《The Source》 The Beginning Chapter 1: ¡°Thank you all for your continual support through out the development of The Source. It has been five long years but we at Genesis Corporation have finally completed what we think will be the truly first VRMMO, The Source. Two weeks from today The Source will debut and be available globally. Of course, as you all know, to initially fund our huge project five years ago we held an event where players could entering a lottery drawing for a chance to be Beta Testers for The Source a week before the release date. By paying a small fee of $20 (US) anyone 12 years or older had a chance to be a Beta Tester. We received over 250 million entries worldwide but today only 10,000 lucky people will be a Beta Tester. This goes without saying that we here at Genesis Corporation will provide those lucky individuals with the Genesis headgear necessary to play The Source. Not only that but each individual will receive¡­¡± On the television, the handsome young CEO who seemed to be in his early thirties stood on a large podium and was drowned out by a roar of cheers before he could finish his sentence. The camera angle quickly shifted to show a sea of people yelling and screaming with approval. The official announcement for release of The Source had drawn over 50,000 people from all around the world. Even some high officials and powerful politicians were present and mixed within the throng of people. The reason for this uproar is because Genesis did not mention the addition of a free headgear and the other crazy benefits during their initial offer, which orginally offered only Beta Testing. Thus when people heard this they went crazy even though their chances of winning were only around a measly .00004%. The TV droned in the background as Henry slowly ate his microwavable meal while reading that day¡¯s newspaper. He sat in the middle of his small apartment living room that he also conveniently used for sleeping. The bathroom was cramped and there was no kitchen so he had a microwave plugged in the living room. It was around 0600 where Henry lived and sun was just beginning to crawl past the horizon. On the other hand, the announcement on the TV took place halfway across the world where it was already dark. When Henry heard the title ¡°The Source¡± from the TV he paused, then chuckled. ¡®It¡¯s already been five years huh. I almost forgot about the whole thing. To think I even entered the event too, using money I saved up since I was eight. Being barely 12 years old at the time I really wanted to play but a lot can change in five years.¡¯ Circumstances had not been great for Henry ever since he was born but the past five years from ages 12-17 were particularly rough. Then again, were anyone¡¯s circumstances not difficult? At the age of 12 Henry¡¯s mother died from an heart attack. The doctors said she passed away peacefully but Henry knew otherwise. He had seen her face twist in agony. He had seen her clutch for air, gasping. He had seen death coming to take his mother. Henry¡¯s father was no where to be found even before his birth. He heard stories that this man was a foreigner of status and had paid his mother to keep quiet about him. It seem there was no love between the two and Henry had been the result of a one-night stand sort of thing. When Henry was little it helped him to imagine his father and mother being in madly love with one another. He would imagine his father suddenly turning up one day and taking his mother and him away from their dangerous neighborhood to a house that actually had a bedroom. He had imagined so many different scenarios but he never asked his mother for the truth. Maybe he was too afraid to face reality. From a young age Henry held great interest in fantasy and other aspects of fiction that transcended the world he lived in. He enjoyed learning about the rules that govern other worlds. He liked reading about heroes with special powers beating unimaginably tough monsters. His mother, Claire, had noticed this too and bought Henry a handheld gaming device on his tenth birthday. Henry knew they did not have a lot of money and that his mother had to work overtime to afford the game device so he treasured it. The only game pre-installed on the device was Heroes of Justice. Henry had cleared the game within the first few days of playing. He had beaten the game on all the modes, easy, normal, hard, legendary, and insane. He knew that installing a new game would require more money so he did not ask his mother. Instead Henry continued to play the game he had beaten countless times. Each time trying to find new aspects to the story that he missed or trying gather all possible items. Henry loved the fantasy oriented Role Playing Game. When his mother was alive he play the game in-between school breaks and right after he was done studying. However, after his mother¡¯s death he was tossed from relative to relative and during his third move (he was 14 at the time) one of his cousin stole his gaming device. Henry knew Mike had taken it and confronted him but his cousin wildly punched him in the nose and told him to get the hell out of his face. Blood dripped at a steady rate from Henry¡¯s fuming nose. He glared daggers at Mike who failed to meet his gaze. Mike had suddenly gone silent and started muttering to his feet. Henry knew he would not get his game back and as much as he wanted to destroy Mike he held back. All his blaring anger contained in an overflowing box bulging at the seams. Just like that Henry had lost one of his most valuable treasures. After the incident Mike obviously told his parents and the very next day Henry was hushed off to another relative¡¯s home. After two more such moves Henry finally turned 16 and could finally live on his own. The reason for this being he could now quit school and start working to pay for his monthly rent. Though, technically he was still under the custody of his relative called the Frotches until he was 18. Henry always knew his relatives did not like him but for some reason they never sent him to the orphanage. Maybe it was some sense of duty, but he highly doubt that, or maybe they were somehow benefiting from his presence. In any case Henry thought that him living alone would benefit everyone¡­ Henry looked at the time and it was already 0645. Caught up in pondering the past he had lost track of the present and would be late for work in 15 minutes. Turning off the TV he placed his half finished reheatable mash potato and meatloaf into the microwave and got ready. Pulling on his work boots and a thick leather jacket, Henry quickly dashed out to meet the morning cold. If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it. Henry worked at a construction site a mile from where he lived. He didn¡¯t mind the work because he didn¡¯t have to interact too much with people. Plus lifting beams and carrying pails of tools gave a good workout. The people there were mostly older guys in their mid-20s or mid-30s. Except for the foreman and a few architect, the people Henry worked with, including himself, had no high school diploma. Nonetheless they were hardworking and capable men. Their day started from 0700 and usually ended at 1600 or 1700. There were two short breaks for lunch but other than that the manual intensive labor continued throughout the day. When Henry turned 16 and started working for the construction company called Foundation First he would always go home tired and sore. But after about two years of working Henry¡¯s muscle adjusted to the demands of the job and he now only occasional got worn out. And Henry¡¯s body reflected this too. He was around 5¡¯8¡± and had well-built muscles. His angular jaw and high bridge nose complimented his body, but his overall face was just average looking. It was more ordinary than anything. Nothing especially noticeable. When the foreman signaled that the day was over Henry stored his work clothes and hard hat in his locker and began to head home. He was hungry because he had not had time to pack anything for lunch and had only half finished his breakfast. Climbing up the stairs leading to his apartment Henry noticed his next door neighbor, a young college girl, probably a freshman, squealing at the front desk. ¡°OMG OMG OMG OMG OMG. IS IT ALREADY HERE ?!¡± ¡°Yes,¡± the receptionist replied. ¡°We got it in just an hour ago.¡± ¡°OMG IT HASN¡¯T EVEN BEEN A DAY YET! AHHHHH!¡± Henry observed the scene for a bit and soon figured out the cause of the girl¡¯s excitement. The receptionist handed the girl a box. On the outside of the box were the words ¡°THE SOURCE¡± written in light blue. Henry smiled. ¡®Talk about fast delivery.¡¯ He quietly congratulated the girl and went to his room to eat his mash potato and meatloaf¡­ *** For the rest of the week Henry repeated his daily routine of working, coming home to read, and then sleeping. He did this for five more days until it was Sunday and work stood on standby for the day. Most of the construction workers usually went out to drink and eat while others went to church or did other things. Henry, however, took this time off to go grocery shopping. It was 0900 when he returned from the grocery store with bags of microwavable and canned foods. Henry strolled up to the front desk of his apartment and asked for his mail. Although all he usually received was advertisements, he looked forward to getting his weekly subscription of Fantasy Tales, a sort of fantasy world and story that is created from readers¡¯ feedback and suggestions. He had contributed to part of the world¡¯s creation by writing as many suggestions as he could. After a minute of waiting, the pretty receptionist came out with a white box with the words ¡°THE SOURCE¡± written in light blue lettering and called out to Henry. ¡°Here is your package. And on the top of the box is your mail. Is there anything else I can help you with?¡± ¡°Hah. Hahaha. Ahahahah.¡± Henry coughed up some painful laughs. The receptionist couldn¡¯t tell if the man was happy or sad or just insane so she said, ¡°I hope you have a nice day.¡± Snapping back to reality Henry nodded and hefted the box up to his apartment room. After closing the door and setting aside his other mail he greedily tore open the box. He had not been this thrilled about something in a long time. His monotonous life style didn¡¯t meet much excitement so this event was extremely rare. ¡®Did I really win? It can¡¯t be right, right?¡¯ Holding the Genesis headgear in his hands Henry simply stared blankly at it for a while. After 10 minutes of gawking, he quickly installed the system, which was designed to be pretty easy to do and afterwards carefully read the long manual that came with the headgear. Henry wanted to make sure he understood the basics of the game because it was new to him and he didn¡¯t have much experience gaming. Plus there may be something in there that could help him in the game. Much of the information was basic and consisted of advice to practice healthy habits of playing, temperature where headgear should be stored at, how much electricity the headgear used, how the headgear worked and a lengthy section detailing the brain¡¯s connection with the headgear. Henry finished reading the manual by 1100. He then noticed a little blue slip in the box that he had missed before titled ¡°For Beta Testers¡±. Henry picked up the slip and began to read that too. As he continued down the list he grimaced and his face began to lose color. The contents of the list told Henry that he should have checked his mail sooner. All of the points on the list were exciting but also irritating due to his current situation. The contents of the list are as follows: For Beta Testing your account and character will be deleted after the testing period of a week starting from (09/23/2034 Midnight -9/30/2034 Midnight) For Beta Testing your character will gain 2x exp and 2x item drop rates from monsters. For Beta Testing regardless of race, the only starting location for players is Nosiris Kingdom. For Beta Testing PKing is not allowed anywhere. For Beta Testing players can identify one item that can be transferred to their official account when the game launches. This identified object can be changed as many times as players want but only the item last registered at 9/30/2034 midnight will be transferred. (Note: items excludes animate objects such as pets and also excludes items that cannot be equipped. Other restrictions apply and players will be notified in game if the item is non-transferable.) Without further delay Henry laid in bed, put on the Genesis headset, and said the initializing phrase. ¡°Start The Source.¡± NEXT CHAPTER The Old Man Chapter 2: Henry blinked but all he could feel was darkness. Worried something may have went wrong he sighed in relief when a white box popped-up in front of him.
Welcome to The Source (Beta Version) We have detected that you are a new player. Register for The Source? Options: (1) YES (2) NO
Henry clicked on the YES portion but his hand passed right through the hologram. Swiping his hand back and forth through the message he was amazed at the advanced technology. ¡®This feels too real. My hand moves just the way I want it to and where did this hologram pop-out from? Am I conscious or asleep? Maybe I was teleported to another world!¡¯ Henry laughed and started testing his motor skills and hand-eye coordination. His body moved exactly the way it did in real life. Satisfied, Henry said, ¡°yes¡± and a hologram of himself was projected in front of him along with various pop-up messages.
What name do you wish to go by in The Source? (Note:Your name is permanent)
¡°Zero.¡±
What race do you want to be? (Note:Your race is permanent)
Attached to this message was an in-depth list of the ten currently available races within The Source. Henry carefully read through each of them and found that they were all awesome. He preferred the human race, because he himself was human but since this was a Beta Test and his character would be deleted he choose a random race.
You have chosen to be a Orc. Are you sure?
¡°Yes¡± Henry confirmed and closed multiple screens offering changes for physical appearance. Henry knew he had wasted a lot of time during the character creation but just couldn¡¯t help but be amazed at realism of The Source (even though he hasn¡¯t technically started playing yet). Looking at the hologram which no longer resembled Henry a slightly taller six foot menacing creature glared back. The Orc¡¯s nose was dented inwards and his head was balding in some areas. His face was also pale white with a deep scar on his right cheek and his iris and pupils were as black as the darkness surrounding him. The Orc only wore leather trunks a size too small and would have been completely naked otherwise. His muscles bulged, twice or three times the size of Henry¡¯s own human muscles. ¡®Cool.¡± Henry thought just like a child admiring his hero. ¡°Shall we start now,¡± he announced to the Orc who just posed motionless. Seconds afterwards a blinding light erupted, forcing Henry, or rather Zero, to close his eyes momentarily. When Zero opened his eyes he was standing in the large center plaza of Nosiris Kingdom. He quickly soaked in the tall medieval buildings, the large water fountain with a beautiful woman carved in the middle, the half empty stalls with people selling basic necessities, the dusty air, and the sound of people bartering and laughing. Zero smiled at his surroundings but to the NPCs and few players who saw, it seemed like the Orc was baring its fangs and looking for some prey. They all shuddered and retreated back to whatever they were doing before taking comfort in the fact that even an Orc wouldn¡¯t dare attack anyone in the capital. ¡°Hohoho¡± a voice appeared from behind Zero. ¡°This is the first time I have seen an Orc *cough* in the capital. And you are even adventurer too. Say, what is your name *cough* brave Orc?¡± Zero turned around to face an old man with a slightly arched back and snow white hair tied back into a ponytail. Zero assumed the old man had a weak constitution because he leaned heavily on a wooden cane and coughed regularly. Plus the old man had glasses with an inch thick lens on. ¡°My name is Zero, and I think I am an adventurer.¡± The old man did not blink from facing an Orc twice his size and actually smiled. ¡°You think? Ah, you must *cough* have just been born then.¡± ¡°Born?¡± ¡°Of * cough* course, all adventurers seem to come from the source. *cough* Adventurers started appearing in Nosiris Kingdom about a month ago. I have *cough* heard news that we are the only Kingdom receiving adventurers which is odd. *cough* If we consider the size of the three Kingdoms in the central region Nosiris is the smallest one *cough* so¡­¡± The old man seem to be lost in thought. ¡®The source?¡¯ Zero guessed it had to do with the name of the game but decided to ask anyways. ¡°What is the source you mention?¡± ¡°Well, not much is known about *cough* the source but I do know about it moreso than others. But *cough* information is precious so I will have to ask for a favor or two *cough cough* before I can tell you.¡±
Quest Title: An old man¡¯s Proposition
Approached by a strange old man, he ask you to do him a favor or two in exchange for information on the source. The old man seems knowledgeable but his cough may be contagious and thus keeps strangers at bay. Quest Difficulty: E Quest Trigger: Be spotted by the old man Quest Details: Complete the favors asked by the old man. Failure to do so or declining this quest will result in quest failure. Quest Reward: (1) Information on the source (2) ???
Zero thought about the idea of doing this low level quest instead of grinding and trying to loot the best items he could before the end of Beta testing. He did not know much about games but he learned from playing Heroes of Justice that knowledge from NPCs were important. (Plus he simply enjoyed knowing the backstory of fantasy worlds). ¡®I will have time after the Beta Testing to learn about this world¡¯s history so for now I should focus on getting an item that will help me play the game during its release.¡¯ ¡°I am sor-¡± Zero began saying but stopped abruptly as the old man fell to the cobbled ground in a violent fit, coughing up some blood and fainted. NPCs and players turned around again and what they saw was an old man dead on the ground with an Orc towering over him. Everyone gasps and they started whispering things like, ¡°He murdered someone? I guess that doesn¡¯t count as PKing.¡± ¡°Who is that old man anyways? He was dumb to mess with an Orc.¡± ¡°Where are the royal guards?! Someone has just been murdered!¡± Zero didn¡¯t hear the whispers and was worried about the old man so he carried the old man, who was surprisingly heavy, in his arms and quickly walked off to find a doctor, or a priest in this case. ¡°Holy bunny rabbits he just kidnapped the dead old man.¡± ¡°It¡¯s not kidnapping if the old guy is already dead. That Orc is probably going to eat him.¡± ¡°Is this some sort of event or quest?¡± Everyone had their own version of what had happened with the old man and the Orc and by the end of the day word had spread throughout the vast Nosiris Kingdom about the Orc who killed a defenseless old man. *** The old man who was ¡°killed by an Orc¡± is actually called Sordello and is someone whose name is enough to instill fear even in dragons and divine beasts. (Not defenseless at all). Sordello¡¯s strength rivaled that of an army 100,000 strong. No one quite exactly knows what Sordello¡¯s powers were nor can anyone attest to having seen him but the name Sordello is a legend amongst legends. Simply put everyone and everything knew his name. Sordello however was no longer the brazen youth he once was. He was now over two centuries old and time is something no mortal can escape. He could use his impossibly strong magic to prolong his life and change his physical appearance to that of a young man again but Sordello was tired of it all. His mind and soul would still be old and worn out even if his appearance wasn¡¯t. He had lost his vigour from his first days out exploring dungeons and fighting monsters. Thus for the past few years Sordello hid himself in Nosiris Kingdom, his birthplace, and kept the appearance of an old man. But now Sordello found a spark in life after so long. When these so-called adventures started to appear and enthusiastically went out to explore the vast wilderness of Galise Sordello was intrigued. He had no knowledge of adventurers and could only guess that they, like all other things, came from the source. But more than that their frenzy for exploration reminded Sordello of when he was young. Sordello decided long ago that he would enter an eternal slumber after he spent a few years back in his hometown Nosiris, well, his home Kingdom now. He had only about a month left when the adventurers started appearing and he was sad he wouldn¡¯t get to see their growth and adventures. As a parting gift and for his own amusement Sordello decided to ask each adventurer if they would help him with errands in exchange for information on the source. The existence of the source was known by few and Sordello had only limited knowledge on it. No information on the source was verified and everything was just speculation. Sordello used the information on the source as a reward only as a guise though. If anyone accepted his quest and finished he would allow them to pick any one item he had in his vast storage, hidden far away from civilization in a magical realm. Of course Sordello did not tell the adventurers this because he did not like greedy people. And in the end all 9,999 adventurers declined his offer. Well, some adventurers did accept his quest but when they were asked to do things like, ¡°go kill 10,000 rabbits without sleeping¡± or ¡°give a flower to each female in the kingdom¡±, no one wanted to do it so they canceled the quest. Sordello was determined to see one adventurer complete his tedious and seemingly impossible tasks so he kept asking. For three weeks no new adventurers showed up at the fountain, where Sordello discovered was some sort of teleportation spot for the birth of adventurers. Then Sordello noticed a young Orc teleport into the center of the plaza next to the fountain. Most adventurers had been humans or elves with fine faces altered with magic, but this adventurer was ugly and the first Orc adventurer Sordello had seen. Sordello did what he usually did and approached the Orc. To his own surprise though, Sordello fainted for the first time in a century. His eternal slumber was coming on sooner than expected. The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon. *** Zero panted heavily as he dodge through alleyways trying to lose his pursuers. Zero tried to look for a priest but ended up getting lost in the maze-like alleyways. Plus when trying to ask for directions people ran away from him even though he was smiling when approaching them. So after an hour of in game time, which is one-fourth the time in real life, Zero got two messages.
WARNING: Multiple witnesses claim to see you slaughter a resident of Nosiris and make off with his lifeless body so a bounty has been placed on your head. Because you are the only Orc in Nosiris Kingdom Royal Guards have a 50% more of a chance to find you. Suspect Description: Ugly Orc with yellow teeth. Bounty Reward: Dead-15 Gold or Alive- 20 Gold
Congratulations! You have acquired the title of ¡®Ugly Orc with Yellow Teeth¡¯
Many people have witnessed your absolute ugliness. You are considered handsome amongst your race but other races view you as nothing but an Ugly Orc with Yellow Teeth. Title Effects: -25 attractiveness, + 5 menace, has a 5% to instill fear in target that looks better than you (does not apply to Orcs).
Right after the messages a few Royal Guards charged towards Zero from behind an alleyway. Zero tried to explain the situation to them but they brandished their sword without care. Thus the only option was to run. He had been on the run for half an hour now and his stamina and dexterity increased by 1 point apiece. He also figured out how to access his inventory and took two pieces of bread from it and ate it. His water was long gone by now too. Taking another short break Zero laid the old man down on the ground and ate another piece of bread. So many times he had wanted to leave the old man behind somewhere so he could run faster but in the end he didn¡¯t. Interrupting his meal, the old man jolted awake and quickly observed his surroundings before resting his gaze on Zero. Zero couldn¡¯t believe the old guy could look so alert and even dangerous. Zero was scared, but only for a bit. The old man smiled, ¡°thank you for *cough* carrying me to a¡­ priest I presume. I also apologize *cough* for fainting on you. Old age does that sometimes. *cough* Now what was your answer to my question?¡± Surprised that the old man who looked dead a moment ago would be concerned about his quest Zero felt sorry for old man and decided to accept the quest. ¡®I probably can¡¯t get a good item with only about two days of in game play left. I might as well try to enjoy and immerse myself in this world!¡¯ ¡°Thank you kind adventurer *cough*.¡± After saying that a sly smile spread across the old man¡¯s face and he revealed his request. ¡°I would like you to lend an ear while I tell you about my life. It will *cough* be a long story.¡± ¡®Sounds simple enough¡¯ Zero thought. ¡°I will be an attentive listener so please tell me everything.¡± ¡°Hohoho *cough cough* you asked for it. But first let¡¯s find a *cough* more suitable place to chat.¡± Having said that the old man led Zero through various twists and turns until they arrived at a small brick house. Luckily the Royal Guards weren¡¯t around so their travel was peaceful. Zero would have a hard time explaining things to the old man if he were attacked by Royal Guards. The old man ushered Zero into the tiny house and when they both sat down the story of Sordello began. *** Sordello awoke and instinctively got ready for danger although not much could hurt him even while he was unconscious. Looking around for a split second he grasped the situation and relaxed his guard. The Orc sitting crossed-legged against the wall was even paler than his already pale white face. Sordello suppressed his laughter. ¡®He must have felt a paltry amount of my power even though I¡¯ve sealed most away.¡¯ Sordello smiled at the young Orc and continued with his original plan. Sordello could feel he didn¡¯t have much time left so he could not use his normal requests because they would take too long. Therefore he offered the Orc a slightly more interesting and easier task. When he saw that the young Orc agreed he was delighted. Showing the way they quickly arrived at his makeshift home. On the way he had noticed quite a few royal guards following them but easily redirected them to search other areas. Sordello did not want to be interrupted while recounting the story of his life for the first time. *** Zero listened closely to the old man¡¯s story. There were a lot of coughs that gradually worsened throughout the telling of the story. The old man refused to stop even when Zero asked. The old man¡¯s story continued on for about a day and a half and when he finally finished, the time in real life was 2352, close to midnight. Zero smiled and thanked the old man who now seemed much older than he looked. He waited for the quest to finish so he could collect his reward. But something unexpected happen. The old man sighed a deep sigh. ¡°Thank you for listening *cough* to my story. I was going *cough* to give you an item of mine ontop of information on the source but I have taken *cough* a liking to you. I will *cough* give you something that *cough* will be the envy of all.¡±
Would you like to change your class to the fabled class: Hero? Options: (1) YES (2) NO
Unable to believe his luck, Zero gawked in silenced at the proposal. He knew right away that the class was something special. He also understood from reading the beginner''s manual that players could get classes other from the basic ones by doing quests or by triggering certain actions. Zero wasn¡¯t sure on how high up a fabled class was on the list of classes but the word ¡°Hero¡± bounced back and forth in his head. Zero¡¯s orcish face was now as white as snow. He realized that he could not transfer his class to his account after the beta test was over and lamented over his situation. Seeing the Orc¡¯s face turn ghastly, Sordello asked for the reason. Zero turned to the old man and with more willpower than he could muster declined.
You have gained a new stat: Willpower
Summoning forth unimaginable willpower to overcome a dire situation you gained the stat willpower. The higher your willpower the easier it will be to overcome tough situations. This stat will raise from certain actions and points cannot be distributed to this stat. +3 Willpower +1 Intelligence +1 Luck
*** Sordello was surprised the Orc had denied his class change offer. Given, the class Hero was a good one unattainable through anyone else but him. Sordello held the class Hero of heroes which was a far superior class but the class hero was still no joke. ¡®Could the Orc have found out what my class is from my story? No¡­ that cannot possible be. I excluded parts from my story that would allude to my power. I only covered the most basic and ordinary parts. I haven¡¯t even told him my name. Does he want my class or something else..?¡¯ ¡°Young Orc, I know the class may seem a little *cough* ordinary, but is the class not to your liking?¡± ¡°That¡¯s not it elder, I just have a situation that doesn¡¯t allow me to accept this class.¡± Zero then went on to explain the rules of the Beta Testing and talked about the one item transfer and ended with a deep sigh. ¡°That is why I cannot accept such an esteem class as this just to lose it right afterwards.¡± The young Orc explained his situation using terms Sordello was not quite familiar with but he had a general understanding of what was going on. ¡°Are you saying even more adventurers will be borned starting next hour?¡± Sordello asked excited and without a cough. ¡°Yes, but I¡¯m not sure if you or any people of this land will retain your current memory. To you all it may simply seem like we are visiting for the first time.¡± ¡°Haha, then it is *cough* simple. Since you will be here again tomorrow I will in the meantime give you an item to hold on to and you *cough* can come find me tomorrow to exchange the item for the class *cough*. How does that sound young Orc?¡± ¡°I do not know if that will work but it would be my honor to accept your class if possible.¡± Sordello was excited. ¡®What should I give him¡¯ he thought. I may not be able to hold on long enough to give him the class. In that case, maybe¡­¡¯ ¡°Then the item I will give you is this.¡± Sordello took off his treasured spectacles and handed them to the young Orc. ***
Sordello¡¯s Spectacles
Description: ??? Rarity: ??? Effects: ??? Requirements: ???
Zero held the fragile glasses in his right hand. He felt a mix of emotions because of the flurry of events that took place. The time in real life was 2359. He had about four minutes left of game play time. He wanted to ask the old man about the hero class and why he could give out the class and he wanted to hear more about the old man¡¯s story because he felt it was incomplete. He also wanted to know about the source. ¡°I will see you in a bit and return this item back to you right away.¡± ¡°Young Orc, let us *cough* meet at your birthplace again. For *cough* I fear you may not be *cough* to be able to find this *cough* place again.¡± *COUGH COUGH* Sordello fell down face first onto the wooden table and stayed there. Zero bolted up from his chair which creaked from the relief of its burden and he lifted the old man off the chair. Zero placed the limp old man on his bed before a huge message popped up, covering his whole field of vision.
BETA TESTING FOR THE SOURCE IS NOW OVER. YOU WILL BE LOGGED OUT.
¡® Oh crap!¡¯ Zero shouted ¡° register ¡®Sordello¡¯s Spec-¡± and then he was enveloped in darkness. NEXT CHAPTER The Beginning (Again) Chapter 3: Henry carefully took off his headset, went to the bathroom, washed his face and looked into the spotless mirror. He had spent around 12 hours straight playing The Source but his mind had experienced almost 48 hours of game time which caused him to feel mental fatigue. He read in the manual that sleep is possible in the game, but he had not the chance to try it out because of Sordello¡¯s story. He only figured out the old man¡¯s name after receiving the glasses. Remembering that Henry frowned. ¡®Did I manage to register the item in time? If I don¡¯t have the item will Sordello still allow me to change my class? Is Sordello okay? Questions questions.¡¯ ¡°The only way to find out is to check,¡± Henry assured himself. To make sure that the official version of The Source was up and running Henry got out of his apartment and went down to the front desk. He approached the desk where a pretty receptionist, different from the one in the morning, sat looking bored. ¡°Uhh hi¡± Henry said awkwardly,¡± I was wondering if you could look something up for me using your computer?¡± ¡°Ahem ahem. Sure.¡± ¡°Can you please see if The Source-- it¡¯s a game-- is up and running?¡± ¡°Ohhhh that, I know about it! I just ordered my headset a few days ago too¡± the receptionist, named Lily, cheerfully responded while typing away. ¡°Okay, so it seems that there will be a 30 minute downtime because those darn Beta Testers are getting their items transferred.¡± ¡®I am one of those darn Beta Testers¡¯ Henry thought to himself. ¡°Hmm okay. Thank you for your help.¡± ¡°That¡¯s okay. Come back anytime. It gets really boring during the night shift¡± Lily said and winked at Henry. That was when Henry noticed he was only in his boxers and a white T-shirt. He quickly thanked Lily once more and sped-walked back to his apartment room. ¡®I have to be more careful¡¯ Henry thought. Not knowing what to do during the remaining 20 minutes Henry read Fantasy Tales and waited. When it was 0030 he put on the Genesis headset and started The Source. *** A familiar darkness and pop-up message greeted Henry.
Welcome to The Source We have detected that you are a new player. Register for The Source? Options: (1) YES (2) NO
¡°Yes¡±
What name do you wish to go by in The Source? (Note:Your name is permanent)
¡°Zero¡±
What race do you want to be? (Note:Your race is permanent)
¡°Uhhh.¡± Henry wasn¡¯t sure what to do here. ¡®If I go in as a different avatar will Sordello recognize me? He doesn¡¯t even know my name. What if I don¡¯t have the item? He might get angry if I lost his glasses. Can he even see without them...¡± A little angry at his self-made predicament Henry decided to stick with his Orc form.
You have chosen to be a Orc. Are you sure?
¡°Yes.¡± Again a bunch of screens popped up offering adjustments for physical changes. This time Henry considered doing some touch-ups because apparently he was an Ugly Orc with Yellow Teeth but seeing nothing wrong with his Orc form he closed all the pop up messages and choose his starting location.
Orcs are recommended to start at their birth place, Krugler¡¯s Outpost. Are you sure you want to start at Nosiris Kingdom?
¡°Yes.¡± In a blinding flash Zero appeared in the center plaza of Nosiris Kingdom, next to the fountain where he met Sordello. Looking around he saw that the plaza was packed with new players jumping around testing their mobility. Once a player got used to their movements they would shuffle off, eager to find a quest to do or to kill some rabbits in the starting field outside the kingdom walls. Zero also had something he had to do. Slowly opening his inventory Zero shrieked in shock, making players and NPCs near him step away from him. He had 10 pieces of bread, a canteen of water, a wooden club and Zero¡¯s Spectacles. ¡°WHY IS IT ZERO¡¯S SPECTACLES?!¡± He shouted. Players and NPCs around him stepped even further back as if repelled by a forcefield. One unlucky character who just spawn had the pleasure to see a giant Orc shouting. Needless to say the player ran away in fear. Zero stopped to look at the player, not used to the system¡¯s movements yet, stumble and fall a few times while retreating.
You have acquired a new skill: Brute¡¯s Bellow
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Brute¡¯s Bellow (active)
Skill Level: Beginner 1 (0.00%)
A loud and deep shout that is often used to gain attention, command, and/or intimidate others. Allied creatures in your shout radius will have a 1% boost to all normal stats and 5% increase in morale for five minutes. Enemies in your shout radius will have a 1% decrease to all normal stats and 5% drop in morale for five minutes. 1% chance to cause fear in enemies. 50 mana per meter
Zero closed the message without reading it, and took Zero¡¯s Spectacles from his inventory. ¡°Identify¡± Zero exclaimed. When nothing happened he said it again and again and again... He received the same results until the 19th time, where a message finally popped up as if annoyed and telling him to go away.
You currently do not have the skill for this command. The minimum information will be displayed. Find an appraiser, learn the skill: Identification, or use identification scrolls to learn more about the item.
Zero¡¯s Spectacles
The original owner of these spectacles has passed away. You are now the new owner! Rarity: ??? Effects: ??? Requirements: ???
¡°Original owner passed away,¡± Zero repeated quietly to himself. He did not to know how to feel. Sad for the lost of a person with artificial intelligence he knew for less than two days? Mad for not being able to swap the item for a class change? Happy that he managed to get an item of his own from the Beta Testing? No. When the situation involved death Zero only felt emptiness. After losing his mother he developed an impregnable wall that stopped any feelings from affecting him, especially feelings for the dead. Thus Zero felt nothing for the lost of the old man called Sordello. His mind cleared and he was alert, ready for anything.
You have acquired a new skill: Serene Mind
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Serene Mind (passive)
Skill Level: Beginner 1 (0.00%)
In situations where others would succumb to emotions you are resistant. This is a state of mind that all creature of importance possess, especially Generals in war. This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source. Has a 50% chance to resist fear, confusion, taunt, lust, despair, and all other ailments connected human emotions. All normal stats +1. +1 Apathy per stat increase.
You have gained a new stat: Apathy
Apathy:Through display of an intense lack or absence of emotion, passion, or excitement you are now considered apathetic. The higher your apathy the easier and more efficient it will be to perform immoral deeds. This stat will rise on its own and points cannot be distributed to this stat. +3 Apathy +1 Luck
Zero stood like a statue in the same spot he spawned from and stared into the spectacles in his hand. ¡°Is that guy having trouble using the system movement,¡± a player asked. ¡° What are Orcs doing here anyway. They ruin the NPCs¡¯ mood.¡± ¡°Look at that noob haha¡± a player laughed, even though he himself is a noob. Zero did not hear these comments nor did he care. He was thinking of what to do. There were two simple options. First, he could try to go find Sordello¡¯s house again, but he would probably get lost and Sordello appeared to have died. Second, he could find an appraiser and see what Zero¡¯s Spectacles was. Zero choose the second option and started heading towards a building with a large sign with bold lettering that read ¡°Lottery Appraiser¡±. Below the sign hung a slightly smaller sign with a carved picture of a magnifying glass hovering over a question mark. When Zero reached the three story building at the southern edge of the plaza he glanced to his right and to his left. The center plaza was not called the ¡®center¡¯ for no reason. The main buildings that encircled the space were places where players would most likely go. In no particular order the blacksmith was next to the inn which was in turn right next to the alchemist shop. Stalls also stood a little ways in front of these buildings and sold various goods. Zero had not visited them yet but the smell of a delicious stew wafted in the air. He wanted to try out food other than bread because the manual said food should taste the same in game as it does in real life. ¡®I¡¯ll make sure to check out those stall after I¡¯m done here.¡¯ Licking his lips in delight Henry entered Lottery Appraiser. *** Drytmes sat in his expensive leather chair and counted his stack of gold coins. In the past month he had made a lot of money from these-so-called adventurers that started popping out of thin air. These characters were so eager to get their items appraised that they frequented his shop even more than the blacksmith¡¯s forgery. In the beginning, only a moderate amount of adventurers came to get their items appraised. But halfway through the month the influx of customers soared. It appeared that an adventurer obtained a mythical item from one of Drytmes¡¯s unidentified items bin. Drytmes was a little shocked and jealous from the discovery but once the news spread business boomed so he let the matter go. Adventurers bought unidentified objects, which consisted mostly of junk items, from his unidentified items bin for five gold a piece and then appraised the item for 50 silvers. Easy money. Nonetheless, a mythical item was indeed hard to come by, especially in Drytmes¡¯s cheap and cheat bins of unidentified objects. From his years of appraising items Drytmes was able to guess an unidentified item¡¯s rarity even without appraising it. Drytmes is a master, or possibly an even higher level appraiser and he still sometime misses the occasional mythical or rare items placed into the bins. ¡®The chance of finding a treasure in a pile of junk is the whole lure of unidentified objects. And money!¡¯ As an experienced appraiser Drytmes appraised many mythical items in his days of working as a mid-level appraiser on the second floor of the very same shop he now owns. He even owns a few mythical items himself. But beyond mythical items Drytmes only had the glory to appraise a legendary item once in his lifetime. The item, a ring, that had been dropped from the kill of a jade dragon deep in the northern part of the continent. The man who brought the ring for appraisal wore thick spectacles with lens that were at least an inch thick and had his flowing black hair tied into a ponytail. He wore a simple tan cloak with light leather armor underneath and carried a plain wooden staff. By that time Drytmes had just become the owner of the ¡°Quick and Easy Appraisal¡± which he renamed ¡°Lottery Appraiser¡± because he thought it would attract more customers. The man whose name Drytmes never knew was quite patient as he was directed from the first floor (where clerks could only identify junk items to uncommon items) to the second floor (where clerks could only identify rare to mythical items) and finally to the third floor where Drytmes, the master appraiser, could identify any item-- junk, common, uncommon, rare, mythical, legendary, and the rumoured ancient and immortal. (Author¡¯s Note: The rarities and their respective orders are from Dota 2.) When Drytmes saw the man take out the dull looking ring he knew it was something special, contrary to its appearance. Drytmes confirmed this when he appraised the item and with a yelp of glee gave the ring back to the man who with the opposite reaction took the ring, examined it, and shook his head in disappointment. Before Drytmes could ask what was wrong the man placed 100 gold on the table and left¡­ That had happened over 20 years ago and the events still clawed at his mind every so often. ¡®Were my skills lacking so the ring¡¯s full potential was not drawn out? I was sure that it was a legendary item with amazing effects. Could he have had better equipment already? Just who is this man that-¡¯ A shout from the second floor disrupted Drytmes¡¯s questions. ¡°Boss, I am awfully sorry for interrupting you but Saald and I cannot identify this man, ur, Orc¡¯s item!¡± ¡®They better not be wasting my time. If the item is not legendary both of them are working without pay for a month!¡¯ Not wanting to be rude to his customer Drytmes went down to the second floor and politely escorted the Orc to the third floor. He glared at Saald and Donnann before heading up the stairs. ¡°Sit down sit down. Please make yourself feel at home before we get down to business.¡± Seeing the Orc place himself across from him Drytmes handed the Orc a contract. ¡°Here, before we start anything please sign this specially made contract which states that if your item¡¯s rarity is higher than mythical then the appraisal is free of charge but if it¡¯s not then you will have to pay the usual fee of either 50 silver or 2 gold, depending on the rarity. Okay?¡± The Orc hesitated and then said with an unpleasant accent, ¡°I don¡¯t have any money right now, so if the item is a mythic item or lower can I pay the fee at a later date?¡± ¡®Goodness, he can¡¯t possibly have a legendary item if he doesn¡¯t even have 2 gold.¡¯ ¡°Ahem, well, sure, I shall make it an exception because I do not see many items that make it up to this floor. Just this once though.¡± ¡°Thank you,¡± the orc said and handed Drytmes a pair of old spectacles with at least an inch thick lense. ¡®Strange, this looks familiar, but where have I seen it.¡¯ Drytmes pondered for a bit and eagerly started to appraise the item which he felt could either be an item beyond imagination or just pure junk. It was difficult to judge. Clasping the spectacles in both hands Drytmes appraised the item. He winked and blinked twice. ¡®Could this be?¡¯ Checking again to make sure his hands started trembling and the old spectacles almost fell out of his hands. No, to call them old spectacles would be an insult because what Drytmes held in his hand was an immortal item. NEXT CHAPTER The Hero of heroes Chapter 4: ¡°Yeowouch,¡± Drytmes roared as the thin rims of the spectacles seared his meaty hands with the heat of a thousand suns forcing him to drop it. As the hot white spectacle collided with the oak floor it exploded into a million pieces. The explosion sent rays of light that engulfed the entire room, blinding both Drytmes and Zero. Before either of them could react, a hole the size of a needle appeared ontop of Drytmes¡¯ desk and began pulling both of them in. The pull felt like pinches to Zero which was odd because he had imagined it to be more painful. Perhaps the system didn¡¯t let pain go above a certain point; a concept which Zero understood and appreciated. Drytmes on the other hand was writhing in pain and as if rejecting Drytmes the hole spat him back out and doubled its speed on pulling Zero in. And after another second the light along with Zero was lost to the black hole that collapsed on itself, satisfied. ***
You are the first person to enter ¡®A Hero¡¯s Sanctuary¡¯ +10,000 fame 2x EXP gain for a week (in-game time) 2x Drop rate for items (in-game time) The first monster you kill will drop the best item they have.
You have obtained the title: Infamous
You are currently the adventurer with the most fame in The Source. This is a temporary title that shifts when another adventurer out-fames you. -This title grants no effects.
You are the first person to acquire an immortal item +50,000 fame +10 to all common stats
You are the first person to equip an immortal item +100,000 fame +25 to all common stats
Your class is now Hero of heroes!
You have acquired a new skill: Cloak
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Cloak (active)
Skill Level: Mastered (99.99%)
A unique skill passed down from Hero of heroes. -You can borrow the strength of a past Hero of heroes indefintely. 0 mana per second
You have acquired a new skill: Bestow
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Bestow (active)
Skill Level: Mastered (99.99%)
A unique skill passed down from Hero of heroes. -You can grant the class ¡®Hero¡¯ to (12) animate objects. 8% permanent reduction in common stats per use
How do you like it, Zero, the new Hero of Heroes? ¡°What? Who is speaking? Why is it pitch dark in here?¡± Zero spun around in confusion trying to locate the voice in the blank emptiness that surrounded him. Save for the pop-ups giving off light he could see nothing or no one. Do not fret. Why does everyone always panic? I am a part of you--inside your head if you will. I will explain shortly so calm down. The voice bouncing around in Zero¡¯s head made him dizzy but he calmed down after the voice¡¯s announcement. Okay. You¡¯ve calmed down faster than others since you have achieved serene mind so explaining this will be easier. Oh and what is this? YOU are not from this world? Interesting. Well, for now, just listen and remember because I do not like to repeat myself. I, if I am to be compared to things, am an ancient thing that was one of the first creations from The Source. It was a long time ago and I do not remember much. However, inscribed in me is a mission that I cannot rid myself of. I am drawn to people, people just like you. People who can change the world. My mission as I mentioned, is to aid you as you fight off the many evils lurking in Galise. There are great evils that normal people cannot fathom. It is our duty to deal with these evils before it ever harms anyone. A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation. For these tasks you will need great power and you can acquire great power only through hard work. I will not take no for an answer hence I only ask, ¡®are you ready?¡¯ ¡®Ready for what¡¯ Zero thought. Why, for your training of course. All Heroes need training and the Hero of Heroes is no exception. ¡®What will I be doing?¡¯ That¡¯s simple, you learn fastest with experience so you will be fighting the undeads. ¡®Undeads, are they strong? I am only level one.¡¯ Do not worry, you will have help from one previous Hero of heroes. See there, here they come. Out of the darkness conjured from thin air emerged mighty humans and elves and half-beasts and dwarves and dragon people and a few oddly shaped creatures that Zero had never seen before. They each came clad in battle gear and the atmosphere grew heavier with each new presence. One of these 51 Hero of Heroes will be with you throughout your training. Each one of them are immensely strong, as you will be when you pass into the void too. ¡®Are these their souls?¡¯ Hardly. A soul is a weird concept. These images you see before you is more of an imprint of what they left behind; yet their personality, memories, and power are still intact. But save the questions for later, here they come to inspect you. ¡®Do you mean I do not get to choose?¡¯ Of course not. Hero of heroes can be very stubborn and lazy so taking on an apprentice is not something anyone would just do. But if more than one Hero of heroes chooses you then you can choose, but do not count on it. Verifying the voice¡¯s statement more than half of the group of Hero of heroes turned away and disappeared into the darkness again. Those that remain whispered among themselves and eyeballed Zero up and down. Before Zero could feel embarrassed a familiar looking face strode towards him. This young man with a ponytail tied behind his head and with an inch thick spectacles resting on his nose was none other than Sordello when he was in his prime, some hundred years ago. ¡°Hello there young orc, do you remember me?¡± Zero gawked. ¡°Yes, but how do you remember me?¡± ¡°I or whatever I am now remembers everything up to the point of my passing. It¡¯s a weird feeling really. You will know oh some hundred or thousand years from now when you have also passed.¡± ¡°I have so many questions to ask you,¡± Zero exclaimed. ¡°Very well, we will have too much time to talk because I will gladly become your mentor. For now tell Ureah that I will become your mentor so we escape this darkness.¡± I can hear you two just fine Sordello. Okay then Zero, it appears Sordello is the only one who volunteered to¡­. As if cut off the voice, Ureah, quieted down as a giant mass of muscle crept up behind Sordello and announced his presence. ¡°I, Gtzrovd, will be mentor to the orc.¡± Sordello turned around to face Gtzrovd and laughed. ¡°Now this is a surprise. Out of all of us why did you choose to mentor someone for the first time? You know what mentoring someone means for you right, Gtzrovd, also known as The First Hero of heroes?¡± Again Zero stood shocked. Surprised he could even be more surprised by the turn of events considering how his day, or few hours in-game has went Zero just watch and listened while the scene unfolded in front of him. ¡°Well Zero,¡± Sordello sighed,¡±as much as I would like to be your mentor, I also want to see how the strongest of the Hero of heroes partnered with an adventurer will turn out. I do not know much about Gtzrovd¡¯s personality but his strength is unrivaled. You¡¯ll have no problem with the trails with him by your side. Ah and I almost forgot. We can definitely meet again just be sure to collect a lot of¡­¡± Well, Sordello spoke a little too much so I sent him away. No need to spoil the fun yet. Everything in due time. Now. Zero you and Gtzrovd are in a pact of mentor and mentee that will last for longer than you know. You will see soon enough how much you two will need each other. Now without further ado let the training begin! Zero braced himself for the flash of light and Gtzrovd grunted and stretched his huge frame as they were teleported off somewhere far away.