“Look, that is Ethan, he is an NPC.”
“We know who that is. It is Jason’s student from the Wizard Tower.”
“Is he here to answer us?”
“Why are they sending an NPC? Is this a quest?”
“I don’t think we can trigger quests like this….”
Various voices and whispers came from the group of players as they saw Ethan appearing from the village gate.
“He is not coming here. He must be here to announce something.”
…
The players grew impatient as Ethan stood there in silence without making any sound. The village guards stood between the players and Ethan to prevent them from bothering Ethan.
“So… They still fear the guards. I guess they have some use.”
Xanders raised his brow in amusement.
“They aren’t very useful at the moment, not unless they reach the Master-level within the next year.”
Jason was too busy playing with Hanna to look at the situation outside the gate.
“Master-level? Do you want all the guards to reach the master level? Kid, we are talking about Aura users.”
Xanders looked at Jason who was playing with Hanna as if he heard it wrong.
‘What is that creature? Why can’t I gauge its strength? This thing is not normal.’
His eyes focused on the weird playing Hanna had found after Jason went missing for three days.
Since they desperately wanted Jason at the village, he asked the aliens to bring Jason back from their world. Only then did everyone realise Jason wasn’t in his world or Light Shone.
‘He must have teleported away to some other place. Or did he enter the Dark Forest?’
Xanders never heard of a humanoid magical creature with wings and razor-sharp teeth.
It looked like a Magical fairy, but that spell didn’t summon a creature that could stay in the real world permanently. Besides, they had no Life Wizard with them, and Charlie was still a Novice Wizard.
“Yes. I mean… It is okay for them to work as guards, but we are going to need Master-level guards.”
“By when?”
Jason’s answer left Xanders baffled.
“Hm… By next year maybe?”
“We can make them Aura users with your new techniques, but how are they going to train in combat to reach the level of a master? It is not just about aura, they need to be competent with their technique and experience.”
Xanders didn’t agree with Jason.
Most of their guards didn’t reach the standard of the Elites, which meant they mastered their respective combat styles. Without mastering their combat skills, just using aura didn’t make them a true master.
“Well… I might have a method, but it is a difficult goal.”
“Do you? What? Are you even talking to me?”
Xanders felt frustrated when he saw Jason wasn’t even looking in his direction.
“Oh… Ethan is about to cast his spell. Do you want to see, Hanna?”
“Magic…? Yey! Let’s go, Daddy.”
…
‘Was he even talking to me?’
Xanders felt dejected.
“Great Flood!”
A gigantic magic circle appeared in front of the protesting players.
A sudden wave of coldness leaked out of the circle for a moment before a torrent of water showed out from the circle.
“Arcane Shield!”
A giant blue shield appeared to cover the entire front area of the village to protect it from the raging flood. The people who were caught in the flood didn’t even have a moment to scream as the wave of water crashed them into the forest.
‘A full-fledged Wizard. This is the third in our village. We are not going to avoid the heat anymore.’
Xanders knew it would only be a matter of hours before the news would circulate the world. With the aliens’ ability to record and circulate events at an alarming speed, many would realise Ethan had become a proper wizard.
A third wizard meant they had the qualification to be a small kingdom. Along with the presence of Jason and Amelia in Light Shone, they had power comparable to Alexandria.
‘They must know what happened to those wizards who came after Jason, so they will come prepared.’
Even though none of the major forces leaked the information, everyone knew Jason got rid of an entire army before returning to Light Shone. With the third wizard coming to light after Lock and Merlin, the retaliation against them would only increase.
“You are getting better, Ethan.”
“Uhuh… Uncle Ethan is getting better… Eh… Was uncle sick before?”
Hanna’s confused words brought Xanders back to reality.
Jason looked unbothered by the entire thing as the water drained into the forest, leaving the muddy ground behind. A single spell took out nearly a thousand individuals in an instant, and this wasn’t even the full extent of that spell.
‘Hm… Ethan is still nowhere near as fast as Jason, but they are way faster than any average wizard.’
Xanders wondered why Jason trained his students like this.
The wizards enjoyed royal status in this world, and they had no reason to train into war machines like this.
“Let’s go, Mr Xanders, we have to finish up for the day.”
Yes. Let’s go, Rude Grandpa.”
“How am I the rude one?”
Xanders shook his in dejection.
Hanna had a way with her nicknames for everyone, and no one could scold the innocent girl, anyway.
He wondered if she wasn’t happy with him because of how he reacted when she saw him for the first time, or if she just memorised it as his name.
…
“We are sending all the exclusive members to hunt down every bandit and every thief in the surroundings. No matter where they are, they should get rid of them.”
Jason finalised his decision.
“But most of them are….”
“They are not used to killing, right?”
He looked at Scott, who was hesitant to voice out the concerns.
“Jason… What about the NPC… I mean… Natives.”
“They are going too.”
The exclusive players of the Crystal Pulse went through bloody combat training, but the Crystal Pulse also had the natives of Yuriel. These people would die for real if they failed in the combat.
“But….”
“There are no buts… They will learn what it means to fight for real.”
Jason rarely used his authority like this, but he knew they had very little time left.
“Assign experienced fighters to each team. Send out the Grandmasters to scout and assist if necessary. Also, let the players know if they fail, the natives in their teams will pay with their lives in the battle.”
“Isn’t it too extreme, Jason?”
“Not at all, Ms Amanda. They will learn to kill or fail. No matter to what extent they train, they will never become warriors until they learn to kill.”
“You want to make them your army.”
Xanders wasn’t the only one who grasped the meaning of Jason’s words, but no one else was forward enough to utter those words.
“Yes. I need an army before the war.”
Jason didn’t deny their words.
“But why… Jason? This is what I truly don’t understand. I mean… You and Ethan can take over hundreds of smaller units, why do you need an army?”
Bruce was the only one who had such a question even after witnessing Ethan’s actions earlier.
“Isn’t it obvious? That is the exact reason. We are too destructive, Bruce. A war between armies might kill hundreds of thousands of people, but a war between wizards might kill millions.”
Jason shook his head.
“Unless a wizard is so confident in killing the other without dragging things out, a war between wizards will bring chaos beyond imagination.”
Jason thought of his physical capabilities in simulations, and he knew it would be inevitable.
There would be a moment where he would have to step in, and he wasn’t afraid. However, he needed to keep things to himself at the moment.
“Jason… Are you going to participate in the interview?”“Just get it ready. I will be there.”Jason shrugged as he walked away from Bruce. He wondered why they needed another interview about the influence of gaming from him. After all, he knew his status as a popular gamer in The Endless. Sky News basically worked for him regarding The Endless, and this interview looked quite the opposite of supporting his cause. However, Jason found it to be intriguing, and he wondered what he should speak about.‘Maybe about the recent events? Or maybe a hint about the truth? Whatever, I will just answer accordingly.’He had yet to return to Earth since he came back from the simulation, but Jason felt more at home in Light Shone. ‘Was it because I lived a long time in Yuriel in my past life, or is it because of what I have here?’He entered the house in thought.“Daddy!”“Hey!”A smile naturally came to his face when he heard Hanna’s cheerful call.“Wash up. I am almost done with Dinner.”“Alrigh
“Good Afternoon, everyone. We are back with another episode of the most famous VR game of the century, The Endless. And today we have someone infamous. A man known for his charisma and leadership in The Endless with his daring and epic adventures. Please welcome Jason Hope; exclusively on Sky News.”Chris started with his charm and smile as the stage lit up, focusing on Jason Hope.“Jason, it is a pleasure to meet you again. So we are here for a round of question and answer with you about The Endless. As for our live audience, you can present your questions through our social media channels and SMS or even through a direct call. As for social media, we will go for the questions with the highest ratings first. So grab your phones to connect live with your favourite celebrity.”His enthusiastic words met with a simple nod from Jason, and Chris felt it was appropriate. To their viewers and those who played The Endless, Jason Hope was a man who was as tall as a mountain.“So… Jason. Than
- Hahaha, he did it again! I wonder how many people Jason traumatised this time. I am sure those conspiracy theorists are fuming right now. - The complete guide to Mana Breathing is online. This guide is even better than what most NPCs could teach you. Go and learn. - The Mana Breathing technique that cost a thousand player lives. Is it worth it? Definitely! A moment of silence for their brave sacrifice. - Mana Breathing is open to everyone! What do the developers have to say? Are they going to ignore Jason Hope simply changing the dynamics of The Endless as he pleased?- Huge advantage for newcomers to The Endless. The number of VR cabin sales tripled within the last 24 hours. - Will the old players fall into a competitive disadvantage? Yes or No? Detailed analysis.- More Mega Guilds entering The Endless - New recruitments and mass purchases of VR cabins. - Is there a way to hack the VR cabins to switch accounts? Several black market deals on VR cabins are scams. DO NOT SELL YOU
“They are testing the waters.”Xanders looked at the hurried message with complicated feelings. “Shouldn’t we take some action, Master Xanders?”Dane had a headache thinking about the situation they had at their hands. Jason just stirred up a storm on Earth, and he felt as if he was looking at an endless stream of dark clouds charging in their direction on Yuriel. ‘We all knew a war was coming, but what exactly is this?’There were cases like putting bounties on criminals in real life, but this was an entirely different situation.They would put a bounty on criminals or enemies in hiding, not on a person who was in plain sight. He felt this was similar to someone putting a bounty on the leader of a country. The others were still busy with other matters, and he hurried here the moment he heard the news. A player had recorded the video of the news coming to another faction, and Xanders confirmed the moment he logged into the game. “Do you think this is even an effective plan?”“Huh
“All these targets, they are going after those who are away from the Brodice Kingdom. He is out for blood. Your Majesty, I wonder if he is not afraid of them.”The king’s council of Alexandria looked tenser than ever. They already had the problem with the army of the Brodice Kingdom pressuring them on the borders, and there were heavy military operations from the Crystal Pulse. Although they hadn’t started the attacks on the bandits and outlaws, it was obvious it was a matter of time before they started the massacre. Although the Crystal Pulse wasn’t their direct enemy, Alexandria was under constant pressure to have another powerful party with whom to share their borders. This was especially stressful for them when there were no clear borders between Light Shone and Forestedge. The Crystal Pulse currently operated surrounding the Forestedge, and it was overstepping the boundaries of Alexandria. The strategy of securing a safe trade route was good, but the nobles across Alexandria s
“Is it online?”“Yes, Chief.”“How is the reaction?”“I think it looks very violent, Chief. There is an outburst of responses.”“Good.”Despite his words, Magnus’s face showed no hint of comfort. “And Jason?”“He will stay on Yuriel for the time being, Chief. Amelia said she is keeping him there indefinitely. As long as this problem isn’t solved.”“Do you think she knows something?”Magnus rubbed his temple. Technically, there was no way for Jason to know the gaming cabin could transport him to another world. Even if an NPC told him so, it would be impossible to believe. ‘It isn’t like he could handle that kind of secret with such grace.’He believed it would be too much for even a man like Jason Hope. However, Amelia’s behaviour made him suspicious of her knowledge about their world. She knew how to arrange security and cover blindspots against modern weapons. This shouldn’t have happened if Amelia was from a magical world. Besides, her plan looked almost flawless, and even Magn
“Jason! We need to see Jason!”“What is going on?”Amelia came out of the house as she heard the loud voice. No one dared to shout in front of their home, and she wondered why Jason’s loyal guards didn’t act. “Madam…!”“Grandmaster Amelia! We… We need help. He can’t log out, and we don't know what to do.”“Hm?”Amelia frowned as he looked at the people from Jason’s world. She knew these were the selected people of the Crystal Pulse. Even though Samson and the other guards prevented this group of people from entering the house, they also looked worried. She looked at the man they brought in, and her eyes widened for a moment. There was a purplish wound on the man’s arm, and a dark purple smoke came out of it. He was groaning in pain and it looked as if the man was going senile with pain. He was twitching and rolling on the ground as the others held him. More people were gathering near their house, and she knew many wanted to know what happened to the fallen man. “Mommy… That unc
“You… You are Jason.”“I am.”Jason smiled at the man as he finally opened his eyes. He felt relieved to slip away from Amelia’s fiery gaze. “My… My arm….”The player panicked as he hurriedly inspected his arm. “The wound….”“It is gone now. Honestly, it wasn’t a wound. It was an infection.”Jason shrugged.“What exactly happened? I don’t think you were in Spider Mine.”The lower level of the Spider Mine was a forbidden place. Even if it weren’t, very few would dare to wander into the swarm of spiders. “No, Jason. I was working in the Northern Mine. We had a small quack at the lowest level, and a new crack popped up in the floor.”“And you were the closest to it?”“Yes.”“How big is this crack, did anyone else come into contact with it?”Jason didn’t want to drag out the discussion.This wasn’t exactly unexpected, but an open crack meant there was a hidden space underneath the mine that was contaminated by radiation. He needed to find out how big the hidden space was. ‘I really h