After sorting out the loot, Wesley looked around the room. He had avoided searching for hidden items revealed by his God-eye monocle before, to not raise suspicion. Now, he could explore freely.
His monocle indicated three green glowing spots in the room, one of which was the dress that initially aroused his suspicions about his treacherous hosts. He made a mental note to retrieve it later, perhaps for potential sale. With coins present, a nearby shop likely existed. Additionally, with ample storage space thanks to his extra bag, he needn't worry about accumulating too many items.
Approaching the nearest green marker, he discovered a work table. The marker directed him to a drawer within, filled with disorganized papers. Among them, one paper emitted a green glow—undoubtedly overlooked by Ogre and Mouse amidst the clutter. Retrieving the glowing paper, he discovered it contained a valuable recipe:
Whetstone Recipe (Blacksmith recipe)
Create Whetstone, a consumable increasing a weapon's physical damage by 10% for 6 hours
Ingredients: 1 Iron ore
Excited by the discovery of such a useful recipe, he promptly learned it, albeit lamenting his lack of knowledge regarding the location of iron ore.
Moving to the second green marker, he uncovered a heap of spare part junks.
Guided by the monocle, he found a small toolbox at the heap's base. Inside, he discovered five items: a hammer, a small rectangular steel plate, and three lumps of rock. Scanning them with his God-eye monocle revealed their identities:
The apprentice hammer is a widely used tool in the field of blacksmithing. It is often paired with a mobile anvil, which enables the blacksmithing process to be carried out without the need for a forge. Similarly, the apprentice mobile anvil can be used in conjunction with a hammer to achieve the same result. However, it should be noted that this method may result in a decrease in success rate by approximately 10%.
One of the primary materials used in blacksmithing is iron ore. While its location may be a cause for concern, this worry can often be alleviated when three lumps of iron ore materialize right before one's eyes. The relief felt upon discovering these lumps can lead to happiness and contentment as they are stashed away for later use.
In addition to securing the iron ore, it is important to keep track of other valuable items such as the Ranger's dress. This item should also be stored away safely so that it can be retrieved when needed. By being vigilant about storage and organization, one can ensure that all necessary materials are readily available for future blacksmithing projects.
He opened the Blacksmithing interface on the workbench, he pondered the use of the mobile Blacksmith tool, eventually opting for the workbench because of its higher success rate.
Curiosity sparked as a notification chimed, signaling the detection of blacksmith materials and the unlocking of the upgrade function.
The Requirements for "Blade of Haste" was revealed;1 Iron ore and 10 copper coins, with a 100% success rate.
Despite the hefty material cost, he resolved to proceed, acknowledging the uncertainty regarding alternative uses for the materials and coins.
Upon agreement, a tutorial video demonstrated the upgrade process. With careful adherence to the instructions, he completed the process, observing the transformation of materials and coins into a blinding glow.
"Congratulations! Upgrading is successful. Weapon level increased by one."
Examining the enhanced sword, he marveled at its newfound power.
Blade of Haste, level 6/15 (uncommon one-handed weapon)
Physical damage: 42
Attack speed: 2
Increase movement speed by 10%
Durability: 40/40
Requirement: Level 5
"Bloody hell! Just a two-point damage increase for such expensive spending," Wesley cursed out. But he noticed the durability was fully recovered due to the upgrade, so it wasn't a total loss. He now understood the other number besides the weapon level. 6/15. The 6 was the weapon level, he conjectured the 15 should be the maximum level this weapon could be upgraded.
He pondered for a while before deciding to have another experiment. This time he placed his chest armor onto the workbench. It was his second-best equipment, even though it was just standard common equipment. Its durability was almost spent as it was his armor from the start, and it had suffered quite a number of hits since then. Its durability had fallen to 9 at this moment, and he had no other chest armor to replace it with if it expired.
Another instruction appeared on the interface. It also required 1 iron ore, but only needed 5 copper coins for this upgrade. He thought that it was probably due to it being just a common grade. The success rate was still 100%. He then proceeded to work on the upgrade process like before. When it was done, he viewed the stats.
Leather armor, level 2/10 (common medium armor)
Physical Defense: 6
Magical Defense: 4
Durability: 30/30
The increase was just a small 1, but it's better than nothing. If number 10 was next to the armor level, then it should be correct. Each piece of equipment could be upgraded 10 times from their starting level.
Wesley glanced at his last iron ore. He chose to use it to craft a whetstone using the recipe.
The process was similar to upgrading weapons; he only needed to perform a few simple hammerings in specific sequences and timings. However, instead of hammering on the weapon, he hammered on the iron ore. It also required another 5 of his copper coins.
This blacksmithing job appeared to be more costly compared to cooking; he never needed to spend any coins when cooking. But in return, the ingredients required for cooking were more than the materials needed for blacksmithing, so there were pros and cons to both.
Once he finished the process, the iron ore vanished, replaced by a small, long box-shaped metal. Its description stated it could increase weapon damage by 10% for a duration of 6 hours. He stored it for later use.
He then made a round around the workshop to check the locks, ensuring there were no more surprises for the night.
Returning to his room, he replaced the damaged bolster and pillow, then lay on the bed.
He looked at his radar once more to confirm there were no nearby threats, he allowed fatigue to overcome his body and closed his eyes.
He decided not to upgrade his armor anymore since its durability remained high due to fewer hits taken. Despite the increased level of Zombies and Skeleton Thugs, they rarely grazed him now. He had acquired two equipment drops from his grinding—a Leather Vest, a light chest armor, and Leather Pants. Equipping the Leather Pants, he stored the Vest for later use.
Upon reaching level 5 as a Magician, he obtained a new skill called Energy Bolts. This skill allowed him to generate three homing magic bolts, each dealing 80% magic damage, offering more versatility in combat compared to Mana Bullet.
After another day of relentless battles, he returned to Darwin's Workshop to contemplate his next move. He couldn't keep slaying monsters indefinitely; it was time to unravel the mystery surrounding this world.
Wesley sat, mulling over recent events, the Valhalla game's beta test being the starting point. He couldn't shake off the connection to the Tetrax Groups, even if not everyone there was affected.Suddenly a loud ringing started. Wesley and Iron winced in pain as they both covered their ears."What on earth is that?""Could be proximity to the epicenter," Iron speculated, his eyes reflecting curiosity."Yeah, maybe that's why not everyone was affected," Wesley nodded, considering the possibility.Determined to delve deeper, Wesley set his sights on returning to the Tetrax Groups once he hit level 10."I'll investigate further once I reach level 10," he announced, determination evident in his tone.With newfound resolve, Wesley threw himself into leveling up, achieving his goal after two more days of grinding."Now that I'm level 10, I've got a new skill," Wesley remarked, a sense of accomplishment in his voice."What is it?" Iron asked, genuinely interested."It's called Natural Body R
Wesley stood there blankly. What? That's it? Are you joking with me?Before he was about to protest for such vague reward, he heard a sound of notification."Congratulations, you have received the Blessing of Goddess. Permanently increase luck by 10."He immediately opened his status window. Yes, it was an Inherent Skill. It was there under his other inherent skill Immortal Soul. His luck was now 13 points including the bonus from his ring. That was a great boost from before. He figured with such high luck, the drop rate should not be too shabby now, right?Suddenly, he gasped having realized something."Are you a Goddess?" he blurted towards the lady in white."That I am," she answered calmly.Meeting a God or Goddess this early was unexpected. Other VR RPG games also had their own Gods and Goddesses. To encounter such a being usually required tremendous luck or enduring long, grueling quests because they were the highest tiered NPC in a game. Thus, meeting one here was extremely une
Wesley lightly tapped the fairy with his finger, attempting to smooth things over."Apologies if I've rubbed you the wrong way," he said. "The Goddess instructed you to aid me, right? Let's try to get along."She glanced at him before relenting, "Fine, let's move on. What's your plan, Mr. Tempest? If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I'm well-versed in this world's basics.""Understood," he nodded. "First things first, what's your name?""Lilly," she replied.He found the name peculiar but decided not to risk another outburst from the fairy."Alright, next question. What clues did the Goddess mention I'd receive soon?" he inquired."Don't fret, you'll discover them in due time," she replied cryptically."I thought you said you could answer any question," Wesley grumbled."I can, but I choose not to. You'll find out soon enough. Like the others," she added."Others? Are there more people here?" he asked, surprised."Of course. Haven't you encountered anyone yet?" she retorted.
"What the–" Surprised by the low damage, he swiftly followed with another slash, dealing 13 damage.'Crap, it's boosting its defense,' Wesley realized, seeing the Lizardman discard its shield. With its tough scales, it didn't need extra defense.As he exchanged blows, he worried he'd run out of Immortal's Might before finishing the Lizardman. Checking the timer, he saw less than five minutes left and panicked.Considering fleeing while still speedy from the boost, he debated. Staying meant certain death once the buff wore off. Too bad, he was close to defeating the boss. Before he could decide, a stern voice interrupted."You idiot! Forgetting your trump card?" scolded the sulky fairy, hovering nearby.Wesley recognized the voice, not bothering to turn. It was his Fairy companion, gifted by the Goddess. Surprised she could still communicate, he realized she meant his new weapon's skill, Overlimit. In the heat of battle, he'd forgotten it.Remembering, he activated the skill with a tho
Wesley launched towards the monsters and began killing anyone and anything that was going to stand in his way and it was something that he needed to make sure that he didn't let overwhelm him."So to find out what is going on here, I need to reach a particular level that would explain what is going on here and I know all this there is not real about it but I feel there is something that would show me what happened.” Wesley was killing the monsters and it didn't look like he was about to give in, “Talk about free points, I thought it would be harder than this but it looks like there is not going to be any other problem for me.” “You seem to be enjoying yourself, please I would like it if you don't forget about the mission at hand.” Lily reminded Wesley as he was going into another frenzy and it was going to be hard to talk to him. “There are players out there that seem to have reached level ten. And I am out here with a low level, I ran into some bad men and I don't pray for tha
“How in the world did this guy sense us? He doesn't look like he is anywhere above our level.” the man was stunned to see Wesley awake. They stepped back to get away but it was late for them to make a move and run away. “You don't get to leave, I don't know why you would want to pick out players to capture and you thought that I would be the best option for you.” Wesley took a stance and he was ready to kill them. “You might have been lucky to wake up and see us here but that won't make you any lucky with us. I will make sure that you don't move after I am done with you.” one of the men said with a smirk on his face, they were ready to capture Wesley. ‘They seem to be level 9 or level 10 fighters or they might be one of the players that had reached level 10.’ Wesley didn't know what he was going to do but it was not like he had enough time to stand around and watch them. “You think that there is going to be anything that would make us scared? You are nothing but a weakling an
Both players were filled with fear when they looked at Wesley, they knew it was a suicide mission and there was no way for them to survive it. “How on earth is he this strong? There should be no way in hell he should be this strong or even have any abilities like the one he just showcased.” They were looking at Wessley who was prepared to kill them. “I knew something was odd about him but I didn't know he was some kind of powerful being in this world. I will have to see to it that nothing else goes wrong.” The man was stepping back slowly, he was not trying to make it look like he wanted to run away but it was not even clear if he was going to be able to outrun Wesley or even get away. “You are trying to escape? How on earth do you think that you would be able to escape this place? You came here trying to make sure you took me and my friend captive so you could do all sorts of things to us but you were met with a surprise when you found out that I am not a normal fighter or pl
Wesley stood there as he summoned his status screen, he was trying to know if he was at a level that would serve him well enough to do certain things. “Woah, killing those men levelled me up to level 15. I don't know how I am going to face low-level monsters now and all I need is to make sure that I don't let anything get in my way.” Wesley had made a plan to find a way out of the game world if it was possible for him but he was not able to think of the best possible moves if he was going to find a way. Wesley was not even ready for him to think of something that would even prepare him to face warriors who were stronger than him. ‘I don't think that there was something that would even make me stop training, I don't know what lies in this world. I don't even know what it is that would make things easier for me to survive here.’ Wesley looked at his arsenal, he was not sure there was anything that would even make him feel happier at the moment. “It’s like this world gives me more w
"Here's the plan, you use your ember to place is all in an invisible demarcation. At least it can last for a whole day and that should do!" Strong chuckled. "I have a different plan. The ember is powerful, wave it and she'll be puffed into a little rat!" "No, it doesn't work that way, Lily," Wesley laughed. I'll just say we would get on the ship and watch her moves, she just might not have that instinct, seeing we're already headed for an even greater battle." Wesley added, pasting a nervous, light smile on his face. "Good thing to have each and everyone of you on my back. I hope you'll enjoy the ride and don't forget to come back for more. As you all know, we're headed for the tower of decision, some of you are headed there for business, some for bargain and some for... Battle. Eitherways we're all headed in the same direction, so let's stick together and we'll definitely see each other on the other side! See you on the other side!" Menon explained. They sat put on a shaky be
They arrived at the nearest harbour on the beach. Goffer, the witch at the Street of Confusion, had mentioned the name of the ship to be, Menon. They got to the harbour and continued to make their inquiries. "Hello. Please we're in search of a certain ship, it's named, Menon." "Oh Men? He just started on another voyage. You'll have to wait two days, that's how long it takes him to return from a voyage to the other side." "Okay then, any place to maybe sleep and freshen up here?" "Not at all. I thought you're trying to see a possibility to stay around so we don't miss the ship when it comes." "Oh, no one misses the ship. Except they want to miss it. When the ship returns, it makes a loud, deafening sound, so that everyone knows his back and those who would need to get on the ship would make themselves available. There's a hotel, just opposite us. You can stay there for the next two days." "Alright. Thanks a lot. We appreciate." As they entered the hotel room. It was very co
"Welcome." She said. "Just follow me. I'll show you the most intriguing sight in the entire world." "Alright, I'm following you. Intrigue me!" He chuckled. The mermaid had granted him the temporary ability to breathe under water as long as he was close to her. He lost the ability of he went farther. They swam on to the deepest depth of the ocean, until they arrived at what looked like a city under the water. "I've been here before. We just even left off this 'water city' when you met me." Wesley added. "Oh really? Then how come I never met or saw you?" "I don't know, it's a big city, so that's very much possible." "Here, this is my room." They had now arrived at a huge mansion. Wesley saw Merpeople swimming across and above, going about their needed duty. It all seemed like a different planet under the water. "I'll love for you to meet my parents." "Meet you're parents?" "I only came here to see the most intriguing sight on earth, nothing more." "I know. You could as well
As the continued on. They were suddenly expunged from the tunnel. They were now in the sea, and in the mist of the red fog. It smelt like human blood. "What is all that red stuff?" Wesley asked, turning to Lizot. She was excellent at history. "For the first time, I'm just blank, Wesley. But you can ask the ember and see, if any answers would be provided." "Why ask an ember when I'm right here for you?" They all turned to see the pixelated whale. "I'm the messenger whale, I help drowned players make it to where they can breathe. But from the way you folks look, you're not lost in anyways. Or am I wrong? Please let me know." He said fluffing his huge fins, he had a deep baritone voice that seemed to echoe through out the oceans. "Are the Merpeople aware of your presence?" "Who are the Merpeople?" Strong questioned. "They are the major inhabitants of the ocean. They are like you, they have your physical appearance, the only difference is they possess fish tails, fins and default a
"There's one thing, getting to the Tower of Decision and there's another, finding Lord Shadow. Well when you get there, you'll figure it out yourself!" "Alright! It seems you'll rather be a blind witch!" "No. No. No. Wait. When you get to the Beach of Riddles, there's a ship that speaks, it's name is Menon. It's the only ship that would be able to take you all over to the other side of the sea, that's where you find the tower. Can I go now?" "Sure". She walked off into the thin air, as if there was an open door in front of her. "You've heard the direction she gave. "What's the next step now?" Wesley asked looking in the direction of Lily and Lizot. "We start heading on as she stated." A notification popped on the screen.'Tempest, you have delayed at a particular spot. The time is ticking, the game is rolling, don't be left behind.' "Ouch! Didn't see that coming." Immediately he said this words, he began running in the direction needed, as stated by Goofer, the witch. Strong fol
The mini-boss had forgotten to mention to Wesley the fact that he would go through the Street of Confusion on his way to the Tower of Decision through the Beach of Riddles. They had slowly arrived at the Street called Confusion, without even knowing it. The fairies, Lily and Lizot were well aware of this, but were too engulfed in their conversation to realize how far gone they were on their path. They slowly came to a street with the sign post, 'Welcome To The Street Of Confusion', it was indeed confusion. They had been on the street, long before they saw a sign post indicative of where they were. The street was also actually longer than it seemed to be. Most players ended up here, being swirled away by one thing or the other. Wesley also noticed that it was hard to understand what the inhabitants of this street said when they spoke, because the words were all juggled up and confusing. The feminine voice they heard belonged to a witch who lived on that street. She was the only one w
Suddenly Wesley is suspended in the air. The two mini-bosses watch in astonished. Suddenly they disappeared into thin air as well as the cage he was put in. Wesley, amazed and confused at the same time with regards to what had just happened, however continued his journey on. He was now heading towards the tower of decision, he remembered everything he was told earlier by one of the mini-bosses he had met. He muttered to himself, "tower of decision? How am I supposed to get there now!" "She would guide you" he heard White's voice say from behind him. "Ouch! You sure scared the hell out of me! What the heck!" He exclaimed as he sat back on a golden pillar standing in front of him. He was now in the Golden City, an immensely beautiful city, just after the bridge of Despair. He had appeared here since he was victorious at the bridge. Few players make it past the bridge. "You're slowly coming to the end of the game. I must commend your strength and tenacity, there have been so many pla
"I don't know Son, please save me, don't let them have me, I saw them kill a young lady, right in front of me. I think she was a player or a relative to one of the players who couldn't meet up to their request." "Mother, I'm sorry you have to go through this. Please try to stay as calm as possible, I've got this. I'm gonna get you out of here. What was the request the player failed to fulfill?" "I can't remember!" She answered, amidst sobs. "That's the weirdest part of it all, I can't even remember what it was, if I could everything would have been a lot easier, I guess." "How did we get in here?" "I would explain that later Mom, please just put yourself together. This is not the end of the world. Now here's what we are going to do. I think I've figured this out. The game wants you to cry, so don't. Laugh instead. That would create an imbalance and thus we can escape. Are your hands tied?" "Yes they are." "With a rope? Or?" "I don't know what they call the material with
"Wow! Incredible!" "You deserve it. Your courage amazes me, even as a Lightan. Kudos." Wesley walked through the bridge with Lily behind him. They walked for a long distance, the bridge was getting despairingly long. Now they understand why it was named the Bridge of Despair. Wesley was getting weak. "Wesley! Come on, don't do that! Let's keep going. Don't despair! That's what the bridge wants, for you to despair." "The ember! It can boost my strength, I'm sure." Wesley highlighted as he reached into his bag pack for the ember, it wasn't there. He searched frantically for the ember, it was gone. And Lily was gone too. "No way!" "Yes way! You're our prey now. There's no going back. You're ours to feast on. We didn't kill you. Just something you should know in advance before you die." "Die? Do you really know me?" "We don't, we don't care to. We just want to party!" A host of weird looking creatures creeped out in their numbers from under the bridge. They crept out from all direct