Free Web NovelChapter 18: The real world?
A few minutes of waiting later, the professor finally arrived in the classroom. He briefly introduced a few things before beginning the lesson—the main content being guidance on gameplay and an overview of The Rise of King Arthur in Apocalypse.
He even taught some small tricks and basic mechanics in the game. Vyral couldn’t deny that this knowledge was quite useful, especially for a scavenger like him.
’’Last advice: please treat NPCs like real humans,’’ the professor said seriously.
Vyral rubbed his chin thoughtfully.
’’How kind-hearted.’’
Meanwhile, Doran smirked.
’’I bet you don’t know why.’’
Vyral shook his head.
Doran leaned back, crossing his arms. A hint of seriousness appeared in his eyes as he explained.
’’Because they are real humans. Treating them well means we’ll get quests from them. Maybe even their hearts. A lot of players have married NPCs and had enough children to form a small football team.’’
Vyral squinted. He was about to say, "you must be kidding me," yet after thinking about what had happened to him and Arthea, he couldn’t deny it somehow.
The NPCs acted as if they had a past behind them. They had their own goals in life, not just digital characters existing to support the game’s plot.
’’I didn’t expect corporations to take it to this extent,’’ Vyral muttered in admiration.
Doran rolled his eyes.
’’We’re not gods capable of doing something like that. If we were, we’d have already made Earth a better place.’’
He added in a sour voice.
’’The Earth is dying. At this rate, it’ll stop spinning in around fifteen to twenty years, maybe even sooner.’’
Vyral wasn’t surprised by it. Polly had also predicted the Earth’s condition after fifty years of living. There was no sign that the Earth was getting better – quite the opposite, in fact. It seemed the corporations had tried to save the planet, yet all they could do was calculate how much lifespan the Earth had left.
Vyral frowned and thought carefully, assessing each of Doran’s earlier words.
’You mean... the game is a real world? If you guys can’t create them, then there’s only one possibility left: they were already in there.’’
Doran raised an eyebrow, dumbfounded by Vyral’s conclusion. It was as if he had never considered that possibility. All the information he had came from his father. Maybe his father didn’t think his son was smart enough to piece the clues together, so he had only spoken vaguely about it. freeweɓnovel.cøm
’’Really?’’
He tilted his head.
’’It makes sense. Maybe I should ask my father.’’
Vyral nodded. His head was currently filled with theories, but a few clues weren’t enough to prove anything. Moreover, it wasn’t something he needed to care about right now.
Ting!
The bell signaling the end of the lesson rang out.
The professor nodded before addressing the students.
’’My students, in a few days, we will begin practical combat training in the game at Twilight Academy, a place that gathers young players from all cities capable of clearing Hell Mode dungeons, along with talented NPCs. It will be the perfect place for our growth – and for competition.’’
He added with an unreadable smile.
’’But before that, you all need to pass the academy selection test. I’m not worried. After all, you’re the promising seeds of this world. Just treat it as a warm-up.’’
’’See you again at the tavern in Room 23. It’s located in Green Leaf, the academy’s recreation district. I’ve got it covered. ’’
Then, Vyral returned to his room, taking care of a few minor things before getting into the VR gaming pod. A refreshing sensation ran through his body as the pod sent signals to his nervous system.
It was far more comfortable than his old gaming helmet.
As soon as he opened his eyes, a lush, verdant forest stretched before him. He knelt down and reached out a hand, taking in as much of the clean, oxygen-rich air as he could.
It was completely different from the polluted air of the real world, where even a single breath could leave his throat dry and aching.
He wanted to live here forever.
Actually, he could stay here as long as his VR gaming pod had enough energy to keep running. Besides, the food in this world could completely sustain him without any problem.
’’Perfect... But if I fail the academy entrance exam, I suppose I’ll be kicked out of Dawnreach City.’’
Maybe he would end up returning to the slums again.
Vyral lay down on the fresh, damp grass and sighed.
’’First, let’s just enjoy this moment.’’
Ting!
[Congratulations! You’ve conquered the opening dungeon on Hell Mode.]
...
...
[Welcome to the World of Ashenvale, Otherworlder.]
[Please accept your first reward.]
Just like that, a stone orb materialized in midair, floating in front of Vyral.
[Dungeon Core]
Rank: None
Potential: Red
Quality: High
Description: A nascent core that maintains a dungeon, empowering its monsters and generating treasures, etc. It possesses the potential to become a Red-rank dungeon, yet it was conquered before it could fully bloom.
Vyral licked his lips as he stared at the glowing text before him. The benefits of a nascent dungeon core with Red potential would help strengthen the foundation of his mana vein system.
Based on what he had heard from Doran, the children of the corporations had access to something nearly as good as this through their backgrounds whenever a Hell Mode dungeon didn’t choose them.
A good start was vital. Luckily, he was one of the rare few to possess something like this.
’’Let’s start.’’
His body began absorbing the energy from the Dungeon Core.
He could feel a fresh, tingling sensation coursing through each of his cells, spreading throughout his body.
[Mana core is forming...]
The mana within each of his cells began to resonate, linking into pulses of energy that flowed toward Vyral’s heart. ƒrēewebnoѵёl.cσm
"I’m high."
Vyral instinctively smirked as the pulses of energy circulated in a steady loop through his heart. Finally, after a few minutes, a bright point formed in his left chest, relentlessly releasing a stream of mana throughout his entire body.
[Mana core has formed.]
[Congratulations!... You have officially become a Player, a citizen of Ashenvale.]
Ting!
—
+20 Strength
+20 Intelligence
+20 Wisdom
+20 Dexterity
+20 Constitution
+ 0 Charisma
—
But it wasn’t over yet.
[Congratulations! Apostle, you’ve completed the mission offered by the Chaotic Deity.]
[You have received a new Evolution Path: Swordmaster.]
