《World View》 Chapter 001 Chapter 001 Thoughts are presented like (- thought -). Game text (panels) are presented like (-- text --). If I¡¯m not too lazy in the future, I might do actual panels, but for now... *** Ansel Fillmore was a somewhat quiet young man. He spent most of his days inside, alone, playing video games or doing whatever it was kids did on the internet. He rarely ventured out, aside from school, or special family occasions. Although even with his family, he spoke very little. At one point, his parents wondered whether the boy they raised for the latter half of their lifetimes was mute. Even his siblings, two younger sisters at the tender age of 12 and 13, had stopped talking to the boy not out of spite, but due to the lack of feedback on Ansel¡¯s part. Along side Ansel¡¯s quietness, he had a natural glare. With his sharp eyes, and a mouth that naturally formed a frown, Ansel¡¯s facial aesthetics made him sink even deeper into social isolation. Ansel tried to fix this issue by practicing smiling in front of the mirror. Although this did nothing, (since his glare would naturally come back if he even lost a moment¡¯s concentration) the exercise of making faces in front of the mirror had grown into Ansel¡¯s own daily routine. Though it did have some setbacks, like when one particular sister saw this daily practice and ended up with nightmares for 2 weeks straight. In the end, to fix his problem, Ansel opted to grow his hair out so it just barely covered his eyes. Despite appearances though, the young man¡¯s real problem was not his glare. Since he was a brat, the stem of his quietness had always been his fear of rejection from others, or in short, he was very shy. It wasn¡¯t that he preferred to be left alone (which was what most teachers he met thought) and it wasn¡¯t that he was pissed of all the time which led to him to silently brood all the time (which was what his peers thought). The man was simply shy! No one understood this, and the poor man, left with all his insecurities and isolation, continued even deeper into the confines of social ineptness. Well, along the way, that quiet insecurity festered into an antisocial personality. One that matched every bit of his wicked scowl. Although that longing for social connectedness still lingered deep within (despite Ansel¡¯s own attempts to convince himself otherwise). Nowadays, Ansel enjoyed his relatively peaceful life of isolation. Being at the tender age of 17, he still lacked social experience, and did not know what it felt like to go out and enjoy life the normal way teenagers his age did. Instead he immersed himself in single player activities. Whether these activities be books, the internet, knitting, really, it was anything. As long as it involved nobody but himself, Ansel was sure to have done it. Out of all these activities, his one passion were video games. He loved video games. With their sometimes intricate storylines, their addictive gameplay, their sometimes terrible graphics, he loved almost every type of video game he ever played. He especially liked MMORPGS. Although, admittedly, MMORPGS were his worst genre, there was something about controlling a small avatar through a computer screen that he just couldn¡¯t get used to, but nevertheless he loved them. He loved the concept of exploring a vast new world, having adventures, making friends (something he unfortunately hadn¡¯t had the chance to do so far). From a different perspective, it could be seen that he was simply running away from reality, but that was fine with Ansel. As he loved putting it; ¡°Reality was just a shitty video game anyways.¡± Right now, Ansel was waiting in line at a local electronics store. He frequently darted his gaze from left to right, aware of all the people around him. The store he was in was located inside a large shopping mall, and unfortunately (in Ansel¡¯s mind), the mall was packed with people. Luckily, the store itself was less crowded, but for Ansel, this didn¡¯t matter. The mere presence of people made him uncomfortable. Just the thought of speaking to the clerk caused his stomach to rumble. He desperately wanted to leave. He wanted to just dash out the front door, sprint back to his house, lock himself in his room, and curl up under the warm blanket he kept in the closet. But something stopped him from fulfilling these fantasies. Ansel had a mission. A purpose. He had specifically pushed forth through this perilous challenge in order to fulfill his goal. That goal was to pick up a new video game. Through sheer force of luck, he had somehow managed to win a raffle for a free copy of Worldview, as well as a complementary console for the game. Worldview, to put it shortly, was Virtual Reality Massive Multiplayer Online Role Playing Game. Now, it wasn¡¯t the first of its kind, but it was heralded as the best. For over a year now, this game dominated the VR market, as well as captivated the hearts of a vast multitude of people, ranging from old folks who enjoyed the leisure splendor and new bodies the game provided, to young kids, who relished in the adventure and fantasy. WorldView also used the newest VR console, the Dream Drive. The Dream Drive system was known to everybody as the messiah of all Virtual Reality consoles. Constructed by the leading industry of Video Games, The Tonkatsu Corporation, It used a technology that immerses users in a dream-like state. It not only allowed the body to rest while the mind played, but it also boasted a 99.9% realism factor. While in this lucid state, the mind could control and replicate almost all aspects of the human body while creating an environment that was almost identical to reality. The very nature of the Dream Drive system allowed it to break free from the bonds and restraints of a contemporary console and their mechanics. Since the console acted as a web of dreams and in a sense, ran on the players¡¯ connected desires, it was, for the lack of a better word, an alternate reality. Not just a game, but a separate reality, a second life. That was what the Dream Drive console represented. And of course, this applied to World View. If Dream Drive was a new reality, then Worldview was the new world for which to enjoy this reality in. World View Online was completely independent from the corporation. The employees and staff held no control whatsoever. Instead it was run by an AI that acted as god. There was no pre written script, no planned adventure, it was through the actions of the players that determined the fate of the Game. For Ansel, this meant one thing. He hoped that being able to fully control a virtual body, he¡¯d fare better at VRMMORPGS than regular MMORPGS. Rather than confined to an on screen avatar, he believed that if he had something with a more direct control over, the results would be different. Winning this raffle really was quite a stroke of luck for indeed. Previously, he never had the chance to purchase WV. It wasn¡¯t like VRMMOs were something super expensive, with a little bit of saving, he could have probably purchased one quite easily. But Ansel who had no sense for money, completely wasted all his savings on trifle things, like other video games, or manga and comics. He couldn¡¯t save enough money to buy himself the game he so desired. To put it simply, his will power wasn¡¯t strong enough. Although, now, with this event that Ansel considered nothing short of a godsend, he would be able to finally immerse himself and experience the game he had heard so much about. So with his prize before him, there was simply no way Ansel would just give up, especially when he was so close. Ansel motioned forward to the waiting clerk, a bushy haired young lady with a pair of rounded spectacles. The line had already passed, and currently Ansel was the only one in front of the clerk. The lady beamed a compulsory smile before asking, ¡°Hello, welcome to R**io Shack, how may I help you?¡± Feeling the sweat trickle down his back and his lips begin to tremble, Ansel took a shaky breath before he gulped down his nervousness, and spoke. ¡°U-umm¡­.I-I-I¡¯m here to p-pick up my prize.¡± The clerk expressed an understanding gaze, before she asked. This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report. ¡°Ah, then would you happen to be Mr. Fillmore? The one who recently won a free copy of World View?¡± Ansel nodded curtly. ¡°Oh, that¡¯s good. Good for you. Just sign here¡­¡± The clerk rummaged around the back of the counter for a minute before she pulled out a formal slip of paper. She handed Ansel a pen before motioning for the boy to sign. Ansel took the pen, and with clumsy motions, he hastily signed the document. He handed the pen back to the clerk with a slight trepidation. He was afraid that the clerk would notice how much sweat the pen had accumulated. Looking over the paper, the clerk nodded to herself before she excused herself and went to go retrieve Ansel¡¯s prize. A short moment later, the lady came back with a large box and a plastic bag. ¡°Here you go Mr. Fillmore.¡± She placed the box down onto the counter. ¡°In the box is the complementary DD system, and in the bag is your copy of World View.¡± Ansel mumbled a quiet thank you, before he scooped up the box along with the bag and made a break for the exit. The clerk could only utter a surprised and hasty, ¡°Good bye!¡± As she watched Ansel¡¯s receding figure through the frame of the window. **** Now back at home, within the comforts of his small bedroom, Ansel eagerly began work on setting up the new console. Despite its simple looking structure, the device itself was rather difficult to set up properly. But with a little bit of time, and a whole lot of effort on Ansel¡¯s part, he had successfully hooked up the new system. Ansel took the headset, and eagerly lay in bed. Since users would be basically put into a sleep-like state, it was recommended that any and all games (although WV is currently the only game available for the DD system) be played while the user was lying prone in a bed or somewhere comfortable. Not wanting to risk any damages (to himself or his new console), Ansel obediently followed all the safety guidelines before he began playing. He slipped on the headset/controller, which was basically just a Sleeping Mask coupled with a few sensors. He placed the sensors onto his forehead before he laid back and flipped on the power button, located on the side. Instantly, his world turned black. He attempted to move his body, but he found out that he couldn¡¯t. Nervous and excited, he decided to just wait in the dark. After a minute or so, a small flash appeared, and in an instant, a floating panel appeared before him. --Welcome to Dream Drive. Are you a new user?-- Ansel hesitated for a minute before he replied with a firm, ¡°Yes!¡± --Would you like to create a new account?-- ¡°Yes.¡± --Please wait a moment while the system scans your brain waves¡­.-- Ding! --...Scanning complete. What is your desired username?-- Ansel pondered for a moment. He knew that right now, he was simply registering his Dream Drive account and not for the actual game itself, so he decided to use his real name. ¡°Ansel Fillmore.¡± --Ansel Fillmore....checking availability¡­..-- Ding! --Username is available, would you like to register as ¡°Ansel Fillmore¡±?-- ¡°Yes.¡± Ding! --Registration complete. Welcome Ansel Fillmore. What would you like to do?-- The panel gradually disappeared only to be replaced by a floating icon that resembled a cloud. -Finally! Now this is where the real fun begins!- Ansel thought to himself. Once he had finished registering his DD account, he immediately set out to play his new game. ¡°Open WorldView!¡± --Accessing WorldView Online¡­.-- Ding! The scenery before Ansel changed. This time, his vision was enveloped in a world of white. As his eye¡¯s (or at least his vision) adjusted to the glaring white, he could make out a figure in front of him. The figure could be best described as an Angel. With a floating halo, and pristine white wings to match. The angel took on the form of a well endowed, pretty blonde lady. The angel stared blankly at Ansel. Ansel responded by staring back. He had noticed that he had finally attained a body. Unlike that disembodied form he previously had, now he regained control of his arms, legs and body. He put his knuckle to his chin, as he continued to stare at the Angel. After a while, Ansel was the first to break the silence. ¡°Umm... .am I dead?¡± The Angel widened her eyes before she let out a charming laugh, ¡°No silly! You¡¯re about to enter Wilhelm for the 1st time, traveler. I¡¯m here to guide you. My name¡¯s Luna.¡± -Wilhelm? I think that was the name of the world in the game...but besides that, this person¡­.- ¡°Oho~ Do you happen to be an NPC? If so, they sure are life like¡­.¡± Ansel leaned in closer towards Luna and marveled at how realistic the girl looked. If he hadn¡¯t known before hand, he would have surely mistaken her for a player. Luna stared blankly at Ansel, before she made a confused face. ¡°NPC¡­.? What is that?¡± Noticing his mistake, he tried to quickly brush it aside. ¡°Ah no, nevermind.¡± Ansel noticed, that unlike in the real world, he could talk quite well within the VR. Granted, the conversation was between an NPC, but still, to Ansel, it was progress. ¡°Anyways, I¡¯m here to help you out traveler. First of all I¡¯d like to know your name.¡± At Luna¡¯s words, a panel appeared in front of Ansel. --Register Avatar name: -- Ansel thought for a moment. He had already decided on his username before hand, but he still hesitated. After all, deciding you''re in game name was important. After some deliberation, Ansel replied back. ¡°I¡¯d like to be called Nero.¡± Ding. --Successfully registered as Nero.-- After Nero had chosen his name, the panel began to disappear. He could now see Luna again. next to her, was a life sized copy of Nero¡¯s appearance. ¡°In Wilheim, Travelers have the option of choosing their starting race. You can choose from an option of 9 races. Would you like to hear what these races are?¡± Without even thinking about it, Nero immediately answered. ¡°No thanks. I¡¯d like to stick to being human.¡± Nero always prefered to stick to the default race. ¡°Very well then.¡± Luna Answered. ¡°You can also change your appearance. Would you like to change how you look?¡± Nero deliberated for a bit. He did kind of want to change his face a bit, if only to get rid of his perpetual scowl. In the end though, he decided against that and instead opted to just stick to his real appearance. ¡°I¡¯d like to stick with my normal appearance, if that¡¯s fine.¡± The angel nodded understandingly. ¡°Okay then. After that, the only thing left for you to decide is the location of your starting city. Would you like to see a map?¡± Nero shook his head. ¡°No, I¡¯d like to pick a random location.¡± Truth be told, Nero had started playing the WV blind. He didn¡¯t really know anything about the game, so rather than agonizing over where to start, he decided that it would be better to just start at a random location and let the system decide for him. ¡°Very well then. Let¡¯s see¡­..How does the Renthein Settlement sound?¡± Luna asked while she had a finger to her head, indicating she had chosen long and hard to come to this decision. Nero nodded in agreement. It didn¡¯t matter to him, he was too excited to care as to where he would start off. Luna smiled, and waved him off. At first confusion struck Nero before a glowing light emitted from under his feet. His vision once again turned white, but not before he saw a glimpse of a new panel pop up in front of him. --Welcome traveler, to the world of Wilhelm.-- Chapter 002 Chapter 002 Nero opened his eyes. In front of him was what could be best described as a small village. Below the hauntingly beautiful blue sky was a landscape dotted in brick and wood houses. If one looked closely enough, it would have been obvious that a few of these houses were in fact, stores. Additionally, around these houses, out on the streets were several stands that promised to sell a bountiful myriad of goods and services. Coupled with the bustling activity of people in cloaks, armor, and peasant garb, it was quite a lively scene. Nero, who saw all this for the first time, gawked with his eyes wide open and mouth agape. For a minute, he just stood there, taking in all the various, harmonizing sights, scents, and sounds. Of course he couldn¡¯t persist for long, since his statue like actions warranted him more than just a couple of equally as curious onlookers. Nero shook his head and slapped his face in a vein action to calm himself down. Once he had recollected himself, Nero began erratically moving his body. It might have been an unnecessary action, but Nero wanted to confirm this new life(body) of his. He raised his arms up, performed a couple of knee lifts, cracked his neck a few times, and so on and so forth. After he was satisfied with the feedback and control of his new virtual body, he smiled a wry, yet pleasant smile, one that found itself out of place on Nero¡¯s normal continence. He then abruptly sat down, and slowly closed his eyes. For a minute or two, he just sat there, within a small patch of grass that was part of a much larger plain, and he listened. Nero wasn¡¯t really listening for anything specific, he was just¡­ listening. Listening to the all too real sounds that surrounded him; from the whimsical chirping of birds, the frantic arguing of a couple a few paces away from him, to the rough sound of a cart moving through the street. He sat there, listening to all the noise while his mouth formed crescents. -It really is amazing¡­ 99.9% realism wasn¡¯t just a joke¡­- He couldn¡¯t help but sigh out in satisfaction. This game, this reality that had promised him so many possibilities¡­ so far, it was shaping up to meet those very possibilities. After satisfying himself with his quiet musings, Nero opened his status window. Naturally, after arriving in a new world, the first thing Nero wanted to confirm was information regarding himself. With a single thought, a blue window panel floated in front of him. It displayed all the relevant information regarding Ansel¡¯s character as ¡°Nero¡±. --Nero Lv. 1 HP: 100/100 Mana :100/100 Vitality: 10 Strength: 10 Agility: 10 Dexterity: 10 Wisdom (Mana): 10 Intelligence: 10 Luck: 0 Leadership: 0 -- Nero had read a little bit online about the game beforehand, and while not a whole lot of information was available, he naturally knew what each starter stat confirmed. Aside from Luck and Leadership, Worldview started a player off with 6 stats. Strength, Agility, and Dexterity were pretty self explanatory stats, they of course, corresponded with power, speed, and hand eye coordination. Vitality was somewhat unique, as it influenced HP. Vitality and HP had a 1:10 ratio. Wisdom followed the same format, except it corresponded to the mana bar. Intelligence was what decided magic power, sort of like a mana version of the strength stat. Later in game, other stats were obtainable through various, undisclosed means, but for now, newbie players started off with these 6 stats - plus luck and leadership. Not much was known about the luck or leadership stat. While its effects could be more or less guessed from their names, nobody had confirmed anything yet. Even now, one year prior to the launch of WV, these two stats remained a mere mystery. After looking over his stats and finding them all to be what he had expected, Nero closed the status window, and opened up his inventory next. Like before, another blue panel popped up, this time, showing Nero what items and how much cash he had. He wasn¡¯t at all surprised to find out that he had absolutely nothing in his inventory. Although he had expected something like a beginner weapon, or maybe some food (Rye Bread), it wasn¡¯t at all unreasonable for newbies to not receive anything. Fortunately, the game did at least start him off with 100 copper, sort of like starting funds. By the way, the way currency works in the game follows the simple system of, 100 Copper = 1 silver, 100 silver = 1 gold, and 100 gold = 1 Mithril Coin. Finishing up, Nero closed the inventory panel and abruptly got up. As he dusted himself off, he wondered what his next course of actions were going to be. Truth be told, prior to playing, Nero had done little research, but not for the lack of trying. All his attempts at gathering useful in-game knowledge proved to be fruitless. For some reason, the game makers had disclosed very little information about World View, instead most of the information he got were first hand accounts from veteran players. Due to the unreliability of such a source, much of the information circulating around the Net were very suspicious and were often under question. Information for newbie players were especially hard to come by, and even when he did stumble upon them, most of it was fraudulent. Sighing at his ineptness, for now, Nero decided to make his way into the village, in search for a helpful NPC that might guide his way. **** Nero wandered the streets, wide eyed fascination plastered on his face like a kid at a candy store. As he walked, he could immediately tell the difference between the NPCs and the Players. While physiology wise, they were practically indistinguishable, what set both parties apart were clothing.The NPCs had much more modest clothing, outfits with brown and beige palettes were the norm for these people. This was quite a contrast to the players, who often wore extremely flashy clothing. Decked in armor, robes, and cloaks, more often than not, their outfits were a mess of assorted gear, no sense of cohesion to be seen. In comparison, Nero resembled the NPCs more than the actual players. With his brown pants, and beige colored undershirt, it wouldn¡¯t be odd to mistake him for a village boy on his way back from the family farm. Nero continued to walk. He had no real destination in mind, although he did look out for any helpful NPCs. Maybe something like a Village elder, or a Chief Guard might be able to help him start out. He was hopelessly lost, and the atmosphere and vibrancy of the village soon took hold of Nero, and little by little his inhibitions and earlier plans diminished. It didn¡¯t take long for Nero to become a ¡°tourist¡±. With his fascination and curiosity, he visited many of the shops and stores - from the alchemy lab, the Blacksmith¡¯s forge, the tailor store. Thankfully, all the items he ogled were a bit too expensive for this 100 copper beginner, but nonetheless he stopped by each and every store. Unfortunately though, his whimsical window shopping came to a trifling end. Nero¡¯s downfall came in the form of the stalls. The vendors that sold food and other goods on the street were what completely emptied out Nero¡¯s 100 copper budget. After buying 3 kebobs, an apple, and two cups of something resembling pudding or flan, Nero¡¯s once 100 copper wallet had dwindled down to a measly 7 coppers. By the time he had realized this, Nero was well on his way to eating his third kebob and had already slurped up the last of his pudding. After spending money like a drunken sailor, Nero finally regained his self control and with a dejected sigh, he resumed his original intentions and began his search for a helpful NPC. For a few minutes, on the unpaved dirt streets, he just aimlessly wandered, not sure what exactly a ¡°helpful NPC¡± was. He played with the idea of asking one of the more experienced players for some guidance, but ultimately decided against it. As expected, talking to actual people was still too much of a hurdle for the inexperienced Nero. Finally, after his heart had plummeted greatly into turmoil, he spotted someone who just might be a little helpful. A stoic, middle aged man wearing a light set of leather and metal armor. Unlike the players around the street, the cohesion between the rusted armor and the worn out, dark brown leather mixed quite well. The man held a simple spear in the cusps of his bear like arms and stood besides the edge of the village, directly next to the gate that overlooked out into the forest. This novel''s true home is a different platform. Support the author by finding it there. -That guy, he¡¯s obviously¡­- With hurried footsteps, Nero regained his vigor and speed walked to the man. It was obvious, but the middle aged man with the spear was a village guard. As he neared the guard, Nero¡¯s hurried pace slowed, until he came to an abrupt stop in front of him. The guard was a whole head taller than Nero, causing him to look up at the gruff looking bear of a man. In return, the guard looked down on Nero, shooting the newbie with a curious stare. ¡°Ah-Umm¡­¡± Like usual, the words that Nero wanted to convey caught in his throat. The awkwardness and Ansel¡¯s overall lack of social aptitude was affecting Nero. As Nero struggled to form his words, the guard in front of him looked down on to the boy¡¯s almost trembling figure. The curious, penetrating gaze of the middle aged bear merely increased Nero¡¯s neuroticism as sweat began to trickle down his back and his face visibly reddened. -Damn it, he¡¯s just an NPC. Not a real person, not a real person! Just like Luna¡­ this person is just like Luna¡­.- Forcibly regaining his composure, Nero shook his head, as if to dispel the growing redness on his face. He shot a willful stare at the guard, as if to convey his full intentions of a normal conversation to the man. Unbeknownst to Nero, his natural glare, coupled with his stare, was quite a sight to behold. Like a debt collector harassing an old man, Nero¡¯s stare held as much intimidation and terror, despite the young man¡¯s innocent intent. In fact, it was enough so that the seasoned veteran unintentionally took a step back in the face of this mysterious youth¡¯s sudden vigor. Having calmed down, Nero gulped decisively, and spoke, ¡°I-I-I n-need some help¡­¡± His words came out choppy and stuttery, but nonetheless his intentions were conveyed. The guard, who was a bit relieved to find that Nero hadn¡¯t shown up to pick a fight also began to calm down as he began to speak. ¡°You must be a new traveler, correct?¡± In front of the guard¡¯s unblinking inquiry, Nero struggled a nod. ¡°I see, I see¡­¡± The guard crossed his arms and nodded understandingly. ¡°It must be tough, being in a new place without a hint of a clue as to where you are. I completely understand. In fact, it reminds me of that time when I went to visit the Empire¡­.¡± This guard NPC was unexpectedly quite talkative. In front of Nero¡¯s twitching visage, the guard rambled about his past exploits, tales which Nero couldn¡¯t help but wonder whether they were all true, or whether they were just constructs of an AI¡¯s creativity. Nero allowed (well more that he got swept up in the atmosphere) the guard to continue talking, waiting patiently as he kept rambling on and on about various tales and past exploits. Eventually, the guard seemingly finished and asked, ¡°So what did you need exactly?¡± ¡°I need¡­¡± Nero thought for a moment. What exactly did he need? What exactly should he ask? He can¡¯t simply say, I¡¯m a newbie player, can you give me a quest? It seemed rather rude, plus he can¡¯t mention terms like NPC, or Player to the guard. To him, this world was real. The guard wasn¡¯t an NPC, nor did he view Nero as a player. After struggling for a few seconds, in the end, he couldn¡¯t think of anything specific to ask, so he just went with, ¡°I-I¡¯m new to the village¡­i-is there anything someone like me should know?¡± A rather vague question indeed. The guard thought for a moment before saying, ¡°Well, first let me tell you a little bit about this village. In actuality, Renthein village is just a small section of the Renthien Settlement. This section of Renthein is actually the Eastern District of the village. It¡¯s where most new travelers start of¡­¡± The guard then went on to further explain Renthein¡¯s situation. Renthein was a new up and coming city on the edge of the Greater Wilhelm Empire. It was the largest frontier city that overlooked the Northern Plains and acted as the first defense against the monstrosities that resided north of the Empire. Aside from the village districts, which surround the city, Renthein¡¯s inner city is where most of the commerce and activity lies in. It is guarded by a 15 meter, all enclosing wall, which has 24/7 security. ¡°Once an adventurer gets strong enough, they can seek a pass for entry into Renthein¡¯s inner city from any of the stationed soldiers guarding the inner gates..¡± -¡¯Get¡¯s strong enough¡¯... Does that mean level? So there¡¯s a level restriction¡­- As Nero quietly absorbed all this information, the friendly guard quickly wrapped up his explanation. ¡°Seeing as how you look a bit too flimsy at the current moment, I¡¯m afraid you¡¯ll be confined to the village districts for a while. Although don¡¯t worry, common amenities like Inns, the Blacksmith¡¯s forge, and other places are still accessible within the confines of the village.¡± Afterwards the guard directed Nero to a nearby inn, where it was possible to purchase a map of the city. With an awkward thanks and goodbye, Nero dashed off towards the inn, leaving a bemused middle aged guard in his wake. **** After walking for a few minutes and almost getting lost more than a few times, Nero finally arrived at an old, yet lively location. Reading over the sign that said, ¡°Maple Inn¡±, Nero flashed a scowl with the intents of a smile, and walked inside. At the inn, Nero was once again faced with his own personal challenge in the form of talking to the innkeeper. Through his tireless efforts, and a few awkward greetings, Nero was able to successfully purchase the Ranthein Settlement Map. Unfortunately, the purchase of the map had costed him 6 copper, leaving Nero with a measly 1 copper in savings. Quickly shuffling himself of to a secluded corner within the Inn¡¯s downstairs restaurant, Nero read through the map with excited haste. He blocked out all the lively noise and commotion, as his eyes seemingly sparkled at the first, ¡°Otherworldly¡± map he had acquired. Like the guard previously stated, Renthein was composed of an inner city as well as the village districts that surrounded it. In truth, there were five distinct separations that divided the city; the inner district, Northern Village District, Southern Village District, Eastern Village District, and Western Village District. For now, Nero focused in on the Eastern Village District, seeing as how this was his current position. The Eastern Village District of Ranthein was one of the smaller districts and its key features were the Blacksmith¡¯s forge, Alchemy Lab, Maple Inn and Restaurant, Apprentice Magic shop, and Training Facility. Aside from these key places, Players (as well as NPCs) could purchase and/or sell items through the numerous vendors and stalls sprawled along the streets. In short, the Eastern Village District was the prime example of a top class newbie village. Reading over the map, Nero constantly nodded to himself, as if affirming his own understanding. Eventually, Nero decided his course of actions. -I really want to just ignore this village and wander outside but¡­- When one thinks of MMORPGs, one of the first things a person would think of would be the aspect of monster hunting. Nero wasn¡¯t a stranger to such romantic desires, but in his current state, it would be pure suicide to venture out of the confines of the village. For one thing Nero needed a weapon, but unfortunately he spent his starting funds on food, a rather stupid mistake that Nero was still reflecting on. ¡°Since I¡¯m broke right now, it would be best to visit the places that don¡¯t require payment first. Places like.... the training facility! If I¡¯m lucky they might give me a free sword or something. One of those wooden ones¡­ do they give those out?¡± As Nero quietly muttered to himself, he quickly walked out of the Inn, and proceeded forward. His first goal, in this bountiful new world was the beginner training facility in Eastern Ranthein Village. Chapter 003 Chapter 003 The Renthein Eastern Village Training Facility was located in an inconspicuous back alley. It was just one of the many dilapidated, run down, and broken buildings that occupied this innocuous stretch of land. It lay away from prowling eyes and without prior knowledge, one would be hard pressed to locate the facility. Given by the atmosphere of the whole street, it didn¡¯t really seem like a very populous place, and those that did venture through here were mostly a mix of underhanded merchants and penniless beggars. All in all, the intimidating and somewhat desolate vibe of the location was enough to cause a trickle of cold sweat to run down Nero¡¯s neck. -Is it too late to leave?- Nero wondered helplessly while his mouth twitched into a cramped smile. Even though he knew this was still a game, even then, he still had second thoughts. Surely, a training facility located in such a shady place wouldn¡¯t be very effective, or at the very least, it would certainly not be very safe. With cowardice thoughts floating in his mind, Nero fought the urge to run while steeling himself. With a phrase like ¡°fight on!¡± repeating in his mind, Nero walked through the cobbled pathway and entered the not-so-friendly-looking Beginner Training Facility. ¡°Geh!¡± Upon seeing the insides, Nero involuntarily let out a rude noise. His eyes scanned through the surroundings, causing his heart to droop, and his mind to regret his current decision. In short, the training facility was¡­ run down. If it weren¡¯t for the old man that sat lazily on a coach towards the leftern most wall of the room, he would have presumed the place to be abandoned. Somewhere, deep in Nero¡¯s heart, he had hoped that this building was one of those cases, where the phrase ¡°You can never judge a book by its cover¡± came into play. Unfortunately, the outside reflected the inside¡¯s contents to a tee. Mold grew along the edges of the walls, the floor mats were ragged and ripped, and most of the training dummies lay broken down and destroyed. While the facility somewhat resembled a modern dojo, its lack of care was a terrible deterrent for Nero. He once again played with the thought of leaving, but a pair of droopy eyelids held him in place. The old man, who, prior to Nero¡¯s appearance, had been merely looking of into space, focused his gaze on the newcomer. With upturned brows and an eager expression, he waved at Nero, signaling the boy to approach him. Nero, likewise shifted his gaze to the old man, and stared blankly at him. Upon closer inspection, the old man, wasn¡¯t so old. Rather, he looked more middle aged, with a possibility of being in his late 20s. The only problem was, the weariness present on his face, coupled by those droopy eyelids added years onto the old man¡¯s appearance. Other than that, the old man was rather plain looking, with the mild exception that the pure white uniform he casually wore suited him very well.That is to say, It looked natural. While Nero stared absentmindedly at the old man, the person in question once again waved at him, urging Nero to come closer. Seeing this, and realizing it was already too late to escape, Nero gulped down his apprehensions. Together with a mouthful of saliva, he staggered forward. As Nero drew closer, the old man¡¯s dry lips parted into a smile. ¡°Quie a glare ya got there, boy.¡± The man had a bit of an accent, but otherwise, his words rang clear in Nero¡¯s own ears. Being reminded of his particular disposition (his face), Nero reddened in embarrassment, as he looked down towards his face. Although Nero wanted to keep a calm facade, like usual, the abrupt reminder of his ¡°deposition¡±, caught him off guard. Seeing this, the old man¡¯s drooping eyes widened slightly, as he heartily chuckled. ¡°No need to get so angry there boy, it wasn¡¯t an insult.¡± As the old man continued laughing, Nero could do nothing but sigh. It seems like the man mistook Nero¡¯s reddening face as a sign of growing anger, creating a somewhat tense misunderstanding. ¡°But, anyways,¡± The old man continued, ¡°It really is quite rare to see someone visit this old dojo, much less a new face. The only visitors we get are old men, and shady looking NPCs. A-ah~ it really is quite a let down.¡± The old man suddenly started complaining, moving his hand around exaggeratedly as if to prove his point. -As expected, this place really is unpopular¡­- Nero bitterly smiled. He could tell why, rather, it was pretty obvious that such a rundown dojo in such a shady street would be unpopular. -Even the guy who works here complains, although for an NPC, that was pretty surprising¡­ wait, this guy, earlier he said¡­- Nero¡¯s mind stuck to the term, ¡°NPC¡± which had escaped from the old man¡¯s earlier speech. Nero, who had presumed that the old man was an NPC upon entering the dojo, re-evaluated his thinking. NPC¡¯s don¡¯t refer to other NPCs as NPCs. That fact was obvious¡­ Tensley gulping, Nero fought the wave of anxiety and nervousness that was budding within him. Overcome by strong curiosity, he attempted to ask a question. ¡°A-a-a-a-a-are y-y-you-¡± In a wave of stuttering and general awkwardness, Nero, while incapable of asking his question, still managed to draw the old man¡¯s attention. The man, tilted his head for a second, before his eyes widened in understanding. ¡°Ah, are you asking me whether or not I¡¯m an NPC or not?¡± The old man had correctly interpreted Nero¡¯s incoherent speech. ¡°Well, obviously, I¡¯m a player, like you. As to why I¡¯m here¡­¡± The old man¡¯s eyes floated upwards. He then moved and sat upright for the first time. The sudden movement caused a layer of wrinkles to form on his white martial arts uniform. ¡°Well, it¡¯s sort of a quest?¡± He said the statement like a question, expressing that he too wasn¡¯t quite sure. ¡°Although a quest where they have me confined here 24/7 really is a bit over the top. That old man definitely tricked me¡­¡± Before he could continue complaining, his slowly contorting face suddenly eased up as he breathed out a tired sigh. He waved his hand once more, as if dismissing his earlier worries, and turned back around to face Nero. ¡°Anyways, you can call me Tren, but the real question here is, why are you here?¡± Nero opened his mouth, ready to answer, before he abruptly closed it again. Beads of sweat trickled down his back as he struggled to form words. It wasn¡¯t that Nero didn¡¯t want to answer, in fact he did. Nero might not realize it himself, but being able to hold a normal conversation with another person was one of Nero¡¯s greatest desires. The only problem was, well, the only problem was Nero himself. As expected, when he found out that the old man in front of him was another player, he instantly clamped up. Talking with NPCs was one thing, but other players were a whole ¡®nother hurdle. Not getting a response, the old man¡¯s eyebrows creased together. He put his knuckle to his chin as he leaned over to more closely observe Nero. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. ¡°Ya don¡¯t really look like the martial arts type¡­ at the very least, you certainly aren¡¯t like that ¡°demon¡±... and looking over your appearance, you are probably a complete newbie, so I doubt you¡¯re here for a quest or something¡­ I ask you again, kid, why¡¯re ya here?¡± After he repeated the question, Nero once again tried to answer. It took him some time answering though. Or rather, the youth stuttered so much it took a full minute to form the simple statement of ¡°I¡¯m looking for a weapon, does the beginner training facility give out weapons?¡± The patient old man nodded his head, and stated, ¡°Weapons? Well, this place keeps a collection of wooden practice weapons for sparring. Seeing as how nobody really uses them, I don¡¯t see why you can¡¯t have one. Although if you''re planning on using them for fighting, I¡¯d advise against it. They don¡¯t really give a lot of damage.¡± Upon stating that, the old man pointed Nero in the direction of a hallway which Nero had previously overtook. After the old man explained how the practice weapons used for training were located in an old supply closet within an attached training hall, Nero awkwardly bowed his head as he delved deeper into the Beginner training facility. ***** The hallway was narrow, but surprisingly long winding. Walking along the hard wood path, it took a while, but eventually, Nero came to see the rundown entrance to the attached training hall. Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! As Nero approached closer, the deafening sound of wood against wood filled the air around him. With hit after hit, the atmosphere seemingly vibrated as the continuous noise continued in cycle. He cautiously poked his head into the training hall, only to see a single silhouette positioned towards the back of the the training hall. The lone figure stood imposingly at a training dummy, their back facing towards him. He watched closely as the figure immediately zoomed forward, striking out towards one of the wooden dolls set up within the hall. Each strike twisted the person¡¯s whole body into action, seemingly carrying both momentum and intent with each attack. The overly large wooden long sword in their hands blurred, as with each consecutive hit, the person¡¯s speed grew and grew. Since it was a bit difficult to tell from this distance and angle, Nero had no idea whether the silhouette in front of him was male or female. Nero hesitated for a minute. He was on guard, and at this point, taking note from his earlier experience, he had already prepared for the worst. Nero assumed this person was definitely a player. With such a mindset, it¡¯s only natural that Nero would think twice about entering the room. But nonetheless, Nero had determined himself to try harder in this new world, so with a furtive step filled with all of his passion, Nero entered the room. He blankly stood there for a minute, just staring at the person¡¯s silhouette. Now that he was closer, he could tell that the person was definitely a girl, since, despite the creases on her uniform, she had a shapely figure that was particularly hard to hide. Nero¡¯s cautious stare slowly turned into absent minded observation, as he was seemingly sucked into the female figure¡¯s work ethic. He silently watched, as the person struck the training dummy again and again, ignoring the worn out floor beneath her, which at this point, had already collected quite a bit of sweat. The person¡¯s loose ponytail would sway ever so softly, matching the movement¡¯s of its owner¡¯s body. Each strike was perfectly executed, then replicated. It was a bit obvious even to Nero, but this person definitely had experience IRL. After staring blankly for 5 minutes, Nero finally returned to reality after a particularly loud strike snapped him out of his derision. For a moment, Nero panicked. He was afraid that the person he had been so intently looking at had noticed him, but soon, Nero¡¯s worries quickly disappeared. The person hadn¡¯t turned around even once, only repeatedly thwacking at the training dummy without a care in the world. It seemed, to this person, nobody existed except for her and the dummy. Nero let out a quiet sigh as he began looking around the room. He was now back on track to his original goal, and, if the only other person in the room ignored him, then Nero would do the same. With such resolution, Nero inspected his surroundings, and soon, his eyes came to land on an old supply closet towards the left wall of the training hall. Sparing one more, brief glance at the quiet silhouette, Nero walked over to the supply closet and began rummaging through its contents. Like what the old man had told him, the closet was filled to the brim with all sorts of weapons. From long swords, to katanas, shields to battle axes, small daggers to halberds, all sorts of weaponry filled the closet. The only thing of note here though, was that each item was made out of the same type of wood, and that despite the closet¡¯s diversity, there were no long ranged weapons in sight. Nero secretly nodded to himself as he took hold of a particular wooden katana with a discolored grip. Its height reached up to Nero¡¯s shoulders, and its blade was thing, and looked somewhat fragile. The wooden katana was also surprisingly heavy. Despite its slender appearance, the wooden sword was easily 5 kg in weight. -Rather than for slicing, this thing is more of a blunt weapon¡­- Nero tentatively swung the sword downwards. He wasn¡¯t really sure what he was doing. In actuality, this was Nero¡¯s first time wielding a sword, both in game and in real life. Truthfully, Nero liked the feeling. The feeling of holding a weapon deftly in both hands, swinging it around like a knight or samurai in battle, his long unused fighting spirit surged, as he cracked a small grin to himself. -Although the feeling is nice, as expected, I can¡¯t really do something like martial arts¡­- Nero lamented to himself, while shooting another glance at the girl towards the back. Nero saw clearly their difference, both in natural talent and years of experience. Despite how hard he looked at the girl, he really couldn¡¯t picture himself putting nearly as much effort into such a thing. Sighing somewhat dejectedly, Nero decided it was time to go. He gripped the wooden sword with his left hand while also causally picking up an additional weapon with his right. The other weapon was a wooden dagger, nothing really that impressive, but Nero figured, since all this was free, he might as well get two instead of one. After placing the dagger in the crook of his boot, Nero shut the closet tight as he turned around and walked towards the exit. he shot another furtive glance at the girl towards the back. Like before, it seemed as if she still hadn¡¯t noticed Nero. Sighing, Nero wordlessly left the room, a vague feeling of loss swirling within him. And like that, the girl was once again alone and Nero was once again on his own path towards this new world.