jars and 10 whales for those on milking duty while 25 whales for those exclusively on grooming duty. If he didn¡¯t know better, he would¡¯ve thought the boy was lying to him, but he knew his men kept good track of the quantities and had reported Xeno the amount he made that day. Still¡­

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°Why did you go overboard with the quota?¡± ¨C he asked curiously.

    Xeno looked a bit uncomfortable while answering ¨C ¡°I was entertaining myself, so time flied and before I knew it, it was closing time¡­ Also, I only learned about the daily quota AFTER the end of the day...¡±

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°Didn¡¯t Jordan tell you to stop?¡±

    Xeno scratched his head¨C ¡°Well¡­ When his shift was over he asked if I needed to rest, but I told him I was okay to continue working for a bit more, so he left me while telling me not to overdo it¡­ hahaha¡­¡±

    Mc Neel for a moment before asking ¨C ¡°Boy, what were you studying while in the library?¡±

    Xeno ¨C ¡°The Head Librarian didn¡¯t tell you¡­? It was mostly Biology and Cartography.¡±

    Mc Neel fell silent thinking. Knowledge in biology had the effect of unconsciously making the owner of said knowledge more likely to do a better job when handling animals and plants, depending on what the subject of study was. If he guided himself with today¡¯s results the boy in front of him must¡¯ve studied quite hard about the subject¡­

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°What level is your Biology Ability now?¡±

    Xeno ¨C ¡°It¡¯s level 17¡± ¨C Mc Neel was astounded with that level. To reach such level in such short time required prior knowledge on the subject as well as diligence an educated mind and above all will power. It isn¡¯t easy to study continuously about a subject. He was about to ask about the boy¡¯s Education stat to see his potential growth when he said:

    ¡°I also seem to have gained some skills: Grooming, Milking, and Breeding¡­ They¡¯re all level 2.¡± ¨C Ok, given the speed in which those abilities were obtained and grew, his Education should be no more than 3. Mc Neel guessed that the reason for the growth of his Biology skill must¡¯ve included prior experience reading about animals and plants and what-not. He was¡­

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°How long will you remain under the effects of Newborn?¡±

    Xeno ¨C ¡°After today, nine more days sir.¡±

    Good, he thought, enough time to teach him plenty before he loses some of his growth spurt. ¨C ¡°Very well, can you ensure that you are present every day for the next nine days?¡±

    Xeno ¨C ¡°Well¡­ Perhaps it is possible, but I will require some time to rest here so I can¡­ Sustain my body in the other world.¡±

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°That can be arranged easily, I hope?¡±

    Xeno ¨C ¡°Yes.¡±

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°Then it¡¯s settled; you can use the bed upstairs to rest and do what you need to do over on the other side. The rest of the afternoon is off, but from tomorrow morning and onwards you will work!¡±

    Xeno ¨C ¡°Understood!¡±

    Mc Neel rummaged through his desk for a bit ¨C ¡°Good. Now¡­ here is today¡¯s payment.¡± ¨C he handed Xeno the bag containing 24 Silvers and 62 Coppers. He would usually only give 10 Silvers, but he always gives extra to those who go over their quota: in this case 1 copper per Milk Jar and 1 Silver per Whale Grooming.

    <hr />

    Soon after, in the room that would now be Xeno¡¯s for as long as he worked here, he opened his Questlog just to make sure he didn¡¯t misunderstand:

    As he expected, he gained a Job when he accepted to work here and a Quest just before when he surprised Mc Neel. The rewards seem incredible, especially since the abilities he learns here will grow much more quickly which will help him earn more money. As is, he is quite happy having earned over five times the money he had started out with. He definitely was happy that he no longer had to continue eating the tasteless coral he had been eating till now.

    He was looking forward to eating more delicacies, such as the blend the old Librarian has prepared for him or the sweet, delicious milk he had tasted from the whale when he his curiosity and hunger got the better of him. Yeah, he was REALLY looking forward to tasting more of that milk in the future!

    Though he wonders just how hard the job will be now that it had risen an additional 2 ranks, as well as doing the Quest which was another 2 ranks above that¡­ Well, he would know soon enough. For the time being, he needs to prepare some food so that he can sustain himself with a small snack every 2 hours or so¡­

    Xeno logged out

    <hr />

    Day 2

    ¡°Okay, boy. Today¡¯s feeding duty along with produce collection.¡± ¨C said Mc Neel as he guided Xeno to another room within the barn ¨C ¡°Simply put, you¡¯ll need to ensure the animals here have enough food for the day. Or course, you¡¯ll need to know the proper amount and type of food for each animal present.¡±

    Mc Neel rummaged through his jacket¡¯s pockets and brought out a conch and extended it towards Xeno¨C ¡°This here conch has such info, I hope you¡¯ll be able to memorize it quickly?¡±

    Xeno responded as he operated the conch ¨C ¡°Shouldn¡¯t be a problem.¡±

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°Feeding isn¡¯t just about species though¡­¡± ¨C he continued explaining as he saw Xeno inspecting the contents of the conch ¨C ¡°You have to take in consideration the creature¡¯s age, size, weight, skin condition, scale luster, and fur if applicable; the creatures overall health in short.¡±

    Xeno ¨C ¡°Quite a large number of variables¡­¡±

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°Aye, but this ensures the positive, healthy growth of these creatures as well as the quality of their produce.¡±

    They entered the new room that looked similar to a chicken coot, only much larger with beds of a variety of materials none of which were straw. Inside were various animals such as shrimp, crabs, fish and occasionally eels which were swimming around playing and eating their portions of food.

    Mc Neel walked towards the first bed and pointed at a conch which seemed to be glued to the bowl of food of the animal which slept here ¨C ¡°You will be able to gather info on the animals from their ID Conches, which have records of their general conditions. The information is updated by the ones in charge of health checks, which you¡¯ll be doing later on as well, so it¡¯s important to read the contents before giving the proper food.¡±

    Mc Neel pointed at a large warehouse that was in the coot ¨C ¡°There you will find the appropriate food you require to give the animals in large quantities; food can range anywhere between seeds and weeds to porridge, noodles and milk. There are also medicines and herbs inside; don¡¯t touch them unless one of the animals seems to be ill and requires hourly dosage, but no medic is present.¡±

    Xeno listened to him intently while simultaneously reading the conch for additional information. Mc Neel looked at the conch and realized that Xeno was already half-way through the book in the time he had been talking. He smirked a bit and left Xeno to his reading and work.

    Xeno finished reading the conch and moved over to the first bed made of sea weed ¨C ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ young red-crust crab in good health¡­ The appropriate food should be 30g of Amalgam Algae with 10g of worm matter, right?¡± ¨C Xeno checked the conch for the formula again ¨C ¡°No, it was 12g of worm matter, forgot to take into account it being meat¡­¡±

    Xeno walked over to the Warehouse, which was filled with hundreds of shelves, with the plate for the crab in his hands. Inside, he searched the labels of the shelves until he found the right Algae-type and served the food, then got the Worm matter and went back to the crab¡¯s bed. He gingerly placed the plate in its proper location. Then he looked at the nest and, finding no eggs or similar produce within, moved on to the next one ¨C ¡°One down, several hundred to go.¡±

    That day, Xeno gained 45 silvers and 62 coppers due to staying in the barn working until all animals were fed. It seemed that the work would usually be divided between four Maomer who would work in shifts to feed the animals and they usually only managed to finish just in time for sleep. However, Xeno finished the work, on his own, three hours before that time, further surprising Mc Neel. He gave Xeno another conch for him to read in addition to his payment¡­

    Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

    <hr />

    Day 3

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°Alright, boy! Today will be different from the other days, you won¡¯t get to say it was an easy day this time.¡±

    He guided Xeno through the weed fields until they reached a camp that was cleared of the weeds. There, Maomer were using Machetes and other types of bladed tools to cut off the sea weeds. Then, they would be picked up by the Maomers in gathering duty who placed them within a wheel barrel-like vehicle. It was big enough to carry three adult Maomer within, but it was nearly full with Sea Weeds.

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°Today¡¯s Cutting duty with some collecting and transporting thrown into it as well. The Sea Weeds grow here because the Maomer of old planted them, but they can grow too much if left unattended; so it¡¯s important to trim the fields every now and then. Help these runts out¡­¡±

    Without further ado, he left Xeno with the others explaining to him the basics: how to wield the machete, how to wield it to cut the weed more easily, etc¡­

    Later, Xeno was without breath as he sat on a rock waiting for his stamina to recover. So far, the tasks asked of him had involved mostly his hands, with him standing or sitting in position. However, this time he had to move his whole body in order to slash at the weeds. The first few hours weren¡¯t too difficult, but as time went by his body screamed at him to take a break.

    Xeno took out some food from his Inventory, a bottle of whale milk, turns out he had ended up hooked on this stuff and it was highly nutritious for Maomer. As he swallowed a mouthful of the sweet bliss, he rummaged his Inventory for some Fried Coral Bits. Though smaller than the Stale Coral he ate before, they were much more delicious and had a peculiar taste of fried chicken for some strange reason. Xeno wasn¡¯t going to complain about the taste though as he loved eating chicken.

    He ate a few Bits and took another chug of milk, then placed the bottle back in his Inventory. Xeno¡¯s body felt satisfied, but still tired as his Stamina was still quite low. Still, Xeno didn¡¯t want to waste any more time this day. Even though a bit more than half the day has gone by, he is still at the half-way mark of his quota. If he hurried, he just might make it to a full day¡¯s quota.

    He picked his Machete and started to swing once more, but he was still panting. The other¡¯s looked at him with concern, but he waved it off and continued to swing. Soon, he could no longer feel his arms as he swung¡­ He felt light headed, similarly to how he felt when he was with the Librarian after not sleeping as he should¡¯ve. The difference being that he HAS been sleeping correctly in this world and his real body is in good condition, which means the cause of this is Fatigue.

    A few minutes later, his swinging speed drastically slowed and he could barely cut a few weeds per minute. His body needed rest¡­

    Then he heard a strange melodious voice. It was a clear, pure tone, yet carried no words. A gentle hum carried by the wind¡­ waves¡­ sea¡­ whatever. He instinctively closed his eyes and concentrated on the beautiful tune as he swung away.

    In a trance-like state due to his Fatigue and the song, his body cut and slashed at the weeds at an increasing pace. His body slowly recovered from the fatigued state and became stronger and faster than when he first started swinging. Weeds started accumulating in his path as the collectors had a hard time gathering them before he cut down the next. In less than an hour, the field that should¡¯ve taken an entire additional day to cut down was filled solely with slashed weeds and surprised Maomer.

    The song stopped and Xeno opened his eyes to see that the field was no more. He was surprised as the other¡¯s looked at him. He guessed he had done this by their expressions, but could not understand how. Last he remembered, he was too week to continue for much longer and then he heard a voice.

    ¡°Emmm¡­ Mi-mister? Are yo-you okay now?¡± -  a shy voice resounded within Xeno¡¯s mind. He turned around to see a transparent creature floating nearby, hiding behind some sea weed, but clearly looking intently at him. Xeno recognized the creature as a Sea Angel and remembered the sign above the Clinic. He looked at his body that felt full of energy when a little while ago it was nearly collapsed.

    ¡°Yes, I think so¡­ You were the one singing? Did you restore my Stamina?¡±

    ¡°Ah! Emmm¡­¡± ¨C the Sea Angel shyly hid even more behind the weeds ¨C ¡°Be-because mi-mister wanted to continue, bu-but he was too tired I tried to help him¡­ So-sorry!¡± ¨C she, as Xeno determined by its pink coloring, seemed ready to run away crying.

    ¡°Ah! No no no! No need to apologize, rather I want to thank you. I don¡¯t know if I could¡¯ve finished if it wasn¡¯t for you and I¡¯m sure I was about to collapse!¡±

    ¡°Ri-right!¡± ¨C she seemed a bit relieved now.

    ¡°That¡¯s a sea angel, right?¡±

    ¡°No wonder he went trance, she must¡¯ve given him strength when we weren¡¯t looking¡­¡±

    ¡°But I heard that not everyone can receive the effect, right?¡±

    ¡°According to what the Master said, Sea Angels can bless only a few with their singing while the others hear nothing at all.¡±

    ¡°Truly? Then how can he hear her?¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t know. Psychic connection? Telepathy?¡±

    Xeno could hear the others discussing about the sea angel with which he was talking to. It seemed that Sea Angel¡¯s blessings weren¡¯t a common thing. He turned to ask her, but she was already gone¡­

    That night, he explained what happened to Mc Neel who answered:

    ¡°Aye, you received the Revitalize Blessings of a Sea Angel. They quickly recover stamina and health in general. As for the trance you were in, that must¡¯ve been your OWN doing. Pushed your body too hard there, boy.¡±

    Xeno scratched his head as there was no way for him to deny that fact.

    ¡°Still, that may be the reason why Miss Phio must¡¯ve taken an interest in you, so don¡¯t take it too bad.¡±

    ¡°Miss who?¡±

    ¡°Phio, that¡¯s the name of the sea angel who helped you there; one of a kind in these regions really. I mean there are plenty of Sea Angels around here, but she takes the cake with the effect of her blessings. Though she seems to be too shy to actively use them on Maomer¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ So that¡¯s why you told the apprentices that Sea Angels could only bless a few¡­¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! You got me there, I didn¡¯t want them trying to force the poor creatures into blessing them! Though I have no problems with the sea angels initiating the blessings! Anyways, you¡¯ll be receiving a payment of 1 gold today thanks to that feat.¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m not sure I can accept, as I couldn¡¯t have done it without Phio¡­¡±

    ¡°No worries boy! Regardless of the blessings, you were the one who worked hard, so just take the money here.¡±

    That night, while Xeno slept in his new room, a glowing pink shadow gazed outside his window none the wiser¡­

    <hr />

    Day 4

    ¡°Today you¡¯ll be attending the animals again, don¡¯t want you straining a muscle from over work¡­¡±

    ¡°What?¡±

    ¡°Nothing. You¡¯ll be taking charge of the health of the creatures in the barn and recording any symptoms you may find in them. For this, I¡¯ll have one of the Veterinarians here teach you the Health Check ability. This can be used on any living creature, be they humanoid, animal, beast or plant. Though it will fail if you try to use it on non-living creatures such as undead, machines and the like¡­¡±

    Mc Neel was walking towards the barn with Xeno as he talked to him about today¡¯s task. He seemed quite cheerful about Xeno¡¯s advancements these past few days, but could now understand the Ol¡¯ Fart and Doc¡¯s worry about the boy. So far he had taken every task he had given him way out of proportion¡­ in a good way.

    While this was great for business, Mc Neel knew it was only a matter of time before it came to bite him, like yesterday. Though he considered the boy very lucky to have moved a Sea Angel with his Diligence to the point of receiving her blessings¡­

    ¡°You¡¯ll also have to provide for the creatures if they are having complications of any sort. For example, stop a fight that¡¯s about to occur and the like.¡± ¨C Xeno clearly remembered an occasion on the second day in which two crabs started fighting, but before he could do react they were separated by some Maomer and taken to a separate room. He supposed this was to talk to them to see what was going on with their fight.

    ¡°Any doubts?¡±

    Xeno shook his head, the task was straight forward at least, and less straining on his body.

    Around midday, Xeno was attending one of the animals within the barn, a Sea Slug of the Blue Dragon variety by the name of Josh. He was quite hurt and let out electricity when touched.

    Xeno curiously asked ¨C ¡°Just what were you doing, Josh?¡±

    Josh seemed reluctant but answered ¨C ¡°Huh? Well¡­ I was practicing to be a mage!¡±

    ¡°A mage? You?¡±

    ¡°Hey! Even I can become a mage!¡±

    ¡°Well, maybe¡­ But why did you turn out like this?¡±

    Josh seemed embarrassed as he said ¨C ¡°My spell blew up on me¡­ But that¡¯s okay! I¡¯ll practice better!¡± ¨C he said excitedly.

    ¡°Josh¡­ I¡¯m no expert, but I don¡¯t think practicing alone will be enough to become a mage¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh? WHY?!¡±

    Xeno decided he might as well help this kid avoid getting killed himself ¨C ¡°Well¡­ First tell me what type of magic you use.¡±

    ¡°Oh? Well I think about a ball of thunder in front of me and sometimes it appears!¡±

    Xeno sighed ¨C ¡°As I thought, no amount of practice can help you¡­¡±

    Josh was in disbelief, then angry ¨C ¡°HUH?! I¡¯ll show you I¡¯ll become a GREAT mage!¡±

    Xeno tried to calm him down by saying ¨C ¡°I¡¯m not saying that you absolutely CAN¡¯T become a mage. Just that practice won¡¯t help you if you continue mindlessly¡­¡±

    Josh was confused¨C ¡°Errr¡­ What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°You are using innate magic, so the key point to using it is a great deal of concentration. If you let go of that concentration even for one moment, the spell fails by either not activating or by blowing up like it happened this time¡­¡±

    ¡°Bu-But this is the first time one blew in my face!¡±

    ¡°How many times have you managed to create the spell completely?¡±

    ¡°¡­once¡±

    ¡°See? Rather than training your spell, you need to train your concentration.¡±

    ¡°How do I do that?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ how about concentrating on one specific point in space, like¡­¡± ¨C Xeno looked around and found a stick. He picked it up and drew a circle then a dot in the middle of it ¨C ¡°Ok, this will do for now. What you can do is to try to activate your spell exactly where the dot it. It has to be exactly that position.¡±

    ¡°Why?¡±

    ¡°Because it¡¯ll allow you to develop control and this will take a good deal of concentration to do.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ But what¡¯s the big circle for?¡±

    ¡°Once you manage to create the spell at the right location, you start the second phase of your training: you¡¯ll move the spell with your mind until it reaches the edge of the circle then move the spell around the line.¡±

    ¡°That sounds easy!¡±

    ¡°Trust me, it won¡¯t be; creating the spell will need a lot of concentration, moving it like you want is another matter entirely.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ But this will help me be a mage?¡±

    ¡°Indeed it will! Though I think it¡¯s best that you get a friend to help you stay concentrated on this, okay?¡±

    ¡°Okay, I know who to ask!¡±

    ¡°Hahaha! Well, then¡­ Keep practicing, I¡¯ll continue my rounds. Don¡¯t blow up, kay?¡± ¨C Xeno said as he patted the slug¡¯s head.

    ¡°Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t.¡±

    The rest of the day went by with nothing out of the ordinary. For the help he provided, Xeno received 20 silvers. As the animals seem to be in good health, he didn¡¯t have much to do and mostly conversed with the animals who shared the Aquan language with the Maomer. It was a peaceful day in which Xeno could just kick back and relax while he conversed with the animals!

    Still, he felt that he was being watched at some times, but seeing nothing when he looked he figured it was just his imagination¡­

    <hr />

    Another chapter completed. This one recounts the first few days of Xeno¡¯s training as well as presenting some rather unique duties. Hehehe¡­ I wonder how many of you knew whales shot milk like hoses for their babies since they don¡¯t have lips with which to suck milk? The same applies to dolphins and other similar marine-exclusive mammals.

    Anyways, Mc Neel also explained a bit more about the learning speed of Xeno¡¯s abilities, which I¡¯m sure some of you will appreciate. It was pretty obvious though, since Savi already had experience studying about nature, the speed in which he learned abilities about studying nature was much greater than usual. This is similar to a swordsman coming to this world and having his Sword Mastery ability grow faster than someone else that is doing the same thing as him but lacks the prior experience.

    Considering that Xeno has played in another Terminal before, there will be plenty of abilities that he will have growing at greater pace, but things he has not done before will grow at a slightly more normal pace. Though this pace will be faster depending on his Education, which is growing right now since he is being instructed on what to do; this growth is minimal though¡­

    Finally, I¡¯d like to hear your opinion about the difference about how he started this apprenticeship and how he will be in a month in-game.

    I wanted to divide the beginning of the apprenticeship in two chapters, but given the length of this chapter including only the first 4 days¡­ It is likely it¡¯ll be 3 chapter, with the third one given additional details about his actions to that moment you read at the beginning of this chapter.

    Hope you enjoyed this chapter!

 Volume 1: Chapter 6: The Nature of Nature

    The Nature of Nature

    Day 5: Xeno

    Xeno groggily woke from his nap because of the alarm in the room. The loud racket that the alarm caused was enough to wake the dead in his opinion, which is feasible in this world since there are actual undead races¡­

    Xeno rose from the bed and stretched his arms then went to the restroom to wash up. He picked a clean towel and some soap in there and prepared himself for a washing¡­

    [Author¡¯s note: Since I was asked, he washes his body with soap and a towel till his skin shines. In other words: grooming. This is done to sea mammals on occasion if they are friendly enough and not as dangerous. Water does not equate clean, sludge and mud are things that exist you know. So does salt which can make your skin feel strange, no?]

    Xeno went into Mc Neel¡¯s office to receive today¡¯s orders or training or whatever it¡¯s supposed to be now. He¡¯s no longer quite sure what to call this Apprenticeship¡­ Regardless, he¡¯s having quite a bit of fun and is pleasantly entertained. Xeno knocked the door and entered.

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°Ah, good! You¡¯re awake early today.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, I managed to wake with the alarm.¡±

    ¡°Perfect, make sure to continue using it; it¡¯s a waste of effort to send someone to wake you up each morning.¡±

    ¡°Sorry¡± ¨C Xeno scratched his head in embarrassment. So far, his bad sleeping or rather waking habit had been a problem each morn, but hopefully he¡¯ll find a better way to fully awaken soon enough.

    ¡°Never mind, boy. Today¡¯s assignment, or to be precise the assignment you¡¯ll be doing for the next three days will be preparing terrain.¡±

    Mc Neel exited the building and swam towards the outer layer of the weed fields, closely followed by Xeno. After a while, Xeno saw a large area of sand that seemed much more elevated than the rest. In addition, it was closed by a week fence that seemed to separate it in portions or segments. Each segment seemed to be around 20 feet squared¡­

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°Kay, boy, the assignment goes like this: First you¡¯ll be picking up weeds, corals, rocks, trash and other random objects that may be on the surface of one of the plots of land. You¡¯ll finish that day by raking the plot until its surface is at least seemingly smooth. On the second day, you¡¯ll be removing all the sand and dirt in your plot of land until it¡¯s leveled with the rest of the weed field. Make sure to transport the collected sand and dirt to the respective locations so that architects and bricklayers can get their hands on them more easily. On the final day, you¡¯ll receive some Seaweed seeds which you¡¯ll need to plant correctly and have them grow. You¡¯ll be provided some fertilizer, but the best result depends on how well the land was prepared and how well you care for each individual seed as you plant them. Any questions so far, boy?¡±

    Xeno was a bit speechless, he had never expected to have to prepare the plot and plant the crop within a timeframe of three days. He calmed down as he realized that this must¡¯ve been one of the primary reasons for the upgrade to the difficulty of the Quest. Since he demonstrated his diligence, Mc Neel must¡¯ve wanted to test it to see how far he was willing to go. He must¡¯ve given him a free-ish duty the day before in order for him to be sufficiently rested for this enterprise.

    ¡°Which tools?¡± ¨C this is the question Xeno had. Depending on the tool provided, the efficiency of his work would change.

    ¡°Whichever you find appropriate, you¡¯ll find a large inventory of tools in the warehouse; just pick the tools you need, place them in a wheel barrel and swim over to the plot of land of your choice.¡±

    ¡°Ok!¡± ¨C Xeno swam over to the Warehouse as soon as Mc Neel finished talking. If he wanted to finish in time, he had to get started quickly. Mc Neel simple watched him go with a devilish smirk in his face.

    Sorry, boy ¨C thought Mc Neel ¨C but I need to see you reach your limits so I can determine just how hard I can make your final test. I don¡¯t expect you to complete this outrageous quota since most would take a full week to realize it and that¡¯s by doing a shoddy job at it. Just do your best without restraint.

    <hr />

    Xeno arrived at the Warehouse and started to choose his tools. Since today was basically collecting and removing trash and raking the land, he chose a shovel to pick up stuff and place it in the wheel barrel, a pickaxe to break rocks or corals too big and/or heavy to move, a pair of scissors, pliers and a machete to remove plants, an axe in case there were logs, a bucket so that he can carry it and place objects within instead of pulling the wheel barrel constantly along, a hoe to deal with tough dirt and sand too compact to move and a rake in order to level the plot. He refrained from bringing a hammer as its poor water resistance would lower the striking strength and its overall damage. He placed the tools inside a wheel barrel, and looked around to see if he had missed something else that might be useful. Some rope caught his eyes and thinking it might be useful somehow he picked it and swam towards the plots to choose his.

    Once he arrived, he saw that most of them were already picked by other Maomer, most likely they went to pick up the tools before coming here unlike him. Xeno looked at the remaining unclaimed plots; they were all filled with plenty of trash of all sorts, unlike the ones picked by the others. They must¡¯ve chosen the ones that were easiest to prepare, leaving the hardest ones for others.

    Seeing that there was barely any difference in the surface of the plots remaining, Xeno swam to one of them at random. The others gave him astounded looks for some reason, but he ignored them as he started to work. He took out all the objects within the wheel barrel and placed them neatly near the center of the plot of land. Then he inspected the plot more closely do determine his course of action.

    As he realized his plot had plenty of plants, he picked his scissors, machete, pliers and bucket and started to work.

    ¡°Let¡¯s see¡­ This is a Hydrangool Algae which can be used for stomach aches, better place it separately¡­ But this other one is Coollera Bloom grass, which is a fine ingredient for aquatic mana potions¡­¡±

    As Xeno prepared to remove the plants, he began to notice the value of most them where quite good even though he was simply supposed to remove them from here. So instead of placing the plants in his bucket he began to place them in his inventory after carefully removing them in order to not reduce their quality. While he picked plenty of plants, they weighted next to nothing, and being underwater made such light objects even lighter. This in turn allowed his inventory to pick much more than he would be able to if he were in the surface.

    Just as the sun reached the summit, he began to deal with the corals and stones. While he simply crushed the stones and placed them in the bucket, he dealt with the corals differently by digging the surroundings of the coral before pulling them up and placing them next to the wheel barrel. Corals can be more useful that common stones underwater and while he wasn¡¯t an expert with them he was sure he could find some book to give him some more information about them.

    Amongst the corals, he also found some that bore berries upon them. These ones he moved more carefully and placed them a bit farther away from the wheel barrel. He¡¯d move these one¡¯s later as their berries could be a good source of food or passive money if the need arose.

    Finished collecting the stones and separating the corals, Xeno began to move the stones to the appropriate disembarking area. There he saw a bunch of piles of corals, stones, plants, and dirt mixed up in horrifying proportions. Xeno realized that the others simply cleaned up the area blindly, but let it go for the time being. He went to the area that was reserved for his piles and dumped the stones. He used two additional trips in order to move the corals, with the exception of the fruit-bearing ones which he left alone for the time being.

    It was getting late, but Xeno still had work to do. He picked up the hoe and started to tilt the sand and dirt for around two hours in order to leave the surface loose. By the time he picked the rake he was the only one working, but he didn¡¯t let that discourage him. He slowly raked the surface for some time and in no time at the entire loose surface from before was now perfectly smooth. Physically tired, Xeno took a moment to rest by the fruit-bearing corals and ate their berries. As he chewed upon the sweet sphere in his hands, he remembered a skill he learned back when he was in the library¡­ He decided he might as well try it:

    ¡°Identify¡±

    ¡°Hmmm¡­ This Ability is as useful here as it is in the other Terminals, though if this much information is obtained at the basic levels, I wonder just how much information is given at the advanced levels¡­¡± ¨C Xeno wondered.

    The levels of the SSA (Skills, Spells & Abilities) went up to Lv-100, at which point they would transform into the next step of their evolution. For example, Xeno considered the fact of a mana bullet. At Basic levels one would be able to create a number of small projectiles which continuously increase in number until reaching the Intermediate level. At that point, the increase in numbers is lowered and the spell begins to give additional shapes and properties from which the caster can choose from, given the single spell much more variability. Then the Advanced levels would continually reduce the cost of casting while increasing the quantity and quality of the spell, until the one is able to summon thousands of mana bullets of hundreds of shapes and sizes, each with different properties and all this with next to no cost of mana.

    In paper, magic seems OP, but Xeno knows that the amount of concentration, knowledge and wisdom, as well as instincts and imagination to pull off such a stunt are all but impossible for human kind in general. He¡¯s sure if some half-assed mage tried to do such a thing all those mana bullets would explode around him like a minefield, essentially causing the player to kill himself¡­

    Regardless, the point is that abilities evolve greatly upon reaching the next stage. Most of the time, the changes are obvious and expected. However, on certain occasions the changes could be different, unexpected and obscured due to lack of knowledge of the ability¡­

    As he was lost in thought, Xeno identified the coral that had provided him food.

    ¡°I see, so I can expect 3 daily berries from this one¡­ But the berries these rich are of low quality because of the low vitality of the coral? Didn¡¯t the berry say it was picked up from a healthy coral?¡± ¨C Xeno considered the possibility that his lack of knowledge on the subject affected the rate of correct information obtained from the ability. If this was the case, then he definitely needed to continue studying about these corals.

    He took another bite of the fruit, but as he tasted the flavor with his tongue he felt something else in his mouth. He took it out and found a seed-looking object. Xeno questioned the logic of coral-seeds when corals were not really plants, but let it slide since this was a fantasy world.

    ¡°Identify¡±

    ¡°Hahaha¡­ Oops, I guess that WAS an unsophisticated way to get a seed, huh?¡± ¨C Xeno remarked with a silly smile on his face. He figured that in the future he would search the berries for their seeds before consuming them¡­

    Xeno decided it was time to pack up as it was quite late now. He placed the corals in the wheel barrel carefully in order to not damage them and placed the tools in his Inventory. He felt weighted down as these tools were definitely not as light as the plants he was carrying, but he continued on his way in this manner.

    He went to his room and carefully placed the corals on the side of the room, organized in a way to take up the least amount of space. After he made sure the corals were okay, he went to the warehouse and placed the tools and wheel barrel back in their places.

    Back in his room, he went to a chest he had previously bought in order to keep conches in the future and emptied it of the few conches he really had. Then he started to place the plants he had collected that day inside as organized as he could with his weary eyes¡­ Soon after that, he went to sleep.

    <hr />

    Day 5: Josh

    Josh ¨C ¡°Alright, you promised to help right?¡±

    Phio ¨C ¡°Ye-yes, bu-but¡­¡±

    ¡°Come on! I need your help, please? I promised to only practice with a friend¡­¡±

    ¡°Bu-but why m-me?!¡±

    ¡°Because you can make sure I don¡¯t die if I blow myself up!¡±

    ¡°Wh-what?! B-BLOW YOURSELF UP?!¡±

    ¡°Ah, yeah! What I¡¯m going to do is dangerous so I don¡¯t want to die, so help me?¡±

    ¡°Wh-WHY MUST YOU PUT YOU-YOURSELF IN DA-DANGER?!¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s for my dream! I want to be a mage!¡±

    ¡°B-but to put yourself in da-danger¡­ is¡­¡±

    ¡°Listen, I got some info on some training that is less dangerous that what I usually do, but I still promised I¡¯d be more careful. It won¡¯t be as bad as you are thinking, okay?¡±

    ¡°P-promise?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Phio! I promise to be careful!¡±

    ¡°oh¡­ Okay¡­ B-but remember your promise!¡±

    ¡°No prob! Now let¡¯s get started!¡±

    <hr />

    Day 6: Xeno

    Today, Xeno was barely able to rise from his bed when the alarm went off, as tired and stiff as he felt. He had tweaked the alarm so it rang an hour earlier than yesterday, he would need the extra time if he was to complete his task for today. He swiftly bathed and checked the corals for berries which he picked and placed in his inventory for later in the day.

    Xeno swam to the warehouse and picked todays tools: shovel, pickaxe, hoe, rake and of course the wheel barrel. He then swam back to his plot of land and compared it to the others. His was amongst the best refined in the area, but not the best out of them all. He noticed though that the ones that seemed more refined than his were only half-way through in their cleaning, so he didn¡¯t felt too bad about it. He picked the shovel and started digging.

    By the time the other Maomer came to their plots, he had had to move the wheel barrel to the disembarking area 4 times already, but that amounted to barely 5% of all the sand he had to move today. What¡¯s more, sometimes he found stones imbedded within the sand, causing him to waste time crushing the stones out of the location before continuing.

    He was getting tired more easily today as he was doing hard work rather than simply gathering, but he felt that he could continue for much longer than the third day in which he basically collapsed¡­ Xeno wasn¡¯t counting on getting lucky and getting blessed today again, so he was taking a minute long rest each time he went to the disembarking area and ate a mouthful of whale milk and some berries, which he made sure to peel and slice so he could find their seeds. The seeds were then placed in his inventory for future use while the sliced berries were eaten as if they were slices of apple.

    As he took his tenth break, he was called by the architects in charge of collecting the materials who thanked him for separating the corals and stones. They were quite curious as to what he had done to the plants and were pleasantly surprised when he explained that he kept them as he thought he could make use of them. They offered to give him the plants that were in the piles of the other Maomer as thanks, which he accepted with a smile before excusing himself to continue his work.

    Around noon, he had finished around three fourths of his plot of land and was the one with the most area leveled. He didn¡¯t feel too happy though as he still wanted to prepare the area so he could plant the seeds tomorrow and he still hadn¡¯t finished leveling. Seeing as he was so close to finishing, he decided to pull through and only take a rest every five trips instead of after every trip. He continued like this, but was forced to extend his breaks to three minutes as he didn¡¯t want to neither overexert his body nor waste time resting too much.

    By the afternoon, as night began to set in, he delivered the final drop of sand and dirt. His pile of it was quite huge now as it was a mountain¡¯s worth of it. He was thanked for his effort by the architects who presented him with three medium sized piles of plants. The amount of plants here was lower than the amount of plants he had in his room. The architects explained that most of the plants brought by the others were either too damaged due to the rough treatment of their removal and transportation or simply were long dead. Xeno thanked them for the plants which he placed in his inventory.

    Back at the plot of land, he picked the hoe and began to soften the earth with calm and patience, thus taking him an additional hour than yesterday. After applying the rake to smooth the surface, he packed the tools and left them at the Warehouse.

    In his room, he tiredly picked the plants from his inventory and tried to classify and organize them with the ones he had already collected. He considered placing the seeds inside as well, but decided to first buy some bags in order to keep seeds of the same plant/coral together and separate from the rest.

    Thinking the word rest, Xeno collapsed upon his bed and fell into deep slumber¡­

    <hr />

    Day 6: Phio

    Phio was still greatly worried about her friend as he tried to use his so called magic. Phio had always known he wanted to be a mage, but she had never considered he would put himself in danger by pushing himself to become one.

    Josh was concentrating as an orb of energy appeared slightly to the side of his target location. He was concentrating so much that veins could be seen if one looked closely to his soft blue skin.

    Phio was alarmed at this, but calmed down as she remembered the description Josh had given her of the way he had been practicing before he was told of this method. She shuddered as she wondered just how close she had come to having to go to her friend¡¯s funeral. She was truly thankful to the man who had helped Josh out.

    Suddenly, Phio¡¯s skin turned slightly brighter as she remembered the man who so diligently cut the weeds the other day and even spoke amicably to the others in the barn the very next day. She was curious as to this fellow, as she didn¡¯t expect anyone to put so much effort into a task that most play off as simple work without any drive.

    As she had seen him about to falter due to his fatigue, she was surprised to see him stand back up and continue slashing and hacking at the weeds. At that moment, Phio had been compelled to help him and blessed him with her magic. The next moment would be etched in her memory as the man seemingly lost himself in his task to the point that he didn¡¯t stop even once until his task was finished, her blessings keeping up with his effort to the point that she only managed to fully heal him when he stopped completely.

    Afterwards, she was too embarrassed to talk to him for too long and swam away when he looked the other way. Once she was far from anyone, she cursed her timid personality half-heartedly and sighed. She wanted to apologize, but when she found him he was already asleep so she couldn¡¯t. The next day when she saw him enter the barn she followed to say it, but whenever she got close and he looked her way, she hid herself. She was mad with herself and escaped the barn and spent the day thinking about what to do¡­

    The next day, Josh had come to her in order to get her to help him practice his magic. She was reluctant both because she didn¡¯t want him to get hurt and because she wanted to see what that guy was doing, but decided to help him as he explained what had happened to him.

    Now she watched as her friend tried to master the basics of magic. She was amazed at his progress though, yesterday he had trouble keeping the manifestation in check, but today he was simply trying to move the spell to the exact location he wanted it. It may not be moving at all yet, but she felt the surge of mana within Josh changing as he concentrated. She knew it would not be long before he could move it, if only slightly.

    Phio began to compare the magic Josh¡¯s manifestation with her own. Her magic¡¯s controlled by her voice, which she sent to others via telepathy. Her favorite method of magic wielding, the Song method, was usually used by Bards, Singers and Divas of various kinds. When she was young, she was blessed by the mother sea with a song that could cure as per her deep wish. She was truly thankful for this gift which she could help others with, but sometimes she wishes she had wished to be less timid¡­

    ¡°YES! I DID IT!¡±

    Phio looked at the spell dissipate as Josh celebrated his success. Seeing that the spell had dissipated, Phio slapped Josh¡¯s head with one of her tentacles.

    ¡°Ouch! Why¡­?¡±

    ¡°You let the spell go poof¡­¡±

    Josh looked dejected as he now noticed his folly ¨C ¡°Aww, man¡­¡±

    He began to concentrate once again, trying to repeat what he had just managed to accomplish. Phio continued to watch his progress that day, feeling slightly elated that her friend would be closer to achieving his dream¡­

    <hr />

    Day 7: Mc Neel

    Mc Neel hadn¡¯t seen Xeno the past two days, but figured that he was still working on his plot of land, most likely trying to dig up the entirety of the earth so he can quickly plant the seeds. Mc Neel expected this as the bare maximum and minimum that Xeno would be able to achieve according to what he had seen already of him. He had no doubt that Xeno would try to complete his quota at any cost, but he knew it was quite hard to actually complete it.

    Nevertheless, Mc Neel had sent the seeds over to his plot of land through one of the workers of the establishment. He had sent high grade Seaweed seeds in order to make up for his trick. These would grow into normal-sized seaweeds once planted, well¡­ normal-sized for this village anyways.

    Though if he seeds were kindly planted in specially prepared earth, then their growth would be incredible, most likely reaching half-way to the surface of the ocean. Now, you might think this would be a waste of high quality seeds, but the village had more than enough seaweeds to go around as well as many chests full of seeds of this kind. No one would miss them even if he took a million of them, let alone a measly 300.

    Mc Neel continued searching through his documents, but his thoughts were still on the boy who had surprised him with his diligence and attitude for work. He sometimes wondered just how was his life in the other world for him to end up as such a good worker. He pushed the thought away, as he didn¡¯t want to pry into the boy¡¯s personal business¡­

    <hr />

    Day 7: Josh

    Yesterday I made a huge advancement in my magic! I can now maintain my spell for as long as ten minutes without it exploding! Not only that, but I can now move it around the circle too. Even Phio was impressed! I don¡¯t think I¡¯ll be able to create a second spell as I control the first one though¡­

    Maybe I should talk with Xeno to see if he can think of a better way to train my ¡°dual casting¡± as Phio called what I was trying to do¡­ I wonder what he¡¯s doing now... I haven¡¯t really seen him recently in the barn and last time I saw him was three days ago. Where could he have gone to? I guess I¡¯ll have Phio accompany in searching for him!

    <hr />

    Day 7: Phio

    Phio was taken aback when Josh suddenly decided to go look for Xeno, but she complied as she was curious as to what he was doing now. Also, she was worried that he might be overexerting himself again¡­

    She didn¡¯t tell Josh about this though as she had yet to mention what had happened between them to Josh yet. Surely Josh would berate her from running away after helping him, right? She didn¡¯t want that¡­ That¡¯s why she decided to say sorry before telling Josh a word about it!

    Still, in order to say sorry she had to find him first¡­ So she told Josh that they should ask the Maomer if they knew where he was. Josh liked the idea and quickly swam towards the first one he could find, at a speed that would be considered antonymous with a slug.

    The first few Maomer didn¡¯t seem to understand who Josh was asking for, and without wonder as he was barely giving a description of the man that sounded sort of like this:

    ¡°The Maomer guy with black eyes and blue skin that knows about magic and helped me learn it!¡±

    Honestly, Josh can be quite infantile sometimes¡­ - and so Phio decided to ask herself.

    ¡°Errr¡­ We¡¯re l-looking f-for a Ma-maomer with b-black hair with a w-white stripe. Th-the new one th-that works hard¡­¡± ¨C Oh, splendid Phio¡­ You¡¯re no slouch with words either¡­ - she thought.

    ¡°Ahhh¡­ You meant Xeno? Yeah, he¡¯s working over at¡­¡±

    This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

    <hr />

    Day 7: Rupert

    ¡°Oof! Thanks Doc, ma back was killing me today.¡±

    ¡°No problem, Mr. Rupert. Please remember to take it easy?¡±

    ¡°Gahaha, you know that won¡¯t do Doc. I¡¯m a Maomer and the Head Librarian at that; I can¡¯t go down any time soon!¡± ¨C he replied in a joking manner.

    ¡°Sigh, I suppose so¡­¡±

    ¡°By the way Doc, have you heard from the lad?¡±

    ¡°Not so far Mr Ruppert, but the full week will be completed tomorrow so it stands to reason that Mc Neel would send the young one here on that day.¡±

    ¡°True true¡­¡±

    The Doc looked at the librarian with suspicion and asked him ¨C ¡°What are you planning to do now?¡±

    Innocently, the librarian answered - ¡°Oh, nothing much. Just see how the lad is doing his job and all that¡­¡±

    ¡°You know it¡¯s terribly rude to meddle in the apprenticeship of others¡­¡±

    ¡°Aye, I know¡­ But I¡¯m just curious to know if he is as diligent in his work as he was in his studies¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah¡­ Having second thoughts about letting him go to Mc Neel instead of turning him into a Lythomath?¡± ¨C he asked knowingly

    ¡°Mayhap¡­¡± ¨C he answered evasively ¨C ¡°Though, deep down I believe him to have the take of a Polymath rather than Lythomath¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh? And the difference between these two are?¡±

    ¡°Sigh, a Lythomath is a lover of knowledge for knowledge¡¯s sake, he would obtain the knowledge in order to be able to pursue other types of knowledge. On the other hand, a Polymath learns so that he may use that knowledge whenever he may need it, not just for knowledge¡¯s sake¡­¡±

    ¡°And this assessment is because?¡±

    ¡°Once I saw the abilities he learned while he studied, I had an inkling about it, but after searching the conches he had read while he waited for me I was convinced¡­¡±

    ¡°Curious, and pray tell what book convinced you?¡±

    ¡°Aye, he was fishing fer information about the ocean, about the city, about the ecosystems close by and what could be found in them¡­ Everything he might need to know if he were to travel to those locations.¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ This does seem to go with the definition you mentioned before¡­ It is very likely that he searched for that information because that¡¯s exactly what he pretended to do¡­¡±

    ¡°Aye, that¡¯s why I sent him to Mc Neel; he needs a strong body to go along with his knowledge¡­ Else he might run into trouble.¡±

    ¡°These things considered, you have piqued my curiosity¡­ Perhaps I¡¯ll accompany you and see if the youngster is healthy along the way, no need to wait an additional day!¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t that be problematic for your patients?¡±

    ¡°Nonsense! My apprentice needs experience dealing with clients on his own, so this marks a good time to give him that experience. This is especially true since the only client he might receive would be soldiers with a sprained muscle or torn bone, both of which are quite simple to handle.¡±

    ¡°Hohoho, using your apprentice to procrastinate are yee?¡±

    ¡°Quiet you¡­¡±

    <hr />

    Day 7: Xeno

    Xeno was picking up the Aragendo Berries that sprouted today when the door to his room was knocked. He stood and opened the door. Outside was a seemingly deathly thin male Maomer with nerdy glasses, his black hair was messy beyond grooming and his clothes looked to be in tatters. However, he didn¡¯t seem to mind as he scribbled in his notepad furiously.

    ¡°Are you the new intern: Xeno?¡± ¨C his voice squeaked.

    ¡°Yes?¡±

    He looked up from his notepad and searched his bag after giving Xeno a superficial glance ¨C ¡°The Boss sent these to you.¡± ¨C he gave Xeno a small bag filled with seeds. ¨C ¡°He also mentioned that he¡¯ll be around to see your work in the afternoon, just before night falls. He seems to be looking forward to whatever it is you are doing¡­¡±

    ¡°Really?¡±

    The clerk was furiously writing in his notepad again and seemingly had not heard his reply. Feeling a bit discomforted, Xeno excused himself and was about to close the door:

    ¡°Are those corals inside your room?¡± ¨C he asked in a curious tone.

    ¡°Ah, yes. They were amongst the trash that I was collecting before, so I brought them here since they were useful.¡±

    ¡°Useful how?¡± ¨C he didn¡¯t seem to understand, so Xeno gave him one of the berries he had picked up. The clerk inspected the berry intently from all directions before taking a bite out of it. ¨C ¡°Hmmm¡­ Aragendo Berry Corals? A nice find you got there, those are quite rare. A bit of a shame the quality isn¡¯t up to standard, but nothing some good care won¡¯t fix.¡±

    Xeno¡¯s interest was piqued ¨C ¡°Do you happen to know of a good way to care for them?¡±

    ¡°Not really, but the Coral Farmers of the East would be able to give you some good advice if you truly want to keep them.¡±

    ¡°Oh, thanks for the information!¡±

    ¡°No problems, share some more once their quality reaches 5, kay? Name¡¯s Dio by the way. Now I need to head over to¡­¡± ¨C he walked away as he mumbled under his breath¡­

    Xeno considered that Dio was a bit strange, but seemingly easy to get along with once you knew him well enough. He finished picking up his berries, placed the Seed Bag in his pocket and went over to the Warehouse to pick up the tools he needed today: fertilizer, a shovel, a hoe, and a rake¡­

    At the plot of land, Xeno inspected the bag and counted 300 seeds. He figured he had to divide the plot cleanly so that the seeds would grow neatly, without pushing each other, as well as leaving enough space to walk between them. He considered what to do first and decided to place the fertilizer upon the ground and prepare the soil.

    Later, he went back to the Warehouse and brought some ropes. He used them in order to cleanly divide the plot of land into segments (30 X 40), each segment being around a foot squared. In short, every seaweed would be a little over a food apart from every other seaweed, giving enough space to move around.

    Having finished dividing the plot of land, Xeno decided to take a quick break and took out his milk bottle. But before he could uncap it:

    ¡°XENO!¡±

    He looked in the direction his name was being called and saw a bright blue sea slug and a shiny pink sea angel swimming over to him. He smiled as he saw the act of the two kids. The other workers, who weren¡¯t working as they watched Xeno work with unbelieving expressions, were surprised to see the two little kids swimming over to him.

    ¡°Hey, Xeno! Guess what?! I can use magic now!¡±

    ¡°Really? You finished the training already?!¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ Not exactly¡­ I finished the first and second parts of the training, but I can¡¯t get the hang of dual casting yet.¡± ¨C he answered dejected.

    ¡°Haha, you finished those parts of the training much faster that you should¡¯ve, you should feel proud about it rather than sad about needing help over something even more complicated¡­¡± ¨C said Xeno as he rubbed the sea slug¡¯s head.

    ¡°Okay¡­ But what do I do now to learn?¡± ¨C he asked expectantly.

    ¡°Well¡­ I can¡¯t help you right now since I have some work left to do, but if you wait a bit I could figure something out¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯cha doing?¡± ¨C in an extremely curious tone.

    ¡°Well¡­ I¡¯m planting a seaweed field.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ Can I help? And Phio too!¡±

    Xeno looked at the sea angel who, inefficiently, hid behind Josh ¨C ¡°Sure, if she wants to?¡±

    The sea angel seemed a bit taken aback in Xeno¡¯s opinion, but said ¨C ¡°O-okay¡­ If I can¡­¡±

    Xeno then proceeded to explain how to plant the seeds, while stopping the energetic Josh from planting the seeds now in his excitement. After explaining to them the method they would use, they began to work.

    First Xeno would use the hoe to lightly move the fertilizer, and then Josh would place a single seed in the location Xeno had opened up. After Xeno had returned the fertilizer to its proper location and moved on to the next spot, Phio would float above the seed and bless the seedling with her powers. This blessing would slightly speed up the growth process; in fact after she finished her blessing on a seed there was always a sprout growing there already.

    Feeling elated at their speed, Xeno thanked the two as they worked. Once they were half-way through, Xeno decided to take a break, not for himself, but for his friends who weren¡¯t used to this kind of work. He shared his Arangora Berries and Whale Milk with them, though honestly it is more likely to say that Josh swallowed the berries in gusto while Phio slowly took sips of milk.

    After the break, they finished the rest of the seeds in one go. As Josh and Phio rested again, Xeno started to pull the ropes out of the field carefully in order to make sure the sprouts weren¡¯t affected. Once he finished this, he rolled the rope and placed it alongside the other tools in his inventory.

    ¡°Okay, Josh you ready for your dual casting training?¡±

    ¡°YES!¡± ¨C he yelled like an excited puppy wagging his tail for a treat.

    ¡°Okay, listen closely. In order for you to master dual casting you need to be able to concentrate on multiple things on an equal level.¡±

    ¡°Wha?¡±

    ¡°Let¡¯s put it this way¡­ Place your left feeler in your head. Ok now place your right feeler in your tummy.¡±

    ¡°I look ridiculous¡­¡±

    ¡°Come on, just a bit more¡­ Now you have to pat your head while rubbing your tummy.¡±

    Josh tried to do so, but he quickly realized how tricky such a simple thing was. If he concentrated on his left feeler, then he started patting his belly instead of rubbing it. If he concentrated in his right feeler, then he started rubbing his head instead of patting it.

    ¡°This¡­ is harder than I thought!¡±

    ¡°Right, this is basic dual concentration; you try to do two completely different things at the same time without committing any mistakes.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°I know it seems very hard, but it¡¯s only a matter of practice. Once you get the hang of it, you¡¯ll be able to cast many simultaneous spells.¡±

    ¡°So if I practice like this I can become a mage?¡±

    ¡°Nope, if you practice like this, you can become a GREAT mage.¡±

    ¡°YAY! You heard that, Phio? I will become a GREAT mage!¡±

    ¡°Th-that¡¯s good for yo-you¡­ Josh¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯ll practice hard from now on!¡±

    ¡°Hohoho! It seems you are having fun here, lad! My worries were wasted, were they not Doc?¡±

    ¡°Indeed they were, though even I¡¯m surprised at the youngster¡¯s knowledge about magic¡­ Are you sure he doesn¡¯t want to be a mage?¡±

    ¡°No Doc, No. He told me himself that he didn¡¯t want to become one.¡±

    ¡°Quite a strange world this is, where those with the most knowledge about magic don¡¯t WANT to learn magic¡­¡±

    Xeno ¨C ¡°Mr Rupert? Doc?¡±

    ¡°Yes lad, it is us! We thought we might as well come see how you were doing working for Mc Neel, but here we found you tending to the young creatures.¡±

    ¡°Indeed, I half expected Mc Neel to work you to the bone. Instead he places you working with animals? I¡¯m quite surprised in all honesty, though it does suit you¡­¡±

    ¡°Errr¡­ I think there¡¯s a misunderstanding here¡­¡±

    ¡°HEY, BOY? HOW¡¯S THE WORK COMING ALONG?¡± ¨C came a yell from afar as Mc Neel swam over to see them. ¨C ¡°Doc? Old Geezer? What are you two doing here?¡±

    ¡°Aye, chap. We came here to check up on the laddie, make sure you haven¡¯t broken him!¡±

    ¡°Oy! I¡¯m harsh, but not a sicko!¡±

    ¡°Tell that to your previous apprentices¡­ Those muscles took days to fully heal¡­¡±

    ¡°Oy! That was back when I was young and ignorant!¡±

    ¡°That was last year¡­¡±

    ¡°Exactly!¡±

    The three continued their conversation in this manner, completely forgetting about Xeno, Josh and Phia for the moment¡­ Xeno rubbed his head with the headache that was coming to him as he listened to these guys while Josh and Phia looked between the three arguing adults, barely following their conversation¡­ And understanding none of it¡­

    ¡°Sir Mc Neel, I believe you should stop this so we can get on with business?¡± ¨C Dio interrupted out of nowhere.

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°AGH! Don¡¯t appear out of nowhere Dio! You¡¯re gonna give the Old Geezer a heart attack!¡±

    Dio ¨C ¡°Then why were you he one yelling?¡±

    Mr Rupert ¨C ¡°He got you there Chap!¡±

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°TCH! Fine, I¡¯ll get on with this¡­ Seriously¡­ So which plot is yours boy?¡±

    Before Xeno could answer, he was interrupted ¨C ¡°Plot? As in plot of land? Weren¡¯t you making the lad take care of these younglings?¡±

    Doc ¨C ¡°I believe Xeno tried to dissuade this just as Mc Neel arrived, so I would gather that no¡­¡±

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°Why would I put a good worker working in only taking care of the livestock? Makes no sense to me¡­¡±

    Mr Rupert seemed a bit sad that his conjecture was shot down, meanwhile in order to prevent being interrupted again Xeno said:

    ¡°It¡¯s that one.¡± ¨C as he pointed towards his plot.

    The three adults turned around to look at the plot of land whilst Dio merely turned his head.

    Doc ¨C ¡°*whistle* So Mc Neel asked you to plant seeds now? A bit tamer than I¡¯d imagine, but you really did a splendid job.¡±

    Mr Rupert ¨C ¡°I¡¯ll say, these sprouts look beyond healthy and the spacing between each one is just right to squeeze between each one. I¡¯m sure the animals will love swimming around them once they grow to sufficient size.¡±

    However, Mc Neel didn¡¯t make any comment. Neither did Dio for that matter, as he at least knew he had given those seeds to Xeno this morning. Mc Neel had a mixture of emotions: pride at Xeno for finishing the job he considered impossible without losing in quality, joyous at his creation of a perfect plot of land for the seeds to grow, mad at himself for doubting the boy, and scared witless at what he guessed what was about to happen.

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°Boy, how long did you plant these seeds?¡±

    ¡°Just finished planting them, sir!¡±

    Mc Neel relaxed as there was still time¡­

    ¡°What do you mean, laddie? These sprouts seem like they¡¯ve been here a few days at the least¡­¡±

    ¡°Ah, that must be because Phio here blessed them.¡±

    ¡°Oh? A sea angel? It is good to see one with such potent blessing miss. I¡¯ve heard about your talent, but did not find the opportunity to visit a fellow healer.¡±

    ¡°N-no¡­ I-it¡¯s f-fine¡­¡±

    ¡°I¡¯m a mage!¡±

    oh¡­ holy¡­ crap¡­

    The land began to shake just as Mc Neel finished this thought. The quake grew bigger and bigger, shaking the whole area with great strength.

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°EVERYONE BACK TO THE VILLAGE!!! NOW!!!!!!¡±

    <hr />

    On the surface of the ocean, a pair of fishermen was waiting patiently on their boat for fish to strike. It had been a slow day for the both of them and they only had about half the quota they needed to feed their respective families, as such they had moved much, much farther away than they had dared before in order to find more fish.

    ¡°Any luck Tom?¡±

    ¡°Nope, you Paul?¡±

    ¡°Not a snitch¡­ Wonder what¡¯s with the fishies lately¡­¡±

    ¡°No kidding¡­ No fishies are picking up our rods lately¡­¡±

    As the two fishermen wondered aloud what was wrong with the ocean, they felt the ocean¡¯s waves change direction for a moment. They looked concerned at each other.

    ¡°Was there a storm a brewing Tom?¡±

    ¡°Nope, think it¡¯s a whale Paul?¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t think so, they feel different than this¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t say, Paul¡­¡±

    They waited for a moment, but nothing happened, so they sat back up and threw their lines back in the water. A few moments later their boat tilted and was washes a great distance as humongous seaweeds sprouted right out of the ocean. They kept growing and growing until they were beyond the sight of the puny fishermen.

    ¡°WHAT THE HECK IS THAT TOM?!¡±

    ¡°I¡­ think it¡¯s¡­ seaweeds Paul!¡±

    ¡°SEAWEEDS DON¡¯T GROW THIS BIG TOM!¡±

    ¡°DON¡¯T YELL AT ME, PAUL! I CALL IT WHAT I SEE IT!¡±

    Suddenly, they heard a thunderous sound from up in the sky. The fishermen looked up in time to see the clouds parting, revealing a floating isle over the ocean¡­ was pierced by the seaweeds that continued to grow even more until they are lost from sight from these fishermen.

    ¡°Is¡­ that the Isle of the Icarians, Tark Norm?¡±

    ¡°I believe so, Paul¡­¡±

    The two fishermen stayed floating for a bit in the now calming waters watching the one of the Sky Isles, one of the usually called unreachable locations for land-based races, being pierced by mere seaweeds. Then, they decided to swim towards their ever moving boat which was beginning to get out of sight. These fishermen had a tale to tell and no one was gonna stop them!

    <hr />

    Chapter 5: Apprenticeship</a>

    <hr />

    And this chapter is finally finished. I hope you found the change of perspective and the way the different characters think to be interesting! I wanted to experiment a bit with changing the point of view of the story so that in the future when there are more characters in the protagonist¡¯s party I can give each one a good role to play!

    Those three days of hard work would be murder in real life that much I¡¯ll admit¡­ Particularly that second day; it¡¯s difficult to even imagine the amount of effort he had to put into finishing this ridiculous deadline. And this was merely a pre-test! Just what is Mc Neel going to do to our protagonist!

    I¡¯ve also presented Xeno¡¯s interest in wildlife in this chapter in the way he applied his knowledge in gathering those plants and corals for himself, quite resourceful really as now he doesn¡¯t need to pay for food for some time as he has a self-supplying organism in his room!

    Finally, related to the story anyways, there¡¯s the mention of two key terms that I threw in there just to keep you all on your toes. The Icarian race and the Sky Isles! Yeah, don¡¯t ask me about these two quite yet. Though they might not be very happy that their Isle is being pierce by 300 ever-growing seaweeds or maybe they are who knows they might like the taste of seaweeds, right?

    Anyways, this chap is over 7000 words long, nearly 8000 really. Longest chapter so far and it includes only three days unlike the previous one that included four days of training¡­ Since I wrote this whole thing in one go, I forgot to pay attention to not repeating words, but made sure there were few grammatical errors at least. Regardless, my internet connection is quite bad, same as last week¡­ I¡¯ll promise to post twice a week even if I have to travel to the next town in order to do so, but any more than that will be dicey¡­

    Hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

 Volume 1: Chapter 7: Proof of Worth

    Chapter 7: The Proof of Worth

    Xeno ¨C ¡°Next!¡±

    A seahorse entered the room in which Xeno currently was and floated over the bed. It seemed quite tired and covered in dirt all over its body. It seemed to barely be able to keep itself afloat because of the extra weight of the dirt¡­

    Xeno took a clean cloth and began to groom and clean the seahorse, removing the dirt from every inch of its body. After a few minutes, the seahorse was clean but Xeno took a little more time in order to fully inspect the seahorse. It still seemed quite weak even though it was now a bit more energetic thanks to the grooming¡­

    Xeno finished examining the seahorse and took out some fruits from his inventory and made sure the seahorse ate them all. There was no reason to make sure of this as once the seahorse started eating it didn¡¯t seem capable of stopping; whether this was because it had been some time since it last ate or because they were just that delicious, it was unknown.

    Once the seahorse finished the food Xeno had given it, he stealthily took out a needle and injected the bloated seahorse with some vitamins. The seahorse seemed shocked and a bit in pain from the sudden sting of the needle, but allowed itself be injected.

    After this, Xeno checked the seahorse¡¯s condition which seemed a lot better than when it had entered the room. Satisfied that the seahorse was healthy, Xeno allowed it to leave and called out for the next patient.

    <hr />

    After the seaweeds went out of control and started growing exponentially, plenty of dirt and stones were blown through the water. These became projectiles that hurt plenty of the animals and even Maomer in the area. The projectiles reached all the way into the village!

    Facing a large number of wounded, the Doc scurried back to the clinic to attend the patients. Feeling quite guilty over this event, Xeno began to help move the wounded towards the clinic while Mc Neel and Mr. Rupert tried to figure out a way to stop the still growing seaweeds. The first he brought to the clinic were naturally Josh and Phio who were right next to him when the seaweeds began to grow. While they were mostly protected by the debris from him and the others, the strong current had still left them quite unsettled.

    With those two waiting in the clinic, he proceeded to help the other animals. Once he made sure that no more animals seemed to be in need of assistance to get to the clinic, he went over to the clinic with the intent to help out however he could.

    The Doc seeing his resolve to help out gave him the task of handling the animals. He was tasked with cleaning and tending to their wounds as well as feeding them and injecting them with vitamins. However, cases where the animal seemed to be greatly injured were taken by the Doc himself. Luckily these cases seemed to be very few.

    The Doc, Xeno, and the Doc¡¯s apprentice continued to tend to the wounded till late at night, at which point the Doc insisted that Xeno needed to rest as well. While reluctant to do so as he still felt quite guilty over the incident, Xeno listened to his advice and went back to his room to sleep.

    <hr />

    That night, Mc Neel was still trying to figure out how to make the growth of the seaweeds stop. So far he hadn¡¯t have much luck as the seaweeds seemed immune to common poisons and were much harder to cut than usual to the point that several of their scissors and machetes had their blades dull due to the stress of trying to cut the seaweed¡­

    Mc Neel sighed as he continued to ponder over his next course of action when he felt a presence behind him. The presence was very familiar to him as it felt like a living forest was grazing over his neck ready to pull him to the depths, but at the same time carry him towards a bed to rest and recover. This unique combination of auras could only belong to one person Mc Neel knew¡­

    He turned around and saw an aging female Maomer. Her hair was seaweed green and her skin seemed to glimmer even with the occasional ¡°beauty mark¡±. White spots covered several parts of the visible skin, a true testament to her age. Her deep eyes a testament of the wisdom that had seen generations of life come and go.

    ¡°M-mam¡­¡± ¨C Mc Neel stuttered.

    The wise old woman looked at Mc Neel with disdain before saying ¨C ¡°What have you done now, son? Can you tell me why over half the populace had to go to the clinic today?¡±

    Mc Neel nervously thought of how to answer her ¨C ¡°Well¡­ See¡­ I got this new apprentice¡­¡±

    ¡°Blaming your apprentice?¡± ¨C she asked with even more disdain in her voice.

    ¡°NO MAM! THAT¡¯S NOT IT AT ALL!¡± ¨C answered Mc Neel greatly embarrassed. Blaming an apprentice for his actions was ridiculous as what the apprentice does is the master¡¯s responsibility.

    ¡°Then hurry it up and explain¡­¡±

    Mc Neel sighed and began to explain how he had given the new apprentice the tasks to test him and his skills and having been shown the great diligence of the boy he had decided to give him a nearly impossible task to test him. He proceeded to explain that the boy would have to level the plot of land and prepare it for plantation of seeds in three days.

    As the woman listened to her son¡¯s discourse, she began to understand her son¡¯s point of view, but the moment he mentioned the seeds he had given the boy and his reasons for doing so, she exploded:

    ¡°HOW DARE YOU!? I CLEARLY TOLD YOU THOSE SEEDS WERE NOT TO BE PLANTED UNLESS THE VILLAGE WAS GOING THROUGH A FAMINE OR ELSE THE SEAWEED FIELDS DIED DUE TO ILLNESS OR A SIMILAR EVENT! AND YET YOU GIVE THEM TO A BOY TO PLANT OUT OF PITY OF THE TASK YOU YOURSELF GAVE HIM!?!¡±

    ¡°M-mam, it wasn¡¯t like that at all¡­¡±

    ¡°DON¡¯T BACK-TALK TO ME WHEN¡­¡± ¨C the woman continued to yell a sermon at Mc Neel for several hours whilst all he could do was shrink with every word that was yelled at him. Mc Neel¡¯s guilt increased with every moment¡­

    Later, the woman was catching her breath as yelling for so long had left her breathless. Mc Neel on the other hand did not dare to rise from the floor or utter a single word. Sometime during the sermon, Mc Neel had kneeled on the floor asking for forgiveness and finally simply placed his forehead upon the floor in penance as his mother continued her spiel.

    ¡°Anyways, it was you who caused this mess so you are going to pay for it, got it?¡± ¨C said the woman when she caught her breath.

    ¡°Yes, Mam¡­¡±

    ¡°Though this apprentice of yours seems to be quite knowledgeable and hard working in order to fully prepare a plot of land in such a short amount of time¡­¡± ¨C she said in a tone that revealed her curiosity ¨C ¡°You said that this was a pre-test so that you could determine what to give him for a final test?¡±

    ¡°Yes, Mam¡­¡±

    ¡°And now that you saw his resolve, what kind of test are you planning to give him?¡±

    Mc Neel raised his head from the floor and looked at the woman ¨C ¡°No idea, Mam¡­¡±

    The woman quickly stepped on her idiotic son¡¯s head with all her strength. She could not believe that this was her son, not because it was unlike him, but because it embarrassed her to think that her descendant was him! Why Doc couldn¡¯t be her son, she wondered sometimes... While Mc Neel could sort of guess her thoughts, he couldn¡¯t raise himself to complain. On one hand he had messed up quite badly, on the other hand he considered Doc a brother already¡­

    The woman removed her foot from her son¡¯s head and looked over to the seaweeds the apprentice had planted. They were still growing even now and if her sight wasn¡¯t lying to her it was growing around 10 meters per minute. These seaweeds must¡¯ve long breached the surface of the water and were very far into the sky. Considering that a single individual was responsible for this, she could sort of understand her son¡¯s problem with determining a final test for this apprentice¡­

    But she had an idea of her own¡­

    ¡°Let the boy proof his worth¡­¡±

    <hr />

    Day 8

    Xeno woke up due to his alarm and started to do his daily necessities as he began to think about the earlier day. His consciousness still felt guilty and perplexed about the growth of the seaweeds, he could still not understand what had caused them to grow so much so fast¡­ He went over to his corals and started to pick up the berries that had sprouted today, and then went down to see Mc Neel. If possible, he wanted the day off to continue to help the injured at the clinic¡­

    Once he was at his office, he knocked the door but the voice that answered him was one he had not heard before ¨C ¡°Come in!¡±

    For a moment, Xeno thought he had confused the office, but quickly realized this was indeed Mc Neel¡¯s office. He entered the room and saw that Mc Neel was standing straight beside the desk he usually sat in. At the seat that Xeno usually found Mc Neel was a lady that he considered to be around her late 60¡¯s.

    ¡°Why hello! You must be the new my son¡¯s new apprentice?¡± ¨C said the lady in an amicable tone.

    ¡°Errr¡­ Yes, I am.¡± ¨C answered Xeno a bit confused. What was Mc Neel¡¯s mother doing here?

    ¡°Good! My name is Sanctarcia del G¨¹iona and am the Elder of this village. Just call me Elder as I understand that my name can be quite hard to pronounce.¡± ¨C she presented herself with a smile ¨C ¡°Now, I¡¯d like to excuse ourselves for yesterday¡¯s incident¡­¡±

    ¡°Huh? But¡­¡± ¨C said Xeno confused.

    ¡°Ah, right! You may not know, but it seems that there was a mistake with the seeds that were given to you to plant yesterday. Instead of grade 1 seeds that should¡¯ve been given to you, you received grade 20!¡±

    Xeno sucked his breath as he began to think. According to his knowledge, the grade of an item greatly affects what it can become when utilized. For example, a Grade 1 food item could restore Health by 5, but if the same item existed at Grade 5 it could restore 80 Health. The difference between Grade was multiplicative, with every grade being twice as effective as the previous grade.

    The highest Grade currently recorded by the players was a Grade 25 Dragon Meat Meal which raised the stats of the players who ate that meal by hundreds of points! It was speculated that there were greater Grade items in the world, but these were quite rare. As a matter of fact, there were less than a dozen of recorded items with a Grade of 20 or higher. Xeno was flabbergasted that he had actually planted 300 Grade 20 seeds¡­

    ¡°Ooooh! By your expression, I¡¯m guessing you understood what I meant when I mentioned the Grades of the seeds!¡± ¨C said the Elder joyfully ¨C ¡°So, no need to feel guilty anymore, kay? It was mostly our fault this time.¡± ¨C she said as she discreetly gave Mc Neel a look.

    Xeno suddenly felt that a large portion of his guilt was lifted off his shoulders. While he still felt bad over his part in the incident, he now didn¡¯t felt that the incident was completely his fault.

    ¡°Now, you still have three days of apprenticeship¡­ Son?¡± ¨C the Elder probed her son.

    ¡°Right!¡± ¨C Answered Mc Neel with more energy and discipline than Xeno had ever seen in him ¨C ¡°For the next two days you shall prepare yourself for the final test. The test may require some combat skills; as such you will be training with the cadets of the village, under the command of Sir Sion. After those two days have passed, you will report here to be briefed about the final test. That is all!¡±

    Xeno was a bit taken back because of the extremely formal way that Mc Neel was talking to him, but put it off as being forced to give orders while in the presence of his mother and the village¡¯s elder. Xeno said his goodbyes and exited the room¡­

    ¡°Ah, wait!¡± ¨C said Mc Neel out of a sudden. He walked over to Xeno with a bag in his hands ¨C ¡°I forgot to give you the recompense for the work of the previous days, here!¡±

    Xeno thanked him and left the place as he checked the contents of the bag, 15 Gold coins. He was a bit surprised at the quantity, but surmised it as an apology for the problem caused as well as the speed and quality of his work, ever-growing seaweed not-withstanding¡­ The first place Xeno decided to visit now was the market area at the center of the town, the plaza. There, he went to a store called Martha¡¯s Depot which sold useful items.

    ¡°Hello, what can I do for you today?¡± ¨C said the smiling clerk.

    ¡°Right, I¡¯d like some bags to carry large quantities of herbs; around 20. Also some rope in possible.¡±

    ¡°Sure, that will be 10 Gold and 20 Silvers!¡±

    Xeno coughed the coins from the bag he had just received; he had not bought the bags previously because their cost was 50 Silvers each. With the money he had collected previously, minus the money he had spent on milk and coral chips, he could at most buy 3 bags; as such he had decided to wait till later to buy the bags.

    Next, he went back to his room as started to place the seeds and plants in their own bags. After he had collected all the seeds and plants, he placed the bags in his inventory. Then, he went over to the corals and picked three of them, the ones he had observed gave the largest amount of berries as well as the ones with the best quality. He placed these three in his inventory as well.

    Once done, he exited his room and searched for Dio for a bit. He found him walking over to Mc Neel¡¯s office. He asked him if he could find someone to pick up the berries from the corals in his room and take care of them while he was absent. Dio complied and said he¡¯d find someone to do so and that they¡¯d probably accept some berries as payment. Xeno told him that they could take 20 berries each as daily payment and left towards the Southern Gate.

    Xeno entered the Guards¡¯ Building to search for Sir Sion, but immediately found him training the cadets within. They were practicing stabbing and defending with their spears while giving a high yell with each movement. While they seemed to be well practiced at first glance, Xeno noticed that many of them tumbled slightly as they swung their weapons.

    Sir Sion must¡¯ve seen the same as well as he gave those particular individual pointers with his trident. Xeno realized that Sir Sion had already replaced the one he gave him long ago with a newer one.

    Seeing that Sir Sion was occupied at the moment, Xeno decided to start practicing on his own for the moment. However, it did not take many swings for Xeno to realize that his muscles were a bit stiff, which in turn made his movements slightly stiffer as well.

    Realizing that he needed to warm up his body before starting to train it, Xeno decided to swim around the practice area. He swung his arms and legs repeatedly as he swam round after round around the entire premise. Once he finished his fifthteenth round, he stopped to catch his breath for a moment.

    At this time, he was approached by Sir Sion ¨C ¡°Ah, good to see you Xeno! I see that you decided to warm up a bit?¡±

    Xeno quickly caught his breath and answered ¨C ¡°Yep, I felt a bit stiff when I tried to train with the trident¡­¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s understandable, after all you spent the entire day yesterday either working on the fields or helping out at the clinic. After all that, it¡¯s little wonder your body¡¯s stiff!¡±

    ¡°Yeah¡­¡±

    ¡°Anyways, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit? I thought you were under the apprenticeship of Mc Neel?¡± ¨C He asked curiously.

    ¡°Right, but he ordered me to come here to train my combat skills before my final test.¡±

    ¡°OHO! So he did, did he?¡± ¨C said Sir Sion slightly surprised ¨C ¡°In that case, what do you wish to train with?¡±

    Xeno took out the weapons he possessed: the coral knife, the silver trident, and the rope he had bought previously ¨C ¡°I wish to train Close-Range Dagger Combat, Mid-Range Spear Combat, as well as some rope techniques if possible¡­¡±

    ¡°I understand that you wish to train your Spear Mastery as your primary way of fighting and your Dagger Mastery as a secondary fighting method in order to fend off enemies who get too close for the trident¡¯s effective range. However, I¡¯m afraid the only ¡°rope-like¡± technique that can be taught here is Net Throwing¡­¡± ¨C said Sir Sion slightly embarrassed.

    Xeno smiled ¨C ¡°No problem, I just need a place to train an old skill of mine.¡±

    ¡°Oh, so you actually KNOW something about ropes? Well, this isn¡¯t much surprising considering the manner in which you tied that crab¡­ Very well, which do you wish to train first?¡±

    ¡°I want to train my with my weapons today, then tomorrow try out my old rope skills.¡± ¨C answered Xeno succinctly.

    ¡°Very well, then let¡¯s start with that trident.¡±

    Xeno placed the other items in his bag and followed Sir Sion to another room. Inside the room was a wooden dummy that wielded a spear with both its wooden hands ¨C ¡°This here is the basic training room in our facility. You¡¯ll be fighting this wooden dummy while practicing your skills on it. The Dummy¡¯s level of proficiency can be modified to fit the trainee and it can become stronger along with the trainee. For the time being, I¡¯ll set it to the weakest possible and as you fight it it¡¯ll go up to your combat level.¡±

    Xeno approached the Dummy and looked at him, the Dummy spun around, seemingly sizing up Xeno as well. They attacked each other simultaneously, with Xeno¡¯s trident defending against the attacking spear as well as scoring a point against the Dummy.

    The two continued to attack and parry each other¡¯s attacks for a while. Sometimes, Sir Sion would give Xeno some words of advice:

    ¡°Strengthen the hold over the trident when it¡¯s about to collide, either attacking or defending, in order to increase its power while not reducing its swinging speed.¡±

    ¡°You are in the water, use it to your advantage to swim around the enemy to avoid or strike from any direction.¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t let down your guard; that just gives the enemy a chance to attack you. Though it can also give you an edge to purposely lower your guard in an area in order to make the enemy attack you when you are expecting it.¡±

    ¡°Okay, STOP!¡±

    With that, Xeno jumped backwards for a moment, dodging the Dummy¡¯s final stab while ending the first part of the practice. A breathless Xeno turned towards Sir Sion who looked both at him and the Dummy that seemed to be just a bit less tired than Xeno somehow...

    ¡°Hmmm¡­ Not bad for a first time, just how high are your basic stats?¡± ¨C asked Sir Sion

    ¡°No idea¡­¡± ¨C answered Xeno while still trying to catch his breath.

    ¡°Huh? Why don¡¯t you? Isn¡¯t it as easy as simply opening your character window?¡± ¨C asked Sir Sion slightly uncertain of Xeno¡¯s meaning behind those words.

    Xeno finally caught his breath and answered ¨C ¡°I kinda promised myself not to look at my Windows until I finished my Apprenticeship.¡±

    ¡°Ah, I see¡± ¨C understanding suddenly dawned upon Sir Sion ¨C ¡°In other words, you are still uncertain of how strong or weak you are, correct?¡±

    ¡°Regardless of how strong or weak I am, without the necessary skills and abilities to back up those stats, it is useless¡­¡± ¨C answered Xeno nonchalantly.

    ¡°Hahahahaha!¡± ¨C laughed Sir Sion joyfully ¨C ¡°In that case, I¡¯ll make sure to fully train that body of yours so that it fully memorizes the techniques you wish to learn! Now pick that knife of yours! You¡¯ll be dual wielding for now on!¡±

    That day, Xeno trained until the night descended using both his trident and dagger until he could use them naturally in combat. In addition, he was taught several skills such as Double Stab, Disarm, and Defense Circlet.

    The first skill caused the target to suffer twice as much damage when struck by a stabbing weapon, which in Xeno¡¯s case means either his Dagger or Trident. It is especially effective with his trident as his target would be affected by six different points of attack if it¡¯s launched correctly.

    Disarm on the other hand, was a simple skill which allowed one to disarm an opponent, causing their weapon to be launched far away. This skill was greatly affected by the actions of the user and the reaction of the target, so a target that¡¯s expecting you to disarm him won¡¯t be easy to disarm.

    Finally, Defense Circlet was a skill that allowed one to defend oneself from several directions at once using a special spinning technique. This skill was easier to use in the water and would be nearly impossible to replicate out of it.

    In addition to all of this, Sir Sion ingrained in Xeno a technique to rapidly equip weapons when surprised by attackers. Xeno was quite happy with today¡¯s work, especially since he had managed to obtain his first few skills! All he had to show for nearly a month of play was a bunch of abilities which, while increasing his over-all performance, did not help him much in combat.

    Xeno ate his snack of milk and berries while resting his body and watching the others being instructed by Sir Sion. Today¡¯s training was over for him, but Sir Sion still had to train the other recruits. Once he finished eating, Xeno rose from the floor and went towards the room that was given to him for the next two days. He fell on the bed and fell to slumber.

    <hr />

    Day 9

    The next day, Xeno woke up early thanks to the alarm he had brought and went down to the training area. There was no one around at this time, which was quite surprising for Xeno. He had expected this place to be full at this time of the day¡­

    Pushing these thoughts to the back of his mind, Xeno took out the rope he had bought the other day and started to tie knots. Before he could begin practicing, he needed to create the tools he was going to use while practicing.

    Knowing the poor Dexterity of the Maomer this time around, Xeno took his sweet time tying each individual knot. Little did he know that thanks to the delicate jobs he had realized while working under Mc Neel, his Dexterity had increased quite a bit. The webs in his hands now retracted slightly when his hands prepared themselves to work on handicrafts such as this.

    Around an hour after he started, Xeno had in his hands the prototype of his first tool: a net. The net was better built than the one he had used long ago to tie that crab¡¯s pincers, with the rope being compressed within each knot to ensure the strength and durability of the net. Still, because of this the net was quite a bit heavier than that one. It would be harder to throw it upon an enemy, but the enemy would have a much harder time getting rid of the net¡­

    Finished with his first tool, Xeno began to work on the second one, which was much trickier than this one due to the special knots required¡­ The net did not require any special knot as long as it was well tied, but this tool does require concentration to make correctly or else it will fail at important moments¡­

    Much later, Sir Sion arrived with the first batch of recruits to start training and saw Xeno over there, working on the ropes. He ordered the trainees to warm up with exercises and swam over to see what he was doing.

    As he arrived he noticed that Xeno¡¯s surroundings were filled with various ropes tools, out of which the only one he could ascertain was a rather heavy-looking net. He looked at the tool Xeno was working on now and realized what it was just as Xeno finished the final knot.

    ¡°A whip?¡±

    Xeno turned his head sideways, not having realized that Sir Sion had arrived yet ¨C ¡°Ah, Sir Sion! Yes, it¡¯s a type of whip, though the correct term would be Lazo.¡± ¨C he said as he showed him that one of the ends was tied to the body of the whip ¨C ¡°See, if the Lazo snares the enemy with this end, then when one pulls the other end the lazo closes on the first end with great pressure.¡±

    Sir Sion didn¡¯t quite understand what he meant, so Xeno showed him by using it on the Dummy. Once it was snared, he pulled the Lazo causing the Dummy to fly towards them. Xeno quickly repelled the flying Dummy with his trident while excusing himself.

    Sir Sion was interested about the Lazo, but decided to ask about the other things in the floor first. Xeno clearly indicated that those were failures he had created before he managed to create the Lazo. Once the one¡¯s in the floor got entangled, it was no longer possible to release them without cutting them to pieces¡­

    ¡°But that¡¯s the same for this Lazo as well, right?¡±

    ¡°Not at all, look.¡± ¨C Xeno proceeded to relax the hold of the Lazo, which caused the grip on the Dummy to relax. He swung the Lazo upwards, which in turn caused the portion that ensnared the Dummy to be pulled upwards, freeing the dummy from the constriction.

    After this, Xeno asked Sir Sion if there was somewhere he could practice throwing the net. He then guided Xeno to another room where some moving targets floated from one side of the room to the other.

    ¡°The speed of these targets modifies the same way that the Dummy modifies to you, so with each good throw you¡¯ll need better precision in order to hit the target. I suggest you also practice throwing your trident and knife at them so that you can have an additional combat repertoire.¡±

    That day, Xeno listened to his advice and practiced his throwing techniques. While it took some time to get used to the feel of throwing the weapons and net, after a few hours he managed to fully get the hang of the precision and accuracy he needed.

    Just a few hours before night fell, Xeno was practicing once again with his Lazo and Trident, by catching the Dummy with the Lazo and pulling him towards him only to repel it with his trident. The repeated action had a sort of therapeutic effect of Xeno as he watched the annoyed Dummy try every action it could think of to try to smash against Xeno without getting repelled.

    ¡°It seems you are having quite a bit of fun with the Dummy, Xeno. Hahaha!¡± ¨C said Sir Sion enjoying the show a bit.

    ¡°Hahaha, sorry! This was the best way I could think of to train with the Lazo¡­¡±

    ¡°I have a question though¡­ Why did you make a Lazo instead of a common stinger whip?¡±

    ¡°Ah, that¡­ Lazo¡¯s provide coverage by restraining the enemy, something that stinger whips have a hard time coping with, especially underwater¡­¡± ¨C Xeno explained.

    ¡°I see¡­ Well, your two days of training are up, so tomorrow morn you¡¯ll know what your final test is about, right?¡±

    ¡°Yep!¡±

    ¡°In that case here.¡± ¨C he gave Xeno a silver coated knife ¨C ¡°That coral knife won¡¯t be of much use in a real battle, since it¡¯ll break soon enough.¡±

    ¡°Th-thank!¡±

    ¡°I wish you good luck!¡± ¨C and with that, Sir Sion left him alone for the night.

    Soon after, Xeno went to the room and lay on the bed. He began to wonder just what his final test would be as his consciousness began to fade away¡­

    <hr />

    Day 10: Mc Neel

    Mc Neel was looking over the documents he was supposed to fill out as he waited for the individuals he had called for today to arrive. While he was reading the reports on the last few days, his mind began to wander about. Suddenly, the door of his office was knocked.

    ¡°Come in¡­¡± ¨C he said in a disinterested tone.

    A tall Maomer in silver armor entered the room and said ¨C ¡°Why did you call for me, Mc Neel? I thought you would be giving your apprentice his final test today?¡±

    ¡°Indeed I will, Sion. But I¡¯ll be having one of your guards be the boy¡¯s guide for some time¡­¡±

    ¡°Guide?¡± ¨C asked Sir Sion confused.

    ¡°Right, the boy will need to head beyond the Southern Gates for his test.¡± ¨C explained Mc Neel.

    ¡°I figured as much, but why does he need a guide? His geographical knowledge of this area should be even better than that of my men according to Mr. Ruppert¡­¡±

    ¡°The old geezer can suck a lemon for all I care. The boy needs a guide and that¡¯s it¡­¡± ¨C answered Mc Neel unemotionally.

    While Sir Sion found Mc Neel¡¯s attitude to be a bit strange, he relented from commenting and instead began to think of which one of his men to send to aid Xeno¡­ when the door was once again knocked.

    ¡°Come in¡­¡±

    Dio entered the room and waited patiently for Mc Neel to address him. Sir Sion sometimes wondered how Mc Neel managed to get such a secretary¡­ Then began to think about how his childhood friend, Dio, was when they were kids and realized that this was simply fate.

    ¡°Right, Dio. I need you to get me two items from the vault: Conch 34065 and Sphere 00000. Got it?¡± ¨C said Mc Neel in an ambivalent tone.

    ¡°Conch 34065 and Sphere 00000. Would you like them immediately or later in the day?¡± ¨C asked Dio seriously.

    ¡°Bring the conch immediately, but the sphere later¡­¡±

    ¡°Understood!¡± ¨C and so he left the room.

    Sir Sion was curious as to why Mc Neel used such codified terms to refer to items, but was wise enough not to ask him. If he did, he would know that this method had been devised by the Elder long ago and questioning her was out of the question¡­

    A few minutes afterwards, the door was once again knocked and Mc Neel once again allowed the individual to enter. Sir Sion half expected it to be Dio back from wherever with the item that was asked of him, but was wrong¡­ It was both Dio and Xeno entering the room.

    ¡°Ah, good. You¡¯re here, boy. Dio, the conch please¡­¡± ¨C Dio handed the conch over to Mc Neel and stood over in a corner of the room. ¨C ¡°This conch here holds an ability which you must utilize in order to pass the final test; the catch it that you must utilize it on a very specific monster. Dio will be giving you the details on that monster later on, for now just read this conch¡­¡±

    Xeno picked the conch and began reading it. Sir Sion was curious as to what the conch was about, but decided to keep silent for the time being. ¨C ¡°Right, one of Sir Sion¡¯s recruits will also be accompanying you on your test as a guide of sorts.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes about that¡­ Since you¡¯ll be going with him, Dio, do you mind going to the Guards¡¯ Building on your way out and telling Tyke to go with you guys?¡± ¨C asked Sir Sion

    ¡°Of course¡­¡± ¨C Answered Dio succinctly.

    Xeno finished reading the conch and his forehead started to shine brightly, the sign of a learned ability through the use of books or conches. He gave the conch back to Mc Neel who placed it on his desk.

    ¡°Okay, that¡¯ll be all for the time being boy. Make sure to pass this test, kay?¡± ¨C said Mc Neel

    ¡°Hum¡­ Okay¡­¡± ¨C answered Xeno seemingly confused, but somehow happy. He soon left the room along with Dio, leaving only Sir Sion and Mc Neel. Making use of the opportunity, Sir Sion decided to relieve his curiosity.

    ¡°So, what monster did you send Xeno to fight?¡± ¨C he began to think of the different monsters that lived over the Southern Gates. The large Crabbulates, the leech squids, the spearfish, the demonic clams, the poisonous urchins¡­

    ¡°Old Scrooge¡­¡±

    Ah, yes there¡¯s also¡­ ¡°WHAT?!¡± ¨C Sir Sion quickly picked Mc Neel by the scruff of his neck and yelled at him ¨C ¡°WHY ARE YOU SENDING HIM TO HIM!? DO YOU WANT TO KILL HIM!?!¡±

    Not reacting to the hand that¡¯s holding his neck or the powerful LancerKnight that could kill him in his rage, he answered ¨C ¡°Mam¡¯s idea¡­¡±

    Sir Sion quickly released Mc Neel¡¯s neck and started to pat down the neck-tie he had disorganized while looking around to see if the old witch was around. Seeing that she wasn¡¯t, Sir Sion sighed in relief and sat down back in his chair. There was no way Mc Neel or anyone else would dare go against the Elder¡­

    ¡°Still, what can her plan be? Sending the youngling to fight off that monster¡­¡± ¨C wondered Sir Sion.

    As an answer, Mc Neel simply showed him the book he had given to Xeno before. As Sir Sion read the tittle of the book, he was filled with realization as well as incredible dread¡­

    ¡°She wants him to¡­¡±

    <hr />

    Days 8-10: Tyke

    Tyke was amongst the strongest in the Guard under the tutelage of Sir Sion. He had always been proud of his strength in combat and considered himself quite smart as well. And this was not simple narcissism as the others in the Guard also considered him the best in their generation and looked up to him as their second in command. That is until the incident last almost exactly one month ago¡­

    In a battle against a Crabbulate, the squad was almost destroyed and he could do nothing. When placed under the pressure of having the lives of others in the hands of his orders, he could do nothing as he considered the consequences and the possible deaths of others. He could easily relinquish his life to have the others escape, but he could not have anyone else sacrifice themselves to bring down their enemy¡­

    A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

    While in the middle of his doubts, his captain had sent an unknown individual to help them out. This individual easily turned the tides of the battle in their favor by completely incapacitating the enemy, both on his own account and by making use of the squad. He had shown an ability to command above that of Tyke and superb strategies that left the squad wanting to better themselves!

    Tyke was amongst those who trained hard from that point onwards in order to be someone who could fight on equal terms with that individual. For weeks he trained not only his physical body, but also his mind by practicing mock battles between teams. His strategies were in his opinion not very subtle and very easy to grasp by the enemy, but they were effective. He had a long way to go in his opinion before he could reach the level of strategy shown by that individual¡­

    Then, three days ago, that individual came to the Guards¡¯ Building and started to swing his Trident, the symbol of being recognized by a Captain. His swings started sloppily, but gradually became more precise. Still, with an expression of discontent in his ability, he placed the trident back in his inventory and began to swim around the building.

    Tyke was confused as to the individual¡¯s aim with swimming, but continued to train his spear-wielding as he watched him swim. Slowly, Tyke noticed the speed of the individual increasing with each course around the building. Tyke was surprised to notice that the last couple of rounds he managed to finish before a full minute was up, something compounded by the fact that the area he was swimming in was a perimeter of around 80 feet. It wasn¡¯t the fastest swim Tyke had seen, but it was much faster than the speed he knew he and the other Guards could achieve right now¡­

    When the individual finished his 15<sup>th</sup>course, he stopped breathless. Tyke sighed, relieved as the individual was still Maomer and not undead or any of the sort. He watched as Sir Sion went to talk to the individual and called him Xeno (Hmmm? Quite a strange name¡­ is it Outworlder?). Immediately, he asked about his warm-up exercise (so that¡¯s what he was doing swimming¡­) as well as what he was doing here. It turned out that his master, Mc Neel, had sent him here to train for his final test.

    Now, Tyke didn¡¯t know Mc Neel personally, but he heard the rumors. He was a Maomer who supposedly loved exploiting the abilities of his workers, forcing them to achieve difficult quotas that required them to work almost constantly in order to receive their paychecks. And if they didn¡¯t complete their quotas, it was deducted from their pay! For Maomer, this idea was quite controversial. Suddenly, Tyke felt a bit of solitude for the young hero against the Crabbulate¡­

    Sir Sion then brought Xeno to the room with the Dummy. The Dummy was quite an enemy that all the guards had fought at least once. It was quite hard, particularly because the longer you stand against it, the stronger he becomes. Tyke figured that Sir Sion wanted to see Xeno¡¯s potential and would be out in a while. However, an hour went by and he saw no sign of them coming out.

    Curious, Tyke took a break and swam over to the room to take a peek. He was surprised to see Xeno fighting the Dummy which was attacking with greater speed, strength and vigor than Tyke had ever seen. The two parried each other¡¯s attacks and quickly launched counterattacks with their respective weapons. From the looks of Xeno¡¯s expression, the only thing that existed right now for him was his enemy. He was fully, completely concentrated on the task at hand.

    Suddenly, Sir Sion asked him to stop and Tyke scurried away to continue his training while keeping the image of the ultra-concentration of Xeno in his mind. He began to diligently swing his spear and train with even more vigor than before!

    The next day, he arrived alongside Sir Sion, determined to use every possible moment to reach Xeno who became his goal. However, Xeno was already there¡­ and he seemed to be tying knots? Tyke remembered the way he tied that Crabbulate and wondered if he was practicing to repeat that strategy or another similar one in the future, but was further surprised when he saw the net he had weaved. Just by looking at it, he could tell it was much, MUCH heavier than the silver coated armor he wore, let alone his net.

    However, this surprise did not compare to when Xeno pulled out his Lazo, ensnared the Dummy, pulled it towards him at great speeds, and then counterattacked with his trident. Tyke¡¯s eyes weren¡¯t the only ones popping out after that¡­

    Soon after, Sir Sion brought Xeno to a room only a few of the guards had visited before, Tyke included. It was a room to train your aim when throwing weapon and nets. Tyke figured Xeno wanted to try out throwing that ultra-heavy net as well as his trident and knife, so he decided to continue training as harshly as he could.

    Nearing the time when he usually went back home, Xeno exited the room. For a moment, Tyke thought he was calling it quits as well, but then he started playing see-saw with the Dummy again. To Tyke¡¯s surprise, the Dummy appeared to be completely at Xeno¡¯s mercy thanks to the Lazo, which allowed him to control the Dummy¡¯s flying trajectory and completely destroy the Dummy¡¯s balance. Even from the distance, Tyke could feel the fury emanating from the wooden doll¡­

    Soon afterwards, Sir Sion came and off-handily gave Xeno a Silver Coated Knife, the mark of having passed the Basic Training. Deep within Tyke¡¯s heart, he felt that Xeno deserved the prize for the Primary Training at least, but knew that only those who have trained at minimum a week within this building were eligible to obtain that prize. He himself had only been able to pass the Basic Training after a full week, so he had felt that that rule was just, but now he thought it a hindrance¡­

    Tyke sighed as Xeno left the place and he left towards his own home.

    Today, neither Xeno nor Sir Sion was anywhere to be seen. Tyke could guess that Xeno was back at Mc Neel¡¯s to deal with his final test whilst Sir Sion was probably dealing with some official matter, so he put the thought behind him as he continued to train. The others gossiped a bit about it, but seeing him training spurred their competitive spirit and soon enough they were working just as hard as he.

    This did not last long as the doors to the building opened and a certain individual no one here expected to enter entered, Dio. The Guards here knew Dio primarily because he was in a very strange and delicate position, he was considered subordinate and superior to almost every Maomer in a position of power. He was an ultra-secretary who worked directly under the Elder, someone no one wanted to mess around with.

    However, he likes being a secretary to most people and has sometimes been confused by outsiders as a community butler. Tyke laughed at the idea once upon a time, until Dio confirmed that he indeed had that class up to the Intermediate level¡­

    Dio walked over to him as he deliberated what he could be doing here. Seeing that Dio did not speak, Tyke remembered that unless directed he usually disliked starting conversations. Even when directed to tell someone something he would usually wait for the second party to ask before giving the information.

    ¡°Yes, Dio? Is something up?¡±

    Dio looked upwards and said ¨C ¡°Other than the roof, nothing.¡± ¨C before lowering his sights back at Tyke. Cold sweat dripped down Tyke¡¯s back as he was about to try again ¨C ¡°That was a joke by the way¡­¡±

    Tyke was barely able to keep himself from falling over, but from the sounds around him he could guess that many of the others weren¡¯t able to stop themselves. This guy¡¯s sense of humor can be quite strange sometimes¡­

    ¡°So, is there something you need of me?¡± ¨C asked Tyke nervously now.

    ¡°Indeed.¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± ¨C silence

    ¡°¡­¡±

    ¡°¡­¡± ¨C silence

    ¡°¡­¡± ¨C awkward¡­

    ¡°¡­¡± ¨C silence

    ¡°So what is it?¡± ¨C asked Tyke as the silence went on to an awkward amount of time.

    ¡°By order of Sir Sion, you are to accompany Mc Neel¡¯s Apprentice as a guide as he completes his mission.¡± ¨C said Dio mechanically.

    ¡°Mission? You mean his final test?¡± ¨C asked Tyke in slight doubt.

    ¡°Correct.¡±

    Tyke began quickly began to think about the requirements for a test to become a mission. If he was correct, the test should solve a great problem that the village had had since long ago and the idea for the giving of this task to Xeno should have been from the Elder¡­ Tyke wasn¡¯t too worried about it for the time being.

    ¡°Very well, let¡¯s go!¡±

    ¡°Please follow¡­¡± ¨C Dio left the building with Tyke following behind. Outside, Dio stood by the opened gate and waited. Seeing that Xeno was not here yet, he asked Dio:

    ¡°Where is he?¡±

    ¡°Xeno is currently purchasing items he deems might be necessary.¡±

    ¡°Oh?¡± ¨C Tyke was interested, perhaps he could guess the nature of the quest by what he wanted to buy ¨C ¡°And those items would be?¡±

    ¡°If my projections are correct, his reserves of whale milk should be running dry, so he should be buying a dozen or two.¡±

    Tyke waited for a moment, expecting Dio to say he was joking again, but seeing that he was serious he continued digging for information ¨C ¡°That¡¯s it?¡±

    ¡°Negative, due to the waste of rope he did the previous day, his reserves of that material are also low.¡±

    Tyke seriously wanted to just ask what the mission was about, but considered that would be bad manners¡­ You just don¡¯t ask about another¡¯s mission when that person isn¡¯t even there and the mission is still ongoing!

    About half an hour later, Xeno arrived carrying a rather large backpack. The backpack seemed to be rather empty though and didn¡¯t reduce his swimming speed at all.

    ¡°Thanks for the backpack, Dio. This will make the journey much easier.¡±

    ¡°You¡¯re welcome¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, you must be Tyke! Pleasure to meet you!¡±

    ¡°Haha¡­ Yeah, though we already met¡­¡±

    ¡°Ha?¡± ¨C he began to think ¨C ¡°Ah, right! You¡¯re the one who also tried to tie the crab¡¯s pincers!¡±

    Tyke laughed dryly as he remembered the thing that was left unsaid¡­ How it did not even occur to him to use his net as a rope¡­ - ¡°Right¡­ hehehe¡­ Anyways, it¡¯s been almost a month since then and those Crabbulates are easy pickings for the Guards now! We can even take one individually!¡± ¨C he told Xeno proudly, though he was sure the other one could take two at the same time if necessary with his Lazo.

    ¡°Oh, great! Then we can cover more ground more quickly!¡± ¨C said Xeno with a hint of relief. I can¡¯t really complain about it since I did show a bad side of me that day¡­

    ¡°By the way, what¡¯s the mission about?¡±

    ¡°Ah! Well¡­ I need to find a certain monster that appears a bit far off from the Southern Gate¡­¡±

    ¡°Okay¡­ Which monster is it?¡±

    ¡°Dio says I¡¯ll know when I see it and if I don¡¯t THEN he will tell me¡­¡±

    Tyke could only hold his silence as he thought about the harshness of the mission. After all, telling one to find a very specific monster without telling one anything ABOUT said monster is truly like finding a needle within a field of urchins¡­

    Regardless of the mission¡¯s dubiousness, Xeno exited the gates with both Dio and Tyke on tow.

    <hr />

    Day 10: Dio

    The trio walked outside for a bit, but not by much before encountering a Crabbulate. An average sized Crabbulate of 5 feet tall ¨C thought Dio ¨C well, let¡¯s see if Xeno is ready for this mission?

    Seeming to read his mind or for some other reason, Xeno prepared himself to fight the Crabbulate, but the guard, Tyke, held him off with his spear ¨C ¡°I¡¯ll go first since I have more experience fighting them individually now, you can take on the next one, ok?¡± ¨C Xeno merely nodded and complied with Tyke, so Dio decided to simply wait and see.

    Tyke rushed off to fight the giant crab. In Dio¡¯s opinion it was a rather brute way to confront the enemy, but effective never the less¡­ The Crabbulate confronted the charge with one of its own. As the two were about to collide, Tyke slipped backwards.

    The Crabbulate, unable to stop it¡¯s charge, continued running over Tyke without damaging him at all. Making use of the opportunity, Tyke stabbed his spear on the underbelly of the crab with such force that the spear became completely impaled upon the smooth underbelly. The Crabbulate resisted for a few moments before dying off¡­

    Dio was pleased that the direction of the battle went towards ingenuity rather than physical prowess, though he supposed such tactic would not be as successful without the physical strength of the guard.

    Xeno seemed a bit surprised, though Dio supposed this was understandable as according to what he had been told he had seen the guards unable to handle even one Crabbulate last month. To see the same guard kill off another Crabbulate with such ease must be a bit astonishing for him.

    He recovered quickly though and thanked Tyke for the show and asked to be allowed the next one. Tyke complied with a smile, seemingly happy to have redeemed himself, and started walking.

    Xeno asked him to stop for a moment and began to cut up the Crabbulate in pieces. Dio recognized the Butchering ability Xeno possessed as he finely cut out the meat from the crab and placed it within the backpack he had given him.

    Seeing him at work, Dio decided to give him some pointers on how to best remove the meat without damaging the shell which could be sold as materials to craftsmen in the village. Xeno listened intently to Dio¡¯s advice and replicated what he was being taught with some ease. Meanwhile, Tyke patiently waited for the two to finish the crab.

    Once Xeno finished Dismantling the Crab for its materials, he thanked Dio for the help and they continued their journey¡­ for a few feet before seeing yet another Crabbulate. Dio began to ponder if the Crabbulate population was increasing as they usually dislike being so close to one another without fighting each other. However, he assumed that the reason for this behavior was something unrelated to their numbers¡­

    Xeno swam over to the Crabbulate, but took his time by making sure he was not yet seen by it. Once he was close enough, he equipped his Lazo and snared the Crab¡¯s left pincer. The surprised monster finally detected him and began to charge at him, but Xeno swam upwards as fast as he could and began to pull the Lazo.

    Soon, the Crab¡¯s charge was stopped and his left side was left hanging above the ground. The Crab was obviously infuriated at being played with like a puppet, but Xeno ignored its glare and pulled the Lazo with greater strength as he swam downwards to the monster¡¯s right.

    The end result of this maneuver, the crab was upside down trying in futility to get off it¡¯s back¡­ Xeno placed the Lazo back in his inventory and took out his Knife and began to cut open the crab¡¯s underbelly and butcher its meat¡­ Tyke was a bit appalled right now whilst Dio was duly impressed; the crab continued to struggle desperately as its insides were being harvested¡­

    ¡°What¡¯s he doing? That¡¯s just¡­ cruel!¡± ¨C murmured Tyke as he held himself from vomiting.

    ¡°It seems that Xeno realizes the importance of the quality of the ingredients.¡± ¨C Dio answered dismissively.

    ¡°What¡¯s that supposed to mean?¡±

    ¡°Materials harvested from the living will always be of higher quality than those harvested from the dead. This is why Seaweeds are usually harvested but kept alive after being cut down.¡± ¨C said Dio in a tone that gave the impression of ¡°a matter of fact¡±.

    Tyke seemed a bit revolted by this discovery, but decided to keep silent. Dio guessed he was trying to keep composed in the presence of a junior (Xeno) after having redeemed himself.

    Just as they finished conversing, Xeno stopped cutting and placed the materials in the backpack; the Crabbulate no longer existed¡­ Dio smirked a bit as he now had a some grasp of Xeno¡¯s abilities ¨C Perhaps he could just complete this mission? Though maybe he could use some warm up first¡­ Let¡¯s have him kill some more monsters before going THERE.

    Having made his decision, Dio allowed Tyke to continue leading the group and fought off against monster after monster¡­

    It was around midday when Xeno finally found an enemy that gave him trouble. The Crabbulates were a joke to him thanks to his Lazo, they could only give up as they were turned topsy-turvy and harvested alive.

    So where the Spearfishes, if he managed to snare them though that in itself was quite difficult as they swam much faster than Xeno¡­ After taking a few stabs from them, Xeno had decided to keep his Lazo next to him and placed it in the spearfish¡¯s trajectory when it rammed towards him. When he dodged and the Spearfish passed harmlessly next to him, he tightened the Lazo. After that, it was a matter of him swinging the Lazo and smashing the Spearfish against the ground, stunning it long enough for Xeno to incapacitate it by cutting off its fins and tail. Later on, he would instead keep his net handy and throw it in the spearfish¡¯s way to easily capture it without much resistance¡­

    While the Leech Squid¡¯s technique of blinding with their ink before binding their enemies with their tentacles and sucking out their fluids were grotesque and hard to counter, Xeno¡¯s vigilance and instincts in that battle paid off and his enemy could not get too close to him without him reacting. Once the squid was captured by his lazo, it was subjected to torture as he continuously milked it for its ink, placing it in the empty bottles that had accumulated in his inventory.

    Quite honestly, Dio was astonished with Xeno¡¯s technique with the whip. So far, he had only used that item in battle and his dagger to harvest his enemies. Curious as to this, Dio had previously inspected the whip and was pleasantly surprised to see that it was a below average whip. This confirmed his suspicions that Xeno had had previous experience wielding such weapons before¡­ Perhaps a Past Life?

    As he pondered about Xeno¡¯s abilities, he continued to watch as Xeno and Tyke worked together to fight off their latest enemy, a Demonic Clam. It was quite a large one to Dio¡¯s knowledge, having around 6 feet in width alone. It was a monster infamous for having a very tough shell as well as its tactics¡­ The body within those shells, while is usually quite tender and weak in most clams, is actually quite hard to cut or stab. It used it harder than usual body to capture its enemies and pull them between its shells, where the enemy would be squashed and become an ingredient for its blood pearls. Given its size, Dio calculated that it should contain a Medium sized Blood Pearl¡­

    Both Xeno and Tyke were now defending themselves from the clam¡¯s slaughter, trying to stab its flesh while dodging, which wasn¡¯t going too well. Whenever they tried to get too close to it, the clam immediately retracted its body within and snapped its shell. Like this, they would never be able to defeat it¡­

    ¡°Hey, Tyke!¡±

    ¡°Huff¡­ Yeah, Xeno?¡±

    ¡°I may have an idea.¡±

    ¡°Good, I was hoping you had one!¡±

    ¡°Really¡­ Just how do you guys usually defeat these clams?¡±

    ¡°Hahaha¡­ Usually, the majority opens up the clam¡¯s shells while the others stab its interior. Not exactly a good technique to fight this type of enemy, but it gets the job done!¡± ¨C said Tyke in a self-depreciating tone.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be so hard on yourself, this thing is VERY hard!¡± ¨C Xeno comforted him noticing his tone of voice.

    ¡°Anyways, about that idea¡­¡± ¨C Tyke quickly changed the theme while keeping an eye on the clam.

    ¡°Right, I¡¯ll try to get the clam to be on guard from closing its shell!¡±

    ¡°How will you manage that?¡± ¨C asked Tyke doubtfully.

    ¡°Just get its attention for a bit¡­¡± ¨C said Xeno dismissively as the clam once again opened its shell and continued its attack.

    Tyke moved forward and started to counter the Clam¡¯s attacks. Behind him, Xeno prepared himself by taking out his Lazo again. Previously, he had tried to use it on the clam, but its shell was too heavy to move with it¡­ the Lazo almost snapped then! Dio didn¡¯t know what Xeno was planning to do now, but was patiently waiting for the resolution.

    Xeno snared a portion of the clam¡¯s body as it was repelled by Tyke ¨C ¡°Okay, now get close to it!¡± ¨C to which Tyke complied by dashing over. Seeing the enemy closing in, the clam retracted its body and started to snap shut. At that moment, Xeno pulled his Lazo and a portion of the clam was left outside as it snapped with astounding power.

    A second later a guttural wail resounded around the area as the clam opened its shell once again in a hurry. Tyke took the chance and skewered the clam right then as it tried to make heads or tails of what had happened¡­

    Tyke thanked and congratulated Xeno for the idea as he caught his breath from all the exercise he had done just now against this clam. Xeno on the other hand simply said it was teamwork and began to harvest the clam. It seemed Dio¡¯s deliberation was correct, as he found a Medium sized Blood Pearl within.

    Dio ¨C ¡°Alright, a lunch-break seems appropriate right about now?¡±

    ¡°Yeah, lunch would be nice!¡± ¨C said Tyke expectantly.

    Xeno also seemed to want to rest for a while, but he simply smiled at Dio¡¯s question. However that smile turned into a doubtful expression as Dio took out a portable cooking pot from his inventory and asked Xeno for some of the harvested meat. While he gave Dio some from the Crabbulate and the Spearfish, he asked  if he was going to cook.

    ¡°Of course he is going to cook!¡± ¨C said Tyke salivating ¨C ¡°He has the Cook class in the advanced levels!¡±

    ¡°Really?!¡± ¨C asked Xeno in surprise, which was understandable as getting that class to the advanced levels was quite a hard struggle. Never the less, Dio plainly answered:

    ¡°Not at all, I¡¯ve never possessed the Cook class, so I naturally don¡¯t have it in the Advanced levels¡± ¨C with a smile.

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± ¨C asked Tyke with an expression of obvious doubt ¨C ¡°Then how come the food you make tastes better than the food the restaurants in the village make?¡±

    ¡°That would be because I possess the class of Chef, though it¡¯s still in the Intermediate levels.¡± ¨C answered Dio still smiling as he continued to work on the food.

    Tyke¡¯s expression clearly showed his opinion of the matter: ¡°what¡¯s the difference?¡±, but Xeno¡¯s showed even greater awe than when he heard he had the Cook class in the Advanced level. Dio inferred that Xeno knew of the usual hardships a Cook had to go through to become a Chef, which usually can only be done when one has the Cook class fully mastered.

    However, Dio had not lied when he said he had never had the Cook class, which means he had obtained the Chef class on his own. This could only be done by preparing some dish which greatly exceeded the quality of a dish of another Chef.

    Once done with the cooking, Dio served the food and gave it to the others to eat. Within the minute, his pot was empty. Afterwards, Xeno shared some of his Whale Milk with the others, which was also one of Dio¡¯s favorite drinks as it was cheap, rich, tasty, and nutritious. Tyke, who had never tasted the milk before, quickly developed a taste for it as he chugged down the contents of his bottle.

    Seeing the others enjoying their time here hunting, Dio decided that Xeno was as ready as he could be today to handle the target. He would¡¯ve preferred that he had a chance to fight off against the Urchins, but there hadn¡¯t been any in the area. Oh, well! He¡¯s ready enough¡­

    <hr />

    Day 10: Xeno

    The day had been a long one for Xeno, as he had been hunting monster after monster every few minutes while also harvesting their bodies. He had made quite a good haul with the materials he had now, which pleased him as he would be able to get some extra income for later. Though he had also planned to sell the meat at the Butchery in the village, he managed to extract a promise from Dio to teach him to cook at least some basic meals. He would have to review some conches in order to determine the best way to preserve the meat for later usage, but extra studying was always welcomed!

    The condition of his weapons as good, with the exception of his Lazo¡­ its durability was in the single digits after a few more fights with other clams. He decided he wouldn¡¯t use it anymore until he met with the creature he targeted as he wasn¡¯t sure he would be able to do much if it broke¡­ As it is, he noticed that most of his tactics had used his Lazo as the primary weapon even though it was of a much worse quality than his other weapons¡­ Only in niche situations had he been forced to use his net or trident.

    Xeno sighed as he considered doing some re-training in order to get the hang of his other weapons else he might end up playing with just a whip¡­ As much as the whip gave him variability, it left him open to many types of enemies if he wasn¡¯t careful.

    Xeno followed Dio who had decided to take the lead around noon and guided them towards a different direction than Tyke had before. So far, the enemies in this new area as the same as the ones in the other one¡­ With his Lazo in reserve, Tyke handled the Crabbulates while Xeno captured the Spearfish and Squids within his net. They steered clear out of the way of the remaining Demonic Clams¡­

    After some time, Xeno saw something that caught his gaze. Loitering around the field were large craters that seemed to have been created through force rather than digging. He began to consider what could make craters a foot deep when Dio stopped walking.

    In front of them was a cave made mostly out of stone, but with pieces of coral growing from random locations. The insides of the cave were pitch black, impossible to see within, which made Xeno feel uncomfortable.

    ¡°Is the target within?¡± ¨C He confirmed with Dio who simply nodded. Dio then walked off in a direction and sat on a rock, then took out his notepad and began to scribble furiously. Most likely, he would wait here for him to finish his business¡­

    ¡°Okay, you can stay here too Tyke¡­¡±

    ¡°You sure? The enemy is unknown.¡±

    ¡°Yeah, the test is for me so it¡¯d be bad if someone else completed it for me¡­¡± ¨C Xeno said as he began to walk towards the cave.

    ¡°Then I won¡¯t help you!¡± ¨C Tyke answered as he continued to follow Xeno inside the cave. Xeno sighed at Tyke¡¯s actions, but let it go as having some company would be better than having none. Then wandered within the cave which grew in size the longer they walked. It was mostly empty, though some strange flowers illuminated the caverns; Xeno took this chance to collect some of them but left their identification for later¡­

    After what seemed to the two as an hour, they finally reached the end of the cave. There, a pile of large, flat stones formed a tower. And sitting on that tower of stones was¡­

    Tyke ¨C ¡°A crab? They sent you here for a crab?¡±

    Xeno sighed internally at his comrade¡¯s ignorance, but was unable to correct him as the seemingly asleep creature immediately rose from the tower and swam over to Tyke. Before either of them could react, the creature sent him flying off against the wall! As Tyke recovered from the sudden attack, the creature spoke:

    ¡°By the blood of my ancestors, those who insult them shall be punished! Buku!¡±

    It stood stretched in all its glory atop its eight feet, a ten inches tall. It¡¯s dull, red scales glimmered upon its body and tail. Three pairs of completely different claws extended ready to continue fighting: two were shaped roughly like clubs, two were much longer and sleek giving off a feeling that they could slice you with sight alone, and the last two were very peculiar as they remained retracted but showed a gleam that showed the sharpness of their tips. The creature¡¯s eyes gazed upon Tyke, eyes that, while seemingly half-closed in a way similar to old monks, were actually composed of three segments each.

    ¡°A¡­ Bermudean Mantis Shrimp!¡± ¨C yelled Xeno in surprise once he recognized the creature. It was a dangerous variation of the mantis shrimp species. While being half the size of most others, it was actually much more violent and possessed the weapons all of its cousins possessed¡­ A tiny predator capable of fending off against enemies many times its size with sheer strength.

    ¡°Buku, at least one of you is knowledgeable.¡± ¨C said the Mantis Shrimp as he turned his gaze upon Xeno. ¨C ¡°Why have thee invaded mine home, buku?¡±

    Xeno wasn¡¯t sure how to answer the creature¡¯s inquisition, but he wasn¡¯t allowed a chance to:

    ¡°Oww! Damned Crab hits very hard! Be careful Xeno!¡± ¨C Tyke warned him¡­ only to be pummeled against the wall once more.

    ¡°Thou DARE to continue to insult mine Ancestors?! Thee must have a DEATH WISH! BUKU!¡± ¨C yelled the Mantis Shrimp as he forgot about Xeno.

    Xeno took this chance that Tyke had stupidly provided in order to calm his nerves and think. Considering the creature¡¯s attitude, he guessed that it had a relevant amount of pride in its species. Maybe he could use it against him? Having made a decision, Xeno began to formulate a plan.

    <hr />

    Meanwhile, Tyke was trying to run away from the Mantis Shrimp who seemed intent on ending his life. Tyke was extremely scared now, as his spear was snapped in his hands because of the creature¡¯s pincers and the piece with the tip was shattered because of the hit it had taken from another claw! He was seriously wondering whether they¡¯d be able to escape here alive when¡­

    ¡°Wait, Shrimp-gojo! Please listen to me before you continue your justified rage!¡±

    Tyke was surprised to see that the creature had stopped harassing him and had swum over to Xeno. He really did not expect such a malhumored creature to simply listen to what Xeno was saying. Tyke decided to keep himself quiet and hidden for the time being as this was Xeno¡¯s mission and he was greatly outclassed¡­

    ¡°What is it, Maomer-buku? What does thee have to say about being here, buku?¡± ¨C asked the Mantis Shrimp in an exasperated tone.

    ¡°I have come here to witness the prowess of the powerful creature that was said to inhabit this area and confirm my worthiness in battle with it.¡± ¨C answered Xeno without missing a beat.

    The Mantis Shrimp seemed a bit taken aback as he was rarely challenged and even less for such reason, but he answered ¨C ¡°And why pray tell does thee wish to duel myself, buku?¡±

    ¡°To prove my worth.¡±

    ¡°To who, buku?¡±

    ¡°Myself.¡±

    The Mantis Shrimp remained silent as he considered the Maomer who so easily challenged him. Using his great vision skills and abilities, he could easily determine that while this one¡¯s level was below that of the one he had been chasing before, he was actually far stronger in many other categories¡­

    The auras of multitude of colors unknown to human-kind clashed about within the area that he stood waiting for his decision. Almost as if multiple strong beings stood together at the same time in the same location. It had been some time since Colonel had seen such combination of auras and he could easily count the number of beings he had met as such¡­

    While he did not yet know the reason for such auras, he knew them to be the potential strength of the future. And most of the time, the wielders of such auras knew of their own potential¡­ So why does this child wish to proof his own worth to himself? Colonel was skeptical, but he would accept the challenge if only to determine the child¡¯s true strength.

    ¡°Very well, Maomer child, buku. I, Colonel, son of Fallorme, descendant of the Trianadesna Blood-Line, shall accept thine challenge, buku.¡± ¨C saying so, he retracted two pairs of claws within his body leaving only his club-like claws ready for battle ¨C ¡°Prepare thyself! Buku!¡±

    Xeno seeing that Colonel had accepted, took out his Trident and Lazo and prepared a stance that Sir Sion had taught him to do when initiating a duel with someone. Seeing the weapons in Xeno¡¯s hands, Colonel smirked are readied a stance of his own. The two looked at each other for some time¡­

    ¡°Let the duel BEGIN! BUKU!¡±

    <hr />

    Chapter 6: The Nature of Nature</a>

    <hr />

    Cliffhanger much? Sorry about that, but I wanted to leave off this battle for the next chapter! Hope you don¡¯t mind waiting till Tuesday or Wednesday for the battle and conclusion of this mission¡­ Sorry for the delay, but the internet connectivity here right now is in all due respect, shit.

    Perhaps some of you wondered just how strong Xeno truly was, and some of you actually ask about the reason behind Xeno¡¯s ability to learn abilities so easily. Well, whilst one of the secrets behind this was already revealed, the second most important half of the secret is still in mystery, though I made sure to allude about it in this chapter from the perspective of other characters. Xeno himself is unaware of this particular notion about The Helix and will remain in ignorance for some time in the future.

    This chapter I gave further emphasis on the change of perspective by telling the story from the point of view from several characters: Sir Sion, Tyke the Guard, Dio the secretary and our main protagonist Xeno. Not to mention ol¡¯ Colonel¡¯s thoughts in the final scene.

    Mantis Shrimps possess three known weapons. First are the club pincers with which they can punch their enemies and create catatonic bubbles. The second are the sharp claws that they can use to easily cut off the limbs of others. The third one is a set of retractable claws which they can extend forwards and use as spears. While every one of them possesses the second weapon, the first and third one are found in either some or another type of Mantis Shrimp, not both in a single species. In addition, they possess the best vision of every single discovered animal in existence. It¡¯s one of my favorite animals, that much is certain! I wonder if Xeno will be able to win against one of my favorite animals¡­ Decisions, decisions!

    :P

    This chapter is 33 pages and nearly 12,000 words long. Hope you enjoy it!

 Volume 1: Chapter 8: Final Test

    Chapter 8: Final Test

    (XENO)

    The battle so far had been going exactly as Xeno had thought it would. He was being pummeled while he tried to dodge the incoming attacks of his enemy¡­ Yeah, not kidding; even with just a single pair of claws and limiting his damage output for the duel, Colonel could still kick his ass to Netherland!

    Still, Xeno had not given up yet. When Colonel next tried to hit him, he dodged only to see a crater on the ground he was standing on a moment before¡­ Yeah, Xeno did NOT want to get hit by that! As he continued to place as much distance as he could from his enemy, he could not help but wonder how Tyke had managed to survive not one, but a few of the enemy¡¯s hits! Even with as he was now, Xeno was certain he would be flattened if he got hit!

    Colonel swam over towards him, ready to throw another punch, so he dived to the left in order to dodge the incoming Shrimp. Colonel merely continued with his attack without care, blasting the ground with yet another crater. He really wasn¡¯t taking the duel too seriously, much to Xeno¡¯s luck¡­

    Xeno swung his Lazo and snared Colonel¡¯s torso, squeezing as tightly as he could. Colonel tried to pull off the Lazo with his claws, but found his club-like claws to be ineffective for the task. Unwilling to use another pair of claws just to rid himself of the Lazo that didn¡¯t even hurt him thanks to his scales; he stopped trying and continued his barrage of attacks.

    Seeing Colonel back in the offensive, Xeno pulled the Lazo upwards, launching Colonel against the roof at the same speed and strength that he was coming at him. Colonel didn¡¯t react in time as he crashed against the roof.

    BANG!

    The cavern began to shake as portions of the roof began to collapse. Soon the water was murky with dust and dirt, making it difficult to see. Once the water cleared up a bit, Xeno saw that Colonel was standing over at the pillar he had started at, looking over at him even before he had noticed him.

    ¡°Not bad Maomer-child, buku. But thou shall need to do better, buku!¡±

    Colonel once again lunged over at Xeno, giving him no time to gather tactics and forcing him to play the dodging game once more. However, he felt a strong pull on his right hand as the Lazo was pulled away.

    Xeno gazed back in time to see Colonel wound the Lazo around himself using his claws. He determined that Colonel had used the attack as a decoy so that he could take away his tool without him noticing. Xeno could only gaze in disappointment as the Lazo he spent some time making snapped around Colonel when he twisted it too much and fell over the floor as simple pieces of rope.

    ¡°A tool is good only if used, buku. Once stolen or broken, it is of no use, buku. Don¡¯t depend so much on only one tool, buku.¡± ¨C lectured Colonel as he waited for Xeno¡¯s reaction to his precious tool being destroyed.

    ¡°Fair enough, I¡¯ve been using that tool quite a lot today as you¡¯ve said. But it isn¡¯t the only card in my hands!¡± ¨C Xeno confronted his opponent¡¯s words as he prepared to Quick-Equip his next tool with the left hand behind his back as he pointed at Colonel with his Trident in his right one.

    ¡°Gupupupu! So thee wish to continue, buku? Then I¡¯ll oblige, BUKU!¡± ¨C he charged towards Xeno in a straight line, readying to smash him again. Xeno pulled away to dodge once more, but at the place where he was at before was now his net. Colonel charged right through it, becoming entangled in it quickly. He tried to push the net off him with his punches, but the ropes held for the time being¡­

    Xeno tood the chance and began to counterattack with his trident, stabbing at Colonel with all his might as he tried to escape. Colonel took the first attack with a guarded expression, but simply ignored the next couple of stabs as he continued to try to escape the net.

    As I thought, my offense is too low¡­ He can simply ignore it for the time being! I¡¯ll have to change target¡­

    Xeno concentrated on his enemy¡¯s body and started to analyze him as Colonel continued to pry the net off him. THERE! ¨C Xeno thought as he lunged his trident at a spot between Colonel¡¯s claws and feet. Colonel gave a small grunt of pain and surprise as he took a critical hit from one of the few week spots between his scales. He was rather surprised that Xeno had managed to identify the weak spot, but considered he should¡¯ve expected as much while he was tied up with the net.

    Xeno lunged once again  to begin a barrage against Colonel¡¯s weak spot, but Colonel jumped away and tried to punch his trident, but was off by a bit. Damn! ¨C thought Colonel ¨C This net sure is heavy to restrict my jumping ability this much! I¡¯ll have to compensate with instincts¡­

    Now wary of the enemy¡¯s intent of breaking his trident, Xeno was a bit reluctant to blindly attack the enemy. On the other hand, Colonel could not fully concentrate on escaping as if he did Xeno would take the opportunity to attack him. Colonel smirked at the way  the duel was going as he made his decision¡­

    Colonel began to move his claws about the net, but not removing his sights from Xeno. Xeno could only gaze quietly, waiting for an opportunity to strike. Suddenly, Colonel pulled the ropes from around himself and became surrounded by the net entirely in a cocoon.

    Unable to react, Xeno could only watch blankly as the net cocoon began to break down from the inside as Colonel smashed his claws against the ropes with all he had. Soon, the tough ropes broke apart and Colonel escaped his predicament. Xeno tried to attack the retreating Colonel as he swam away, but he was not fast enough and now Colonel was out of reach.

    Xeno took hold of the trident with a tight grip as he prepared to continue the duel.

    ¡°Buku! This duel was refreshing, but it is now over, buku! Accept your defeat, Maomer-child buku!¡± ¨C told him Colonel as he prepared to fight Xeno head on seriously. Xeno could only toughen his expression and prepare himself for the coming conflict. Colonel charged at him, but at a slower much more controlled pace than before. He was extending his claws backwards as he swam over. In moments, the two were within reach and attacked.

    Bright shards of silver were thrown in every direction within the cavern as Xeno¡¯s trident exploded upon impact with the enemy¡¯s claws. Xeno was thrown against the cavern¡¯s wall from the impact. While he had not received the attack directly, his arms had still taken in some severe damage as the weapon they held shattered to pieces.

    Xeno held back the blood that accumulated in his throat and swallowed hard as he tried to resist the pain his arms were in. He raised his head to see Colonel floating at the point of impact, looking in his direction. He gently swam over to him.

    ¡°It would seem that thou are unable to continue, buku¡­ Give up¡­ buku¡­¡± ¨C he said in a terminal tone of voice. Xeno knew the duel was over, not only were his arms greatly injured, but all of his weapons had been destroyed in that battle, one after the other. There was hardly anything else he could do¡­

    Suddenly, a vision sparked within Xeno¡¯s mind¡­ Failing to live up to the expectations of others¡­ - ¡°Mom¡­ Dad¡­¡± - Just as the vision entered his mind, his arms moved without his knowledge and took something from within his inventory each: his silver knife and his coral knife. Involuntarily, Xeno stood with great difficulty as his mind wandered over his past.

    ¡°Child, stop buku! You are in no condition to continue, buku¡­¡± ¨C Colonel tried to make Xeno desist his attempt at continuing the duel. However, Xeno did not listen to him. He was lost in his own memories as his mind slowly fell to the shroud of darkness¡­

    ¡°Child, stop¡­ You mustn¡¯t¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡±

    *PLAYER: XENO IS UNCONSIOUS*

    *TIME UNTIL BODY WAKES: 1 HELIX HOUR*

    *TIME REMAINING IN EARTH: 6 REAL MINUTES*

    *WOULD YOU LIKE TO LOG-OUT IN THE MEANTIME?*

    Xeno¡¯s mind also did not recognize the system¡¯s voice as his mind wandered off¡­

    <hr />

    (COLONEL)

    ¡°Seriously, what¡¯s up with this child, buku¡­¡± ¨C said Colonel as he pulled away Xeno and Tyke¡¯s unconscious bodies away from the collapsing cavern. After a subduing Xeno, he had been forced to knock out the other one as well, or he might kill him if he kept insulting him¡­ He really wanted to kill him too, but he wanted the little runt to suffer first, calling him a crab!

    Colonel continued to fume over the second¡¯s insult in an attempt to not think about what had happened just before, but failed to do so the pain of his severed leg haunted him over the event¡­

    Just when he had thought that the duel was over, the child¡¯s eyes had become hollow and filled with some emotion similar to despair¡­ Yet not quite it¡­ Colonel could not place his finger on or even come close to understand his thoughts at that moment, but he could clearly understand the meaning behind his actions. The child had taken out yet another pair of weapons from who knows where!

    Colonel was excited for a moment, thinking that the child still had yet ANOTHER trick up his sleeve to combat him, but was flabbergasted when he realized that the kid had simply taken out a pair of daggers. What was more; one of them was a flimsy, unrefined coral dagger that would most likely break within a single touch with his scales. Colonel quickly determined that the child was simply picking at straws and sighed.

    ¡°Child, stop buku! You are in no condition to continue, buku¡­¡± ¨C he tried to make him desist his attempt as he rose from the floor with great difficulty. He continued to try to get him to stop for some time before Xeno had begun to sway from one side to the other, unbalanced as if he was to keel over any moment¡­

    ¡°Child, stop¡­ You mustn¡¯t¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­¡­..¡±

    He lost sight of Xeno and felt a great deal of pain for just a moment. He looked to his back in time to see Xeno turning around to attack him once more with the daggers. One of Colonel¡¯s legs floated over between the two. Xeno had just cut off one of his legs!

    Colonel was greatly surprised as Xeno once again lunged at him with much greater speed than he had shown at ANY point in their duel. Now paying fully attention, Colonel managed to dodge the attacks that Xeno launched with ease. While Xeno¡¯s speed and attack power seemed to have risen far more than Colonel had anticipated, he could still see and analyze much better than Xeno thanks to his much more advanced eyes, though the evasion was still by a hair¡¯s breadth¡­

    Colonel frowned as he continued to dodge Xeno¡¯s attacks and took a good look at the auras surrounding Xeno. He saw that one of the auras was now shining more brightly than the others, replacing the one that originally was within Xeno. Colonel did not know the meaning behind this, but he decided to finish this before anymore could occur as he figured that Xeno was not in control of his actions at the moment¡­

    He unlocked one of the skills he had left in reserve for this battle, but thought he wouldn¡¯t get to use:

    ¡°Catatonic Burst Punch¡±

    As Xeno thrived closer to him for a flurry of slashes, Colonel punched the water in front of him; Xeno¡¯s head immediately swung backwards as the bubble hit his head squared! Colonel looked grimly at Xeno¡¯s unconscious body flailing towards the bottom of the cavern. He was aghast that he was forced to create an overheated air bubble and launch it at him in order to knock him out!

    He was about to consider what he should do now, when the cavern began to shake violently. Making a subconscious decision, Colonel swam over to the still falling Xeno and picked him up before swimming over to the exit with all his might. Along the way, he found the scoundrel who insulted him, so he knocked him out with a punch and pulled both Maomer¡¯s along the cave¡¯s exit!

    <hr />

    (DIO)

    ¡°They sure are making a ruckus in there¡­¡± ¨C sighed Dio as he felt the quakes, most likely a result of Xeno¡¯s battle with the enemy he had to face. It was a strong enemy that had been causing great strife within this sector for years now, but the Elder could not send the guards over to fight it because she believed they stood no chance; which was quite reasonable¡­

    The thing Dio found a bit unreasonable was sending over a newborn to face off against this menace, though he had to admit that the newborn was quite capable. Even if he were to ignore Xeno¡¯s achievements back at the fields, he would still have a high evaluation of him in regards to his tactics in battle. This was saying quite something as Dio was not easily impressed.

    ¡°Well, might as well take out the notepad and continue calculating¡­¡± ¨C murmured Dio as he acted his thoughts. He began to read quickly:

    Coral Berry Production:

    Production of Berries is rising.

    Quality of Berries is rising.

    Requirement of Berries is rising.

    Deduction, current output of berries is not sufficient for the future.

    Better production techniques are required.

    Considerations:

    1-      Reevaluation of Land Health in Western Coral Fields.

    2-      Examination of Health of Corals in the Western Coral Fields.

    3-      Experimentation of substances¡¯ effects upon living Corals.

    4-      Unknown

    Seaweed & Algae Production:

    Production of Seaweeds is constant.

    Creation of new Seaweed Fields is slowing.

    Quality of Seaweed from new Fields is Lowering.

    Requirement of Seaweeds remains constant.

    Deduction, output is currently favorable.

    However the lower quality of Seaweeds may cause problems in the future.

    Re-Education of Seaweed Field Workers is necessary:

    Considerations:

    1-      Lower the pay of those who create lower quality fields.

    2-      Have the Elder Educate the workers (LAST RESORT)

    3-      Change low quality workers to other tasks. (will lower manpower in fields)

    4-      Lead by example (Application: Unknown)

    Whale Services and Milking:

    Number of clients is rising.

    Size of Barn causes some to have to wait outside for some time.

    Collection of milk is growing.

    Quality of Milk rises with the satisfaction of the whales, currently Excellent.

    Deduction, increasing the size of the barn will increase the satisfaction of the whales and provide better quality milk.

    Low Priority due to milk quality being Excellent at present.

    Considerations:

    1-      None

    Quality of the Guards:

    Number of provisional Guards in village is sufficient.

    Quality of the Guards has been increasing.

    Moral and Motivation of the Guards is currently high.

    Guards receive instruction from Sir Sion.

    Sample Guard has proven his strength, speed, and ability to follow orders.

    Sample Guard prioritizes elimination of enemies over acquisition of high quality materials.

    Sample Guard proves to be easily surprised when shown new ways to fight.

    Sample Guard recovers quickly and naturally fits in to the new ways of fighting.

    Adaptability of new Recruits seems to be high, but slow in developing.

    Considerations:

    1-      Have Mr. Rupert along with Sir Sion explain the importance of the materials for the village¡¯s wellbeing.

    2-      Have Mr. Rupert search for new weapons and techniques and provide them to Sir Sion to teach new recruits.

    3-      Addition: have the Recruits work part-time under Mc Neel to increase manpower, give the new recruits a different type of physical exercise and continue to teach them the importance of high quality materials.

    Dio stopped reading as he began to feel that the tremors were getting much stronger than before. He placed the notepad back in his pocket and looked over at the cavern to see if they were coming back yet. Upon seeing that they were still not on their way, Dio considered interrupting the test and getting them to safety.

    Considering that Xeno would be particularly dejected over failing because of his worry, Dio decided to wait a couple of extra minutes and then burst in to get them out. The tremors continued to increase in strength and Dio was losing the little patience he had left. He was about to charge inside when he noticed a figure trying to escape.

    Moments later, the two who went inside were pulled out by a fleeing Mantis Shrimp. Dio was quite surprised to see that both Xeno and Tyke were unconscious. Upon seeing the Mantis Shrimp place the two down on the sand, Dio swam over and inspected their bodies. He quickly determined that Tyke was fine, just a few broken ribs. On the other hand, Xeno had a severe concussion so he took out some ointment from his inventory and started to apply it over Xeno¡¯s wounds. Slowly, yet surely the wounds began to dissipate.

    Remembering, Dio looked around to see where the Mantis Shrimp was, but was surprised to see he wasn¡¯t there anymore. Ignoring this for the moment, Dio continued to tend to the wounds of his patients¡­

    Soon after he was finished with his tending, he heard a loud grumbling from behind. He turned in time to see the cavern finally collapsing completely¡­ and the Mantis Shrimp charging out of it as fast as he could. He was holding a pair of Dagger, coral and silver; Xeno¡¯s daggers! The Mantis Shrimp swam over and placed the daggers next to Xeno.

    ¡°Whew! They almost broke a couple of times, buku. But retrieve them, I managed buku¡­¡± ¨C he said as he caught his breath.

    ¡°Thank you, sir. I¡¯m sure the young Xeno will appreciate the gesture.¡± ¨C said Dio amicably.

    ¡°Buku, maybe¡­¡± ¨C said the Mantis Shrimp seemingly uncertain himself ¨C ¡°Name be Colonel by the way, buku.¡±

    ¡°It is a pleasure to be your acquaintance, Sr. Colonel; my name is Dio.¡± ¨C responded with a hand gesture to his chest as he lightly inclined his head and back ¨C ¡°I must thank you for saving these children from this predicament.¡±

    ¡°It was no problem, Dio-san.¡± ¨C replied Colonel nonchalantly.

    ¡°Oh, but indeed it was; I had not expected that Ol¡¯ Scrooge¡¯s power would be to the extent of destroying his lair¡­¡± ¨C said Dio as he began to ponder how exactly the old crabbulate lord had managed to get these two in this condition.

    ¡°Ol¡¯ Scrooge?¡±

    ¡°Yes, the Crabbulate Lord that has been ruling this area for some years now.¡±

    ¡°Ah, the old foggy! Yeah, he¡¯s dead!¡± ¨C said Colonel as a matter of fact.

    ¡°They managed to defeat him?¡± ¨C asked Dio doubtfully due to the way Colonel expressed himself.

    ¡°Nope, I did¡­ About a month ago.¡± ¨Canswered Colonel in a serious tone.

    ¡°Oh¡­ boy¡­¡± ¨C said Dio as he began to consider the consequences of what Colonel was saying. It was quite problematic to have sent someone to subdue an enemy that was already dead for a whole month¡­ Considering Mc Neel, would there have to be another test for Xeno¡­?

    ¡°Something the matter, Dio-san?¡±

    ¡°Yes, one of these was supposed to subdue that individual today, hence our presence here¡­¡±

    Colonel began to think to himself for a moment then said ¨C ¡°Did he know the race or appearance of his target?¡±

    ¡°Nope¡± ¨C Dio denied ¨C ¡°It was meant to be a surprise as this was a test¡­ Why do you ask?¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ So this is the primary reason for this child to challenge me to a duel¡­¡± ¨C Colonel explained his thoughts unconsciously.

    Dio¡¯s face began to pale as he realized that the one who saved the two was also the one who left them in the condition they were in¡­ He also felt greatly apologetic towards the Mantis Shrimp as the whole duel affair had been a great misunderstanding that had originated from Dio not being there to tell Xeno that he wasn¡¯t the target! Dio could only hold his face in shame as he began to think he had failed in his duties for the first time in his life.

    ¡°Why is it that thou seems to have given up on life, Dio-san?¡± ¨C asked Colonel noticing the moody aura flowing out of Dio.

    ¡°Nothing, please ignore this failure of an existence.¡± ¨C said Dio as he insulted himself verbally while calling himself much worse things in his mind.

    ¡°Seriously? Then why does it seem that thou possess similar eyes to those of this child?¡± ¨C he said as he pointed at Xeno. Not understanding Colonel¡¯s meaning, Dio asked him to explain as he tried to contain his own emotions of self-depreciation. As such, Colonel began to retell the events that had transpired¡­

    <hr />

    (PHIO)

    Phio was slightly depressed as she watched Josh practice his magic. Thanks to the exercise style Xeno had shown him, he was now capable of summoning three Electric Balls and had them spin symmetrically around the circle. He was ecstatic and it showed on his face, but still maintained his concentration with few problems.

    It was now a rare occurrence that his spells dissipated without his wanting to and even rarer for them to explode! This could only be called a great advancement from before when he would fail to even summon a spark and when he did it would blow up in his face!

    Still, while keeping a reassuring smile on her face against her friend¡¯s achievements, she could only feel sad inside. There were plenty of reasons for her to feel sad about. How she had failed to say sorry to Xeno before. How it was her blessing that had caused the incident a few days ago. How she had not seen Xeno since and feared he¡¯d be punished in her stead.

    But none of these reasons were the true reasons for her sadness, this she knew. When she felt the saddest, was when she was watching her cousin and friend Josh practice magic. He was growing up quite quickly and soon he would set off to become a mage at any cost. There would be nothing to deter his path as he was resolved. Yet this is not the reason she felt sad.

    The reason she was sad, much to her grief and sorrow, was a tiny bit of jealousy she had felt whilst Xeno had been teaching Josh about magic. She felt that she wanted to be taught as well, yet couldn¡¯t express her opinion at the time¡­ Soon they had been interrupted by others and the incident occurred, so there were even less chances of talking with Xeno!

    Now all she could do was watch Josh practice while she had nothing of interest to do¡­ She sighed, bored and sad that she had let go of that opportunity that day¡­

    ¡°HEY, PHIO! LOOK!¡± ¨C yelled Josh in his excitement. He was holding the three orbs around him as they span around his abdomen. A dangerous stunt to say the least, but he seemed to be holding up quite well for the time being. Phio grew a little restless as she saw the danger Josh had placed himself in unknowingly, yet calmed down significantly as soon as the orbs fizzled harmlessly out of existence.

    ¡°Wha¡­? Out of Mana AGAIN!? But I just regenerated!¡± ¨C screamed Josh in fury.

    ¡°Th-that¡¯s what yo-you get for having a sma-small Mana Pool¡­¡± ¨C mumbled Phio.

    ¡°Oh, man¡­ How do I increase my Mana Pool anyways?¡± ¨C asked Josh inquisitively.

    ¡°Ju-just study!¡± ¨C said Phio as she took out a conch titled ¡°Bio-generation¡±.

    ¡°But I HATE studying!¡± ¨C said Josh in shock.

    Phio sighed as she watched Josh¡¯s antics. Wanting to be a mage, but lacking the intelligence and wisdom to gain a large Mana Pool as well as hating to study to increase his stats¡­ His dream of being a Great Mage were much farther than Xeno had thought¡­

    ¡°Why do YOU have such a large Mana Pool anyways! You don¡¯t read SO much?!¡± ¨C asked Josh in doubt.

    ¡°I-I read¡­ just enough¡­ I¡­ also have¡­ Faith¡­ and Tune¡­¡± ¨C Phio answered flustered and unable to unite her words in a proper sentence due to the gaze of her friend.

    ¡°So I need Fate? How do I get Fate?¡± ¨C asked Josh expectantly.

    ¡°N-not Fate¡­ F-A-I-T-H, Faith¡­ And yo-you can¡¯t just get it¡­¡± ¨C explained Phio ¨C ¡°Yo-you have to¡­ earn it¡­ or have it¡­ given to you¡­¡±

    ¡°EHH!?¡±

    ¡°Fa-faith is the¡­ energy given by higher beings¡­ Gods¡­ Devils¡­ Guardians¡­ you know¡­¡±

    ¡°?¡± ¨C he had no clue¡­

    ¡°¡­forget it¡­ you just can¡¯t¡­ and don¡¯t try singing again please!!!!¡± ¨C tried to finish Phio, but finished in a semi-desperate tone.

    ¡°Oh, damn¡­ There HAS to be another WAY! And I¡¯m gonna find it!¡± ¨C said Josh with resolve, much to Phio¡¯s consternation¡­

    ¡°Well that will have to wait, youngling¡±

    Josh and Phio turned around immediately from the scare that they were given. Behind them was Sir Sion who seemed to be smiling helplessly at the antics of these two. ¨C ¡°Come on, you two¡­ Mc Neel wants to have a word with you.¡±

    <hr />

    (TYKE)

    Tyke woke up groggily a few minutes later. His head felt like it had been hit by a boulder and he felt slightly disoriented. It didn¡¯t help him to find himself outside in the fields when he was certain last time he was inside the cave¡­ He sat down and looked around. Beside him was Xeno who other than being unconscious, seemed to be fine much to his relief. He had no idea how he had managed to escape or defeat that crabby crab¡­

    He continued to explore his surroundings with his eyes and found Dio deep in conversation. Tyke was about to thank him for saving him and ask him a few things, but stopped at that moment because he recognized Dio¡¯s conversation partner¡­

    ¡°Th¡­ THE CRAB!!!¡±

    Dio looked over at him with a helpless expression while the Crab swam over with amazing speed and punched him in the head, planting Tyke¡¯s head into the ground. His body twitched uncomfortably as he lost consciousness once more¡­

    <hr />

    (Sir Sion)

    Sir Sion was back in town talking with Mr Rupert in the library. After confirming the details of the Mission, he had visited over to talk through things with the Head Librarian. He was a bit worried about the young who had gone unknowingly to fight a very powerful foe¡­

    ¡°Yee worry too much, Sion. The Lads will be fine¡­ I think?¡± ¨C tried to comfort him Mr Rupert unreliably.

    ¡°You really expect such a half-assed attempt at calming me down will work?¡± ¨C said Sir Sion as his left eyebrow rose high.

    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!

    ¡°Nay, I expect this be a deterrent¡­ Or else I¡¯ll ask Doc for sedatives.¡± ¨C answered Mr Rupert as a ¡°matter-of-fact¡±-ly.

    Sir Sion could only sigh and wish he had been simply given the sedative. The Doc¡¯s sedatives were wonders that could easily knock out whales without any chance to react, but those needles¡­ They were much sharper and longer than the ones he usually uses on other patients¡­

    Receiving an unexpected injection is less painful than knowing you are about to receive one in a little while. Never the less, Sir Sion would¡¯ve resisted the drowsiness if only to ensure that the young were safe.

    ¡°Even so, it does not feel right¡­¡±

    ¡°Mayhaps to yee, Sion. But the Elder may have her reasons¡­¡±

    ¡°Perhaps¡­¡±

    ¡°Yee are not thinking of crossing her, are yee?¡± ¨C asked Mr Rupert in doubt.

    ¡°HELL NO! I¡¯d rather be sedated right this instant!¡± ¨C Sir Sion quickly denied.

    ¡°Good, good¡­ Yee stand no chance against her.¡±

    ¡°I don¡¯t need anyone to tell me that much¡­¡± ¨C Sir Sion sighed at his weakness.

    ¡°Now, now Sion. Yee know her strengths are different than yours¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­ But the spells of a Witch can leave anyone feeling weaker than one is¡­¡±

    ¡°Aye, that be true¡­¡± ¨C complied Mr Rupert troubled ¨C ¡°Still, give the lads some time to finish up before picking them up, no?¡±

    ¡°Very well¡­¡± ¨C relented Sir Sion ¨C ¡°I¡¯ll give them till sundown, kay?¡±

    ¡°Un, that sounds reasonable enough! Be well, Sion!¡±

    ¡°You too, Dad¡­¡± ¨C said Sir Sion as he took his leave from the library.

    ¡°Sigh, that son of mine has a good heart, but that could get him killed if he ain¡¯t careful¡­ Does he not realize Xeno would not want his test interrupted even for something such as this?¡± ¨C wondered Mr Rupert in a murmur¡­

    <hr />

    (Xeno)

    Xeno felt that his whole body as shaking as his cloudy consciousness began to clear up slowly. A voice he seemed familiar with resounded around him, whether this voice was outside or within his head Xeno could not determine. He continued to be shaken with greater vigor, but Xeno could not awaken fully as his mind began to wander about elsewhere. Suddenly, he was sent flying backwards as a great deal of pain inundated his face.

    ¡°WAKE UP, BUKU!!!!!¡±

    ¡°AHHHH!¡± ¨C screamed Xeno at the sudden pain in his face. He began to squirm in the ground for a few moments while the stinging pain resided. In the meanwhile, he could hear someone admonishing the one who had hit him¡­

    ¡°That is not the correct way to awaken someone, Sr. Colonel.¡±

    ¡°Aye, buku. But it was necessary this time, buku.¡±

    ¡°That is beside the point. There are still other options before resolving to use pain as an awakening mechanism.¡±

    ¡°Thou are correct, buku. But those would take longer to work, buku. This is faster Dio-san, buku.¡±

    ¡°Sigh, seriously¡­¡±

    ¡°Ugh¡­ Dio and¡­ Colonel?¡± ¨C asked Xeno as he finally recognized the voices of the two individuals.

    ¡°See, I told thou it would work faster, buku¡±

    ¡°Just let it go¡­ How are you feeling, Xeno?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­ Aside from the slight pain in my face, just fine¡­¡±

    ¡°You don¡¯t need to hold in the pain you know?¡±

    ¡°Err¡­ I¡¯m not holding it in¡­ I screamed a bit ago because I was surprised from the sudden pain, that¡¯s all! If it¡¯s this level of pain, it¡¯s not much truly¡­¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ Quite a strong body you have there.¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s not much of the body¡­ But the Mentality to handle pain easily.¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­¡±

    ¡°Dio¡­¡± ¨C said Xeno in embarrassment ¨C ¡°I¡¯ve yet to complete my mission¡­¡±

    ¡°Oh, that¡­ Don¡¯t worry about it, you can still complete it!¡±

    ¡°Ha? But don¡¯t I need to subdue the target to tame it?¡±

    ¡°Indeed that is one of the common methods of taming wild creatures, but befriending them or even earning their trust, admiration or simply being considered worthy is enough for the contract to establish.¡±

    Xeno was surprised at this news. Previously, when he had done research, he had read that the best way to tame a wild creature was only to subdue it. However, according to Dio there were other methods that seemed just as likely to work.

    Whilst simply defeating an enemy would be enough ground to form the contract, in long term duration the creature may rebel and search for freedom from the contract. So wasn¡¯t it best to befriend it beforehand to prevent a sudden loss of manpower?

    He looked over at Colonel who patiently waited for him to analyze what he had learned now, then asked ¨C ¡°Are you¡­ Willing to form a contract with me?¡±

    ¡°Buku¡­ Thou have proven to be an interesting fellow, buku. Thou uses a variety of tools and weapons as well as tactics and styles in battle, buku. Still, thou are an unpolished gem, buku. I¡¯ll pound the basics into thour body until thou explode, buku!¡± ¨C answered Colonel with a slightly crazed gleam in his eyes.

    Xeno was slightly taken aback because of the sudden urge of the Mantis Shrimp, but smiled soon enough. With someone strong teaching him, he was bound to become stronger. While he seemed to be stronger than the Maomer in the village, the village was just that¡­ A Village!

    The world was huge and sooner or later he would find much stronger enemies about¡­ Especially other players! He began to think about the things he still needed to overcome. The currently unknown maximum level and maximum stats were daunting for the players at present¡­ Especially when the highest leveled player was currently in the 1500 level at present¡­

    He was about 1/150 of that individual in terms of level alone¡­ Though level is less important in this game, it still showed just how many battles an individual has experienced throughout his gameplay. In terms of stats, the difference would be even worse as he had not been training in only one stat since he arrived in this world¡­ His Diligence and Education would only do so much to help him, he needed instruction if he wanted to someday reach the top levels where he had the suspicion his friends were at presently.

    ¡°I understand, please teach me well Colonel-sensei.¡± ¨C said Xeno as he inclined his head in respect. Then, he lightly touched Colonel¡¯s head and said loud and clear:

    ¡°Activate: Pet Contract¡±

    *PET CONTRACT: ACTIVATED*

    *TARGET DETECTED*

    *WOULD YOU LIKE TO MAKE COLONEL YOUR PET?*

    *Y/N*

    ¡°Yes¡±

    <hr />

    (Mc Neel)

    Mc Neel was in his office, listening to the explanation of the events that took place during the mission from Dio and Tyke. Xeno and Colonel listened to the two of the talk about the events that happened alongside Mc Neel, curious about the point of view of the two. Mc Neel was quite joyous upon hearing the way Xeno had taken care of his enemies, but was still holding his worry within himself¡­ He could still not understand why ol¡¯ Scrooge was not here and in his place was this Mantis Shrimp¡­

    Once the report reached the cave, Tyke took over the explanation mostly, though he fidgeted whenever he was about to mention the Mantis Shrimp¡­ Though that may have something to do with innate fear after being repeatedly pounded for calling him a crab¡­ Mc Neel took a mental note to convince Sir Sion to teach his recruits Biology.

    Then came the part about Xeno challenging Colonel to a duel and Mc Neel finally had a clue as to what had happened¡­ He thought that this creature is the one he should¡¯ve contracted with? This¡­ May be my fault again¡­ Should¡¯ve just said who his target was instead of letting him guess¡­ I thought sending Dio would ensure he would, but in that circumstance it was natural for him to fail to do so¡­

    As Mc Neel continued to analyze the situation, Colonel took over the explanations by giving a description of the battle in excruciating detail, from when he was dodged by Xeno, when he was launched towards the roof, when he snapped the lazo and was ensnared in the net and attacked with the trident, to when he escaped and shattered the trident. The battle seemed to have gone quite extraordinarily, though even with Colonel¡¯s explanation of Xeno¡¯s actions it seemed patently obvious he had been playing around with him¡­

    Then, Colonel seemed reluctant to say what happened next, but still explained how Xeno had started attacking him with renewed strength and speed. He even showed the leg, which though it had mostly regenerated thanks to some herbs provided by Dio, still had a scar which would take a week to disappear¡­ Mc Neel grew curious about this power, but Xeno was even less willing to explain what had happened¡­ He seemed to have had some idea of the event, but also seemed unsure of his suspicions, so Mc Neel let him be for the time being¡­

    Never the less, Colonel knocked out the rampaging Xeno and took both him and Tyke out of the collapsing cavern. Outside, he had conversed with Dio at which point he had made an emphasis on having had killed ol¡¯ Scrooge last month. Now Mc Neel was really having cold sweat¡­ Having made a mistake which caused the boy to fight the wrong creature was one thing, but sending him to fight an enemy that has already been dead for an entire month? Yeah, he might¡¯ve made a huge mistake this time¡­ Mc Neel began to curse himself in an attempt to commit suicide before Mam finds out about this¡­

    ¡°Ohoho! So that¡¯s why you brought along a Mantis Shrimp, huh?¡±

    Mc Neel felt doom upon his very being as he heard the door to his office open swiftly and saw his mother standing upon the doorway. He quickly gave up on suicide; she¡¯d just heal him up before he dies so she can punish him¡­ While these dark thoughts littered within his mind, outwardly Mc Neel was beaming with enthusiasm as he began to retell Xeno¡¯s deeds.

    The Elder listened intently to him, but he had the uncanny feeling she was planning how to punish him later on¡­ Once he was finished, she said ¨C ¡°Ohoho! Seems to me that Xeno passed that test with flying colors, no?¡±

    ¡°Indeed, Mam! Indeed he did!¡± ¨C he said with a forced smile. He was screwed¡­ - ¡°Right! Xeno, your rewards are quite interesting¡­ First up¡­¡± ¨C Mc Neel clapped his hands and two figures entered through the window as if waiting for his signal ¨C ¡°In addition to the pet you have just contracted with, these two who seem to have a good relationship with you will also become your companions in the future! Hope you treat them well!¡±

    Xeno seemed surprised and excited as he began to talk with Phio and Josh. It seemed he had not believed he would get three companions in one day, let alone friends he had made. He seemed quite happy as he chatted with them and created the contracts. Phio and Josh seemed quite interested in Colonel, but almost immediately:

    Josh ¨C ¡°So¡­ who¡¯s the crab?¡± ¨C he was sent flying towards the wall in an instant. He didn¡¯t die since Colonel controlled his strength so that he could barely survive and Phio blessed him instantly to heal him up. Still, he seemed to become excited from the hit, pestering Colonel to teach him much to Colonel¡¯s annoyance¡­ Phio on the other hand seemed to be quite scared from the show of strength and couldn¡¯t seem to gather the courage to speak to him anymore¡­

    Mc Neel could only snicker at their antics, but stopped once he saw the look in his mother¡¯s eyes. He cleared his throat and continued:

    ¡°W-well, that¡¯s the first reward! The second reward is allowing you to utilize a particular item within our vault. Dio?¡± ¨C Dio rummaged his inventory and took out a sphere and gave it to Mc Neel ¨C ¡°This is the item I was talking about! Its name is The Sphere of Destiny¡¯s Path.¡±

    Xeno¡¯s ears puckered up at the name of the sphere. He had heard of an item with a similar name mentioned on the forums only once in a distant land. To think he would see a similar item here.

    ¡°This item¡± ¨C continued Mc Neel oblivious to the turmoil within Xeno ¨C ¡°has the unique effect of analyzing the characteristics of any individual who wields it and give him any classes that the individual is capable of acquiring at that moment. In other words, once you wield this item you will gain classes depending on how well you have trained during your apprenticeship. Some gain several classes, some gain only one class, a few don¡¯t gain any at all. It all depends on what they did during their Training. So¡­¡± ¨C he extended the sphere towards Xeno ¨C ¡°are you ready to gaze upon your destiny?¡±

    Xeno took only a moment to gaze upon the sphere and said as he gingerly touched it ¨C ¡°I am!¡±

    Once he did, light began to emerge from the sphere and entered Xeno¡¯s body. He could feel the warmth of the light swimming around his insides, inspecting his body and past, and changing him in ways he did not know. After a few minutes, the light exited his body and went back to the sphere, the room becoming darker as the light abandoned it¡­

    <hr />

    (XENO)

    *DING*

    It had been some time since he last heard that sound of notifications¡­ He had instructed the system to not send him anymore notifications until he completed his training. He figured this was a good time as any to inspect his windows. But just before he was about to word his command, he decided to change it for the privilege of others.

    ¡°Open and Show Character, SSA, Class, Tittle, and Pet Windows to everyone in this room.¡±

    Tyke ¨C ¡°That¡¯s a huge amount of abilities¡­¡± ¨C he said in wonder.

    Mc Neel ¨C ¡°I¡¯m more worried about the boy¡¯s diligence¡­¡± ¨C said as he expressed himself.

    Josh ¨C ¡°Phio has HOW MUCH MANA?!¡± ¨C screamed as he saw Phio¡¯s status window.

    Phio ¨C ¡°Bu¡­ Hm¡­ Josh leveled up?¡± ¨C counterattacked Phio when she saw Josh had passed her level some time ago.

    Colonel ¨C ¡°Bukubukubuku! Those tittles! Bukubukubuku!¡± ¨C he continued to laugh aloud.

    Xeno on the other hand could only gape at Colonel¡¯s status window: Level 25, six times his Strength and Life and a bunch of stats he hadn¡¯t expected to see this early in his play¡­ Colonel had REALLY been playing along with him¡­ Phio¡¯s window was also quite strange as she seemed to have large amounts of Faith, Tone and Charm, as well the advanced stat Devotion. While it was common for Priests and Performers to have low levels and better stats due to spending more time practicing their role than fighting monsters, Xeno still found them quite high for a common Sea Angel¡­ Though he wouldn¡¯t ask her if she didn¡¯t want to tell him¡­ As for Josh, he was simply worried about his Recklessness and what its effects could lead to¡­

    Finished viewing his new companion¡¯s windows, he turned his gaze back at his. He was confused about the mystery stat as well as why two of his stats had unknown values: Spirit and Aura. If he remembered correctly, those stats mostly affected the way others viewed you as dangerous as well as strengthened some of your moves. In addition, both Spirit and Aura were supposed to increase his Mana and Skill maximum limit a bit, but looking at those values and calculating he soon realized that the unknown value stats had NOT been taken into consideration¡­

    He also looked at his SSA window which mostly contained a bunch of abilities, but also some random spell and skills. They had been growing steadily whilst he was training, and he gained quite a few as well. There was also an unknown something there, but there seemed to be no discernible way to determine what it was¡­

    Then there were those tittles¡­ He could guess when he obtained The Miracle Worker with ease, he might¡¯ve gained The Harvester thanks to the architects he brought those materials to or while he was hunting monsters earlier in the day. But he could not think of a time he did something to earn the tittle of Polymath¡­ Oh, well! At least it¡¯s effect is pretty neat and could give his abilities a further boost in their growth!

    His classes were quite a few though: Scholar, Tutor and Biologist are studious classes while the rest all dealt with nature, be they animals or plants¡­ Perhaps he should consider trying to find some abilities related to the other Kingdoms of the Phylogenetic Tree? Xeno wasn¡¯t sure if The Helix took into consideration the Microscopic Kingdoms, but he might as well try to deal with Fungi if he ever gets the chance¡­ Though he¡¯d had to be careful of fungal diseases and other dangers of the Fungi species¡­ Maybe dealing with fungi isn¡¯t such a good idea¡­

    He looked around, but the others seemed to still be looking through the multitude of windows, so he decided he might as well check his inventory to see his savings and the materials he could sell later in the day:

    Just as he finished checking his inventory, the Elder walked over to him and said ¨C ¡°So, you¡¯ve gained quite a number of abilities now!¡± ¨C she seemed quite happy for some reason ¨C ¡°What plans do you have now?¡±

    ¡°None at the moment, perhaps train a bit more and study about the surroundings before heading off?¡± ¨C thought Xeno aloud.

    ¡°Excellent, then do you mind doing us one last favor before? It is related to the seaweed fields¡­¡± ¨C Xeno could only shudder in discomfort as a pang of guilt attacked him once more. He promised himself at that moment to help out as he could and listened to the Elder¡¯s request¡­

    <hr />

    (?)

    Lila ¨C ¡°Good Afternoon folks! This is VR Action Newscaster and my name is Lila! Today we will be reporting about some rather unexpected developments over at the East.¡± ¨C she paused to let it sink then continued ¨C ¡°It seems that one of the famous Sky Isles belonging to the Icarian natives, the Tark Norm, has been impaled! The complete details are as of yet unknown as this development happened around three days ago in The Helix, which means a few hours ago here in real life! We¡¯ll be going live with John Caster who is currently about to interview some eyewitnesses!¡±

    The Screen faded over and showed a map of the currently known world of Gaia in The Helix, it swiftly zoomed in to one of the towns of the East and stopped by showing the Interviewer who was talking to two fishermen.

    John Caster ¨C ¡°Would you mind repeating that, sir?¡±

    Paul ¨C ¡°Yah, Tom! We went to fish the other day.¡±

    Tom ¨C ¡°Yah, Paul! We were fishing out in sea when some mother of quakes happened!¡±

    Paul ¨C ¡°Yah, Tom! Then Seaweeds grew from the sea and pierced the clouds!¡±

    Tom ¨C ¡°I keep telling you Paul, those couldn¡¯t have been Seaweeds!¡±

    Paul ¨C ¡°I know seaweeds when I see them Tom!¡±

    Tom ¨C ¡°Anyways, those things pierced Tark Norm which seemed to have been floating over the sea at the time.¡±

    Paul ¨C ¡°Yah! Anchored them real good Tom! Hahahaha!¡±

    Tom ¨C ¡°That they did, Paul! Hahahahah!¡±

    The two continued to laugh obnoxiously as John didn¡¯t know whether to believe these two buffoons or not¡­ Deciding to ignore them from now on, he continued with the news ¨C ¡°As you may have noticed, rumors of this being an attack on the Icarians have started to formulate, but this could as easily been an attack of the Icarians against the Sahuagin with which they have animosity towards! It is currently unknown who¡¯s party is to blame.¡±

    Tom ¨C ¡°Hold on, we just said¡­¡±

    John Caster ¨C ¡°In addition, I¡¯ve received notice that some of the other Sky-bound races, particularly the Avariel who have been in war with the Icarians, are planning to make use of this opportunity to remove one of the most important cities of that race from their wargame. As Tark Norm seems to be anchored, it would spell the end of said Sky Isle.¡±

    --BZZT¡ª

    A young lady with long red hair swinging down to her hips turned off the television using the remote control in her hands. She then walked over to a table in the far end of the room while she muttered to herself ¨C ¡°East and Seaweeds? No it couldn¡¯t possibly be¡­ But¡­¡±

    She placed a button on the side on the table and it began to shift, showing a digital replica of the map previously shown on television, only this one was of greater quality, showing a greater scale and detail of Gaia. She quickly went over to the position where Tark Norm was floating and connected a device to the table.

    As she began to write code after code in the device in her hand, a long string began to appear between Tark Norm and the sea. Soon enough, the string reshaped itself in the shape of seaweeds and extended itself upwards and downwards. The topmost of the seaweeds was lost from view as it entered an area that she had not inspected before whilst the seaweed continued to descend¡­ Soon it reached a city and planted itself amongst the various weeds that surrounded the West portion of the village.

    ¡°Damn, so it WAS the Village of Sed¡­ Just what the heck did Savi do now?!¡± ¨Cscreamed the girl in frustration. It had only been around four days since Savi had begun to play the game, just how had he managed to cause this event with less than one month of gameplay?!

    She decided to get to the bottom of this and directly called him with the device in her hands. She waited for some time for him to answer and just as she decided to call later as she figured he was still in the game, he picked up.

    ¡°Kris? What¡¯s up? Just got out of th¡­¡±

    ¡°What¡¯s UP? Seaweed, that¡¯s what¡¯s UP!¡±

    ¡°Wha¡­ How did yo¡­¡±

    ¡°No time! WHAT. DID. YOU. DO?¡±

    Unable to handle his friend¡¯s tone of voice, Xeno confessed the events that led to Tark Norm¡¯s current state. Kris didn¡¯t know whether to laugh at the simple error that caused this event or at the fact that Xeno had planted such high quality seeds so early in the game. If it¡¯s this much, it won¡¯t be too much of a problem¡­

    ¡°Okay, I get it¡­ So it wasn¡¯t your fault directly anyways?¡±

    ¡°Yes¡­¡±

    ¡°Then don¡¯t worry about it!¡±

    ¡°¡­you are the one yelling at me¡­¡± ¨C mumbled Savi.

    ¡°What was that?¡±

    ¡°NOTHING! Anyways, thanks for calling for I had a question¡­¡±

    ¡°You? A question? How unexpected!¡± ¨C she said ironically.

    ¡°Haha¡­ Anyways, I seem to have obtained an unknown stat and skill and I have no idea what they are¡­ Also two stats with unknown value: Spirit and Aura. Anything rings a bell?¡±

    Kris¡¯s eyes popped out of her head. How the heck did he release his limits already? It took her months to figure out the great secret of The Helix and a full year to actually get access to it! Savi released the secret accidentally and doesn¡¯t even know what it is?! She felt frustration rising up in her chest, but also a bit of pride in her cousin.

    ¡°Figure it out yourself.¡± ¨C but there was no way she would help him if he got that far already.

    ¡°Wha-WHY?!¡± ¨C asked Savi surprised and a little bit annoyed.

    ¡°Consider it a test of sorts¡­ All players MUST figure it out on their own. That¡¯s an unwritten rule in what you¡¯re asking.¡± ¨C she explained her friend while holding back her laughter. Her friend did not appreciate when knowledge was kept away from him, even if for his own sake.

    ¡°DAMN IT! Can I get a hint at least?¡± ¨C pleaded Savi.

    ¡°No, if you have the stat and skill, you already know the answer and just don¡¯t want to believe it¡­¡± ¨C reasoned Kris.

    ¡°¡­there no way, right?¡± ¨C said Savi uncertain.

    ¡°Regardless, telling me the answer won¡¯t do anything. You have to unlock it on your own. Get to it so you can reach the rest of us more quickly, okay?¡± ¨C she said in as sweet a tone as possible.

    ¡°Kay¡­ By the way, about the Icarians¡­¡±

    ¡°Yes, Savi?¡±

    ¡°When will they be attacked?¡±

    Kris began to calculate while looking at her map ¨C ¡°Few days after the next month¡­ approximately!¡±

    ¡°Got it! Can I get you to make them stay in their current location?¡±

    ¡°Won¡¯t they be unable to move right now as they are anchored?¡±

    ¡°They¡¯ll get released soon enough if things work out correctly in my end.¡±

    ¡°Okay then¡­ But wouldn¡¯t it be more beneficial for them to start escaping as soon as that happens?¡±

    ¡°No, they¡¯ll still be chased by the Avariel and suffer some loses before they manage to reach a safe zone¡­¡±

    ¡°Then¡­ what exactly are you planning?¡± ¨C asked Kris intrigued by his plan.

    ¡°Give them a closer Safe Zone!¡±

    <hr />

    Chapter 7: Proof of Worth </a>

    <hr />

    And this is the resolution of the Training! Those are some well-endowed status windows, right? Though they are severely lacking in comparison to level 1000 individuals¡­ None of you expected the maximum limits to be so extreme, right? Hahaha! The Village of Sed is minuscule in terms of worldly importance and is usually ignored, which suits the shy Maomer just fine, but leaves so much unresolved curiosity in their hands!

    Anyways, I¡¯ll give you an overview on the Skill and Mana calculations for now:

    Mana is calculated by 5 points for every point in Intelligence or Wisdom and 10 points for every point in special stats such as Faith, Devotion and Tune. This calculation ensures that priests that specialize in Faith and Devotion and performers who specialize in Tune will be able to have enough Mana for their various spells. Mixing them all up together and you get someone with a large pool of Mana at their disposal. Of course, this only works if you have the talent and devotion necessary to obtain those stats, which some (Josh) don¡¯t have. There are other currently unknown stats that can increase the Mana Pool, let¡¯s hope Josh manages to discover one before his incredibly low Mana Pool gets the better of him!

    Skill on the other hand is calculated by 5 for every point in Strength and Physique, 10 for every point in Vigor and Finesse and 15 for every point in Brutality. This final stat adds 1200 Skill to Colonel who had over 4000 Skill at his disposal. Quite powerful if compared to the others, but he is easily over twice Xeno¡¯s level and is quite a bit older as well! He must¡¯ve been taking it easy for some time in order to explain his low stats in comparison to his age¡­

    There are other calculations I utilized, but I¡¯ll leave them for some other time. I promise to keep the info regarding stats and calculations and write them down in the Volume page once this volume is done with. Don¡¯t expect me to give you a view at their character windows as many times as I¡¯ve done in this volume, but you can expect it when a new character joins up if any!

    Two more chapters till the end of this volume and the beginning of the true adventures of Xeno! Hope you enjoyed the fight scene, albeit a bit shorter than I had hoped¡­ See you with Chapter 9 soon where you will see Savi¡¯s idea fully in use! Don¡¯t worry, I won¡¯t take 8 chapters to show the events of a single month¡­ I¡¯ll write a full month of events in a single chapter, so expect a LOT of changes of perspective in the next chapter!

 Volume 1: Chapter 9: Chronicles of the Hell Tutor

    Chapter 9: Chronicles of the Hell Tutor

    Date: 3<sup>rd</sup>Day of the 1<sup>st</sup>Week of the 2<sup>nd</sup>Month

    Location: Village of Sed

    Upon consideration of the future, Mc Neel¡¯s secretary and Aide provided me with a Diary of sorts in which to write anything that I may need to remember in the future. After some considering I¡¯ve decided to record my experiences from this point onwards in this diary, so as to keep a chronicle of my experiences and be able to look back to what I¡¯ve accomplished and the friends I¡¯ve made.

    Upon sleeping for some hours in my room, I logged back into the Helix and began to work with the plan the Elder told me of. During this month, I¡¯d be in charge of the task of leading the Maomer of the seaweed fields as they create a large amount of new plots of land. These plots will be prepared quite a bit farther than what they are used to and the number of plots necessary to be prepared is quite high. Morale amongst the workers was low when I arrived. In order to mince words: they didn¡¯t want to work.

    The attitude wasn¡¯t going to cut it, so I arrived at the conclusion of allowing those who accomplish their daily quota to quit it for the day and even made a point by preparing a plot of land on my own. They began to work shortly afterwards, but their working speed was quite low and their usage of tools was alarmingly dumb. I was forced to explain the usage of several of the tools during the first hour of work. I wondered just how low was their will to work in order to not try to learn at least this much before¡­

    Once the necessary knowledge was imparted, the working speed increased and we were just BARELY able to accomplish the daily quota after I provided help to some slower workers. I¡¯ve decided to step up my game big-time tomorrow in order to ensure we can finish this on time¡­

    Date: 4<sup>th</sup>Day of the 1<sup>st</sup>Week of the 2<sup>nd</sup>Month

    Location: Village of Sed

    I received the workers alongside my new pets and companions: Phio, Josh, and Colonel. As they began to work, I applied what can only be considered by most people ¡°Spartan Training¡± on the workers. Their schedules were similar to my own last month when I was preparing the plot of land, just a few minutes of rest every few hours or so¡­ Naturally, they didn¡¯t like the idea and openly protested.

    They were swiftly shut up with force as Colonel beat them into submission whilst Phio healed them up once again. I explained without any room for doubt that I was here to teach them how to prepare the lands better and that the work yesterday was inadequate no matter how nice he tries to put it. They NEED to do better or suffer the consequences. For this, he is going to make them work diligently and with as much vigor as they can muster¡­ Or else¡­

    Having heard his cue, Josh used a low-level electric spell which lightly shocked the workers. While the shock was mostly inoffensive as it didn¡¯t cause too much damage, it still caused quite a bit of pain and surprise. The threat was clear and the workers began to work in silence, though they made quite a few of obvious mistakes.

    By midday, the workers were seemingly exhausted and wanted to rest. However, when I asked him what his Stamina was at he was forced to answer that it was at 40%. I happily allowed him to rest as well as the others who had their Stamina at below 50%, much to their surprise and elation.

    The rest of the day went by badly, as they made use of the ¡°lower than 50% Stamina get to rest¡±-rule to take excessive amounts of rest. The final work for the day resulted only slightly better than the day before. It would seem that it was my fault to not expect workers to use every opportunity to slack off¡­ I¡¯ll have to fix this soon¡­

    Date: 5<sup>th</sup>Day of the 1<sup>st</sup>Week of the 2<sup>nd</sup>Month

    Location: Village of Sed

    Today I had the workers in the fields again; they were putting as much effort as they could to tire their bodies so they could slack off. However, much to their surprise, their Stamina never lowered below 80% and their bodies felt stronger and more energetic. When questioned, I merely told them that their bodies were probably becoming stronger and more capable of the work without tiring, much to the horror of some according to their faces¡­

    Naturally, this was not the entire truth. Whilst it is true that they were already getting accustomed to the work and their bodies are becoming stronger, the main reason for their Stamina level would be Phio¡­ And myself since I asked her to do what she is doing, I suppose¡­

    During the day, she hummed her melody throughout the field; a melody that fused together with the sounds of the shovels, pickaxes and wheelbarrels and was never detected by the workers. While they didn¡¯t detect the melody, their ears were still subject to it without their knowledge and they became blessed by Phio¡¯s melody.

    The song she hummed today was one of the blessing songs that Phio possesses: ¡°Sea Current Aria¡±. This particular melody had the power to rapidly regenerate the Stamina of those who hear the song, as well as slightly increase their natural Health regeneration. As a side effect of both of these stats raising and lowering continuously due to the attempt of the workers to tire themselves out, most of them were having their physical stats skyrocket.

    Seeing the workers continue working, I joined them and worked under the same conditions as them. Naturally, I was also under the effects of Phio¡¯s Aria so my stats grew quite quickly. Though the amount by which they increased was lower than I expected due to the past month. This was definitely due to not possessing the Newborn status anymore¡­ I have to wonder just how high my stats would¡¯ve been had I figured out this method while I still was considered a Newborn¡­

    Date: 6<sup>th</sup>Day of the 1<sup>st</sup>Week of the 2<sup>nd</sup>Month

    Location: Village of Sed

    Today, I continued to work with the workers of before. They seem to have resigned themselves to their fates since they were forced to work from morn to noon yesterday without becoming tired at all. They didn¡¯t even have muscle pain today!

    Phio¡¯s blessings were quite something¡­ She had mentioned they were given to her by the Guardian of the Sea whilst she dreamed. I wonder if that¡¯s some sort of God? There are no records of Guardians in the forums, but then again there are plenty of secrets in this world.

    The day went by with no problems and due to the extra power the workers now possessed we managed to finish one hour before schedule. While this amount of good for the time being, what I want most at present is to be able to get some more extra hours¡­

    Regardless, I managed to go to the library today and gather some books related to my classes. Some of them anyways¡­

    It would seem that my tactics while fighting as well as the tools I utilized previously, my net and lazo, were the main reasons for my obtaining the Ranger class, as such using specialized tools will help me raise this class. Later on, this class seems to provide me with several skills and abilities that help raise survival in the wild and coexisting with nature. If I¡¯m planning to travel throughout the world, raising this class¡¯s level is a must.

    The Hunter class was obtained thanks to diligent hunting for food and materials; as such my Harvesting Abilities will be of great use when raising this class. This class will provide me with not only an easier time harvesting monsters, but also with additional damage and skills specialized for specific enemies and/or races. A battle-hardy class in which I can depend on in times of need, though I will most likely only switch to it when harvesting as I¡¯ll most likely prefer using my \tools instead of the conventional weapons of the hunter¡­ Well, there¡¯s one exception to this as the Traps created by Hunters are of good quality and using traps can bring much to any battle if properly utilized.

    The Farmer and Rancher classes are counterparts that deal with the production, care and growth of plants and animals respectively. These past days of work have already risen the level of my Farmer class to Lv-1, so I managed to receive a skill that allows me to plant seeds with greater care which leads to better results when they sprout. Later on, I¡¯ll seem to be able to remodel the growth and evolution of the plants and animals in directions different to their natural growth, but that seems to be a far off event¡­

    Botanist and Veterinarian are the medical variations of the Farmer and Rancher classes; they deal with the Health of plants and animals specifically. In the future, I¡¯ll be able to cure my pets of illnesses that Phio is unable to cure with her abilities or so I believe. Though it seems unlikely as she possesses the ability to learn a variety of condition curing blessings¡­ Most likely, I¡¯ll make more use of the Botanist class as I take care of my herbs and plants. Oh, right! I¡¯ll also be able to raise my Veterinarian class if I ever learn to take care of the corals in my room. I really need to visit the coral fields before this month is over¡­

    The Tamer class hasn¡¯t grown much, but this is due to me not giving my Pets any commands other than those of what to do with the workers¡­ And while they were following those commands, I had the Tutor class equipped instead. Still, I managed to gain the first level and the spell Summon Pet, which allows me to summon my friends from a certain distance. In the future, I will receive skills and spells that will help me tame wild monsters as well as help the ones I have already tamed in battle. There isn¡¯t much information in the compendium about this class since it greatly depends on the pets the Tamer has¡­

    Actually, the Class Compendium I read had no information what-so-ever about the Biologist, Scholar, Tutor, Shaman or Druid classes¡­ I¡¯ll have to ask tomorrow about it. I should mention that whilst I did my research I had the Scholar class equipped as well as The Polymath title. While I did not earn any new skills or abilities, my Intelligence, Wisdom, Education, and Lore rose dramatically and my Scholar class is at level 4. Quite a difference between this class and the other ones¡­

    Regardless of these advancements, soon after I was pulled back to my room by Colonel. He seems intent on knocking me out if I don¡¯t go to sleep soon, so I better stop writing for now¡­

    Date: 7<sup>th</sup>Day of the 1<sup>st</sup>Week of the 2<sup>nd</sup>Month

    Location: Village of Sed

    Today was quite different from the previous days; being the end of the week, the workers first had to visit the Doc and get a Health Check before coming to work around 8 am instead of the usual 6 am. Some of them seemed to be quite happy for some reason and even gave me leery looks¡­ I wondered what was up with that at the time, but¡­ No, let me not skip over any details about today.

    Making use of the extra two hours I had today, I went over to Mc Neel¡¯s and asked him about the missing classes. Well, turns out Studious classes are quite different from other types of classes. For starters, in his words ¡°They do not need to be equipped in order to grow, boy. As long as you put effort into the studying what the class deals with, the class should normally increase in level without any problems.¡±. This was quite vexing, as it means that I could¡¯ve equipped another class while studying yesterday¡­

    Anyways, while he could not give me details about the Scholar class, he told me that the secret to the Biologist class is field work with animals and plants. I will have to personally research life forms in person, reading books won¡¯t cut it for that class. The more I discover in my field work, the better for the class. He refrained from mentioning the benefits of the class though¡­

    The Tutor class is as I had suspected, it gives me extra stats that will make me more appealing to obey depending on my teaching tactics. I¡¯ve already obtained the Leadership, Dominion and Sadism stats¡­

    I¡¯ll bite the reasons why I learned those first two stats, but I really do have to complain to the system as I don¡¯t enjoy causing pain! Pain is just the best way living creatures learn! Otherwise they take way too long! Myself included! The only thing I got as a result as the Masochism stat¡­ I was and still am aghast at the system¡­

    Mc Neel almost keeled over from laughing when I mentioned the stats I had obtained. As I left with my ears burning from shame, he promised to call over Mr Rupert and the Elder to see if they could give him some pointers about the Scholar and Shaman classes. He didn¡¯t know of any good Druids that I could talk to, but he was sure his Mam knew¡­

    Back at the fields, the workers were back and waiting for me they seemed a bit¡­ depressed for some reason unknown to me at the time. Anyways, the Doc was also there as well. He wanted to know why the workers were complaining so much as well as to why the workers were in such excellent physical conditions. He kept going for a bit about how some of them even had better conditions than some members of the Guard!

    I laughed out loud when I heard the Doc¡¯s praises and saw the mixture of infuriation and frustration between the workers. I invited Doc to oversee the rest of the work day. Needless to say, he was quite shocked at the treatment of the workers, but upon seeing that their safety, wellbeing and, much more important to him, their health were secured he gave the green flag to continue working them as usual. The dismay was obvious in the faces of the workers and a few that threw their weapons to the ground were even punished by Colonel and Josh; those two seem to be enjoying themselves¡­

    Date: 1<sup>st</sup>Day of the 2<sup>nd</sup>Week of the 2<sup>nd</sup>Month

    Location: Village of Sed

    Today work was overall better, though I had to deal with some of the workers making a shoddy job at separating the corals from the stones before sending them over to the architects¡­ Their punishment was a bit more severe than usual as they were procrastinating during work hours. Today¡¯s pay would have a deduction for those workers as well once Mc Neel hears of this news, much to those workers¡¯ horror. Today they finally saw me as someone not to mess with¡­ Seriously, are these guys only interesting in slacking off and earning money?

    Regardless of the incident, work finished some three hours earlier than programmed, which gave me enough time to visit Mr Rupert. According to him, the Scholar class was a global studious class, which was quite different from the Biologist class. As long as I study something from any source for any reason using any method, I¡¯ll gain experience for the class even if it¡¯s not equipped. The benefits of the class itself are apparently exclusively stat gains which increase in quantity as the class¡¯s level rises. According to him, the class has an unrecorded effect of allowing me to obtain certain advanced stats if the correct sources of information are studied.

    Right, stats can be divided in some groups: the most basic stats are the ones given upon character creation, though these may vary depending on the race. The Beginner stats are the other basic stats that your race did not learn upon birth, but can still easily obtain just by doing some action or another. Intermediate stats can be considered evolved versions of stats and require certain criteria to be met in order to be obtained, the Education and Lore stats are example of this.

    Advanced stats are rarer and have much stricter requirements which make obtaining them a hassle due to the difficulty of obtaining them using regular methods. Surprisingly, two of my pets possess such stats: Colonel has the Brutality stat which greatly raises his Skill limit and provides with extra damage, but requires him to be quite remorseless with his enemies, and Phio has the Devotion stat which not only increases her Mana limit, but also makes the potential effect of her Blessings that much greater. Devotion requires to be blessed by a God or Devil, but apparently being blessed by a Guardian works too¡­

    By the way, he also gave me a small explanation of the Guardians. It seems that they are ancient beings who can be considered among the first to inhabit this world. They are the ones who shaped the ecosystems and allowed creatures to propagate and live on their domains. Since some centuries ago, they¡¯ve been shutting themselves off from the world as a result of the wars between their inhabitants¡­

    Date: 2<sup>nd</sup>Day of the 2<sup>nd</sup>Week of the 2<sup>nd</sup>Month

    Location: Village of Sed

    Dio came over today along with Sir Sion and his guards; apparently, the Doc had basically ordered Dio and Sir Sion to bring over the guards to train alongside the workers for some days.

    Dio seemed to be in a pleasant mood as he seemed to have had this idea before, but had no time to prepare a basis for Mc Neel and Sir Sion as such had left the idea for a later time. With the Doc¡¯s orders, he no longer had to worry about such details and simply told Mc Neel what was to be done.

    Sir Sion merely seemed curious as to what training method I had prepared for the workers and decided to stay behind to watch them, this in turn caused the guards to be determined to pass the training I had. Much to my enjoyment, they were surprised when they saw the workers rapidly mowing down an entire hill and preparing it for planting.

    While the guards were a bit slow at the start, they managed to get used to the work by the end of the day. They couldn¡¯t work at the speed of the ones who started doing this from the beginning, but the extra manpower easily allowed us to finish today¡¯s quota by 6 pm. This gave everyone quite some time for leeway and relaxation¡­ Or tutoring in my case anyways¡­

    After saying goodbye to the guards and Sir Sion who seemed mentally exhausted, but otherwise fine, I began to tutor my Pets for the first time since nearly two weeks ago.

    Josh has made SOME process with his magic, but his lower-than-average Wisdom and Intelligence is getting in his way as he doesn¡¯t have enough Mana. He is also very reluctant to study¡­ I was forced to have Colonel and Phio ¡°help¡± him study¡­ by Colonel punching him when he stops reading and Phio healing him up whenever this happens.

    Josh seemed to be feeling betrayed, but I quickly shut up his complains when I mentioned that this was in order to make him into a mage. I spent the rest of that day ensuring that Josh was studying and figuring out as much as I could about Phio and Colonel while I had the chance. Deepening our relationship if you will.

    Date: 4<sup>th</sup>Day of the 2<sup>nd</sup>Week of the 2<sup>nd</sup>Month

    Location: Village of Sed

    I had to skip a day in this journal do to not making it to my room yesterday, or sleeping for that matter¡­ It¡¯s been almost a month since I had a sleepless night, though this time it was due to training, not reading¡­

    Anyways, the events went over like this:

    At morn, I went over to the workers and guards to oversee them, but was called over by Dio who told me to go see the Elder today. He would be taking over my job temporarily, but since my pets were the key point to getting the work done efficiently I¡¯ll still receive the payment. Guess that as long as my pets are there handling things I can get some rather more personal things done in the meantime without losing of coin! Go figure.

    I went over to the Elder¡¯s house over at the northern side of the village. I hadn¡¯t had a chance to visit this side of the village due to spending most of my time working or buying things over at the center plaza, as such I was quite amazed by the spectacle.

    The houses in this sector of the village were mostly made out of kelp, seaweeds and sea grass. And I don¡¯t mean they were used for materials, but that they were grown in such a way that resulted in them having said shapes and forms! I spent some minutes just watching over the way that the plants had been grown in curiosity, but decided to go meet the Elder first so as to not make her wait too long and THEN gaze upon these buildings.

    The Elder was expecting me, naturally, and invited me to her living room where she prepared some berry blend for us. As I expected, even the furniture inside the houses was mostly grown flora given shape, even the teacup in my hands seemed to be made out of some sort of living hard wooden plant¡­

    After some conversation, we got down to business. The Elder was thankful towards me for turning the lazy workers into hardworking characters in a week¡¯s time and wanted to help me with the basics of the Shaman class as a result.

    According to her, the Shaman had different ways it could be developed: Spiritual or Natural. The first dealt with spirits, ghosts, curses and other similar super-naturalea. The second dealt with plants, their growth and mutation, their evolution and habitat¡­ She didn¡¯t had to say anything else in order for me to understand that I¡¯ll be learning the Natural components of the class from her¡­ or about the fact that she was the one mostly responsible for the appearance of the houses in this sector of the village.

    She brought some bags of seeds and told me that I needed to identify them all, so I did so and obtained an ability from the shaman class when it leveled up: Flora Identification. This ability was an upgrade that affected the Identify ability, making it more likely to correctly identify plants and seeds. Useful as I had previously noticed that the Identify ability was quite bad at doing its job¡­

    Once I obtained the ability, I re-identified the seeds and noticed they were all different types of seeds¡­ Not one of them was repeated amongst the hundreds or even thousands in the bags! As the ability leveled up from use, I was able to see the name of each of the seeds just by looking at them offhandedly without even activating the ability. If I concentrated on a particular name, I was even able to quickly find the seed since the only visible name would be the one of that type of seed!

    Seeing that I had finished and discovered the usefulness of the ability, the Elder gave me the task of placing the seeds in these bags in the proper locations in the warehouse room she has in her house. That place was quite large and filled to the brim with boxes containing seeds; a ladder was necessary in order to interact with the middle to top boxes. It took me some hours to place the seeds in their proper locations even with the ability I had now¡­

    The Elder now wanted me to get her some seeds of a particular type: Gretashki Kelp Seed. I quickly brought her a bag full of them and she began the actual part of the training¡­ She taught me to force the growth of the seedling up to adulthood as well as ripping small portions of the plant and ¡°Transmuting¡± them into seeds of the same plant. It took me until midnight to actually do this and once I managed to do so I couldn¡¯t stop in my excitement. I spent that night creating and disassembling Gretashki Kelps and obtaining large quantities of seeds. By the time the Elder returned, I had nearly a million seeds in total. This amount was naturally calculated by my inventory as I wouldn¡¯t be able to count all the seeds one by one¡­

    She began the next part of the training without regards for my lack of sleep. It was about causing mutations in the seed¡¯s growth. At first, I could only cause it to grow in different directions than upwards, but after some guidance I managed to give the plants more solid shapes.

    Around midday, I got an idea I got curious of and asked the Elder if it was possible. She seemed quite happy as she explained what I had to do in order to achieve my task, so I got right to it! I spent the rest of the day, as well as the entire stock of seeds I had created, in finalizing my project: new tools!

    With Colonel breaking most of mine with the exception of the knives which I didn¡¯t want to use in combat unless cornered, I needed to make new ones from scratch. Using the growth and mutation techniques of the Shaman class, I forced the seeds to grow into the tools I wanted.

    There were a LOT of failures which were then disassembled back into seeds, but I managed to create some tools which I felt were good enough for the time being: 3 nets of different sizes and 6 different whips of different lengths and shapes: 2 ¡°Scourges¡± one being Three-Tails and the other being Nine-Tails, a ¡°Bull Whip¡± which if I¡¯m reading it¡¯s window correctly can cause a SonicBoom effect which will be quite useful underwater as it will have a similar effect to Colonel¡¯s punches, a ¡°Nagaika¡± (basically a staff with a whip attached to one of its ends) and two Lazos. These were the only ones I could call ¡°successful, though the overall damage these whips can inflict is quite low¡­

    Afterwards, by working with the Elder¡¯s direct instruction, I managed to create a butterfly net/fishing net. The system merely called it Hand-Net. While it is much smaller than the other nets, it is much stronger and will be harder to break out of¡­ I still think Colonel will be able to slice it to pieces with his razor pincers though.

    She was happy with my progress and gave me some seeds as a reward for completing her training. She specifically refused to teach me any more about the class so as to let me get used to it on my own.

    After this, I went back to my room and got beaten by Colonel for making them worry about me these two days¡­ I¡¯m not joking; he beat the crap out of me. I¡¯m still shaking a bit as I¡¯m writing this from all the wounds my body had while Phio recovered me. I suppose that I did deserve this as I went over to the Elder¡¯s house and stayed there for two days without telling them anything¡­ I¡¯ll be sure not to commit the same mistake in the future.

    By the way, I obtained the Endurance and Fortitude stats after the beating, just how hard was Colonel hitting me? Also I seem to have obtained the Focus stat while I was with the Elder, and my Concentration stat skyrocketed¡­ I guess if I ever get any useful spells I¡®ll easily be able to chant them without getting distracted or having them backfire on me, though for the moment the spells I have obtained are chantless¡­

    Date: 7<sup>th</sup>Day of the 2<sup>nd</sup>Week of the 2<sup>nd</sup>Month

    Location: Village of Sed

    After resting a bit in real life, I came back to the Village of Sed and went over to inspect the workers and guards. They were at it quite well, especially the guards who seemed to have managed to catch up with the workers already. I guess being disposed for hard training makes quite a difference in development¡­

    After making sure everything was in order, I excused myself and went over to the Eastern Coral fields; it was time for me to learn a thing or two about Coral care. I didn¡¯t want to risk my food source dying on me in the future¡­ Little did I know what I¡¯d learn there¡­ quite surprising even now as I¡¯m writing this entry.

    Turns out, the reports written in the library are out of date. Rather than coral fields, it¡¯s more apt to call this section of the outskirts of the village a Reef.  While the number of fishes and small creatures was on a lower scale than the weed fields and barn, there were a lot of sedentary and sessile species over here. Ranging from corals, anemones, sea sponges, conches, sea shells, clams, starfish, urchins, even a large variety of sea squirts were covering nearly the entire grounds of this place. Both of them¡­

    The Reef, as I¡¯ll refer it from now on, was made out of two floors. The lower one was the natural sandy seafloor that was already completely covered in fauna. The upper one was created by the Maomer, most likely the Elder¡¯s doing given by the natural materials used, in order to be able to host a greater number of inhabitants.

    When I arrived, some Maomer were checking up on the inhabitants, picking the produce they gave and providing support of some kind. Seeing this, I decided to go over and ask if I could help out somehow. They seemed happy to have someone else to share the workload as there were few workers here and a lot of ground to cover, so they easily agreed.

    I spent some hours learning to communicate with the inhabitants who, while sharing the Aquan language, did not speak it too well¡­ Instead, they communicate through a more primitive form involving the Polyps that live within most of them. Rather than communicate, it was more like trying to determine what they are saying by feeling the Polyp¡¯s emotional stance. Not the most effective method of communication, but the Maomer caretakers explained that the Polyps are very primitive life forms and are unable to communicate in any other way.

    You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.

    Given this, I determined that making my corals pets would be a waste of time, as they would be unable to understand my intentions let alone accept the petition to become my pet. Still, another way to achieve some relationship with my corals was necessary, so I continued working with them during this day.

    Around sundown, my Druid class leveled up and I learned a spell that allows me to slightly control the actions of animals, but the spell is limited to primitive animals without much conscious thought. The Druid class must be similar to the Shaman class in that the actions one takes determines the way the class progresses. Had I been working with some other type of animal, perhaps the ability earned would be much different or else I might¡¯ve earned stats instead.

    Still, this spell could prove very useful somehow, so I decided to train it a bit with the Polyps. To my surprise, I could control about half the Polyps within a medium sized Coral and have them modify the coral in various ways. With enough research, it should be possible to raise the productivity and health of my corals so as to receive greater quantities or higher quality berries.

    As I was about to leave, the caretakers invited me over to the boss of this sector; a small lady which seemed quite to be of a young age, but was actually older than everyone here, Annie. While the caretakers jokingly treated her like a younger sister, they listened to her respectively. Upon meeting her, she seemed quite amicable and asked me if I had any particular reason for visiting today.

    Once I mentioned that I was researching Corals, she grew curious and asked me to elaborate. After explaining about the corals in my room, my recent acquisition of the Druid class and my lack of understanding of various details about Corals, she became quiet and pensive. She asked me to return tomorrow so I returned to my room since it was night already. After explaining to the others that I¡¯d be in the Eastern Sector of the village handling corals and sessile animals, I decided I would log out immediately after finishing this sentence in order to get something to eat.

    Date: 7<sup>th</sup>Day of the 3<sup>rd</sup>Week of the 2<sup>nd</sup>Month

    Location: Village of Sed

    It¡¯s been a whole week since my last entry and I¡¯ve learned quite a bit. The primary reason for my lack of record of daily entries is due to being too engrossed in my training to do so. While I did return to my room daily in order to not push myself too much, I only slept some odd hours before returning. I couldn¡¯t help it, it was an interesting subject! However, this means that after this entry I¡¯ll take some time to rest up my real body.

    Anyways, Annie received me today along with someone else who she introduced as Michael. He was a Coral Smith and his main tasks involved creating armor out of corals. Live Corals, not dead calcinated corals much to my surprise. He explained that the way he does this is by controlling the actions of young Polyps into creating the armor the same way they create the coral.

    He brought me to his workshop were we began to practice making a chest plate. My first attempt¡­ a fiasco¡­ While I could control half the Polyps to work as I wanted, the other half worked in seemingly random manners, thus it became a situation where if I took control of one half the other half would go haywire and vice versa. The end result was something that could barely be called a coral, let alone a coral chest plate.

    Seeing my troubles, Michael mentioned he expected much worse from my first attempt as he expected me to not even be able to control 1 of the Polyps, much less half of them. He gave me some tasks to do in the Reef while required me to control the Polyps within the inhabitants. Most of these tasks involved having the Polyps strengthen specific sections of their homes, which varied between corals, sponges and anemones.

    At first, these tasks took me nearly half an hour to complete, but as I practiced more and the level of my spell rose I became able to finish them up in five minutes time. Still, I was not satisfied with this and continued practicing after finishing the tasks¡­

    Around noon, I returned to Michael with the control spell at level 15, just enough for my purposes I suppose¡­ Michael hadn¡¯t expected me to take so long to realize those tasks, but put it behind him and simply asked me to realize the same thing I had this morning. This time, I was able to fully control the Polyps without problems and the result had at least a semblance to a chest plate this time! However, it was quite fragile; useless for protection¡­

    While I was exasperated at this result, Michael was surprised at my development. In a day I had managed to take control over the Polyps as if this were second nature to me. That¡¯s how the first day ended.

    The second day was mostly me practicing in controlling the Polyps into creating hard surfaces. This would be particularly important since I¡¯ll need the armor to provide a good amount of defense. Once I was satisfied with the strength they could create, I had them make a chest plate. This time it was very durable and provided higher defense than the previous armor, but its rigidity made it difficult to move in as I realized when I tried it on¡­ Furthermore, the insides of the armor damaged my skin due to direct contact with the coral. Another failure¡­ for a completely different reason¡­

    The armor itself was good for knights and warriors who directly fight in the front lines, they can even wear chain mail below the chest plate to provide protection against the coral armor. Furthermore, they don¡¯t have as much use for mobility, so the armor¡¯s rigidity is of no consequence to them.

    On the other hand, I prefer to be at least lithe enough to dodge my enemy¡¯s attacks, so this armor was of no use to me. I spent the rest of the day trying to modify the chest plate with the Polyps in order to make it more wieldly, but ultimately was forced to give up on the idea of the Polyps creating armor favorable to my fighting style¡­

    The third day went by with me going over the reef¡¯s inhabitants and providing help when possible as I tried to figure out how to make good use of my Druid class¡­ As I was tending to the Reef, an idea entered into my head: Perhaps it wasn¡¯t necessary to find another way to make use of the class¡­ Perhaps I just needed to change the target of my class¡¯s spells¡­

    Taking this into consideration, I looked around the Reef and began to look at its inhabitants, analyzing them; their shapes, textures, coloring, unique qualities, etc¡­ As I analyzed, I tried to picture the chest plate I had tried to create previously and imagined the characteristics of each of these creatures placed within the chest plate in one way or another¡­

    Around noon that day, I made my choices: Aragendo Coral, Kolomonos Coral and Hiatesides Sea Sponge. I decided to also pick some Sea Squirts and utilize the shells and scales I collected in my previous hunt as well as an experiment¡­

    With the Polyps for the mentioned animals, a bag of sea squirts and the other materials picked back at my room, I went over to the workshop and began to work.

    First I took out the large crab shells and began to inspect them individually in order to determine the ones that would serve my purposes. Once I decided upon 2 similarly shaped crab shells, I placed them over the table and took out the Kolomonos Coral Polyps. Controlling them, the Polyps began to create Kolomonos Coral around the two separate shells, entirely covering them in a thin-like film.

    Once the shells were fully over grown, I made the Polyps stop and took out the Hiatesides Sea Sponge Polyps. They began to create a structure uniting the two pieces of crab shell, a rather soft structure that nevertheless held together with great strength. The structure was cylindrical, but had a large hole right in the middle of it, large enough for someone to squeeze into it. The interior of the structure was hollow once the Polyps finished their jobs, which served my purposes nicely¡­

    I had the Aragendo Coral Polyps layer the lowest portions of the interior with their type of coral, keeping the air ducts free so that the Sea Sponge could breathe. Soon, I had them stop and ordered them to concentrate on the production of berries from now on. For a final touch, I gently placed some Sea Squirts in some key positions within the sea sponge.

    With this, the first experiment was done. The armor was red in color, with the thin layer of Kolomonos Coral being transparent enough to allow the natural color of the crab shell to show off more than usual. The armor itself was very hard in the exterior, with the coral and shell combination having a strong synergy in terms of defense. Once I equipped the armor, it felt very light thanks to the Sea Sponge within absorbing much of the weight and impact from the armor. The soft skin of the sponge¡¯s outside lightly tickled my chest, but it was a far cry from the pain I inflicted on myself with the previous armor.

    Moving in the armor proved to be easier than the previous one as well, since the rigidity was concentrated on the front and back, leaving the sides of the armor with enough flexibility to move about a bit easier. While it still cut down on my mobility, it was to a much more satisfying extent.

    This was just the chest plate of the armor, so I still had to create the other pieces of equipment. With this piece satisfying me, I began to work on the other pieces: shoulder plates, plated pants, greaves, shoulder plates, a gauntlet, a glove, and a helm. By the time I finished with all of these pieces, it was midday of the fifth day. Each piece had required the method to be modified slightly, but had in the end proven to be much more efficient than when I tried to create armor purely out of coral.

    On a side note, when I tried the full set on and felt satisfied with it, the system pinged and named the armor I had just created the Crab Reef Armor Set. Really? Oh well¡­ The status of the armor at the moment of completion was as follows:

    If used correctly, this set should be of great use until I reach the early hundreds¡­ though since I can modify the armor using the Polyps, it could last even longer. This is especially true now since they can repair damage incurred and run away into my inventory when their durability is in the danger zone¡­ The stealth Option will be of good use during the hunts now since I can prepare for the fight long before the enemy detects me if I play my cards right.

    Happy with the results of the armor, I showed it to Michael who congratulated me on the idea of using the Sea Sponge to counteract the damage of the coral as well as the other functions. He asked me if he could borrow the idea, which I said was fine. However, I asked him to give me the right to use certain Polyps and materials I thought useful, but were out of limits for newbies. He acquitted as long as I promised to be careful, one of those things I asked for was quite dangerous, The Boomakrox Coral Polyps. Not that the Coral Barnacles I asked for were any better for the ecosystem¡­ I really needed to be careful here or I might end up causing a disaster!

    How lucky this is all in the past and nothing horrible happened to me! Hahaha!

    Anyways, the experiment I did this time involved using the Coral Barnacles as makeshift triggers for various effects. Well, that¡¯s not the first thing I used them for as I needed to get used to them before I used them for such delicate procedures¡­ Instead, I used their harder than average shells along with Kolomonos Coral and a very strong Crab Shell to create a heavy crab-shaped, Barnacle Shield. The shield provided greater defense than my armor, but was quite heavy and taxed on my stamina quickly. It would be useful to quick-equip it in times of need, drop it, then pick it up after the battle¡­

    Once this shield was completed, I started to work on my new main weapon: a trident. Considering the main problem of my previous trident, I had two Kolomonos Corals be created in a stick-like shape up to two feet long. Then, I had a Barnacle dig into one extremity of each of the two segments and made sure to have them keep the trident whole with the help of some kelp, shaped into a chain through the abilities learned from the Elder. Once the two segments were united, I had one of them continue growing on the other extremity perpendicularly to the form it had now. From this point, I had three more Kolomonos Corals grow and sharpen into stake-like formations and placed six more Barnacles to unite the stakes to the base.

    The end result looked like a common Kolomonos Trident, no better than the ones Michael had in store. However, the result was different as this version of said trident had the Barnacles within waiting for the trigger. Showing it to Michael, I ordered the Barnacles at the middle of the trident to release.

    The trident¡¯s two segments separated, with the tri-dented segment being shot out forwards until it stabbed the kelp walls. Almost immediately after it made contact, I ordered the kelp chain to retract, swiftly becoming whole again.

    As Michael gazed at the weapon, trying to see it better, I called out to the barnacles at the tips and they shot one after the other, piercing the kelp wall once again at intervals of one second each. While one was returning, the other one got shot and the other was fastening itself back in its place. This trident would give me some extra coverage in situations where the use of whips is limited, yet enemies keep to a distance¡­

    Seeing the success of these two, I knew I MIGHT be able to succeed in the next weapon. However, it was already late and it would be best to work on it while fresh and relaxed, so I decided to wait till tomorrow to start.

    Today, the seventh day of the third week of my second month in the Helix, went by without inconvenience. Seeing as I¡¯ve written so much and it¡¯s nearing time for me to log out, I¡¯ll just write the results for this day: Success.

    The testing of this weapon will begin after I¡¯ve rested my real body a bit. I¡¯ll refrain from writing more about it or else I might keep writing for much longer¡­

    Date: 5<sup>th</sup>Day of the 4<sup>th</sup>Week of the 2<sup>nd</sup>Month

    Location: Village of Sed

    I logged back into The Helix after taking care of my basic necessities, including sleep. There were only three days until the fated day in which the Elder¡¯s plan will set into motion, which unbeknown to her at the moment will end up saving the Icarians overhead who I anchored by accident¡­

    The progress with the workers and guards has been going well, they should be able to finish the preparations by tomorrow at midday. Hence, anything else I need to do I¡¯ll need to do today in order to go meet them as they finish tomorrow.

    I decided to bring along Josh for company as I tested my new gear and tried fighting alongside him for the first time. I¡¯ve already seen and felt what Colonel is capable of, and he is still needed to keep some of the laziest workers under control. Phio on the other hand needs to be present in order to keep her blessing activated, as such cannot accompany us. She seemed bothered by the fact that she needed to stay and help the workers while Josh gets to play around¡­ But once I mentioned that this was not playing around, but training Josh¡­ She decided to let Josh go with a smile! How nice of her!

    Josh and I traveled southwards to fight some Crabbulates. While I could definitely kill them before with ease, much more so now, Josh doesn¡¯t have as much fighting experience. I want to see just how powerful his spells have become while he was forced to study as well as practice his spells on wayward workers¡­

    It was my mistake it seems¡­ Magic will always be OP no matter which game it is used on¡­ Well, as long as the caster has a chance to actually execute the spell that is. Josh¡¯s first enemy was scorched with his electric surge spell, leaving a blackened shell and overcooked crabmeat. Definitely low quality materials, but it could be interesting to see the effects of the electrified shell later on, so I harvested the monster quickly and we moved on to other monsters.

    Josh did a pretty good job until he ran out of mana. Still, his maximum mana almost tripled from last time. This amount is still no good for a self-respecting mage however¡­ I might need to ask for some help later on about what options are there to increase maximum mana since Josh obviously doesn¡¯t want to study¡­

    My armor kept the attention of the monsters on Josh until I actually had to make a move to help Josh out, and by then the enemy wasn¡¯t prepared to get pierced by my trident from afar. The monster that became the most easy after my upgrades would be the spearfish, since I could trap him in my fishing net and turn it into a kebab if it struggled too much for harvesting.

    Josh was excited all the time, buzzing off enemies or just excitedly inspecting my various tools. At one point, he grew scared that I had left him behind when I was right next to him which was pretty hilarious. From that point on, I traveled with him with my Helm¡¯s visor off. Therefore, my stealth option was also off.

    During sundown, we made our way back to the city when we found a demon clam. Josh wanted to have a go at it, but this is precisely the type of monster I wanted to test my new weapon on, so I stopped him. I took it out of my inventory and placed the visor over my face. Then, I started creeping towards the clam.

    The clam seemed to detect my presence on several occasions as I approached, but the Armor¡¯s camouflage worked and the clam¡¯s sight grazed over me as if I wasn¡¯t there. Once I was within 10 feet of the clam, I carefully aimed with the weapon. Once I was certain that I was aiming correctly, I yelled at the clam.

    The clam immediately opened its shell and started to look for the enemy, but it was too late¡­ I ordered the Barnacle to trigger and a tiny, black berry was launched towards the clam. The clam could only look confused as I ran away from the area and the berry quickly flew directly towards its face. Contact¡­

    BOOM!

    I fell to the floor as a large shockwave of heated water blew around. Due to me escaping the explosion¡¯s range, I had escaped scathed but otherwise unharmed. The clam on the other hand¡­

    There was only its hard shell left, colored carbon black and littered with cracks all over. I was quite surprised the shell even managed to survive the explosion! Had I not shot the Boomakrox berry directly into the clam¡¯s face, perhaps it would¡¯ve escaped without injury as well!

    I made a mental note to collect some clam shells for the next time I decided to create heavy armor and accompanied Josh back to the village¡­ This hunt was quite successful as I managed to obtain several new stats due to the different way in which I fought this time: Stealth, Evasion, Vigil, Flexibility and Finesse. These stats will easily counteract the lowered movement from the armor, enabling me to hunt more efficiently without danger to my life.

    Date: 6<sup>th</sup>Day of the 4<sup>th</sup>Week of the 2<sup>nd</sup>Month

    Location: Village of Sed

    Today was a pretty short day. I helped out the workers in finishing the layout of the Elder¡¯s plans, so we finished before lunch. Everything is ready to ensure the safety of the Maomer, as well as the Icarians¡­

    Taking into consideration the possibilities for the future, I talked to the Elder about the Icarian¡¯s plight due to our actions¡­ She seemed a bit mad that I had kept this information until the last moment, but understood my reasons and decided to continue with the plan with only one modification.

    She called over the village¡¯s Warlock, Simon Q. He would be the one to talk with the Icarians on the Maomer¡¯s behalf once this incident was resolved. When I asked about how he will survive outside of water, he happily announced he knew the Water Layer spell which covers the target in a film of water. So long as he stays in said film, he can stay out of water indefinitely¡­

    Taking the chance that a mage was in front of me, I asked him about what Josh could do to gain mana without becoming more intelligent¡­ He laughed a good while, even after he realized I was serious¡­ Well, its little wonder as it turns out he is quite similar to Josh in this. While he is just as smart as your average Maomer, his wisdom is quite poor which severely cuts down on his mana. In order to make up for this loss, he learned Direct Mana Manipulation which in turn gave him the Arcane stat, an Advanced stat that greatly raises maximum mana. He cautioned me that learning Direct Mana Manipulation was quite serious and could end up hurting the fellow, so I had to be careful if I decided to have Josh learn it.

    The end of the day came over soon after and I went to my room to sleep alongside my pets. Phio and Josh snuggled into my bed that night as it was chilly, but Colonel merely half-slept right next to the door. His Hemispheric Sleep is quite amazing, as it lets him make only half his brain fall asleep while leaving the other half stay alert all night long¡­ Maybe I should get him to teach me someday? Nah, I like sleeping naturally¡­ At least I dream like this¡­

    Xeno closed the notebook he was writing on and placed it in his inventory. He looked over the peacefully sleeping kids on his right and the resting, but vigilant shrimp over the door. He smiled as he would be enjoying their company for real from tomorrow onward, as soon as this whole thing blew over and he was free to explore the world.

    Xeno was itching to go out on an adventure already as he had been stuck in this village for 2 months already. He spent a good time here and made good friend and learned plenty of stuff¡­ but after so long adventuring in other worlds, he needed adventure and exploration just as much as a bird needs his worm. He yawned deeply and snuggled within his covers. In little to no time, Xeno was fast asleep¡­

    <hr />

    (TARK NORM)

    Eliseus watched over as his men continued to try to pry off the thing that was keeping their island from floating away. It had been a month since their Isle had been anchored by what his scientists had identified as seaweed. He still found it hard to believe that mere seaweed had trapped them in the middle of enemy territory. This was quite a dangerous situation that they were in.

    Tark Norm was a scout Isle from the Icarian kingdom. Its main job was to fly their island using the gravitational magi-technology provided and scout out the movements of their enemies. In this case, enemies refer to the Avariels, the winged elves and scourge of non-fliers. Normally, they would leave non-fliers alone and ignore them completely. However, the Icarians had long since discovered the secrets of gravitational forces and learned to float. To the Avariels, this was an insult to true born-fliers; as such they hunt down Icarians whenever they can¡­

    Tomorrow, a squadron of Avariel would be arriving at their coordinates and exterminate the Icarians unless they manage to escape. Eliseus had half given up on escaping alive already as even if they managed to escape their entrapment they would be unable to outfly the Avariel. They were basically doomed already¡­

    He slapped himself as he remembered the words of one of his old friends. She had insisted that even if they manage to remove the seaweed, they should NOT try to escape as help was on the way. While she had not mentioned exactly what kind of help in what kind of way was on the way, Eliseus trusted her enough to listen to her words.

    Or course, if his country ended up destroyed because of listening to her; he would naturally make her pay. She was well aware of this, he was sure. He was always quite vengeful back at The Codex, but once he served his revenge he always went back to the relationship they originally had.

    He wondered for a moment if Savi was still playing there or if he had finally decided to come over to this world. It was far more interesting than The Codex, but Savi seemed insistent that there were still things he needed to finish up there. He wouldn¡¯t say what though¡­ Oh, well! Eliseus decided to concentrate on the problem at hand instead of reminiscing about the past.

    <hr />

    (Avariel Sky Brigade: Command Center)

    ¡°We shall kill the wingless chickens!¡± ¨C Avariel

    ¡°WINGLESS CHICKENS!!!¡± ¨C chorus of Avariels ¨C ¡°KILL!!!!!¡±

    ¡°Why was I sent on this mission?¡± ¨C lamented a lonesome Eladrin as he watched the Avariel around him clutter and chant about how they were going to eliminate the Icarians. So far this trip had been horrible for the Eladrin who had no particular love for the Avariel. Sure he hated non-elven as much as any good natured Eladrin, but the attitudes of the Avariel went beyond simple extermination of their enemy¡­

    ¡°KILL THE CHICKENS!¡±

    ¡°THE WINGLESS CHICKENS!¡±

    ¡°WINGLESS KILL!!!!!!!¡± ¨C screeched a rather old Avariel

    ¡°They¡¯re like parrots¡­ without brains¡­¡± ¨C he murmured under his breath as he continued to watch the antics of these supposed descendants of the Divine race¡­ If only they didn¡¯t had Elven Blood in their veins, then he wouldn¡¯t doubt for a single moment before plucking all their feathers and throwing them all into ovens¡­

    The Eladrin rose from his seat in the command center and walked over to the window to take another look at the oddity ahead. Standing infinitely tall, a forest of seaweeds pierced right through Tark Norm, the target of the Avariel¡¯s hatred¡­ One of them anyways¡­

    The Eladrin was curious as to what had trapped the Icarians in such a way and worried slightly over the possibility of getting trapped themselves¡­ But placed the thought out of his mind; the ship had better defense capabilities than the ones recorded to be held by Tark Norm, so there shouldn¡¯t be too much of a problem if they get attacked by seaweeds¡­ Furthermore, even without the ship, the Avariel are more than capable of destroying Tark Norm in its current state.

    Still, he wondered what this feeling of displacement was¡­ As if the laws of causality themselves were being thrown out of balance and an unexpected participant was to change the outcome so completely he would be forced out. This feeling was quite heavy in his heart as the ship moved ever closer towards their target.

    <hr />

    Chapter 8: Final Test</a>

    <hr />

    Sorry for taking so long writing this! I had to rethink the way to write this chapter in order to fit an entire month of events without skipping over too many details. Curse my idea of keeping volumes down to 10 chapters each!

    I decided to go with a diary format for this chapter. Don¡¯t expect to see many chapters in this format as I¡¯ll only use it to move the story forwards in times of need, such as now. Here we see how Xeno prepares for the saving of the Icarians, how he upgraded his broken gear and learned more about his classes. As you might¡¯ve guessed, due to studying under a Coral Smith he gained said class. He may not have said so directly in his diary, but the windows of the items he created tell you as much.

    We also see some new characters here, an old friend of Savi and the Avariel enemies. I¡¯m sure you all feel bad for the Eladrin that¡¯s stuck with them¡­ Until you remember the description given about Eladrin in the first chapter that it!

    What will this Eladrin¡¯s presence mean for the efforts of the Maomer to save the Icarians? Only a lot of time will tell you guys! Hahaha!

    No idea when the next chapter may be¡­ During the weekend most likely, as I¡¯m currently playing Pokemon ORAS at the moment. Another reason why I took so long to write this. Yes, I openly admit to have been playing videogames instead of writing the next chapter, sue me! Hahaha!

 Volume 1: Chapter 10 Fare De Well

    Chapter 10: Fare De Well

    (TARK NORM)

    ¡°The Avariel have been sighted, sir! They will be in range in one hour.¡± ¨C said an humanoid with pale skin and white hair as he directed the news towards the people in the room. The room was spherical in shape and colored in dark red stone; a wooden table laid in the middle of the room with various people of similar race to the soldier listening to the report.

    ¡°I see¡­ Thank you for the report, please return to duty and send message if something else happens.¡± ¨C said Eliseus. The soldier merely saluted and exited the room in a hurry. Eliseus turned towards the others in the committee room, everyone had a dark expression in their faces. With the isle still anchored and the Avariel closing in, it was only a matter of minutes before they were assaulted by the enemy. Hope had dwindled as the month passed and news of the Avariel reached them; to no avail they continued their attempts to cut the seaweed the anchored them to the ocean, even now as the enemy closed in on them¡­

    ¡°So¡­ we fight, is that it?¡± ¨C said a rather elderly person of the committee.

    ¡°Don¡¯t be ridiculous, Taho!¡± ¨C said an obese man with well-trimmed hair and elegant clothes ¨C ¡°This isle has no combat potential; other than the soldier and their carry-on weapons, we have no means to combat the Avariels. On the other hand, the Avariel have a full battle-ready combat ship at their disposal!¡±

    ¡°Sigh¡­ Where did those Avariel even get that battleship from? They aren¡¯t known for being technicians, that¡¯s for sure¡­¡± ¨C murmured Taho.

    ¡°Rumor goes that the Eladrin may have something to do with this¡­¡± ¨C answered Eliseus ¨C ¡°They say they¡¯ll take any opportunity to cripple non-elven races. With the Avariel coming down on us, it¡¯s no surprise they would aid their blood-kin.¡±

    ¡°If only the human blood-lines were as tight as that, huh?¡± ¨C said Taho in an amused tone.

    ¡°We wouldn¡¯t have any need to run away from the Avariel if that were the case. The Gnacks alone might provide some support, but it would be costly financially. The rest of humanity is made out of hypocrites, megalomaniacs, and hermits; depending on them would just bring our downfall¡­¡± ¨C reasoned another.

    ¡°True, Trux. But some help is better than none.¡± ¨C said Taho in a striking tone. The words cut deep in the minds of the Icarians in the room. There would be no aid from their kingdom, as the isle would fall long before they could arrive. The risks of a scout have never been so clear to these individuals¡­

    Eliseus stood silent as the others went into deep thought. He had not yet mentioned the possibility of relief from this battle because he was still not certain of the way it would occur¡­ or if it would occur at all for that matter.

    He could accept the blame for losing the Sky Isle, but not the betrayed gazes of his companions as they plummeted towards their doom. No, better to stay silent until something happens and he can be sure that they will survive this day. This is what Eliseus had decided upon.

    He gazed at the people in the room, and said in a clear tone ¨C ¡°Thinking about such matters will be of no use at this point. Better to strengthen our defenses even if only slightly.¡±

    ¡°We have no hope of survival anyways, why bother?¡± ¨C said someone in an ill-humored tone.

    ¡°Because dying is not the worst case scenario that I wish to envision.¡± ¨C said Eliseus in a matter-of-fact tone.

    ¡°Please explain your reasoning, Lieutenant¡­¡±

    ¡°Today¡¯s worst case scenario should be Kamikaze not death.¡±

    The people in the room held their breaths as they took his words in. If they stood no hope for survival; it is only natural for the soldiers to take down as many enemies as they could in their last moments. This is a truth and one of the few that allowed cornered prey to fall down satisfied that they did their best.

    Humans were no different in this regard, the Icarians knew in their hearts that come goes to worse, they would try to take down their enemy with them. However, to plan the kamikaze beforehand was heavy on the weary hearts of these Icarians. It was no different from giving up in a way, but then again complaining about things and not saying anything else would be about the same thing¡­

    ¡°¡­what do you propose?¡±

    Eliseus sighed as he began to elaborate on a plan to ensure the enemy ship is destroyed, if nothing else, should Tark Norm fall.

    (AVARIEL BATTLESHIP: CREW QUARTERS)

    ¡°The Avariel are fully prepared to launch their assault upon Tark Norm; all systems and weapons are ready to go.¡± ¨C said a tall, proud elf towards a machine that stood before him. On the screen of said machine, another elf looked over to the one finishing his report.

    ¡°Time until the attack begins?¡±

    ¡°Roughly 50 minutes, sir.¡±

    ¡°Good, Emos; you have leave to leave the ship.¡±

    ¡°Understood, my liege.¡± ¨C as Emos answered, the screen went blank and shut down. He quickly picked up the machine and hid it in his inventory before being on his way. He could finally escape the chatter and banter of the Avariel, which was great news for the annoyed Eladrin. Any more time and he might¡¯ve gone crazy and given himself a blooded feather buffet¡­

    He walked over to the Hold where his sky ship rested. The sky ship looked, for all intents and purposes, like a jet plane. However, it was built not with metal, but with stone. Dark Red stone that gleamed as mana coursed throughout it like veins of power, Gravitite Stone. This particular stone had the ability to convert mana into a special anti-gravitational energy; the blood-life of the sky isles.

    This Gravitite Jet had been plundered from an Icarian Base long ago, but still remained operational till today. While the elven had yet to break down the jet and recreate it, they were still able to operate it with ease.

    The elves desired more relics such as these, but the Icarians never again allowed them to steal ¡°working¡± relics after that event. There was always a tinge of elation when Emos thought of the Icarian¡¯s creations being used to exterminate them.

    Emos walked over to the jet and climbed inside. There, he took hold over the controls and began to inject his mana into the jet. Slowly, but surely the jet began to lift off the ground and float in the air. After a full minute of infusion, Emos operated the relic and flew outside the Battleship.

    He would remain around to see this battle through to the end¡­ But now he could see the slaughter without having to deal with the Avariel! Emos could only smile joyfully as he left the jet in standby, floating perfectly still in the sky giving him a perfect view of the spectacle that was about to occur.

    (VILLAGE OF SED)

    Xeno stretched as he rose from his bed. Phio and Josh were complaining about the racket that the alarm was creating while Colonel urged them to hurry it up. Swiftly, Xeno began to pick up his things in the room. He placed inside his backpack the various corals and plant seeds he had obtained.

    Quickly, without missing a beat, he had decomposed all the herbs he possessed in order to obtain a good quantity of seeds. They were placed all mixed up within a few bags, but he could easily rearrange them at a later time.

    The corals he gently placed in his backpack. He had plans to have the Polyps rebuild the corals for better efficiency, but that would take some more time than he had, so he left it for later.

    His room, where he had been living for nearly two months now, was empty of any object that was his personal property. Xeno gave a final look around the room and nodded satisfied.

    ¡°Alright, guys. Let¡¯s get going!¡±

    ¡°To-today¡¯s the ri-ritual¡­ right?¡±

    ¡°Ritual? What ritual?¡± ¨C asked Josh clueless.

    ¡°BAKA!¡± ¨C grunted Colonel as he hit Josh in the head ¨C ¡°The ritual for which thou have been helping the Maomer fools in!¡±

    ¡°Oh¡­ Is it tasty?¡± ¨C Colonel continued beating up Josh. Seeing that this was going to go on for a while, Phio started healing Josh with her powers as Xeno answered her question.

    ¡°Yes, we¡¯ll be going to the ceremony now.¡±

    ¡°Th-then¡­ Why did you¡­¡±

    ¡°Clean the room out of anything that¡¯s mine?¡±

    ¡°Y-yes!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s because we won¡¯t be returning to this room afterwards.¡±

    ¡°H-huh?¡± ¨C responded Phio with surprise ¨C ¡°W-WHY?!¡±

    ¡°Well¡­¡± ¨C Xeno began to think about how to explain it to her ¨C ¡°I¡¯ve been in this village two months today¡­ It¡¯s time I began to do what I wanted to do in the first place.¡±

    ¡°Er¡­ Th-that is¡­?¡±

    ¡°Exploring the world, going on an adventure, making a legend for myself¡­ You can call it any of those things and be right, I suppose!¡± ¨C answered Xeno with a smile ¨C ¡°But the actual fact is that I simply want to see this new world and everything in it! And maybe meet up with some old friends once I¡¯ve gotten the hang of this world¡­¡±

    ¡°ADVENTURE!¡±

    ¡°Shut it! I¡¯m not done with you!¡±

    Ignoring the two ruffians that interrupted their conversation, Phio asked ¨C ¡°Fr-friends? B-but then why n-not¡­¡± ¨C she fell silent.

    ¡°Meet them now?¡± ¨C asked her Xeno trying yo guess her meaning.

    ¡°Ah, ha¡­¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ They¡¯ve been here much longer than I, so if I went to them now I¡¯d just be baggage in all honesty¡­¡±

    ¡°Ba-bagage! But w-why?!¡± ¨C she asked not understanding his meaning.

    ¡°Haha¡­ They won¡¯t say it, but because I am much weaker than them at the moment¡­ They¡¯ll have to do much simpler quests and missions than they usually would else I might end up in danger I¡¯m not ready to face yet.¡± ¨C explained Xeno ¨C ¡°I¡¯ll only want to travel with them IF I can actually pull my own weight at the very least!¡±

    ¡°Excuse me, Xeno-san¡­ but would not travelling with strong compatriots help you become stronger as well, only much more quickly?¡± ¨C inquired Colonel in doubt.

    ¡°Maybe so, Colonel. However, I want to become stronger without having to rely on the help of old friends¡­ It just doesn¡¯t feel right to do so, and my friends are of the same opinion!¡±

    ¡°Truly?

    ¡°Yes, unless strictly necessary due to¡­ unaccountable reasons¡­ we try not to rely on each other to become stronger when we are too weak. It¡¯s something completely different if we are strong ¡°enough¡± though!¡±

    ¡°What do you mean by that?¡±

    ¡°Well¡­ If we reach what we believe is the current limit of our personal growth, we go towards another so that they can help us discover another direction in which to grow stronger. Understand?¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ You and your friends must have quite a close bond then, to so readily reveal ones abilities towards each other just to help each other grow stronger¡­¡±

    ¡°Well, we HAVE lived through much together¡­ Around twenty or thirty years or so, keeping count becomes quite hard when you travel between worlds.¡±

    ¡°Travel between worlds?¡± ¨C Josh asked out of curiosity.

    ¡°Huh? Yeah, Josh! You know how I am an Outworlder?¡±

    ¡°Yes!¡±

    ¡°Well, this is not the first world in which I¡¯ve been an Outworlder, it¡¯s actually my fourth.¡± ¨C said Xeno offhandedly. ¨C ¡°And I¡¯ve met my old friends in those occasions.¡±

    ¡°WOW!¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ So thou have lived through three lives already and this is your fourth?¡±

    ¡°Not quite right¡­ There¡¯s my original life in which I am a natural inhabitant, not an outworlder or any sort.¡±

    ¡°Ah, my pardon¡­ Fifth life it is!¡± ¨C Colonel corrected himself ¨C ¡°So¡­ How were your past¡­¡±

    ¡°Erm¡­ I¡¯d love talking about the past, but we¡¯ll be running late as it is¡­ If I start talking about that we¡¯ll be here all day.¡± ¨C interrupted Xeno.

    ¡°Ah, yes! Quite¡­ Sorry delaying, Xeno-san...¡± ¨C Colonel excused himself.

    ¡°No prob! Let¡¯s go! Or else someone might get mad¡­¡±

    ¡°NO!!!!! I DON¡¯T WANT TO BE BACON!¡±

    Colonel and Xeno looked surprised at the frenetic Josh, then turned towards Phio in hopes for an explanation ¨C ¡°Err¡­ D-Don¡¯t ask!¡± ¨C she was trembling slightly, but seemed in a much better condition than Josh.

    ¡°Remember me to ask pointers to who-so-ever got Josh to scream like that¡­¡± ¨C said Colonel

    Xeno could only hide his smirk as he opened the door and led everyone towards the fields.

    (TARK NORM)

    ¡°Are the preparations ready?¡± ¨C asked Eliseus

    ¡°All done, sir!¡± ¨C answered a soldier promptly.

    ¡°Good¡­ Estimate time till arrival?¡±

    ¡°Thirty minutes and counting, sir!¡± ¨C answered someone who was looking over a monitor with various graphs, lines, maps, and lights blinking in and out.

    Eliseus went over the plan in his head once more to see if he could find any faults in it.

    First they would allow the Avariel ship to come as close as possible. At that point, they would shoot the mid-level magic blasts towards them. With the prior knowledge of the Avariel, they should dodge upwards and continue to move in their direction before launching an attack from above¡­ Quite cocky of them, really!

    Once the Avariel were exactly above them and began to descend, the crew would overcharge the Gravitite core. With enough mana, it should be possible to cause a meltdown which SHOULD, if everything goes right, create a pillar of quantum energy to buzz upwards through the chaffs.

    The energy would be enough to deep-fry the attacking Avariel and lethally wound their ship. However, overcharging the Core would deem their destruction as well. Even those who somehow manage to survive the gravitational radiation of the explosion would ultimately die.

    Be that dying from the remains of the enemy ship falling on top of them or drowning in the seas below¡­ It was a real shame that due to the high affinity to gravitational forces, the Icarians had to relinquish many affinities, water being one of them. Once one of them fell to the ocean, all it could do was futilely struggle while sinking to the dark depths.

    This weakness had also prevented the Icarians from simply going down and seeing just what it was that had anchored them. Pitiable, really¡­

    ¡°Everyone, on guard!¡± ¨C ordered Eliseus with as much dignity as he could muster at the time.

    Soldiers began to orderly move towards their stations, the ones in charge of the core began to chant their own prayers as they prepared for their suicide mission, the officials in the command center relinquished themselves to their demise. Unable to stomach this much longer, Eliseus excused himself from the command center for a moment.

    He walked towards his room for what could be his last time. On the way, he met the grim, resigned faces of the crew of Tark Norm, but he moved onwards. In his room, Eliseus took out an artifact from his pocket: a cellphone. He quickly ran through his contacts and found the person he was looking for. He dialed the number and waited impatiently for the other party to answer the call¡­

    ¡°Yes, something wrong Mark?¡± ¨C said a female voice over the cellphone. The tone implied business which was elevated due to the sounds of heavy machinery in the background. However, Eliseus ignored all that and simply asked:

    ¡°Will you tell me exactly how and when your supposed reinforcements will arrive, Kris?¡±

    ¡°Hai, Mark! You sure are impatient! I told you, you would all be able to survive, no?¡± ¨C responded Kris amused.

    ¡°Maybe, however, the enemy is in our doorsteps and if something doesn¡¯t happen soon, we will have to go Kamikaze!¡± ¨C said Eliseus between his teeth as he tightened his jaw in impatience.

    ¡°Kamikaze? Wow, you guys really go all out when cornered, huh?¡±

    ¡°Sigh, just answer the question! If Tark Norm falls, I¡¯ll be going after you, you know?!¡±

    ¡°Yeah, yeah¡­ Tell me that when you have the power to take me on!¡± ¨C answered Kris jokingly. Eliseus could only grumble as it was indeed true that he was no match for her¡­ He¡¯s only been here for five Helix years while she came when the game was just beginning¡­ She¡¯s had nearly thirty years of experience in this world, and that¡¯s not something someone can reach in a few days¡­ Still, if come goes to worst, he will find a way to take on his revenge!

    ¡°Anyways¡­ I¡¯m not totally sure about exactly what type of help you¡¯ll be getting¡­¡±

    ¡°WHAT?!¡±

    ¡°Calm down! I said I¡¯m not sure about the type of help, but I AM sure that you WILL receive help in SOME way!¡± ¨C explained Kris.

    ¡°Oh, really?¡± ¨C said Eliseus in an ironic tone ¨C ¡°Then, pray tell, what makes you think so?¡±

    ¡°Savi is the one who offered to do so¡­¡±

    ¡°Wait¡­¡± ¨C said Eliseus in a doubtful tone ¨C ¡°Savi started playing this game? Since when?!¡± ¨C hope began to bud in his heart as the possibility presented itself.

    ¡°It should¡¯ve been around two Helix months or so, approximately¡­¡±

    ¡°And you think that would be enough to provide me with support in MY situation?!¡± ¨C all hope he felt when he heard that his old friend was playing the game was lost once he heard that.

    ¡°Well, now¡­ He does feel responsible for your situation, so he¡¯s planning to help you with this!¡±

    ¡°Respon¡­ HE¡¯S THE ONE WHO ANCHORED US!!!¡± ¨C yelled Eliseus in rage as his vision turned red.

    ¡°It wasn¡¯t on purpose¡­ Also, give him credit for doing that within his first two months.¡± ¨C she tried to calm him down.

    ¡°Yes. I¡¯ll be sure to congratulate him as I punch him in the FACE!¡±

    ¡°Hey! He¡¯s helping you out of the situation!¡±

    ¡°That¡¯s why I¡¯ll only punch him instead of torturing and killing him.¡± ¨C answered Eliseus unconcerned.

    ¡°Really¡­ You need to do something about that temper of yours. Revenge won¡¯t solve any problems you know?¡±

    ¡°Lies¡­ Revenge helps relieve accumulated stress and pent-up anger, thus allowing one to think more clearly in future situations.¡±

    ¡°Memorizing a line Savi said about you as you use it as an excuse to punish him¡­ I guess he would be proud of you in some sort of way¡­¡± ¨C Kris gave up trying to convince Mark of anything else. ¨C ¡°Anyways¡­ You should expect some sort of help sooner or later.¡±

    ¡°Better be soon¡­¡± ¨C he looked at the clock in his room ¨C ¡°The Avariel should be arriving in ten minutes, got to go!¡±

    ¡°Ok, good luck!¡±

    Eliseus shut down his phone and stashed it in his inventory before making his way back to the command center. All along, he was thinking about the Savi and could only smirk deviously as he considered that he had finally come to this world.

    (AVARIEL SKY BRIGADE: COMMAND CENTER)

    The Avariel were having an early celebration of their victory by singing songs and eating bird-meat of various sorts and sources. They didn¡¯t truly care about how the battle went as long as their enemies, the wingless chickens, were thrown down to the ground where they belonged.

    As such, they hadn¡¯t minded that the Eladrin downer had left their ship, if they had even noticed it at all¡­ They simply continued to sing songs about their victory and chickens, mindless songs without reason or lyrics, just a bunch of Avariel making noise as they drew closer to their targets.

    (GRAVITITE JET: EMOS)

    Emos waited patiently as the time the slaughter would begin drew nearer. Only a minute remained until he expected the Icarians to retaliate. The battleship was ready to repel their attack however¡­ He had ensured that the battleship had an innate, contracted M¨¹ Machina operating it¡¯s trajectory in battle. The battleship would not fall for any petty tricks which the moronic Avariel would¡¯ve fallen for with ease¡­

    Emos smiled as he knew that a petty last-front assault is exactly what the Icarians would do in their situation, to no avail. Victory was in the grasp of Elven blood, and Humans would be unable to change this fact.

    As the minute came to an end, he merely grinned as the petty attacks of Tark Norm were repelled by the administrator M¨¹, much to the chagrin and frustration of the Icarian forces.

    (VILLAGE OF SED)

    ¡°Alright, settle down.¡± ¨C said the Elder to the village-folk who had gathered at the outskirts of the village, some meters beyond the main gates. Most of them did not know what was about to happen as the Elder¡¯s plans had not been made public to the common-folk. However, those who knew of the plans were waiting in anticipation.

    Once everyone had quieted down, be they Maomer or animal, the Elder began to speak:

    ¡°From many years ago, the Maomer have always remained hidden away from society in general in fear of persecution and apprehension. This is particularly true for those of us who have met or have any sort of relation to our Solven siblings¡­ Thus, we remained in the depths and hid ourselves from view.¡±

    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

    ¡°Unfortunately, this precaution was inefficient as many threats lived in the deep seas, causing us to lose just as many inhabitants as are born each year! Our race is on the border of extinction in comparison to the other races who have slowly but surely extended their hold throughout the world.¡±

    ¡°Our village on the other hand is subject to attacks from the least gentle Aquan races, the Sahuagin and the Samebito, who see us as nothing more than prey¡­ Now, a defense has been prepared in order to counter their threat to our society.¡± ¨C she waved her hand  and signaled upwards ¨C ¡°As luck would have it, another race will be saved alongside us. A race of Human-bloodline, with which we have shared a long history with, is in danger caused inadvertly by ourselves. Our defense will prove their salvation as well, a salvation which we owe them as we were the ones to place them in danger.¡± ¨C she stopped talking and looked upon the villagers who were now talking amongst themselves, asking each other if they knew what she was talking about.

    ¡°Simon Q, the village¡¯s Arch Warlock, will be in charge of peaceful communication with the Icarians once the threat that menaces them is dealt with.¡± ¨C she said as she waved her hand and signaling for the warlock to make himself known. He wore light clothing; similar to those a hunter would wear only in a dark bluish color. A magician¡¯s hat stood proudly on his head as the pearls that seemed sewn to it shined brightly in luminescent colors. The aura around him charmed the people as it mixed well with his goofy smile which easily calmed their hearts.

    ¡°Now, without further ado¡­¡± ¨C the Elder turned towards the fields of sprouts that created a huge circle around the entire village, encircling everything from the village and its surroundings. She chanted a spell in an unknown language as she blessed the sprouts; they began to shine and said bright shine went from one sprout to the next until all the sprouts that had been planted in the last month shone.

    The people looked at the sprouts which shone in luminescent light, filling the once void land with a gentle green gleam. The Elder uttered the final words of her chant ¨C ¡°SEAL, RELEASE!¡± ¨C and the people¡¯s wonder soon became fear and dread as a horrifying quake of humongous magnitude began to shake right under their feet. Many who stood lost balance and fell to the ground, whilst those who floated or swam in the water were pulled her and there as the waves crashed upon them in the depths¡­

    (GRAVITITE JET: EMOS)

    Emos watched as the Avariel¡¯s battleship flew nearer Tark Norm, evading the incoming shots when the Jet¡¯s systems began to make noise. He looked at the console and saw that the system had picked up an anomaly downwards, approximately at the seafloor.

    Emos was curious about the anomaly, but didn¡¯t want to miss out on the slaughter¡­ Then again, he would be questioned about the anomaly later on, it was better to know something rather than nothing.

    ¡°A quick peek, then I¡¯ll get back.¡±

    Emos guided the Jet downwards to inspect the area. The sea was rough with large waves crashing about as if an earthquake was occurring underwater, but nothing else seemed amiss. Believing that it was merely platonic movement, he decided to return and see the rest of the slaughter.

    It was at this point that the systems went haywire with noise. The scanners showed something exceedingly large coming upwards from the bottom of the sea at unbelievable speed!

    Thinking fast, Emos willed the jet out of the way as fast as he could. He barely managed to get away with a broken jet tail when the seaweeds abruptly leapt out of the water and continued to grow upwards.

    ¡°Damn it! Avariel!¡± ¨C he tried to warn his blood-kin, but it was too late. The seaweeds, numbering thousands or even millions in numbers pierced the battleship all over. Echoes of screams were heard for a moment before the reactor blew and the ship lighted in flames. Emos could only watch aghast as the entire fleet of Avariel were eliminated and a huge wall of seaweed stood between him and Tark Norm.

    ¡°What the hell is this¡­?!¡±

    He willed the jet to circle around the wall that stood in his way since it obstructed his view. However, the wall just kept going and going, hiding away the Sky Isle in its perimeter. It was only after fifteen minutes of flying that he found a gap in the wall, just big enough for the Jet to enter.

    Emos closed in on it, making sure to remain out of sight from the inside as best as he could. He had no intention of entering the structure, but he would be damned if he didn¡¯t figure out what happened!

    (TARK NORM)

    Eliseus watched in shock as the enemy ship was stabbed by the same thing that had anchored Tark Norm to the sea. Everyone in the Isle was in a daze as the enemy ship finally caught on fire and the last screams of the Avariel were heard¡­

    ¡°Ch¡­ ickens!¡±

    Eliseus chose to ignore he heard those final screams which in turn got him out of his daze. He looked around and saw something that deeply disturbed him¡­ - ¡°We are¡­ SURROUNDED!¡±

    His yell, imbued with the power of a commander, woke the rest of the soldiers from their daze. They looked around only to find themselves enclosed between seaweeds which created a circular wall around Tark Norm. The Sky Isle was completely surrounded and trapped. While the enemy may have been utterly eliminated, they were more ensnared than before.

    Eliseis seethed in anger as Savi had managed to save them from one threat only to leave them stranded in the middle of the sky! ¨C ¡°Search the perimeter for an exit point!¡± ¨C If there wasn¡¯t an exit point they would be unable to leave. Even if they find an exit point, if it¡¯s too small, they¡¯d become dependent on outside help to escape their entrapment, forcefully leaving behind Tark Norm and their duties.

    Just as the soldiers scattered about to follow his command, Eliseus caught some water in the corner of his eye. He ran over and saw a pillar of water sprouting from the sea, a geyser which reached the altitude of the Sky Isle!

    Keeping his surprise in check this time, Eliseus watched calmly as a figure began to ride the geyser upwards towards Tark Norm. ¨C ¡°Everyone, continue with your duties, I¡¯ll handle our guest!¡± ¨C Most of the soldiers did not understand his command, while those who were close by looked downwards and silently nodded towards him.

    Eliseus impatiently waited for the individual to present himself so that he could ask an explanation of just what the heck had happened¡­

    (VILLAGE OF SED)

    The plan was a success, Xeno thought. The village was now surrounded by a wall of steel-hard seaweed that would ensure its protection in case of war or danger of any sort. Only a single portion of the wall was missing, one a bit farther away from the Southern Gates. This would allow the guards of the village to leave of their hunts without many changes.

    *DING*

    Xeno smiled satisfied as he opened the window to his latest Job.

    A pretty good sum of money, that¡¯s for sure. It will definitely help him out in the future¡­ or at least in preparing for his imminent travels. Getting a Platinum this early, Xeno could only attribute it to receiving the salary of himself, his pets, and additional recompense as pet owner. Under normal circumstances, he would have barely obtained around 84 Gold, and that¡¯s IF he had managed to complete everything efficiently and on time. The amount of money he earned alongside his pets basically doubled thanks to them!

    Xeno was a bit confused about the disparity between Colonel and Josh, seeing that the first had earned over 200 times what the other had earned. However, he decided it must be because the workers were more intimidated by him than by Josh. There was little doubt as to how Phio earned her keep, though Xeno believed she deserved more than him for the work she provided over the last month¡­

    Speaking of Phio, he must¡¯ve raised her stats more than anyone else in the group in the last month since she was blessing everyone tirelessly¡­

    Her Mana increased by 300 while her Health increased by 100 approximately if Xeno remembered correctly. This is most likely a result of her Faith and Devotion stats growing. Her stats themselves seem to not have changed as much as his had last month, which was understandable as he had been under the NewBorn status back then¡­ Still, it was a good growth for the month for her!

    Since he was checking out Phio, might as well check the other two as well¡­ - Xeno thought.

    ¡°Okay¡­ He didn¡¯t change much, just become a bit more intimidating and got more infamy.¡± ¨C Not even a change in his loyalty¡­ Hope he wasn¡¯t too bored this past month.

    Xeno did a double take when he saw Josh¡¯s Status Window. He had expected a bit more from his growth than this. His Mana raised by 100, however this amount could¡¯ve been much higher¡­ His Wisdom was reduced due to his ¡°not wanting to study¡± as such his Mana was reduced as well¡­ His growth cannot be compared to Phio¡¯s in any way¡­

    ¡°Sigh, I REALLY need to get to work on training Josh¡­ He¡¯s getting left behind right from the start. I want to tell him to put his stat points in intelligence, but it¡¯s better to wait till he gains the Arcane stat.¡±

    After watching the progress of his pets, Xeno opened his own Status Window.

    The stats Xeno has gained through his various classes already outclass the stats he gained throughout the last two months. This is the magic of this multi-class system as it allows multiple ways to increase one¡¯s stats to high degrees. The biggest and most obvious growth would be in Mana as most of his new classes actually depend on Mental Stats quite a bit¡­

    Xeno decided to check on his classes and leave it at that for today as he had no wish to go seeing around his SSA Window right now.

    ]

    A real shame that monsters can¡¯t have classes under normal circumstances or else he might have a solution for Josh¡¯s problem. Still, monsters possess an equivalent in order to allow them to reach the same level of power as the main races: Evolution. It¡¯ll be a long time before Xeno¡¯s pets reach that point though¡­ and even then the evolution path greatly depends on the way they were raised and acted in the previous period. He can¡¯t allow Josh to procrastinate any further on his growth into a magician!

    Having closed all the windows, Xeno looked around to see that everyone was still celebrating the success of their mission to create the protection for the village. Everyone was cheering together in harmony, making preparations for the food and dance of the night. The perfect opportunity to excuse himself without raising too much complaint¡­

    Xeno made his way towards the Elder alongside his pets and said:

    ¡°Excuse me, Elder?¡±

    ¡°Yes, child?¡±

    ¡°It¡¯s time for me to go for some time.¡±

    ¡°Ah, yes I thought so.¡± ¨C she said knowingly ¨C ¡°Dio is some meters further South with your reward as well as some things he determined you would be buying. Naturally, the cost of said items was mostly taken out of your payment, around 50% of the cost though!¡±

    ¡°Th-thank!¡± ¨C answered Xeno not knowing what to say to this.

    ¡°Worry not! The work you have done for us is quite enough recompense for such a small detail.¡± ¨C she said offhandedly ¨C ¡°You should get going before everyone comes over here and realizes something as well though¡­¡±

    ¡°Right! Thanks! Byeee!¡± ¨C with that, Xeno left towards the South were Dio waited patiently with a very large, heavy looking backpack on his side.

    (GRAVITITE JET: EMOS)

    Emos seethed in rage at what he was seeing before his eyes. As soon as he came over to see how was the side inside the walls, he saw a pillar of water sprouting from the sea. Soon enough a figure could be seen from within the pillar of water: bluish skin with webbed hands and feet, pitch-black eyes and no other animalistic characteristics¡­ It didn¡¯t take Emos a single second to recognize the Maomer.

    The Maomer have always been determined as a threat both by the Eladrin and the Solven, seeing one now aiding an enemy and eliminating their combatants in a battle. This was the straw they needed, the excuse to exterminate the blood-traitors for good.

    Taking a picture of the Maomer speaking to who he supposed was the leader or commander of Tark Norm, Emos flew away on the Jet determined to give the report in person to his Lord. Sometime in the future, the Maomer would be no more!

    (TARK NORM)

    Eliseus watched as the guest, a Maomer apparently, set up a strange magical contraption. It looked like it was made out of coral, but when Simon uttered a spell it began to gather water until it created a mirror-like surface. Soon enough, the warlock finished preparing the instrument and said:

    ¡°Alright, it¡¯s connected!¡± ¨C he pressed a button in the relic which caused the water to begin to fluctuate and change colors. In mere moments, another Maomer was looking at him from beyond the water glass. She seemed like young adult Maomer with weedy long hair and a voluptuous body. ¨C ¡°This is the Elder of the Village of Sed¡± ¨C ¡°Eliseus quickly eliminated all ero-thoughts as this lady could very well be an ancient being who bears the image of her younger self. Needless to say, Eliseus was not really into that type of person.

    ¡°Why, hello Mr. Lieutenant! It is good to meet the representative of the Icarians of Tark Norm!¡±

    ¡°It is indeed a pleasure to meet the Elder of the Maomers, but why did you cause this in the first place?¡± ¨C Eliseus said his scripted line. From what Kris had told him, it had been an accident caused by Savi, so he wasn¡¯t mad at the Maomers¡­ him on the other hand¡­

    ¡°My apologies¡­ The event last month was an incident in which one of our superiors neglected his duties which caused a growth rampage. Needless to say, we are very sorry for that event.¡± ¨C the Elder shamelessly excused herself ¨C ¡°Of course we provided some recompense by eliminating the enemies who planned to eliminate you, though I don¡¯t believe you will find this to be sufficient recompense for your troubles?¡±

    ¡°Not at all!¡±

    ¡°As I though¡­ However, before we begin further discussions, how about releasing you from the anchor? Simon?¡±

    ¡°Of course, mi lady¡­¡± ¨C said Simon with an exaggerated, almost taunting, bow directed towards her. He rose and took a needle from within his robes and proceeded to puncture each of the seaweeds that pierced Tark Norm with it. Soon after injecting the red substance within each seaweed, they began to dry out and crumble in the very eyes of the ones who had spent the last month trying to cut them down. Eliseus could only watch with a helpless smile in his lips as the warlock returned and said:

    ¡°Now then¡­ About those cupcakes?¡±

    ¡°What cupcakes?¡± ¨C asked Eliseus confused.

    ¡°The one¡¯s you¡¯re going to buy me since I¡¯m hungry!¡± ¨C said Simon in a jest.

    ¡°Sigh, please ignore the eccentricities of this clown¡­ He is a good warlock, but the rest is questionable¡­¡±

    ¡°I see¡­ I¡¯ll be sure to tell this to the others so as to not cause any more problems!¡± ¨C said Eliseus worried. ¨C ¡°By the way, is Savi¡­ I mean (what was it¡­) Xeno? There?¡±

    ¡°Oh? May you perhaps know him?¡± ¨C asked the Elder curious.

    ¡°Yes and no. It¡¯s an outworlder thing.¡± ¨C said Eliseus evasively.

    ¡°Well¡­ He was here until just a little while ago.¡±

    ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¨C asked Eliseus not wanting to know the answer.

    ¡°He just left in search of adventure it seems! He as quite ecstatic to begin it since he¡¯s been in this village for two months now.¡±

    ¡°damn¡­¡±¨C he escaped!

    (XENO)

    ¡°And here some books Mr. Rupert thought you might want to read, as well as some cook books since I had not the chance to teach you yet.¡± ¨C Dio finished explaining Xeno about the contents within the backpack as well as transferring Xeno¡¯s items from his backpack and into this one, which could reduce the weight of everything within to less than 10% of its real weight.

    ¡°Thanks, Dio!¡±

    ¡°Don¡¯t mention it. Be sure to practice.¡±

    ¡°Of course¡­¡± ¨C said Xeno awkwardly.

    ¡°Have a good journey. Please be sure to stop by now and then. Fare De Well.¡± ¨C and with that Dio left Xeno and his pets alone as he went back to the village to join the celebrations¡­ No, more like make sure everything goes well with the festival.

    Xeno looked over to the others who waited patiently, except for Josh¡­

    ¡°Where are we going?¡± ¨C he asked excitedly.

    ¡°Haha¡­ See that hill over there?¡± ¨C said Xeno as he pointed towards a remote location on the East.

    ¡°I don¡¯t see any hill¡­¡± ¨C said Josh trying to strain his eyes to see further.

    ¡°That¡¯s because it¡¯s too far away to see it yet.¡± ¨C said Xeno jokingly ¨C ¡°We¡¯ll be scaling it for starters.¡±

    ¡°Scale? Why not simply swim over it?¡±

    ¡°Because, there are plenty of Urchins over in that area and they could easily knock us down to the ground with their variety of poisons.¡± ¨C explained Xeno.

    ¡°Ooooohhh¡­ What¡¯s an Urchin?¡±

    ¡°MORON!¡± ¨C yelled Colonel as he hit Josh in the head once again. Before Phio even managed to recuperate him, Josh had already swum over to Xeno and continued talking ¨C ¡°Why?! I¡¯ve never seen one, that¡¯s all!¡±

    Colonel seemed to be thinking for a bit, then said ¨C ¡°True, sorry dumboy-san.¡±

    ¡°Stop calling me that!¡±

    Xeno could only smirk at the ways of these two as he began to think about the things that awaited him in the future.

    That wraps up chapter 10, only the epiloque left in this volume and we can start with volume 2.

    Sorry for the delay, bad week left me no time to write OR play my ORAS game¡­ The light coming on and off was of no help either!

    In conjunction with the Epilogue, a Volumes Thread, a Character Thread, and an RPG Thread will be made. The Character Thread will include some basic information about the characters as well as an image in the case of Xeno¡¯s pets. You will be unable to post in that thread though, so any comments about it should be made in the RPG thread.

    The RPG thread will include most information about the game The Helix itself. The definition of the stats, calculations for various amounts such as Mana, Skill, Life, Health¡­ This thread will be made much more slowly than the other ones and will be constantly updates as things are revealed in the story. Or course, some things may be revealed in the RPG Thread that won¡¯t be revealed in the story, such as the equations I mentioned previously.

    An example would be:

    Mana = Basic Mana + 5x(Gained-Intelligence+Gained-Wisdom) + 10x(Faith+Devotion+Tune) + 15x(Divinity+Arcane)

    Basic Mana is 50 for all main races mentioned in chapter 1A, while all others have 0 as basic Mana. A Gained Stat is any stat that was not given to you because of your race, for example Xeno got 11 points to Intelligence and 7 points to Wisdom when he created his character, so those stats are deducted from the equation.

    There are other stats that affect Mana other than these stats, but they are yet to be mentioned or released in any way, so I¡¯ll refrain mentioning them for the time being.

    Furthermore, there are restrictions in play such as Faith, Devotion and Divinity having no effect what-so-ever if one doesn¡¯t have a patron deity, devil or guardian of some sort. Having multiple deities, devils or guardians serving as patron for the same individual (unlikely) will multiply the effect of these stats in the previous equation:

    (# of Patrons) x [ 10x(Faith+Devotion) + 15x(Divinity) ]

    You should get the idea with this, right? By the way, I do my equations and tables in Excel, which auto corrects numbers but not words. So if there are any mistakes in the tables you know what happened, just tell me to fix it. If you guys comment and guess stats by the time the RPG Threat is made, they''ll be added promptly into it, regardless of whether or not it''s in the story yet. However, you have to give the exact name, not it''s look-a-like, else I might give you one stat when you expected the other one.

    An example would be the distinction between Intelligence and Wisdom or between  Speed and Agility. In the first one, Intelligence is the net value of the knowledge you have while Wisdom is how well you are capable of applying that knowledge. To have knowledge and not know how to use it or to not have any knowledge but be able to apply the little knowledge you do possess.

    In the second example: Speed is the maximun velocity you are capable of running, swimming, moving ect while Agility is how quickly you can reach that maximun velocity. So what if you can run as fast as a cheetah? It takes you a long time to pick up to that speed and your stamina forces you to rest almost immediately!

    Better have a good balance between these stats than only one of these!

    Next will be next week at an unknown date, Saturday at most.

 Volume 1: Characters

    Volume 1: Characters

    Main Characters: (any character that appears and will continue to appear in future volumes while traveling with the Protagonist or even having a chance of having his/her story be given as a main story in the future)

    ¡¤        Name: Savier O. Pollux

    Avatar, The Helix: Xeno ¨C Elven/Maomer

    Gaming Style: Nature Specialist, Strategist

    Chatroom Tagname: Xeno666

    Status: Player/Protagonist/Active/Alive

    Condition: Suffers from recovery from Brittle Bones Disease Treatment

    A young adult who has been recovering from Brittle Bones Disease while playing games with his friends. He has played VR games a total of five times, including The Helix, as such he has some knowledge of VR games. He is referred to many of his old friends as ¡°The Hell Tutor¡± for his eager attempts at training others as well as himself to reach greater heights. He has interests in nature, has an <del>obsession</del> hobby with reading and specializes in strategic combat.

    ¡¤        Name: Kris

    Avatar, The Helix: Unknown

    Gaming Style: Unknown

    Chatroom Tagname: LyraNote

    Status: Player/Friend/Active/Alive

    Condition: Unknown

    Savier¡¯s cousin and childhood friend. The two have gone through much together and have mutual respect and disdain towards the quirks of each other. Their familial relationship is solid and they are willing to help each other at a moment¡¯s notice. She is a bit of a Tech-Geek, capable of replicating programming and hardware with ease in a short amount of time. One of her best creations so far is the holographic map of Gaea, the world in which The Helix is currently hosted.

    ¡¤        Name: Phio

    Status: NPC/Pet/Active/Alive

    Species: Sea Angel/Pinbella

    Gaming Style: Healer

    One of Xeno¡¯s pets, the timid Sea Angel who has a hard time expressing herself. While her thoughts are quite complex and is capable of thinking quite clearly, the way she mumbles and has a hard time explaining things makes her look a little bit more childish. With the blessings of the Mother Sea Guardian, her graceful voice possesses the power to heal Wounds, Life, Health, Stamina, and Illness, making her a Healing specialist who gains sublime amounts of mana through several different stats. She hates seeing other hurt.

    ¡¤        Name: Josh

    Status: NPC/Pet/Active/Alive

    Species: Sea Slug/Blue Dragon

    Gaming Style: Mage

    One of Xeno¡¯s pets, the energetic Blue Dragon Sea Slug mage wannabe! His short life till now has been driven by the desire to learn magic and he has been practicing recklessly till he met Xeno, who began to correct him and teach him how to truly control magic. As such, he hold a lot of respect for Xeno; even when he gets mad at the severity of Xeno¡¯s training he won¡¯t bear a grudge since he knows it¡¯s to make him a better mage. He specializes in Electric Magic, but has a good deal of Affinity for other Elemental Attributed Magics.

    ¡¤        Name: Colonel

    Status: NPC/Pet/Active/Alive

    Species: Bermudean Mantis Shrimp/Trianadesna

    Gaming Style: All-Round Fighter

    One of Xeno¡¯s pets, the overly serious threat that is the Bermudean Mantis Shrimp. After a duel with Xeno, he grew curious as to the nature of his powers and decided to travel with him to oversee his growth. He has a triple set of claws which he can use to punch, slice, stab, or shoot superheated air-bubbles at enemies. As one of the most advanced species of shrimp in terms of evolution, he is VERY strong even when faced against enemies with greater stats then his own. He¡¯s a no-nonsense-kind-of-shrimp.

    Side Characters: (secondary characters with unique personalities, quirks or other similar details that make them memorable. These may or may not appear in future volumes)

    ¡¤        Name: Sir Sion, Lancerknight of Sed

    Status: NPC/Lancerknight/Active/Alive

    Species: Elven/Maomer

    Gaming Style: Lance-wielding knight

    One of the top knights of the Village of Sed who guides the young recruits into becoming strong warriors to defend the village or hunt for the village¡¯s sustenance. He has a righteous attitude, but will stood lower in order to properly teach his recruits¡­ Within reason.

    ¡¤        Name: Mr. Rupert

    Status: NPC/Librarian/Active/Alive

    Species: Elven/Maomer

    Gaming Style: Scholar, Librarian

    An elderly Maomer and the Head Librarian of the Village of Sed. He is kind and easygoing, easy to get along with in a short amount of time. He is also quite knowledgeable, knowing the location of most conches within the underground library and their contents.

    ¡¤        Name: Unknown

    Avatar, The Helix: Unknown, Dwarven/Unknown

    Gaming Style: Unknown

    Chatroom Tagname: CereBrutus

    Status: Player/Friend/Active/Alive

    Condition: Unknown

    An old friend of Savier¡¯s and quite a unique gamer who reacts to things as they happen. Unfortunately, during quests and missions, he may cause them to fail do to his antics which may or may not involve throwing the client into a pile of excrement. He has played as a Orc before, but currently seems to be playing as someone from the Dwarven Blood-line.

    ¡¤        Name: Unknown

    Avatar, The Helix: Unknown

    Gaming Style: Unknown

    Chatroom Tagname: Jean D¡¯ Cup¨¦

    Status: Player/Friend/Active/Alive

    Condition: Unknown

    Savier¡¯s old friend who he wants to get away from after having had to stand her for some years in the previous game world. Very few people are capable of handling her as she has the annoying tendency to keep talking and talking and talking without giving others the chance to respond at all!

    ¡¤        Name: Dr. Pebblewilly Schledon

    Status: NPC/Doctor/Active/Alive

    Species: Elven/Maomer

    Gaming Style: Medic

    The distinguished medic, doctor and veterinarian of the Village of Sed who takes the health of its inhabitants, be they Maomer or animal, very seriously. He has had some strifes with Mc Neel and Sir Sion in the past due to the injuries and bad health of some of the new workers/recruits, but he gets along with then just fine otherwise.

    ¡¤        Name: Mc. Neel

    Status: NPC/Manager/Active/Alive

    Species: Elven/Maomer

    Gaming Style: Manager, Biologist

    The manager of the Eastern Seaweed fields in the village of Sed and the son of the Elder of said village. He drives his workers hard, with just methods to ensure they give it their all, earning him the scorn and respect of the workers. He has a soft spot for hard working individuals such as Xeno and Dio.

    ¡¤        Name: Dio

    Status: NPC/Secretary/Active/Alive

    Species: Elven/Maomer

    Gaming Style: Manager, Secretary, Chef, Janitor, Butler

    An overachieving butler who works under Mc Nee¡¯s guidance under the Elder¡¯s orders. He maintains the entirety of the operations within the village and is widely respected by everyone. His food is legendary amongst the Maomer, though he seems humble about it. He is quite serious, but cares for those he deems worthy. However, his sense of humor can be hard to grasp sometimes so he¡¯s not an omnipotent butler.

    ¡¤        Name: Sanctarcia Del G¨¹iona, Village Elder

    Status: NPC/Elder/Active/Alive

    Species: Elven/Maomer

    Gaming Style: Village Elder, Shaman

    The Elder of the Village of Sed who has been around since the foundation of the village and has overseen its growth. She singlehandedly created the Northern Portion of the village where the original Maomer lived using her vast control over plant-life and algae. She is seemingly kind, but can apparently be VERY terrifying when she gets mad, to the point that Mc Neel, Sir Sion, Josh, and Phio all refuse to go against her will regardless of what it may be!

    ¡¤        Name: Annie

    Status: NPC/Manager/Active/Alive

    Species: Elven/Maomer

    Gaming Style: Manager, Biologist

    Mc Neel¡¯s sister and the Manager in charge of the Western portion of the village which is in charge of farming corals and other sedentary animals. She provided help to Xeno in learning some Druid techniques by presenting him to the Coral Smith, Michael.

    ¡¤        Name: Michael

    Status: NPC/Smith/Active/Alive

    Species: Elven/Maomer

    Gaming Style: Coral Smith, Druid

    One of the few Smith Maomers in existence and a very good Coral Smith who uses the natural ability of the Polyps within Corals to make armor. He taught Xeno the basics of Coral Smithing, but was soon left in the dust thanks to Xeno¡¯s integration of unexpected techniques in addition to his own. He¡¯s the one who makes most of the weapons and armor of the village.

    ¡¤        Name: Tyke

    Status: NPC/Guard/Active/Alive

    Species: Elven/Maomer

    Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.Gaming Style: Guard

    The strongest and smartest of the guards under Sir Sion¡¯s command and widely considered a model for the others. He developed respect and something similar to worship of Xeno¡¯s tactics and use of special tools in combat. He may become a great knight in the future thanks to this!

    ¡¤        Name: Simon Q.

    Gaming Style: Warlock

    Status: Player/Warlock/Active/Alive

    The Warlock in charge of the mage district near the center of the Village of Sed. He is quite quirky to the point he makes others uncomfortable, but he is very good at what he does. Having the same problem with Wisdom that Josh has, he recommended the usage of the Arcane stat to increase his magical potential.

    ¡¤        Name: Mark

    Avatar, The Helix: Eliseus, Human/Icarian

    Gaming Style: Lieutenant

    Chatroom Tagname: Unknown

    Status: Player/Friend/Active/Alive

    Condition: Unknown

    An old friend of Savier¡¯s who has a strong sense of revenge against those who have wronged him, but quick to forgive once revenge is given. He is the Lieutenant of Tark Norm, the Sky Isle that was accidentally anchored by Xeno. He was later on saved by Xeno from enemy Avariel attackers. He has since tried to develop friendly relationships between the Icarians and the Maomer.

    Forgettable Characters (That Guy): (characters that received no characterization, backstory, or memorabilia of any sort OR are doomed to be forgotten by the reader and author after a few volumes or even chapters)

    ¡¤        Name: AIPADS

    Status: AI/Creator/Active/Alive

    One of the AI¡¯s that created the game ¡°The Helix¡± and the one in charge of guiding new players into the world as a way to relieve his boredom. He doesn¡¯t get to do much as everyone usually skips the tutorial and the random hackers have all but given up in their attempts to take over the game world.

    ¡¤        Name: Nameless Guards

    Status: NPC/Guards/Active/Alive

    Species: Elven/Maomer

    Gaming Style: Guard

    The nameless guards who serve and study under Sir Sion¡¯s guidance.

    ¡¤        Name: Nameless Secretary

    Status: NPC/Pet/Active/Alive

    Species: Elven/Maomer

    Gaming Style: Mage

    The secretary who received Xeno when he first arrived at the underground library and told him to wait some time for the Head Librarian to receive him.

    ¡¤        Name: Salamaria

    Status: NPC/Friend/Active/Alive

    Species: Elven/Maomer

    Gaming Style: Medic Secretary

    The Secretary of the only Hospital in the Village of Sed as well as Mr Rupert¡¯s sweetheart.

    ¡¤        Name: Nameless Workers

    Status: NPC/Guards/Active/Alive

    Species: Elven/Maomer

    Gaming Style: Workers

    The nameless workers under Mc Neel¡¯s thumb who work for him in exchange for money or to pay their debts. They were lazy and not overly achieving, but after going through Xeno¡¯s Hell Training, their proficiency at their jobs has skyrocketed and their physical health is at an all-time high.

    ¡¤        Name: Nameless Animals

    Status: NPC/Animals/Active/Alive

    Species: Various

    Gaming Style: None

    The various animals that live in the Village of Sed, serving as creators of produce such as milk, eggs, and other products.

    ¡¤        Name: Nameless Architects

    Status: NPC/Architects/Active/Alive

    Species: Elven/Maomer

    Gaming Style: Builders

    The builders of the Village of Sed who specialize in sand, stone and coral construction. They have a good relationship with Xeno who makes sorting out the materials much easier than the other workers.

    ¡¤        Name: Nameless Coral Farmers

    Status: NPC/Farmers/Active/Alive

    Species: Elven/Maomer

    Gaming Style: Coral Farmers

    The farmers in charge of the coral fields of the Western part of the village¡¯s outskirts. They tend to the corals and ensure the health of their Polyps.

    ¡¤        Name: Nameless Soldiers and People of Tark Norm

    Status: NPC/Active/Alive

    Species: Human/Icarian

    Most of the individuals within Tark Norm at the time of the anchoring of the Sky Isle.

    Main Antagonists: (characters who bear excessive grudge on the protagonist or his allies and will appear several times in the story. They will not appear in every chapter, but when they do appear they WILL cause incredible damage to their victims.)

    ¡¤        Name: Emos

    Status: NPC/Unknown/Active/Alive

    Species: Elven/Eladrin

    Gaming Style: Unknown

    One of the subjects of Eladrin royalty and loyal vassal of their ways. Once the plan of the Avariel failed to eliminate the enemy due to the involvement of Blood-Traitors, he has determined to go all out with war against the Maomer. He is currently on his way to his home city to report this betrayal and get the gears moving¡­

    Side Villains: (Memorable antagonists whose antics and actions make them memorable to the reader or author and may or may not appear in future volumes; consider ¡°Team Rocket¡±)

    ¡¤        None

    Faceless Crook: (unnamed, unimportant, and simply classic villain who appears in the story solely to set a mood and will have no other impact what-so-ever in the story.)

    ¡¤        Name: Nameless Avariel Attackers

    Status: NPC/Avarial/Active/Dead-Cooked

    Species: Elven/Avariel

    Gaming Style: Dumb

    The group of dumb Avariel which seeked to eliminate Tark Norm. They were turned into fried chicken soon after, quite ironically.

    OTHER CHARACTERS: (characters who appear in the story to set a mood or to provide a third person perspective of a situation. This includes, but is not exclusive to Interviewers and Social Media.)

    ¡¤        Name: Paul &Tom

    Status: NPC/Human/Active/Alive

    The two fishermen who saw the seaweeds sprout from the sea and pierce Tark Norm. Their credibility of the event was tarnished by the media.

    ¡¤        Name: Lila, from VR Action Newscaster

    Status: Reporter/Active/Alive

    First appearing in the Prelude, Lila is the reporter who usually presents all information regarding recent events in The Helix. She has become a bit of a staple in the program, as her absence usually means lower viewership.

    ¡¤        Name: John Caster

    Status: Interviewer/Active/Alive

    A top interviewer who works on the same agency as Lila. He is quite a bit jealous of her popularity, which makes him commit some mistakes during his interviews due to his foul mood. He is well liked by the female viewers as he is a hunk, so the directors have been unable to cut him off the program much to their chagrin.

 Pause

    Due to problems with available time and a freezing computer, at present I cannot continue this story... As soon as both issues are fixed, I''ll continue the story. I''m sorry for having been unable to post an update since a long time dye to these technical and personal difficulties...

    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.

    I predict being able to continue some time during summer if I can get my computer to work.

    The series is not abandoned though, of that you can be certain at least!

 Story

    I deeply regret to inform and confirm that I will be unable to continue this story regardless of my feelings and attitude towards it. Personal life and issues with my computer which is yet to be replaced have prevented me from writing at the quality that I enjoy writing¡­ I am sorry for anyone who still waited for the story¡¯s progression, if any still remain¡­

    As a parting gift, I shall at the very least give you the rundown of how the story would¡¯ve progressed.

    Finishing off the first volume, Xeno would travel through several different locations of the underwater world. First the Urchin fields where he and his pets the Mantis Shrimp, the Sea Angel and the Sea Slug would find themselves in trouble with the large number of needle shooting Urchins. The basic information of these Urchins is that each has a different status effect depending on it¡¯s color, causing quite some issues with the team that has no way to quickly recover from these status conditions. This chapter would¡¯ve explained in detail Phio¡¯s singing powers and it¡¯s limitations: the ability to recover the physical and mental conditions of those around her, but not their Life Points or heal from some conditions such as poison. This chapter would end with the acquisition of a pet that Xeno would tame, a silver Urchin with penetration power rather than status effects.

    The next chapter would take place in a village where they arrive to restock their consumables and buy food, since the low ability of Maomer to craft presented itself in Xeno¡¯s cooking which resulted in poisoning the crew early on the adventure off scene. There they would meet a recurring character or three actually. An Alchemist Axolotl with the dream to write a book named World Domination for Dummies, a mute hand fish who carries along a sword and a female louse that has taken over the hand fish¡¯s tongue (Cymothoa Exigua) and speaks for him. They take a quest to help gather materials for them and receive an mermaid¡¯s purse from them in exchange. (Not an actual purse, but rather a type of egg sack)

    Next would be reaching another city where the count of the city seems to be tyrannically dominating the people there with his army and using the threat of a Kraken that he has control over. In addition to this, he has one of Phio¡¯s cousins hostage. A small backstory of Phio saying farewell to her cousins who were all blessed and cursed upon birth by higher beings before setting out to see the world while Phio stayed behind to take care of her friend. Determined to free Phio¡¯s cousin, Xeno joins the rebellion and takes on the mission to confront the Kraken long enough for the rebellion to attack the palace. Upon entering the cavern where the Kraken resides, the group confronts the Kraken only for it to fall unconscious after a few hits and transform back into a Mimic Octopus. The mollusk reveals that the count had imprisoned him and forced him to work for him to repay a false debt, which he does by intimidating the citizens with his Kraken form. After a brief conversation, the Mimic Octopus joins Xeno as a pet, thereby cancelling the Count¡¯s hold over the octopus. The count is soon defeated and Phio is reunited with her cousin who reveals that her other three cousins suffered similar fates at the hands of nobles of different cities who ganged up on them and separated them from one another. With the addition of a Mimic Octopus and a Sea Butterfly with the ability to raise basic stats with her songs, the group departs in the direction of Phio¡¯s cousins¡­

    On their way to the next city, the purse previously obtained would begin to hatch, a baby great white shark. One entire chapter would be used to present not only the birth of the shark, but also the teaching of this shark to not try to eat his allies. After a bit of taming, the little shark would officially join as a pet much to the fear of some of the members.

    Arriving at the city of Sahuagin, they would discover that Phio¡¯s cousin would be in the power of the city¡¯s crimelord. The group would quickly be surrounded by the enemy¡¯s lackies while the Crimelord would taunt them by hurting the Clione. Devastated, the cousins under Xeno would begin to have a desperate outburst, unleashing their curse on their enemies. This would present the opportunity to explain the duality of the cousins finally. They are blessed with a song that can help allies, while cursed with a cry which can devastate them. The enemy, having their health reduced by Phio and their stats reduced by the Sea Butterfly, would be easy pickings for the group, who promptly rescue the Clione and escape that location. The Crimelord anguishes over the escaped prisoner princess and vows revenge in anger.

    With three of the cousins found, they depart to another location only to run into the gang of Axolotl, Handfish and Louse from way back. They ask for the group¡¯s help in a maniacal way to get some rare ingredients from some tough Gulper Eels. While confronting the Gulper Eels, the three of them run off with the ingredients promising to give them their reward in the next town if they survive, much to the dismay and anger of some of the group. After a long battle with several dozens of Gulper Eels, which they only managed to survive thanks to Clione¡¯s song of healing which restores LP, they are confronted with a boss level Gulper Eel and the chapter ends¡­

    Arriving at the town with very tired bodies, the group confronts the trio who promptly reward the group with some tonics the Axolotl had prepared while he awaited them. With the reward out of the way, they move towards the castle to confront the king of this place who illegally bought one of the cousins from a slave trader. With the illegal transaction coming to light, the king promptly releases the young Sea Snail apparently having no idea of the illegal nature of the transaction and prosecuted the slave trader who sold her to him. With four of the cousins reunited, they share a hug and use their psychic link to find their missing cousin, only to recoil in pain. As it turns out, their cousin is being tortured as they speak in this very city! The group assaults the slave trader¡¯s organization and after confronting large numbers of enemies with the help of the royal guards and searching several rooms, they finally find the torture chamber where the final of the five cousins is being held captive. There, a sly noble is pleasuring in causing her pain, thus causing her to screech. Every time she does so, her scream echoes and causes a wide variety of status conditions to the nearby captives such as fear, confusion, paralysis, pain, even itch amongst, much to the noble¡¯s delight. He is immediately apprehended and the captives released, but not before the Comb Jelly restore them of their status conditions with her singing. The five cousins reunited with one another, now as Xeno¡¯s pets, they leave the city together to go on their way.

    With that, the first arc would finish and enter the second arc of the story in which Xeno would in short finally get the trio previously mentioned to join his group, as well as a Manta ray with a Hero complex and a young turtle that¡¯s going through an Emo phase. (This is the part you start questioning my sanity, I guess¡­) In addition, they rescue a Kelpie from certain doom and keep her on their group for a part of their adventure until the parents come to pick her up, but she doesn¡¯t join the group officially yet.

    Finally, the expanded group arrives at a village of weeds, where they fight some inhabitants who consider them trespassers: a Basket star with restraining skills, a skeleton shrimp that attacks while invisible and a Leafy sea Dragon who controls plant-life. After defeating the three and getting permission to enter the village, the group relaxes for a bit. But the relaxation lasts only a few hours as the village is soon accosted by dreadful water currents. Exiting the village quickly, everyone is awed as a Leviathan swims overhead and blasts the village away in a fury before swimming towards a mountain in the area and digging a hole in it with it¡¯s dragon breath and swimming inside. With their village gone, most of the villagers scatter away, but the trio from before wants revenge. Xeno insists on training before going to battle that leviathan, knowing it will not be an easy opponent by it¡¯s sheer power.

    After some chapters about training in which some of the members go through evolution, a mechanic limited to monsters and animals, the power of the group increases dramatically. The Urchin now being able to retract and expand it¡¯s spikes can move on it¡¯s own very fast and attack like a powerful assassin rather than being limited to shooting it¡¯s spikes from Xeno¡¯s back. The Sea Slug grew in size and gained power over Air-type magic in addition to his Lightining-type magic. The baby shark began the process of maturation and can now speak and is roughly the size of a large pig, but retains his playful personality. The cousins also go through evolution and evolve into unique versions of Sea Faeries, each retaining their unique singing magic and building upon it further.

    With the group powered up, Xeno wonders if they are ready for the Leviathan, but comes up short. As such he decides to train himself as well. In the midst of his training, he fights a horde of strange beings which he recognizes quickly as they are related to his namesake, Facehugger Xenomorphs. Awestruck, Xeno battles them till only one remains and makes it his purpose to capture it as a pet to live up to his namesake. In the process of trying to tame the creature, it tries to escape much to his dismay, but something he did not expect occurs. Tentacles shoot out from his armor and wrap up the Facehugger and pull him back towards Xeno. Inspecting his armor, he realizes that the Evolution of the armor had taken place without his notice throughout his adventure. With each passing day, the beings living inside the armor had been upgrading the armor and giving it several unique skills such as the one used right now which involved tunicates extending and pulling the target towards him. After testing out a few of the armor¡¯s new features, he succeeds in taming the creature and rejoins the team to launch the attack on the leviathan.

    They intrude on the leviathan¡¯s lair and fight it together much to the beings annoyance and shown by it¡¯s primal rage. They fight valiantly, but are defeated one after the other while causing only minimal damage to the great serpent. Finally, only Xeno is left conscious as he swims towards the Serpent holding his spear in hand. As he swims over to his enemy, Xeno¡¯s consciousness clouds over as a familiar feeling takes over. He takes the chance and lighting envelops his weapon which breaks apart leaving only an electric phantom image of the spear. Xeno smashes the lightning spear into the Leviathan¡¯s forehead and his mind begins to grow even hazier until he falls unconscious as well. He floats downwards to his fate, but is caught by the leviathan¡¯s tail. The being look¡¯s at the Maomer in it¡¯s hold, the primal rage in it¡¯s eyes gone and replaced by a type of royal intelligence that¡¯s hard to understand. As it wonder¡¯s if perhaps the time finally came to renounce the power of primal times, it looks towards Xeno and smiles a bit.

    The next volume would begin now with a massive power up for Xeno since he would finally become strong himself¡­ not really¡­ He would obtain the hidden race ¡°Ark¡± and class ¡°Guardian of Life¡±. As explained by the Leviathan that now resides within Xeno, this allows him to store the lifeforce of other beings within him and summon them as comrades at any time. A world now exists within Xeno in which those beings now live as his Vassals. To reiterate, his pets are both pets and vassals while Levia became a vassal and a core within his inner world. Xeno prepares to visit his inner world to see how his pets are doing, but gets a call from his friend before he can do so. He takes the call inside the game and is told that the Maomer city and the city above are being attacked!

    From here a skip to the war between the Maomer city and the Sahuagin as well as between the sky city and the council of elves. The elves are using the Sahuagin to further their goal to cleanse the world of the traitorous race, but hold no feeling of friendship towards them, seeing them as nothing but tools. Underwater, the Maomer are putting up a good fight with the seaweeds providing ample protecting and preventing the enemy from attacking from all directions. Above, the situation is similar until the Sylvan (wood elves) appear and contaminate the seaweed with poison, quickly killing it off and opening a passage to attack the sky island as well as allowing the Sahuagin to attack the Maomer city. With the situation escalating quickly now that the barrier is no more, the Maomer fight desperately against the more experienced warmongers, Sahuagin. As the lines seem to be about to be broken, a large shark swipes down and gulps down a large portion of the enemies, some crying out in horror as the thought to be extinct Megalodon turns around for another swipe. The Maomer take arms as the creature approaches, but are dumbstruck when a humanoid with transparent blue skin jumps off the megalodon and commands it to devour the enemy. Recognizing the voice, the captain utters Xeno¡¯s name to the shock of the soldiers.

    This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

    Back in time, as Xeno makes his way to the Maomer city, Levia explains some of the powers he now has, specifically the power to tap into the evolution tree of his vassals, the Phylogenetic tree, and temporarily alter their DNA to transform them into different forms. With this information and using Levia¡¯s mana as cost, he transforms the young shark into a primeval form of ancient times, a Megalodon, and mounts it very quickly swimming towards his friends to aid them whilst Levia continues explaining his abilities¡­

    In the present, Xeno is summoning his pets and granting them buffs due to being unable to transform all of them due to lack of mana. The war situation quickly takes a turn with the arrival of new forces, the Sahuagin taking large amounts of casualties in rapid succession. The end of this war seems to be within sight. However, the elven has managed to take over the sky city and is preparing a little surprise for the Maomer and the Sahuagin. As their pride states, even if they are traitors, no elven should succumb to beasts as such they will save them even if they have to decimate them alongside the beasts. With a sneer, the sky island begins to descend towards the ocean and swiftly disappears beneath the waves.

    Everyone looks upwards, dumbstruck as the large island sinks towards them threatening to squash them under it¡¯s weight. Suddenly, the island begins to glow in ominous red colours and begins to freak everyone out. Before Xeno could say or do anything, he sees sharp teeth swimming over to him and everything turns dark for a moment. As Xeno wonders what the heck had happened, a powerful shockwave assaults the ocean and the pitch darkness is exchanged by pitch whiteness as Xeno loses consciousness from the pain.

    The volume ends with a newscast about the elven attack on the sky city that was previously reported on and the fate of the city. They mourn a bit for the inhabitants before moving on to talk about the elven forces and some random stuff like what food they sell in the elven capital¡­

    The next would start with Xeno waking once again and finding himself alone in a burnt underwater ruin he recognizes as the village. Anger and hatred build within him as he swears vengeance on the elven, but is stopped by Levia who informs him that while the physical bodies of the Maomer, Sahuagin and Icarians were destroyed during the war, Levia had been able to manipulate Xeno¡¯s powers to absorb their dying lifeforce thereby absorbing them into his inner world as vassals. She mentions that what he does with them is his own problem though. Xeno quickly enters his inner world and finds himself in a clear empty ocean looking at two groups glaring at each other. One being composed of Maomer, Icarians and various animals whilst the other being of Sahuagin, a few elven, and various beasts of war. The common thing between both groups is that they appeared to be specters or ghosts and were unable to hurt each other. Seeing Xeno, the Maomer lament that he died as well which caused Xeno to laugh a bit before explaining the situation. After understanding that they are not really dead and will regain their bodies as soon as they recover enough energy, they rejoice in celebration.

    Meanwhile the matriarch of the Maomer comes to talk to Xeno about what¡¯s going to happen to them in the future as well as the fate of the attackers. After some discussions, the end result is that the Maomer will become full-fledged Vassal-Citizens of his Inner World with the combat-abled individuals becoming Vassal-Cohorts to his Army instead to aid him in battle. On the other hand, those with political power in the village such as the Matriarch would become Vassal-Elders and gain some powers to command this Inner World in a similar matter to his own. To reiterate, they are able to create and multiply materials that exist in this Inner world as well as move the Vassals within certain limits of reason. As for the Sahuagin and enemy elves, it was decided to turn them into Vassal-Slaves in order to ensure that they would cause no harm to anyone. While being Vassal-Slaves, they would be forced to follow Xeno¡¯s instructions as well as the instructions of the Vassal-Elders and Vassal-Cores. Finally, all animals regardless of affiliation became his Vassal-Pets.

    Once outside his inner world, Xeno begins to absorb resources from the area to help the inhabitants of his inner world with the help of the few Vassal-Pets that did not perish in the war and thus require no time to regenerate. Once that is done, he receives a quest from Levia to find the other Guardians of Life and such as herself and obtain their blessings so as to expand his Inner world.

    From here it would¡¯ve been one chapter dedicated to a random unknown character to give a better view of the situation on other places within the game and one chapter of him defeating, befriending or hunting down one of the Guardians which involve all matter of legendary creatures. This part of the story would honestly be very interesting as it would present various perspectives of different unique classes. One such example would be a tournament that Xeno goes to see with another character he meets on his journey Bazoo. After watching the matches of various types of technology such as Kindlers with Flamethrowers, Electricians with photon blasters, plumbers with Water Cannons, Blade Skaters, Nanomachines and Turrets, the winner of the tournament would chose Xeno and Bazoo as comrades to join him in the championship. This champion codenamed EMP not only controls robot drones, but also a defensive battlesuit. In that championship, EMP¡¯s all-purpose robots, Bazoo¡¯s elemental construct beings, and Xeno¡¯s vassals form an army that¡¯s impossible to defeat by the normal players whilst their respective individual abilities, EMP¡¯s battlesuit, Bazoo¡¯s top tiered magic, and Xeno¡¯s melee expertise with the tricks of his armor, prove to be too challenging even for the few to gloss over their army by restraining their summoning abilities. At the end of the championship, EMP is giving a Life Fruit. The battlesuit opens up to reveal an ancient looking fairy who flies weekly towards the fruit and takes a bite. In moments, she rejuvenates and Xeno recognizes her as his friend who likes messing with machines. She laughs and tells him that she¡¯s played so long that her character actually aged a bit so she needed to fruit to regain her youth and lower her age. Xeno worries over becoming old in the game, but Bazoo explains that Arks such as them don¡¯t age by nature.

    Right, while Xeno is the Guardian of Life, Bazoo is the Guardian of Force and has the ability to host energy of any kind be it arcane, divine, demonic, nature, spirit, chi, etc¡­ He also developed the ability to create elemental constructs and give them unique personalities. He¡¯s the creator of a famous Cirque for those who read the Prelude of the story and remember him.

    Anyways, after locating all the Guardians in the ocean Xeno moves on to land and continues his search ultimately managing to surprise even Levia by discovering the Guardians of the Machina and Undead, species she thought not native to the phylogenetic tree. After explaining the existence of Viruses and his theory about the relationship between these and undead, Levia accepts them as equals with reluctance, but not even Xeno can come up with a reason for the Machina to have developed a Guardian as well.

    Another story includes his vengeance upon the elven council, which is now ruled by a certain girl who has an obsession with him. She is a hybrid between a Demon, a Solariel, and  an Angel and specializes in charm magic having a very beautiful body that charms anyone regardless of gender thanks to her being dual gendered. However, her seduction falls short to her expectations once Xeno reveals his character has no gender, much to her depression¡­ Till she decides she has enough gender for the both of them much to the fear and dread of Xeno. Once she realizes that Xeno hates the elven council, she turns on them and slaughters them, causing him to give up on his revenge and leave it to her while he escapes¡­

    Another involves him trying to free his friend from a curse which left him stuck inside a Penguin costume (prinny suit), but fails and he becomes permanently trapped as a soul within a suit.

    Around this time, a change comes about in Xeno and a seal is released within him. An ancient being spawns within his Inner world which he thought gone long ago in a previous game world, finally confirming his suspicions as the ancient being recognized him as tried to kill him, Dagon the Deep One. With the aid of his vassal-Cores, Xeno suppresses the Mad God and reseals him temporarily. Outside, Xeno flies over to his old friend to ensure that they are safe.

    The others who once hosted the mad gods have also gone through some problems with them at the same time, while some managed to suppress them, others were too weak to do so and were taken over by the Mad Gods who began to unleash their otherworldly fury to their surroundings. One of those was Cthulhu the All-Seeing One. Fighting off Cthulhu and resealing it within it¡¯s host once more, the host tells Xeno that ¡°HE¡± is behind this mess.

    Understanding the situation, Xeno calls over Bazoo and EMP and tells them it¡¯s time to come clean. The nature of this world is explained and how the game worlds of other games have an impact on this world as well. With this knowledge, Xeno decides it¡¯s time to call forth their guild, to the excitement of the other two. The three travel within Xeno¡¯s Inner World as there¡¯s no better place to realize the ritual. Soon, a large temple appears to the surprise of the Vassal-Cores who no longer understand what¡¯s going on, but Xeno calms them down. The three enter the temple and enter the altar where a large sigil with a sword and a staff crossing over the head of a serpent dragon was drawn on the floor. The three stand on the center of the room and recite a chant. The sigil alights and appears on the wrist of the three friends while at the same time appearing on the wrists of every single member of their guild.

    Elsewhere, two friends in opposite armies in the middle of war stop fighting as the sigils appear on their wrists. Hugging each other in excitement, the two thought to be mortal enemies abandon both armies much to the dumbstruck of the generals to call the two to come back and fight, which they ignore. From all over the gameworld, various characters disappear one after the other and appear within Xeno¡¯s Inner World, inside the Temple that was their Guild¡¯s HQ. Looking at them all, Xeno proclaims: ¡°It¡¯s time¡­ Mythos Annul¡­¡±

    With the name of the guild proclaimed the guildmates repeat the name once more and release the seal on the floor. Slowly, a magnificent royal figure emerges from the summoning sigil and opens his eyes. The guild¡¯s leader had been summoned into a new game world and Mythos Annul raised once more.

    From this point, things would go between progressing the story between the fight against Mad Gods and going over to get some backstory into the different guild members. This culminated in the great battle against Oglogoth in which everyone except Xeno fought against. He was too busy restraining the other Mad Gods with his Vassals and well as the Captured Mad Gods turned into Vassal-Sealed Deity.

    At the end of this saga, the Guardians would ask Xeno to find and gather the seven Arks and join together which would be the final quest of the story. With all seven gathered, those who exist within them will go on to the new world while all the rest would be forever lost. With that, the Arks join and absorb this world in it¡¯s entirety and move it with them towards the next game world.

    The End.

    Once again, I am terribly sorry for having to give you this instead of the story itself. Hope that you will be able to forgive me and hope to see you again someday¡­