Chapter 32: Chapter 1 Plains of Despair
"That guy is weird. What is he doing?"
"Maybe he's a lunatic? He looks like one too"
"Let's just keep walking"
All the residents of the city feared and avoided the man. They thought that if they approached him, then something bad would happen. He seemed dangerous, and so the townsfolk decided it best to avoid him.
That man was Weed and he was up and about screaming.
"AAAAAHHHHH!"
His erratic jumps and screams scared away all the pedestrians. It was a good thing that he was hidden between the two churches of Freya. If this happened in the middle of a busy street, then videos of him throwing a tantrum would inevitably be posted on numerous websites.
"Ouuuuuuuu!" Weed even burst into tears as he finished. "I missed my chance!"
In Mora, just when Weed was about to return to Somreun Liberty City through the teleportation gates, a glow shone through the spatial gap. Then suddenly, a thought hit him.
"Now I can no longer enjoy the effects of the Ice Dragon and the Ice Beauty. GRRRR!"
Weed spent a whole month to produce two statues in the province of Mora. The Ice Dragon sculpture was the pinnacle of his skill. An enormous, magnificent statue, no less amazing than the effects it gave.
"Why did I not take the statue with me!?"
Of course, Weed was not thinking about the statue of the Ice Dragon, but of the Ice Beauty. After all, if a statue capable of increasing the recovery speed of health and mana were to sell, there would be a huge profit.
Furthermore, the effects of the statue operate independently, and if you use another bracelet, ring or buff, their effects would stack.
It's true that the statue it was made out of ice and would eventually melt. However, if you use a spell, you could preserve it. God knows how much he could have made if it was sold.
"Ahhh… I'm too good, simple and honest. Now I'm losing money because of it!"
Weed hit the ground, jumped and shouted in anger, but it was too late. He chose a path of a good and honest man. Weed thought that he was a fool. He would rather be cruel, and dishonest, but rich and shameless. An honest life was not worth pursuing.
"It's never too late to become a villain." Though his discontent of being a sculptor was not completely gone, seeing the advantages, he would not give it up. Weed was once again set on the goal of life.
While Weed lamented, Alveron and the priests who returned with him to the Order of the Freya, stood and watched his strange behavior with frowning and frightened expressions. They were backing away slowly; even NPCs ignored weed
"Ahem…" Weed tidied his clothes in order to fabricate the image of a hero who punishes evildoers and administers the divine punishment and spreads the glory of the Goddess… "Well, we should go see the High Priest"
Surrounded by Priests, Weed entered the church. This time, he entered through the side entrance so he did not have to go through a line of players donating for the prayers of the Priests. Inside the church, the High Priest was already waiting for him.
Weed took out the pure white crown, sublimated with precious stones. As he handed it to the High Priest, he solemnly said: "Crown of Fargo, returned".
"Ooh! Thank you; you truly are the savior of the order! First you returned the cup of Freya, now the Crown of Fargo"
You have completed the Quest: "Return the Crown of Fargo"
Last relic of the Goddess that the Order lost during the unrest.The vampire clan, led by Tori maliciously seized and held the sacred crown, in the province of Mora.
They dominated the Northern lands, hoarding power as they awaited the return of the dark sorcerer Balkan. Destruction of the vampire clan has caused the forces of the Dark Army to weaken considerably.
The Crown of Fargo is a symbol of divine power and majesty of the Order.
Returning the crown, you have greatly increased the status of the Order.
– Your Fame has increased by 1200 (+ 1200 Fame)
– Familiarity with the Order raised by 31.
– Influence of the Order increased by 2200.
The Order of Freya can now be found in the state religion.
– Influence of the Order of Freya: 4612.
The fulfillment of this quest gives you public relations with the Order of Freya.
– You have leveled up
– You have leveled up
– You have leveled up
– You have leveled up
– You have leveled up…
Nine levels for the completion of a quest of B rank difficulty. Weed was pleased. He spent several months suffering trying to get the crown of Fargo, the artifact was not easy to recover.
The High Priest gave Weed 30 potions with white and red liquids.
"The Order of Freya is grateful to you. Here some Holy Water and some high-end health recovery potions"
"Oh, thank you…"
"I know that it's meager but I'm sure that they'll be useful during an emergency."
"Thank you"
Weed carefully took the gifts and placed them inside his bag.
Potions were expensive, and Weed had never used them before. At the moment, health potions in the game were usually used by bandits and murderers such as Dvichis. Ordinary players wouldn't normally use potions because as their level rose so did their health, and therefore required more expensive potions.
People that used potions during hunting were very little. Very few people used potions while hunting, but the fact that they can help in an emergency was true. That is why almost every player had a few potions in case of emergency.
"Also let me give you some armor."
Weed, received similar rewards from returning the Holy Grail, ranging from armor to the sword of Agatha.
"So, rewards for returning the relics do not change. You just earn some money."
But the priest was not finished.
"This item has long gathered dust in the treasury, with your profession – a Sculptor; it should be useful to you."
You have received an Unknown Leather Belt.
When Weed's hand received the unknown object, the first thing he wanted to do was check it out. It would have been bad if there were a curse or something on it.
"Identify!"
Red Wyvern Leather belt:Durability: 60/60, Defense 22.
Leather belt made out of the skin of flying Wyverns. Red Wyverns are very rare, some even doubt their existence. Wearing the belt is of great interest for many adventurers.
The leather belt is durable, strong, lightweight and comfortable. Firmly fixed to the body it allows you to conveniently position the tools of the sculptor.
In the center of the belt are remarkable Wyvern's figures, made by master Deukalam.
Requirements: level 150
Job: Sculptor.
Effects: Charisma +15, Strength +10, Agility +30, Reputation 30.
Sculptural Design + 7%.
When the belt is worn, any sculpture made gives an additional 5 Fame.
Weed fell thoughtfully silent.
For doing a Rank B quest he expected to get something special. It was not that the object parameters were bad. The thing that set him off was the name of the creator, Deukalam, one of the Versailles continent's Master Sculptor, and his belt was now in Weed's hands.
However, Weed was somewhat disappointed. The belt would only be worth 10,000 won. Due to the lack of engravers the belt's effects would be useless to the public. Instead, if he ran off with the crown it could have been sold for 1.1 million won.
Without waiting for an answer, the High Priest continued:
"You have our most heartfelt thanks. May the blessings of the Goddess always be with you. If you suddenly get hurt or come under the effects of a curse, at any time refer to the priests of the Order and we will provide free help. And now, you can use the teleportation gates at any Freya Chapel at your own convenience.
"Thank you."
The High Priest took a deep breath. It seems that all this time he was thinking about something else.
"The three relics, three symbols: prosperity, power, and wealth – all came back. Now the Goddess, as before, illuminates the path of Holy Warriors. Strength of Paladins and Priests has been restored with authority, force, and divine power, and now we can fight on equal terms with the forces of evil. But the undead also does not sleep, in recent reports a Paladin said that in the barren northern lands, there is going to be a new army of the followers of Balkan."
"The Dark Army of the Lich King is gathering the undead, death knights, and other evil spirits of the continent. Moreover, lured by the promise of immortality, many join the army of their free will and soon they will become unstoppable. The more soldiers that die from battle with evil spirits, the quicker the enemy grows."
"After the first reports about the revival of the army, there were new reports of increased activity of necromancers worshiping the Dark God. Such activity indicates only one thing: the forces of evil are back in the lands of the Versailles continent. Something is coming."
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Ttiring!
A new quest!
Dark forces were revived in the Plains of Despair.
Necromancers, servants of Balkan and the Dark God Beelzebub, began gathering a new army of undead. It is not known if necromancers who serve in a light temple, came to worship the dark god, but if it happens, they, like the rebels, they are sent to the dark elves in the Plains of Despair.
Find and kill these apostates. Do not let them build a new army of undead.
If you go to temples of Rosenheim kingdom, you will find information and troops for the quest.
Difficulty: B
Reward: Unknown
Penalty for refusal or failure of the task: Relations with the Order of Freya will drop to 0.
Fame will decrease by 3000 (-3000 Fame)
Weed sighed, again another Rank B quest
"Well, at least this time there is no time limit," H said as he sighed sadly.
The land of Despair was located somewhere North-East of The Rosenheim Kingdom. It would be a long walk to get there, and there would certainly be a lot of dangerous monsters.
In general, that would just be the beginning.
Up to this day, they had not been a single accurate map of the continent of Versailles, but even in the few odd jobs made by players, the area of ??Plains of Despair was far larger than one of the largest and most powerful kingdoms in the center of the continent: The Kingdom of Brent.
"I'll deal with the dark necromancers."
You have accepted the quest.
"Thank you, soldier!" The High Priest said happily.
After that phrase the priest no longer reacted to the presence of Weed, and Weed quietly left the Order.
* * *
Mapan completed a transaction in a nearby village, and slowly returned to Somreun Liberty City. It was at that moment he heard a familiar voice, one that he dearly missed.
"Hey, Mapan…"
"Yes? Oh, Weed! I thought you died. Where are you now?"
"All ended well. I am at the church of Freya, come here."
"All right, already running"
Mapan ran like the wind. In just 10 minutes he got to the temple. After all Weed just returned from a Rank B quest. Mapan did not even bother to sell his goods. He just threw his cart in a rented place and ran to the temple. Not alone though, he came with a beautiful girl.
Mapan had thousands of questions in his head, but etiquette didn't allow him to ask them, he first introduced his companion.
"Weed this is Hwaryeong, my companion."
"Nice to meet you, my name is Weed."
"Hello. I heard a lot about you"
During Weed's absence Mapan found a colleague to travel with, however, she had a very unusual profession.
"Weed, you will be surprised. Hwaryeong is a dancer."
"She's a dancer?"
Hwaryeong gave a cute smile, she said:
"Consider me as a colleague. Instead of sculpting, I dance which buffs my party, and distracts enemies.
"Is it difficult perhaps?"
"No! On the contrary, it is interesting. I like to dance."
The main feature of a dancer was to stun the enemy. When she started to dance, monsters lose morale and jaws dropped frozen in a daze. We can say this is one of the hidden classes in the game.
Intriguingly, she can stun enemies far greater than her level which was 175. However the cost of stunning many enemies was high; a lot of mana is consumed.
The downside in her profession included weak attack and defense abilities. She was armed with only a small knife, and when the dancing stopped, the monsters quickly regained senses, so without a party to go hunting with, was very hard. Although in a group, her talent shone.
Mapan said that while Weed was gone, they traveled together to the nearby village, and when monsters attacked, Hwaryeong would dance, robbing the enemy of their desire to fight, while Mapan quickly managed the cart and ran away.
"A sculptor, trader and now a dancer… It just gets better and better" Weed thought
* * *
On the pages of the Royal Road website there was a legend: The convergence of artisan and other professions.
Supposedly a few players with unpopular professions had come together in a group. When they stick together, they were able to maximize each other's individual abilities and perform duties to their fullest potential. They could defeat any monster and perform any task, and thus a legend was born.
Where the legend came from and how reliable it was, nobody knows; it was just one of the parables that people heard from walking to one city to another during the early days of Royal Road.
"And maybe it's just a fairy tale."
Monsters would usually target the biggest threat, and they, in turn would destroy the monster. As a result they would be the first to increase their levels and the first to get the loot.
That's why players with low combat characteristics quickly lagged behind. In the group, they were mostly useless and, in fact, harmful, as party members had to look after them.
"Phew …"
Mapan sighed and went to Weed and whispered in his ear:
"I heard your Lion's Roar technique is unique and powerful compared to other players"
"Is that so?"
"Yes. But not dance. Do you know what dance Hwaryeong is doing?"
"What is it?"
"Korean Strip Dance"
"Oh…" Weed coughed. "Korean Strip Dance performed when approached by Orcs or Ogres!"
Hwaryeong's cheeks turned crimson red.
"Some time ago, I often went to the clubs … I loved dancing, and now I cannot stop."
" …"
"That's it!"
But Mapan could no longer restrain himself from asking and said: "Well, tell me, where you spent the past 3 months? What kind of quest was it? Did you succeed?"
Weed smiled. "Soon you will know about it."
"Huh?"
It all started in Mora:
"Did you hear about the adventurer Weed? He did a great job. He returned the Crown of Fargo! Imagine…"
"You can say that the clan of vampires has been a major force Balkan! They say that Weed the Warrior, with the perfect harmony of faith and art, dealt with them!"
"You've heard about this Weed?"
Markets, shops, parking carts, taverns, hotels and Guilds – all NPCs started talking about Weed. After some time they even started talking about it in the British Confederation:
"It is said that in Mora there was a significant event. Weed has done a great service to the Order of Freya …"
"A man by the name of Weed …."
"Weed …"
Then the news came to the kingdom of Rosenheim.
"You know Weed came from our kingdom? What? You have not heard of him? Then listen …"
Even the NPCs in the country and Thorne, Harpan, Falamor were discussing Weed's feat.
* * *
Lee Hyun logged out of Royal Road and climbed out of the capsule. The first thing Lee Hyun did was access the auction site and opened the mail.
His mail box only consists of one message:
"We invite you to the Dark Alliance of Gamers.
In order to prevent information from being leaked out to the public, we carefully select a group of people to join our alliance. Information will be given inside Royal Road, in the vast continent of Versailles, or in reality.
Our Dark Gamers Union exists wherever there are dark places. We would like to meet and talk to you wherever you like. We will try to understand each other, and if we decide that we can benefit from each other; we can be good partners"
Lee Hyun ignored the letter and began to create a new ad on auction.
All that can be sold for money needs to be sold immediately because in Royal Road there was also a market economy and the prices would go down with time. This was inevitable, since the number of players reaching level 200 increases over time, consequently so does number of high-end products. Although the demand also increases, it was not enough to compensate for the price.
The armor of vampires, found in the province of Mora, Lee set the starting price at 100,000 won and ending price at 400,000 won.
"I think that is normal. Not cheap but not expensive and at the same time it suits me."
He started with armor, since there were two sets. But then he added more…
"I think I can sell the sword and the ring of Pontiff Agatha at a higher price."
Ordinary objects had a determined market price, but the prices on unique and rare items varied greatly. It all depended on the number of people in need of the object. If there is a demand – the price is high.
"It'd be good if it sells…"
Lee Hyun posted the ad on the site, and left.
Overnight there was a tense debate.
"This is it! More precisely, it is!"
"Well, nobody else on the auction site had a triple diamond rating, and the same nickname."
Ad by Valueimpression
"Weed! Weed is selling real products from Royal Road."
"Wow! This is interesting!"
After selling his game account on the Continent of Magic Weed became a well-known figure.
Having bought his account, CST Media released a series of programs about the Continent of Magic, and now there was no one who was interested in games that did not know about Weed.
And with exactly the same login was Lee Hyun on an online auction site.
Players remembered him and, of course, followed.
Lee Hyun tried several times to sell goods, but they were never as good as this. Dark Knight's armor was as rare as a raincoat, but the boots and gloves vampires…
"St. Agatha's Sword! Rose patterned gloves! Pope's ring! All of them are from the Order of Freya, exclusive equipment used by paladins"
Gloves were common in the game, so they weren't worth much. However, the Holy Sword of Agatha – was a very rare and sought after item because of its buffs and high durability. Plus you could use its "Holy Blessing" five times a day.
Some people looking at the sales history noticed this and began spreading the word.
Soon it began to spread like a wind to almost all gaming sites. The main message was that Weed from the Land of Magic Weed also played Royal Road and was selling items from the Order of Freya.
At once and huge number of people went to the auction.
"Come on, did Weed join the Order of Freya?"
"Has he become a Paladin?"
"If you take into account the entire continent, not even a hundred players have managed to become paladins of Freya. In addition, while it is not hard to get into the Knights of the Court, to be a paladin of the Order of Freya is almost impossible."
"It's Weed! Even in the Royal Road he's ahead of it."
People in the comments texted each other. They were pleased and surprised that Weed also played Royal Road.
However, some players openly confessed their disappointment.
"If this is the Weed from the Continent of Magic, we are playing with a legend."
"Exactly, it seemed that for him, nothing was impossible. He overcame even the most dangerous dungeons. Where he went, there was not a monster left. For us who remember his achievements…"
"He always walked alone but now he's just some paladin in the Order of Freya. This is just below our expectations.
"Yes. He was one of the best players in the Continent of Magic, but now he's just some gray participant in the Order of Freya. Know that … Now I am no longer interested in him.
"Good for Weed, but I expected more. And heroes are aging …"
Comments flowed like a river, the views often expressed totally opposite. After selling his COM account, Weed has become a gaming symbol in Korea. And now to learn that Weed was a paladin of the Order of Freya, there was some joy and some disappointment. He was now in one of the strongest associations of the world, but still not the invincible hero he was before.
Gradually people lost interest in the items. However, although the people discussed Weed, the prices were rising.
At this point, there was one person who wrote in the comments:
"I just came from the Royal Road."
Ordinary people who typed messages were flamed.
"Who asked you?"
"Well, this goes back to anyone not interested."
Cynical comments lined up in an instant. Then the man who wrote the first very short text, answered in detail.
"In the Royal Road, about five hours ago, all NPCs in the continent of Versailles have begun to talk about Weed. He allegedly dealt with the vampire clan that in the past was part of the immortal army Balkan. Now all the NPCs talk about his adventures and how he found the sacred relics of the Order of Freya. If this is our Weed, I'm in shock …"
"What's did you say? Balkan's immortal army?"
"That's one of the most powerful forces in the Royal Road, is it not?"
"It's impossible; a normal vampire is above level 270. And their leader Lord Tori was above level 400!"
"It can't be! I don't believe it."
People could not believe the report. But everyone knew that to get the sacred objects of the Order of Freya and to destroy the vampires was a very difficult quest, designed for a high-level group of players.
It was impossible to believe that one person could cope with this task. However, the evidence was before our eyes. Items that were only for Paladins and ring from the Pope! The armor was something you could get just by joining the Order, but the ring was something you could only get after a doing a great service.
Besides, there was even more reliable evidence—loot from vampires; with the vampire boots, and coats, all doubt was removed.
Lee Hyun slept for four hours and woke before sunrise. He quickly got dressed and went to the market to get food for breakfast and packed lunch for his sister to take to school. Of course the school has its own dining area, but in recent years almost no one ate there. The portions were very small, and the food wasn't promising. If she suddenly gets food poisoning… No…
"Now it is an important time for her to not to hurt…"– for this Lee Hyun sacrificed his own meals.
His sister is working hard preparing for her exams and he had to prepare the best nutrition. In addition to that, he has to help her not feel left out due to their lack of parents. So in the process of preparing for the meal, he put in his heart and soul in it.
Like a fish in water, he went through all the rows of shops and markets, bargaining, and bought fresh vegetables and meat. During the day the market would be packed, and the food would not be fresh, so he always came early in the morning. Every time he would greet all the vendors so they were eager to sell their products at lower prices.
Lee was not an experience cook, but due to Royal Road, he felt confident in his abilities. So confident that he thinks he's ready to work in a restaurant.
Yawn "Oppa, good morning."
"Just woke up?"
When Hyun returned from the market, his sister left the room, rubbing her eyes.
"Clean yourself up, or you'll be late for school."
"Don't worry there's still plenty of time."
"Don't be lazy. All the same you will have to do so quickly, quickly march to the bathroom."
"Fine! You're always nagging. And you! Have you prepared for the GED exam?"
Lee Hyun promised his grandmother to get a general education diploma. But, in truth, he had never opened a book. During the exam preparations, instead of studying the geography of Korea, he studied the geography of the continent of Versailles. And instead of studying the history of Korea, he studied the history of Royal Road. After all, if you want to achieve something in the game, information is one of the components of success. However, he couldn't tell his sister that.
"Of course! I worked hard, do not worry."
If you think about it, he technically did work hard.
"Mmmm. Okay, I won't."
While his sister washed up, Lee cooked breakfast.
Winter came and the street was cold, so he prepared a hot, chilly winter spicy organic gruel, 5 grain rice, and even different salads.
"Bon Appetit"
After his sister went to school, he had a few moments of free time to spare.
"It's time to check on the price of the items."
Lee Hyun connected to the auction site.
"What the…"
Due to newbies spamming comments, the page number for the sword of Agatha was immense. Lee Hyun expected the Holy Sword of Agatha to sell for 2 million won even in the worst case scenario. However, the price only exceeded a little over 230,000 won. What kind of nonsense is this?
Disturbed, Lee Hyun went to see comments.
"Weed, you are great! I really want to wear your items, but I have no money, so I decided to participate in this way though."
The person who wrote the text set the starting price at 500 won. In general, the initial price was not important, because many people would participate in the auction and just put 500 to 1500 won.
"Congratulations on completing the Freya quest. Live up to your legend in the Continent of Magic!"
The second person who posted the text bid 501 won.
Then everyone else followed suit.
"Weed good luck! 502 won"
"Weed, you're cool! 503 won"
"Respect. Keep it up! 504 won"
"Oh, you're already in the new game, right? 505 won."
"Haha! That's interesting. I also take part. 506 won."
"Oh, whoa, whoa… 601 won."
"Hey! Follow the sequence. 602 won."
A lot of people took part in the bid, so the interest began to grow and passers-by, who were unaware of Weed, heard the rumors and went to participate.
"Ah! Weed, the man who's the object of so many rumors."
"He became a monk?"
After a while the number of people who visited the page had reached 90,000 people but the price only rose to 120,000 won.
Even excluding repetitions in rates, the auction was attended by over 60,000 people. News of their favorite hero caused more people to join
"Hey! Who is this coward who bid 200,000 won?"
"If you fail to comply with the sequence, I promise I'll find you. Next time, be careful. We'll start again with 200,001 won."
"Let's try to get to 1 million won!"
Chapter 33: Chapter 2 Jack of all Trades
"Royal Road? When we left we expected you to study, and now you're playing with toys!"
"Now write an application for reinstatement"
"And if that doesn't help, you can sit at home all day and prepare for the exams yourself!"
When Surka, Pale, Irene, and Romuna parents learned that their children were playing Royal Road in secret during their absence, they received an endless amount of nagging.
However, they didn't just sit around all day. They thought of a cunning plan and eventually, their parents were lured into Royal Road.
"Oh! Pale, I'm going to change weapons but I'm 4 gold short, can you lend me some money? Don't worry I'll pay you back with interest!"
When it comes to hunting and fighting monsters, their parents were far too inexperienced. However, they were still able do well. They were owners of a small family shop inside the game, and they opened one store after another. Their shops sold things ranging from weapons and clothing to skill books.
They even opened up a restaurant. As their parents supported their kids with skill books, a good bow, or even the divine knowledge of the Priest, they in exchange hunted loot for them. As a result, they got closer and closer to the coveted level 200.
And then in the Kingdom of Rosenheim, the NPCs began to talk:
"Do you know about Weed, the adventurer? He dealt with the dreadful vampire clan and freed the people of Mora."
"Oh, Weed, the benefactor of the Order of Freya! Knowing that there are heroes makes life easier, doesn't it? I heard that he came from the Rosenheim kingdom, and they say that the King is looking for him."
Even in real life, gun shops, pharmacies, and even flower girls from the market—everyone was talking about Weed.
When the word reached Pale and his party, they realized that Weed completed a difficult and dangerous task and immediately sent their congratulations:
"Congratulations, Weed."
"Well done!"
"Tell us all about it in detail next time."
* * *
"Haaa!"
"Swoop!"
"Urraaa! Monsters!"
The SwordNoobs rushed forward, and the brave headless soldier quickly began backing away. No matter how brave he may, at the sight of so many opponents even monsters would feel nervous and tremble. Opponents, not showing fear, boldly attacked the enemies, one after another and easily defeated them too!
Recklessly, without showing any fear, they attacked monsters back-to-back. Though looking rugged, dressed with lousy outfits, they looked like eagles hunting for their prey with blazing eyes of greed, they desire one thing: experience.
"Hahaha! SwordNoob 2?"
"Yes. I'm ready."
"Attack!"
"Yatz!"
An avalanche of players struck the headless soldier. They jumped on the monster as if someone was going to steal it.
None of SwordNoobs knew how to play the game. Therefore, they went after high level monsters first, but they did not consider them worthy opponents. They were all looking for new places to hunt and they finally got to Lavias.
"Slaughter them all!"
All this time they only sought to battle strong monsters, so their levels grew at an astonishing rate.
Always together, a crowd of 505 people, as one large cohesive group, they roamed the vastness of Royal Road. Students and instructors lived together within the dojo, so they could gather quickly and play in Royal Road. Also, fighting monsters was seen as part of their training, so they spent a lot of time in game and hunted the most powerful monsters they could find.
They started just like Weed did, hitting scarecrows non-stop for a month, and then consistently overcame many dungeons. When there was an enemy, the students threw all their energy into fighting and eventually won.
The only thing that interests them besides their swords was battle. They did not take any quests, because they were too lazy to bother. In addition, their appearance was very shabby. They were very poor and often hungry players.
The teacher put his hands behind his back and, while laughing, said:
"3 copper? chuckles So much energy spent on this monster and we got nothing. Apparently, we are weak. Guys!"
"Yes, Master!"
"Will we pick these pennies? Or will we become stronger and kill monsters that drop gold?"
"Master, we'll go anywhere you lead us to!"
After those words, the disciples and mentors had no choice, but to back tears, followed by the words "First the sword!" Understandably their fear of starvation was greater than their fear of monsters.
As they shared the last crumbs of barley bread, they further strengthened the friendship between them.
The SwordNoobs were not afraid of monsters.
"Sooner or later, we will stop dying from hunger!"
The SwordNoobs became even more focused, their eyes full of intensity. You die in combat with monsters, or you die fighting hunger. So they traveled across the expanse of Royal Road and raised their level to 130.
In Lavias, they heard that they could change their profession. People on the street said that the soldiers gave many jobs. And if you killed a famous monster then you would also gain glory and money. Also with a new profession you would gain a significant increase in strength and agility, and a bit of armor durability. A job for true connoisseurs of battles!
But in any case, they didn't want to change their job based on the increase of stats. No, the SwordNoobs felt that they were heirs to Korean martial arts, and they prided with their way of life and their succession to the arts.
Martial art—it's their blood, their nature and that is why all 505 SwordNoobs changed their profession at the same time. Well their first job was a warrior, so the change to being a martial artist seemed like the next logical step.
"Have you heard about Weed, the adventurer?"
"Weed has done something remarkable!"
Unquestionably, when the SwordNoobs heard the news about Weed from NPCs they were happy.
"Woo-Ohhh!"
A Burning passion! Ambition! Desire for glory! Feelings as such were present in every SwordNoob men
"SwordNoob 2!"
"Yes, Master."
"Find out where the most powerful monsters are."
"As you've commanded"
SwordNoob 2 first called Pale. He had long understood the torment of informational searching, and figured it would be best to whisper Pale.
"Pale-nim."
"Yes, SwordNoob 2…"
At this time Pale, Irene, Surka, and Romuna were hunting. Pale was a little scared that they would have some bizarre request. But this time, nothing happened. Generally, the SwordNoobs lived with dignity and pride, they did not forget about the food aid, and in the future always thanked their rescuers.
On the other hand, Pale and his party have long gotten accustomed to their strange requests.
"Who's the strongest guy?"
"What? Wait … no way…."
"Just tell me who and where. We'll do the rest."
Pale was shaken a bit, because he knew what they were going to do.
* * *
The Green Dragon Biakis loved the peace and quiet. He liked to think of himself as the guardian of the forest. With that thought, he lived peacefully for centuries.
Biakis was fast asleep inside a hollow on the top of one of the mountains, but when he heard the noise of people, his eyes became wide open.
"Intruders?"
Now and then, a group of adventurers trespassed on his domain. Sometimes even the strongest players in the continent of Versailles stray from groups and went to hunt the dragon. Each time Biakis ruthlessly punished them.
"This time, you will also die" – The dragon thought furiously
The Green eyes of Biakis were filled with anger. From wherever he looked, people fearlessly approached. Even if a few fought at a time they would still be too much. Although in general the dragon did not care.
"Urrra!"
"We have arrived! Angry wild dragon, show yourself!"
He had never been insulted before. Biakis was furious. He opened his mouth wide, as if to yawn, and then took a deep breath…
"Fuuuuu!"
* * *
Somreun Liberty City was one of the centers of trade in the Versailles continent. A huge amount of goods pass through its gates, and there were many transactions within the city walls. Virtually all artisans and guilds considered it an honor to open an office here.
Weed with Mapan sold all of their unnecessary items, obtained from wolves and other monsters.
"Oh! I made 5600 gold" Weed said while rubbing his hands happily.
Compared to how much he had before; he made 2000 gold, and that was not small.
But it could have been much more. Weed saved a ton of money on medical herbs, by digging and collecting them, but almost all the armor and weapons he had were sold on the auction site for real money. If he sold them in the game, he would've had earned more gold.
After selling the loots he got from monsters, Weed aloofly went to a guild. Guilds were always crowded with a lot of people, especially if they were combat occupations, but today in inside the Blacksmithing guild sat 30 people, compared to the scale of the large city it looked strange.
Upon entering, Weed looked at the people sitting at the tables with interest.
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"I wanted to make swords, so I chose this profession. And now I'm so unhappy! All of my friends that I started with, are already killing kobolds, and every day I have to swing a hammer, damn it! But if it were only that! I thought I could make much more interesting things… I'm sick of this"
"Yeah. I don't understand why I chose this profession. It's too boring. Right now I want to change jobs"
"You don't say, I was here for a week making swords and what do you know? They are far worse than the ones dropped by kobolds!"
Players sat and whined because of their profession. Pathetic. In fact, the profession of a Blacksmith is not so bad. It all depended on how you looked at it
"By the way, have you heard the news about the Blacksmith Thor?"
"I heard that he's the first player to reach the intermediate level in Blacksmithing, and now he's intermediate lv 4."
"No. He's already at intermediate 5."
"Wow! I heard all the guilds want him."
"Of course, he's a Blacksmith that can strengthen armor and weapons. When will we get to his level?"
"Well… there are already several other smiths with an intermediate Blacksmithing…"
"Ah! I'm so jealous."
Weed heard enough empty laments and quietly climbed the stairs to the second floor of the guild. People were usually located at the bottom of the guild shop, and serious matters were decided on the floor above.
Weed waited until his turn came, and came to a mustachioed, muscular representative of the guild.
"What is the purpose of your visit?" said the NPC, tugging at his apron.
"I want to learn how to manufacture weapons and armor."
"Oh! Really?" The representative said happily "Do you want to become a Blacksmith?"
"No. I just want to learn how to forge."
"Hmm. Actually, we don't just teach anybody … However, if you can fix this thing, then I will think about it."
The NPC handed Weed a battered shield.
Cracked Bronze Shield:
Durability: 3/28.
Defense: 10.
This shield is used in the exam to identify the gift of a Blacksmith. Made of bronze. Size small, usually mounted on the brush. Protects you from the impact of a sword.
Requirements: Level 15.
Effects: Chance of enemy arrows missing increased by 14%. Decreases critical attack by 19%.
With each level the Repair Skill gains, the efficiency of maintenance increases. With level 1 5 durability is restored, at level two 7 durability is restored, at level 10 23 durability can be restored. To repair the shield at once, an intermediate Repair Skill is needed.
Without getting a sledgehammer; Weed raised his hand and said:
"Repair!"
The shield was engulfed by a bright light and appeared to be newly restored.
"Um, it looks like you're qualified to learn the trade" said the master scratching his head. "Okay, let's start with an explanation of how to hold the hammer. Look closely, grab like this and hit like this."
You have learned the skills of a Blacksmith.
Depending on the skill level, the requirements on equips go down by 2 percent or more.
When you have reached Master level as a Blacksmith, you can wear the items of other professions despite limitations.
Weed immediately bought iron tools for the manufacture of weapons, a good hammer, whetstone and some items. He also bought a portable smelter and the standard molds for weapons.
Typically, a player could only work in a Blacksmith shop, but with these items Weed could create weapons anywhere.
The process of forging items is very simple. Thanks to the portable hearth, by using mana, metals can be melted and then poured into a mold. From there a piece of refined is made which then hammered to make an item. After learning this, Weed felt cheated.
Yes, the Blacksmith profession required hard physical labor, but it eventually lost to the profession of a Sculptor. During the creation of sculptures, he had to be constantly on his toes in order to keep the image in his head, he had carefully cut parts only to finally get a simple sculpture. Therefore, the Blacksmith profession seemed simple and crude in comparison with his profession.
"Good."
Weed went to the nearest anvil and opened his bag. Up until now, Weed had collected a decent amount of ores during his hunts.
"First, melt…"
He melted some of the iron ores and made a decent amount of molten iron. He then gently poured it into the mold in a form of a basic sword. After cooling it off slightly, he got his first piece of refined iron and started smooth down the surface and the form of the metal with his hammer.
Tap-tap-tap!
When finished, Weed dipped the sword in cold water. With that Weed produced his first sword.
Training Sword:
Durability: 70/70.
Attack: 4-6.
Sword made from different types of metal, man made with the makings of the master.
The attack Power is small, but it has high durability.
Requirements: None.
Effects: Strength +5.
You have raised your Blacksmith Skill by 36%.
"Oh! Cool! Well done!" Weed forged his first sword and now he truly enjoyed it.
Playing alone, sooner or later you'll start to talk to yourself. Kind of defense a mechanism that Weed developed during the creation of sculptures in the province of Mora.
"It's pretty average."
Of course, the blade in Weed's current situation was useless, but it can be sold in a weapon shop for at least 70 silver. Although the damage is low, it had great durability, so it could be used for a long time and it also has additional strength attached to it.
Weed was thrilled with his first successful attempt on creating a weapon.
"Blacksmith profession sure is useful."
Fox figures, rabbits and other animals have no other value than being souvenirs. Even so, Weed sold them for silver coins and earned money. Now, he is able to forge a sword that people would gladly use.
"Good. Well time to get to work!"
Weed decided to use all the ores he stockpiled all throughout the game, to make weapons. And he had accumulated a lot of ores deposits over time: some of it he gathered when he was still a novice, and some he gathered for the past 3 months he spent in the province of Mora.
Melt the ores in the hearth; use the moldings to give it form, and then smack!
Weed took the job seriously by putting all of his energy and soul into the new weapon he was making. In the process, he was trying to watch the other Blacksmiths and repeat their actions to quickly improve his skill.
Your Blacksmith's skill has risen to beginner 2.
The attacks of weapons you forge are now enhanced. The different types of sword that you can make have increased.
Your Blacksmith's skill has risen to beginner 3
Now you can make bronze and copper armors. Additional properties are added.
Your Blacksmith's skill level has risen to beginner 4.
The attacks weapons you forge are more enhanced. Now you can change the shape of a completed sword. Its durability will decrease, but in exchange the attack will increase.
Your Blacksmith's skill level has risen to beginner 5.
Now the armor you make will become easier and more comfortable to wear.
You can now make boots.
Your Blacksmith's skill level has risen to beginner 6.
Offensive and defensive characteristics of manufactured items are greatly enhanced.
For 10 days, Weed stayed inside the smithy, day and night, creating blades. He forged more and more until he used up all of his ores. But to his surprise, in those 10days, he greatly increased his Blacksmith skill. This was only possible because of his job as a Sculptor.
For each level, Weed gained a 3% increase in his initial attack, and a 5% increase for medium level skills. To enhance his job as a Sculptor, he had to unwittingly raise other trade skills that would undoubtedly affect his Blacksmith level.
In general, the skill of craftsmanship influenced all non-combative professions. For example, Cooking, for each level, the effects of prepared meals are amplified by 5%, and with the transition to the intermediate level they are amplified by 7%. Now Weed's handicraft level was intermediate 8, so all the effects of his dishes were amplified almost twofold.
In addition his handicraft skill also had an effect on his Blacksmithing skill. By using the same materials he could makes things 2 times stronger than others, therefore, receive more experience. It was because of his handicraft skill that Weed didn't have to suffer the torments of being a newbie Blacksmiths. Of course, by the time he reached intermediate Blacksmithing the advantage would disappear but Weed would still get a lot more experience than a regular player.
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That's right, after spending 10 days smelting ore, he manage to improve his skills up to beginner level 6.
Weed left the guild and went to the fishing guild.
"Do you want to enjoy, spending day after day fishing, or do you hope to catch a legendary fish and become a legend sung by bards?" The NPC wearing a fishing vest asked.
Perhaps joining the fishing guild was the easiest in the game. You had to honestly answer a few questions, and then buy a fishing rod with floats.
Weed did not hide his truth of his thoughts:
"I want to learn how to fish, so that when I'm hungry, I can eat."
"Yes?" the NPC fisherman asked puzzled.
For many players in the game they became a profession fisherman for pleasure. While traveling to Versailles continent, you had to use a boat or ship, and there you could fish to pass time. But from all of answers he had received no one answered as Weed had.
The fisherman looked at Weed, as an unprecedented miracle, and laughed.
"An honest answer. Also, I see you're an excellent cook. Maybe someday, if you catch something good, you'll make me tasty soup?"
"If it's a suitable fish, then no problem, I'll be happy to cook for you."
"Hmm. Thank you. I'll give you some special bait."
You have learned the skill of fishing.
You will never be hungry if you happen to be near a major source of water. You can get water and food in rivers, lakes and seas. With each level of fishing gained so will your health.
You have received 30 shrimps as fish bait.
Weed learned Blacksmithing, fishing, and then contemplated…
"Should I learn more skills?"
"Isn't this enough? Maybe I should skip the sewing skill? I already have several production skills so I don't really have to learn another skill."
His anxiety was caused by his childhood memories. At one time he had to work in a sewing factory, in a dirty, dusty environment. There in order to make a few pennies he sewed buttons and ripped seams. The heavy, monotonous work; memories of which brought only pain. Besides, he got sick and sometimes could not come to work, and therefore he didn't get his salary for the last month.
But it was not in his nature to retreat.
Actually, there was another sorcerer skill, the ability to cast magic on the items, but Weed could not learn because of its high level requirements. Therefore he could only learn all the trade skills.
Finally decided, Weed went to the second floor of the Tailoring Guild.
"Hmmm… If a person has good taste it would easy to choose a good fabric and sew beautiful clothes"
"If you invest in a piece of their work, many people would want to wear such clothes. You want to learn to sew? Purred the spokeswoman
"Yes, I do."
"And can you manage to sew on a button?" She asked squinting.
"Coo… of course."
Weed was able to sew on buttons as well as he used a spoon. He sewed a few buttons, and received a new message.
You have learned the Tailoring Skill.
Saying goodbye to the representative, Weed left the guild. Unfortunately, in contrast to the Blacksmith Guild, tailors didn't get jobs at the guild, so he sat in the corner of a street, and set to work.
In Somreun Liberty City people in the streets disappear for days, leading a conversation or sunbathing, or doing anything else, so nobody paid attention to him. He cut a few pieces of fabric, then sewed them, and made his first clothes.
Your tailoring level has reached Beginner 2.
You can now you can use a soft cloth to sew clothes.
Amazing! With his high Art level, and intermediate level handicraft skill he immediately reached level 2.
He sewed a few fabrics he bought from the guild, and his skill level increased again. Weed did not suffer from stitching together pieces of fabric: the work was so familiar that he often didn't even bother to look at what he was doing. In real life Lee often sewed buttons for his family or put patches on clothing.
Snip, snip!
Snip, snip!
Cut the fabric, and sew the buttons!
Weed hands moved smoothly and gracefully over fluttered of cloths, as though his hands were a musician playing his instrument!
"Oh, great!"
"Look at his hands."
"Excellent!"
More and more people started to pay attention to Weed as he pulled one fabric after another. Indeed, many players wandered the streets and just watched others, and think how easy it was! The people who were standing near Weed, had eyes filled with admiration, because he was very fast hands worked, and with just a few stitches he turned the fabric into clothes. But there were others who doubted.
"And this is something you can wear?"
"I don't know, maybe you can. I think they're clothes …"
"If they're clothes then they suck. Look. No embroidery. It's plain and simple really."
Weed vaguely heard the whispers of players but did not pay any attention to them. How can they expect something outstanding from a level 2 tailor? Although it was impossible to say that the clothes were bad.
After a while, sitting in the street under the eyes of many onlookers, Weed raised his tailoring skills up to beginner 4. Now, that the bag was stuffed to the brim with weapons and clothing, Weed decided to take a risk.
"Slowly…"
From the bottom of his backpack, Weed pulled out the gifts that he received from saving the people of Mora.
Premium Deer Leather: Durability 5/5.
Items associated with craft skills.
Can be made into leather clothing or other equipment.
Depending on the skill level, the effects obtained can be strengthened or changed.
Requirements: Tailoring level 2.
Weed probably shouldn't have used the materials until he reached the intermediate level. But Weed had firmly decided something. 'Time was money'. It was important to quickly level up his skill, and if he had to use good materials, then so be it.
Snip, snip!
Weed very slowly and carefully sewed clothes.
Monk Tunic:
Durability: 40/40.
Defense: 13.
Men's tunic made out of deer skin. Covers the body excellently and emphasizes the figure. Suited for a monk.Requirements: Level 15.
Effects: Gives a 2% boost in agility
Your tailoring skill has greatly improved.
Your Tailoring skill has reach beginner level 5.
Through skillful work, seams will not break and the strength of garments is increased.
To sew the tunic, Weed spent four pieces of leather.
"Just look … It looks good …"
"Yeah. It is made out of excellent material and it looks comfortable to wear"
Spectators were amazed that in less than a couple of hours, an unknown player was able to make such good clothes.
"Are sewing skills really that easy to master?"
"I don't know. My friend initially chose to be a tailor, but even after a whole day of work, he gets only defective clothes, so he deleted his character…"
"Being a tailor is not easy. I also know many people who choose it, and shed many tears."
"How can this guy learn so quickly and sew such good clothes"
Weed was still sitting as he ignores the people who are talking. He took out a few more pieces of deer leather, and began to sew gloves and boots. After the quest, he received 200 pieces of deer skin, so he was not short on supplies.
Slowly working, Weed raised tailoring skill to beginner 9.
In theory, by using a special material, it would not take a long time to get to the intermediate level of a profession. This was because there was a restriction.
The creators of the game decided that overtime, high level players would start to learn trade skills. Because they would have access to better materials they would have a great advantage over players that started off with craft skills. Therefore, there was a time limit implemented on crafted items, after which the player would no longer receive experience.
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