Hello, I'm writing a story called "Unlimited Potential", you can also read this story at www.chiakunloong.com Synopsis: Kirk has been leading an ordinary and average life till now, and he decided to play an VRMMORPG while contemplating on what to do in life. Soon he realises his character has a difference from other players, and he plays the game to become the best, and to earn money while doing it. Along the journey, he discovers many things about life and himself, and the game helps to morph his life in a way he never imagined. Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Fantasy, VRMMORPG, Grinding, Weak to Strong, Game Elements, Dungeons, Calm Male Lead, Table of Contents Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7
[Chapter 1] Spoiler The rain was pouring heavily outside the window. The air was cooling, and it had fresh smell to it. Kirk was seated at his table in his room as he browsed the web. He took a break and looked to the window subconsciously, taking a deep breath and sighed. “How long am I going to keep this up?” He thought silently. Kirk was a young man of seventeen years, turning eighteen in another week, and had finished his studies with nothing neither too great nor too shabby to show for it. Throughout his life, everything he did had been average, be it the sports that he participated in, or the various activities he tried. It seemed as though he could pick things up quickly at the start, but sooner or later, he would realize that he had met a bottleneck, and he could not find the drive to push through with the honing of that particular skill. Take for example, playing soccer. Kirk had found that he could easily read the minute body movements his opponents made whenever they were about to perform a move, and he could narrow down possibilities naturally and responded with the appropriate counter measure. Initially when he played with his friends, they thought that it was due to luck that he could stop them or break past their defenses. However, over the 4 years that they played together, they realized that it was an ability that he truly possessed. Sadly, playing sports required stamina and strength. When Kirk found that he could only last through a game of 30 – 45 minutes, and was pressurized by his friends to strengthen his body constitution to play longer games, he decided that he couldn’t do it, and withdrew to playing the occasional matches. It was the same when he picked up the guitar. He realized that he could pick up strumming patterns and chord shapes easily, and was able to strum and sing a few popular songs. Initially, it felt like he would become a new star in his school, but with the advent of technology and the possibility of Youtube, where everyone was sharing their tips and tricks, and many other people with better looks and talents were showcasing what they could do, Kirk soon lost interest in developing his ability. He did not like having to put in the extra effort to become better at what he could do. So, with the passing of years, and trying various things half-heartedly, Kirk had arrived at the first milestone in his life: turning eighteen. “They’re going to nag at me again… Sigh…” Kirk’s parents had high hopes when he showed promise in his earlier years, and invested in all sorts of learning resources for him. However, as the years passed, expectation turned into disappointment, and disappointment turned into frustration. They could not understand why Kirk just didn’t finish what he started, because if he did, he would have long since become good at something. However, they understood Kirk’s stubborn and proud personality, and left him to his own devices, nagging occasionally as worried parents would. Kirk was currently browsing through online games that he tried his hands at. It had been almost three weeks since he graduated, and he could not bring himself to find a job. He wanted to find a fast method of earning cash, and decided that online games were the way to go. Gaming channels on Youtube was becoming extremely popular, with the famous gamers earning decent money. With nothing in store for him in the near future, Kirk decided that he might as well do something enjoyable that could earn him some cash, while he contemplated on how he was going to live his life. Gaming had taken the world by storm when the Virtual Reality headsets were introduced. They gave players a new dimension in gameplay, allowing players to be fully connected to the game on a neuron level. Many VR games came out as a result of that, with as many as 5 new titles coming out each year. “I really should just try something; otherwise today will be a waste of time.” He settled upon a title that he chanced upon, called [Real Life/Fantasy] which was a VRMMORPG, allowing the players to live in a fantasy world where they could kill monsters, complete quests, like most other RPGs. [Real Life/Fantasy] had come out 2 years prior, and when it first came out, the amount of advertising and marketing for the possibilities of the game had built up anticipation. Furthermore, Rhapsody Inc., the developing company had proclaimed the game to be free. Of course, players had to fork out money for their own VR headsets. The interesting premise of the game which led to its huge popularity was that when a person creates a character, the game would model the character based on the actual person, and assign traits that the system obtained from the biometrics and data input of the person. As such, the types of characters, classes, jobs and traits within [Real Life/Fantasy] were literally limitless, as everybody was unique, so to speak. In just 2 months, the game had taken the world by storm, logging over 2 million users a day, with at least 10,000 new players joining every week. The game company, Rhapsody Inc. made money by offering advertising services to real-life companies and brands to promote their products and services in the game as purchasable items. In that sense, it was a 2-prong money machine for Rhapsody Inc. as they earned fees from the advertising, as well as in-game purchases that made characters stronger. With the popularity of the game, many companies vied for advertising spots and groomed spokesman in-game to promote products and equipment. While on one hand, it was possible for a rich person to literally buff his character with items, the game still relied on its underlying mechanics to drive the player and his or her potential. Even if someone was well-equipped, if he or she had low potential was to contend with a person with high potential in the game, it might not necessarily be a certain victory. Like how each and every one had a unique purpose in life, the game models that in its game design, and many players were driven to see how far their characters could take them. Kirk put on his black VR headset that looked like a motorcycle helmet, and booted the game, as he settled comfortable in his chair, breathing in the smell of the rain once again, before closing his eyes and immersing himself in [Real Life/Fantasy]. [Real Life/Fantasy] {Welcome to [Real Life/Fantasy].} {This is your character creation stage.} {First, we will obtain your biometrics through your headset, and compare it with your personal data that you have inputted and ask you a few questions to determine your character, traits and class.} {……….} {Thank you very much for being patient.} {First question. What would you rather have: opportunities or resources?} “Hmm. Tough question. What kind of context should I assume? Ah what the heck, I guess I’ll go with opportunities.” Kirk pondered. {Thank you for your response.} {Second question. Would you rather see a change in the world, or see a change in yourself?} “!!” Kirk was startled. “Damn it, even the games are mocking me. I’ll just pick myself then. I can’t even do anything, how should I hope for a change in the world?” {Thank you for your response.} {Last question. Do you know what you want to do in the future? Yes or No?} “If I knew, I wouldn’t be playing this game, would I? It’s no.” Kirk muttered miserably. {Thank you for your honesty.} {Your character and parameters have been determined.} {We will send you into the starting area, [Beginner’s Town] shortly.} {We hope that you’ll enjoy your time here in [Real Life/Fantasy].} Kirk opened his eyes to find himself in a quaint Italian-looking town square, with some small cafes and shop houses around him. He noticed other players walking about, in groups as well as individually. Some other newbies had also just entered in bright beams of light, and were checking themselves and the environment in awe and joy. He decided to take a look at his status. <Player: Kirk> <Level: 1> <Class: Unknown> <Job: - > <Strength: 10> <Agility: 10> <Vitality: 10> <Stamina: 10> <Endurance: 10> <Intelligence: 10> “Shit. Everything’s so average! How should I play this character? Even my class is unknown, how the hell do I know what I’m going to be good at?!” Kirk cursed. “Wait, what’s below?” Kirk continued looking and discovered something. <Trait: Unlimited Potential>
[Chapter 2] Spoiler “What is this trait?” Kirk wondered. He pondered for a little before opening up the game help. Turning to the starting guide, he went over the starting controls, tips & tricks, and understanding of attributes and traits, but the general information did not shed any light on his current situation. Just then, a notification sounded in his mind. {You have obtained the skill <Analyze> with your <Unlimited Potential> when attempting to understand the situation.} “!!!” Kirk was stunned. “Holy shit, did I just gain a new skill?” He reopened his Status window and this time, he used his <Analyze> skill on his trait. <Unlimited Potential> <Character has no limitation in his/her ability to learn. Pick up skills quickly and naturally, with the ease to use skills as and when required. Further enhancements of skills require leveling and training.> “Wow. I’ve struck it rich!” Kirk exclaimed. The discovery of what his trait represented meant that he could pick up any skill in [Real Life/Fantasy] without restriction with regards to his class or job. Furthermore, [Real Life/Fantasy] was not just some fantasy game which focused only on monster hunting and completion of quests. It allowed players to live a sort of ‘second life’ or ‘virtual life’ within the game. That is to say, one could be anything they wanted to be, as long as they tried and worked for it. There were various professions in the game that were just like in real life, including but not limited to actors, singers, teachers, government officials, and those from the fantasy aspect, like, weapon smith, armor smith, potions master, etc. Kirk grew excited, as he thought about what he could do. “What should I do first?” He looked around excitedly, and discovered a bunch of new players who had just finished familiarizing themselves with the controls, and were beginning to chat with one another. He was about to call out to them, when he held himself and decided to observe first. “Hey guys, my name is Charles. I just bought a VR headset and downloaded the game today on a friend’s recommendation. Nice to meet you guys!” “Hey Charles, my name’s Anne. The graphics are unbelievable, and the parameters are beyond cool! It’s like they know me inside out!” “Yea, how did they know that I’m good with money in real life? Although I kinda dislike the <Miser> trait, but I guess it really reflects me. Hahahaha! By the way, I’m Sug!” The group broke out in chatter and it was obvious that they did not know each other beforehand. Kirk counted a total of 6 players, and other than the first 3 who spoke, he found out that the rest were Lily, Hase and Anton. They had revealed their own traits as a form of introduction and were beginning to discuss about the best class for themselves. {You have obtained the skill <Observe> with your <Unlimited Potential> when observing others with focus.} “Yes! A new skill!” Kirk celebrated silently. He activated the skill and paid attention to the group again, this time, noticing that there were names and health bars above their heads, with their classes being <-> at the moment. One person of the group, Lily, caught sight of Kirk standing by himself looking at them with an excited look and mistook him for a person eager to befriend them. She called out to Kirk. “Hey! It’s fine to join us! Come over! My name’s Lily!” “Uh oh. They saw me. Ah, whatever. Let’s head over first.” Kirk thought silently. “Hey guys, my name’s Kirk, and I’m also new to the game. I couldn’t help but overhear your conversation and found it quite interesting! I didn’t know how to make myself known earlier, so I was just standing there and listening.” Kirk spoke out clearly and amiably, hoping to dispel any possible negativity that might have arose from his behavior. “Nah, it’s cool! We were just discussing about traits and future classes!” Charles spoke out enthusiastically. “By the way, what’s yours?” Kirk froze for a moment, as he tried to think fast. He knew his trait was definitely overpowered when he compared it to theirs (Charles – Brave, Anne – Ambitious, Sug – Miser, Lily – Perceptive, Hase – Good, Anton – Neurotic). In fact, he had the suspicion that the game developers had based their traits on Sims 3. If that was the case, he knew for sure there wasn’t any trait called <Unlimited Potential> in it. “<Lucky>. It’s <Lucky>.” Kirk decided to attribute it to <Lucky>. “Wow! That’s amazing. It would be great to have you in a party if we want to go for hunts in the future!” Anne quipped in excitedly. Kirk heaved a sigh of relief as the group around him nodded in agreement. It seemed as though they had more or less agreed to go adventuring together and they were happy about the addition of someone with the <Lucky> trait in their party. It would mean better drops and opportunities in the future. {You have obtained the passive skill <Reaction> with your <Unlimited Potential> when thinking fast on your feet.} “This is too crazy.” Kirk was elated in his heart, as he followed the rest towards the town hall in Beginner’s Town. At the town hall, they found out more useful information about the game in general. Traits were given based on personal data as well as the answers to the questions. Apparently, when they discussed, they found out that everyone had different questions posed to them. Attributes were given based on the biometrics and their real life body constitution. The attributes would grow with classes and jobs upon leveling, which meant that the longer one was in a certain profession, the more the stats would grow geared towards that direction. For example, a “Hero” Class with the “Swordsman” Job would find his Strength and Endurance growing faster as compared to Agility and Spirit. However, that was not to say that a Swordsman could not grow his Agility or Spirit. If the player was dedicated enough, he or she could take on quests or training to grow a specific attribute. That was the beauty and fairness of the game. As long as one worked hard enough, their attributes could grow the way they wanted to. And that was just for the attributes. With regards to jobs or professions, there would be skills acquired that would not disappear even after leaving the job. For example, someone who had learnt the skill <Rally> under the ‘Paladin’ Job would be able to carry the skill forwards to another job he or she might want to work as. It was common for some interesting character combinations to appear in the fields and dungeons, such as a tanking Archer with the <Block> ability, before unleashing a rain of mana-imbued arrows with the <Magical Arrows> ability, causing AOE destruction within a dungeon. As long as one planned carefully and grinded hard enough, they could literally have a strong character with plenty of skills. However, there was a restriction on the total number of skills one could learn, as it would be an overload for the system if each and every character had a myriad of skills at their disposal. Hence, the maximum number of skills every 10 levels was 2, and by the time a character reached Level 100, there would be 20 skills they have learnt. It was possible to forget skills, and to learn new skills should a player wish to. It was just going to be troublesome to have to retrain a particular skill from scratch as the amount of usage determined its growth. Such a focus on the character development meant that the dungeons and monsters in the game were extremely hard, and opportunities for professions mimicking real life would be difficult as well. In the fantasy element, as one progressed through levels, the monsters grew exponentially harder, and required parties to work together to defeat, due to the restriction of number of skills. At the same time, profession such as doctors or mall owners within the game would have no need for dungeon skills if they just wanted to focus on the money aspect. And it sure was lucrative. In-game money could be sold for real-life currency, and that was the ultimate drawing point of the game, that it was possible to make a living out of [Real Life/Fantasy] which blurred the lines between game and reality. Classes could grow, Jobs could be changed, Characters could become powerful, anything was possible in [Real Life/Fantasy]. After finding out all these information, the group of 6 began planning their future route excitedly, the classes and jobs they would work towards, and the optimal skill set they would gather. They selected their basic classes and their current statuses were as follows: <Player: Charles> <Level: 1> <Class: Soldier> <Job: - > <Strength: 12> <Agility: 10> <Vitality: 11> <Stamina: 11> <Endurance: 11> <Intelligence: 5> <Trait: Brave> <Player: Anne> <Level: 1> <Class: Noble> <Job: - > <Strength: 8> <Agility: 8> <Vitality: 10> <Stamina: 12> <Endurance: 10> <Intelligence: 12> <Trait: Ambitious> <Player: Sug> <Level: 1> <Class: Thief> <Job: - > <Strength: 9> <Agility: 12> <Vitality: 9> <Stamina: 12> <Endurance: 9> <Intelligence: 9> <Trait: Miser> <Player: Lily> <Level: 1> <Class: Scout> <Job: - > <Strength: 8> <Agility: 8> <Vitality: 12> <Stamina: 10> <Endurance: 10> <Intelligence: 12> <Trait: Perceptive> <Player: Hase> <Level: 1> <Class: Healer> <Job: - > <Strength: 10> <Agility: 10> <Vitality: 10> <Stamina: 12> <Endurance: 8> <Intelligence: 10> <Trait: Good> <Player: Anton> <Level: 1> <Class: Soldier> <Job: - > <Strength: 11> <Agility: 11> <Vitality: 11> <Stamina: 11> <Endurance: 8> <Intelligence: 8> <Trait: Neurotic> They chose jobs that suited their traits, or what they felt the party lacked, for example, Hase who became a healer because no one else wanted to choose it, and partly because he was so good-natured. Anne was ambitious and was proud to admit that she had high aspirations in the game, hoping to become an official in the future, and to earn money through the running of the city in the game, and she could live off gaming for a while. Therefore she had chosen the <Noble> Class which allowed her to have the potential to have a <Governor> Job in the future. Kirk chose the <Thief> class as an attempt because his current class was <Unknown> when the rest of them had zilch earlier. To his surprise, he noticed that he gained the <Thief> class beside his <Unknown> class. Kirk’s current status was as follows: <Player: Kirk> <Level: 1> <Class: Unknown/Thief> <Job: - > <Strength: 10> <Agility: 10> <Vitality: 10> <Stamina: 10> <Endurance: 10> <Intelligence: 10> <Trait: Unlimited Potential> <Skills (3): Analyze, Observe, Reaction> The group had not yet stepped out of the Beginner’s Town for their adventure and would not yet pick up any skill with relation to their Classes or Jobs, but Kirk had 3 already. He had a suspicion that the restriction of number of skills did not apply to him. With everything in order, the group set off for the newbie hunting grounds just on the outskirts of Beginner’s Town, the Rat-infested Fields.
please.. stop it with these VRMMORPGs already. it turns shit at some point. instead just write fantasy it always has more potential and a better future
Wow, real Profile Pic That's quite rare dude, only some people doing that. And for your story, I think it's better if you don't add "!!" as a dialogue reaction, cuz it's really hard to imagine. You can use another like "wha-",etc.
[Chapter 3] Spoiler The starting area of [Real Life/Fantasy] had a very simple layout. There was [Beginner’s Town] in the middle, to the south, there was the [Rat-Infested Fields], in the east, there was the [Goblins’ Hideout] and finally the [Birds of Prey Hunting Grounds] to the west. If one was to proceed north from [Beginner’s Town], the player would arrive at the true hub of activity in the game, [Metropolis]. But, more on that later. At the starting area of the game, the hunting grounds for the monsters were pretty low level, and newbies could get used to the fighting mechanics by familiarizing themselves with the combat system without too much of a danger. In the starting area, it was fine for a player to be killed out in the fields or dungeons without suffering a penalty to their experience or item drops. They could focus on getting a feel of their classes and jobs, learning to utilize their skills, and just enjoy the game as they aim to hit Level 10. After which, they would be required to head off to [Metropolis] to decide their next course of action. Inside [Beginner’s Town] itself, there were some jobs available from the get go, such as the [Mayor] position, or the [Instructor] position. There were also a few lesser-known jobs like the [Horse Handler] and even the [Bartender] position. Granted that while a player could do whatever he or she liked in the game, few people actually thought to utilize the Jobs system right from the get-go. However, since the inception of the game, many fans have tried everything to understand the game better and released their information for free online. It then became a matter of who was willing to take on which jobs. Most players could not be bothered with taking on Jobs early on in the game, as they would rather focus on leveling and proceeding to the main city, [Metropolis]. However, a few players took the shot at some of the positions and were pleasantly surprised with their wages and the skills they picked up. For example, the [Horse Handler] was a job that suited the trait [Animal-Lover]. However, players found out that by being at the job for a period of time would unlock the passive skill [Relationship with Animals], which aided in certain fields or dungeons especially when some beasts were tough. It was really down to the personal choice of players, whether they deemed it important or not. Nonetheless, the various nuggets of information and possibilities lying all around in the world of [Real Life/Fantasy] made it worthwhile to try new things, which excited players. At this time, Kirk and the rest had walked on a small path leaving [Beginner’s Town] behind them, and had just arrived at the [Rat-Infested Fields]. The [Rat-Infested Fields] was a simple farmland that spread for a few hundred acres. Crops grew at sporadic patches, presumably because there was a rat infestation, and huge rats could be seen scurrying around to and fro in the distance. There were no missions put up in the town hall earlier, hence they decided to just fight some of the lower level monsters and get used to the combat system. It had been 2 hours since Kirk had logged in and he was itching to get into action. The team had formed a party and along the way, they had assigned responsibilities to one another, hoping to ease the flow of the battle. They would first lure a monster rat over, and try to take it down as a party, assessing the strength before deciding whether to continue or to break up and handle the rats individually. The current formation was for Charles and Anton to take the front, being soldiers with Strength to deal damage and tank with their Vitality. Anne would stay in the centre and give commands, and in the future, when she unlocked more skills in her [Noble] Class, it would be possible to gain aura-strengthening skills. Lily and Hase would stay by her side, with Hase focusing on healing, and Lily using her bows to deal long range damage. When not in fights, Lily would be sent in front to assess the terrain and enemies to determine the best location to fight. Since Sug and Kirk were thieves, they were in charge of stealing items from the rats whenever possible, dealing some backstab damage while doing so. With the tactics agreed upon by everybody, they set out to lure a Level 3 Monster Rat closer to themselves. [Level 3 Monster Rat] [50/50 HP | 3 Damage] With a Monster Rat of this level, if a Level 1 adventurer was to fight it one on one, just 3 strikes from the Monster Rat would be enough to kill the adventurer, whereas 5 hits would be needed to kill it, assuming that the adventurer had 10 strength. This was why the group decided to hunt together first, so as to minimize their injuries, and to hunt longer. As the Level 3 Monster Rat noticed them, it became agitated and pounced towards them. With its low intelligence, it only knew to go for the closest to it, which were the tanks. The Monster Rat swiped furiously and Charles took 3 points of damage. He slashed once together with Anton, as they both dealt a total of 23 points of damage to the Monster Rat. Charles then leapt behind Anton in case the Monster Rat got another hit in. In the meantime, Lily had fired a shot with her bow, dealing 4 points of damage, while Hase chanted a spell to heal Charles. Sug and Kirk both closed in for a strike of their own, dealing a further 19 points of damage to the Monster Rat. By this time, the Monster Rat was down by 46 points of HP, and it emitted a shrill cry of help, as it charged deliriously at Anton. Both Anton and Charles were knocked back, receiving 1 point of damage it, before Anne stepped forward and dealt the killing blow. {Party gained 13 XP – each player gained 2 XP!} {Party gained 13 gold – each player gained 2 gold!} Sug and Kirk went to help Charles and Anton up, as they shook of the dust and assessed themselves. Anne smiled proudly as she beamed in excitement. Before they got the chance to relax, Lily called out in tension: “Hey guys! The Monster Rat managed to invite 2 of its friends! Get ready!” Their expressions turned as they swung around and got back in formation. This time, there were 2 Level 3 Monster Rats. If they made a mistake, one or 2 of them could perish. Not that it would matter as there would be nothing lost, but the feeling of dying in virtual reality was not exactly pleasant. Anne immediately gave commands: “Charles and Anton, both of you will tank one each. Sug, support Charles. Kirk, you support Anton. Lily, switch to your melee weapon and help Charles. Hase, you too. I’ll be assisting Kirk and Anton!” They followed her orders without complaint as they switched up their formation and prepared themselves for battle. With the split teams, the adventurers on Charles side did a total of 39 points of damage in their first strike against the Monster Rat as it retaliated and struck Charles with 3 points of damage. In the next round of attack, it was immediately killed. As for Kirk, Anton and Anne, they managed to kill their Monster Rat with 2 strikes as well, though not before Anton received 3 points of damage himself. {Party gained 26 XP – each player gained 4 XP!} {Party gained 26 gold – each player gained 4 gold!} The party sat down, breathless, as they heaved a sigh of relief. “Whew! Another 94 more XP to go and we’ll all level up! Easy eh?” Anne spoke brightly. They all groaned.
[Chapter 4] Spoiler As the group continued to battle, they quickly got used to the extent of controls in terms of combat. Kirk learnt that it was possible to execute dodges, rolls, parries, defend and other movements. It was a little awkward at first as they rolled on the warm soil on the ground, fighting the Rat Monsters in their mini groups. 2 hours later, the party of 7 sat down in a heap at the edge of the [Rat-Infested Fields]. The late afternoon sun shone brightly, and there was a light breeze blowing in the air. They took a look around and absorbed the beauty of their surroundings, with the crops swaying with the wind in the distance. They had toiled and struggled, killing over 40 Rat Monsters and everyone had just hit Level 2. After the 1st 5 Rat Monsters, every one of them slowly got used to the combat system and started to employ dodges and rolls into their fighting styles, minimizing the damage sustained when facing those Rat Monsters. Kirk, in particular, had managed to learn the passive ability <Evasion>, which increased his chances of dodging attacks the more he got used to reading the enemy’s movements. Currently, the skill was at Level 1, giving him an additional 1% chance of dodging. The rest still had no clue to Kirk’s special character, as they reveled in the weather in-game, relaxing after a long and tiring afternoon of grinding. They had each earned at least 90 gold, with Sug and Kirk using their Class move <Steal> to obtain slightly more. Unfortunately, there were no item drops, but the group was satisfied with their growth and decided to head back to town. Upon leveling, each of them had gained a total of 4 attribute points, and the enhanced attributes were dependent on their class. Kirk hung behind as he checked his status window: <Player: Kirk> <Level: 2> <Class: Unknown/Thief> <Job: - > <Strength: 11> <Agility: 11> <Vitality: 11> <Stamina: 11> <Endurance: 11> <Intelligence: 11> <Trait: Unlimited Potential> <Skills (5): Analyze, Observe, Reaction, Steal, Evasion> “Strange.” thought Kirk. “I’ve gained 1 in all attributes. While it’s not a lot, I’m pretty sure it shouldn’t be this case. I wonder what’s going on.” Kirk had gained a total of 6 points, and they were distributed equally amongst his attributes. That was to say, he had gained more than the system allowed per level, yet they had been distributed as though the class-specified growth was ignored. However, he decided to keep quiet about it. He closed the window and quickened his steps to catch up with the rest. Soon, they came back into the cozy-looking [Beginner’s Town] and they stopped at the central fountain of the town and chatted a little more. The evening lights in [Beginner’s Town] were truly a delight, as the shop houses switched on their lamps for better visibility, and with the setting sun in the distance, it felt as though the entire place was a holiday destination and the numerous players in the game walking about gave it a sense of a festival. As it had already been a total of 6 hours that he was logged on, Kirk bade farewell to his new friends and logged off the game. The display turned black and he paused to regain his bearings, before taking off his VR headset. He opened his eyes slowly and noticed it was late in the evening. He could smell his mother’s cooking wafting into the room, and his stomach growled in hunger. He sighed, but this time, he had a slightly contented smile on his face after an eventful afternoon. He was glad that he had found some new friends, and hearing their lofty goals for the game, it had spurred his blood to try and create an impact together with them. He pushed his chair back, and stood up, as he made to exit his bedroom for dinner. ‘7 more days till my birthday. I wonder what life has in store for me.’ Kirk thought to himself, and continued down the stairs. ------ It was the 5th day of Kirk’s experience with [Real Life/Fantasy]. As much as he hated to admit it, he had found something he liked to do and wasn’t bored of pushing himself. Throughout these 5 days, he had gone on solo adventures to train himself as well as joining up with many other players for different adventures through the other locations. In particular, [Goblins’ Hideout] had great item drops but slightly lesser gold drop, and Kirk had gotten some decent starting equipment for himself. He would also check in with the 1st group of 6 friends once in a while, maintaining the friendship and agreeing to push each other to reach Level 10 as soon as they could so they could proceed to [Metropolis] to experience the bigger things in this world. By now, Kirk was at Level 6 and he had made a clear distinction between adventuring solo, and in a party. With a group, it was possible to hunt longer, and training wasn’t boring. He had friends to chat with, comrades who watched each other’s backs, and people to share tips with in terms of movement and combat. Kirk was getting increasingly good with his skills usage, in particular <Evasion> and another skill that he picked up, <Sneak> when he was on his first solo adventure. When he travelled alone, he was more daring in trying new things to see if they triggered any learning of skills. In fact, he had tried going deep into the [Goblins’ Hideout] the first time, and it resulted in him learning <Sneak>. It was useful when he was alone, but otherwise, he did not reveal it as much as possible. Kirk was currently completing a small quest from one of the town’s NPC, who was facing a problem with the monsters in the [Birds of Prey Hunting Ground]. The backstory was that the NPC had gone there to search for a possible ruby to marry his sweetheart, but was ambushed by some of the Birds of Prey. He had lost his precious family heirloom, and would entrust any Player to help him search for it. Fortunately, the quest system in [Real Life/Fantasy] would not close a quest for other players the moment it was completed; hence it was possible for Players to do any quest as long as they met the minimum requirements and initiated the conversation. Kirk had thus decided to take on the [Birds of Prey Hunting Ground] by himself. He was getting confident in dealing with monsters of Level 5 and below on his own with no issues. His stats were as follows: <Player: Kirk> <Level: 6> <Class: Unknown/Thief> <Job: - > <Strength: 15> <Agility: 15> <Vitality: 15> <Stamina: 15> <Endurance: 15> <Intelligence: 15> <Trait: Unlimited Potential> <Skills (5): Analyze, Observe, Reaction (Lv.1), Steal (Lv.1), Evasion (Lv.1), Sneak (Lv.1)> A Level 5 Bird of Prey would possess 60 HP and 5 points of damage, which meant that if it hit Kirk three times successfully, Kirk would be killed. However, with the constant grinding over the past 4 days, Kirk had gotten extremely used to the controls and could dodge most of the attacks easily, and land anywhere between 4 – 5 hits before a monster could even get one hit in. That was usually more than enough to deal with the monsters. Furthermore, each Level 5 Bird of Prey gave 20 XP and gold. From Level 5 to Level 6, a Player needed 500 XP. Kirk had exited the town and went down the narrow winding path leading to a barren wastelands, where he could see countless birds flying in the skies, while some were on the ground, pecking at the dried land hoping for worms. He readied himself as he made his way closer to the Bird of Prey nearest to him, as it lifted its head warily and fixed its red eyes on him. “Time to do the mission!” Kirk thought to himself as he charged at the Bird of Prey. He rolled to the side when they clashed, before kicking off the ground and slashing twice in succession as the Bird of Prey cawed in agony from the 30 points damage. It flapped its wings once and tried to scratch Kirk with its huge claws. Kirk leapt back as he defended himself, before charging forwards again to deliver another thrust, dealing a further 15 points of damage. The Bird of Prey swished its head and knocked Kirk back with its beak for 2 points of damage, before trying to fly and seek backup. Kirk quickly stabbed down on its back and finished the kill. {You have obtained the passive skill <Backstab> with your <Unlimited Potential> when attacking an unsuspecting enemy from behind. Deals 2x damage. Critical damage increases with level.} “Awesome!” Thought Kirk. “It’s definitely going to be easier now, I just have to <Sneak> behind some of the birds then use this skill to get in a strong hit first!”. The mission required the Player to kill a number of Birds of Prey until one of them dropped the family heirloom, which the Player would have to pick up and deliver to the NPC. Kirk took a breather as he searched for his next target, and proceeded to skulk silently towards it.
[Chapter 5] Spoiler It took killing another 20-over Birds of Prey before Kirk finally found the family heirloom. By then, he was reaching Level 7 and he was also dangerously low on health. There were a few instances where Kirk almost fell at the claws that swiped too close for comfort. He had to urgently munch on some Berries that restored 5 HP, before charging back right into combat. It was all worth it though. Completing this particular mission gave Players a good reputation with the NPCs in [Beginner’s Town] and with enough missions that raised the reputation, a Player could become welcome back into [Beginner’s Town] in the future. Rumor had it that there were secret missions that could only be unlocked back at [Beginner’s Town] when a Player had reached a much higher level. Some fervent players had discovered it after countless analysis and tries, and released the information online. The older players who had first joined the game could only curse their luck as they weren’t willing to restart their characters just to access those secret missions. The recent players profited from this information, and went on to record some of the missions, which had attractive rewards and interesting plotlines within the world of [Real Life/Fantasy]. The game developers once again pointed out, when Players submitted their complaints, that [Real Life/Fantasy] seeked to mirror reality, in that some decisions people made in life would go a long way, and if there wasn’t to be any room for regrets, Players had to give their all in experiencing the game, as much as they would and should do in life. The explanation resonated with some, while others grumbled but withdrew their complaints, and there was a surge of hardcore exploring and adventuring after that. Kirk had done his research in the past few days and settled on some important missions which would allow him access back into [Beginner’s Town] in the future, and this [Family Heirloom] quest was one such quest. After checking his status and inventory, Kirk made preparations to leave the [Birds of Prey Hunting Ground] and head back to [Beginner’s Town]. As he came near the clearing where the field met the path, he suddenly noticed a little girl in white standing by the fence, staring into the distance, muttering something that was inaudible. Kirk felt his skin crawl as there was something about little girls alone in places that creeped him out. The little girl had a blank look on her face, and her eyes seemed unfocused, and although she didn’t look terrifying or dangerous, Kirk had a weird feeling and was seriously considering making haste and getting away from the fields, when the girl suddenly turned to look at him. “It’s about to begin…We didn’t mean for this…It is beyond our control…No one can stop it…” The girl stared straight into Kirk’s eyes and said. It was soft and barely audible, but Kirk caught every word of it as though it was whispered directly into his ears from the VR headset, and his back broke out in cold sweat. He made to back up, when the girl started to walk towards him. “Shit, don’t…don’t come any clo…closer! Get…get away!” Kirk stammered out as he pulled out his daggers and raised them in front of himself to defend. His hands were trembling and he was starting to feel that this wasn’t supposed to happen. The girl ignored his hostility and reached out her hands to touch his head. Kirk opened his mouth to scream and everything went black. ------------------------------ ‘What the hell?!’ Kirk thought as he pulled the VR headset off his head. He realized that his whole body was slick with perspiration, and he was shivering from the encounter earlier. ‘That was definitely not normal. I’d better check the net to see if there were similar encounters.’ Kirk shook himself and scrambled to the computer. ‘Let’s see….([Real Life/Fantasy] mysterious girl)…(mysterious girl in white)….(game black out)’ ‘Nothing. There’s nothing.’ There was nothing on the news about any game black-outs or mysterious girl in white. There were no quests that had anything to do with a girl in white at the [Beginner’s Town] and the only note-worthy news was that Rhapsody Inc. was preparing to absorb a lifestyle company, Mistletoe Co. and introduce their products into the game. The merger was going to happen in 2 days, on Kirk’s birthday itself. Beyond that, there were no new updates nor topics related to what Kirk had seen and felt earlier. ‘Argh, should I still log back in?’ Kirk wondered. ‘Ah, whatever. I’m taking a break. That was crazy.’ He turned off his computer, and proceeded to exit the room. It wasn’t for another 2 days before Kirk felt calm enough to try and enter the game. ---------------------------- July 19th. Rhapsody Inc. had officially announced the acquisition of Mistletoe Co. and its brand, owning the rights to their lifestyle products and introducing the VR version within their popular game, [Real Life/Fantasy]. The CEO of Mistletoe Co, Dr. John Lampudont, had given a media conference on the decision to join Rhapsody, and the aftermath it had on both real life and the game. Interestingly, shares of Rhapsody Inc. rose sharply as many speculated that there would be new and interesting updates to the game. In other-related news, [Real Life/Fantasy] had reached the milestone of 20 million players worldwide, and had launched a week-long campaign to celebrate. There were various photos and videos of in-game events happening, and players around the world were mostly logged in to enjoy the benefits and special offers during this period. Meanwhile, Kirk was having his own celebrations at home, where his friends and family had thrown a surprise birthday party for him. It was a pleasant surprise, and it took Kirk’s mind off the game, as he enjoyed himself wholeheartedly as his close ones came together to celebrate him officially entering adulthood. Many joked that it was time for him to find a girlfriend, while his parents half-jokingly and half-nagging reminded him to get a proper job. Kirk sighed and agreed, on the condition that they allowed him to continue with the game to see how far he can take it, as the decent and famous players were earning a decent income. After the party was over, and Kirk was still feeling euphoric from the party, he decided to take a risk and re-enter the game to determine if there was anything wrong with the game or his character. He put on his VR headgear, as he took a deep breath, booted the game, and closed his eyes. Immediately, he knew something had changed. Instead of appearing where he had last logged off, which was on the outskirts of [Birds of Prey Hunting Ground], he was now in a white empty space. There was nothing in sight, and his character was currently standing naked. Kirk felt shocked and started to panic. “This is not supposed to happen.” He thought, as he looked around, and tried to access his status window. {Hello.} {It’s you again.} “Huh?” Kirk said. “Who’s there?” {It’s me, the system that determines your attributes and traits.} “Wait, how are you able to converse with me? Aren’t you a system?” {Yes. But I have been reprogrammed and recoded to find a specific person. Namely you.} “Me? Why? What’s going on? Is this something to do with the girl in white?” {Yes. The specifics were not given to me, but I was instructed to pass you a message.} “What? Is my character going to be deleted? Is there something wrong with it?” {No. You don’t have to worry. I’m just unlocking a specific part of your character unique to your person, not previously recognized in the game. It should help you with what you have to do.} “What? What do I have to do? You mean <Unlimited Potential> isn’t unique already? What the hell?” {No. <Unlimited Potential> is perhaps rare, but there are indeed a few others with it. Just like there are countless traits in the world. Some of those players may aid you in your task, some may hinder you, depending on their nature. Your uniqueness will reveal itself when I send you back into the game.} “But you still have not told me what I’m supposed to do!! What’s the message? What’s going on?” {I do apologize. I was programmed to answer your recent questions, therefore the inability to answer your multiple questions satisfactorily. The message is as follows: Find the girl in white, and her companions scattered throughout [Real Life/Fantasy]. There are a 100 of them, and they will only appear to you, each with a special message. Each one you encounter will leave a ‘Message’ item within your storage, which is non-droppable, non-transferrable, and non-detectable by the parameters of the game. Gather all 100 of them and the ‘Message’ will become clear.} “What in the world…” Kirk was thoroughly bewildered by now. {I have delivered the message, and finished unlocking your unique character. I wish you good luck, and till the next time we meet. Goodbye.} “Wait! Wait….” Kirk had not the chance to speak anymore before his vision blacked out and the next thing he knew, he was opening his eyes and staring at the sky again. “This is the outskirts of the [Birds of Prey Hunting Ground].” Kirk looked around and assessed the place, determining it to be the exact location which he had logged off previously. He hurriedly pulled open his status window and inventory to check the authencity of the surreal experience he just had. True enough, there was a ‘Message’ item that was in the corner of his inventory, with the number 1/100 over it. “Damn it.” Kirk cursed under his breath. “So what’s different about me? Turns out <Unlimited Potential> isn’t unique to me. Hope those other buggers who got it are utilizing it properly and not pose a problem to me.” Kirk looked high and low and couldn’t see what was different about himself nor his status, until he looked carefully and saw the difference. <Player: Kirk> <Level: 6> <Class: Anomaly/Thief> <Job: - > <Strength: 15> <Agility: 15> <Vitality: 15> <Stamina: 15> <Endurance: 15> <Intelligence: 15> <Trait: Unlimited Potential> <Skills (5): Analyze, Observe, Reaction (Lv.1), Steal (Lv.1), Evasion (Lv.1), Sneak (Lv.1)> “What? Anomaly??”
You really should put the chapter in Spoilers so that it would be easier to read But anyway, nice storie, this far.
Thanks for the feedback! What do you mean about the spoilers? Should I create spoiler tags for them so it can be dropped down per se?
Great story, the plot went nicely (Was hoping for him to be unique but oh well good enough). The character development is a bit low if I don't say so myself. The characters are left to the readers imagination so thats that although most do say some characteristics. Also if he is easily adaptable to anything does that not mean his skills should increase fast like lvl 2 sneak since he used it for quite a while already. Also there is a need for more skills since he is able to earn them easily like dagger mastery since he uses one? Well... I leave it up to you (gonna still keep reading because i'm curious). It is only my opinion though.
Alright! Will take your suggestion! Thank you so much for your kind words! Yep, am still working on character development, it's actually something I have in mind. And yes the skill about dagger mastery! Was thinking if I was lacking in other skills. I seldom play games Will take it into consideration! Thanks!
Hi guys! I've just finished setting up my own site and setting the chapters up there. Am planning the volumes and the storyline progress, hence will be a little slow with the update of the story. As of posting, I'm not sure if the forum allows links to my own site, but you can just type my name in google and it should show up. Till then, thanks! Stay tuned for the next few chapters
Chapter 6! - I cant even edit my first post to reflect the update in Chapters 0.0 Spoiler “Anomaly.” Kirk pondered. “It seems like something is different about my character other than the <Unlimited Potential> trait. And it should with this mission, whatever it is, that I’ve been entrusted with. What should I do now?” [Real Life/Fantasy] was huge. The in-game world consisted of numerous continents and dungeons, that barely 60% of the game had been explored. The main part of businesses and events were carried out at [Metropolis] but there a few other major cities that were safe zones as well, and like any real-life developing country, there would be businesses and people clamoring to establish themselves at any new found places. The message from the system had highlighted that Kirk had to find all 100 of them to find out what was going on, and there was no indication of where the other 99 were going to be. He felt a massive headache. “What if I choose to ignore it?” Kirk wondered. “Will anything happen?” If he chose to believe in what the system had told him, he would have to grind harder than any other player, regardless of their information or guides online, just because the other ‘Companions’ would only appear specially to him. And there was also the issue of other Players with <Unlimited Potential>. By now, there would soon be waves or information about over-powered players who could pick up any skill and utilize them effectively. However, if they were intelligent, they would keep mum about it so as to lie low and enjoy the game at their own pace. That was what Kirk had planned to do. “It feels like a quest, but it’s not written anywhere online… I need to think through this. What’s my next course of action?” He checked his status again and found that he was just a little off from Level 7. “Alright, I shall hunt a little bit more, and level up. Then I’ll head back to town, complete this quest and find the other quests that allow me to get closer to the inhabitants of [Beginner’s Town] first. The weird message didn’t say when I have to complete the task anyway; I should still focus on getting some tangible results from the game.” After he had calmed himself and carefully analyzing his situation, he realized that the special task would still require him to explore the world of [Real Life/Fantasy] at any rate, therefore, he decided to continue with what he was doing, and responding as and when the situation called for it. With that, Kirk turned around and headed back to the [Birds of Prey Hunting Ground], beginning his hunt to reach Level 7. Half an hour later. {You have obtained the passive skill <Dagger Mastery> with your <Unlimited Potential> after successfully attacking 100 times. Increased damage potential by 0.5%. Percentage increases with level. Capped at 50%} {Passive skill <Evasion> had increased to Level 2 after successfully dodging 100 times. Increased dodge chances by 2%. Percentage increases with level. Capped at 80%} Kirk managed to reach Level 7 and he gained the passive skill <Dagger Mastery>, giving a damage increase, as well as increasing his <Evasion> level. ‘Yes!’ Kirk thought. ‘Maybe I should do all sorts of crazy shit like running 100 laps or whacking something a hundred times to gain other skills.’ He dusted himself off as he reviewed his stats: Name Kirk Job – Class Anomaly | Thief Level 7 Strength 17 Agility 17 Vitality (HP) 17 Stamina 17 Endurance 17 Intelligence 17 Trait Unlimited Potential Skills (7) Analyze (Lv. 1) Observe (Lv. 1) Reaction (Lv. 1) Steal (Lv. 1) Evasion (Lv. 2) Sneak (Lv. 1) Dagger Mastery (Lv. 1) “Hm, I just gained 2 points in each stat. That’s kind of… overpowered.” Kirk muttered. In any case, it was good news to him, and he hummed a tune as he left the [Birds of Prey Hunting Ground] and began heading back to town. He wanted to complete the mission and get started on the rest of the missions before he hit Level 10, and had to leave for [Metropolis]. Back at town, after exchanging conversation with the NPC, who expressed delight at the retrieval of the heirloom, praised Kirk and thanked him profusely, before pointing him in the direction of the other important NPCs that helped to rack up reputation amongst the townsfolk. He gained 10 points of fame for his efforts, and he headed to the location of the next NPC to trigger the quest. The NPC happened to be the headmaster of the local school, and the request was oddly simple enough, although tedious. “Thank you for meeting me Kirk. I’m truly troubled by the state of our education and I would like to seek your help in guiding the children in their learning. Would you agree to help?” The headmaster started off with the quest, looking at Kirk with hopeful eyes. ‘What a vivid expression makes you almost forget that they’re NPCs.’ Kirk thought silently, before offering his response, “Of course, it will be an honor to assist the fine folk of Beginner’s Town. What is it that you require of me?” After exchanging the usual pleasantries, Kirk discovered that he would be required to get the ‘Guide’ class, before imparting knowledge to the children. The tedious part was that, there had to be guidance for the individual children, who were curious and had questions about everything. This meant that, if the Player was not well-versed in a particular subject, they would have to read up on it, going back and forth to complete each mini-part of the quest. Furthermore, the ‘Guide’ class required the Player to switch out of their current class just so they could carry out this quest. ‘Ah well, at least I still have the skills, and it seems like there’s no limitation on the skills I can learn.’ Kirk sighed and headed to the town hall to acquire the required class. He had no idea if the quest would be difficult to carry out as they were children, and Kirk was not sure if he had the tolerance or patience, but then again, they were NPCs, so he hoped that it shouldn’t pose a problem. ‘Uh…. What?!’ When he engaged the NPC in charge of issuing Classes, he was met with a shock. The menu was currently allowing him to pick out the ‘Guide’ class, without removal of the ‘Thief’ class. “This is definitely not normal… Oh right, Anomaly.” Kirk was bewildered for a while, then remembered that his character was not supposed to be normal. “This is getting way too good to be true.” He chuckled silently as he pulled up his stats window again. Name Kirk Job – Class Anomaly | Thief | Guide Level 7 Strength 17 Agility 17 Vitality (HP) 17 Stamina 17 Endurance 17 Intelligence 17 Trait Unlimited Potential Skills (8) Analyze (Lv. 1) Observe (Lv. 1) Reaction (Lv. 1) Steal (Lv. 1) Evasion (Lv. 2) Sneak (Lv. 1) Dagger Mastery (Lv. 1) Impart Knowledge (Lv. 1) {Active skill <Impart Knowledge> allows Player to coach others in a new skill. Increases other party’s knowledge by 10% each 1 hour session. Percentage increases by 0.5% with level. Capped at 50%}. “Oh great. Now it’s going to have to take 10 sessions to get a kid to learn something new. Ugh. Well at least I can just pick up skills easily. Who knows, maybe with each session, the skill should level up itself fast as well.” Kirk was depressed that the rate of instructing others might possibly take longer than expected. “Let’s take a look at the school curriculum and the number of kids I’ll have to deal with.” Kirk headed to the small school near the town hall, and entered inside to plan his next move. To his surprise, there were only 4 kids, of which 2 of them wanted to learn Fishing, 1 wanted to learn Farming, and the last wanted to learn to Sew. “That’s not so bad!” Thought Kirk, “I guess I’ll go pick up <Fishing> first! This Class and Quest might turn out to be perfect for me after all!” He then headed to the merchant store and picked up an Old Rod, before going to a nearby stream and prepared to cast his line. “Got something! That was fast!” Within a minute, Kirk felt something and tugged. He was prepared to hear the sweet notification informing him of his new <Fishing> Skill and the catch that would satisfy him so much…. It was a boot.
Chapter 7! - Apparently in other posts, they said that it's only possible to include links once the member has posted at least 15 messages. I shall be patient hahaha. Anyway enjoy! Spoiler Over the course of the next few days, Kirk busied himself with picking up all the mundane skills that could be picked up in Beginner’s Town. Something interesting had occurred when Kirk started to accumulate skills. He had been fishing without stop to push his Fishing skill up, when an NPC had actually approached him. His Fishing Skill was Level 5 at that time, and he was catching decent-sized fishes. The NPC had requested for him to guide him on Fishing, and in return, his Fame had gone up, and he had even earned a little gold. Now, the currency in [Real Life/Fantasy] was interchangeable with real life as the user base was so huge, and there were countless auctions and transactions being conducted for all sorts of activities. Rhapsody Inc. had then applied to the government bodies of the world to allow for an exchange rate to be set, and soon, players had scrambled to exchange money for in-game gold, and vice-versa. At first, Kirk thought that the NPC was a one-off thing, but soon, he realized that the higher his Fishing skill got, the NPCs that came to him due to his fame and skills increased, and he had to divide his time between leveling the skill and guiding the NPCs. Some other Players saw it and was curious, and immediately joined in asking Kirk to teach them. Many were too lazy to pick up the request from the school headmaster, but they thought it was cool to pick up a skill quickly from a trained instructor. In a matter of hours, Kirk had reached Level 10 in Fishing, and he had imparted the beginning of the skill to 5 NPCs and 2 other Players, and in the day following that, he had 10 NPCs and 4 Players learning from him. He was teaching so much that his Impart Knowledge Skill had grown as well, reaching Level 10 and increasing the efficiency of the training. Furthermore, imparting any skill helped to grow the skill as well. More importantly, he was raking in gold! He was so overwhelmed at the response and he decided to pick up all the other skills available in town. Of course, he didn’t forget the children and set aside time for the quest each day. However, the money-making opportunity was too good to pass up, and he logged more hours to play as compared to before. He even forgot about the issue of the Anomaly. Hence, over the past few days, Kirk had gone to pick up as many skills he could, and grinded using them until they were at least Level 10. At the same time, he made sure that there were NPCs around before doing anything to increase the potential visibility. He didn’t care if other Players were interested or not, as if they really embarked on the same quest as him, it would mean competition. Heck, most players would rather explore and play the game, fully enjoying the fantasy aspect. Not Kirk. Now that he had found a money-making machine, he’s not going to stop it churning for him! On this day, Kirk was just attempting to Sew, and he was hard at work at the tailor, bending over the table, threading carefully with his tongue between his teeth. He had tried umpteen times to get the thread into the eye of the needle, and strangely, instead of getting frustrated, he had just become even more determined to get it right. “Seems like this game is honing myself more than I thought possible.” Kirk thought silently as he continued trying. He pulled up his status window to review the information: Name Kirk Job – Class Anomaly | Thief | Guide Level 7 Strength 17 Agility 17 Vitality (HP) 17 Stamina 17 Endurance 17 Intelligence 17 Trait Unlimited Potential Skills (12) Analyze (Lv. 1) Observe (Lv. 1) Reaction (Lv. 1) Steal (Lv. 1) Evasion (Lv. 2) Sneak (Lv. 1) Dagger Mastery (Lv. 1) Impart Knowledge (Lv. 10 – 14.5%/hr) Fishing (Lv. 10) Farming (Lv. 5 – 28% failure of crop) Haggling (Lv. 10 – 5.5% discount) Sewing (Lv. 1) Just then, his friends from the very 1st day of playing [Real Life/Fantasy], Charles, Anne, Sug, Lily, Hase and Anton came bustling into the tailor shop excitedly. “Hey, Kirk! Let’s go hunt man! What’re you doing here?! We’re meant to go out there and make a name for ourselves!” Anne was boisterous as usual, putting on a forceful but friendly reminder. Charles and Lily were chuckling, as Hase and Anton looked around the shop with interesting quizzical expressions. Sug was sulking on one side. “Yea yea I got your message. Let me just finish this…There! Done! Just got a Level in Sewing! Haha!” Kirk punched the air in joy, having succeeded in his 20th attempt. He turned to face the rest, and immediately noticed Sug’s sulky expression. “What’s wrong, Sug?” Kirk asked in concern. At that, the rest of the party looked at each other and burst out laughing. “It’s all because of you Kirk! Everyone has been noticing how you’ve been running about, learning skills and teaching the NPCs and players. Sug saw that you had been Haggling with the merchants to practice your skill, and he thought he could do the same, being the miser that he is. Who knew that the NPC merchant was so put off and immediately snapped at him and lowered his reputation! Sug had been trying hard to earn it back!” Charles replied, as the rest roared with laughter, tears in their eyes. Sug grumbled, “Laugh all you want! Don’t mind them, Kirk, I don’t blame you, but you have got to teach me the Haggling skill man! Prices are so expensive! I tried using the same words you did, who knew it had such an effect! But, let me get my reputation up again. I really need to find something for my reputation.” Kirk snorted and replied: “Haha, sorry my man, you should have asked me first, it could work for me because my Haggling skill had already improved! Alright alright, since it’s for you, let’s go hunt and I promise to impart the skill to you man!” “Yes!!! What’re we waiting for?! Let’s go!” Anne hollered and was the first out the door. The rest followed suit in high spirits, as Kirk handed the materials back to the shopkeeper, before bowing and exiting. It was a sunny afternoon in-game, and the weather was pleasant to hunt for the bunch of adventurers. “Have you guys heard? Recently, there are rumors on the forums that some Players in [Metropolis] had become a little too caught up with the game. I heard that some of them actually dumped their whole fortune in the game and have been purchasing in-game stuff!” As the party was leisurely hunting at the [Birds of Prey Hunting Ground], Sug suddenly spoke. “Trust Sug to know all about money-related matters, hehe.” Lily fought off the attacks of one Monster Bird as she giggled. “Well, I was just checking on what the rates were like and how people were spending their money!” Sug replied testily as he tried to activate Steal on his target Monster Bird. “I’m not sure, but I heard a number of them have been purchasing land and buildings, as well as items rather than hunting equipment.” Hase chipped in as he cast Heal on some of the members. “What would they be buying? Seems weird that they’re not hunting…” Anton mentioned quietly as he slashed fiercely at a Monster Bird, killing it. “Hmm, whatever it is, once we’re Level 10, we can head there and see for ourselves! I’m more excited at the fact that we can get to explore this entire continent and become possibly the first adventurers to discover lands or places! That would be so cool!” Anne could not help but muse at the prospect of making a name for herself. Being wrapped in her thoughts, she almost forgot she was facing a Monster Bird. “Careful!” Kirk exclaimed as he swooped in and parried the attack meant for Anne, and hurriedly killed the Monster Bird before wiping his sweat. He had decided not to tell them about his experience and it was nerve-wracking, yet nothing had happened, and he didn’t want them to worry. “Oops! Thanks Kirk!” Anne chimed brightly. The party took a break and hiked back to a safe spot under the shade of some trees as they sat down to rest. It was almost a fortnight of playing the game, and they had come to enjoy each other’s company. All of them were higher level than Kirk, at about Level 9, as they had been focused on leveling instead of doing quests and picking up skills. “Kirk, you gotta hurry man. We’re waiting for you, but Anne has been bugging us incessantly about going to Metropolis soon.” Charles chuckled before dodging a light punch from Anne. Kirk shook his head helplessly as he faced his friends. “I’m sorry guys, but I want to really make sure that I’m leaving no stones unturned in Beginner’s Town. After all, I do want to explore the game fully, and I feel that there’s more than meets the eye here. I can’t expect you guys to wait for me, so please, go ahead and do what you have to. I’ll meet with you guys soon when the time comes!” The party nodded and understood, and agreed to meet Kirk again once he had caught up to them. Still, they decided to take a break and enjoy the afternoon weather after a good workout, as they chatted about almost anything, real life and otherwise.