《The Great Sword Tamer》 Chapter 1: Employed as a Dark Gamer Chapter 1: Employed as a Dark Gamer They said that everyone equaled in everything, but that was just one of their stupid comments to raise a lie and spread it like an insecticide. Equal their asses, if everyone were equal, then no one would be complaining about their miserable lives. Thanks to the Government officials that had nothing but good to do, the majority of population of Republic of Philippines had been living in prosperity. A lot of Filipinos received high paying job and the economy rose faster than the speed of light, voiced by Patrick Magdalena in a sarcastic tone. Hell as if they could do that. All they had done to the community was to take their money and use it for themselves. Instead of taxes going back to the people, those who sit on the Government benefited from it. As the result of their endless greed, the country couldn¡¯t even lift its head up. Patrick couldn¡¯t help but curse them. Each time he became comfortable with his job, one of the government officials would buy the property of his workplace and demolish the premises for their projects. It sounded ridiculous but it¡¯s true. ¡°Damn luck¡­ Damn luck¡­¡± He caressed his temple and switched on the T.V. He watched the news. Crimes had increased and a lot of people suffered from repetitive storm strikes and floods. ¡°I hope I can get a job tomorrow¡­¡± Patrick didn¡¯t have any time to worry about others. He needed to find a way so he won¡¯t become like the people in the T.V., that they started to fall because of calamities and ended up doing things that weren¡¯t right. That¡¯s the most thing he didn¡¯t want to happen. ¡°I¡¯m not going back to that life.¡± Patrick was a child of the slum. It was a horrible life he¡¯d been through. The money he earned from selling goods, helping in the market, and begging to strangers, it all went to the addiction of his horrible parents. He would steal too if they need more. The child was the one taking good care of his parents instead of the opposite. When he became a bit older, he escaped from them and DSWD took him. That was the day his life changed. Compare to his life with them, he could enjoy his youth and learned many things in the orphanage. He could also save money because they endlessly give him, each time he helped them with chores. But it wasn¡¯t forever. The child became an adult as the time went. As a 25 year old adult, he should take care of himself. He should budget his money to live through the despicable world of society. If he ever slack, his life would turn 180. ¡°Never going to let that happen¡­¡± +++ Seven Realms was an outstanding game. People around the world rated it the best VRMMO game of all time. With it¡¯s awe inspiring quest lines, NPC interactions, and endless adventures, they couldn¡¯t help but play the game. Moreover, the excitement of playing the game wasn¡¯t just because of the features it showed and excitement the players experienced, the one who could conquer all the continents of the seven dimensions would be rewarded with 40% stock share of WarZieg--the company that have occupied 65% of sales in the market. Thanks to their announcement, people around the world dedicated themselves to win the marathon. Of course, the big companies that wanted to have the share started making their move to conquer the continents and some of them used the opportunity to turn it into a business. Selling items and informations. Everyone wouldn¡¯t think twice to buy. If they used these resources properly, conquering the worlds of Seven Realms wouldn¡¯t be a dream anymore. ¡°Mr. Smith, should we expand our business to another country?¡± ¡°Hmm. That¡¯s a good idea, Larry. But where should we do that?¡± ¡°How about in Japan, Korea or China, Mr. Smith? I am sure we can find great players in those countries.¡± ¡°We can¡¯t, Sir Halls. We have a lot of competitors in those countries. We should expand it to another place, a country where we can benefit the most.¡± HRF corporation, one of the large information brokers of Seven Realms. They hired players that can provide information for them such as high reward quests, good hunting grounds, and--the most exclusive and expensive info of the game--hidden professions. ¡°Let¡¯s do it in Indonesia?¡± ¡°We can, but I am thinking we should do it in Malaysia.¡± Various arguments kept going on and on. They couldn¡¯t think of a place where they should do it, but they ended up properly deciding the country they could use. ¡°In Philippines. There are amazing players in that country so that¡¯s the best place we should go to.¡± Everyone nodded. They had read about the players in the Philippines in game forums. They were consist of elite players that could compete with the players in China, Korea, and Japan, but they also knew how bad their behaviors are; they consisted of bunch of trash-talkers and would bad-mouth even their team mates. Even so, they were as useful in every aspect they had expected to them as investing to a company with tyrannic boss using his employees until they ran out of breathe. +++ Patrick stood still in the line. He wore a polo shirt and his hair combed and gelled nicely. His shoes polished elegantly that you could already see ones reflection. They said that appearance is important to job interview so he went all out. However, because of the heat and long line, he started to sweat and ruin his intensive preparation. ¡®I wish this won¡¯t affect my interview.¡¯ When it was his turn, he saw the interviewer wore a scary face. He looked strict and unnegotiable. Patrick felt afraid that he might not need any evaluation at all! But his interview went well, in his perspective. He answered the manager professionally and took the chance to add his other skills even it wasn¡¯t related to the work, and also how hardworker he was. He sweet talked whenever he can! ¡°Thank you. I will call you in another day if you are qualified.¡± Patrick went out of the room. A cat got his tongue. He knew the meaning when they said, ¡°they will call him in another day,¡± that they didn¡¯t need to call him because he wasn¡¯t accepted to the job. He couldn¡¯t help but feel dejected and sigh in sorrow. There wasn¡¯t he could do. At the first place, he wasn¡¯t a college graduate. He didn¡¯t even finish any vocational course. Despite the fact that he had the skills and experiences, if he didn¡¯t have a degree or certification, then no one would want to hire him. The harsh reality of society. Your achievements are more important than experience. Well that protocol only exist in Philippines, where people think you were just blabbing about things that weren¡¯t true or you couldn¡¯t show any evidence that you¡¯d done a lot of things in that field. ¡°I can¡¯t give up. If a person wants it, one can get a job or two in a day!¡± He ate his words when the sun went down. At the end, Patrick didn¡¯t get any position. Even the position of a janitor wasn¡¯t open because there was a lot of people who applied! ¡°Dammit! Tomorrow, I¡¯ll get a job! That¡¯s for sure!¡± Another day went by, and the result was the same as flipping a coin with heads on both sides. It was all the same for two weeks until one week and a half left before he have to pay for the apartment. ¡°At this rate, I¡¯ll become a homeless¡­¡± He couldn¡¯t think of anything but the worst case scenario. All of his nightmares when he was a child would come back again and pull him to the depths of hell. He started to think that he should just commit a crime and get caught. At least in that case, he wouldn¡¯t need to worry about finding a way to work for meal and shelter. The taste was terrible though, but it was better than to die in hunger! ¡°I shouldn¡¯t think like that. I¡¯m still rational, well if I eat something¡­ Maybe I can just return to the orphanage and beg for them to give me a work there.¡± That was his last solution. He remembered the words of the caretakers that he could return if something bad happen to him. They would surely welcome him. ¡°Right now, I should search again. If I can¡¯t find any job, then I¡¯ll just return.¡± God of misfortune was cursing him. Another week had passed and the poor guy was still jobless. He wanted to cry but he kept it to his body. He began to think if he lose another water from his body, he would get dehydrated! As the time went on, he also started hallucinating about an oasis filled with beautiful sexy babes in revealing bikinis, sunbathing on the raging heat and cheering him to go with them! The heaven was near! ¡°Oh! OOOH!¡± When Patrick ate his lunch, he finally prevented the angels that had come to take him. ¡°I¡¯m getting crazy from hunger¡­ This is really bad¡­¡± He turned his laptop that he received from a lottery for free. It wasn¡¯t impressive, he could only use it on browsing the web. Sometimes he would wish he won a high-end instead because he also liked to play games just like other people do. It was still fresh in his hands, eyes and mind when his classmate let him play his game character for a short while. The feeling of focusing on fighting with another player and pawning them in the end, though he managed to massacre a lot of players because of his classmate¡¯s legendary items. This narrative has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. If you see it on Amazon, please report it. ¡°Well that¡¯s that. I am not even born from elite family so that can¡¯t apply to me.¡± While Patrick was browsing the web for jobs, he stumbled on something he never expected to appear. He just thought about how fun his past game experience and how he also had to earn money to live.
Hiring Players in Philippines
We are recruiting players ready for adventures in the Continents of Ageia of popular VRMMO online game: Seven Realms. If you don¡¯t have any character yet in Seven Realms, you are also welcome to come to us. We will provide the basic necessities like food and shelter, and you don¡¯t have to worry about the game capsule and the payment for the monthly subscription. The pay is 2,000 php every month. It will increase depends on your contributions to our company. For those who are interested, just call us or come visit our office in Cavite City.
It was an unbelievable ad but Patrick didn¡¯t care if it was a phishing site or online scam. Nothing would be lost even he redirected to those scammers, he didn¡¯t have any cents in his bank nor using any credit cards after all! ¡°Let¡¯s try it. If it¡¯s fake then I¡¯ll just give up and work to the orphanage.¡± He also didn¡¯t care if it¡¯s a joke from a troll! If it¡¯s real, then the luck wasn¡¯t messing around with him. +++ ¡°Looks like we have a lot of promising guys.¡± Yoshida Yamamoto, a born Japanese-American, said with a loud respectful voice. All of their recruits were progressing well in the game. There were also those who were already level 30+ who have uncharted informations in their sleeves. Yoshida reported about the recruitments to Mr. Halls, and he was happy to hear about it. ¡°Keep up the good work.¡± ¡°Yes sir! I¡¯ll do my best.¡± ¡°And Yoshida, you don¡¯t need to recruit just players or people who have background in playing games.¡± ¡°Why sir? Aren¡¯t we supposed to hire veterans?¡± ¡°We are talking about Virtual Reality here. Everything in Seven Realms are close to reality. We need people who have experience in different things in their life. It would be good if someone who have a background or talent in martial arts can join our ranks.¡± It was common sense that a veteran in playing games would be closer to their criteria but HRF wasn¡¯t just a company that sell informations. They could also accept jobs like helping someone in a difficult quest to sieging a castle. If they wanted to achieve both, they needed people with communication skills to interact with the NPCs to collect informations and outstanding talents in winning endless battles. ¡°I understand sir.¡± Yoshida hung up and sighed and noted the words he received to his notebook. He wasn¡¯t sure what was his superiors were thinking but orders were orders. Even he had a lot of disagreements with the idea, he still had to do it. He browsed the lists in his table and shouted: ¡°Next person!¡± As he called out, a person wearing a polo shirt went in with a folder in his hands. His hair was combed and gelled nicely and the shoes he¡¯s wearing were reflecting the light. The person who entered, named Patrick Magdalena, sat down full of pride. ¡°Patrick Magdalena, right?¡± Yoshida confirmed and Patrick nodded. ¡°So, can I see your resume?¡± Patrick took a paper from his folder and gave it to him with his sweating hands. Their eyes met and Patrick shined with a smile. Yoshida twitched as he found it uncomfortable. ¡°A-alright. Do you ever played games before?¡± ¡°Yes. When I was in high school.¡± ¡°What¡¯s the game called?¡± ¡°Uhmm¡­It¡¯s¡­¡± Patrick tried to remember the game he played with his classmate, but he was having a hard time because it was a long time ago. He imagined the room and then the things inside. And then when he remembered the appearance of a game box, the name finally appeared in his head. ¡°Aerial Castle.¡± ¡°Oh! It¡¯s one of those desktop games. What level you were?¡± ¡°Sorry but I played my friend¡¯s character, not mine.¡± ¡°It¡¯s okay. So any other games?¡± ¡°That¡¯s it, nothing more.¡± ¡°.........¡± Yoshida couldn¡¯t believe that Patrick only played one game in his life-time! If his superior didn¡¯t tell him about the new recruitment conditions, Patrick would had been out of the office! ¡°O-okay¡­ Say, did you involve yourself to some sports?¡± ¡°You meant when I was in high school? Sorry, I didn¡¯t.¡± ¡°........¡± He wasn¡¯t in the main criterias! Why would a person apply if he didn¡¯t have any good points in the job he was applying to?! Yoshida wanted to scold Patrick, but he felt that it was useless. Instead of finding a way to push away the man, Yoshida looked at his resume. He reconsidered because of Patrick¡¯s records. ¡°So you went to different fields. Why did you seek us anyway?¡± ¡°My previous boss sold his business, that¡¯s why all of his employees including me lost their job. Right now, I am desperate, especially I saw the conditions of your ad. That¡¯s why I decided to come here and apply.¡± ¡°I see.¡± Yoshida took a paper from his desk and handed it to Patrick. ¡°Please answer this questionnaire for me.¡± Patrick obediently did what he was asked to. The questions weren¡¯t hard to answer because he already knew them through his past job interviews he¡¯d been to. They were pretty similar. After a few minutes, he gave the paper to Yoshida. ¡°Great.¡± Just as Patrick heard that word, he already guessed that he wasn¡¯t accepted to the job. It was always the word he heard from the interviewers after they received the questionnaire. However he was wrong about it. ¡°Can you start next week, Patrick Magdalena?¡± ¡°I-I¡¯m hired?¡± ¡°Yes,¡± Patrick was about to jump from joy however--, ¡°but we are going to monitor you if you can do the job properly. If you can¡¯t do it, you¡¯ll be fired right away. We need good results not failures, so that¡¯s why if there¡¯s some incompetent people in our group, they will be cut off.¡± Yoshida coldly said. His voice was as cold as the north pole, that no one couldn¡¯t stand! His appearance was like a demon cursing Patrick with an endless raging snowstorm following everywhere he go! Despite the scary appearance Yoshida showed, Patrick was calm. ¡°No problem sir, I won¡¯t disappoint you. As one of the HRF agents, I will do my very best.¡± ¡°I am expecting that.¡± Yoshida went off from his chair and opened a drawer. He browsed the contents and took a folder. ¡°These are the basic informations of the game. I will give it to you so you can start smoothly. The maps, races, skills that you can get from the NPC instructors, and normal professions are all in here. However this is the old one so I don¡¯t think it will help you much. And for your job, just report anything you discover, from every actions you do to the quests you received. It¡¯s important that we know everything you do in the game, especially if you find something odd.¡± ¡°I understand.¡± ¡°Well then, do you have any questions?¡± ¡°About the apartment--¡± ¡°The address is in the folder. Just move whenever you can. You have two weeks to give us good results so take your time, but also you aren¡¯t allowed to slack around.¡± ¡°Thank you sir. Best regards.¡± Patrick went out of the office happily. +++ One week had passed after the interview, Patrick completely moved to the building of the company and finished unpacking and organizing his things. It was unbelievably amazing. Even the capsule was as big as a table for six people, there were still spaces for big furnitures. There were kitchen and bedroom too! He had never dream of living in an extravaganza. ¡°I can¡¯t believe this is my room.¡± He almost cried from joy. Comparing his apartment to his new home, it was like heaven and earth! The leaking roof, closets filled with cockroaches, and a really thin walls that Patrick could hear his neighbors doing their deed in bed which is bad for a single, all of that he endured because he had nowhere to go back then! ¡°I need to do my best if I want to stay here.¡± Patrick went to the game capsule as he tossed the folder in his hands on a desk, and bedded himself inside, connecting a helmet and putting his hands in two holes at the sides. A message popped out from out of nowhere in the glass screen.
Do you want to Connect in Seven Realms? Yes/No
¡°Yes!¡± Without any second thoughts, he connected himself to his new workplace.
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Chapter 2: Preachs Disaster Chapter 2: Preach''s Disaster ¡°Yes!¡± After Patrick answered the question in the glass screen, darkness devoured his five senses as it were his death. His consciousness floated to a dark space he never seen before. In fact he already did see it in a book he read when he was still in highschool; it¡¯s the outer space. He wasn¡¯t sure why he transported to a place like that. All he remember was his despicable life he hate so much; the faces of the people who mocked him and trampled his being, and the useless parents chained to their addiction. Then the light prevailed and pulled him into thousands of memories he didn¡¯t own; the recollections of the bravery of many people. ¡°This is¡­¡± A scene of a crying man brandishes his sword to kill his own friend flashed to Patrick¡¯s eyes. And then another scene about a woman used all of her strength to protect all she loves until her body disappear into puny lights had transition in his iris. And after another and another, more scenes of sacrifices showed to him till the darkness ruled over again.
Welcome to Seven Realms.
+++
The system has detected you¡¯re an unregistered user. Do you want to create an account? Yes|No
When a feminine voice narrated to Patrick¡¯s ears, he was startled and tried to search for the source, but his eyes couldn¡¯t see anything but darkness. He even started to think he¡¯s already dead, but after thinking for a while, he realised he¡¯s in the process of creating his account. ¡°Yes!¡± As his answer was heard, hundred thousands of black hexagons covering the dark room disappeared row by row into thin air, just as a white space revealed itself.
Call out the name of your avatar.
¡°Preach!¡± The name he called out based in two words in his heart; Power Reach, it meant he has the power to reach anything, ignoring the real meaning of the word it turned out. Just after his name was registered by the system, many crystal-like figures appeared, then circled around him.
Seven Realms has a total of sixty-seven races however majority of them are still locked.
You can select from twenty-three races.
Drag the figure of the race you prefer inside the circle.
Patrick turned to look for the race he want. He raised his hand and grabbed a figure with long hair and long ears, then dragged it inside the circle.
Are you sure you want to be a Wood Elf?
When the system identified the figure, it showed the figure¡¯s starting stats: one and half bar in strength, vitality and health, and three bars in agility, intelligence and wisdom. ¡°Yes.¡± It was a fragile character with low stats in strength and vitality, but he didn¡¯t mind since it¡¯s handsome and majestic. Just after he took his hands off from the figure, it became as big as him along with the disappearance of the other figures.
You can alter your avatar¡¯s appearance.
¡°Turn the hair red and short, and make the ears the shortest of all elves.¡± When his words were granted, the appearance of the Elf changed to his desire. The white hair turned to red and became as short as his hair, and the ears shrinked; turning it into a pointy version of his.
Are you sure you want the avatar¡¯s appearance?
"Yeah!"
All of the six remaining Realms are still locked. Only Ageia Continents are available.
Since you appointed yourself as a Wood Elf, you can only choose from eight cities in Silvanna Kingdom.
Please select a City you want to start in.
"Carus Karn!"
Your character has been completely created.
Do you want to enter a tutorial?
"Skip!"
After ten seconds, you¡¯ll be transported to Carus Karn. Please brace yourself.
A countdown emerged from nothing, starting from 10 to 9, 8, 7. Patrick wanted to start already; he didn¡¯t want to wait anymore nor waste his time.
2
1
0
When the number zero appeared, an overwhelming light sucked his everything as it were crushing his flesh, bones and soul. +++ In Seven Realms, there are over five hundred cities and twenty-three kingdoms. Since the other Realms aren¡¯t yet discovered, the unknown cities and kingdoms are still locked to the users. Nevertheless there are still many places an adventurer can appear in. And one of them is the Carus Karn, Silvanna Kingdom. The place where Preach would appear. ¡°Hooooooly Craaaaaaap!¡± So it seemed. Preach was falling from the sky of endless stars. He was wondering why he had to experience such thing, and he had someone in mind whose fault of his misfortune. ¡°I blame this to those goddamn upper-classes!¡± He blamed nothing but his hated government! If he wasn¡¯t in need of job, he wouldn¡¯t have to join the HRF and ended up falling from the sky. That¡¯s the only thing he thought in his situation, not wondering what he¡¯s gonna do if he¡¯s near the land. Even he could manage to think for his safety, it was too late to come up with a way of surviving the fall. He could already see the Carus Karn through the white fluffy clouds: various architectures made from the growth of large trees, magical beings floating around the high structures, and elevating debrises. ¡°I¡¯m so dead!¡± With a resignation in his eyes, his sight could finally see the golden brown earth close to close. The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.Bam! He fell on the land with his head buried underground. Every present elf users in his landing spot were laughing at him. ¡°Look. That guy buried his head from the fall! It¡¯s so funny.¡± ¡°Hahaha. I¡¯ve seen it again, the grand entrance of a newbie.¡± ¡°Oh shut up dude, you were also like that in your first day. But I can¡¯t deny it never gets old.¡± It was a natural occurrence to the citizens of Carus Karn so they knew it¡¯s a newcomer that had fell. However not everyone were like Preach in their first day. There were also those who landed coolly as though a hero was sent by the gods. Preach felt his bones were crushed and his flesh was aching, yet there were no damages to him. It¡¯s a common sense that high fall would kill someone but the fact of reality doesn¡¯t apply in game--only in their first day. The headless Preach finally woke up from his fall and tried to pull his head off of the underground. ¡°Mmmmhu! Waaaah!¡± With a big push and pull, he finally got out of his menace and landed his butt from the force. He cleaned his mouth and tongue since there were dirts that got stucked. ¡°Goddammit! Why there¡¯s no parachute in this game?!¡± Preach furiously said. The users around were wondering why he¡¯s expecting a parachute in a fantasy game. Why are you expecting a modern equipment in Seven Realms where magic and medieval weapons exist? ¡°Maybe he transferred from an FPS game.¡± ¡°That¡¯s understandable, he¡¯s not used with this kind of game genre.¡± Few of the onlookers tried to understand Preach, but they¡¯re also wrong. Preach just didn¡¯t really like the way he fall, so his dictionary gave him the name of the safety equipment. He also never played any first person shooter games so the possibility of their assumptions was beyond zero. ¡°Are you alright, young elf?¡±an Elf cladded with armor and holding a spear asked Preach. ¡°Do I look alright to you?! I fell from that goddamn sky! Do you want to fall like me so you can feel what I experienced?!¡± Everyone paled from Preach¡¯s anger. The person he was talking with is a soldier of Carus Karn. Their level exceeded 250 and they would trample anyone who fights them, so no one tried to oppose the guards, but then a newcomer provoked one. They couldn¡¯t help but feel ridicule and pity towards Preach. ¡®Stupid is always stupid. ¡®That moron is dead.¡¯ ¡®His first day will be rough.¡¯ His punishment had been decided! The soldier moved his left arm, getting closer to Preach. Everyone were looking closely to them as though the next scene would be intense! But-- ¡°I¡¯m sorry to ask something that¡¯s obvious, young elf. I¡¯m sure it¡¯s painful so let me give you a hand.¡± He didn¡¯t attack him! Their jaws hanged from confusion. Usually, if someone badmouthed them, they would arrest the person right away, but it was weird for Preach¡¯s case. Preach took the guard¡¯s hand and was pulled back to his two feet. ¡°You¡¯re a new elf, right? My name is Alfien, one of the guards.¡± ¡°Preach. My name is Preach.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, Preach. Since you are new in this place, do you want me to guide you? I¡¯ll show you around the Carus Karn.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t need it. I just want to know where is the Warrior Training Ground.¡± ¡°Unfortunately--¡± ¡°Well, if you can¡¯t help me, then I¡¯ll go there myself.¡± Irritated with everything, Preach quickly walked elsewhere and ignored Alfien and the onlookers. ¡°Why did the guard let him get away?¡± ¡°Maybe he¡¯s really not a newbie but a high-level user¡­ He must have high charisma and fame.¡± ¡°If I were in his shoes, I think I might already wet myself.¡± While the users were talking about Preach, Alfien wore a worried face. ¡°May the spirits guide you¡­¡± +++ Bluespirit district is a popular place in Carus Karn for the users, since it¡¯s the place where many transactions are made, and because the water spirits were dancing around. A rainbow appears when the light passed through the water which also a fact with the dances of water spirits while they sunbathe under the sunlight. ¡°So pretty!¡± ¡°I told you it¡¯s amazing.¡± ¡°You are right! Let¡¯s go back here tomorrow after the hunt.¡± It¡¯s really a beautiful attraction no one wouldn¡¯t want to pass. A popular attraction for couples and tired citizens. But there was a single elf who wasn¡¯t fascinated with such scene. ¡°Seriously¡­ The management of crowds here is the worst! I can¡¯t get through with this many people.¡± It¡¯s the irritated Preach! He fell, got hurt, and his head was buried, then the crowd blocked his way. Preach had so much misfortune he was near his limit! ¡®At this rate...¡¯ Preach worried about his time, since he only had two weeks to show his worth to his employers, he didn¡¯t have any time to waste. Instead of diving through the sea of people, he took another route around, but it was farther. He had to cross two more districts and another crowd, but the population wasn¡¯t as dense as in the Bluespirit District. ¡®I have no choice¡­ It¡¯s better than waiting for those guys to disappear.¡¯ Not that far from he was standing, he saw two Elf Warrior Statues. He jumped from joy and hurried himself. His journey would start in that place, so he had to quickly start his training. ¡®So this is the place.¡¯ Elven Warriors glaring with each other and the blades of their swords connected as though representing they¡¯re in the middle of a fight. Underneath their swords was a steel door; the entrance inside the training ground. Preach was excited to open it, but when he looked further at the knob--
Warrior Training Ground is closed. The Warrior Instructor is out for a journey.
¡°Are you kidding me?¡± He couldn¡¯t comprehend with the situation. He was silent for five minutes. ¡°Young one, what are you doing there? Are you interested in becoming a warrior? Just give up young one, Alrunor hasn¡¯t been back for two months. I am not sure why, but he said he have to find something, so his training hall is closed.¡± an old Elf passing by said. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± Preach looked at him and asked with disbelief in his heart. ¡°If I were you, I¡¯ll go somewhere else.¡± the old Elf said as he left Preach still dazing to a faraway place. His eyes and mind were dark. He couldn¡¯t properly think. ¡°Are you kidding me?¡± He kept repeating his question until he finally went back to his senses. ==================================================================== Sorry about the late release. I got sick last week because of writer''s block... Anyway, my release might be 7-10 days or 2 weeks.
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Chapter 3: A Challenge That Could Be Avoided Chapter 3: A Challenge That Could Be Avoided From the Bluespirit District viewed the Carus River and beside that river located an Archer Training Ground. All the users who desire to learn the Archery would be able to receive it there. In the center of the training ground, a beautiful Elf Archer stood still with a bow grasped by her left hand, as her skin radiated from the sunlight¡¯s ray, outlining her curves with brilliance. Her glowing blonde hair reached her waist, and the ruby eyes she possessed surveyed around. She saw some trainees had left after they¡¯ve hit their target successfully. ¡°They are all simple-minded. After they received the skill, they¡¯ll go right away to the outside world without enhancing it further¡­¡± She worriedly commented. While watching the adventurers trying to hit the target practice on the other side of Carus River, the beautiful Elf Archer Trainer sighed as her trainees were lacking with talents and willingness to learn her skill. Elves are masters of Bows and Magics, that¡¯s their forte any race wouldn¡¯t be able to defeat. However the adventurers disgraced this fact by letting the numerical value(stats) take over their skills. To change one¡¯s profession, they have to reach certain stats, so they have to train under the trainer to raise their fundamentals before they could become an Archer. But the training would take a while and painstaking, that¡¯s why in their¡¯ perspective it¡¯s better to hunt monsters than to stay and let themselves undertake a laborious session. ¡°I could raise the requirements to get the skill.¡± It was a solution she came up to, but a problem would arise such as losing more players willing to begin their journey in their city, or more works for other training ground. They were in that bad situation especially the Warrior Trainer isn¡¯t present. ¡°Alrunor¡­¡±As she remembered the missing trainer, her facial expression grimmed, ¡°where are you? I hope you are safe¡­,¡± and she wished his good condition. The Archer Trainer and Warrior Trainer knew each other ever since they were young. They¡¯d played together, grew up together, and ventured together. Their relationship was as close as being called a couple, which quite true because she¡¯s in love with him. However Alrunor had no such feelings towards her. He only cared about swordsmanship and ways to improve himself. Even so she¡¯s still love him to the bottom of her heart. As she was in the middle of worrying about her beloved man, an Elf with red hair and small ears entered her training ground. He quickly moved to the racks of bow and arrows and took the shares of a trainee. Any trainees would be able to touch those supplies but they needed permission from a trainer. ¡°What¡¯s up with that guy?¡± She noticed him and immediately went to him. She was a bit surprised with his appearance. Because of his short ears and dark expression, he looked like from the demon race. She doubted his existence for a second, but it wasn¡¯t the time to do that. ¡°Young elf, you are not supposed to take those without--¡± ¡°Quiet. I have no time with you. I need to learn a skill before sunset. I¡¯m way behind my schedule you know!¡± He angrily said without batting an eye to her while examining the quality of the arrows. She was flabbergasted. She never encountered an adventurer bad-mouthing a trainer. Usually, the adventurers were really polite and respectful since they knew how terrifying to madden a combat npc because of their level. However the Red Elf wasn¡¯t showing any fear nor backing out when he saw her and identified she¡¯s in charge of the place. He was lucky that the trainer before him is the most forgiving and understandable to all npcs of Carus Karn. ¡°Everyone are in a hurry, I understand that fact, but you need my permission to use those.¡± ¡°Now that you know, then it¡¯s okay right?¡± He said while checking the strength of the string. ¡°You don¡¯t under--¡± ¡°Just go away, okay? Like I said, I have no time to spare just to chit-chat. I have a quota to catch up.¡± He wasn¡¯t listening to her at all! She¡¯s being polite but the Red Elf was shooing her away. Because of his behavior, her blood flowed into her head and pulsating heavily because of anger! ¡°Whoah! He¡¯s so brave but he¡¯s dead now.¡± ¡°He won¡¯t be able set his foot here.¡± ¡°Only idiots would be able to talk back like that.¡± All of the listening trainees were also surprised, and thinking he would die in an instant and wouldn¡¯t be able to come back anymore! She sighed and said as her voice was covered with freezing breeze: ¡°I¡¯m Elfina, the Archer Trainer. You shouldn¡¯t talk to me like that. You should respect--¡± ¡°So? If you are a trainer then you¡¯re not supposed to waste my time with chattery.¡± ¡°What¡­? You disrespectful fool! A young one like you should respect us trainers!¡± It¡¯s on! Her anger reached its limit and was about to burst out. She was going to kick him out but she changed her mind because of his next line. ¡°Respect? Including the goddamn Warrior Trainer? Tellme-tellme, should I respect that guy? Why is he in vacation anyway? What about guys like me who wants to learn the swordsmanship? He¡¯s so carefree! Leaving his work just to go in an adventure¡­ Did he know how hard to find a job?! He¡¯s the most disrespectful fool I encountered, you know. Now I¡¯m behind my plan because of that guy!¡± Ever since the Red Elf discovered the reason of the Warrior Trainer¡¯s disappearance, he held a deep grudge against the guy. He neglected his work just to find something for two months, when there¡¯s many users who needed him. This incident reminded him of the government official in his world. The people needed help but the mayor wasn¡¯t present and having a playful vacation somewhere else with his mistress! And his second reason was because of the hellish job-searching planted itself to his memory. He couldn¡¯t forgive fools who resigned or left their work because of personal reason. That¡¯s the most disrespectful thing for someone like him that almost died from heat and hunger to find a job. He wouldn¡¯t forgive those insolent fools even they died and went to hell! ¡®So it¡¯s because of Alrunor¡­¡¯ Elfina knew about the adventurers that wanted to learn the swordsmanship. They were all devastated and regretting they¡¯d start in Carus Karn. Every time she hear the same stories from her new trainees, she felt bad about them. She was thinking if she abled to stop Alrunor back then, then they wouldn¡¯t need to force themselves to learn another skill, which like their parents told them to stop dreaming and pick another course in college. ¡°I¡¯m sorry. I--¡± ¡°What are you still doing here? Just go. You¡¯re annoying.¡± Even so, she¡¯s still hate the Red Elf! Although he¡¯s one of the victims of Alrunor¡¯s selfish adventure, she couldn¡¯t take his disrespectful tone. She was already trying to understand him, but he¡¯s still refusing her kindness. ¡®A person like him should be punished once in a while!¡¯ She pointed her fingers at the target practice, and looking down on the Red Elf. ¡°Well then, for you to get the Archery Skill, you have to hit the red mark five times and continuously.¡± DING!
Trial: Learning the Archery Skill
Archer Trainer Elfina gave you the first trial to become an Archer. Stolen story; please report.Upon successfully completing the challenge, you¡¯ll be able to learn the Archery Skill. Objective: Fire five perfect marks continuously
¡°Oh shit¡­ she¡¯s really angry¡­¡± ¡°Isn¡¯t the requirement difficulty too high?¡± ¡°Shhh. Just don¡¯t mind him. She might bring up yours too. And besides it¡¯s his fault why he received a punishment.¡± All of the onlookers that overheard them had the same opinion about the Red Elf¡¯s punishment, but the Red Elf didn¡¯t care about it. Instead, he was fired up to complete it right away. ¡®Let¡¯s get started.¡¯ +++ In HRF Philippine branch office, Yoshida was on the phone, talking to his superior. He was reporting about the new applicants progress, as the scenes of the surveillance program installed in their players¡¯ game capsules were airing in his computer screen; the view changing every minute. ¡°Sir, all of the applicants are doing great.¡± ¡°That¡¯s good, that¡¯s good. Can you make some brief reports about their adventure?¡± ¡°Yes sir.¡± Yoshida browsed the reports he typed and printed out just a moments ago. ¡°Applicant #24 has been exploring the Valley of Raptorus. He found some mining spots and good hunting grounds there. Written in his report that he will search further there. Then Applicant #05 discovered a quest that might lead to a special class. I went to his room and told him to finish the quest and make a report how to unlock and get it.¡± ¡°Does he know he have to decline the class?¡± ¡°Yes, I told him that, but I think he¡¯s dishearten because of the restriction we gave him.¡± ¡°If he steal the profession, fire him right away. We don¡¯t need someone stealing our profitable product.¡± ¡°I understand sir. I¡¯m monitoring him 24/7 right now, to make sure he won¡¯t secretly take it and make a lie in his report.¡± It was a hard choice for gamers to give away their secrets and discoveries but that¡¯s the company policy of HRF. Just one wrong move and they will be kicked out. That¡¯s why they had no choice but to do their orders, even it¡¯s painful at their side. ¡°Now I think about it, Sir Halls, I received a report about the missing Warrior Trainer in Carus Karn.¡± ¡°What about it?¡± ¡°Our applicants assume it could be a special quest. It might lead to a special profession. Don¡¯t you think it¡¯s a good idea to send our players to search for--¡± ¡°No need. We are not going to participate in an event we don¡¯t know if it will give a benefit of our time. And besides, Sigmaline and RRC are already looking for that quest. They might be already killing each other to get their hands on it. So just focus on improving our applicants¡¯ level and numbers. Don¡¯t meddle on things that are useless and waste of energy.¡± ¡°Will do, sir!¡± ¡°I¡¯m expecting more good reports from you, Yoshida.¡± As the line was cut, Yoshida leaned on his chair and continued to observe the applicants. Among them was the Red Elf named Preach. +++ Preach¡¯s left hand held the wooden bow tightly. His right stretched the string, while his three fingers were grasping the arrow vanes; focusing his eyes on the red mark as though he¡¯s a bull that hates the color. With a breath in and breathe out, easing his posture, and steadying his arms, the wooden arrow left his grasp. Swish! The arrow flew fiercely towards the other side of the river, cutting the gentle wind it passed through. Preach¡¯s lips curved upward, expecting that it would finally hit the bulls-eye he longed for. Stab! Crack! Just as he expected the arrow struck the perfect spot. It was a clean hit that made a crack on the target practice. Everyone around were astonished. They couldn¡¯t believe someone can pull off an amazing arrow shot. ¡°That¡¯s his third.¡± ¡°I think he can defeat the challenge.¡± ¡°Damn, this is so exciting.¡± Upon the successful aiming, the trainees watching him had an excited face. Ever since Preach accepted the challenge from Archer Trainer Elfina, everyone were looking closely to him. At the beginning, they doubted he could do the trial, but then he hit the red spot twice consecutively. They couldn¡¯t help but observe if he can overcome it or not, especially now he got his third. That meant he need two more to succeed. ¡°This is a crucial part.¡± ¡°I know. If he miss this one then he have to start over again.¡± ¡°I think the crucial part is after this though.¡± ¡°He will miss this, i¡¯m sure of it.¡± ¡°Dont jinx it dude. Have mercy on him. He¡¯s been there for three hours.¡± ¡°Well it¡¯s his fault why he¡¯s in that situation anyway.¡± Even though their comments raised the atmosphere¡¯s tension, Preach didn¡¯t react nor stiffen. He actually couldn¡¯t hear them anymore, because he¡¯s completely immersed in his training. Even the time disappeared in his thought. Preach readied another arrow. Once again, he¡¯s focusing his eyes on the target practice, magnifying his sight on the red mark. It would be harder since there were already three arrows dug on it, but he didn¡¯t care because there was still space between. Pulling the bowstring harder than his previous attempt brought overwhelming strength to him. It was the fourth. After that, it¡¯s the last one. He was excited, he couldn¡¯t help but dream the event after the arrow lands. Swish! With the confidence in his eyes, he let out the accurate shot. The arrow flew in its maximum velocity and spined like a drill digging through the air pressure. It gradually decreased the distance as the time stopped for a moment to everyone. Their eyes were fixated to the dashing wooden arrow. Stab! For a moment their hearts stopped. They all looked at the target practice, and saw there were four arrows stucked on the same spot. Their mouths gaped open when they confirmed the successful aim. ¡°Holy shit!¡± ¡°That¡¯s his fourth! The fourth!¡± ¡°It went in... Last one and it¡¯s done!¡± ¡°I can¡¯t believe it...¡± ¡°Now it¡¯s really the crucial part.¡± They were more excited than Preach. But for some reason, Preach grimmed because of his shot. ¡®Argh! Wrong place! It should be a little bit on the left! Now there¡¯s no space; this is bad...¡¯ The arrows filled up the red mark. Because of that, the fifth shot was impossible. He could ask the trainer to call the wind spirits and take them off, but it was not an option because of the attitude he showed. Preach regretted he let his anger overshadowed his voice.
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Chapter 4: Its a Skill From Old Memories Chapter 4: It''s a Skill From Old Memories Elfina knew a talented Elf when she saw one, just like the talented Alrunor that could shoot perfect marks continuously. Unfortunately Alrunor chose to become a warrior instead of enhancing his skills in Archery. Even she despised those who lack interest in bow and arrows, she didn¡¯t feel hate towards Alrunor. Not because she loves him, but because Alrunor was doing his best to learn something he knew is impossible for an elf like him. Since that, she admired and respected every talented ones she met who strive to learn, but never towards the persistent Red Elf. He was cunning and knew nothing about respect. She really hated the Red Elf, especially he was doing what Alrunor could do. In just a short time, he abled to nearly complete her trial. ¡®No, I know he wouldn¡¯t be able to finish this. He¡¯s just lucky, and he only got three yet.¡¯ When the fourth arrow struck the same spot, she was completely speechless and her mind went blank. She hated to admit it, but the Red Elf has a talent in aiming. She mastered her bow for two weeks which was really a fast development. But the Red Elf was different; he only took three hours. Jealoused and frustrated, Elfina wished his downfall. Then she examined the round target. Her hope for the Red Elf¡¯s failure had come to materialize. ¡®There¡¯s no way he can do it now.¡¯ Even with the sticky situation the Red Elf was in, the Red Elf readied his bow and arrow. The stance he did was firmer and soldier than his previous attempts. The strength he used in pulling the string was greater too. ¡®Huh? That¡¯s...¡¯ For some reason, Elfina remembered something from the Red Elf¡¯s stance. It was the stance she would never be able to see anymore; a replica of Alrunor¡¯s stance. She felt nostalgia as she saw it, even more when the clouds covered the sunlight. As the clouds already passed by, the light focused on and illuminated his red hair. It was the same scene back when Elfina was watching Alrunor¡¯s training. The audience around were dead silent--the only noise were voices of all users and npcs outside the training ground. They became really worried when they realised the situation. ¡®That¡¯s impossible¡­ There¡¯s no way he can succeed.¡¯ ¡®Just apologize to the trainer. She might forgive you and let you learn her skill.¡¯ Although the Red Elf knew his mistake and it was impossible, he still stayed. He was still aiming, searching for a hole in his problem. There¡¯s a solution if you tried to find one. ¡®Just give up!¡¯ It was the wish of all the present audience. And their wish was completely granted. The Red Elf changed the direction of his aim, then released his arrow. It was a completely different direction, going to the right side, higher than his previous shots. ¡®He really gave up.¡¯ Even the audience wished his realization about the reality, they still felt empty because the protagonist of the show gave up. But then, while it still travelling across the river, the arrow curved. It was an unbelievable sight, even Elfina was surprised. The wind was too strong that its direction changed! Riding on the violent wind, the arrow slid on an invisible slide, heading to its new destination. It¡¯s heading to the red mark! The time slowed down. Their eyes magnified every details of the travelling arrow. It passed through the floating leaves, and even pierced through some along the way. The arrow continued to do so, until it landed. The time that slowed down had completely stopped. Looking at the target from their position, it was understandable that there wasn¡¯t any space left. However if you planned to shoot at another direction, then you¡¯d see the side has still space, but smaller. It still enough though, considering the newly landed fifth arrow. ¡°He-He-He did it.¡± ¡°So cool!¡± ¡°He used the wind to get the last shot!¡± ¡°How¡¯s that possible¡­?¡± ¡°It¡¯s a freaking magic shot!¡± Everyone were cheering. It was an historical event for players. The first user who won a challenge from a Npc Trainer! They couldn¡¯t help but feel proud they were there to witness it. While they were boasting the Red Elf¡¯s success, Elfina¡¯s childhood memories with Alrunor transitioned to her one by one, as her tears flowed down on her cheeks like the gentle river. She really missed Alrunor, and even more when the Red Elf did the Alrunor¡¯s stance. The only difference was Alrunor¡¯s arrow struck through the stucked arrow. The two months that Alrunor was gone, felt like two years for her. Thinking about him really made her want to cry. She already told herself she won¡¯t cry so Alrunor wouldn¡¯t worry about her, but-- ¡®Alrunor¡­¡¯ The tears wouldn¡¯t end. Some users that see Elfina crying had their faces turned red. ¡®I didn¡¯t know the trainer is a crybaby.¡¯ ¡®She couldn¡¯t accept she lost. Isn¡¯t that adorable?¡¯ ¡®Seeing this side of her is a rare sight. She¡¯s really cute.¡¯ The Elfina fans club united! They all fell in love to her beauty ever since they¡¯d set their foot in her training ground. Blonde, cute, and sexy. No one couldn¡¯t resist her beauty. But since she didn¡¯t show any emotions other than disappointment and worrying, the crying Elfina was a real eye-catching! They fell in love to her again. ¡°¡°We should do that challenge!¡±¡± They tried to annoy her to receive the same trial, but Elfina was in her own world. +++
Challenge Completed
You¡¯ve learned a new skill.
New skill: Archery
Skill Name:Skill Level:Skill Experience:
ArcheryNovice 100%
By completing the trial of an Archer Trainer, you''ve managed to learn this skill. +10% damage using bow and arrows
Achievement Unlocked: ¡°Five Bulls-eye while Training.¡±
Your Fame increased by 10
You are the first player who finished an achievement in Carus Karn: Archer Training Ground.
Your Fame increased by 10.
Stolen novel; please report. Many messages emerged from nothingness when Preach completed the trial. ¡®Ha-Ha! I¡¯m the man! Anyone couldn¡¯t do that! Only me! None other than me!¡¯ Even with the praises in his head, his face was showing the opposite. He was totally surprise he actually succeed! Let¡¯s go back when he was in a pinch. When he saw an old target practice, far away from the round target he was using, Preach bet his last shot and aimed towards it. It was reasonable choice, since it¡¯s still a round target, and the challenge didn¡¯t say to only use the same one. But then the wind caught his arrow. ¡®NOOOOOOOO!¡¯ He thought it was game over as he watched his arrow swept away by the bully wind! He was crying inside while his face was blank. But at the end it actually helped him succeed. In other words, it was a miraculous lucky shot. However he didn¡¯t want to admit it. He kept telling himself he¡¯s an awesome guy, until--
Because of the unbelievable event, your Luck increased by 1
¡®It¡¯s not luck! It¡¯s my skill!¡¯ A complete denial! Even his last arrow was purely luck, it still didn¡¯t change the fact that his previous attempts happened because of his skillful aiming. This leaves him as one of the talented Marksman of Ageia. However Preach really couldn¡¯t call it a talent, but a skill he developed to escaped his greatest childhood foes, the adults. ¡°It¡¯s been awhile since I did this, huh¡­¡± Preach remembered his days in the slum. He was powerless as a child against the adults. He had no choice but to concede. The only solution he came up to was to create something he could use against them. Slingshot. The cavemen in the age of stone used weapons to defeat the ferocious beasts. Just like them, instead of using punches and kicks to fight, Preach used a slingshot. But having a weapon didn¡¯t mean you are invincible. A person needed to train to utilize a weapon¡¯s function properly, so Preach had no other option but to become a master in marksmanship. ¡°It took me a while, but now I¡¯m familiar with it again.¡± Since it was a long time ago, he had to return his familiarity with a long range weapon. But a slingshot and a bow are completely different. It¡¯s easier to aim using a slingshot compare to a bow, because it¡¯s smaller and he could tilt his head to properly aim. That¡¯s why he took his time. ¡°Now he has the archery skill, he¡¯s going to hunt monsters, so let¡¯s invite him.¡± ¡°Yeah, that¡¯s a good idea. His curve shot would be able to help us a lot.¡± Blinded with Preach¡¯s lucky shot, the users wanted to invite him. They were users waiting for their level one acquaintance. They watched Preach from the start till the end, so they admired and envied him. Inviting a skilled player could strengthen their party. ¡®Now for the second phase.¡¯ Preach counted his arrows; only three left. Before he could advance in his plan, he had to recharge his ammonation. ¡°Hey, do you want to join us?¡± ¡°Let¡¯s hunt together.¡± ¡°Handsome, please join us. We need someone skillful like you.¡± Invitations flooded but Preach didn¡¯t accept anything. Even compliments showered down to him like a rain in the middle of a desert, he didn¡¯t give a single care. ¡°What¡¯s up with him? He¡¯s too arrogant.¡± ¡°Don¡¯t tell me he thinks he¡¯s really good just because of that small achievement? Level up first, noob.¡± ¡°Goddamn, he¡¯s too windy.¡± (Author¡¯s note: too windy(Napakahangin mo) is an idiom in Filipino, means arrogant. I had a hard time converting this to english, even considering to use ¡°Too Airy.¡± It really sounds bad. XD) Ignoring them brought many insults to Preach. It wasn¡¯t that he didn¡¯t want to accept their offer, it just that he already had something to do. ¡°Okay, let¡¯s triple the amount.¡± He took two bulks of arrows when he started the challenge. The amount wasn¡¯t enough to last for three hours, so he took six bulks! ¡°Why is he carrying a lot?¡± ¡°Not sure¡­ Can he hunt like that?¡± All the insults turned into questions. They couldn¡¯t catch up with Preach¡¯s way of thinking. Preach went back to his position and brought down the arrows. Then he went to Elfina who finally settled down from her crying. ¡°Hey, now that I won, you can do anything I ask, right?¡± The Elfina fans club paled and flustered from his question. ¡°Don¡¯t tell me¡­¡± ¡°No way... I didn¡¯t hear they have that kind of agreement.¡± ¡°That bastard¡­!¡± Hostility level rose around as their dirty minds played. Even Elfina was surprised. ¡°I didn¡¯t say anything like--¡± ¡°A trainer shouldn¡¯t waste my time. Right?¡± Glaring Preach made more enemies. Because of the attitude he showed, they couldn¡¯t contain their hostility. They wanted to kill him instantly, but their alignment would become red or criminal. Elfina tried to be calm, but Preach¡¯s appearance was really doubtful. ¡®As I expected, he¡¯s not an elf but a demon.¡¯ She took a deep breath and nod. ¡°What do you want me to do? If I can help you, then I¡¯ll be glad to do so.¡± She said sarcastically, still doubting the Red Elf Preach. Everyone were looking at Preach. They were expecting something they imagined he would ask. ¡°Order the wind spirits to take all of the arrows in the round target, and I want them to clean up every time I shoot too.¡± After Preach conveyed what he wanted, he went back to his position. Elfina and the users were flabbergasted. ¡°Wa-Wait¡­ Y-You mean just that?¡± ¡°Don¡¯t waste my time! Every second counts!¡± Preach was really a big mystery for them. The first time he entered the training ground, he said he had no time to waste. But he was still planning to shoot arrows. ¡°He¡¯s weird¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s understandable if he already went out of the town, but he¡¯s still here.¡± The Elfina fans club had their own right answer. ¡°¡°He¡¯s using this event to bring up his intimacy with the Trainer!¡±¡± Elfina is a lady who likes men that strives for knowledge in skill--which is why she really likes Alrunor. She always been disappointed to all of the users because they are not taking Archery seriously. Bad first impression ¡ú A challenge ¡ú Defeat ¡ú Showing good points A typical route in a japanese dating sims and light novels! The hostilities they had towards Preach became respects. ¡°¡°We are blind but you open our eyes!¡±¡± Preach, however, didn¡¯t really plan something like that. He didn¡¯t have any care about the trainers or intimacy with npcs. Especially the goddamn warrior trainer!
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