《Game Makers》 Prologue: Different worlds. Year 2066. In a quiet messy basement of a small one story house where the only things visible are a huge screen TV on the wall to the right of the door of the basement, right in front of the TV is a very comfy looking chair with a helmet connected with many electrodes on top of it. In front of both the TV and chair is an iron table with many electronic gadgets and high tech tools on top. The floor is littered with scrap iron, aluminum, copper and pieces of wood. The basement itself was only 8 meters wide and 6 long, so it wasn¡¯t too tight or too comfortable with all the things in here. A person was sitting on the chair looking like he was out of the shower except it wasn¡¯t water he was covered in but sweat. He was smiling while looking at the TV as if expecting something. Then a sound came from the TV suddenly ¡°I still don¡¯t understand why you exercise in such an unorganized space instead of a clean room filled with fresh air¡±. The person sitting on the chair then spoke and said ¡°O come on, Bemo(pronounced B-mo), that¡¯s not what you are supposed to tell me, you should have said ¡°good job, Kira, keep up the good work ¡° or something like that¡± said Kira with a sad expression on his face. Looking closer at the TV there was a person there with a grassland behind him. Then the TV¡­ or Bemo said ¡°It¡¯s not a good job to work in such an unhealthy environment, Kira, it will only expose you to a higher probability of injury and sickness¡± with a straight voice devoid of feelings. ¡°But it¡¯s no fun otherwise man¡± said Kira, trying to persuade Bemo. ¡°I¡¯m afraid I don¡¯t understand, Kira¡± replied Bemo with the same straight voice. Kira stood up with a hopeful smile on his face and told Bemo with a slightly higher tone of voice ¡°don¡¯t you worry once we are done and I am inside with you we¡¯ll work on way more than just your feelings problem¡± then Kira turned around and showed slightly sad look while whispering to himself ¡±¡­ and hopefully on mine as well¡±. Kira¡¯s expression turned to its normal cheerful look very fast while he headed to the bathroom to take a shower. Once he got out, he got a brush to start brushing his slightly spiky, dark brown, hair. Kira looked at the mirror with his eyes, which were just as brown as his hair and said to himself ¡°as average as ever¡± while giving out a dejected sigh. Though he looked even less than average in reality with his crooked, slightly round, nose and thicker than average eyebrows that were only thick but not connecting into a unibrow. His only good feature was his military styled hair cut that suit his face quite well, though his body was that of an athlete¡¯s at 178cm with strong arms that weren¡¯t as thick as a bodybuilder¡¯s and slightly thicker than a fitness practitioner. Kira then proceeded to drink some water, said good night to Bemo and went to sleep. It has been 10 years since Kira decided to make virtual reality himself and he is now 26 years old. Once he decided to do it, he brought all the books related to virtual reality and studied them with his school material. Kira didn¡¯t have a photographic memory but he studied mnemonics, speed reading and mental math when he was young so whenever he wanted to memorize or study something worth it, he could always do it faster than others¡­ way faster than others. Through much studying and hard work, Kira got a scholarship to a VR department in computer science. Thankfully by 2056 the technology of VR had been already achieved. The only things Kira needed to do by then was to study the materials and connect the dots. But Kira faced an unexpected road block. Once Kira made the VR machine, he wanted to make a world almost identical to this one but for that he needed knowledge far more than he could gain in a hundred years. After much thinking Kira decided to stay within his expertise and make an AI smart enough to think on its own and gain knowledge on its own. Though such a thing was taboo in society because of the dangers it could bring, like the robot overlords and such, and it was also a very serious crime. But he didn¡¯t care, even while knowing the consequences. Thankfully, Kira¡¯s father who was a millionaire who loved his work and his family just as much, made Kira a time deposit when he was young and he was to be able to withdraw from it when he was 21 years old. At 21 Kira was two million dollars richer. So Kira travelled from his family¡¯s home in Japan to Egypt, bought a piece of land in the middle of the desert, close enough from the Nile to get enough water and made a small farm something he always wanted to do, but also the place was perfect to hide a possibly apocalyptic machine. Because Egypt was still a developing country that didn¡¯t care for technology enough, they wouldn¡¯t be able to find out what he was up to since the only thing visible from outside was just a plain farm with a small house. He also made a deal with a man named Ali, who he found honest and trustworthy, something that not many people had in this country,, that he would deliver to Kira all the resources he needed for the set amount of money. Though Kira wanted virtual reality, he didn¡¯t really want to enslave mankind. So he made the AI completely separate from the internet. He built the whole system in his spare room, connected it with his empty VR world and connected it to show on his basements TV. So the AI would be trapped in the VR world, with Kira giving it knowledge to grow, adapt and make things. But giving emotions to the AI was too complex and time consuming for Kira right now and he estimated such a thing would stay complex for tens of years still. By then Kira had an insight and thought *everything I need from now on is too complex for our time and will need more time still, so why not make it that I have even more time than what was given to me?* Time dilation was what Kira was thinking about. By slowing down the minds perception of time with a specific set of enzymes and chemicals like what happens when the world seems to slow down at a moment of life and death. Then all Kira would have to do was to speed up the game itself to match his minds perception and that¡¯s it. In the following years, Kira and Bemo the AI (which was named because the first thing that popped into Kira¡¯s head was a behemoth and not for some deep scientific meaning at all) worked together on improving Bemo and making time dilation real while also improving the VR world itself. The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.Four years have passed since then, Everything will finally be ready tomorrow to venture into the unknown or in this case the known. Kira woke up to the morning sun, slightly more energetic than usual today. He started his morning routine which started with washing his face and ending with breakfast, then he went to the basement and said ¡°good morning, Bemo. How are you today?¡± To which Bemo replied ¡°Good morning, Kira. All of my systems are functioning normally as usual¡± Kira gave a tired sigh at this and said in a slightly annoyed tone ¡°If they are then just say I¡¯m fine. I don¡¯t even know how long I¡¯ve been telling you this¡± Once Kira finished Bemo swiftly replied ¡°This is the 1628th time you have told me, Kira. However you also told me that I don¡¯t have to listen to your orders all the ime¡± still in a deadpan voice. Kira turned his eyes away while pouting and said ¡°At least you¡¯ve started showing signs of favoritism, but why does it have to be on that particular speech pattern¡± finished Kira with a sigh. After a moment of silence Bemo started talking ¡°Kira I¡¯ve set up the worlds as you¡¯ve told me to. We can start immediately once you¡¯re in¡± At that Kira showed his usual cheerful smile ¡°Finally! Then let¡¯s start right away¡± Kira proceeded to the comfy chair while stripping naked and put on the helmet. Suddenly, the chair started changing and instead of its leathery sides they flipped sides to show a smooth white iron and behind his legs the chair extended upwards at a 45 degree angle. From below the extension a u-shaped iron tube extended with a mechanical sound and once it was in front of his legs, it split into two parts with the upper part going in a semi-circle to the other side covering Kira¡¯s body completely in a transparent bubble like dome. Then the seat itself that Kira was sitting on suddenly got hollowed in the middle of it showing a closed hole 2 meters beneath it that would open only when there was weight on the surface(for the bathroom and all -_- ). While to his right arm a breathing device with a small tube attached to it got out with a *POP* sound. Kira took it and put it on his mouth and nose and finally closed his eyes. Even with all this technology, Kira was only able to stay inside for one month before having to get out again or risk malnutrition. Whether or not that was enough time though, was up for debate. Then again he could always get in again. Kira opened his eyes as if awakened from a dream. Looking around himself, He saw wooden room with only a bed, which he was currently occupying, a closet and two of the same chair he used to log in, right in front of each other. The closet was right in front of the bed and beside it was window, showing a grassland outside with a big umbrella in front of the doorstep, which was right beside the window, under it there was a table and two chairs. Kira got up and right as he was about to stand he saw the same usual expressionless face with white hair and bright blue eyes. ¡°Welcome, Kira¡± said Bemo. ¡°Woah, you scared me, man¡± said Kira with a surprised face. Bemo didn¡¯t reply and simply turned around, walked to the chair and said ¡°shall we?¡± ¡°Yeah, let¡¯s go¡± Kira said with and energetic expression. They both proceeded to hope on the chairs, naked, infront of each other. And the same process happened to both of them. They both woke up in beds of their own that were beside each other with a little space in the middle. They got up and waked through the wooden room that had 2 closets in front of each bed, two windows and a door in the middle however this time it was a farm outside with all kinds of crops outside. Ignoring all that. The two of them walked beside their closets where their chairs laid. They sat on their chairs, stark naked as the first time with Kira showing a dejected expression but he closed his eyes and just waited on his chair. And they woke up again. In beds beside each other however this time it was a stone room. Looking outside from the two windows, that were both on Bemo¡¯s side of the bed, showed they were on a cliff with the sea all the way to the horizon while the sound of waves crashing on stones could be heard from under there. They stripped again and sat on the chairs in front of each other while behind them were their closets. With Kira¡¯s expression worsening he told Bemo ¡°R-remind me again why the chairs are exactly in front of each other?¡± he started stuttering a little. Bemo told him emotionlessly ¡°you told me to do it that way¡±. ¡°Yes, but why did you listen to a stupid request like that, which I might have said absentmindedly. And you still refuse to say ¡°I¡¯m fine¡±?¡± said Kira with shallow eyes and a hopeless expression. Without a reply they both closed their eyes. On the fifth stage which was in a cave with a forest outside. Kira said with an expressionless face ¡°I¡¯m starting to hate this¡±. To which Bemo replied with the same face ¡°you can go back, and make me configure the worlds to your liking if you wish?¡±. But Kira just said with a sigh ¡°No, it¡¯s my fault and it¡¯ll just take more time. Let¡¯s just get this over with¡± On the eight stage, Kira started slapping himself. ¡°Why are you slapping yourself?¡± asked Bemo. ¡°To never forget such a mistake again and also to try and stay distracted¡± said Kira trying to not look at Bemo. While Kira was slapping himself he was thinking *Why the hell did I make him guy? I could¡¯ve been having so much fun right now). The rest of the stages went on in almost the same fashion until stage 20. Where they were in a shack with windows showing nothing outside but a desert. This time Kira got off from the bed in an energetic run while stripping and getting into the chair fast and right before he closed his eyes he said ¡°Finally!¡±. Chapter 1: Stimulus
Welcome, Kira
In a dark space where nothing is visible a sparkling yellowish white light appeared. It was Kira, and started looking around to see if there was anyone else here. But a sound startled him. ¡°Would you like to customize your character, Kira¡± said a lovely woman¡¯s voice that could capture any man¡¯s heart. ¡°No, thanks. Bemo¡± said Kira with a wry smile. ¡°Very well¡± said the same charming voice ¡°Choose your race¡±. ¡°I already told you back home that I choose human¡± said Kira a bit irritated. Then suddenly a map appeared in front of Kira¡¯s vision and Bemo said charmingly ¡°Choose your starting location¡± ¡°Random¡± said Kira. ¡°What will your character name be?¡± asked Bemo. ¡°Kira¡± answered Kira. ¡°Enjoy the game¡± replied Bemo shortly. Kira was then teleported from the dark space.
You Have Discovered the land: Zumar
Behind a white stone building two bright yellow lights appeared beside each other. And out of them came a dark brown haired and dark brown eyed man and a slightly shorter, white haired and blue eyed man. They came to, to the side of a crowd of people in market to their right while to their left they could hear the sound of seagulls and waves on the beach. With medieval looking stone building of various stone colours and stalls made of tents showing their wares which include but aren¡¯t limited to food: vegetables, sea food and rarely some meat. Accessories, jewels, potions, armors and weapons. The two of them walked through the crowd unnoticed as if such a thing was a common happening. Though some were whispering amongst themselves out of earshot ¡°these must be some great mages¡±. Kira ignored all of that and went to the beach with Bemo. While walking he checked his clothes and inventory.
Ragged Shirt
TypeCloth(upper body)Durability7 / 10
DiscriptionA used up shirt that¡¯s barely useful for covering a person¡¯s upper body Defense:3
Ragged Trousers
TypeCloth(Legs)Durability6 / 10
DiscriptionUsed up Trousers that¡¯re barely useful for covering a person¡¯s Legs Defense:2
Ragged Shoes
TypeCloth(Feet)Durability5 / 10
DiscriptionUsed up shoes that¡¯re barely useful for covering a person¡¯s feet Defense:2
Water canteen(5 liters)
10 loaves of bread
Starter¡¯s Dagger
Kira checked the dagger¡¯s stats
Starter''s Dagger
Typeweapon(dagger)Durability8 / 10
DiscriptionA beginner¡¯s dagger given to all starting players Attack: 1 - 3
Kira equipped his dagger and checked Bemo¡¯s inventory and equipment to see if they have the same stuff and that everything was in order while they headed to the beach. With the feeling of hot sand on their feet, the salty smell in the air from the sea and the sound of waves crashing in front of them, they sat down close to the water. Kira then spoke ¡°Let me just check our stats¡±.
Status
Name:Kira
Profession None
Titles: None
Fame: 0 Infamy: 0
Health: 100 Health Regeneration: 0.2 per second
Mana: 100 Mana Regeneration: 0.2 per second
Stamina: 100 Stamina Regeneration: 0.2 per second
[tr]
Strength: 10 Agility: 10
Dexterity: 10 Vitality: 10
Wisdom: 10 Intelligence: 10
Luck: 10
[tr]
Attack: 10.5 ¨C 13.5 Defense: 6
Extra Effects:
Universal Language: allows you to understand all forms of language Expires in 6 months
Status
Name:Bemo
Profession None
Titles: None
Fame: 0 Infamy: 0
Health: 100 Health Regeneration: 0.2 per second
Mana: 100 Mana Regeneration: 0.2 per second
Stamina: 100 Stamina Regeneration: 0.2 per second
[tr]
Strength: 10 Agility: 10
Dexterity: 10 Vitality: 10
Wisdom: 10 Intelligence: 10
Luck: 10
[tr]
Attack: 10.5 ¨C 13.5 Defense: 6
Extra Effects:
Universal Language: allows you to understand all forms of language Expires in 6 months
¡°Alright! Everything is in order. The NPCs are acting normally, the items are in place, our stats are normal and the world is following the rules of physics as we know it ¡±Kira smiled at that and said ¡°¡­ well ¡­ mostly¡± then he looked on at Bemo and told him energetically ¡°Let¡¯s do it!¡± At that a transparent keyboard appeared in front of Bemo with him expertly writing commands on it. 5 minutes of enjoying the view later, Bemo said ¡°It¡¯s done¡± while turning his head to look at Kira. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ What Kira and Bemo were doing, was time dilation within time dilation. Because of the excess amount of information going to the brain, It would have caused Kira¡¯s mind to explode if he had went above 10 times the normal time. But thankfully, the brain filters unnecessary information in our sleep. So all was not for naught. With that fact in hand, Kira told Bemo to make 21 interconnecting worlds, where every time you go deeper the time goes slower. That way when Kira tries to get out, he would have to spend some time in each world to sleep for a while, then log out and repeat the process for 21 times. Kira found that spending seventeen and a half years in game were good enough for teaching bemo emotions and also learning a few things for himself. As for the reason Bemo was with Kira, it was because of what might happen to Kira inside the 21st stage. Since the world was operating on its own there were many unknown factors and outcomes; one¡¯s of which Kira might go insane in that world. So he would be imprisoned in the following world while Bemo would fix him up. And also he did¡¯t want to stay alone while logging out. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 year ago. Kira was working in his basement with Bemo as usual that day. The sun was just about to set while Kira was sitting in his chair drinking some tea, talking to Bemo. ¡°So how is the world building going?¡± asked Kira while sipping on the last bits of his hot red tea. To which Bemo replied ¡°the world itself has been completed however since we haven¡¯t discovered the origin of life yet, I will start adding single celled organisms and evolve them to your liking¡± ¡°That¡¯s great, man¡± replied Kira with a smile and then thought for a while and said ¡°Make it fantasy themed with dragons, elves and dwarves¡± said Kira while dragging the species names a little and opening one finger from his hand every time he said a species he wanted. The genuine version of this novel can be found on another site. Support the author by reading it there. ¡°And also add some steam punk themes with machines, steam cities and robots¡± add Kira who then hurriedly said ¡°Obviously with magic from the other realms of course. You did add all the extra realms, right?¡± asked Kira while narrowing his eyes a little. ¡°Yes, I did, Kira¡± replied Bemo with his usual emotionless voice. Kira gave a sigh of relief at that and asked him ¡°So what do you need for the world?¡± ¡°I will need time and more space on the world¡¯s memory¡± answered Bemo. Then Kira, shaping his mouth into an O shape ¡°Ooh kay. I¡¯m already on it and I¡¯m also going to update your own memory with the stuff I ordered from Ali, So that you can finally start learning emotions AND in time experience them as well¡± finished Kira with a smile. Kira¡¯s smile widened a little as if he had a great idea and suddenly almost screamed at Bemo ¡°Hey, Bemo, can you make the control system in the 21st world into a structure where you can only access it if you are connected to it?¡± ¡°Yes, I can, Kira, why?¡± asked Bemo. To which Kira started laughing loudly and said ¡°I want you to make it so that once we get inside, you sever your connection with it but program it to teleport to random locations at certain intervals. Also add a very strong guardian to it and program it so it would only get out to attack anyone that gets close to the tube¡± ¡°Why would you want to do such a thing, Kira?¡± asked Bemo. ¡°For the sake of growth of course¡± answered Kira with a bright smile. ¡°I don¡¯t understand, Kira¡± answered Bemo. ¡°Listen, man. We, humans, are known to grow through hardships and challenges but also we want an equally great reward for the amount of effort we put into something. It¡¯s basic human psychology¡± answered Kira a little loudly. ¡°And also such a thing may help us both grow faster because we know that what¡¯s waiting for us at the end is control over that whole world¡± said Kira and then proceeded to contemplate on what he just said. ¡°It kind of feels like I¡¯m some kind of evil overlord when I put that way¡± he said while putting his hand on his chin. Anyway, just do it. It¡¯ll be awesome trust me¡± he finished with his usual bright smile. After a while, Bemo replied ¡°I understand Kira.¡± He then asked ¡°How strong do you want the guardian to be?¡± ¡°Teach him all of the great magics, martial arts and all of their derivatives¡± answered Kira, his smile turning a little more vicious this time. ¡°I understand, Kira. Please note that the structure itself will be big and that the guardian will simply be almost invincible¡± Then Kira told him ¡°Don¡¯t , you, worry about that¡± He then went upstairs with an empty cup of tea and a smile on his face. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Back at the beach, Kira and Bemo were heading to the tavern to get some information. When they arrived they saw a two story dark brown brick building, accompanied by the sound of men¡¯s laughter and talk from inside with sign saying ¡°welcome to the shaking pantry pub¡±. With some stairs in front of them they went inside through a wooden door, almost unnoticed by everyone. While only some people eying them and then going back to their own activities. They headed straight to the bar tender who was a 190cm tall, black haired, muscular, brown man. When he noticed them approaching he said in a deep tone of voice ¡°what can I do for you, kids?¡± finishing with a hearty laugh. ¡°We are short on money and would like to know where we can learn mining or smithing to earn some coins, perhaps?¡± asked Kira with a smile. ¡°The miners are working in an iron mine west of the inner city, and the smithing guild only accepts those who have developed their strength¡± answered the bartender. ¡°I wouldn¡¯t recommend going mining as a way to get some easy money though, kid¡± said the bartender trying to give them some advice. However Kira swiftly told him before he could continue ¡°it¡¯s okay as long as we get food and water, sir¡± To which the bartender seemed a little perplexed and told him after a sigh ¡°do what you want, kid. Just head out of the inner gate through the main road and ask the guards stationed there to show you the way to the mines¡± At that Kira thanked the bartender and left with Bemo who hadn¡¯t uttered a word since entering. ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Kira and Bemo stood in front of many tents put together beside each other with people walking with wagons on rails to a dark colored tent, probably to unload the rock there. Kira walked forward to the closest person he could find and asked him ¡°excuse me. Could you tell us where we could apply for work here?¡± directing his question to a dwarf. ¡°HEH¡± yelled the dwarf while turning around. ¡°Whatcha want, maggot?¡± Before Kira could say anything, Bemo replied ¡°We are not maggots, sir. We are humans¡± With a straight face. The dwarf scowled at that and Kira face palmed but he recovered quickly and said hurriedly ¡°W-WE are very sorry, sir. We just want to know where we can apply to work here from?¡± The dwarf growled and answered ¡°Hm, head to that red tent over there¡± he said pointing at a small red tent slightly further away from the huge black tent, closer to a big white tent. The dwarf then walked off while mumbling to himself ¡°damn maggots¡± and then spit close to Bemo¡¯s feet and walked away, carrying his pick on his shoulders. However Bemo didn¡¯t even turn his head towards the dwarf because he simply didn¡¯t care. Though Bemo didn¡¯t understand emotions he understood that such an action was to offend Bemo. He know that much from the novels Kira brought him so that Bemo would understand a sentient being¡¯s behavior. But Bemo didn¡¯t care for he didn¡¯t have a consept of pride. Knowing that Kira sighed a bit in annoyance about that dwarf and a bit in relief that Bemo didn¡¯t cause problems. *I think I should be thankful he doesn¡¯t understand emotions right now* thought Kira with a wry smile. ¡°Let¡¯s go Bemo¡± said Kira. They both headed to the red tent and went inside. There was not many people around them and less people that paid them any heed because they were far from the mines. They went inside to find a wooden desk with a wooden chest in front of it and a big person with green scales instead of skin and dark green horns on his forehead that got darker the higher they got. He was wearing a dark gray leather vest. The moment the two stepped in front of his desk he paid the no heed and continued to write on some papers with a quill. So Kira decided to fake cough to grab his attention, yet the draconian looking man still kept on working. So Kira decided to speak ¡°Excuse me? Sir?¡± At that the man put the quill in the ink well to his right and looked up towards Kira without saying anything. After a moment of awkward silence the draconian motioned for Kira to speak. With a perplexed expression Kira spoke ¡°Ah¡­ I was wondering if you could take me and my friend here¡± he said motioning to Bemo and continued ¡°to work in the mines?¡± Still without saying anything the man got up from his seat, which made him tower over Kira with a full head, and went outside and motioned for them to follow. Out of the tent the man suddenly shouted with a gruff voice ¡°PYNDEL!!¡± That startled Kira making him take a step to the side while stumbling. Then out of the white tents came black skinned, purple eyed person with pointy ears. He came running with food stuffed all over his face and halted close to the draconian and then said ¡°YES, Mister Milan!!¡± Then the draconian almost shouted in his face ¡°They want to work¡± while pointing at Kira and Bemo to his side ¡°show¡¯em the ropes¡±. Then he went inside the tent again, ignoring the whole group. Kira stood there stuned with a stupid expression on his face and Bemo still had the same straight face. Pyndel sighed and told them ¡°Don¡¯t worry he¡¯s always like this¡± This made Kira also sigh with a little bit of annoyance. Pyndel then looked at Kira and said ¡°Anyway, I am Pyndel, the chief¡¯s assistant. The chief is Milan if you hadn¡¯t already guessed¡± He then pointed at the white tent from where he came from and said ¡° the white tents over there are where you go eat, you get 3 meals a day; breakfast is from 7 to 8:30 am, lunch from 3 to 5 pm and dinner from 7 to 8 pm.¡± Then he pointed at the opposite direction and said ¡°The grey tents, over there, are the sleeping quarters. Follow me and I will show you your beds¡± they proceeded to go to the tent and inside the beds were all lined up beside each other in two rows, each bed had its own drawer beside it that was locked with a key. They walked for a bit and then stopped almost at the end. Pyndel then turned to the right and give them both a key and told them to try their keys on the drawers after the drawers opened normally he told them the beds to the left of their drawers were their own. Kira noticed that each drawer was given a number and a letter to differentiate between them. Kira¡¯s was 6-J while Bemo¡¯s was 7-J. Pyndel then told them to follow him inside the mine. Once inside, he gave them both a pick from the entrance and told them to bring a wagon from the ones beside them. They did as they were told and followed him inside. The mine was lighted by torches which illuminated the inside with a bright orange color. Pyndel kept walking with the both of them following close behind for a while until he found a visible ore vein and told them to fill each of their wagons with ore before the end of the day and told them to bring their wagons back to the black tents once they were done and left them at that. Kira and Bemo didn¡¯t say anything and simply started working. Their stamina ended pretty quickly after only 15 minutes of work and they had to wait for 8 minutes for it refill. ¡°Hah¡­ It feels like I have the strength of a 12 year old¡± complained Kira. ¡°You are the one that said you wanted to grow, Kira¡± said Bemo. ¡°Yeah¡­ whatever¡± said Kira while waving his hands. Three hours passed since then and their wagons were only half full. ¡°Damn, we¡¯ve been at it for hours and the wagon is only half full. We might not make it that way¡± said Kira, clearly depressed. ¡°We will finish on time, Kira¡± said Bemo. Before Kira could ask him what he meant. He remembered and put his right fist into his left palm as if he figured something out ¡°Ah¡­ all the work is getting into my head, I almost forgot¡± said Kira with a smile before going back to work with more motivation and energy. 5 minutes later Kira heard a it. *Ding*
YOU HAVE GAINED A NEW SKILL
Mining
Increases mining speed and power When mining agility increased by 10% & strength by 10%
¡°Yeah, I did it¡± shouted Kira while making a fist in the air ¡°did you get it too, Bemo?¡± ¡°Yes, I did, Kira¡± said Bemo still with a straight face, not sharing the same cheerful spirit. Kira stopped celebrating suddenly and told Bemo ¡°come on, man. Smile a little bit¡± ¡°As you wish, Kira¡± At that Bemo showed a very small smile which got back to normal right away. Kira became depressed and said ¡°that wasn¡¯t an order you know?¡± ¡°I understand, Kira¡± said Bemo emotionlessly and then got back to mining. *I thought he would have made some progress. But it looks like he¡¯ll need a lot more stimulus than this* thought Kira who sighed and then got back to work, too. With the skill allowing them to work literally 110% faster. They were almost three fourth of the way there after one hour when suddenly. *Ding*
+1 STR,VIT
Even though Kira was extremely happy with the gains, he didn¡¯t show it and turned to look at Bemo only to find him mining with his usual expression. Kira didn¡¯t falter and asked ¡°Bemo, Did you get the stat gains?¡± ¡°Yes, I did, Kira¡± Bemo said still working. ¡°AND?¡± asked Kira expectedly. ¡°And?¡± asked Bemo who stopped working and tilted his head looking at Kira. ¡°Nothing?!¡± Kira said even more depressed than the first time. ¡°Never mind. Let¡¯s finish this¡± he said quickly recovering, as he went back to work. They both got back to work and with their stat gains and skill, managed to fill up the wagons in another hour and a half. They brought the wagons back to the black tent, unloaded the ores, went to eat before the white tents closed and looked around for Pyndal. When they found him, Kira asked him where the showers are and he told them it was behind the sleeping quarters while telling them there was an extra set of clothes in their drawers. So they went to take a shower, changed into their extra clothes and slept. Ending their day. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Hello everyone! please report to me if there are any inconsistencies, loopholes or grammatical errors. Thanks and enjoy the chapter! Edit: Um... sorry you guys i forgot to add something in the extra effects of their status windows Thankfully it won''t have a big impact on the story Chapter 2: Unknown dangers It has been a week since the two of them started working in the mines. They had no idea if the pay was good or not since they never really bought or sold anything since coming to this world. After waking up the next day, Pyndel came and gave each of them 8 copper coins with a weird looking symbol on each of them. Kira decided to ask him what this was since he thought this was robbery. However, Pyndel simply asked them where they came from with rather suspicious eyes. Kira panicked a little and told him that they came from an isolated village in the nearby mountains, those that he saw when he left the city. He then continued talking hurriedly, giving Pyndel no room to reply, that people would leave from that village to seek adventure in the outside world and that he and Bemo were the same. Bemo just stood there motionlessly with no expression on his face as usual. Pyndel eased his glare a bit and asked him what their money system was. To which, Kira simply said that they exchanged goods with each other instead of using a money system while giving a remark about how uncivilized his supposed village was. He ended his sentence with a dry laugh while scratching the back of his head. Seemingly too tired to pursue the matter any further, Pyndel told them about the money system in this country. The lowest type of coin was a sort of gray iron that they called ibene. Above it was the copper coins in their hands that were worth 50 ibene each, they were called inty. Then, there was the iufa which was made of silver and was worth 100 inty. And the highest was the Oten which was, obviously for Kira, made of gold. It was worth 100 iufa. All of these coins were enchanted to prevent rust and forgeries. A normal citizen would need at least 15 iufa to support his or her daily needs. As for the symbols, they were the crest of the Taki Monarchy which was the ruling family of this region. It was basically a big drop of water with a smaller tree, some dirt and a cloud surrounding it, forming a triangle. Once he explained it, it was actually very easy to distinguish. The reason Kira lied to Pyndel was because he didn¡¯t know anything about this world and the suspicious look Pyndel gave him which made him a bit uneasy. After that they continued to work there for the whole week, avoiding people as much as possible until they could find out more about the world. Kira decided they should go back to the city afterwards to read more about the world in a library or anything of the sort. When they told Pyndel they were leaving, he asked them to hand over their picks and waved them off with a tired good bye. Kira was fashioning his usual smile on his back, with the expressionless Bemo walking beside him. They crossed the inner gate and went straight for the shaking pantry pub. As they entered, the bartender noticed them and had a bit of a smug look on his face. ¡°Did ya give up, kids?¡± he asked as they approached. ¡°No, we¡¯ve done what we needed¡± Kira said with a grin. The bartender¡¯s face returned back to normal as he laughed loudly and ¡°hit¡± Kira¡¯s shoulder with his gigantic right hand ¡°attaboy, it¡¯s good that ya know what you¡¯re doing¡± Kira decided to laugh with the man to appear intimate and told him a simple ¡°thank you¡± And then continued ¡°So I need to buy a map to know where I¡¯m going instead of coming here to ask you every time¡± ¡°Sure that¡¯ll be 10 inty¡± Kira gladly gave him the money, grateful that he wouldn¡¯t tell him to go somewhere else because he was a bit tired. He waved his hand good bye to the bartender and left the place after he told him ¡°see you later¡± Once back on the stone streets, Kira spoke while looking at the map ¡°so where is this library?¡± while moving his finger all over the map trying to locate the library, Bemo simply pointed at it from the side. ¡°Oh thanks, Bemo¡± They headed for the library to finally get some information about the world they were in. After passing many buildings with different looking roofs, they found the library at a corner between two streets, exactly as the map showed. It was a three story building with many windows that showed only the book shelves inside and the same white rock ceiling as the outside. They went inside and looked around for the receptionist. They found her at the far right side of the store managing some books. As they approached they could make out her appearance somewhat. Wearing a simple white shirt with a black v-cut vest that barely went down her stomach and a black skirt to match. Her clothes matched her black curly hair very well. With emerald green eyes and a lovely round face she looked at the two men approaching. She gave them a lovely business smile and told them with her very smooth, pleasant voice ¡°what can I do for you, gentlemen?¡± With a smile of his own, Kira said ¡°Hello, we are travelers coming from an isolated village in the mountains, and we would like to get some books on the history of this world¡± Suddenly remembering something he added ¡°¡­and also some books on the language spoken around these parts¡± The woman who looked to be in her 20s replied to Kira ¡°certainly, sir. However, first you¡¯ll have to either buy a membership for the library or pay for a day¡¯s stay in the library¡± ¡°How much do they cost?¡± ¡°The membership costs 1 iufa while the stay is 8 inty each¡± Kira pondered whether he should go kill something outside the city while spending all their money to buy a membership for Bemo so that he could finally get some action. Or think rationally and stay here while both of them read the books and go hunting together afterwards. ¡°We¡¯ll stay for a day¡± He said as he handed her 16 inty. ¡°Then please take seat over there¡± she pointed at a table to her right. ¡°And I¡¯ll go get the books you requested¡± She said cheerfully. A while later the two of them sat with a stack of four books in front of them. One was for the vocabulary of the language the other was the grammar, and the two others were history books. ¡°Alright, come on, Bemo¡± Kira said as he took the vocabulary book and went to the receptionist. ¡°Excuse us, ma¡¯am. Could you please tell us about the basics of this language? Like how each characters sound and the basic sentences?¡± He was looking up while talking because she was on some stairs evidently trying to sort some books or return them into place. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I¡¯m a little busy at the moment. You can try touching the characters or sentences and you¡¯ll hear what they sound like¡± she said, looking down at them with her business smile. A little confused, Kira thanked her and went back to their table. He opened the book to the first page after what seemed to be the table of content and found some characters spaced out evenly on the page. He touched one of the characters and a great voice resounded. With surprise written all over his face he asked ¡°Did you hear that?¡± ¡°No, I did not, Kira¡± Kira was even more surprised by this and thought for a moment before telling Bemo to try it. Bemo looked at Kira after touching a letter and said ¡°It seems to be a kind of telepathy magic, Kira¡± Kira nodded energetically and said ¡°Ok, this is awesome. I can¡¯t wait to try out more magic in the future. For now, let¡¯s finish these books¡± After Kira was done hearing all the letters he heard a *Ding*
YOU HAVE GAINED A NEW SKILL
For already having experience using this skill it has been raised a tier
Mnemonics (Intermediate : Lvl 1)
A technique used for memorizing facts and information using one¡¯s imagination. This skill increases your visualization¡¯s vividness. And increases your speed at making associations.
Kira became ecstatic that he could increase his proficiencies in skills, that he picked up in real life, even more in this game. He couldn¡¯t wait to finish the language so that he would get the speed reading skill, too. ¡°Did you get anything after finishing the characters, Bemo?¡± ¡°Yes, I did, Kira¡± ¡°Oh, show me, show me¡± Kira got excited like a little kid. Bemo seemed to be playing with his fingers in the air when the familiar blue window appeared with a *Ding*
Photographic Memory (Trait)
You gain full retention of your memories whenever you want to remember them.
¡°That¡¯s so cool¡± Kira exclaimed his admiration out loud while standing up from his seat before remembering where he was and covering his mouth. Thankfully, there wasn¡¯t anyone in the vicinity except the receptionist, who was a little startled but ignored it, so Kira relaxed. They spent two hours reading both language books. With each page, Kira got faster as he started becoming familiar with the characters. And apparently the magic on the sentences and words would say the word in its language and then translate it to the most familiar language of the one who hears it. Until after an hour of reading Kira got what he was waiting for *Ding*
YOU HAVE GAINED A NEW SKILL
This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
For already having experience using this skill it has been raised a tier
Speed Reading (Intermediate : Lvl 1)
Increases your reading speed by 800% that of a normal person¡¯s.
While Kira was still reading the grammer book, Bemo was already reading the final history book. *As expected, his learning speed and capacity is way higher than any human¡¯s: normal or not* thought Kira It took another hour for Kira to finish the history books. Yet Bemo didn¡¯t move from his side and sat while looking in front of him for the whole hour. Each book he finished gave him a boost in his skills and some stat boost in INT and WIS but mainly in INT. Kira went to return the books to the receptionist, who was surprised, and asked ¡°Are you not going to finish these books?¡± ¡°We already have¡± The receptionist just looked at them for a moment then laughed and said ¡°yeah¡­ right¡± ¡°No, I¡¯m serious. For example the peace treaty done at Biford castle between all intelligent species ended the times of war and started the new calendar¡± Kira said as matter of fact. ¡°You might have just know that from where you came from¡± the receptionist said, unconvinced. ¡°Well, it was mentioned in page 327 of the book (History of Zumar)¡± Kira wanted to find out what kind of expression she¡¯d make, once he convinced her so he pushed further with a playful expression. ¡°Also there was this battle in scarwood forest where the wood and high elves fought against the blood elves and ended their race, it was mentioned in page 251 to 254 of the same book¡± ¡°Also¡­Also the blood elves were the race that gave birth to vampires through a certain unknown incident which is believed to be the reason vampires are susceptible to the sun while the blood elves aren¡¯t, it was mentioned in page 57 of the book (the races¡¯ history)¡± The woman just stood there in a daze, unable to process how such a thing is happening. ¡°pffft¡­ Nhahahahaha¡± Kira couldn¡¯t hold it any longer and burst into laughter, waking the receptionist from here daze. ¡°Why are you laughing?¡± She asked cutely while puffing her cheeks and giving him and angry glare. ¡°I¡¯m sorry, but I just love looking at those kinds of faces. It gets me every time¡± he stopped a lot in the sentence, trying to keep from laughing out loud again. ¡°Hm¡­ Many people can do that anyway, it¡¯s just the first time I¡¯ve seen it done with my own eyes. Though these people are usually scholars. Are you a scholar¡­Um? What¡¯s your name exactly?¡± ¡°It¡¯s Kira¡± He pointed at Bemo and said ¡°This is Bemo. And no, we¡¯re not scholars. Though we used to read a lot in our home village¡± Lying through his teeth, Kira tried his best to not sound suspicious. Especially after he read the history books. ¡°I¡¯m Cecie. It¡¯s good to meet you two¡± She gave them a lovely smile. ¡°Well then, Cecie. I was wondering whether there would be books on magic that we could read here¡± Kira said, also smiling. ¡°There are many books on magic here. However, you must have a magic profession or the mages guild¡¯s emblem, in order for you to read them¡± ¡°Oh¡­ Do you know how I can get the mages guild¡¯s emblem then?¡± Kira asked. ¡°They make you go through a test, in order to see your magic capabilities and whether or not you might use their knowledge for evil¡± Cecie answered. ¡°And they obviously check whether or not we¡¯re evil with some form of telepathy magic?¡± Kira asked. ¡°Maybe, I¡¯m not too keen on the details¡± Cecie answered while putting a finger on her lower lip and looking upwards. Kira had a dissatisfied look on his face before he hid it and said ¡°Ok, thanks, Cecie. We¡¯ll see you later then¡° He waved her good bye and left with Bemo. ¡°Come back anytime¡± She said while also waving at them from behind her counter. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Kira learned through the history books that this land was ravaged by many wars between all the different races. The sentient races fought for supremacy over one another, which decreased their numbers greatly, allowing the monster races to overpower them at some point. The humans wanted to enslave all beast kin, thinking they were lesser beings. The high, wood and night elves fought the blood elves until they drove them to extinction because of their beastly ways that weren¡¯t deemed fit for elves. And then joined the conflict of the humans and beast-kin. The dwarves and gnomes hid in their mountains avoiding most of the conflicts. Yet, there was still skirmishes between other races and sometimes between their own kin. The barbarians fought for whoever hired them as mercenaries. And the draconians kept mostly to themselves only fighting those who fought them. When the monster races started getting stronger and pushed the sentient races to a corner. The humans out of fear reluctantly agreed for peace with the elves and beast-kin. Together they provided raw materials for the dwarves and gnomes in order to persuade them to join their alliance. Though the barbarians loved violence and battles they also joined the alliance because they could still fight monsters everyday. The draconians still stayed mostly secluded from the outside world. However, some of them liked to leave their homes and wander the whole continent. This alliance is now known as the Biford Union. A union guided by the great god of light (Kathil). After hundreds of years the monsters were easily pushed back again. And conflict between some of the beast-kin and humans ignited again. To deal with the rebellious humans the union decided to banish them to the north. With the humans taking the north, they started the Ceton kingdom, ruled by the Ceton royal bloodline. The ones who reignited the conflict. The kingdom follows (Thaldir) the great god of destruction. He gave the Ceton family power to defend their kingdom from the monsters and enslave all who stood before them. The beast-kin, who were unable to live with humans again, went east, to the center of the continent. They made the Anes republic that follows the great beast goddess (Anes). With power shared evenly between each beast clan, they found hope in defending themselves against monsters. Thankfully, the kingdom and republic are separated by a mountain chain and going around it would lead them into the union¡¯s borders. So, the conflict is at a standstill for now. In the far north where Kira and Bemo are, lies the Taki monarchy. A family of humans who worship the great goddess of water (Takela) The ruling family is said to be very welcoming to all races as long as they don¡¯t cause trouble. The family existed way before the union. With a great military and economic system along with the power given to them from the goddess. They repelled all invaders and solved any conflict that happened inside their borders. Though people don¡¯t know how they did it on their own even to this day. They suspect the family had help from the draconians whose city is believed to be within the monarchy¡¯s borders. What Kira found most unnerving and unusual about all the history was that no one ever got out to the great ocean and came back to tell the tale. The furthest any one could get were a couple of islands close to the main continent. And even most of those who tried going to these islands got shipwrecked. Of the few survivors who were miraculously close to shore they reported seeing gargantuan monsters from the sea. Which is now belived to be the reason no one survives in the sea. The reason Kira became overly cautious, was because of the unknown that awaited him and Bemo when people find out he wasn¡¯t from here. Even worse if they found out he and Bemo were the ones that actually made them. That¡¯s why he decided to stay away from the mages guild until he could at least block their telepathy magic and even better if he learned it for himself in order to forcefully make Bemo feel emotions. Though he didn¡¯t know if it was a good idea. He decided to risk it since he didn¡¯t see any improvement in Bemo. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Once they were out of the library, Kira decided they should go hunting since he has been dying to try out the martial arts he learned in real life. *I should have asked Cecie to give me some information on the monsters in the area* Kira pondered * but then she might get even more suspicious since I¡¯m supposed to be from a village in the nearby mountains* With a shrug. Kira thought this was for the best. ¡°Hey, Bemo. Let¡¯s go hunting¡± Kira said with his smile. ¡°Will you be alright, Kira?¡± asked Bemo without any visible concern in his voice. ¡°It¡¯ll be alright, I can hold it¡± Kira said, giving a little sad smile before saying ¡°I¡¯m pretty sure I can hold it together as long as I don¡¯t get too aggravated, but if push comes to shove¡­ you know what to do¡± Kira looked at Bemo as if to make sure of something, then Bemo said with a nod ¡°I understand, Kira¡± ¡°Good. Then let¡¯s be on our way¡± Kira said as he turned to walk on the way to the gate, with a determined smile on his face. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hello, everyone! I know that this is just the beginning of the story but i already feel that my side characters are very lacking. whether it''s their personalities, roles or other wise. Also my vocabulary sucks even though i take great pride in my grammar. So please give me some pointers and suggestions if you can. As always, please report any loopholes, inconsistencies or grammatical errors. Thank you, everyone!