《Premiere End》 Chapter 1: Awful Start It¡¯s just like any other day for Clive Parker as he reluctantly attends to his high school graduation. He wouldn¡¯t think twice to not attend his graduation if not for his mother that force dressed him and threatened him to cut his internet connection and his subscription to Premiere End Online so he had no choice but to obey. He¡¯s the kind of person that would do anything for his games, though unwilling to his mom¡¯s orders; Clive always did his chores, homework, projects and anything that his mom would ask of him. Clive¡¯s mom surely knows how to deal with his laziness. But even though Clive is always opposed to doing the things that he considers a bother, there¡¯s not a single task that can be considered too hard for him to do. He¡¯s a genius who understands the concept of most problems he encounters by just simply staring and analyzing it. In their recent exam just weeks before their graduation Clive easily placed on the top 20 students despite not studying and only reviewing right before the exam. ¡°Clive!¡± ¡°Yo!¡± ¡°Hi Mrs. Parker. . Oh right, Clive I¡¯ve been looking for you. We need to get in line. The graduation will start soon¡± ¡°Kaaayyy¡­ Mom I¡¯m going. . . ¡° ¡°Jeez, at least act a little excited¡­ Just go¡± ¡°Yaaaay im so excited¡­ is that okay?¡± ¡°You little..¡± ¡°Haha.. see you later¡± Clive waved his hand and went together with Mark to where their other classmates are. The graduation started and finished in a flash. Those years of hard work was commemorated in an event that signifies that it¡¯s the end of that part in his life and a start of a new one. After the graduation you can hear people crying from all over the place. It was a really emotional moment for a lot of people but not Clive. Instead of feeling sad, Clive felt irritated because he was supposed to be playing all day long and that was hindered because of his graduation and also because his classmates are making such a big fuss over graduation. (Seriously? Is your friendship really that shallow? It¡¯s not like you won¡¯t see each other anymore) he thought to himself. Clive doesn¡¯t have that much friends rather he only has one friend. Mark is the only friend he have and it started way back when they were still just little kids. Way back then Mark¡¯s mom dropped off Mark to Clive¡¯s house for babysitting; they played together and from then on they became close friends. Mark is a good person. He¡¯s really popular within the school because of his title of being the captain of the basketball team but mostly the reason is because he can get along with almost anybody. Mark is 18 yrs. old, about 175 cm. tall, muscular, light brown skin, has short black hair and brown eyes. He has average looks compared to most people but because of his personality and intelligence, a lot of girls have a crush on him. On the other hand Clive is 16 yrs. old boy who loves games; he is younger and more handsome if you compare him to Mark. He has chestnut-brown ear-length hair, white skin, brown eyes and has a height of 169 cm. He skipped a grade and is considered a pretty boy if some would say. But even though he is smart and attractive, many people don¡¯t like him because of his attitude. Clive is a really rude person by nature. He would always respond with metaphors and sarcasm whenever someone tries to talk to him. Occasionally there¡¯re some girls who would flirt with him but he casually drives them away by saying ¡°Are you stupid? ¡° or something like that. But it¡¯s not like he wanted to talk that way, it¡¯s just merely because his line of thought is different. It¡¯s different in a way, where he thinks that everything is supposed to be common knowledge. He would often try to restrain his words but ends up saying something offensive like ¡°Seriously? How stupid are you?¡± or ¡°You don¡¯t know something that simple?¡± or ¡°Why would you even ask me that?¡± He would often question himself ¡°Why don¡¯t they understand such simple things?¡± Clive hates idle chats and thus made him easily annoyed with people besides his Mom and Mark. He cannot even make a proper conversation with people so he gave up on making friends and devoted his time to doing something that he loves, playing games. ¡°Finally! Home!¡± ¡°Are you sure you just want to stay at home? It¡¯s your graduation; we could go somewhere if you like¡± ¡°It¡¯s fine. I¡¯m not interested¡± ¡°Okay.. If that¡¯s what you want... Well, there¡¯re things that I need to take care off so I¡¯ll be out for a while. Don¡¯t play too much video games, understood? I¡¯ll be back by 6¡± ¡°O~kay!¡± Clive dashed to his room to turn on his computer after talking to his mom. For him the graduation is just a pain in the ass that obstructs him from playing Premiere End Online. Premiere End Online is an MMORPG that is really popular today. The game has a post-apocalyptic setting where a certain bad guy summoned monsters all over the world to kill all humans and conquer the world. People tend to enjoy this kinds of games wherein the Human race is about to become extinct and Clive is no exception to that Clive has been playing the game since its close beta and became one of the top players. It was a typical game where you increase your level by killing monsters. It also has a job system which includes Cleric, Mage, Hunter, Knight, Guardian and Assassin. He played as an Assassin named Cleave and became famous in game because of his skill in PVP. Although he¡¯s a strong player, he doesn''t really have that many friends either inside the game because of his lack of tolerance with annoying conversation. But it¡¯s not like he cares that much of what people thought of him. He just wants to play the game. ¡°[whisper]Rabitz: Hey! Cleave¡± ¡°[whisper]Cleave: Yo!¡± ¡°[whisper]Rabitz: We¡¯re gonna hunt tier 7 items. You in?¡± ¡°[whisper]Cleave: Nah, I¡¯ll pass. Already have those items¡± ¡°[whisper]Rabitz: All of it?¡± ¡°[whisper]Cleave: Yep.¡± ¡°[whisper]Rabitz: But it was released just 2 weeks ago. Man you¡¯re fast¡± ¡°[whisper]Cleave: Well duh?¡± ¡°[whisper]Rabitz: haha.. I see.. well then, later¡± ¡°[whisper]Cleave: K¡± Hours passed by and it¡¯s already evening. He remembered his promise to have dinner with his mom in the evening. If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. Usually, Clive eats alone in the house because his Mom is really busy with work. Clive would often just take some food in the fridge, reheat it and bring it to his room to eat while he¡¯s playing. But it¡¯s not like he hates his mom because of that. Clive understands that his mom is doing her best for the sake of them both. Clive¡¯s mom Tanya Parker raised him alone because of his worthless father who abandoned them while he was still inside his mother¡¯s womb. Perhaps that is the cause of his bad attitude. ¡°Clive! We¡¯re having dinner in 30 minutes¡± ¡°Okay! Coming¡± Clive¡¯s mom is already back at home and is preparing dinner. Clive logged out from the game and is browsing the internet for funny pictures to kill some time while the food is not yet ready, and then a disaster happened. A strong earthquake occurred. It was so intense that everything fell and scattered on the floor. Clive¡¯s computer fell on the floor and broke his monitor. The lights were blinking and some of them even broke. After the intense earthquake he immediately went to check his mom. ¡°Mom!! Mom!! Where are you? Mom!¡± Clive was shouting while he was running downstairs ¡°I¡¯m okay! I¡¯m okay!¡± With his relief, he saw his mom under the table with the broken dishes on the floor. It was a huge mess but he did not care about that, as long as his mom is safe. Clive felt really relieved as he sat down on the chair and faced towards the ceiling. And with a huge sigh he said ¡°Thank God you¡¯re safe¡± He really cherishes his mom but the incident is not yet over. A creature jumped to the kitchen through window. It was a creature he had never seen before. It resembled a wolf but its fur is color blue and has a single horn on its forehead. It was a viscous creature that demonstrated intent to kill both them. ¡°Gruuaaarrr¡± The wolf like creature growled as he glared at Clive with its red eyes. Clive was frozen with fear. He was supposed to run but he couldn''t because he felt like his feet are glued to the floor. Clive felt a cold sensation coming from his spine. His legs lost its strength which made him fell onto the floor. He felt weak. He couldn''t do anything but sit there and gaze towards the creature which suddenly pounced at him in an attempt to bite his neck. Clive closed his eyes. He thought that he was already done for but he wondered why he didn''t felt anything. ¡°Aaaahhhh¡± He heard a scream so he opened his eyes. Upon opening his eyes he saw the figure of his mother lying on the floor bitten by the wolf from her shoulder. ¡°Mom!¡± ¡°C¡­C¡­Clive¡­. Run!¡± She threw herself in front of the wolf to stop it from harming her son. She tried to fend off the wolf but it was useless because the wolf is too strong that it didn¡¯t falter as it bare its fangs into her shoulder. As the blood drips onto the floor Clive became really terrified. He couldn¡¯t do anything. ¡°What should I do¡­ What should I do¡­¡± He felt useless as he looked around and muttered those words. While looking around Clive saw a knife lying on the floor. He immediately picks it up and stabs the wolf eyes. The wolf was hurt so it released Clive¡¯s mom from its fangs and backed off. ¡°Grrrrraaaarrr¡± But Clive didn¡¯t stop. He chased the wolf and continued to stab it to its head, stomach, and neck and anywhere without regarding where it will hit. The wolf stopped moving and after a while it then began emitting blue light all over its body. The light engulfed the wolf¡¯s body and reduced him to nothing but air. ¡º ¡±Congratulations you are now a Newbie Adventurer¡± New Functions added ¨C Function: Status Function: Inventory Function: Equipment Function: Skill Function: Party ¡» ¡°Wha¡­.¡± Clive was puzzled for a moment because of a window like screen suddenly appearing in front of him. He remembered his mother who was laying on the floor bleeding. Clive carried his mother to the couch while he is crying ¡°Mom¡­ I¡¯m going to call for help¡± ¡°C..Clive¡­My son¡­¡± ¡°Mom.. Don¡¯t say anything.. Wait here, I¡¯m going to..¡± ¡°D..Don¡¯t.. Just stay here with me¡± Clive¡¯s mom knew that she¡¯s not going to make it. She¡¯s lost a lot of blood from the bite of the wolf earlier. She knew that saying a proper goodbye is the only thing that she could do at that moment. ¡°Clive, listen to me¡­ I¡¯m not going to be around much longer¡± ¡°What are you saying? You¡¯re not going to die¡± ¡°Listen to me¡­ It¡¯s a shame that I¡¯m not even going to see you get married. Well you don¡¯t even have a girlfriend so I guess there¡¯s.. aghhh..¡± ¡°Mom, please don¡¯t talk anymore¡­¡± Clive¡¯s eyes are welling up with tears. He cannot accept the idea of his mom dying so he cried while realizing how worthless he is. ¡°C..Clive.. one more thing¡­.. Be a good kid, I love you¡± Clive¡¯s mom said her finals words to Clive while smiling. She smiled because she was able to protect her son from the wolf. She was satisfied that she¡¯s the one who dies not her son. ¡°Mom?.... Mom¡­ Wake up¡­ don¡¯t sleep¡­ Mom?... Answer me¡­ Please¡­. Don¡¯t leave me¡± Clive wept like a baby. He was crying as he gazes upon his mother¡¯s face. And then light started forming all over Clive¡¯s mom. It was the same light that formed around the wolf earlier, a blue light. ¡°What¡¯s happening? Mom?¡° Her body started disintegrating fast into thin air while Clive tries to collect his mother¡¯s body with his hands. But the body disappeared still. It was the saddest moment of his life. His mother died and he couldn¡¯t even give her a proper funeral. He thought to himself ( Why is this happening ) as he wept while sitting on the floor of the dimmed living room. And then he swore to himself. ¡°I¡¯m going to kill every last one of you monsters¡± Chapter 2: Leboa Clive cried for hours while blaming himself for what happened to his mother. He felt worthless because he couldn''t save his mother. And after continuously crying for a while he fell asleep. That night he had a dream. It was totally unclear to him what was happening. The past dreams that he had, had specific rules and scenarios making him to be able to understand what¡¯s happening but in this dream it was just pitch dark. It was total darkness. And then a screen appeared in front of his vision. ¡ºPlease Select Unique Skill: +5% weapon efficiency +5% agility +2% strength, +2% detection +2% health, +2% magic resistance Current Selection: - Light Steps NEXT >> ¡» A selection window appeared in front of his vision. It was a selection of 4 unique skills. First is Assimilation, it this gives the user the ability to fully utilize the weapon that is equipped to them be it swords, shield, or staffs. It gives them additional damage or defense either physical or magic depending on the weapon. Second is Light Steps gives the user extra agility which makes their attacks and movements faster. They are more suitable with sneak attacks like range attacks and ambushes. Third is Animal Instincts. It gives additional strength and the ability to detect enemies within a 15 yard radius. This ability is very useful to surveying areas that are unfamiliar and also to prevent ambush attacks and lastly the Aegis skill. It gives the user health and magic resistance. It¡¯s most suitable with tank characters that usually have high defense and health. Clive knew that something is weird but despite that, it felt to him that what¡¯s happening is something that is normal. All the anger and sadness was gone on that moment as he read the description of each skill. It was as if his emotions were being suppressed and his mind entered a state in which he could only think of the game and how he will dominate it. He read the description thoroughly, again and again. It took him a while before he has reached a decision. He chose the Light Steps skill. Mostly on all the RPGs that he have played before. He has always chosen to be an Assassin or something similar to that Class, so with that in mind he was torn between Assimilation and Light Steps. But still he chose Light Steps because he preferred a speedy character rather than a character that has a high damage output. ¡ºPlease Select Starting Town: - Leboa - Ayshire - Schwere - Kishid YES / NO ¡» This time Clive just recklessly selected the starting town he will be in. without care he tapped yes and the window screen disappeared After choosing the starting town, Clive felt something. He started remembering the feelings he had earlier when his mom died. He felt sadness, regret and anger. A mixture of terrible emotions started resurfacing from within him. The earlier state of his mind wherein he is calm and collected is gone. And then he saw a familiar scenario. It was the scene of his mother dying. The scene where his mom died kept repeating in his dream, over and over again. He lost track on how many times it has been. He only knew that his mother is dead and he cannot do something about it. And then he woke up from that bad dream. He opened his eyes and saw the ceiling of an unfamiliar house. With a terrible look on his face Clive calmly analyzed his surroundings. He sat up and looked from left to right. He saw a gray colored room with no windows, multiple beds that are paralleled to each other, a single door in the middle and a little girl crying in the corner of the large room. He stared at the little girl and thought to himself (Why is she crying?) Clive¡¯s was confused and so he stood up and approached the little girl. He would usually ignore people but he still approached the girl. Then he asked the girl ¡°Why are you crying?¡± The girl looked at him and said ¡°E-Everyone is acting weird¡­. hic¡­ My sister is weird¡­ hic¡­¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± ¡°J-Just yesterday¡­.hic¡­ something terrible happened¡­.hic¡­and then¡­. and then¡­¡± ¡°And then?¡± ¡°A-and then now my sister¡­.hic.. is acting as if nothing happened¡­hic¡± Clive was acting calm as if he had forgotten what happened yesterday. Deep inside him, he knew that something was off, that something isn¡¯t right. He felt that like his emotions were being suppressed and he had forgotten something important. ¡°Where is she now?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know¡­ hic¡­ we argued earlier¡­ hic¡­ she got mad and then she just left me¡­ hic.. and told me not.. hic¡­ follow her¡­¡± The little girl was left behind by his sister. It seems like they have fought and then they separated. ¡°I see¡­ so tell me what happened yesterday?¡± ¡°I-I was really scared¡­. y-yesterday a m-monster attacked us¡­ hic.. and then and then¡­ hic¡­¡± ¡°Monst?............. ackk¡­ my head¡­. Aghhhh¡± ¡°Big bro? What¡¯s happening¡­ uwaaaaa¡± Clive felt pain. He felt like his head is being split open. While experiencing pain he remembered yesterday¡¯s events. He remembered who died and who killed. The terrible expression he had earlier become much worse. You could see the rage in his eyes after remembering his goals, memories and what happened. Then then after a while the pain on Clive¡¯s head subsided and he stood up. The girl who was worrying earlier looked at him. ¡°Big bro?¡± He recovered his personality and with that he knew that staying there is pointless. He was sad about what happened but he persevered with his agony and moved forward. (I nearly forgot what happened¡­. tsk..) He promised that he will kill all the monsters to avenge his mother. That reason was absurd if you think about it. But Clive is serious with his intentions. The problem is if it¡¯s possible. Clive already deduced what¡¯s going on based on the clues he had seen so far. The only thing he doesn¡¯t know is why this is happening, the reason behind all of it. Without saying anything he left the room ¡°Big bro, don¡¯t leave me here¡­ hic¡­¡± The little girl didn''t hear a response but still she quietly followed Clive Upon going outside and leaving the door. Scenery of people fighting monsters was revealed in a grassy field. Further to the fields you could see ruins of houses that were covered with vines and mosses. It was something like 50 years into the future where humans have ceased to exist. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Some buildings were even close to collapsing as it was already leaning to the side of other buildings. And then he looked at the people who were fighting. There were names on top of their heads and beside it are their levels It was something Clive was familiar with. He knew that it had something to do with the game that he was playing. Although familiar, he still doesn¡¯t know what the rules are. Clive figured that he should learn how to play the game and so he investigated. He observed other people who were fighting monsters while walking around. He did not immediately engage in battle because he knew he will die if he carelessly attacks a monster. Not quite long after that he noticed the wall near the plain field. The wall is roughly around 20 feet tall. It was made of large bricks and was reinforced with metal. He walked around the wall in hoping he could see the entrance and there he saw a gate with four guards wearing a military like uniform. It was somehow disappointing for him. He was expecting a medieval style guard with fully equipped body armor. Instead they were wearing camouflage jacket, pants and combat shoes. It was odd because some of them are carrying swords instead of guns. (This is not right at all¡­ if you¡¯re going to wear camouflage uniform then carry a gun not a sword, dammit) His intolerance to nonsensical things kicked in. He thought that they were supposed to pick one format not mix it together. Then he went closer to the guards to ask information and while getting closer to them. Clive saw a figure of a person on the upper left side of his vision. He didn¡¯t notice it earlier because it was small and is almost transparent. He stopped for a while and out of curiosity, he tapped the image and there a selection dropped down. ¡º Menu: - Status - Inventory - Equipment - Skill - Party ¡» He tapped the status menu and another window screen appeared. ¡º Name: Clive Level: 1 Exp : 0/100 HP: 50/50 MP: 35/35 Class: Novice Pet: None Str: 10 Agi: 10 Int: 10 Spr: 4 Vit: 10 Dmg: 5 Mgc: 5 Rng: 0 Def: 5 Attk Spd: 5 Mov Spd: 5 Mdef: 5 Dtc: 2 Eff: 2 ¡» He inspected it for a short while and then he tapped the inventory menu and there he saw a dagger for beginners. ¡º Inventory: [Gold:0 Silver:0 Copper:0 ] Items: 1/50 ¡» Clive equipped the dagger and then the dagger disappeared from his inventory. It wasn¡¯t even on his hands. Then he checked the equipment menu and saw the dagger equipped. But he wondered where the dagger went. And then he saw the instruction on the equipment menu. ¡º Equipment: Head: None Necklace: None Body: Novice Shirt Ring: None Hands: None Ring: None Legs: Novice Pants Feet: Novice Shoes Weapon: Novice Dagger Sub Weapon: None Note: to summon weapon recite the word ¡°Weapon ¡» So he followed the instructions and recited the word ¡°Weapon¡± in his head. (¡ºWeapon ¡») The weapon dagger appeared in his right hand as if it¡¯s magic. He was amazed and recited ¡°Weapon¡± again and this time the weapon disappeared. ¡°So this is how it works¡± ¡°What works big bro?¡± ¡°This¡­. Eeehh? You¡¯re still here?¡± ¡°B-but I don¡¯t know where else to go¡­hic.. please help me¡­.hic¡­ find my sister¡­ hic¡± ¡°Stop crying.. You¡¯re annoying¡± ¡°Please¡­uwaaaa¡± ¡°Okay okay.. Stop crying. Dammit¡± ¡°T-Thank you.. uwaaa..¡± ¡°Stop it¡­¡± Clive reluctantly agreed to find the little girl¡¯s sister and then they went and asked a question to one of the guards ¡°Hey, can I ask a question?¡± ¡°Welcome to Leboa¡± ¡°Huuuh?¡± ¡°Welcome to Leboa¡± ¡°What the f**k?¡± ¡°Welcome to Leboa¡± He made a scornful expression while trying to figure out the way the guards were acting. He had his hunches earlier about what¡¯s going on but it was all assumptions. But his hunches were confirmed based on the guard¡¯s reaction. (So you¡¯re an NPC huh. Which means you¡¯re useless..) Clive expelled the thought of getting information from the guards and headed towards the gates. Upon entering the gates a Window appeared. ¡ºQuest: Start of Adventure - Greetings Adventurer, This is the day the day that everyone has been waiting for. The day that you will finally have your own journey. The day that you will choose your own path and experience a lot of things. Our purpose is to empower and assist you with your upcoming Adventures to the best of our abilities. With all things said we wish you good luck and may the odds be with you Quest guide: Go to the Adventurers¡¯ Hall and talk to Thomas Harlequinn Quest reward: 300 Exp. 500 Coppers Function: Friend list Function: Adventurer¡¯s Billboard Function: Guild¡± YES / NO ¡» Chapter 3: Adventurers Hall Clive stopped for a moment to where he was standing and read the contents of the window that appeared in front of him. (Hmm.. a quest huh) Clive¡¯s hunches were slightly being confirmed because of the things that were happening around him. Though he was still uncertain he somehow knew on the back of his mind that it was something related to the game that he was playing. He accepted the quest and a big yellow arrow appeared on the ground and he knew that it was a guide to where he is supposed to go next. After passing by the gates under the giant wall, a scenery of a lively town revealed. It wasn''t what he was expecting, the town is modernized. There were no houses made of wood but instead structures made of concrete and steel. Even buildings can be seen on some parts of the town. (Tsk.. this is different¡­) Clive thought that if it was somehow the same as the game he was playing then all things would be a lot easier since he knew all the do¡¯s and don¡¯ts to that game. He knew all the important quests, people, item and skills. Back then he was too committed to the game to the point where he researched and sacrificed food and sleep. You could say the he knew how that game works like it was the back of his hand. Unfortunately, it was different by a huge margin. So far he has only encountered little evidence related to the game he was playing. With that thought in mind he knew that some of his knowledge to that game would be useless. While following the arrow that appeared from the ground, there they saw various shops, market place and houses. While they were walking Clive stops from time-to-time to talk to the people who were loitering around town. But some of them either ignore him or just repeats the same sentences like a broken record. Clive was having a hard time identifying those who¡¯re NPCs and those who¡¯re not and thus making gathering of information hard. ¡°Maybe I¡¯m talking to the wrong people¡­ come to think of it¡­ maybe I should only talk to the people who¡¯re wearing this same outfit¡± He mumbled to himself while devising a plan. ¡°Big bro! Look a horse¡± Immerse to his thoughts, he forgot the little girl who he promised to help find her sister. ¡°A carriage? Seriously?¡± ¡°Carriage?¡± ¡°Yeah, the thing that¡¯s connected to the horse¡± ¡°I see~¡± Clive was annoyed because of the irregularities around him. He was thinking that a modernized town like this would at least have cars for transportation but instead they were using horses. ¡°Oi¡­ Looks like you¡¯re having fun. We¡¯re not on a field trip¡± ¡°Mmm... kay... Big bro when will I see my sister again?¡± ¡°Who knows?¡± ¡°Will I see my sister again¡­ *hic*¡± ¡°Maybe¡± ¡°Waaa¡­ I want to see my sister¡­ Waa¡± ¡°Tsk¡­ Oi, stop crying... at least let me pretend you don¡¯t exist¡± Clive covered his ears using both his hands while giving an annoyed expression. It became too troublesome for him. Clive really regretted making that promise. Thought regretful, He cannot back down from the stupid decision that he made. ¡°Oi... What¡¯s your sister¡¯s name?¡± ¡°*hic*... Her name is Lisa and I am...¡± ¡°Not interested¡± ¡°I¡¯m Misa¡± ¡°Ah! It¡¯s so hot in here.¡± Clive didn''t give much care about Misa. But then he looked at Misa and realized that Misa is in fact a cute looking little girl. Misa is around 4 ft. tall and has blue eyes which gave a dreamy vibe around her. Her hair also is unique because of its blue color. (Do kids dye their hair at this age? What¡¯s happened with kids these days. Hmmm¡­ not that I care.... not in my strike zone....) Sounding like an old man, Clive blurted out the topic about Misa¡¯s hair color ¡°Why would you dye hair? You¡¯re still a kid right?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not a kid anymore I¡¯m already 10 yrs. old!¡± ¡°Sorry.. my bad, an infant perhaps?¡± ¡°I¡¯m not¡­ and I did not dye my hair¡± ¡°You mean it¡¯s naturally color blue?¡± ¡°Huh?. My hair is color black¡± ¡°There¡¯s a glass over there... go see for yourself¡± Clive saw the glass wall of the cafe nearby and both of them gazed upon it. He saw his reflection and his new hair color but instead of being surprised, his narcissism took over. ¡°Silver white hair huh¡­ I know I¡¯m handsome but this is even better... I should have dyed my hair a long time ago... I even sweat so handsomely¡­¡± This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience. Misa noticed Clive¡¯s mumbling so she stared at him who''s smiling creepily. Clive looked towards Misa and met her eyes. ¡°Big bro? why are you smiling?¡± ¡°Haaah?... Ahmm¡­ Nothing.. Hot weather right? Let¡¯s go¡± Clive immediately made a fan gesture with his hands and while heavily sweating, he awkwardly changed the topic and proceeded to their destination. They were walking under the hot sun for quite a while before they have reached their destination. Both of them were sweating rigorously after walking under that extreme heat and there they saw a 4-storey building covered with glass. It was an appealing building that reflects the town from its windows. In fact, it was hard to locate from afar because of the mirror¡¯s reflection. If not for the arrow guide, both of them wouldn''t notice it. On the base of the building Clive saw two guards standing at the entrance of the building. ¡°Tsk... These guards again¡± Clive made the same reaction of irritation because of the guards imbalance outfit of military uniform and sword. After making such a comment both of them entered the building and after entering, a cool breeze was felt from inside. ¡°They have air conditioning here?¡± ¡°Ah¡­ This feels nice~¡± ¡°This is totally wrong but yeah I agree¡± Because of the cool air, Clive somehow felt sleepy and started lying down on the carpet floor. It was noon already and it took them quite a while to reach the Adventurers¡¯ Hall because they were only walking. Earlier, they saw carriages but they couldn''t afford the fare because they were both beginners. Even though earlier Clive was seemingly in a bad mood, he was still taken aback with the building¡¯s receiving area. There were couches, paintings on the wall, complimentary drinks and even elevators. ¡°Big bro.. look! Free drinks¡± ¡°Go, get yourself a drink¡± ¡°Okay~¡± Clive saw the information boot and approached the woman sitting there to ask where the person on the quest can be found. ¡°Excuse me. Can I ask where is¡­ wait¡­ ah here¡­ Thomas Harlequinn¡± ¡°2nd floor room 205¡­ Have a nice day¡± ¡°Ahh.. O-okay¡­¡± Although Clive knew how the NPC would respond, he still could not get used to a person with that speech pattern. ¡°Big bro! Here¡¯s your drink¡± ¡°Ah. Thanks¡± ¡°You¡¯re welcome¡­¡± After receiving his drink they moved to the elevator and went to the 2nd floor. ¡°Sigh¡­ Soldiers, buildings, swords, horses, elevators.. Sighs..¡± ¡°Big bro?¡± ¡°Nothing¡± ¡°What is it?¡± ¡°At least it¡¯s not hot in here¡± ¡°Hmm?¡± Misa tilts her head in confusion. She couldn''t understand why Clive is upset. ¡°Big bro, is something wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing. Anyways, did a box shape image appear in front of you when we entered the town?¡± ¡°Yes, the one that says Quest?¡± ¡°Yeah, that one. What did you do with it?¡± ¡°I tapped ¡°Yes¡± just like what you did¡± ¡°I see¡­ Not a kid anymore huh¡± ¡°Of course!¡± Misa happily agreed to Clive''s sarcasm as they got out of the elevator. They walked along the corridors and just like what the person on the receiving area said they have reached room 205. Clive opened the door without knocking and there they saw a bearded old man wearing a suit who looked like Colonel Sanders. ¡°Are you Thomas Harlequinn?¡± ¡°Yes, how may I be of service to the both of you?¡± While Thomas Harlequinn was speaking, a circular button with an envelope in the middle appeared on the right side of Clive¡¯s vision. (wha.....blinking?¡­.a message?) Clive tapped the button to read the contents. ¡º Announcement: All players assemble to the Plaza Time: 15:00 Date: April 1, 2114 ¡» ¡°2114? Haa?¡± Chapter 4: Ill-mannered Clive expression changed. The earlier just ¡°okay¡± changed to a puzzled one. ¡°If that is really true, then¡­ no no no¡­ must be a mistake.. right right.. must be a mistake¡± ¡°Big bro? What¡¯s this announcement for?¡± ¡°Nothing to be concerned about. Just ignore it.¡± ¡°Okay¡± Both of them closed the announcement window but Clive was still dwelling onto the matter. He was bothered by it. He had some theories thought up but nothing to support them, so despite that he was forced to abandon it and started to focus on matter in front of him. ¡°Guess it would be best to just postpone it for a while... Now then, you¡¯re Thomas Harlequinn right?¡± ¡°Ah yes I am. But you could call me Thomas or Harlequinn or Tomy or Harly or whatever you prefer. Hahahaha¡± ¡°Heh... You sure can talk huh¡± ¡°Hahaha, I don¡¯t understand what you are referring to, so I am confused that you¡¯re confused¡­ It¡¯s like our confusion fused¡­ We¡¯re Con-Fused¡­ Get it? Con-Fused. hahahaha¡± Clive got irritated. He clenched his fist and was ready to hit Thomas but somehow he was able to endure it. ¡°We¡¯re here because of the quest¡± ¡°Ah yes¡­ of course¡­ Let me just check¡­¡± After that Thomas reached for the drawer looking for something. Then a window appeared in front of Clive ¡ºQuest: Start of an Adventure - Complete Quest reward: 300 Experience 500 Coppers New Functions added - Function: Friend list Function: Adventurer¡¯s Billboard Function: Guild [ Okay ] ¡» Clive pressed the [ Okay ] button and quickly after that his whole body ignited for a split second. He was covered in White Flame for a moment but there were neither burns nor injuries. Clive¡¯s eyes expanded. He turned to Misa to ask if she saw what happened. ¡°Did you see tha-..¡± Upon turning he saw Misa ignited as well. She was also covered with White Flame but the flame also quickly dissipated after that. ¡°Big bro! that was amazing¡± ¡°Ah yeah... What did you do?¡± ¡°I pressed [ Okay ] just like what you did¡± ¡°Thomas, tell me could that be? ¡° ¡°Yes yes.. That¡¯s an indication that you¡¯ve leveled up¡± Clive then pressed the Menu button and opened the status window. ¡º Name: Clive Level: 2 Exp : 200/250 HP: 75/75 MP: 53/53 Class: Novice Pet: None Dmg: 7(1) Mgc: 7 Rng: 0 Def: 7(3) ASpd: 7 MSpd: 7 Mdef: 7 Dtc: 3 Eff: 3 Str: 15 + Agi: 15 + Int: 15 + Spr: 6 + Vit: 15 + Points: 5 ¡» ¡°So I leveled up huh¡­ Thomas what¡¯s next?¡± ¡°Ah yes yes¡­ Please take these documents to Master Ringulf¡± A quest box appeared in front of Clive upon handing the papers that Thomas was looking for earlier ¡ºQuest Item Received: 1 x Necessary Documents ¡» Misa also received the quest item from Thomas. And after receiving the quest item Clive tapped the button that appeared on top of the Quest item and then a new window appeared ¡ºQuest: Necessary Documents Hand the documents to Master Adventurer Ringulf Randolf to receive his stamp to register to the Adventurer¡¯s Guild. Quest guide: Find Master Adventurer Ringulf Randolf and hand over Necessary Documents Quest reward: 400 Experience 1 Silver 200 Coppers 1 x Adventurer Shirt 1 x Adventurer Pants ACCEPT? YES / NO ¡» Clive quickly accepted the quest and then he asked Thomas ¡°Thomas where¡¯s this Ringulf guy located?¡± ¡°You can find Master Ringulf on the rooftop.¡± ¡°I see.. Thanks..¡± ¡°My pleasure..¡± ¡°Ah! one more thing.. Thomas. This is called Adventurer¡¯s Hall right? Then, where are the adventurers?¡± ¡°Ah yes yes¡­ The adventurer¡¯s usually gather on the 4th floor of the building¡­ There are stalls there where you can buy drinks and food¡­ Basically that floor is where the Adventurer¡¯s socialize¡± ¡°Hmm¡­ is that so.. ¡° ¡°Yes yes ofcourse¡­ Ah¡­ I¡¯m afraid that the elevator can¡¯t go directly to the rooftop. So you have to take the stairs on 4th floor to get there¡¯¡± ¡°I see¡­ Thanks¡­¡± ¡°It¡¯s my pleasure¡± Clive and Misa left the room and rode the elevator to go to the 4th Floor. (So the Hall is located in 4th floor. Well, if you want to have fun of some sort inside a building, the highest floor is the only choice. So that¡¯s why I¡­.) While processing his thoughts a growl was heard inside the elevator. The only ones inside the elevator was Misa and Clive. Clive was wondering who that was so he turned around and saw Misa with an embarrass look on her face. ¡°B-Big bro. I¡¯m hungry¡± ¡°Hungry? Oh right, I didn¡¯t notice the time¡­ Let¡¯s go fetch some food upstairs before we finish the quest¡± ¡°Okay¡± Misa happily replied then after that, the elevator¡¯s door opened. There revealed a sight of an energetic crowd. It was how you would imagine an Adventurer¡¯s Hall would be. It was a place where people are Dining, Exchanging Information, Recruiting and Socializing. ¡°Big bro¡­ There¡¯re a lot of people in here¡± ¡°I can see that...¡± ¡°Let¡¯s eat, let¡¯s eat¡± ¡°Right... I guess I¡¯m going to have some burgers¡± ¡°Then, I want burgers too¡± ¡°Oka~y, Oka~y¡± Both of them went to the Burger Stall. There was no line at the moment and the owner was just sitting there. When Clive got close to the stall he looked at the menu on top to check for the price of the burger. ¡°60 Coppers huh¡­ Hmm¡­ I guess I have to do my own research later¡­¡± ¡°What¡¯s the matter Big bro?¡± ¡°Nothing¡­ Anyways, you have money from the quest right? ¡° ¡°What money?¡± ¡°*Sigh*¡­ The quest reward!¡± ¡°I don¡¯t¡­ *hic* understand¡­ please don¡¯t be *hic* mad at me¡± ¡°I¡¯m not mad¡­ *sigh*¡­. Anyways, just copy me. We need to pay for the food..¡± ¡°*hic* okay¡± ¡°Old man, give me 2 burgers and drinks...¡± ¡°That¡¯d 160c...¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! Clive opened his inventory to take some money ¡º Inventory: [Gold:0 Silver:0 Copper:0 ] Items: 1/50 ¡» (Hmm.. How do I withdraw money anyways?) Clive searched for a withdraw button on his inventory but he can¡¯t find anything. He then tried to tap the area where the money is located. After doing so, a small window appeared on top of his inventory. ¡º Withdraw: G: [0 ] S:[0 ] C: [80 ] [Okay] [Close] ¡» Clive placed the amount he needed and tapped okay. After that, the money that he inputted earlier materialized in his hands ¡°Ohhh¡­ Big bro that was amazing¡± ¡°You really change gears so fast¡± ¡°Hmm? I don¡¯t understand¡± ¡°Never mind¡± ¡°Oka~y¡± Misa copied what Clive did and gave the money to him. Clive then handed the money to the old man and then the food that they ordered slowly appeared on top of the counter as if light is forming it out of thin air. Misa saw it and her eyes were glittering. ¡°Big bro! Big bro! Did you see that?¡± ¡°Yeah I saw it¡­¡± ¡°Here¡¯s your order¡­ Thank you for your patronage¡­¡± ¡°Ah.. thanks¡± They took their order and sat on a vacant table. ¡°Bwiig Bwo.. Dirsh ishh yowmi.. omnomnom..¡± ¡°Don¡¯t talk when your mouth full.. Jeez¡­ Didn¡¯t your parents teach you about manners?¡± ¡°But.. Dirsh ish sho good.. omnomnom..¡± ¡°*Sigh*¡± While they were sitting there an arm clung to Clive¡¯s shoulder. ¡°Hello there¡­ Newbies right?.. What¡¯s your level?¡± ¡°Put your hands off me..¡± Clive glared to the person who was disturbing his lunch. ¡°Woah¡­ take it easy newbie¡­ ¡° ¡°Don¡¯t call me newbie¡­ you trash¡­¡± ¡°Hahaha¡­ Scary¡­ Come on, are you sure you want to pick a fight with me?¡± ¡°Are you threatening me?¡± ¡°Not really¡­ Actually, I want to recruit you¡­ ¡° ¡°Recruit me to what?¡± ¡°To our guild¡± ¡°No thanks.¡± ¡°I see... can¡¯t be helped¡­ then, how about you little lady?¡± ¡°Ahmm¡­¡± ¡°She¡¯s not joining¡± ¡°But I¡¯m talking to her, not you. So how about it little la-¡± Clive stood up. ¡°I SAID SHE¡¯S NOT JOINING!¡± The atmosphere in the area changed. Everyone was looking at them. The earlier warm and lively mood changed into a tense and cold one. ¡°Okay¡­ Okay¡­ By the way little lady I¡¯m Marcon. If you change your mind just find me in here¡­ ¡° ¡°Tsk. Trash¡± Marcon left and Clive sat back again to resume his lunch. ¡°Big bro? are you oka-¡° ¡°Listen¡­ Never talk to shady people like that..¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand..¡± ¡°Do I really have to explain everything to you?¡± ¡°Yep. Hehe.¡± ¡°*sigh* you¡¯re so carefree as usual¡­ Look, He clearly knows that we¡¯re newbies. So if you think about it. Why would a person invite someone to his guild if they¡¯re weak?¡± ¡°I don¡¯t know?¡± ¡°*sigh* Nevermind¡± ¡°Jeez¡­ Big bro tell me¡­¡± ¡°Forget it, finish your food¡± ¡°Hmmm¡± Misa pouted her cheeks because of Clive not explaining her properly. Misa is still a child so she did not understand what was happening, but Clive knew that that person was clearly onto something. He knew that even though mostly all of the things that are present are changed based on a game, people is still included in the equation. If people are present then it also means that all sorts of people related issues are still present. Like vanity, politics, and the worst of all, crime. Clive was clueless to the kind of world he now lives in so it¡¯s very crucial to choose the people he chooses to associate with. They finished their meal and headed towards the stairs that leads to the rooftop. It was a spiral staircase located to the side of the hall. They then took the stairs and found a glass box near the edge of the building. The glass is a kind of a mirror that reflects where there is light and is transparent on the opposite. ¡°Hmm¡­ He must be inside¡± They both entered the glass box and saw a man¡¯s back facing towards the town. The overview of the town can be seen from the room. Though the view was spectacular, it loses its value because of room''s air filled smoke and air that reeks off with the smell of cigar. ¡°*cough* Hey, are you Ringulf?¡± The man turned around and looked at them with hostile glaring eyes. One look and Clive knew that he is bad news, you could say that he was your typical badass because of his condescending attitude, full beard and his scar on his right cheek down to his neck. ¡°What if I am?¡± Although Ringulf was intimidating Clive returned gaze towards him. ¡°I¡¯m here for the quest¡­ ¡° ¡°So newbies right¡­¡± ¡°Granpa don¡¯t bully Big bro!¡± Misa suddenly interjected with Clive and Ringulf¡¯s heating conversation. Ringulf¡¯s eye widened upon seeing Misa who¡¯s hiding behind Clive. ¡°Claire?¡­ No, impossible¡­ Little girl I¡¯m not bullying him¡± Clive was confused what was happening. The earlier ill-mannered Ringulf is now acting weird ¡°I¡¯m not a little girl! *hic* and you¡¯re clearly bullying Big bro.¡± ¡°Ackk¡­ No.. I¡¯m no-¡° ¡°You¡¯re just the same the person *hic* who¡¯s bullying Big bro earlier. I hate you!¡± ¡°Ackkkk... no more¡± (Was that a critical hit?) ¡°Hey we¡¯re just here for the quest. We need your stamp¡± ¡°*sob* actually I¡¯m here to explain things from you¡­ *sobs* then after that I¡¯ll give you the stamp¡± (It doesn¡¯t seem like he¡¯s a bad person) ¡°I see¡­ you sure are a rowdy person for an NPC ¡± ¡°Is that what you call them? *sobs*¡± ¡°Call them? Hey stop crying¡± ¡°Yeah, I¡¯m sure you¡¯ve encountered them those *sobs* lifeless people who responds the same thing *sobs*¡± ¡°For god¡¯s sake stop crying¡­ Yeah I¡¯m talking about them¡± ¡°Granpa you heard Big bro stop crying. you¡¯re an adult¡± ¡°But.. *sobs*¡± ¡°*sigh*¡± Clive lets out a huge sigh. He then saw a water dispenser and took a glass full water and handed it to Ringulf. ¡°Here¡­ Calm down and have some water¡± ¡°*sobs*¡± and now you¡¯re consoling me¡± ¡°You¡¯re annoying¡± ¡°Kid, you¡¯re a good person¡­ What¡¯s your name¡± ¡°I¡¯m Clive and this here is Misa¡± ¡°I¡¯m Ringulf and I¡¯m in charge of this facility¡± Ringulf finally calmed down ¡°Forgive me. It¡¯s just that it has been really hard for me¡­ My granddaughter just died 2 weeks ago and now this sudden spurt of newbies¡­ I¡¯ve been busy for days, because of that¡­ and this is supposed to be an easy job¡­¡± ¡°So you just want to laze around?¡± ¡°Yes¡± ¡°Don¡¯t agree!, Anyways what do you mean by that?¡± ¡°6 days ago tons of newbies came here to register. I wasn¡¯t able to count them. It was around thousands. I¡¯m not exactly sure¡± ¡°That¡¯s a lot¡± ¡°Yeah, it was hell for the last 6 days¡­ and when I thought it was finally done¡­ You then came with your arrogance¡± ¡°well¡­ I mean I nee-¡° While they were talking a huge box appeared outside the window ¡°Test mic, Test mic¡­. Okay good¡­ NOW!... HELLO EVERYONE! I¡¯m Corniele! The organizer of this game! ¡°