《All World Online》


 Introduction, please read the bottom portion atleast. Please :)

    Hello, this is the author here. Iam relatively new to writing, but I have read a lot of light novels including Ark, Moonlight sculptor, Arifureta and etc. I also read a lot of the fanfictions posted on this site. Although I was born in Korea, I have lived most of my life in Canada. This means that Iam pretty comfortable with writing in English since it is my preferred language, which also means that my story (hopefully) is easier to understand and will be less likely to have huge grammar errors, although my commas may be misplaced and etc.


    Although this isnt actually a chapter, I would like to give my potential readers an idea of how the story is going to be. Starts off pretty typical, a guy ends up on a popular VRMMO but  instead of being a rogue or assassin, the story will be more focused on him taming various creatures, although I assure you that the MC will be a very capable fighter himself and that I will try my best to make sure the pets arent OP. In addition, the MC will be strong, but definitely not OP (hopefully), I want the story to progess kinda like Ark but I guess the character is more similar to Bread and not Ark. There is also a plot to this story, the MC doesnt just go around doing random stuff, he has a goal in mind that he wants to achieve.


    In the end, the reason I wanted to write this story is because there really has not been a story that contains all of the elements that I want in a single story. A taming focused class, city management, various races, somewhat of romance, and etc. Moonlight sculptor has probably come the closest. Insania Online is also pretty close, and a story like that is what I wish to achieve, although mine will most likely be more serious, think Age of Heroes+Insania (probably my 2 favorite fanfictions). Anyways, Ive talked about enough random stuff. Feel free to leave a comment on whatever you want whether its from creatures that you want the MC to tame later and etc. I will be taking a lot of suggestions from the readers so a good chunk of how the story develops will be dependent on the readers and the suggestions that they give me. Also with updating, it will be pretty irregular since I work full time right now, but soon my contract with my workplace will end and Ill end up going back to University, which should give me a lot more free time. So feel free to follow if you think the story will be interesting or you could wait till I actually put up some chapters, does not really matter all that much to me, but thanks for reading.


    Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!Sincerely, the author


    P.S this is not edited so I apologize for any mistakes.

 Prologue: A New Beginning From the End (Unfixed Dialogue)

    Hello, your author here. I guess this is  the first chapter for this story. Unfortunately, not the most exciting chapter but does give an idea of my writing style  and how things will work out for the rest of the story. Currently:


    "....." = dialogue


    *....*= actions


    Italics = thoughts/ideas


    <....>=game info


    Things might change, but currently that''s how things will be. I also added names besides the dialogue so that you guys have a better idea of who is talking and etc. Iam hoping to get out the first real chapter in a couple of days, I normally brainstorm, but I was really focused on the lore of the story and how to balance out the characters so I didn''t really think of the prologue which is why it took me so long to write it.


    In addition; my story will contain swearing but it will definitely not be excessive and there will be no extreme sexual content and if there is, I''ll be sure to warn you. Also I don''t think it''s gonna have that much gore so no worries there. I think that''s it so far? Please continue to give me suggestions on creatures he will tame and etc, just the few suggestion given to me have been helpful, and the more info the better :). Also feel free to give me suggestions on how to improve my writing style, grammar and etc. Iam a relatively new writer, so be gentle please.


    Also if you notice any mistake, be sure to post it so that I can fix it..


    Enjoy :)


    Edit: Got the boxes going, yay.


    .........................................................................................................


    Waking up, Damien felt a throbbing pain emerging from his frontal lobe, and any attempts to remember what had happened were pushed away by the intense headache. After a few seconds of trying to recollect what had happened, but failing to do so, he attempted to get up, only to remain lying down. However, it was not that he did not get up, but rather he couldn¡¯t. At first he was deeply confused, but as each attempt to get his body to respond resulted in failure, his confusion quickly grew into anger and despair. He was angry that his body was refusing to listen to his commands, but his worries quickly overwhelmed his anger, as the idea of never being able to move his body again emerged in his head. He found himself trying every method to get his body to respond, this time with a renewed motivation fueled by his fear of never being able to get up. However, his attention was quickly redirected as he heard the door creak open.


    (???) ¡°Damien¡­.¡±


    Although he could not turn his head around to see who had opened the door, he immediately knew. How could he forget the voice of his own mother?


    (MC) ¡°Mother?¡±


    However, before he could continue, his mother quickly ran over to the bed and starting sobbing.


    (Mrs. Close) ¡°Huk huk huk, how could this happen to my child?! ¡°


    Despite his ever growing curiosity of how this situation came to be, he could not find the right moment to ask. He just laid there, listening to his mother''s quiet sobbing.


    Eventually his mother had stopped crying, giving him a chance to ask.


    (MC) ¡°What happened?¡±


    (Mrs. Close) ¡°Sweetie, you-¡°


    However, before his mother could finish, a second voice interrupted her.


    (???) ¡°I think it is better if I explain Mrs. Close¡±


    A man in his mid 40¡¯s came into his view, although Damien had never seen this man before, it was obvious from his attire that the man was a doctor.


    (Adel) ¡°Hello Damien, I am Doctor Adel, the one in charge of taking care of you¡±


    (MC) ¡°Introductions are great and all, but I would really like to know what is going on¡±


    (Adel) ¡°Impatient aren¡¯t we, well considering your circumstances, I don¡¯t blame you. You were in a car crash last week, causing your spinal cord to take severe damage, resulting in your current condition."


    Suddenly Damien remembered everything. He had been in a car with Curtis, they were heading over to a friend''s house when a car had suddenly slammed into the right side of Curtis''s car, the loud noise of metal crashing into metal easily blocking out all of the other noises. However, he was too focused on the intense pains he felt all over his body, before he passed out from the pain.


    (MC) "Will my body ever be back to the way it was before?"


    (Adel) "Honestly, although you may regain some control over your body, the chances of you being able to walk ever again are close to zero."


    Damien felt as if he had been smacked across the back of his head with a wooden bat, he had basically been told that he would have to live the rest of his life confined to a wheelchair. His promising future, suddenly turned bleak. He remembered all the hours he had put into training and learning jiu-jitsu, all those times he went out to play soccer with his friends; he would never be able to do those things again. Suddenly, he remembered.


    (MC) ¡°Wait, what happened to Curtis?! He was in the car with me, wasn¡¯t he?!¡±


    (Adel) ¡°Ah yes, Curtis Coburn, he only suffered a minor concussion and some light bruising so he was sent home 4 days ago."


    Although he felt relieved that his friend had come out of the accident nearly unscathed, he could not help but feel bitter at the unfair situation. Here he was, completely immobile and stuck in bed, while his friend had come out with only minor injuries.


    (MC) "I would like to left alone right now please"


    (Adel) "I understand, if you need anything, feel free to speak into the microphone to contact one of the nurses or myself"


    Doctor Abel proceeded to place a small device near his  pillow before leaving the room.


    (Mrs. Close) "Ill come visit whenever I can, Damien"


    And with that his mother also quietly left the room, closing the door gently behind her.


    Damien just laid there, contemplating his life. Although he was usually a very positive person, he could find nothing positive about his current situation. Eventually, still exhausted from the incident and the sudden bad news, he fell asleep.


    The next couple of months passed by slowly. He had spent every day watching TV, listening to music and occasionally talking to his mother. His father had left for the United States a couple months prior to the accident and had still been unable to visit due to his heavy workload. Everyday felt the same, the only interesting event that had occurred was when his friend, Curtis, had visited him, and despite the fact that the incident was not his fault, visible guilt and pity was shown in Curtis''s expressions. In addition, although he knew better, he could not help but feel bitter and treat Curtis coldly, since then, Curtis had not come to visit him again. Over time, Damien had slowly become more withdrawn and depressed as he began to wallow in self pity. At one point, he had even considered taking his own life, only to sadly realize that he did not even currently possess the ability to do so. Days continued to pass on like this until one day...


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


    He had been listening to music when the door suddenly swung open, surprised by the sudden motion, he laid there, waiting for the individual to come into his view. Damien assumed that it would be his mother, father or even Curtis; however, to his surprise it was Doctor Adel. Doctor Adel had only ever visited him on Fridays for his weekly checkup, all of his other needs were taken care of by the nurses. Its not that they did not get along, but rather because Doctor Adel was a very busy individual and often did not have time to visit patients outside of their checkups.


    (Adel) "Hello Damien, how are you feeling today?"


    (MC) "The usual, fucking terrible."


    (Adel) "Well then, thankfully I have some good news."


    (MC) "What is it?"


    (Adel) "You are going to have to ask me more politely if you want to hear."


    (MC) "Are you serious?"


    (Adel) "Yes"


    (MC) "Sigh, can you please tell me the good news Doctor Adel?"


    (Adel) "Of course I can."


    Damien mutters to himself "I swear, if I ever regain control of my body, the first thing I am going to do is smack this shitty doctor."


    (Adel) "Did you say something, Damien?"


    (MC) "Nothing Doctor Adel, please continue on with what you were saying."


    (Adel) "Ah, oh yes. Have you heard of the company, NW Corporation?"


    (MC) "Yes, they are currently one of the leading video game companies."


    (Adel) "Well apparently, they have come up with a virtual reality game called  All World Online and are offering quadriplegic patients an opportunity to play the game for free."


    (MC) "Whats the catch?"


    (Adel) "They get to monitor you in game, in addition, they are given access to your health records."


    (MC) "Why would they be interested in my health records?"


    (Adel) "Although I was not told the reason, they probably want to get data on the effects of VR on quadriplegic patients, so that they could eventually come up with a product specially designed for rehabilitating quadriplegic patients. Although rare, there is a small chance of quadriplegic patients regaining full control over their body and many hypothesize that allowing a quadriplegic patient to move around in virtual reality may increase those chances."


    (MC) "Hmmm, that kind of makes sense."


    (Adel) "So do you accept the conditions or not?"


    (MC) "Of course I accept, anything is better then being stuck in a shitty place like this and doing nothing but watch TV all day."


    (Adel) "Excellent, the gaming device should arrive tomorrow morning if I put in the order now."


    (MC) "Well then, get to it."


    (Adel) "Sigh, you really need to fix your attitude, you shouldn''t talk like that to someone older then you"


    (MC) "Whatever."


    (Adel) "Anyways, Ill see you tomorrow morning, goodbye Damien."


    (MC) "Bye."


    That night, Damien had trouble falling asleep, being given a chance to do something exciting and fun had made him giddy with joy. He soon began to remember the days where him and his friends would play video games together while yelling at each other in a group call. He remembered the stupid arguments that they had, and all the stupid shit they would do together, and with such thoughts in mind, he slowly fell asleep.


    (Metal pans) "CLANK CLANK CLANK"


    Damien, alarmed by the sudden loud noise. quickly woke up, only to see Doctor Adel holding two metal pans in his hands. Where he had gotten them, he had no clue, all he knew was that one day, he would kick this shitty doctor''s ass even if he died trying.


    (Adel) "Wake up sleepy head, the gaming device just arrived, it''ll be set up soon so be ready."


    Damien, fully awoken now, could see various workers working hard to set up the device, although he knew it was a complicated device, he was surprised at how complex and intricate it looked  and could not help but wonder how regular players would set up the device by themselves.


    (Adel) "Oh, and if you''re wondering, you get a special device. It tracks your body''s condition and let''s us know if anything irregular is occurring with your body. It also comes with a screen so that the nurses and I can watch what you are doing within the game."


    (Worker) "Doctor Adel, the device is fully set up now."


    (Adel) "Excellent, nurses, could you please place Mr. Close into the device?"


    (Nurses) "Yes Doctor Adel."


    Although he did not like the idea of being carried around, Damien was not in a position to complain and honestly, the sooner he got in game, the better. After, being gently placed into the device, Damien was finally ready.


    (Adel) "Are you ready Damien?)


    (MC) "Yup, go ahead."


    (Adel) "Okay, here we go."


    *Adel closes the hatch on the device*


    (Machine) " Vrrr rr r rrrrr"


    *Machine starts running*


    Suddenly a bright light engulfed Damien causing him to close his eyes, and when he opened them...


    <table><tbody><tr><td> <Welcome to All World Online> </td></tr></tbody></table>


    His adventure was finally about to start.

 Chapter 1: All World Online (Unfixed Dialogue)

    Hello, your author here. Sorry for not updating in a long time, Ive been really busy due to work; however, I promise that updates will become more frequent in the future, approximately two week from now, my work contract will end and I will go back to school, giving me a lot more free time which I will spend thinking about the plot and writing out the story. I would have finished this like a week ago when I had my day off, but I decided to go out and ended up drinking a bit too much (Ma bad), which resulted in me going to bed right after I came back. Anyways the first pet will be introduced soon, maybe in the next chapter, and if not then definitely the chapter after. I also had to spent a lot of time on the lore and making sure it matches the story, I dont want random plot holes appearing in the middle of the story. Thankfully, I think Ive figured out most of the lore, which mean that the next chapters should come out pretty smoothly since Ive already figured out whats going to happen. Although Ive already figured out what his first pet is going to be (I thought about it for a long time), feel free to post ideas, and the creatures in this story will be able to evolve, think Re:Monster, so if you post an idea, it will have a higher chance of being accepted if you post potential evolutions, affinities, and etc (More info, the better). I also started writing my stories when Iam at work, sometimes there are times where its super dead, so instead of standing and doing nothing, I started to write my stories, and it has actually helped me speed up on getting the chapter, so ill probably keep doing that. In addition, expect my chapters to get longer, it wont be as long as Insania (they are like 4700 words long, wtf), but ill try to get it to the 3000 range. Also, if you see any errors or if something seems off, tell me so I can edit it :). Ok, that enough ranting for today. Enjoy! OH WAIT, please rate if you can, it would nice :)))) OH WAIT AGAIN. Doing the boxes take wayyyyy toooo much time so ill upload chapter without em and slowly implement them in as I get better at doing em, and if someone (A super kind soul) wants to do the boxes for me, I would love you.


    ...................................................................................................................................................................................................


    <Welcome to All World Online>


    <New player detected, please wait one moment while we scan for the necessary data.....>


    (MC) "Shar"


    Currently the available choices are:


    [Undead]


    {Racial Traits}


    Relentless Dead: Infinite Stamina; in addition, does not need to consume neither food nor water.


    "You''re dead, why do you need to eat?"


    Close to Death: Dark affinity increased by 25 and 15% stat increase in the dark.


    "Come to the dark side, we have fresh cookies."


    Unholy Creature: 15% stat reduction when exposed to sunlight (May decrease or increase depending on the class). Takes 20% increased damage from light based attacks; in addition, light affinity decreased by 100.


    "It burrrrnsssssss!"


    [Human]


    {Racial Traits}


    Jack of All Trades, Master of None: No bonus or penalty to any affinity.


    "Hmmmm, you''re just adequate."


    Fast Learner: Skills below intermediate rank level up 15% faster


    "Wow! You''re smart!"


    [Dwarf]


    {Racial Traits}


    Born Underneath the Earth: Earth affinity increased by 15.


    "Child of the Earth¡±


    Dwarven Blacksmithing: Lowers chance of failure when Blacksmithing.


    ¡°Rumors have it that Excalibur, although given to Arthur by Merlin, was actually created by Oreades, a famous Dwarven Blacksmith¨CUnknown Traveler¡±


    Strong Arms, Short Legs: 10% increase in strength, 10% decrease in agility.


    ¡°Short legs= Short Steps¡±


    Stunted Magical Growth: Magical spells are 25% less efficient. (Damage spells do 25% less damage, heal spells heal 25% less, and spells that stun, root, and etc will have the duration reduced by 25%)


    ¡°Not only stunted in height, but also in magic capacity. What a sad life.


    [Note: Other races may become available in the future as certain criteria are met]


    MC) ¡°What does affinity do?¡±


    <Affinity determines the speed in which skills develop. For example a player with 10 fire affinity will be able to level up their fire skills faster then another player who has 0 fire affinity>


    (MC) "Hmmmm, human."


    <Race, Human, selected.>


    An exact copy of himself had appeared one meter in front him. What he had not realized was that being bedridden for the past 3 months had caused his muscles to greatly deteriorate; in addition, after the accident, Damien often lacked an appetite due to his depression, and often skipped meals, this had caused him to lose 20-25 pounds. The healthy and toned body he once possessed was no longer anywhere to be found, instead standing in front of him was a skinny skeleton of a body, with ribs clearly visible, a mere remnant of what it was before. The first thing Damien did was add 20 pounds of muscle to his character. The resulting figure was much closer to his previous appearance. Satisfied with the result, Damien clicked ok.


    <Are you sure you want to confirm the appearance of your character?>


    (MC) "Yes"


    *A large map of the world appears in front of Damien, with various small points*


    (MC) ¡®Ah so the world only has one supercontinent (Authors Note: Basically the world only has one large continent with some small islands around it), and these points must be spawn locations.¡¯


    (MC) "Please select a spawn location far away from the capital with the lowest player density."


    If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    <Village of Ferrick selected>


    <WARNING: DUE TO THE LOW NUMBER OF GUARDS CURRENTLY AT FERRICK, MONSTERS IN THAT AREA WILL HAVE A SLIGHTLY HIGHER LEVEL COMPARED TO MAJOR CITIES AND TOWNS.


    <Do you wish to continue?>


    (MC) "Yes."


    Shar found himself standing near a small village square.


    <Title Gained! >


    [Foreigner of Ferrick]


    ¡°People may come and go, but no one else shall be first, for you are the first of your kind to come to the Village of Ferrick¡±


    {+3 to all stats, +5 intimacy with all residents of Ferrick, +10 Fame}


    (MC) ¡®That¡¯s a nice bonus, considering that we start off with low stats, those +3 to all stats might make quite the difference early on.¡¯


    (MC) ¡°Status¡±


    <Shar¡¯s Player Status>


    Race: Human Level: 1


    Class: N/A


    Fame: 10 Infamy: 0


    Health: 130/130 Mana: 130/130


    Strength: 13 Vitality: 13


    Agility: 13 Wisdom: 13


    Intelligence: 13


    Affinities: N/A


    [Titles]


    ¡°Foreigner of Ferrick¡±


    [Skills]


    N/A


    Checking his inventory, Shar found that he possessed a shoddy dagger, 10 loaves of bread, a water canteen, and 10 silver coins. He proceeded to equip the dagger while examining it.


    <Shoddy Dagger>


    Tier: Common


    Lvl Requirement: 1


    1 Handed Dagger


    [Stats]


    Attack: 5-6


    Durability: 10/10


    (MC) ¡®What a shitty weapon, but I guess that¡¯s to be expected¡¯


    Currently focused on the shittyness of his dagger, Shar did not notice the individual walking up towards him.


    (???) ¡°Welcome to the Village of Ferrick, Foreigner.¡±


    (MC) ¡®Foreigner? Is he talking to me?¡¯


    Turning around, Shar found himself, face to face, or rather face to chest with a behemoth of a man in his early fifties. Standing at approximately ¡°6,7¡±, fully equip from neck to feet in what appeared to be steel armor and combined with his overwhelming presence, the man would have appeared quite intimidating, if not for the huge grim that was currently occupying the man¡¯s face.


    (MC) "Are you talking to me?"


    (???) ¡°Of course, who else would I be talking to? In a small and remote village like this, it¡¯s hard not to know who everyone lives here, not to mention we rarely get visitors, especially visitors such as yourself.¡±


    (MC) ¡°What do you mean, visitors such as I?¡±


    (???) ¡°The great creator, Gaia, once prophesized that foreigners wielding great powers would one day appear in our world, and recently we have been getting news of these ¡°foreigners¡± appearing in major cities all over the continent. Despite our excitement to meet these strange visitors, we were more worried that no foreigners would come to a small village like ours; however, you have relieved us of our concerns. Oh, and I am sorry, I forgot to introduce myself, my name is Dalton Elgar, captain of the guards here in Ferrick¡±


    (MC) ¡°Hello Mr Elgar, my name is Shar. What are some of these great powers that you speak of?¡±


    (Dalton) ¡°Captain Dalton is fine, especially considering you are Ferrick¡¯s first foreigner, and regarding these great powers. It hasn¡¯t been confirmed but there are rumors that you foreigners can come back to life after a certain amount of time has passed; in addition, you can come and leave our world as you please, is this true?¡±


    (MC) ¡°Yes that information is true; however, we also face consequences when we die; we come back slightly weaker than before.¡±


    (Dalton) ¡°Ah that¡¯s fascinating to know, thank you for telling me, young man. If you have any questions feel free to come to me and ask.¡±


    <For providing Captain Dalton with information on a topic he was curious about, +5 intimacy with Captain Dalton.>


    (MC) ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to do that Captain Dalton. Do you happen to know where the closest exit is to leave the village?¡±


    (CD=Captain Dalton) ¡°Ah yes, the closest exit from here would be the one at the North end, so just keep following this road up straight and you will eventually reach the exit, but be careful, most wild creatures are hostile to humans so be wary of them when you are outside of the village.¡±


    (MC) ¡°I will keep that in mind Captain Dalton. Anyways, thanks for the info. I¡¯ll see you around.¡±


    (CD) ¡°No problem lad, see you around.¡±


    Heading towards the exit, Shar noticed several things about the village. Although small, the village seemed well built, and as he walked closer to the exit, he could see that the walls protecting the village were tall and seemed sturdy. Although simple, the buildings had a design that seemed appealing to the eye, and even though the designs were similar, each building looked unique. He also kept note of important buildings such as the general store, apothecary, and smithy. Eventually reaching the exit, Shar saw two guards standing guard by the entrance of the village. In fact, aside from Captain Dalton, he had not seen another guard until now, and although the village was small, it was very apparent that the village lacked guards.


    (MC) ¡®Probably the reason why their walls are built so tall and sturdy¡¯


    Heading out to leave the village, Shar gave the guards a small nod. Receiving a small nod in return, he proceeded to exit the village, and despite their exchange being brief, Shar could see that although the two guards were quite young, in their mid twenties, they seemed capable and experienced.


    (MC) ¡®Captain Dalton must train them well.¡¯


    After having left the village, Shar noticed that the village was surrounded by a dense forest. Although there was a hundred meter clearing surrounding the village, it was devoid of any living creatures, except for the occasional small animal that would come to quickly take a sip of water from the river that ran along the side of the village. Walking closer to the forest, Shar could see the vague movements of some creature lingering by the edge of the clearing. Although somewhat perturbed by the hidden creature, knowing the fact that he was in a beginner area gave him the will to venture forward, into the unknown.

 Chapter 2: Slimy Adversary (Unfixed Dialogue)

    Yay, new chapter! I decided to pull it together and dedicated a good chunk of my day off to present to you guys this chapter. Although its not too exciting, it does provide a lot of info on how the taming class will work. Also Ive started to read and reply to all of the comments (if you commented on the first chapter, you can go back and see what I wrote) Anyways, for those of you who like the introduction of the new character, (kinda) the Blue Slime, go thank superloner. The slime was actually not supposed to be a big part of the story, but I slightly changed the story after reading superloner''s comment on how the mc was going to die really quickly. Anyways, not much to say this chapter, except that the first pet will most likely be introducted next time (hopefully), and that I hope you guys enjoy. Also, it would be great if you could give the story a rating and comment. Ill try my best to reply to your comment, although if this story somehow becomes popular, then I might have a harder time later on, but ill deal with it if the time comes. Also, if anyone wants to the boxes for me, pls comment :) or msg or do whatever to get my attention, I promise it wont be a lot of work. Also if anyone wants to give me an idea of how to limit the number of pets the MC can have, feel free to type out a comment explaining it. I have some kind of an idea, but its not really that concrete yet so, help would be appreciated. Also if you have any idea, post it. I try to take into account what everyone says, and you never know, your suggestion could end up having a big impact on the story :). Anyways, enjoy.


    </a>


    ...................................................................................................................................................................................................


    Reaching the edge of the clearing, Shar slowly entered the forest, making sure to mentally and physically prepare himself for whatever lay ahead. Pulling out his dagger, Shar proceeded to walk through the dense forest, trying to keep as silent as possible. Looking around, he could not find anything out of the ordinary, and cautiously continued to go deeper into the forest. Although the unknown creature was nowhere to be seen, Shar felt as if he was being watched, an ominous feeling. Walking through the forest for another couple minutes, he began to calm down, the nervousness he had felt before entering the forest slowly began to disappear as he began to pay more attention to his surroundings. At first, the forest had seemed dark and dangerous, but looking at it now, Shar was in awe. The forest seemed to be full of life and gave a calming feeling. Tall trees grew in abundance and the crown canopy covered the skies, blocking out the sun, allowing only the smallest of rays of light to go through. On the forest floor, a myriad of different plants grew without restraint. Randomly picking up a bright green plant with wide leaves, Shar examined it:


    <Abascal Plant>


    Tier: Common


    [Description]


    A plant that possesses minor healing properties, it leaves are often used in the production of lesser healing potions.


    Plucking a leaf off of the plant, Shar looked at it carefully:


    <Abascal Leaf>


    Tier: Common


    [Description]


    An Abascal leaf, it can be used to make lesser healing potions or consumed as is.


    [Effects]


    Restores 10 health


    Excited by the new discovery, Shar began to examing each plant, gathering Abascal leaves whenever he could. Surprisingly, despite the large variety of plants, he could not find another plant that was particularly useful. Putting his dagger away, he redirected his focus on collecting Abascal leaves. Due to his attention being elsewhere, he was caught off guard when he heard a rustling sound coming from his right side. Jumping away from the noise in order to gain some distance from whatever was coming, Shar hurryingly pulled out his dagger, only to feel a little bit silly as he watched a small rabbit hop out of the undergrowth and proceed to nibble on a small green plant. Somewhat fascinated by the small creature, he watched it eat the little green plant.


    [Description]


    A common species of rabbit found throughout the continent. Although it possesses low intelligence and combat abilities, its fast reaction speed combined with its fast sprint allows it to escape most predators.


    Focused on the rabbit, Shar fell forward as he felt a foreign object slam into his back. Using the momentum from the impact, he rolled forwards, lessening the impact of the fall. Getting back up, he felt a slight throbbing pain from where the mysterious object had hit him, only to realize that one third of his health was gone. Looking around to locate his attacker, his eyes fell upon a small round creature. Shar immediately recognized the monster that had appeared before him. The creature, approximately forty centimeters tall, half a meter wide and possessing a round and semi transparent body, was definitely a slime; however, instead of it being a dull green, the slime in front of him possessed a dark blue coloring.


    <Blue Slime, Lev 12>


    [Description]


    Often found in deep caves all over the continent, Blue Slimes possess a semi rigid body, making them almost impervious to all physical attacks. Their bodies also possess very acidic properties, allowing them to digest almost any material. In addition, they can regenerate their bodies at incredible speeds, making it difficult to damage their cores.


    (MC) ¡®Holy shit, this thing is eleven levels higher than me.¡¯


    Shocked by what he had just found out, Shar stood there, dumbfounded. However, the Blue Slime, not giving him any time to think, hopped towards him at an alarmingly fast speed, before proceeding to launch itself towards him. Barely reacting in time, Shar leaped to the left, avoiding most of the impact; however, due to his late reaction, the Blue Slime had managed to clip the edge of his right arm, taking away one sixth of  his health. With only half of his health remaining, Shar began to panic. Luckily for him, the Blue Slime, surprised by the fact that his weak prey had managed to dodge its attack, stood there, not continuing its assault. Instead, the Blue Slime looked at him carefully, reassessing him. Unfortunately for the Blue Slime, this gave Shar time to think about his situation. Quickly coming to the conclusion that his odds of winning this fight were definitely not in his favor, he decided to do the only thing that would allow him to possibly survive: a strategic retreat.


    Running towards the Blue Slime with his dagger held out, Shar slashed at the fearsome menace; however, instead of following up on his attack, he had chosen to keep on running past the Blue Slime. Surprised by the sudden retaliation, the Blue Slime hopped to its left in order to dodge the attack. Repositioning itself so that it could face its opponent, the Blue Slime stood still for a second, slightly confused as it watched his prey run away. Almost instantly snapping out of its confusion, the Blue Slime gave chase. Although the Blue Slime had no problem keeping up with Shar, it could not find a moment to attack, this was because of something Shar had found out when he previously dodged the Blue Slime¡¯s attack. Since the Blue Slime used the momentum of its run in order to leap and inflict damage, it could not change the direction of its attack midway, making it easy for him to dodge its attacks by running in a zigzag pattern. After running like this for the past ten minutes, Shar could now see the edge of the forest. Running even faster, he dashed out of the forest and into the clearing. Briefly looking back to see if the Blue Slime was still giving chase, he let out a sigh of relief as he saw that the Blue Slime had stopped by the edge of the forest. Walking back to the village, Shar vowed that he would one day get his revenge.


    Unlawfully taken from Royal Road, this story should be reported if seen on Amazon.


    Meanwhile, somewhere in the forest, a small Blue Slime was rolling back and forth, clearly agitated. Due to its recent string of successful hunts, the Blue Slime had grown cocky and it had just paid the price for its overconfidence; its prey had escaped. Had the Blue Slime been more careful, more prepared, then its prey would have not gotten away; the Blue Slime felt humiliated that it allowed such a weak prey to escape, and vowed that one day; it will get its revenge.


    As he got near the village entrance, the two guards, upon seeing Shar, rushed towards him.


    (Guard 1+2) ¡°Are you okay foreigner?¡±


    (MC) ¡°Yeah I am fine, just a bit bruised up, and you can call me Shar.¡±


    (Roderick) ¡°I am Roderick, and this is Timothy, may I ask what happened?¡±


    (MC) ¡°I was attacked by a Blue Slime.¡±


    (Roderick) ¡°That¡¯s impossible; there aren¡¯t any caves nearby that it could have come from.¡±


    (MC) ¡°Well I am just telling you what happened, it¡¯s up to you to decide if you want to believe me or not.¡±


    (Roderick) ¡°Hmm, I don¡¯t see any reason for you to lie, but Blue Slimes normally live in deep caves, which is why you never see them in this area. Unless¡­..


    (MC) ¡°Why, is something wrong?¡±


    (Roderick) ¡°I am not one hundred percent sure, but can you report this to Captain Dalton?¡±


    <Quest: Report the Blue Slime!>


    [Description]


    Report the appearance of the Blue Slime to Captain Dalton, captain of the guards in Ferrick.


    [Rewards]


    +5 intimacy with Roderick


    (MC) ¡°Sure, I¡¯ll go look for him immediately.¡±


    <Quest Accepted>


    (Roderick) ¡°Thank you so much.¡±


    Thankfully for Shar, Captain Dalton wasn¡¯t hard to fine. Running towards where he had first met him, Shar found Captain Dalton standing nearby.


    (MC) ¡°Captain Dalton!¡±


    (CD) ¡°No need to shout lad, I am still not that old.¡±


    (MC) ¡°I been told to relay some important news to you.¡±


    (CD) ¡°By who?¡±


    (MC) ¡°Roderick.¡±


    (CD) ¡°So what¡¯s the news, spit it out already.¡±


    (MC) ¡°I was attacked by a Blue Slime in the nearby forest; thankfully, I had managed to escape. When I reached the village entrance and told Roderick what had happened, he told me to go inform you immediately.¡±


    (CD) ¡°What in the world? A Blue Slime appearing by Ferrick? Looks like the guards will have to be dispatched tomorrow. Thanks for telling me, lad.¡±


    <Quest Completed!>


    (MC) ¡°Sorry to interrupt Captain Dalton, but is a single Blue Slime really that big of an issue?¡±


    (CD) ¡°Not really, but that is assuming the Blue Slime stays a Blue Slime.¡±


    (MC) ¡°What do you mean?¡±


    (CD) ¡°Makes sense that you don¡¯t know since you¡¯ve only come to our world recently, but just like humans, creatures can also become stronger; however, unlike humans, creatures can undergo evolution.¡±


    (MC) ¡°What does that mean?¡±


    (CD) ¡°It means that creatures can evolve into a stronger species if it meets the right conditions. In addition, not all creatures of the same species evolve the same. Although most Green Slimes tend to evolve into an Acid Slime, some can evolve into a Blue Slime; it just depends on the conditions that the creature meets. The Blue Slime that you encountered today could eventually become a King Slime, and if that happens, it can cause a lot of damage to the village. This is why all settlements regularly send guards to slay creatures nearby, so that nothing gets too strong. Unfortunately, Ferrick doesn¡¯t have that many guards, so we can¡¯t clear the monsters as often as we would like to, which is also the reason why creatures around Ferrick are a lot stronger than the ones you would normally see around settlements.


    (MC) ¡°Do creatures often evolve?¡±


    (CD) ¡°In the wild, yes and no. Like I said, certain conditions need to be met before a creature can evolve into a stronger species, and these conditions become more difficult to satisfy after each evolution, so in the wild, creatures will normally only undergo one evolution in their lifetime. However, it¡¯s a different story if you are talking about tamed creatures.¡±


    (MC) ¡°Tamed creatures?¡±


    (CD) ¡°Yes, certain creatures are often tamed so that they can be used for various purposes. Species like the Spotted Bovine are often used to produce milk or pull carts, while species like the Red Hoofed Mustang are used as war horses.¡±


    (MC) ¡°Do tamed creatures evolve more often?¡±


    (CD) ¡°It depends on what the creature is being used for, a tamed Spotted Bovines will rarely ever undergo evolution, while a tamed Red Hoofed Mustang might undergo evolution two to three times in its lifetime. The important factor is not whether the creature is tamed or not, but rather how long it lives for and how strong it becomes. Tamed creatures normally live longer lives compared to their wild counterparts; in addition, skilled Tamers will often help their pets meet their evolution conditions, which is the reason why tamed creatures tend to undergo more evolutions.


    (MC) ¡°That¡¯s good to know, and just wondering, what is the weakest creature around here?|


    (CD) ¡°Around here the weakest creature would be a Green Slime, they are usually around level 2, but here in Ferrick they are around level 7. I wouldn¡¯t suggest trying to fight one unless you are at least level 5.¡±


    (MC) ¡°But if I can¡¯t fight any creatures, how will I gain levels?


    (CD) ¡°Lad, there are other ways to gain levels. Go start by doing small tasks around the village, they won¡¯t give you that much experience and it¡¯ll be slow, but it¡¯s better than doing nothing. Plus, you¡¯ll get to know some of the townsfolk better, and you¡¯ll make a little bit of money doing it as well.


    (MC) ¡°Thanks for the advice Captain Dalton.¡±


    (CD) ¡°No problem lad. Like I said, if you have any questions, feel free to come and ask me.¡±


    Waving goodbye to Captain Dalton, Shar left the village square. Although he was slightly disappointed that he would not be vanquishing monsters any time soon, he quickly got over it. In the end, it was something, and something was always better than nothing. So with renewed determination, Shar walked around the village, looking for NPC¡¯s in need of help.

 Chapter 3: Tasks and More Tasks (Unfixed Dialogue)

    Hello author here, I would have posted this like 2 days ago but the chapter kept getting longer and longer and eventually what was supposed to be like 1 and 1/2 of a chapter became 1. So this chapter is slightly longer then usual, and still nothing too exciting happening yet but I promise that stuff will happen in like 1-2 chapters. Anyways the first pet will be revealed next chapter. Would anyone like to guess what it is going to be? And rate, comment, and do all that good stuff. If you have suggestions, comment below and Ill try to reply by the end of the day. Also special thanks to RoguePa1adin for giving me suggestions on some of  MC''s class abilities, Its helped me almost finalize them so he should be getting his class soon. I would say like 3-4 chapters from now, maybe even 2, depending on how I feel like it Also, if you see any mistakes, please mention it below. Enjoy


    </a>


    ...................................................................................................................................................................................................


    (MC) ¡°Status¡±


    <Shar¡¯s Player Status>


    Race: Human                          Level: 3


    Class: N/A


    Fame: 10                                   Infamy: 0


    Health: 130/130                     Mana: 130/130


    Strength: 23                            Vitality: 13


    Agility: 18                                  Wisdom: 13


    Intelligence: 13


    Affinities: N/A


    [Titles]


    ¡°Foreigner of Ferrick¡±


    [Skills]


    Cooking ¨C Beginner 3


    Wood Cutting ¨C Beginner 4


    Construction ¨C Beginner 1


    Looking at his skills, Shar couldn¡¯t help but feel proud. However, thinking back, it had not been easy. Two weeks had passed since the incident with the Blue Slime, and during those two weeks, Shar had labored hard each day. Listening to Captain Dalton¡¯s advice, he wandered the village in sought of work; however, many NPCs were reluctant to give him any. Not knowing what to do, he simply continued to wander around the village, talking to various NPCs; finding his efforts to be fruitless, he decided to head back to the village square, to ask Captain Dalton for advice on his current dilemma. However, along the way, something had drawn his attention. Walking closer, Shar could only describe it as large notice board, and upon it were various flyers and advertisements. Taking one of the flyers off of the board, it read:


    <Server Needed!>


    [Description]


    The Hungry Boar is looking for a server to work full time for one week. Tasks include, but are not limited to: serving, washing dishes, cleaning tables and mopping floors. Food and boarding will be provided, and the pay will be 80 bronze coins for each hour worked. For more information, head to the Hungry Boar and ask to speak to Mary.


    Although he wasn¡¯t too keen on the idea of working as a server, just by taking a quick glance at the other flyers, he could tell that the job paid a lot better than most, not to mention it did not have any level or skill requirements unlike the other tasks. Although the boarding wasn¡¯t really needed, he was curious to see how sleeping in the game would be like. Having made up his mind, Shar quickly glanced at his map, before heading towards the Hungry Boar.


    A short walk later, he had arrived at his destination. Just by taking a quick look, a single word came into his mind: hectic. The place was packed and a huge line up of people waiting to be seated could be seen. Weaving through the masses of people, Shar made his way towards the entrance. Entering the building, he was suddenly stopped by a burly, middle aged woman.


    (???) ¡°I am sorry, but if you want to eat here, you¡¯ll have to go back and wait in line like everybody else.¡±


    Not even bothering to reply, he merely handed her the flyer he had ripped off of the notice. Quickly snatching the flyer from his hands, the lady examined piece of paper. Her look of confusion quickly changing to one of joy as she handed him back the flyer.


    (???) ¡°Ah, so you¡¯re here looking for work?¡±


    (MC) ¡°Yes, so I would greatly appreciate it if you could direct me to Mary.¡±4


    (Mary) ¡°You¡¯re looking at her; I am Mary Wallace, owner and founder of the Hungry Boar.¡±


    Taking a step back, Mary proceeded to look at Shar from head to toe. Although feeling somewhat uncomfortable, Shar stood still, staying quiet.


    (Mary) ¡°Alright, you¡¯re hired.¡±


    (MC) ¡°¡­..That¡¯s it? You¡¯re not going to ask me any questions?


    (Mary) ¡°Nope, you know what they say, beggars can¡¯t be choosers. We¡¯re busy here as is, I don¡¯t have the time to be asking you detailed questions about your life, and honestly I don¡¯t care. As long as you¡¯re here, getting work done, your life out of here doesn¡¯t matter to me, as long as it doesn¡¯t affect me or my business. Here, change into this, you¡¯re starting now.¡±


    <You have received ¡°Hungry Boar¡¯s server uniform!>


    Since then, Shar worked at the Hungry Boar, and despite the work being hard and labor intensive, it came with a lot of benefits. During times where there were few customers, Mary would often teach him the basics of cooking, and by the third day he had gained the Cooking skill, and since then gotten it to Beginner 3. However, the greatest benefit of working at the Hungry Boar was the fact that nearly all of the villagers were regulars, allowing him to gain intimacy with the majority of them. In fact, many of them had found out that he was a temporary worker and would often offer him jobs, asking him to work for them once his contract with the Hungry Boar was over. Because of this, Shar was given the opportunity to try new things, learning various skills along the way.


    In the afternoon, Shar would often help Mr. Williams carry logs back to the village; in return, Mr. Williams had taught him how to properly and efficiently cut wood. He would also sometimes help construct new buildings when they were low on workers. Although Shar had no prior experience in construction what so ever, he would often help out by bringing and moving building materials, and eventually, with much begging and pleading, Mr. Ferrick had agreed to teach him the basics of construction, eventually granting him the Construction skill. Of course during this time Shar had been getting paid; although it wasn''t much, it had accumulated to quite the sum, considering that he had very little expenses. Most of his workplaces provided him with meals, and he would simply log out whenever it got dark. Not only did this mean saving money, since he didn''t have to pay to stay overnight at an inn, it also gave him time to fulfill some of his real world needs like eating and going to the washroom. In the end, he had accumulated an impressive amount of currency: 86 silver coins and 27 bronze coins (Note: 1 silver coin is roughly equal to 10 dollars, meaning 1 bronze coin is around 10 cents, since 100 bronze=1 silver, 100 silver=1 gold, 100 gold= 1 platinum).


    Having finished helping out Mr. Ferrick, Shar headed to his next destination: Market Choice. Market Choice was a small general store run by Mr. Warner, a somewhat elderly man that was in his early 60s. Apparently, Mr. Warner had used to own a large adventurers store near the capital, but had one day suddenly decided to sell his store, most of his goods and move to Ferrick in order to live a quieter life. Bringing his family along with him, he opened up a small general store specializing in every day goods and groceries.


    Unfortunately, due to his sudden departure, a lot of the goods from his old store were not sold in time. Not knowing what to do with the huge amount of various items, Mr. Warner had just decided to bring it along with him to Ferrick, storing all of it in a large warehouse next to his house. Since then, those miscellaneous goods had been left untouched, simply collecting dust inside of the large warehouse. Mr. Warner would have sold them, if not for the fact that the items were unsuitable for his current store; the village did not have very many adventurers, and most of the leftover goods consisted of random pieces of armor, a couple weapons, and maps of various dungeons located throughout the continent; objects that ordinary villagers would have no use for. Although Mr. Warner did not particularly care about selling these goods, he did care about the fact that they took up a lot of space in his warehouse. In fact, this had not been an issue until recently. Despite the village being placed in a remote location, it had been growing at a steady a pace; in fact, the population of the village had grown to the point where Mr. Warner¡¯s small store had difficulty keeping up with their demand for goods. Therefore, he had decided to expand the store; however, there was one problem. Expanding the store meant that he would need more space to hold his extra stock; however, due to the large amount of miscellaneous items, space within his warehouse was lacking, and this is where Shar had come in. Finding out that he was a foreigner whose plan was to explore the vast continent, Mr. Watson had agreed to pay him a small wage in exchange for having his warehouse cleaned and organized. Although Shar would have normally declined, Mr. Watson had also agreed to sell him one item that was stored in his warehouse for an eighty percent discount, which had prompted him to accept the offer.


    Looking at the huge mess in front of him, Shar immediately regretted his decision. Miscellaneous goods could be found simply spewed all over the warehouse, although the warehouse was easily large enough to contain all of Mr. Warner¡¯s old goods and more, the issue lay with the fact that the items appeared to have been just thrown in, without any thought. Making sure to not step on anything important, Shar, somewhat unwillingly, trudged through the warehouse, preparing himself for long task ahead of him. He began categorizing each item by type and putting them into a pile, each pile consisting of a particular type of good. Some items on the other hand, did not seem belong to any particular group, putting these aside, Shar focused on what he could do. After three days of cleaning and sorting, he had managed to put every item into their respective piles, proceeding to place them onto shelves. Just when he about to finish, he faced a particular issue. The pile of misfit items had been left untouched; having no way to organize them, he simply placed them all onto a single shelf, deciding that Mr. Warner would not likely care, before heading out to notify him that the task was done.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Bringing Mr. Warner along with him, they entered the warehouse. Upon seeing how well the job was done, Mr. Warner let out a small gasp before walking deeper inside the warehouse to have a closer look. Walking around while examining each shelf, Mr. Warner asked:


    (Warner) ¡°You¡¯ve done a good job boy, and I am guessing you already have an idea of what item you want to buy?¡±


    In fact, throughout the entire duration of the task, Shar had been keeping track of all of the items that had caught his interest, knowing that he would have to choose one sooner or later. However, as the days passed and he managed to categorize more items, the choice became overwhelmingly tougher; a lot of the items were useful and had unique qualities, making it difficult for him to make a concrete decision; in addition, he would also have to take into factors like level and price of the item, although he would be getting a large discount, an eighty percent discount would do him no good if the item was worth hundreds of gold. In his head, he kept going over the benefits and negatives of each item, before doing it again and then again, over and over. By the last day, when he had almost finished categorizing each item, he had come to the conclusion that he would have to ask Mr. Warner for more time before he made up his mind, but that all changed when he came upon a particular item. Light blue and emitting a subtle white light, the sword immediately grabbed his attention, lifting the item carefully with both hands he looked at it intently until a screen popped up:


    <Yeti¡¯s Fury>


    Tier: Rare


    Level Requirement: 10


    1 Handed Sword


    [Stats]


    Attack: 60-70


    Deals an additional 5-10 cold damage


    Durability: 25/25


    ¡°Made from the tooth of a yeti, this sword possesses an extremely sharp edge. Rumors have it that the sword contains a bit of the yeti¡¯s innate ice magic.¡±


    The sword was perfect; its level requirement was low, meaning that it was more likely to be affordable. It also meant that Shar would be able to wield it soon, and having a strong weapon early on would definitely help him level up quickly. The sword also dealt an absurd amount of damage compared to other swords with similar level requirements, making it the best item to choose.


    (MC) ¡°Yeah, there was this swor-¡°


    As he was talking, Mr. Warner had tripped, causing him to grab the nearest shelf nearby in order to keep himself from falling. The sudden movement had caused the shelf to shake a bit, causing a small black box to fall to the floor.


    (Noises) ¡°Thuk, thuk, thuk....¡±


    He watched as Mr. Warner picked up the black box. Around twenty centimeters wide and thirty centimeters tall, the box seemed out of place in Mr. Warner¡¯s warehouse. Many of his old goods looked intricate and possessed unique features, the small box on the other hand, had none except for the fact that it was pure black. Although he was somewhat curious about the contents of the box, he was worried to open it without permission and had planned to ask Mr. Warner about the box once the warehouse was organized, but had forgotten to do so due to his thoughts being so preoccupied by the rare sword.


    (Warner) ¡°So you were saying something about a sword?¡±


    Just as he was about to reply, Mr. Warner, checking to see if its contents were damaged, opened the small black box, pulling out what appeared to be an egg around the size of a small football. However, what caught Shar¡¯s attention was not the egg, but the mysterious contraption around it.


    (MC) ¡°What is that Mr. Warner.¡±


    (Warner) ¡°It¡¯s an egg.¡±


    (MC) ¡°I know¡­.I am asking about the contraption around it.¡±


    (Warner) ¡°Ah this? It¡¯s a small stasis lock; it prevents the absorption of mana.¡±


    (MC) ¡°Why is there a stasis lock on an egg?¡±


    (Warner) ¡°Do you know nothing boy, the egg isn¡¯t just any egg, it¡¯s a creature egg. Creatures eggs need to absorb a certain amount of mana from its environment before it can hatch, so many shop keepers use stasis locks to prevent the eggs from gathering mana so that they don¡¯t hatch before they are sold.


    (MC) "So the egg can still hatch?"


    (Warner) "Yes, and before that, you were talking about a sword?"


    (MC) "I changed my mind, I''ll take the egg instead."


    (Warner) "Are you sure boy? Creatures aren''t easy to take care of, they need a lot of attention and won''t be that strong until they mature. The creature might not even be useful for combat, it would be wise to know what species it is before you buy it, but even I can''t tell that you.


    (MC) "I''ll take it either way, how much will it be?"


    The idea of having a small, cute animal as a pet was enough for him to take the egg. He had always wanted a pet ever since he was a young kid, but his mother had never allowed him to have one due to her germaphobia.


    (Warner) "Well the price usually varies drastically depending on the species, but since I have no clue, I''ll sell it to you for 50 silvers, taking into account the eighty percent discount of course."


    (MC) "50 silvers? You mean the egg normally costs 2 gold and 50 silvers?"


    (Warner) "You think creature eggs are easy to come by? Eggs are usually guarded heavily by their parents so very few adventurers actually attempt to take them, making them a rare commodity. Plus there is a huge a demand for them, creatures have a wide variety of uses, and many nobles buy them to use as pets or guards, why do you think there are dozens of every other item, but only a single egg?"


    (MC) "But even then, 2 gold and 50 silvers for a single egg?


    (Warner) "You''re lucky I am even selling it to you for that price, even the cheapest creature eggs are usually sold for at least 3 gold each.¡±


    (MC) "Fine, I''ll take it"


    Somewhat reluctantly handing over the fifty silvers to Mr. Warner, Shar asked:


    (MC) "How long do you think it will take before it hatches?"


    Handing the egg over, Mr. Warner replied:


    (Warner) "Probably a couple days, if you have any questions just come back and ask me, I may be old and somewhat senile but I know quite a bit about raising these things, and here''s the 19 silvers and 20 bronze coins for your three days of work.


    <Quest Completed!>


    Receiving the money, Shar thanked and said goodbye to Mr. Warner.


    (MC) "Thanks Mr. Warner, I''ll see you around."


    (Warner) "See you around boy, if you need any more work, just come back. I could always use a worker like you around here.¡±


    (MC) ¡°Ah ha, thanks for the offer Mr. Warner. I¡¯ll keep that in mind.¡±


    Leaving the warehouse, Shar quickly removed the stasis lock from the egg before heading over to the Hungry Boar, the long day of work had made him quite famished. After eating a hardy meal of bacon and eggs, he decided to retire for the day. Checking into a small inn, he quickly went up into his room and placed the egg on top of his bed before logging off. This was because he had found out that the egg could not be put into his inventory without the stasis lock, probably due to it being considered a living creature. Although he would have preferred to just sleep in game, he had not been getting a lot of sleep in real life due to playing the game almost nonstop and desperately needed some. He had found out that although sleeping in game somewhat helped, it was definitely not a good replacement for sleeping in reality.


    Logging back onto All World Online the next day, the first thing Shar did was look at the small white egg. The appearance had not changed at all, and the egg showed no visible signs of hatching anytime soon. Putting the egg back into a small knapsack that he had purchased the other day, Shar headed into the village to complete a couple more tasks, before heading back to the inn and logging off. The next couple of days in game had gone by the same way, he would log in, check the egg, go complete some tasks, go back to the inn and then log off; however, today was special, the egg, which normally showed no signs of hatching, had started to shake occasionally, almost as if something was trying to break through the hard outer shell. As the day progressed, the shaking had slowly become more intense, and by the time he had retired back to the inn, the egg was practically rocking back and forth. Anticipating that the egg was about to hatch, he placed it onto the soft linens covering his bed.


    (Noises) ¡°Krrruk, kruk¡±


    Visible cracks had started appearing onto the egg, slowly getting bigger as the creature inside continued to struggle to break through.


    (Noises) ¡°Crack, crack....crack.....¡±


    The egg had finally cracked open due to the relentless assault, revealing the mysterious creature inside.


    (MC) ¡°Eh?¡±

 Authors Notice: Kinda important, but not really

    Anyways, this wont be long. Ive realized that I use the MC''s name too often when I write, this is because I write, I write one sentence at a time. For example, Ill wake up and while Iam waiting for my breakfast to cook, Ill write one sentence, stop and then go eat my breakfast. Then like an hour later, when Iam sitting down in the subway, Ill write another sentence or two and eventually when I have enough, I just combine all of it together to make the chapter. Obviously this isnt always the case, cuz if it was then my chapters would take forever to come out, but you get what Iam saying. Also, I wanted my writing to be clear for everyone, make sure that the reader knows who is doing what, but in the end, it just makes the sentence sound somewhat stupid and repetitive. Fortunately Ive gone back and edited the previous chapters including the prologue, and Iam sure that you guys, as readers, noticed my overuse of the MC''s name because ironaxe had mentioned it in a comment in my first chapter. Anyways I would just like to apologize and say that Ill try harder make sure that the same issue doesnt happen again in the future chapters. Oh and hopefully the next chapter comes out by Wednesday or Thursday. I still need to finalize the pets skills/abilities and etc which takes some time, cuz its gotta make sense. Anyways, see you during the next update :) Also, if I dont use the MC''s name often enough from now on, please tell me so that I can adjust it. I am still very new to writing and am definitely willing to take advice from the readers.

 Chapter 4: Furry Ally (Unfixed Dialogue)

    Hello, your author here. Sorry for the long delay on the chapter. I was busy quite busy this week since most of my friends came back from vacation and so we decided to hang out as much as possible before uni starts (that and I played some league, it had been a while so I was kinda itching to play). Anyways Ive noticed that I got 1 rating (3.5, not bad eh?), and truth be told I dont really understand it too well. "Your series is off to a good start, but I think one of the big things you can do to improve the quality of your writing is to use quotation marks and he said/she said to make it a smoother read.Also, you should probably not just call everybody by their initials. Using full names increases reading immersion, and its only really an extra couple minutes of writing." I currently do use quotation marks so I dont understand what you mean, and the issue of saying she/he said before a conversation makes the text sound awkward if its overused (no professional piece of writing will have she said "hi" and etc), and for calling everybody by their initials, do you mean when I use (MC)? If so, its not actually supposed to be part of the story, its just there to make it more clear to the reader who is actually speaking, but even so Ive changed it to (Shar) since you are right. Anyways, it would be great if you could elaborate because I think there is a lot of things that Iam not understanding. Anyways thank you FairSky for rating, it means a lot to me since it shows that people are willing to try and help improve the story. Anyways onto the story, YAY first pet. There will definitly be more action next chapter (Hopefully), and I havent decided if he will get his second pet soon or much later, dunno yet, I guess ill figure it out as I write. Also if you see any mistakes, please tell me, its like 4am here and I have class at 8am tommorow so I didnt look over this as carefully as I normally do, plus Iam tired as a mf right now. Hopefully next chapter will be out in a couple days, I will try harder since this one was quite delayed (It is a pretty decently long chapter tho 2600 words baby). Anyways comment, rate, etc. Enjoy!


    ...................................................................................................................................................................................................


    Shar watched the little creature, around the size of a tennis ball, clamber over the remnants of its egg. Walking around curiously with slightly unstable steps, it looked around, examining the surrounding. Noticing him, the small creature came to a sudden halt and began to stare at him inquiringly. Shar simply stared back, too shocked to say or do anything, he had been expecting some sort of furred mammal or scaled reptile to hatch from the egg; however, this creature was neither of those things. Possessing short brown fur, eight legs and eight jet black eyes, the little creature highly resembled an overly large jumping spider. Although it had not been what he was expecting, looking at it a bit closer, the little creature was actually quite cute with its large beady eyes. Moving his hand towards it, the little spider moved back slightly, being cautious of the unknown being in front of it. Not moving his hand any further to show that he means no harm, Shar waited patiently for the spider to grow curious and approach him. Minutes passed and the deadlock continued, just when he was about to give up, the spider started moving towards him slowly, still being somewhat cautious. Upon reaching his hand, the spider began to probe his fingers and hand with its frontal legs. Watching the little spider, he began to pet it with his other hand, although surprised at first, the spider, realizing that there were no harmful intentions, stood still somewhat enjoying the petting.


    (???) ¡°Screeeeeeeech Sscreeeeeeechh¡±


    However, soon after, the spider began emitting a high pitched screeching noise. Assuming that the little creature was hungry, Shar pulled out a piece of dried beef jerky from his inventory and placed it in front of the creature. The little spider looked at it carefully before proceeding to probe it with its legs. Probably coming to the conclusion that the unknown object before it was edible, the little creature slowly began to eat the beef jerky; however, soon after, it began to voraciously devour the piece of meat. Finishing its meal, it looked at Shar with expectant eyes, unable to say no to the pitiful creature, he pulled out another piece of beef jerky before giving it to the spider and once again the beef jerky was devoured almost instantly. Curious to see how much more the spider could eat, he pulled out a couple more pieces of beef jerky and one by one they were eaten by the gluttonous spider. Thankfully, after the sixth piece, the spider seemed to be satisfied and began to slowly trudge up Shar¡¯s arm, although the feeling was foreign, it didn¡¯t feel bad. Continuing its climb, the spider managed to get on top of his head where it circled around a bit before settling down and going to sleep.


    <A creature has recognized you as its main caregiver and would like to be your ally; would you like to register the creature as your pet?>


    (Shar) ¡°Yes.¡±


    <Note: Players may only have up to two pets, with the exception of certain classes. In addition, once pets are slain they can be re-summoned 48 hours later. Do you wish to proceed?>


    (Shar) ¡°Yes.¡±


    <You¡¯ve gained a pet!>


    [Brown Forest Spider (F)]


    A somewhat common species of spiders found in the northern west forests of the continent. Due to its small size, the Forest Brown Spider usually only preys upon small animals like rabbits and squirrels. Creating webs using it its elastic and durable silk, the Forest Brown Spider uses these webs to entrap their prey, before wrapping them up tightly and suffocating them. After the victim has passed, the body is often carried away to another location before it is consumed.


    <What is the name of your pet?>


    (Shar) ¡°Esla¡±


    <Do you wish to confirm?>


    (Shar) ¡°Yes¡±


    Looking at the small spider resting on top of his head, he felt quite glad that he had chosen the egg. Although the Yeti¡¯s Fury was still very impressive, just watching the tiny creature sleep made him feel at ease. Even though he had not realized it, Shar had begun to miss the feeling of companionship; in fact, he had been quite lonely the months following his accident. His mother had become more distant, as if seeing him in his current condition hurt her too much, and even though he could somewhat understand her feelings, he still felt somewhat abandoned, especially considering that his father had yet to even visit him, and even then he knew that it wasn¡¯t his father¡¯s fault. After all, it was his father¡¯s money that allowed him to stay at the hospital and be taken care of. And besides Curtis, Damien did not particularly have any close friends. Yes, he had a group of individuals that he would occasionally hang out with, but to say that they were friends was kind of farfetched. It wouldn¡¯t have been an exaggeration to say that they were merely acquaintances, since he had never bothered to actually attempt to befriend them. They didn¡¯t have much in common, and he often found himself not talking to them at all, Curtis being the only reason the group stayed together. In addition, Curtis had also not come to see him again after his first visit, probably due to a mix of guilt and Damien¡¯s cold behavior. Thinking back about it now, he knew that he had royally fucked up. His friend had come to see him with good intentions, but he had pushed him away due to his anger, and although he had managed to relieve a lot of his frustrations by playing All World Online, he could not help but think how much more fun he would be having if Curtis was here, playing the game with him. Now that Damien was thought about it, Curtis was also most likely playing All World Online. Curtis had always an avid gamer, and there was no way that he would miss out on a opportunity to play a game such as All World Online. On that note, Damien promised to himself that if he ever met Curtis in game, he would do all that he could to be forgiven. Yawning, Shar finally realized how tired he was, sitting down on a rugged chair beside the bed, he sat down in a comfortable position before sleep took him.


    Waking up as the sun shone into his eyes, Shar realized that Esla had left the comfort of his head, looking around in panic; he let out a sigh of relief to see her still sleeping soundly on top of his pillow. Almost as if she knew that he was awake, Esla awoke from her slumber and began to run towards him, already bursting with energy despite recently waking up. Watching the little spider run towards him, Shar saw that her movements had already improved greatly, and looking at her a bit closer, the spider had also gained a little bit of mass. Jumping on top of his arm and then climbing up to his head, Esla reclaimed her previous spot, thankfully for him; he had managed to examine her before she left his vision.


    If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    <Esla, Lv 2 Forest Brown Spider>


    Slightly amazed that she had already leveled up despite just hatching, Shar felt a little bit envious, even with his dedication and efforts he had only just recently reached level 4. Putting his somewhat bitter feelings aside, he left the inn along with his trusty spider. However, it wasn¡¯t long before Esla began screeching, drawing a lot of attention from the villagers walking by. Not surprisingly, a lot of the villagers tried to avoid him, probably somewhat disturbed by the larger then average spider resting on top of his head, the loud high pitched screeching only making things worse. Ears aching from the loud screeching, Shar made his way towards the butcher store to find something to feed to Esla, since she had already eaten pretty much all of his beef jerky, forcing him to find something else to feed her.


    Upon arriving at the local butcher store, Shar couldn¡¯t help but notice the distinct smell of freshly slaughtered meat permeating from the store. Although a little put off from the stench, he somewhat reluctantly walked in, mostly due to Esla¡¯s screeching, which grew louder as he approached the small butchery. Entering the store, Shar spotted a short man behind the large counter, chopping up some meat into small squares. Upon noticing him, the man looked in his direction, not even somewhat fazed by the loud screeching spider placed on top of his head. Somewhat impressed, he asked:


    (Shar) ¡°I am looking for some meat, preferably on the cheaper side.¡±


    (Butcher) ¡°Is the meat for you or your little buddy?¡±


    (Shar) ¡°It¡¯s for the spider.¡±


    (Butcher) ¡°Then I would recommend some rabbit, it¡¯s pretty cheap and I am sure your pet would enjoy it as well.


    (Shar) ¡°What makes you say that?¡±


    (Butcher) ¡°Do you know nothing about the spider on top of your head? It¡¯s a Brown Forest Spider; their main diet consists of rabbits. Looking at the size, I am guessing yours just recently hatched?


    (Shar) ¡°You seem quite knowledgeable about creatures despite being a butcher in a small village.¡±


    (Butcher) ¡°Oh you know nothing about me boy; back when I was younger I was quite the adventurer. I¡¯ve traveled to places you couldn¡¯t even imagine about, slain thousands of wild monsters and explored some of the most dangerous places existing on the continent.¡±


    (Shar) ¡°What made you stop?¡±


    (Butcher) ¡°Eh, I got married. Wife was too worried that I would die in some ditch in the middle of nowhere, convinced me to stop.¡±


    (Shar) ¡°Don¡¯t you miss it though?¡±


    (Butcher) ¡°I sure do, but I¡¯ve got kids now and watching them grow up is something I wouldn¡¯t trade away for anything. Sure adventuring is exciting and all, but its time consuming and exhausting. Plus, being a butcher isn¡¯t all that bad, it pays well and it¡¯s a lot easier cutting up an already dead animal versus a live one. Anyways, do you want the rabbit meat or something else?¡±


    (Shar) ¡°I¡¯ll take the rabbit meat, how much will it be for 5 pounds?¡±


    (Butcher) ¡°That¡¯ll be 4 silver and 25 bronze coins.¡±


    (Shar) ¡°That seems fair, I¡¯ll take it.¡±


    Handing over the small sum, Shar was given a small bag containing the rabbit meat. Taking out a couple pieces and placing them on his palm, he felt Esla quickly climbing down from his head and onto his arm. Watching her devour the pieces of meat, he put the remainder in his inventory and was about to leave when he was called out.


    (Butcher) ¡°Hey boy.¡±


    (Shar) ¡°Yes?¡±


    (Butcher) ¡°Are you the foreigner that everyone is talking about? I haven¡¯t seen you around here before and we don¡¯t get too many visitors here so I am assuming I am right?¡±


    (Shar) ¡°Yeah, you¡¯re right.¡±


    (Butcher) ¡°I heard you are looking for some jobs to do.¡±


    (Shar) ¡°Yeah, why? Do you have something for me?


    (Butcher) ¡°You see 7 years ago when I was adventurer, I had been exploring the forests nearby Ferrick when I stumbled upon a den of Black Striped Salamanders. Caught off guard, I suffered heavy injuries but managed to return. However, upon returning I realized that I had lost my pocket watch, probably when I was fleeing the den. Black Striped Salamanders love to collect shiny objects so they are probably still holding onto it. Although it isn¡¯t worth much, the watch has a lot of sentimental value and I would love to get it back.¡±


    (Shar) ¡°If you value it so highly, how come you don¡¯t go get it yourself?¡±


    (Butcher) ¡°Well, after I came back I had to be placed in the hospital for several months, and there I met this beautiful woman-


    (Shar) ¡°Let me guess, that woman is now your wife.¡±


    (Butcher) ¡°You¡¯re right, but let me finish my story. Anyways, I met this woman at the hospital; in fact, she was the nurse that was in charge of taking care of me. Basically things happened, and by the time I was healthy enough to leave, she and I had already started dating and although I really wanted to go back for the watch, she was really insistent on me staying. I don¡¯t blame her though. Since she was the one taking care of me, she saw the kind of condition I was in and trust me it wasn¡¯t good, so I didn¡¯t have the courage to leave and make her worry.¡±


    <Quest: Retrieve Gared¡¯s Pocket Watch!>


    [Description]


    Retrieve Gared¡¯s pocket watch from the den of Black Striped Salamanders located north of Ferrick.


    [Rewards]


    Unknown


    (Shar) ¡°Couldn¡¯t you have gotten someone else to do it? I am pretty sure there are some individuals in the village that are more suitable for the job.¡±


    (Butcher) ¡°Hah, all the villagers aside from the guards have no fighting experience whatsoever and the guards have better things to do then go out and grab an old dusty watch.¡±


    (Shar) ¡°It¡¯s not like I am much better, I am sorry to tell you, but I don¡¯t think I can even kill a Green Slime by myself at my current level of strength.¡±


    (Butcher) ¡°I am not telling you to do it now, just whenever you can, hopefully before I pass away. You may not be that strong now, but I am sure you will get stronger, and when that time comes, I hope that you can do this task for me.¡±


    (Shar) ¡°I guess if you put it that way, I¡¯ll try my best Mr¡­..


    (Gared) ¡°Hah hah, where are my manners, I forgot to introduce myself, the name is Gared Andrews, but you can just call me Gared.


    (Shar) ¡°My name is Shar.¡±


    (Gared) ¡°Anyways, introductions aside, are you willing to do this for me? You¡¯ll be rewarded well, I guarantee it.¡±


    (Shar) ¡°Hmm, I guess I could do it.¡±


    <Quest accepted>


    Waving goodbye to Gared, Shar walked out of the butchery. Pulling out a couple more pieces of rabbit meat and then feeding it to Esla, he went about doing his daily tasks. However, halfway through, Esla had hopped off of him and wandered off somewhere. Not thinking about it too much, Shar finished his daily activities. Getting dark, he proceeded to head back to his inn, and at this point he had grown quite worried, although he was sure that she was still alive, he couldn¡¯t help but worry. Pacing back and forth in his room, wondering where she could possibly be, Shar nearly jumped when he heard the familiar screeching noise.


    (Esla) ¡°Screech screech.¡±


    Running towards the door, Shar opened the door and what he saw made him chuckle slightly. In front of him was Esla; however, she didn¡¯t come back empty handed. In fact, she had dragged three sacs of silk back to the inn with her. Grabbing one of the sacs and attempting to rip  open, he found that he couldnt, instead he just chose to unravel it open. Looking inside, he saw what appeared to be a small dead rabbit. Opening the rest of the sacs, two more rabbit corpses were found. Not knowing what to do, he simply just gave them back to Esla, who quickly made a small snack out of them. However, what impressed him the most were not the dead rabbits, but the fact that she had managed to get to level 3, which gave him an idea. Making sure that Esla was asleep, Shar logged out, desperate to get a good night¡¯s rest especially since he would be very busy tomorrow.

 Chapter 5: Preperation (Unfixed Dialogue)

    Sorry this chapter took so long, I actually had it almost done like 2 days ago but my laptop crashed midway and when I had recovered the word doc, it only had like 200 words saved.....anyways, thats why It took so long. Getting to the actual chapter, nothing interesting really happens but it was necessary for the future, if i bother to actually write out an interaction between Shar and another character, then that probably means that the character will be reintroduced, kind of how like Mr. Warner is seen again this chapter. Anyways thankfully its pretty short, I dont want to bore you guys too much. Next chapter should be more action packed since the MC will actually do stuff besides walking and buying stuff. On another note, Ive got a second rating, yay. And in response to that rating, I hope my story does pick things up a bit from now on, but I cant promise anything. Its hard to read through a lot of the boring stuff but it does help develop the plot. I know some people have been complaining that Insania or AOH had chapters where the MC doesnt really do anything, but I feel like those chapters are necessary because they help develop characters within the story. Even really good light novels like Ark start of pretty slow. I remember when I first started reading it and for like 5 chapters, all Ark did was kill rats or something, it was boring, but it kind of showed the kind of character Ark was, a character that doesnt give up and perseveres through every obstacle, but thats just my opinion. I hope you enjoy the chapter, or atleast try to. Hopefully, Ill get the next chapter out in a couple days, it should be easier for me to write since I already have most of it planned out, unlike this one. This chapter was kind of a last minute decision that I made. Anyways, once again, enjoy.


    ...................................................................................................................................................................................................................


    Waking up from his slumber, Damien spoke into the small device placed beside his pillow, asking for some assistance. A minute later, a nurse opened the door and walked inside his room.


    (Nurse) ¡°What can I do for you Mr. Close?¡±


    (Damien) ¡°Nancy, you¡¯ve taking care of me since the first day I came here, how many times do I have to tell you? Just call me Damien.¡±


    (Nancy) ¡°I am just being professional Mr. Close.¡±


    (Damien) ¡°Please¡­..just stop it.¡±


    (Nancy) ¡°Fine, what do you need Damien?¡±


    (Damien) ¡°Mind putting me into the pod?¡±


    (Nancy) ¡°You should have told me earlier, I am going to need someone to help me for that. I¡¯ll be back in one minute.¡±


    Watching Nancy leave, Damien couldn¡¯t help but think how glad he was to have her as his main nurse. Although professional, she often tried to cheer him up and was one of the few individuals that he actually enjoyed talking to. Unlike a lot of the other nurses in the hospital, Nancy genuinely appeared to care about what he had to say, often asking questions or putting in her own input about the particular topic. While thinking about this, Nancy had come back, along with another nurse, and together they gently lifted him and placed him into the pod. Briefly thanking the ladies for their help, Damien proceeded to log into All World Online.


    Logging in, Shar found himself standing in the middle of his room, looking around he could see Esla comfortably sleeping on top of a pillow. Not wanting to wake her up, he quietly attempted to leave the room. However, as he was in the process of opening the door, he heard the rustling of sheets and the sound of rapid pitter patters. Looking back, he could see her running towards him, clearly not wanting to be left behind. Allowing her to climb on top of his head, Shar made his way towards his first destination: Ashley¡¯s Apothecary. Walking there, he pulled out a couple pieces of rabbit meat, feeding them to Esla. Thankfully for him, she was a relatively clean eater and would try her best not to make a mess on top of his head. Although he didn¡¯t mind it that much, he preferred to not have small bits of rabbit meat stuck to his hair.


    Arriving at his destination, Shar opened the door leading into the small store. Casually walking inside, he saw numerous stands placed throughout the store, and on top of them were an array of bottles, each filled with liquids of various colors. Picking up a small red potion, he examined it:


    <Lesser Healing Potion>


    [Description]


    A less healing potion, made primarily out of Abascal leaves and other various ingredients; it possesses minor healing capabilities when consumed.


    [Effects]


    Restores 50 health


    (???) ¡°Hey! What are you doing?!¡±


    Surprised by the sudden outburst, he jumped slightly, almost dropping the glass bottle.


    (???) ¡°Ah! Watch out, that thing is fragile!¡±


    Looking back, he could see a young woman running towards him. Snatching the potion out of his hands, the young lady proceeded to gently place the bottle back on top of the stand before turning back to yell at him:


    (???) ¡°Didn¡¯t you read the sign?!¡±


    (Shar) ¡°What sign?¡±


    Clearly somewhat upset, she pointed to a sign hung near by the entrance of the store, which read:


    (Shar) ¡°Ah, I didn¡¯t see that there.¡±


    (Ashley) ¡°Sigh¡­Anyways; I am Ashley, the owner of this store. So tell me, what do you need? I am hoping you didn¡¯t come here to just cause trouble; because trust me, I can get pretty violent.¡±


    Looking at her up close, he could see that she was in fact very attractive; although somewhat short, she possessed bright red hair, dark green eyes, a petite face and a body possessing curves in all the right places, making her quite the sight to behold.


    (Ashley) ¡°Hey! Are you listening to me? Don¡¯t make me get violent.¡±


    Although¡­.her personality needed some work.


    (Shar) ¡°I¡¯ve come to make you a deal.¡±


    (Ashley) ¡°What kind of deal?¡±


    Pulling out all of the Abascal leaves that he had collected on his first day, Shar offered:


    (Shar) ¡°I would like trade these for some Lesser Healing Potions.¡±


    Clearly somewhat surprised by the sheer number of leaves, Ashley questioned him:


    (Ashley) ¡°How did you manage to get all those leave? I don¡¯t want to involve myself in anything illegal.¡±


    (Shar) ¡°I collected them myself.¡±


    Looking at him from head to toe and clearly not impressed, Ashley simply said:


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    (Ashley) ¡°You don¡¯t appear to be that strong. It¡¯s kind of hard to believe that you managed to collect all of this without getting yourself killed.¡±


    (Shar) ¡°Well I almost died during the process, but that¡¯s not important right now. All you have to know is that these were acquired legally, do you want them or not.¡±


    (Ashley) ¡°Fine, it appears that you have exactly 30 leaves, I am willing to give you 6 Lesser Healing Potions in exchange for all of the leaves.¡±


    (Shar) ¡°Hmm, that seems fair enough. I accept.¡±


    (Ashley) ¡°Okay, wait here for a moment; I am going to grab the potions.¡±


    Returning with a small bag in hand, Ashley handed the bag over to Shar. Opening the bag, he saw 6 Lesser Healing Potions. Putting the potions into his inventory, he prepared to leave, calling out for Esla, who had left her usual spot in order to explore the small store.


    (Shar) ¡°Esla come on, were leaving.¡±


    Upon hearing her name, Esla popped out from underneath one of the stands, making her way over to Shar. However, as soon as she came into her vision, Ashley¡¯s face became pale white. Frightened by Esla¡¯s sudden appearance, Ashley grabbed onto Shar, clearly intending to use him as a makeshift shield. Clearly not understanding the situation, Esla started running towards the pair even faster, somewhat jealous that another being was clinging on to Shar. This only caused Ashley to hug him even tighter, and although he didn¡¯t really mind having a beautiful girl hug him, Ashley possessed a tremendous amount of strength, something not normally found in people of her stature. Not wanting to be crushed to death, he called out to Esla:


    (Shar) ¡°Elsa, stop!¡±


    Immediately stopping in her tracks, Esla, still not being able to comprehend the situation, looked at him with her sad little eyes, clearly feeling somewhat betrayed by the fact that he had allowed Ashley to cling onto him and not her. Sighing, he gently patted Ashley¡¯s head, trying to get her to calm down. Shortly after regaining her composure, Ashley pushed herself away him, blushing slightly due to embarrassment.


    (Ashley) ¡°Sorry about that, I am quite scared of spiders.¡±


    (Shar) ¡°No problem, I should have told you about Esla beforehand. Esla, come here.¡±


    Almost jumping onto him, Esla climbed up his body, positioning herself in her usual spot. After making herself comfortable, Esla glared at Ashley, making the situation quite tense. Although still somewhat nervous of the large spider, Ashley managed to maintain her composure and said:


    (Ashley) ¡°If you manage to collect more leaves, feel free to come back.¡±


    (Shar) ¡°I¡¯ll be sure to do that.¡±


    Waving farewell, he exited Ashley¡¯s Apothecary, making his way towards Mr. Warner¡¯s store: Market Choice. Thankfully for him, the village was quite small, making it easy for him to get from one store to another. Having arrived at Market Choice, he walked in, greeting Mr. Warner.


    (Shar) ¡°Hello Mr. Warner.¡±


    (Mr. Warner) ¡°Ah Shar, what brings you here?


    (Shar) ¡°Just here to buy a couple items.¡±


    Gesturing towards Esla, Mr. Warner pointed out:


    (Mr. Warner) ¡°And I see that you¡¯re not here alone today.¡±


    (Shar) ¡°Ah, I forgot to introduce you two. Mr. Warner, this is Esla, a Brown Forest Spider, and Esla, this is Mr. Warner, a stingy old man.¡±


    (Esla) ¡°Screeeech¡±


    (Mr. Warner) ¡°Hahaha, I see you two are already quite close. Well continuing on, you said you were looking for a couple things?¡±


    (Shar) ¡°Yeah, I am just looking for some herbs, spices and various cooking utensils.¡±


    Pointing to 2 areas in his store, Mr. Warner directed him to where the items could be found.


    (Mr. Warner) ¡°Ah, the herbs and spices can be found over there, and all our cooking utensils should be over there.¡±


    Gathering all of the items that he needed, Shar made his way back to Mr. Warner who calculated the total price of all the goods. Handing over the money, Shar asked:


    (Shar) ¡°Mr. Warner, are the items stored in your warehouse still up for sale?¡±


    (Mr. Warner) ¡°Of course they are. Why do you ask? Are you still interested in that sword that you were looking at last time? It¡¯s unfortunate, but I don¡¯t think you can currently afford it without the discount.¡±


    (Shar) ¡°Actually, I had another item in mind.¡±


    (Mr. Warner) ¡°Oh really? Then let¡¯s go and see if we can make a deal.¡±


    Arriving at the warehouse, Shar made his way to one of the shelves. Looking around, he found what he was looking for, a short iron sword. Although it looked quite ordinary, looking at it closely, the sword appeared to be well made, his examination only proving his speculations.


    <Short Iron Sword>


    Tier: Common


    Lvl Requirement: 4


    1 Handed Sword


    [Stats]


    Attack: 20-23


    Durability: 17/20


    ¡°Although made out of simple iron, this Short Iron Sword possesses incredible durability thanks to the time and effort put into crafting this sword.¡±


    Showing the sword to Mr. Warner:


    (Shar) ¡°This is the sword that I was looking for.¡±


    Although Shar was still interested in Yeti¡¯s Fury, he knew that with his current amount of wealth, it was not something he could afford. So instead, he decided to purchase something that was within his price range, and although the Short Iron Sword wasn¡¯t as great as Yeti¡¯s Fury, it had a lower level requirement, meaning that he could wield it immediately. Handing over the sword over, Mr. Warner looked at it inquiringly, trying to determine a fair price. Handing the item back to Shar, Mr. Warner said:


    (Mr. Warner) ¡°It¡¯s a decent sword but since there¡¯s no one else the village that would buy it, I¡¯ll sell it to you for a good price, 20 silvers.¡±


    (Shar) ¡°How generous of you, I¡¯ll take it.¡±


    Handing over the 20 silvers, Shar felt quite relieved. In fact, his money had been running quite low ever since he purchased Esla. She was quite gluttonous and had to be fed several times a day; in addition, he didn¡¯t feel safe leaving her behind when he logged out, so he had decided to pay for lodging at a small inn, which had cost him a decent sum of money. Currently, he only possessed a measly 15 silvers and 15 bronze coins. However, if everything went according to his plan, he would soon make a decent amount of cash. Thanking Mr. Warner for his generosity, Shar bid him farewell. Wielding his Short Iron Sword in one hand, and the Shoddy Dagger in the other, he made his way towards the village entrance, ready to execute his plan.

 Poll: Eslas future development

So, I want to know what kind of fighter you guys want Esla to become in the future. It wont necessarily mean that she will become the type that people vote the most, but it will definitly affect the decision and be taken into consideration.

 Chapter 6: Venturing Forward (Unfixed Dialogue)

    Hello your author here, its been a while since Ive updated and Iam sorry about that. I had this chapter mostly written out but couldnt get my self to get the last bit finished. Ive also been pretty occupied with a couple things happening in my life, nothing serious, just time consuming. I also began to question my writing, and doing a bit more research Ive come to realize that my writing (especially the dialogue) is very subpar, so Ive been contemplating on going back to my previous chapters and editing them, and I probabaly will after I upload this chapter. I have also started to play more League since the season is about to end and Ive made it my goal to get to diamond this season, Ive also managed to fix my internet which also allows me to play League more frequently. However, I felt like I was holding this chapter for too long and decided to finish it despite having plans with my friends (Ill just be like 2 hours late). Anyways this chapter is slightly more interesting as the MC actually does things, gets stronger. Also the MC is kinda ordinary now but youll see more of his character flaws later on in the story as certain situations come and he has to make more decisions. I guess you kind of see a bit of his personality this chapter, but I wouldnt say you see it that much.  I also saw all the comments on my poll, and the issue with having any pet that has humanoid features is that beastmen will be a race that comes up in the story, and I wouldnt want the MC having a pet that is very similar to a race available to players. And no this is not a monster pet harem story, so dont expect Esla to suddenly become human like and fall in love with Shar, imagine the relationship that Aura has with Wargon in Insania. Aura still shows signs of jealousy despite staying as a pet. Its more a parental jealousy, kind of how like children dont like it if their parents dont give them enough attention. Anyways, I hope the second pet will get introduced soon, I havent made up my mind whether I should put a certain pet in or not, but Ill probably make up my mind soon enough. I hope you enjoy the chapter. Also how do some authors get so many readers? My number of followers and viewers go up a bit every time I update but its still quite a slow progress, and very far from getting into fiction of the week or anything like that. Do I have to update more often?  Get more ratings? I dont know, so if you do know, comment below, I would really like to know.


    ..............................................................................................................................................................................................................................


    Shar sprinted through the forest. Looking back and seeing that his pursuer was still in hot pursuit, he picked up speed, determined to make it to his destination.


    (Esla) ¡°Screech!¡±


    Making a sharp right turn, he saw a green blur whizz past him, right at the spot that he had been standing in just a moment before. Briefly thanking Esla for the warning, he on kept on running. Dodging a few more close attacks, mostly due to Esla¡¯s warnings, Shar saw his goal a couple meters away, two small maple trees standing approximately 1 meter apart from each other. Although the path between the two trees appeared to be clear, it was not. Being almost invisible to the naked eye, unless one looked carefully, they would not be able see the glitter of fine silk that made up the web.


    Running even faster, he dived towards the ground, rolling underneath the web. Getting back up and turning to face his pursuer, he could see the vague outline of a small green blob shooting towards him. Not even bothering to dodge, he watched as the Green Slime traveled through the air towards him, only to come to a halt as soon as it came into contact with the web.


    Suspended above the ground by the web, the Green Slime struggled to free itself from whatever was holding it back. Not allowing this opportunity to pass, Shar rushed forward, weapons in hand. He swung wildly and vigorously, focused on getting in as much damage as possible. With each slice of his sword and dagger, the slime¡¯s health dropped, although the damage was miniscule, the sheer number of attacks made up for it, quickly depleting it of its health. However, the Green Slime did not give up, and as it continued to struggle, determined to break free of its entrapment, slowly but surely the strings holding up the slime began to tear and rip due to the raw force put against them. Realizing that the web would not hold for much longer, Shar jumped backed, putting some distance between him and the slime.


    Shortly after, with a quiet ¡°thump¡±, the slime fell back onto the forest floor. The two, Shar and the Green Slime, stood still, trying to figure out each other¡¯s next movement. Although the slime, under normal circumstances, would have no trouble beating Shar, it had to be wary; the web had accomplished it purpose, allowing Shar to get in numerous free hits onto the Green Slime, reducing its health to critical levels.


    Jumping forward, the slime shot itself towards him, trying to catch him off guard; however, instead of dodging the attack, he stood there using both of his arms to take the brunt force of the impact. Although he took significant damage from the attack, the block had disoriented the slime briefly. Putting all of his weight behind it, Shar kicked the slime, much like how a person would kick a soccer ball. Despite the kick doing close to no damage due to the slimes natural resistance against blunt attacks, it had managed to launch the slime right into a tree, stunning it. Running forward, he slashed down on the confused creature with his Short Iron Sword, ending its life. Walking to where the Green Slime had perished, he noticed that it had left something behind, a small green orb.


    <Your level has risen!>


    Assigning all of his newly gained stat points into strength for maximum damage output, he picked up the odd item, examining it:


    <Cracked Green Slime Core>


    Tier: Common


    [Description]


    A Cracked Green Slime Core, it once used hold together the body a Green Slime, allowing it maintain its physical shape; however, due to excessive damage, it is now broken. Although cracked, the core can still be used to produce various potions.


    Putting the broken core into his inventory, Shar sat down, tending to his wounds. Thankfully for him the slime that he had found was only level 7, making the fight relatively effortless, thanks to Elsa¡¯s web. Considering that he had only been level 4, if the slime had been slightly higher level, the outcome of the battle may not have been in his favor. Nevertheless, the only thing that mattered was that he had won, his plan proving to be effective. In fact, he had come up with the idea of using Esla¡¯s web just yesterday when she dragged in the three rabbits. At first, he had doubted the strength of her silk, but when he had attempted to tear it apart, he found that he couldn¡¯t. Although Esla could not hunt Green Slimes singlehandedly, it was a different story if Shar was there to help.


    Earlier today, he and Esla had entered the forest. Getting her to setup webs in key locations, he went out in search of slimes. Locating a relatively weak one, he allowed it to chase him, baiting it into the webs. This allowed him to fight the slime while its movements were severely restricted, making the fight rather easy. Although the plan was simple, it had proved to be effective, enabling Shar to defeat a much stronger opponent.


    Getting Esla to re-setup the web, he headed out, looking for more Green Slimes. Avoiding the higher leveled ones, he sneaked through the forest, looking for one that was relatively weak. Finding another level 7 Green Slime, he casually walked out, grabbing its attention. Immediately running away, the Green Slime followed in hot pursuit. Once again ducking underneath a web, he watched again as the Green Slime flew into the web, only to be stuck there. Swinging ferociously at the Green Slime, he watched its health decline at a moderate pace. With one last swing, he finished off the Green Slime, not even giving the poor creature the opportunity to fight back. Making sure to pick up and store the broken core, he once again left in search of Green Slimes.


    After repeating this procedure numerous times, Shar sat down and downed one of the Lesser Healing Potions that he had acquired. Although the damage that he received was minimal, it had slowly piled up, leaving him with only 1/4 of his health left. Even though he was relatively safe in the small area that Esla had setup, it never hurt to be cautious. Taking this time to feed Esla, he pulled out a couple pieces of rabbit meat, feeding them to her. Watching her devour the rabbit meat, he noticed that she had grown in size considerably, almost now the size of a small dog. He had also noticed that her webs had gotten tougher, making it nearly impossible for weaker slimes to break free. However, this was to be expected, just like him, Esla also gained experience for every kill, leveling up numerous times. In fact, it appeared that she had a faster growth rate, already out leveling him. With their last kill, he had managed to reach level 8, while Esla was already nearing level 10.


    Now easily capable of defeating lower level slimes, they focused their efforts onto hunting the higher leveled ones which proved to be quite easy due to their setup. Because Shar had put all of his stats into agility and strength, he was capable of dealing tremendous amount, often allowing him to kill their foe before they could break free of Esla¡¯s web. Although this meant that he was quite fragile, it allowed them to hunt very efficiently due to their plan.


    Coming to the conclusion that they could hunt stronger prey, they traveled north, venturing deeper into the forest. Seeing that the sun was going down, Shar signaled for a stop. Looking around in their vicinity, they found a small dugout in the side of a rugged mountain. Setting up webs near the entrance of the small cave, he walked in warily, ready to retreat back if necessary. Thankfully, the cave seemed to have been abandoned, devoid of any signs that a creature was living here. Making a small fire by the entrance of the cave, Shar took out the remaining pieces of rabbit meat from his inventory. Piercing them with makeshift skewers, he seasoned them with various spices before placing them over the fire onto a grill that he propped up using a couple large stones. Rotating the skewers around so that the meat would cook evenly, he checked up on Esla¡¯s progress. He had given her the task of creating a large web in front of the dugout, in order to help defend against any predators that may attack them during the night. Seeing that she was done, he called her over since the meat was just about to be ready.


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    Eating their meals, Shar thought about what he wanted to accomplish in All World Online. He had always been competitive ever since he was a child, wanting to be the best whenever possible. It had also been the reason why he excelled in multiple sports and in his studies. Although he could be considered talented by those around him, it was mostly due to the tremendous amount of effort and dedication he put in. However, even this came with consequences.


    Many of his peers would often complain and try to undermine his hard work by saying that it was due to his talent, not effort. This was simply because they did not want to appear lazy, what excuse could they have, if they did not blame the lack of talent that they possessed; however, what they failed to realize was that it was because of this mentality that they did not do well. If Shar was going to do something, he would put always put in 100% and if he was going to spend a good portion of his time playing this game, he should at least be good at it.


    In fact, for him, All World Online was no longer a simple game, it had become his life. He could not imagine living the rest of his life confined to a bed; he would prefer to not live at all if that was the case. Thinking back, he wondered why he had even questioned himself, there was no doubt in his mind that he would put his all into the being the greatest player in All World Online. Although most people assumed that being the highest level made you the strongest player, Shar knew better. In the end, he was only one person, and no matter his strength, there were things that he could not accomplish alone. He would eventually have become strong enough to gain powerful followers and allies.


    Now that he was more aware of his goals, he realized how far away they were. No matter how realistic All World Online was, in the end it was a game. This meant that levels still had a huge impact on determining the player¡¯s level of strength. No matter how skilled an individual was, it would be impossible for a level 10 player to beat a level 50 opponent in a fair duel. This was huge problem for Shar; in terms of level he was still quite weak. Many of the other players who started in main cities, where weaker monsters were abundant, would have had an easier time leveling up compared to him; however, he did have an advantage that many did not. Due to the condition of his body, he was unable to do a lot of activities, meaning that he could devote a lot more time into playing All World Online compared to the average player.


    In the end, he decided not to worry too much about it right now, in time he would figure things out. Finishing his meal, he looked at Esla, who had already long finished eating her¡¯s and was now lying comfortably on the ground near the fire. Sighing, he picked her up lightly and took her inside the safety of their den. Checking to see that she was still asleep, Shar found a comfortable spot alongside one of the walls. Lying down, he made himself comfortable, closing his eyes before falling asleep.


    (Esla) ¡°Screech!¡±


    Waking up in a sudden jolt due to the loud screech, Shar saw that Esla was standing before him, her hairs standing up to show aggression. Looking past her he could see the vague outline of an animal standing in front of her.


    (???) ¡°Grrrrr.¡±


    Seeing that the creature was hostile, he pulled out his weapons from their sheaths, ready to attack whenever possible. Over time his eyes had slowly began adjusting to the darkness of the den, allowing him to get a better look at their intruder. Around 80 centimeters long, the wolf looked quite intimidating with its long canines that glistened slightly in the dark due to the moonlight, but what caught his attention were the long claws that were attached to the wolf¡¯s 2 front feet. Easily at least 3 inches long, the claws looked like it could easily disembowel a human being, easily capable of ripping and tearing vital organs. However, looking at it closer, the wolf looked quite skinny and had various wounds all over it body, although none of them seemed to be life threatening, one could see from the sheer number of cuts that the damage was significant. Looking into the wolves eyes, he could see that they were bloodshot red almost as if the creature had succumbed to madness. Taking this moment to examine the creature, he swore silently, slight agitated at the information presented before him:


    <Long Clawed Wolf, Lev 17>


    A species of wolves found in the northern part of the continent. Although normally found habiting forests, these wolves can survive in almost any environment. Their claws are multipurpose tools and are mainly used to rip and tear into their foe; however, the wolves also use their claws to scale mountains and climb trees to look for prey. In addition, although they are quite strong individually, their real strength lies in their teamwork and communication, often hunting in packs of 5-8 in order to take down larger prey.


    Although he had Esla¡¯s assistance, her combat ability was still quite low despite her level and although her webs could be of great help when used strategically, it looked like the wolf was capable of detecting them, most likely due to it having keener senses. Cautioning Esla to stand back, Shar maintained his offensive stance, waiting for an opportunity to charge in. Although the level difference was quite large, he was confident that he would be able to deal a significant amount of damage to the wolf if an attack were to connect; in addition, his foe was not in the best of conditions, meaning that a single well aimed strike could prove to be fatal. However, although Shar boasted immense damage capabilities, it also meant that his base health was quite low, meaning that he was also unable to take a lot of hits himself.


    Realizing that Shar was looking for an opportunity to strike, Esla jumped to the left, shooting a shot of web at the wolf. Realizing that it was in danger, the wolf immediately jumped back, dodging the web. However, Shar did not let this opportunity pass, rushing forward with his weapons out, he slashed at where the wolf had landed. Due to the small size of the den, there was no space for the wolf to move left or right, its only option being to dodge backwards, where it would be cornered against the web. Realizing this, he readied the dagger in his left hand, prepared to follow up just in case the wolf managed to avoid his first strike; however, instead of jumping back, the wolf dashed forward before jumping onto the wall. Using its long claws, it clung onto the rocky surface, before launching itself at him. Suddenly hit from behind, Shar fell forward. Seeing that his opponent was vulnerable, the wolf dug his claws into Shar¡¯s back, holding him down. Realizing that he had made a grave mistake, Shar readied himself, prepared to accept the consequences of his mistake; however, all he heard was the loud howling of agony.


    Feeling the claws dislodge from his back, he stood back up, ready to resume fighting. He could see Esla mounted on top of the wolf¡¯s head, jabbing at the wolf¡¯s eyes with her 2 front legs, causing it great pain. Although, Esla had weak offensive power, she had managed to deal significant damage by targeting the enemy¡¯s weak point. However, this did not last long; by thrashing around, the wolf had managed to remove Esla off of its head. Slightly disoriented from being thrown off, Esla did not have a chance to dodge the wolf¡¯s following attack. Taking a clean hit on the right side of her cephalothorax, Esla was flung to the left, hitting the wall before passing out. Angered by the fact that Esla had gotten hurt, Shar jumped onto the back of the wolf. Putting his right arm around the wolf¡¯s neck, he managed prevent being thrown off. Gripping the dagger tightly in his left land, he stabbed into the wolf¡¯s neck, cutting vital arteries. Although the wolf continued to struggle, Shar simply tightened his right arm around the wolf¡¯s neck, causing the dagger to dig in further. Unable to even yelp, the wolf simply collapsed to the floor, its body no longer able to hold up its weight.


    Eventually turning into a couple particles of light and fading away, Shar rushed over to check up on Esla, letting out a sigh of relief. Thankfully, Esla¡¯s carapace was quite tough, leaving her with only a couple shallow cuts, in fact, looking at her status, he saw that she had finally reached level 10, while he himself had become level 9. Double checking to make sure he didn¡¯t miss any injuries, he placed a small blanket on top of Esla to keep her warm while she was unconscious, and proceeded to distribute his stats. Seeing that he had lost 2/5s of his health from a single attack, he decided to invest all of his 5 points into vitality. Walking back to pick up the loot that the wolf had dropped, all he saw was a tattered wolf pelt and couple long claws; putting the items into his inventory, Shar nearly passed out from exhaustion, quickly falling back asleep.

 Poll: What type of mount?

    Hello there readers, I come to present you with another poll. This will most likely be the last one for awhile. What type of creature would you like Shars mount to be? Also if a really good idea is posted for other, I may put up a new poll including the new creature. Also new chapter should be out soon maybe either tomorrow or the day after.

 Chapter 7: Progress

    Hello there, I know I said that the next chapter would have been up a couple days after the poll but I happened to find the translated versions of Re:Monster all the way to day 300 something which took up a lot of my time since I was reading it almost none stop. I also have a lot of midterms and assignments coming up since I am a university student  and working on those also took up a lot of my time. Just letting you know that if updates are slow from Oct 20 to like Nov 5, it most likely because I am studying for midterms or working on assignments. No need to fret, I have no intention of dropping this fanfic, and If I do, I will let you guys clearly know, but I assure you, as of right now, I have no intention of dropping this fanfic. Also if you have any questions that you really want answered or suggestions that you really want to give me, send me a message to my inbox, I ve noticed that it notifies my email, which I check regularly, this means that if you do send a message, I will most likely, like 99.99% see it, unless maybe in the future where readers are sending me dozens of them then maybe not, but currently its only like 1-2 so its not an issue. ALSO, theres only 1 line of dialogue in this chapter but you will have noticed that it no longer has (Shar) or (Esla) in front of it and that is because I want to try to get away from that. Ive also taken some advice and put in like "Hi there" said John <- example.  ALSO (PART 2, SLIGHT RANT) Do you guys really want a wolf as a mount? I thought the readers would want something more unique but I guess the readers get what they want. Unless I somehow really really dont want a wolf, but I dont really mind it so expect it to come up at some point in the future. Next in line, Id like to give out some shout outs to a couple of the readers who has given me some good critique and that being rosidbeken2  and TheWalkingOrange. So to explain some of the choices Ive made. 1. Why are there only 2 significant characters so far? A: Well hes probabaly not gonna be in Ferrick too long so no point in going into too much detail about any of them since they probabaly wont appear more then 3 times in the story.


    2. Why hasnt the MC died yet? A: Well, beginning of games are usually pretty easy and most of the chapters hes been stuck inside the village so I guess I there really hasnt been a opportunity to do so? 3. Will you add my suggestions into the story? A: Possibly, but maybe not. It depends on whether it fits into the story and whether it will create plot holes or not, also I cant really have the MC have like 1000 pets so unfortunatly I cant add in everything. I will try tho. Okay I think thats it for now. Enjoy OH WAIT @TheWalkingOrange, How do I give you a cookie? Does cookie stand for something? Iam relatively new to these forums and forums in general so I have no clue what to do. Am I just supposed to be like. Here you go, a cookie for you :). ''Passes cookie over to TheWalkingOrange'' WHAT DOES THIS MEAN???


    ........................................................................................................................................................................................................................


    Shar woke up from his sleep still feeling relatively tired, last night events had exhausted him greatly and he could still feel the fatigue wearing down his body. Seeing that a dim light filled the small den, he noticed that it was still fairly early in the morning. Not wanting to waste any time, he quickly got up, ready to prepare some breakfast. Realizing that he had run out ingredients, he walked over to where Esla had fallen asleep, the small blanket still placed on top of her.


    ¡°Esla come, wake up. I need you to catch some rabbits for today¡¯s breakfast.¡± Shar moaned tiredly, attempting to wake her up; however, his efforts seemed to be wasted as she simply did not reply. He felt quite worried since Esla often woke up early and was normally quite energetic in the morning; it was unusual for her to be so unresponsive.


    Thinking that maybe he had missed an injury when he had examined her yesterday or that she had contracted some sort of illness, Shar pulled off the blanket in an attempt to get a closer look. However, what he saw shocked him. All he saw was a shriveled mass of what appeared to be her corpse. Although he knew that Esla was a computer generated entity and would revive in time, he could not help but feel regretful. Ever since the accident, Damien had grown reluctant to develop close relations with other individuals, and although he was quite friendly with Dr Adel and a couple of the nurses, he realized that they were simply fulfilling their duties.


    In fact, although he often tried to maintain a positive outlook and a friendly attitude, deep inside he was still quite lonely; however, Esla¡¯s appearance had changed all of that. For the first time in a while, he felt as if he was close to someone. Not only did she support him in battles, she also supported him mentally, allowing Shar to slowly recover from his fears and the fact that he had allowed her to die made him filled with regret. Wanting to give her body a proper burial, Shar picked up what remained of her body as he made his way outside. However, as he headed towards the exit, he heard a familiar screech followed by the sound of rapid pitter patters. Running outside, he couldn¡¯t believe what he saw; there she was perfectly healthy and alive. Rushing over, Shar hugged her, astonished by the fact that she was okay.


    Esla, on the other hand, simply stood there, confused but otherwise enjoying the hug. Releasing her, he saw that she was dragging numerous bundles of silk behind her, most likely a couple rabbits that she had managed to hunt this morning, he also noticed that she had grown a lot darker and faint red stripes could be seen running along her back, but what he noticed the most were the two sharp retractable knife like claws that protruded from her two foremost legs. Confused as to what had happened, Shar examined her:


    <Esla, Lv 10 Dark Hooded Spider>


    Looking at the information before him, he finally put all the pieces together. Looking closely at the shriveled mass that he had mistook as Esla body, he realized that it was merely her old exoskeleton. He should have realized earlier when he had picked it up, for it was too light for what he thought it was, but his thoughts had been clouded at the time, which led to the misunderstanding. What likely happened was that Esla had evolved at some point in the night while Shar was asleep, explaining why he wasn¡¯t notified of the change.


    Simply glad that nothing happened to her, he unraveled the small bundles of silk. Grabbing the rabbits and skinning them, he went ahead and proceeded to gut them before seasoning them lightly. Restarting up the fire using the flint he had purchased previously, Shar gave the grill a moment to heat up, before placing the rabbit meat onto the grill. While he was waiting for his meal to cook Esla was already in the process of eating her meal since she preferred her meat raw. Seeing that his meal was ready he dug in, quite hungry due to yesterday¡¯s battle. Feeling satisfied after finishing his meal, he motioned for Esla to come. Getting up, she prepared to climb down from the sturdy branch that she was resting on. Knowing that she was quite quick on her feet, Shar went ahead, heading even further north.


    However, taking a couple steps outside of the clearing he immediately stopped in his tracks. Before him was a relatively large Green Slime, and although it stood still, Shar knew that the slime would most likely not allow him to leave without a fight. Pulling out his weapons, he judged that by the size of the slime, it was most likely level 9 or 10; however, he wasn¡¯t worried, he himself was level 9 and was confident that he could win in a duel, but what he wasn¡¯t prepared for was the second Green Slime that hopped out of the bush to his right. Looking at the two Green Slimes, Shar felt his confidence waver but was unwilling to give up, quickly rushing forward, he managed to catch one of the slimes off guard, getting in a powerful vertical slash, wounding one of the slimes. However, Shar had put too much strength into his swing, leaving his sides vulnerable. Immediately after, he felt a powerful blow to left side, throwing him to the ground.


    Struggling to catch his breath, he could see that the damaged slime had already recovered and was readying itself to attack while the second slime was already heading his way. Raising his sword up, Shar managed to block the first attack, but knew that he would unable to block the second one undoubtedly coming his way. Preparing himself for the inevitable, he saw a dull blur in the corner of his eye rushing towards the wounded the slime. Getting into close range of the slime, the blur suddenly disappeared and in its place was Esla, who had her claws placed over the slime, ready to stab downwards.  Esla proceeded to stab viciously, ripping out small chunks of the slime with every jab, although the slime struggled furiously, she held on, using her 6 other legs to tightly grip onto the slime. Slightly distracted due to Esla¡¯s sudden appearance, Shar barely had enough time to block an incoming attack.


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    Seeing that Esla was doing a good job of keeping one of the slimes occupied, he charged forward, determined to do his part. Although he attacked rigorously, the slime weaved left and right making use of its gelatinous body, dodging most of his attacks. Despite the fact that he was unable to get a clean hit in, the slime was not without damage, upon it¡¯s body were numerous small cuts, showing the intensity of Shar¡¯s attack. Unfortunately, due to his reckless attacks, Shar had depleted the majority of his stamina, forcing him to take on a defensive stance. Launching itself towards Shar, the slime aimed for his opponent¡¯s right arm, for it knew that if it managed to disarm Shar, it would most likely be victorious. However, the slime intentions were too clear. Pulling his sword back, Shar swung fully, right into the trajectory of the incoming slime. Unable to stop or change its direction midair, the slime could only watch helplessly at the sword coming its way. Coming into contact with the sword, the slime¡¯s tough membrane attempted to resist against the incoming slash only to be cut through almost instantaneously. Due to the slime¡¯s momentum and Shar¡¯s swing, the sword easily passed through the rest of the slime, only to be stopped by the solid core residing within its body; however, the impact had destroyed the fragile core, reducing it to numerous small fragments. No longer able to hold to its physical shape, the slime dissolved into a slimy residue before fading away.


    Turning to see how Esla was doing, he saw that she had already disposed of her target, as she held a small green core in her mouth, holding onto it proudly as if it was a trophy. Going back to where his slime had died, Shar was slightly disappointed to see that he had damaged the core too much, making it practically useless. Not even bothering to pick up the small remnants, Shar decided to take a closer look at Esla¡¯s status, interested by the skills that she displayed.


    (Shar) ¡°Pet Status: Esla¡±


    <Esla¡¯s Pet Status>


    Race: Dark Hooded Spider                    Level: 10


    Health: 143/170                     Mana: 75/100


    Strength: 18                           Vitality: 17


    Agility: 35                                  Wisdom: 10


    Intelligence: 12


    Affinities: Dark[5]


    [Skills]


    Stealth - Beginner 1


    Back Stab (Passive) - Beginner 1


    Looking at her status, Shar could see that Esla¡¯s evolution had led her to become a rogue type fighter. With her skills and high agility, she was now capable of moving fluently and stealthily while delivering quick attacks. Although her strength was relatively low, it appears that she made up for the lack of damage with a higher attack speed. Quite happy to see that Esla was growing steadily, he gave her a small pat on the head, which resulted in a happy screech from the spider.


    Continuing his adventure that had been rudely interrupted by the two slimes, Shar began to walk north; Esla following close behind him. Although they ran into a couple green slimes every now and then, they were quickly taken care of by the pair.


    Cutting down another green slime that they had bumped into, Shar saw the familiar in-game notification come up, notifying him that he had leveled up. After putting his sword back into its sheath and picking up the Cracked Green Slime Core, Shar distributed his unallocated skill points into vitality. Although before he had mostly focused on strength and agility, with Esla¡¯s new evolution, it was no longer necessary since he was not the sole damage dealer; instead, he felt that it would be more beneficial for them if Shar focused on being a tough front liner that could absorb a lot of damage while Esla focused on dealing the damage.


    Now that he was level 10, it was time for him to soon pick up a class; however, it was not something that he wanted to pick without having put a lot of thought into. Classes were vital in creating a strong character, and although each class had various strengths and weaknesses, not all classes were equal. Rare classes and unique classes also existed within the game, and although these classes were difficult to find, they often possessed unique and powerful abilities, making them highly sought after. However, just because a player managed to obtain a rare or unique did not necessarily mean that they would be strong, a lot of these classes often fit niche positions and would not normally fit into a regular team; in addition, most of these classes required a lot of skill and training in order to played properly and often took longer to develop.


    Due to his physical condition, Damien often spent his time outside of the game researching various aspects of All World Online. Because of this he had managed to attain a wide and extensive knowledge base of the game and despite the several issues involved in attaining and training a rare or unique class, he had come to the conclusion that having one would be beneficial to him in the long run. With that, he had made up his mind; he was determined to get a rare or unique class no matter the difficulty. However, Shar still felt slightly disappointed when he thought about amount of time he had invested into researching the game which he could have spent actually playing. Considering that one hour in real life was equivalent to four hours in game, there was a lot he could have accomplished; however, he quickly put the thought aside. Although researching had somewhat limited his time in game, it would, in the long run, help him make better choices that could have a significant impact in the future.


    Unfortunately, due to his attention being elsewhere, Shar had bumped into a tree, resulting in a slight injury to his nose. Although his body was still perfectly fine, his pride felt quite damaged due to the embarrassment he felt. Looking at Esla, he noticed that she was looking at him quite pitifully which only resulted in his ego being further damaged. Deciding to pay attention to what he was doing, Shar continued walking through the dense forest, his thoughts completely focused on his surroundings.


    Just then, a small blurred creature shot out from underneath one of the bushes to his left, luckily for Shar, due to his focus being on his surroundings, he had managed to react quickly, pulling out his sword and deflecting the attack. Managing to get a good look at his attacker, he saw that it was a rabbit; however, this rabbit was quite large and a sharp horn was protruding from its head. Considering that the horn appeared to be in perfect condition despite being deflected by Shar¡¯s sword, the horn was most likely quite durable. Taking a better look at the creature, he saw that it was a level 13, which was quite surprising due to its cute appearance. However, Shar merely ignored that aspect, all that mattered was the fact it had attacked him and therefore needed to be rid of. Although the rabbit had displayed tremendous speed and would have normally been a difficult opponent, Shar was not alone. Esla during this time had gone into stealth and stuck up behind the rabbit, holding the creature in place with her eight appendages. Unable to break free from Esla¡¯s grip, the Horned Rabbit had lost its greatest asset, its speed. Seeing how helpless the creature was, Shar quickly disposed of the rabbit, in which it faded away, leaving behind its horn, a small pelt and some rabbit meat. Picking up the items and putting them into his inventory, Shar kept on moving, unfazed by the sudden attack.


    Along their journey, they had bumped into a couple more Horned Rabbits which were quickly taken care of and looted. Although the Horned Rabbits were quite strong, they were no match for the combined strength of Esla and Shar. The rabbits also provided tremendous amounts of experience, allowing Esla to reach level 15 and Shar level 14. Noticing that it was getting quite dark, Shar prepared a quick meal for Esla before preparing to log off. Even though he did not want to leave Esla by herself in the woods, his real body desperately needed some sleep. Although sleeping in game helped to some degree, he still needed a good night¡¯s rest every other day in order to feel refreshed. Thankfully, Esla was now a lot more capable of taking care of herself due to her evolution. Since Esla could climb and sleep in a tall tree, the risk of a predator attacking her was low; however, the possibility did still exist. But now, due to her becoming much stronger and gaining the stealth ability, Shar had confidence that Esla would be able to escape from any creature that inhabited these woods. Saying good night to Esla, Shar logged off, getting some much needed rest.

 Chapter 8: Slime Saver

    Hey guys, Iam back (for now). I had a lot of midterms and projects due to this month but Ive completed a decent chunk of them. I still have one more midterm, 2 small projects and 2 large projects due this month but they are spaced out quite evenly so Ill probably have a chance at some point to write another chapter. Anyways enjoy !


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    Logging in, Shar could see Esla perched up in a nearby tree sleeping quietly. Glad that nothing went wrong while he was gone, he proceeded to wake her up, who quickly climbed down from her previous location. Handing Esla some of the rabbit meat that they had collected yesterday, Shar went ahead and cooked himself a moderate sized portion. Eating his meal, he couldn¡¯t help but wish that they had something else to eat. Although the meat tasted just fine, all their meals during journey consisted of cooked rabbit meat and after eating it for several days, he had gotten quite sick of the taste. Seeing that there was nothing that he could about it right now, he put the thought aside, focusing on the more important matters. Looking at his map, he could see that he was still quite far from his destination, the den of Black Striped Salamanders where Gared had lost his watch. According to the map, he was only half way there despite the nonstop traveling. Regretting the fact that he did not own a mount of some sort, Shar put it on his list of things to obtain once he arrived back at the village. Getting back up slowly, he gathered the willpower needed in order to keep going. Despite his solemn mood, Esla seemed to be completely unaffected, still quite happy and chipper as she bounded ahead of him, examining small plants and other miscellaneous items along the way.


    Aside from the occasional horned rabbit, Esla and Shar kept travelling forward unhindered. Upon reaching a small clearing, Shar got Esla to set up a couple defensive webs in their near vicinity while he got dinner prepared. As he was starting up the fire, he saw Esla running towards him. Although she ran around quite frequently, he could see that she was slightly agitated, indicating that she was in a rush. Wondering what was going on, Shar got up and ran over to her. Tugging at his pants, Esla pulled him in the direction she wanted. Quickly following in her steps, Shar slowed down as Esla began to walk cautiously before coming to a stop near the edge of another clearing. Moving as quietly as possible, Shar made his way over to her before looking into the clearing


    Peeking over, he could see the five figures off into the distance. Looking a bit closer, he could see that one of the figures stood out from the rest. While four of them were a light brown color and resembled overly large dogs, the last individual resembled a Green Slime; however, instead of the regular light green color, the slime bore a dark red hue and was almost three times as large as a regular Green Slime.


    Despite not knowing what was really going on, Shar could clearly see that the red slime and the dog like creatures were not on friendly terms. Spreading out, the creatures began to circle around the slime in an attempt to surround it. Realizing that it was in a perilous situation, the slime lashed out at one of the nearby creatures with a whip like appendage that extended from its main body. Although the attack caught the creature off guard, the rest of the creatures seemed unfazed and merely took the opportunity to attack. Growing a second whip like appendage, the slime lashed back and forth, fending off most of the attacks. Though the battle looked to be quite close, Shar could see that the slime had to focus most of its efforts on defending and while the dog like creatures had not yet managed to get in a clean hit, the small cuts and wounds would gradually build up and wear down the slime before it was eventually finished off.


    Although Shar could not help but feel pity for the slime, he was hesitant to help. In the end the slime was creature that he most likely would have fought himself if not for the current situation. However, despite his reluctance he found no downsides in joining the fight. Examining the creatures, he saw that the dog like creatures were level 15 Wild Dogs while the slime appeared to be a level 21 Carnivorous Slime. Although the enemies were quite high leveled, he was confident that with Esla¡¯s help he could take out both parties if necessary since both were most likely to be wounded and tired.


    Realize that it was at a severe disadvantage, the slime lashed out furiously at one of the creatures in attempt to break free from the encirclement; however, this only caused the rest of Wild Dogs to attack even more viciously. Due to the slime neglecting its defense for a short period of time, it suffered several deep wounds and looked quite damaged, its whip like appendages no longer moving as fluidly as it was at the start of the battle. A few seconds later, one of the slimes appendages slowly retracted back into its body, leaving it with only one. Seeing that the opponent had lost one of its weapons, the dog like creatures started to attack more furiously not even bothering to defend any incoming attacks. Eventually the slime suffered one cut after another and just like previously, its other appendage retracted back into it body.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    Determining that the moment was right, Shar jumped out from behind the undergrowth and dashed towards the group of creatures. At the same time, Esla came out of her stealth, jumping onto one of the creatures before proceeding to slash it viciously with her sharp claws. Howling from intense pain, the dog like creature thrashed wildly in an attempt to dislodge Esla; however, she held on tight refusing to let go. Although this left Esla in quite a vulernable position, Shar charged fearlessly, distracting the remaining Were-dogs and providing Esla with enough time to finish off the already wounded dog. Now that only three dogs remained, Shar was confident in their capability to win as long as the slime or another creature did not interfere. Looking to the side where the slime was positioned, Shar could see that it was not in any condition to fight. Large gashes could be found littered over its large frame and it appeared to be on the brink of death.


    Determining that the slime was no longer a threat, Shar focused his efforts in getting rid of the remaining Wild Dogs. Running forward, he grabbed the attention of two of the dogs, leaving the last one to Esla. Despite his level being slightly higher, Shar found it difficult to fight the two dogs due to their high level of teamwork and coordination. Although he fought defensively, he found that his health was depleting steadily. Despite the fact that the dogs did not possess great strength, they attacked quickly and moved swiftly, making them difficult opponents; in addition, their attacks would often apply the bleeding status, which slowly drained him of his health and accounted for most of their damage.


    Only having a 1/3 of his health left, Shar prepared to use a potion. Although he preferred to not use them since they were quite costly, it was much better then suffering the death penalty. However, just as he was about to pull out a potion, Esla suddenly appeared behind one of the Wild Dogs, before stabbing her claw deep into its neck. Momentarily distracted by Esla¡¯s sudden appearance, the other dog let down it guard, giving Shar a chance to attack. With its teammate being incapacitated by Esla, the lone Wild Dog had no chance of beating Shar. Without its partner, the single Wild Dog was forced to be on the defensive but was quickly taken down by Shar¡¯s powerful swings. Looting the bodies, Shar debated about what he should do with the slime. Although it had yet to cause him any harm, it was not that much different from the other slimes that he normally killed for loot and exp. However, he felt that it was kind of a pity to get rid of it since he had already put in the effort to save the creature.


    Deciding to make the choice later, Shar ordered Esla to tie up the slime with her web. Seeing that the job was done, he checked to make sure the bindings were on tightly. Once that was completed, Shar closely examined the slime:


    <Carnivorous Slime, Lev 21>


    [Description]


    An uncommon species of slimes found in warm tropical areas around the continent. Although most slimes prefer to eat vegetation, the Carnivorous Slime¡¯s diet consists solely of meat. Due to their eating habits, Carnivorous Slime¡¯s are often found attacking small villages or farms for sustenance; in addition, they possess the ability to produce numerous whip-like appendages from its main body, allowing them to attack in various ways. The Carnivorous Slime is also resistant to blunt attacks and can regenerate it health quite quickly, making them quite hard to kill.


    Poking the slime lightly to see if it was responsive, Shar was surprised at how squishy the slime was. Putting needless thoughts aside, he proceeded to drag the slime back to their makeshift base. Arriving there, Shar felt quite exhausted and although he was quite tempted to use the slime as a pillow, he managed to restrain himself before falling asleep on the soft grass.