Cooldown time: 30 seconds
Skill Name: Scan
Description: Titania can scan any enemy regardless of level and send that information to all members of her party.
Current level: MAXED
Ability: Reveals an enemy’s stats. Can only be used on one enemy at a time.
MP Consumption: 100
Cooldown time: 0 seconds
Her health was still abysmal, but her magic was impressive. It also didn’t really matter if her health was low since she didn’t pull any agro from enemies. The only thing they would have to worry about was if they fought against players, who were far more intelligent than the monsters they’d been battling.
“All right. I think I’m logging off—erm, returning to my original world. I should be back in a few hours,” Adam said at last.
“Very well. I shall be waiting for you here,” Titania said with crossed arms and a somewhat putout look on her face.
Adam gave her a strained smile before he logged out. He opened his eyes to find himself inside of his bedroom in Fayte’s apartment. The clock informed him that it was 1:45pm, meaning he’d been playing inside of that game for about ten or eleven hours.
He stood up and stretched as he made his way out of the bedroom and into the shower. He stripped off, took a quick shower under the cold water to wake himself up, redressed himself, and headed into the living room. Fayte was not there. He assumed she was either still in Age of Gods or had gone out.
Adam made himself a simple sandwich and ate while watching the news. Most of the news was discussing Age of Gods, which seemed to have really rocked the world. It had barely been a day since it’s release, but it already had 5.7 million players.
The world after World War III had been ravaged. Over 1 billion people had died during World War III and another 1.5 billion died from Mortems Disease immediately after WWIII, and more were dying from that disease each day. The Earth’s current population was only about 4.3 billion. That might sound like a lot, but it was a far cry from the 7.4 billion people there had been before World War III. While 5.7 million was still a drop in the bucket, that was a lot in a world that had been ravaged by war.
Adam suspected more people would join Age of Gods as the game went on. More than 70% of the world’s population played virtual reality games these days. Some people spent all their time playing and earned their living through gaming, while others were just casual players who played to earn some extra pocket money. Once the money exchange system for Age of Gods became active, even more people would pick up the game.
The sound of footsteps reached his ears just as Adam finished eating his sandwich. He looked at the hallway to find Fayte walking into the living room with a tablet in hand. She was dressed in simple pajama bottoms and a spaghetti strap shirt. While the outfit appeared casual, on her, it looked amazing.
“I see you’re finally out of the game. You missed breakfast.”
Fayte’s gentle smile as she sat down beside him remained the same as when he first saw it. The couch shifted to accommodate for her weight. She sat close enough that he could have reached out and touched her.
Adam nodded. “I know. I got caught up trying to level up. I’d really like to reach level 10 soon and leave the Village of Beginnings.”
“I think that’s something everyone wants,” Fayte admitted with a giggle. “Who could have imagined leveling up would be such a hassle?”
“What level are you at?”
“Still at level 6.” Fayte’s smile widened as she studied him with her keen eyes. “I checked the forums not long ago. The Rising Phoenix Alliance posted a message on the forums about a guy named Adam who reached level 9. It was more of a rant than a message. According to them, this ‘Adam’ killed most of their party by himself. Daniel Frost has offered a reward for anyone who finds out more information about you.”
“And Daniel Frost is…?”
“He’s the leader of the Rising Phoenix Alliance,” Fayte said. “The Rising Phoenix Alliance is a powerful branch of the Pleonexia Alliance. They are consistently ranked within the top fifty guilds owned by the Pleonexia Alliance. You’ll probably want to be cautious whenever you log into Age of Gods again, but knowing you, you’ll be fine.”
Adam had not realized those people were members of the Pleonexia Alliance, which was the most powerful guild in the American Federation. They were part of the Pleonexia Family. The guild master for the Pleonexia Alliance was none other than Levon Pleonexia, the heir to the Pleonexia Family and its future leader.
He cursed. If Adam had known those people were part of the Pleonexia Alliance, he would not have let those two Mages and that Priest escape.
“I’ll keep that in mind, though I don’t think it will matter right now,” Adam confessed. “I’m planning to reach level 10 either later tonight or early tomorrow morning. Once I have, I will leave the Village of Beginnings behind.”
“If you do that, you will become the first person to leave a Village of Beginnings.” Fayte hummed thoughtfully. “It’s been estimated by some specialists that the highest level players won’t be able to leave for another four days. It will probably take everyone else around seven or eight days. Of course, those people don’t know you are at level 9.”
“Who has the highest level after me?” asked Adam.
“Lin Akamine of Japan,” Fayte said. “She’s currently at level 8.”
Adam knew of Lin Akamine, but he mostly knew her reputation. They had never met in person and only met a few times in the game world. Back when he was participating as an independent player to earn money for Aris’s treatment, he had fought against her twice and won both times. Their battles were still occasionally talked about in online forums and chat rooms.
Adam continued talking to Fayte for another hour before she said she was leaving to meet with Susan in real life.
“I will have to introduce you to her some time, but we’ll want to wait until she gets to know you in the game. Su is shy and doesn’t take to meeting new people very well.”
“We’ll see,” Adam said. “I think I told you before that I’d prefer not meeting anyone in real life to avoid complications, but who knows what the future will hold, right?”
Fayte understood why he might not want to meet Susan, so she just shrugged before slipping on her boots, bundling up in that ugly overcoat of hers, putting on her veil, and slipping out the door.
Once she was gone, Adam put his plate inside the dishwasher, then headed into Aris’s room. He sat down without ceremony and began telling Aris about his fight with the [skeleton dragon] and how he met Titania. He would not log onto Age of Gods until 7:30pm after eating dinner with Fayte.
Ambush
Ding!
[You have defeated a level 10 [wolf]! [Wolf] has dropped the items [wolf pelt] and 60 gold coins. +100 experience points!]
Ding!
[You have defeated a level 10 [brown bear]! [Brown bear] has dropped 120 gold coins. +100 experience points!]
Ding!
Ding!
Ding!
Adam sighed as he killed what felt like his ten thousandth enemy and watched the blasted experience bar on his status screen barely rise. He’d been killing monsters since 4:00am this morning. He didn’t know what time it was, but at least two or three hours must have passed by now. At present, his experience was at 28,730/38,400. That wasn’t bad, but he still needed around +10,000 experience points to level up.
“I feel like this is getting us nowhere,” Adam said with a sigh.
“Speak for yourself.” Titania wore a very pleased smile as she spoke. “I have leveled up quite a bit.” Then she sighed, fluttered over to sit on his shoulder, and placed her chin on the butt of her hands and elbows on her knees, looking depressed. “That said, I feel like I should not be happy to only be at level 8. Back when I was at the peak of my power, I was at level 90. For me to feel joy at reaching level 8 makes me feel pathetic.”
Adam wasn’t sure he believed her when s
he said she was at level 90, but she also didn’t have a reason to lie to him. She didn’t gain anything by it. He’d also learned that Titania, while arrogant, wasn’t really a braggart. She simply had a strong belief in herself and her own abilities.
At the moment, Titania’s stats looked like this:
Name: Titania
Class: Guardian of the Spear
Lvl: 8
SP: 0
AP: 200
Experience: 1,200/12,800
Strength: +10
Constitution: +10
Dexterity: +10
Intelligence: +170
Speed: +50
Physical Attack: +20
Health: 200/200
Hit-rate: 20%
MP: 17,000/17,000
Movement: +250
Physical Defense: +20
Magic Defense: +30
Dodge-Rate: 20%
Magic Attack: +340
Skill Name: Song of Refreshing Rain
Description: A song that can only be sung by Titania. This song is refreshing and lovely, like light spring rain. It has an incredible healing affect.
Current lvl: 2
AP needed to reach next lvl: 40
Ability: Indefinitely heals +15 HP every 5 seconds for as long as Titania is singing.
MP consumption: 50 MP per second
Cooldown time: 30 seconds
Skill Name: Song of Vigor
Description: A song that Titania sings to increase the strength of her companions. When sung, this song will increase the Physical Attack and Magic Attack of every companion in her party.
Current lvl: 2
AP needed to reach next lvl: 40
Ability: Raise the Physical Attack and Magic Attack of all allies by 220% for as long as she is singing.
MP Consumption: 50 MP per second
Cooldown time: 30 second
Skill Name: Song of Valor
Description: A song that Titania sings to increase the defensive abilities of allies. Defense and Magical Defense will increase for as long as this song is being sung.
Current lvl: 2
AP Needed to reach next lvl: 40
Ability: 210% for Defense and Magical Defense stat of all Titania’s party members. Increase lasts for as long as Titania is singing.
MP consumption: 50 MP per second
Cooldown time: 30 seconds
Skill Name: Scan
Description: Titania can scan any enemy regardless of level and send that information to all members of her party.
Current level: MAXED
Ability: Reveals an enemy’s stats. Can only be used on one enemy at a time.
MP Consumption: 100
Cooldown time: 0 seconds
“It would be nice if we could run into a 2-star enemy,” Adam said as he began walking. “I’d even take running into an 1-star enemy right now.”
They were once again surrounded by trees. The scent of the forest filled the air. It was the scent of wood, dirt, and flowers. A canopy of leaves blocked out most of the sunlight and created geometric shapes on the ground, though the shadows moved as a soft breeze caused the trees to sway.
Adam had always marveled at how realistic this video game was. Even now, he could hardly tell this world wasn’t real. The soft breeze against his skin, the smell of the forest, the feeling of grass crunching underneath his boots, all of it felt so real. So vibrant.
It was honestly a little scary.
“Hmph. The very fact that you think 2-star and 1-star enemies are worth anything is sad,” Titania muttered.
“Hey, don’t forget I’m new to all this. Running into a 1-star enemy would give us a huge level boost. They give more experience points than regular enemies, and they give us ability points as well. If we could get some abilities points, we could upgrade your skills.”
Adam poked the little fairy on his shoulder with his index finger, but she swatted his finger away. She didn’t seem irritated. At the same time, he knew it bothered her when he did this, which was why he did it every time she complained.
“I am aware of that,” Titania muttered with a tired sigh.
Adam had currently maxed out all three of his skills, so he didn’t have any use for the ability points at present, but he believed they would be useful later on. He was certain there would come a time when he could either learn new skills or class up. New classes often provided more skills. Of course, learning new skills from items like scrolls was another common trope in video games.
They traveled around a little more, but Adam only gained about +2,000 experience points and didn’t run into 2-star or 1-star enemies.
They decided to go back to the Village of Beginnings and sell all the items they had acquired from item drops. Adam’s inventory said he had 200 [wolf pelts] and 150 [bear furs] plus a variety of other items which now filled his inventory. He was at full capacity. If he went to the item shop, he could sell the [wolf pelts] for 5 gold coins and the [bear fur] for 10 gold coins.
Adam soon reached the area where level 8 monsters congregated. The scenery hadn’t changed, but the monsters went from [brown bears] to [wild boars]. They only gave him +50 experience points, so they weren’t worth his time. He cut them down when they attacked. However, if they avoided him, he was content to not attack.
Ding!
[You have defeated a [wild boar]! Items dropped: 20 gold coins! +50 experience points!]
Just as Adam finished slaying a [wild boar] with a single [thrust] of his spear, a gentle ringing in his ears let him know that someone was calling him through the player chat function. Of course, there was only one person currently who had him on their friend list.
“It’s that Fayte girl again,” Titania said, tilting her head. “When are you planning on introducing me to this child?”
“When we meet in the game world,” Adam said as he accepted the call. Titania furrowed his brow when he said “game world” like she didn’t understand, but he barely paid her any attention. “Fayte? What’s going on?”
“Adam! I reached level 7!” Fayte’s excited voice came over the player chat.
It sounded like it was coming from everywhere at once, but only he and Titania could hear it. Oddly enough, while Titania could hear Fayte speak, she could not speak back. Adam wondered if that was because she was a non-player character, or if it was because Fayte was not a member of Adam’s party, or if maybe she couldn’t talk because she was not involved in the call.
“That’s great!” Adam was truly excited for Fayte. However, he felt like what he really enjoyed when she contacted him like this was the joy in her voice when she accomplished something. “Is that the standard level right now?”
“There are a few people who are at level 7, but they’re all leaders of large guilds like the Frost Knights, Hell’s Blaze, and the Rising Phoenix Alliance. There are also some exceptionally gifted solo players like Mist who reached level 7, but he’s also a VR gamer who is listed at number 6 on the International Power Ranking Chart. I heard Levon Pleonexia is currently at level 7 too.”
Adam clenched his hands when he heard the name Levon, but he kept his tone light as he continued talking to Fay. “Who else is at level 7 right now?”
“Hmmm… there’s Daggerfall of the Daggerfall Dynasty and his two brothers. All three of them reached level 7 a few hours ago. There is also their bodyguard. The Spear God. I read on a forum that he actually reached level 8 around the time you reached level 9. Not sure what level he’s at now.”
So there was someone like that who could quickly level up? Adam wondered if this Spear God had gone on any quests like he had. That was the most plausible explanation since leveling up by grinding simply didn’t give you that many experience points right now. It was easier to level up by taking on quests.
“Of course, these are just the players in the American Federation who have reached level 7. There are some players in European Union and Asia who have reached that level too. There was even an article I read today that said L
in Akamine reached level 9 this morning.”
Adam felt a moment of shock. He hadn’t realized there was someone who had reached the same level as him. That was impressive. Really impressive. Adam spent at least 12 hours a day playing, so he could well imagine how much time and effort it took to reach this level.
“I guess I should get my butt in gear and level up then,” Adam joked. “I can’t let anyone beat me.”
“You definitely cannot. My livelihood is depending on you,” Fayte said, laughing.
As Adam spoke with Fayte, the little fairy on his shoulder crossed her arms and glared at him like he’d committed a crime against her. She often got like this when he spoke to Fayte for a prolonged period of time. He didn’t think Titania was jealous so much as she disliked it when he didn’t pay attention to her.
As their call continued, several people walked out from behind the trees and surrounded him. He stopped walking and eyed these people. They were all players. He didn’t recognize any of them, but he would have been surprised if he did since Adam never paid attention to people who did not interest him. There was a mix of Archers, Assassins, Mages, Warriors, and Priests. A quick headcount revealed there were five Archers, two Assassins, four Mages, six Warriors, and two Priests, making for a total of nineteen people.
“Hey, Fayte? I’m gonna have to call you back,” Adam said.
“Huh? What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
“I’m surrounded by bad guys. Talk to you later,” was all Adam said before disconnecting the player chat. He frowned, but kept calm as he firmly gripped the spear in his right hand. “You know, it’s pretty rude to ambush people while they’re taking a stroll through the forest. I hope you all have a good reason for it.”
One of the four Mages stepped forward as Adam spoke. He had sandy blond hair that was curly, messy like a bird’s nest, and blue eyes. His pale skin looked a little unnatural, like he hadn’t gotten enough sun. That was a fairly typical gamer problem. They spent so much time indoors that they didn’t get enough melanin. He assumed this man played games for most of the day. Unlike many of the people surrounding him, who all still wore the outfits they started playing in, this one wore the black robes of a Mage.
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