Chapter 15: Falling into the darkness of humanity (IV)
Zero had collected enough flint to last him for a while. His hands were heavily covered in mud after digging out many different sizes of flint. Wiping off his hands on his pants, he continually hauled flint stones into his storage bag and brought it to the storage facility.
Clump. He dropped the large bag on the desk in front of the storage owner.
"This as well?" Her eyes became large like they were about to fall out.
It was to the point where the storage owner was shocked to see her storage unit used as a personal collection specifically for rocks.
Zero nodded.
"Thank you for using our storage facility. Sir would you like to add any other items as well?"
"No. Just this for now." Zero shook his head.
"Okay than. Thank you for using our storage. Please consider to use our storage more often for more valuable items."
"I am. Thanks." Zero smiled and went out to go collect some more, but first he needed to sharpen some flint knives that he had been procrastinating on.
Finding a clear space, Zero pulled out from his bag his tools and the flint rocks. He laid it out. Neatly stacking them from largest to smallest, he sat down comfortably on the ground. Picking them up one by one, he inspected them closely. He needed the right ones that would fit perfectly in his small hands and to keep it hidden underneath his clothes.
His work was just beginning. A loud continuous banging sound could be heard as Zero chipped away at the flints with a hammer and a chisel or bashed it against another rock. A couple of time he almost set the surrounding place on fire from the loose sparks that flew everywhere.
He was luckily enough near some water to quickly run back and forth and stop it before it caught on fire. It had taken him an hour to get the right size, shape, and sharpness.
He sighed. He wondered when his preparations would be completed.
It took a while for him to make enough gold from hunting and selling to buy himself a small, black katana. He sold rabbit's feet, snake venom fangs, mice's hearts, and other loot to buy it. Every day, he would go visit the weapon shop fantasizing about holding the black sword that was on the wall. It was a decent, cheap sword that had a very intricate, small, black dragon design on its tsuba (guard). Not only that, there were two small hidden blades in between the tsuba, one in the end of the kashira (buttcap) and one in the bottom of the kojiri (scabbard tip). In addition, hanging off the saya (scabbard) were a couple of blow darts, as well as a dart gun. The moment he bought it, he renamed her Kamori and took a couple of practice swings.
Swoosh.
The sword glistened in the lamp light, making its edge appear sharper.
Swoosh. Swooooosh.
Each swing of the blade made a satisfying whistling sound as it cut through the air. He practiced a couple of katas (forms) and styles he knew. People could not take their eyes off the mesmerizing dance of forms. It was like a dance between lovers, truly an extraordinary sword dance of a master. While swinging and singing a tune joyfully, the sword's black blade glistened in the light. He was graceful like a crane, fast like a viper, but elegant like a swan.
Not skimping out on the sword maintenance, a whetstone was the next thing he bought. Every day he made sure to keep his katana clean and in top condition. Not a single fingerprint could be found on its blade. He knew that leaving a fingerprint on the blade could rust Kamori and decrease its effectiveness in cutting through solid objects.
Zero also bought one small magical wrist accessory that could store up to five items. It was not a popular item, but he thought differently. He put in three chunks of flint that could be used three times and left the rest empty in case he ran out of space in his bag.
As days went by, his clothes became more worn and torn. Not that he cared in the slightest; he made sure to use them till they were but rags. His first set of clothes looked like someone shredded it through a blender from all the rolls and monster fights that he had gone through. Finally, he had to throw them away since they couldn't hold up any longer. Even basic stitching couldn't keep them together. With this in mind, he made sure to buy a couple more sets of the same basic clothing. Zero had to wash his clothes often when worn, rotating between his other sets of clothes. Being naked was not on his priority list after the incident at the pet shop.
Constant maintenance was needed. If he stank too horribly, he would either attract higher-level monsters or scare off the lower-level prey. Not only did the clothes decrease in durability over time, even rare items would break apart if they were not well maintained. There were also activities like showering, relieving oneself, cleaning, cooking, and many more in the game of Growth.
This game is too realistic, Zero complained as he spread out his recently washed last set of clothes. The majority of the time, he would turn the status and menu bars off to enjoy the game's full immersion. Often in the game, he confused reality with the game world.
He could tell whenever he was getting closer to death through fatigue, pain, and lack of endurance. Growth made sure that every player's pain setting was set to default and was cut in half from real-life pain. The pain setting could not be lowered any further. The purpose was to give players a full-game immersion and make them not take advantage of death repeatedly.
While searching through the forums, Zero found out that when players died they lost a level, dropped a random item, and lost 1% of their money. To him he thought it was detrimental to lose that one percent. Storing things in the storage unit was also very important. When players experienced death in the game, they would go into a ghost perspective mode throughout the whole day in real-life time or choose to move around in the spirit dimension as a ghost. People rarely choose to walk around in a spirit form in death because the losses tripled in levels, items, and money.
Zero pulled out a beginner's manual he bought from the item store while he was waiting for his clothes to dry. He actually enjoyed reading, especially on a warm and sunny day like this. Sitting underneath the tree, he got comfortable and began reading the long overdue beginner guide. Turning page after page, he skipped over things he already knew and instead went to where he had left off.
Volume 2 of Beginner's Guide to Growth
Welcome future explorers of Noriene
Ch. 1 Noriene Spirit World vs. the Physical World
Upon the death of a player they will lose one level, an item, and 1% of their gold. Other players and monsters can gather up items and money from the dead players.
The world of Noriene is split into two dimensions: the first is in the physical world of the living, and the second is in the spiritual world where the spirits of the dead reside. There have been instances where the dead cross the boundary over to the living world to create mischief and havoc or just to stand by their loved ones. There is an urban legend that the universe has more than two dimensions.
Ch. 2 Player Resurrection
Upon the death of the character, their soul shall transcend into the spiritual world to walk upon the planes of the dead for twenty-four hours in real time. One may choose to be a spectator or walk among the dead.
To respawn, one must walk towards the Holy Church of Infinity or a sacred space blessed by a Disciple of Infinity. When choosing spectator mode, the character will automatically walk or teleport to the nearest Holy Church of Infinity or a sacred space and wait until the twenty-four hour time is up. If one chooses to walk among the dead there is a twenty-four hour waiting period before being allowed to be revived. When the time is up the player has the choice to stay longer in the spiritual plane or return to a church or a holy space to be revived.
No demonic entity is allowed inside the church or sacred space. There are exceptions called the Infinity's sacred blessing, where a dark being can choose to walk in the path of the Infinity. This blessing can only be found in death. Certain steps need to be taken to receive the blessing and certain codes cannot be broken depending on the species.
If Infamy is too high upon death, certain steps must be taken in the spirit world or the player will not be allowed to be resurrected. They will not be allowed to enter the Church of Infinity or the sacred space.
If a dark being does not wish to take the path of the Infinity, they must go through the steps of their gods to be resurrected. A toll must be paid depending on the gods.
Ch. 3 Noriene's Yggdrasil tree
The barrier that holds the dimension between the living and the dead is said to be called the Yggdrasil tree of life. There are rumors stating that it might be an actual tree that divides the world into the living and the dead, but no such tree has been seen or found. No other information is known.
"Church of Infinity…" Zero stopped on the page. He had heard about this influential group in the game.
It was the main religion that the people worshipped. There were other gods, but this was the number one group that existed. There were even special classes dedicated to this religion; the Disciple of Infinity.
Disciples of Infinity were always in high demand when traveling far distances. They were also considered unique job classes, but being a Disciple of Infinity was not an easy route that many people could take. The work and time commitment were akin to those of a nun in real life. The thing about it is that when high level players go do missions or go into possible dungeons, they are too far away from the cities. In order to avoid travelling back, a Disciple of Infinity was necessary.
Ch. 4 Church of Infinity
The Church of Infinity has been around for thousands of years and is the number one religion in Noriene. There are fewer true Disciples of the Infinity than priests and priestess that follow the ways of the Church of Infinity. In order to walk the path of the Disciples of Infinity many things must be given up.
Player vs. Player battles will not be allowed until level 50 when the protection of the Infinity is dispelled. The aim is to help protect the players that are new so they may enjoy the full immersion of the game.
Zero skimmed through the book a bit more before closing it.
"Status Menu."
Name: Zero
Title: The neighborhood child finder
Race: Hybrid Human unknown
(Human Form)
Level: 67
Main Job: None
Secondary Job: None
Health points: 4750
Mana Points: 2500
Attack: 222 (+50)
Defense: 117
Agility: 320
Endurance: 250
Luck: 40 (+10)
Leadership: 0
Magical Attack: 200
Magical Defense: 150
Wisdom: 200
Intelligence: 150
Dexterity: 350
Fame: 500 (+15)
Skills:
For All:
+ Transform beginner level 3 (70%)
+ Camouflage beginner level 5 (0%)
+ Skilled hand mastery beginner level 5 (0%)
+ Kicking Mastery beginner level 3 (88%)
+ Keen Hearing beginner level 3 (77%)
+ Stink Bomb beginner level 7 (50%)
+ Exploding Breath beginner level 5 (20%)
Human Form Specialties:
+ Ninjitsu Training for Mastery
+ Five Elements of Hiding: Fire, Water, Earth, Wood, and Void (Auto)
+ Weapon Mastery beginner level 2 (7%)
+ Pressure points beginner level 5 (77%)
+ Herbology
Hybrid form Specialties:
+ All the abilities of the Human and Origin Form can be used.
Origin Form Specialties:
+ Stink Bomb beginner level 7 (50%)
+ Exploding Breath beginner level 5 (20%)
+ Keen Nose beginner level 3 (50%)
+ Crush beginner level 3 (20%)
Info: A hybrid human that is born from an Egg. No data of the species is known. A small bounty is placed on your head. The bounty will not be active for a week in game time.
"Not bad," he said to himself as he looked through his menu. Last week, he had reapplied for Ninjitsu training near his neighborhood in one of the Danketsu Ryu Dojo sister branches that were scattered around the world. He didn't mind going over the basics and perfecting them throughout the month. He had stopped training heavily in the martial arts during the past three years due to personal reasons, and as a result, his form had gotten a bit rusty. His sister suggested that he go back to studying martial arts, stating that a lazy body would do more harm than good in the long run. She specifically mentioned that keeping a healthy body was a requirement for her business teachings. He thought she just included that to be a pain in the butt.
Throughout the past week, he went to class three hours every other day, in order to relearn everything. On the first day of class, he took his Alive gear with him and learned "Ninjitsu Training for Mastery" skill. It opened up a new branch of skills that allowed him to learn "Five Elements of Hiding: Fire, Water, Earth, Wood, and Void," "Weapon Mastery," "Pressure points," and Herbology specific only to his Human form. The skill "kicking mastery" was also learned but it applied to all forms. He was satisfied with the outcome of the skills he acquired.
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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