The crisp hot air hit me like a freight train as I walked through the mesmerising streets of Mercari. It's so cold in my room; the switch in temperature is so hard-hitting. The room is so shit I'm almost convinced that they did it on purpose. After a bit of walking, I arrive at the food market, the stalls clearly labelled to ensure that we low ranks don't even approach the higher ranks stalls. It all feels a bit classist, but I understand it. The point is to motivate adventurers to train hard and rank up. I go to the F rank stall and grab my food… stale bread and watery soup. yum I sit at a table labelled F-Rank and take a bite of the stale bread; it's so hard I think I hear a tooth crack on it, and one of the people sitting at my table bursts into laughter. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA." I drop the bread, and I look at him. "Is this funny to you?" I ask, and he says, "It is, yes; you must be new." I nod, and he says, "The name's Seti Rahotep from Heliopolis in Kemet." I'm what people round here call a veteran loser, which is how I know not to eat that bread." He laughs again before standing up and moving round to where I am. I stand up and meet him face to face. He holds out a hand and says, "Want me to show you the ropes?" I take his hand and shake it and say, "Sure."
I let go of his hand, and he begins walking away before turning around and saying, "You coming, newbie?" I catch up to him, and he says, "You didn't tell me your name." "Ethan Watts," I reply immediately, making him pause and turn around. "Are you an otherworlder?" I nod and say, "Will that be a problem for you?" He shakes his head. "Not at all. It's just ever since a few days ago when you otherworlders appeared, they were quick to look down on us because they grow faster." Is he saying otherworlders get more powerful faster? "Well, I probably can't even hand a candle to you currently," he laughs and says, "For now." I follow him over to the quest board, where he scans through the F rank quests before ripping one off and showing it to me, "Goblin Subjugation." He pins it back up and says, "This is what most newbie adventurers do as their first quest to get themselves started." I nod, and he writes his name, then mine, and then another name: Zhao Wei on the quest paper and says, "Go to the F rank armoury and pick some gear; I'll go get us registered." I nod and head off towards the armoury.
I walk into the armoury and to the front desk. "I'm here to get some gear." The man at the desk looks up and says, "Newbie, huh?" He sighs and says, "You don't have to ask me; just go grab some and bring it here." I walk straight past him and into the armoury and look over the gear "Appraisal"
Name: Leather Wanderer's Set
Type: Light Armour
Pieces: Hood, Tunic, Gloves, Pants, Boots
Effect: Silent Steps - Reduces noise footsteps make
Useful, but there's probably better in here.
Name: Copper Set
Type: Medium Armour
Pieces: Helmet, Chest plate, Gauntlets, Greaves, Boots
Effect: Dented Resilience - Slightly reduces blunt force damage
Decent, but I can find better.
Name: Twilight Raider Set
Type: Light/Medium Hybrid Armour
Pieces: Hood, Reinforced Leather Vest, Steel-Laced Bracers, Padded Leggings, Boots
Effect: Twilight Reflexes - Slightly increases reaction speed in low-light conditions
I like the look and effect of this one; now that I'm done with that, It's time to have a look at weapons.
Name: Cracked Shortsword
Type: One-Handed Sword
Effect: Bleed - Has a small chance to inflict a minor bleeding effect
Next.
Name: Rusty Spear
Type: Polearm
Effect: Desperate Reach - Slightly increases attack range
Next.
Name: Notched Scimitar
Type: One-Handed Sword
Effect: Wind Cutter - Slightly reduces wind resistance when swinging
Next.
Name: Iron Blade
Type: One-Handed Sword
Effect: Sharpened Edge - Increases cutting efficiency slightly
I like this one; I pick it up, and I swing it a few times. The weight is nice; it's good for my build, but my form is nonexistent. I grab the sheath and the sword belt for it and the armour, and I take it through to the reception. I hand it over to the receptionist, and he takes my licence, presses it against a crystal, and says, "You're good to go; make sure that you bring it back as soon as you return from your quest." I grab my stuff and leave.
A few minutes later I'm all geared up and ready to go. Seti said he'd be at the main reception, so I head through and see him. "Yo," I say, and he waves me closer and says, "I was just waiting on you. Hand her your license, and we can get going." I hand it over; she presses it against a crystal and says, "Come back here after your quest to receive your rewards and have the quest credited to you." I nod, take my license back, and head outside with Seti. As I'm walking towards our carriage, I get a pop-up.
Quest Received: First Job
You have picked your first quest and its and its time to prove your worth and identity as my son
Objectives:
Successfully subjugate the goblins running rampant in Otherios Village
Rewards for completing your first Quest:
+10 Fame
Random F-Rank skill
Penalties upon failing
-5 Fame
Issued by Chronos
Another question is this: why did Seti say Otherworlders grow faster because of these quests, or are quests quite common? I dismiss the thoughts for now as we walk over to our carriage. I get in, Seti is behind me, and inside is another man. He holds his hand out, and I take it. "Zhao Wei from Tianjing in Wulin." "Ethan Watts from Hellenika." He lets go of my hand and says, "Are you an otherworlder?" I nod, and he laughs, smacking Seti on the back. "Only you would convince another worlder to party with us." We all sit down, and the party sets off.
A few days later, our carriage jerks to a stop at the foot of a village. I wait for Seti and Zhao Wei to get out and follow them, and outside is a young-looking elf. "Welcome to our Otherios Village, esteemed adventurers. Thank you very much for coming to our aid." Zhao Wei looks angry to my surprise and begins to walk off. "You talk to him, Seti." Zhao Wei walks away, and the elf continues, "I am the leader of this village; my name is Aymer Xilran." Seti shakes his hand and says, "Just call me Seti. Now, down to business: where are the goblins coming from?" He points to a watchtower. "From the south, if you sit in that watchtower, you'll be able to see them." Seti nods and begins walking off, and I follow him. "Do you and Zhao Wei not like that person?" He stops and turns to me. "Zhao and I have saved this village nineteen times, and not once has that man remembered us." I don't say anything else; the reason is obvious enough: it's because they're F ranks. That's why Aymer never remembered them. We climb the watchtower and find Zhao Wei sitting there. "We'll take turns sleeping and keeping watch." I nod and sit down, and he says, "I'll keep watch first; also, we should discuss our abilities. I'm a martial artist and will be fighting upfront." Seti immediately says after, "I'm a mage and will provide buffs and take the goblins out at range if they try to overwhelm you too." I say, "I don't have a class yet, but I've brought a sword, so I'll be taking them on in close combat." Zhao Wei nods and says, "Right, I'll keep watch first. I'll wake you up when it's your turn." I lie down, close my eyes, and fall asleep.
I feel a tap on my shoulders and open my eyes slowly. It's Seti, and he whispers, "Your turn." He lies down, and I stand up and look out over the village. It's so quiet, peaceful, and dark. A few hours pass before I begin hearing "Grrrr." I look out and see small green creatures beginning to walk out from the shadows of the tree, and I quickly wake up Seti and Zhao and descend from the watchtower. I walk out in front of the goblins and unsheathe my sword, ready to fight. I hear Seti and Zhao get down from the tower, and Zhao comes over to me. You take the left, Ethan, and I'll take the right." I nod, and he walks off to the right of me. I take a deep breath, and a golden light envelops me. "Buff cast by Seti Rahotep: +5 to Strength, +5 to Dexterity. +5 to Endurance +5 to Vitality" i feel my grip tighten on the sword as my body gets stronger from the buff and i charge forward swinging my sword down towards the goblin in front of me but i miss and my sword hits the ground and i stumble down my shoulders hurting from the swing of the sword the goblins cleaver comes crashing down towards me and i just barely manage to block it with the sword and as the goblin is trying to cut through my sword with its cleaver i kick it in the gut causing it to tumble back and swing my sword towards its head cutting clean through its neck and severing it I sigh and stumble backwards green blood on my hands and sword i stand back up as a pop-up appears "Skill Acquired: Swordsmanship" "Bonus: +1 Strength +1 Dexterity" I feel it; I was holding the sword wrong. I adjust my stance, and the next goblin rushes me. I dodge the swing of its cleaver and swing my sword towards its head, cutting straight through and killing it instantly.
The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.
Panting, I take on a final swing with my sword, slicing straight through the midsection of a goblin, dropping my sword as soon as it leaves the goblin, and stumbling to the ground as the goblin's two halves hit the floor. I sigh and breathe heavily, and I feel a punch on my arm. I look up and see Zhao smiling. "Twenty-seven minutes, not bad for a newbie." He holds his hand out and helps me up, and I pick up my sword and sheathe it, and we head back up the watchtower. Once I ascend the ladder and sit down, I decide to check my status window:
Status Window
Name: Ethan Watts
Age: 19
Occupation: F-Rank Adventurer
Origin: Hellenika
Class: Undetermined
Fame: 10
Status: Demi-God
Title: Son of the Primordial Chronos
Stats:
Strength: 44+5
Dexterity: 45+5
Endurance: 41+5
Vitality: 46+5
Qi: 31
Luck: A
Charm: A
Charisma: A-
I assume the +5 is the buff I received from Seti. I let my status window disappear and said, "Is it done or is there more?" Seti lies down and says, "Probably we'll only know once the night is over. If they come back, we fight again; if not, we're done." I mean, this seems to think we're done." Quest Completed: Say "Claim" to claim rewards. I sigh and wait for Seti and Zhao to both be snoring, and I whisper "Claim"
"Reward: +10 Fame | Random F-Rank skill"
"Random Skill: Battle Intuition"
Nice finally a combat skill and with Swordsmanship i have two now which means i should be fine in any upcoming quests "Skills"
Skills:
Universal Translation – Allows understanding of all global spoken languages - F-Rank
Appraisal - Scans and shows the information of any chosen target - F-Rank
Swordsmanship - Basic knowledge of sword combat - F-Rank
Battle Intuition - Allows a glimpse into the next move of an opponent - F-Rank
I assume battle intuition will be a passive skill. I almost hope more goblins show up so I can test it, but I am also knackered. There's also been something I've been wondering about Appraisal. It says I can choose any target. I look over at Seti and whisper, "Appraisal"
Status Window
Name: Seti Rahotep
Age: 32
Occupation: F-Rank Adventurer
Origin: Heliopolis
Class: Mage
Fame: 3
Status: Nephos
Title: ???
Stats:
Strength: 63
Dexterity: 61
Endurance: 54
Vitality: 67
Magic Power: 98
Luck: C
Charm: B+
Charisma: B
I must say I feel conflicted about a mage having higher physical stats than me, and what's a Nephos? Seti isn't human; he looks human enough, though. Anyway, his magic power is pretty high; the rank requirements sheet I saw said it was 100+ for a mage to be E rank, so he's pretty close. Furthermore, his title is ??? Does that mean that my appraisal isn't good enough to see? it? I let Seti's status window disappear and look over at Zhao and whisper, "Appraisal"
Status Window
Name: Zhao Wei
Age: 38
Occupation: F-Rank Adventurer
Origin: Tianjing
Class: Martial Artist
Fame: 16
Status: Human
Title: Failure of the Iron Fist Sect
Stats:
Strength: 94
Dexterity: 97
Endurance: 88
Vitality: 91
Qi:17
Luck: E
Charm: C-
Charisma: D
Zhao Wei is far better than Seti physically, as you'd expect of a martial artist, but his Qi seems to be severely lacking, and his title, Failure of the Iron Fist Sect, is why his Qi is low. "Why are you staring at me?" The shock of hearing him makes me lose focus on the skill, and his status window disappears. "Sorry, Zhao," I say, and he sits up and asks, "So why were you staring at me?" Do I tell him about the appraisal or hopefully use this to gain more info? "You said you were a martial artist, right? 2. He nods, and I ask, "Do you know how to use Qi?" His face saddens, and he says, "I do. Why?" This could be rude, but it's worth a try. "Could you tell me how to use it?" He sighs and says, "It can be used in three main ways." Just like how it asked me to choose one of three names for it, "Now that I've chosen Qi, am I locked out of the others?" He looks shocked I asked and says, "Not necessarily, though it's rare for one to be talented in more than one, though I suppose it might be possible for otherworlders." That makes sense. "So can you teach me the martial artist way?" He stands up and stretches. "I can, but it'll be painful and loud. Are you sure you want to?" I smirk and stand up. "Let's go." I follow him down the ladder and out far enough into the woods that we'll still notice goblins if they turn up but won't disturb the village, and Zhao says, "Here will do; take your top off." I take my chest plate and under armour off and sit down. Zhao sits down behind me and says, "Take deep breaths and try not to scream." His cold hands touch my back, and I feel a warm sharpness penetrate, starting at my back and then spreading everywhere, making me feel like I can't breathe, like I'm being torn to shreds from the inside out.
What feels like hours pass, and I constantly feel like I'm dying, being torn apart inside out repeatedly, with no moment to rest until finally and immediately it stops, and I fall forward, panting and exhausted, feeling both fine and the worst I've ever felt all at once. I suddenly feel sick and crawl towards the tree, vomiting against it, and I feel Zhao's hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry, this is normal after your first cultivation; your body is expelling excess toxins." I finish vomiting and stand up; my body feels different, and I get a pop-up.
"Skill Acquired: Iron Fist Sect Cultivation"
"Bonus: +5 Qi"
"How long was that?" I ask as I put back on my Under Armour and chest plate, "Seven minutes, give or take a couple." What "Are you sure that felt like it was hours?" he laughs. "Of course it did. I opened your Qi pathways. It would've hurt you more as well because your body isn't built for it." He laughs and looks down and says, "In fact, it should've taken hours even for talented martial artists, but you only took minutes, just like prodigies unlike me." I can tell he looks sad, so I put my hand on his shoulder and say, "Genuinely, thank you." He smiles again and says, "I won't help you any further with Qi; there's not much for me to do anyway, but it'll be better for you to find your own way." I nod, and we begin to head back for the watchtower. Once we've climbed the ladder and sat down, I decide to ask another question: "I spoke to Seti about it, but you don't like Mr. Xilran." He looks up and says, "I'm sure he told you why." I nod, and he sighs, "These elves here are low elves. They're the lowest of the low, cast out of Sylvanor due to being deemed unpure by the world tree." "The world tree?" I ask, and he points behind me. "See for yourself." I stand up and look out behind me and see a huge tree; it gives off a faint blue and gold glow, and I can see buildings on and under it. The buildings are Sylvastra; that's where all the other elves are." I look past the tree and see giant, expansive, disklike islands. "What are the things being held up by its branches?" He stands up and looks with me. "Oh, the Norse realms! I'd love to visit them one day. They're supposed to be beautiful and massive." He points to the highest of the four and says, "That's Asgard, where the Norse gods live." Incredible, this world is just incredible. I sit back down and ask, "So how are elves deemed as unpure?" He yawns and says, "The elves worship Yggdrasil, the world tree, as their god, and elves whose blood has become diluted due to breeding with other races are cast out with nothing on their backs like these." He clenches his fists and says, "So you want to know why I hate him? It's because he, one of the lowest of low among elves cast out of their home, still looks down on us because we're F rank, despite the fact we saved this village. If a C rank came and spat on him, he'd show them more respect." With that, he lies down and turns away from me. clearly done talking, and I stay up to keep watch.
I tap Zhao's and Setis's shoulders as I yawn. The sun is rising, and there have been no goblins, which means we're done here. I descend down the tower and find Mr. Xilran waiting. "Oh, thank you, Mr. Adventurer, for your hard work." I shake his hand and walk past him, getting in our carriage and waiting for the other two. As I do, I say, "Status Window"
Status Window
Name: Ethan Watts
Age: 19
Occupation: F-Rank Adventurer
Origin: Hellenika
Class: Undetermined
Fame: 20
Status: Demi-God
Title: Son of the Primordial Chronos
Stats:
Strength: 44
Dexterity: 45
Endurance: 41
Vitality: 46
Qi: 36
Luck: A
Charm: A
Charisma: A-
+1 to my strength and dex, +5 to my Qi, +10 to my fame not that I know what that does, and two F rank skills is pretty decent for my first quest "Skills"
Skills:
Universal Translation – Allows understanding of all global spoken languages - F-Rank
Appraisal - Scans and shows the information of any chosen target - F-Rank
Swordsmanship - Basic knowledge of sword combat - F-Rank
Battle Intuition - Allows a glimpse into the next move of an opponent - F-Rank
Iron Fist Sect Cultivation - Basic Qi cultivation technique of the Iron Fist Sect - F-Rank
As my skills list disappears, Seti and Zhao get in the carriage. "Ready to go?" I ask them. They nod, and we head off back to Mercari.
