《Reincarnation of the Gun Swap Goddess》


 Prologue - Slyker Dynasty Falls

    Blood flowed from the zenith of Mt. Furi. A pile of corpses was stacked almost as high as the mountain itself. And at the top of it was...


    "Haah... haah..."


    If seen in any other situation, one would probably identify the being atop the mountain as a beautiful dancer. This interpretation was not entirely incorrect - it was a dance of death.


    *Bang bang bang bang* . . .


    At tens, hundreds, no... almost thousands of times per second, the sounds of gunshots dissipated into the open sky as the woman spun around firing a myriad of weapons. Every gunshot was an explosion, and with every round, multiple corpses joined the ever-growing pile. Despite her best efforts, the pursuers never faltered. The number of people after her was endless.


    However...


    "I..."


    *Bang bang bang* . . .


    "WILL..."


    *Bang bang bang* . . .


    "NEVER..."


    *Bang bang bang* . . .


    "FALL."


    As soon as she spoke these words, a giant explosion emanated from the peak of the mountain. It was as if the mountain was a dormant volcano that had erupted. This was her final move, one that would wipe out everything around her in an unprecedented radius. Nothing survived except for Mt. Furi itself. It was as if the corpses and blood from earlier were just an illusion. And of course, there was one other person. In the center of the blast radius, the woman stumbled and fell, her stamina drained.


    "Did... I finally get rid of everyone..."


    As she uttered these lines, she knew that she possibly raised a flag. So she gathered her willpower and remaining stamina to stand back up and search her surroundings.


    Mt. Furi was vast. Even the peak was a kilometron in diameter. However, despite its large size, there was not a single life form remaining. All that remained was the Gun Swap Goddess herself. She didn''t have any doubts about her ultimate ability, but she couldn''t help but feel uneasy. The freezing gale howled in the empty space at the peak of the mountain, adding to the unnerving atmosphere. Despite her best efforts, she couldn''t detect anybody nearby. However, she knew this was impossible. Because...


    *THWACK.*


    A dagger landed squarely in her back, and the woman toppled over in a manner unbefitting of her title.


    "Fae Sol... no. Gun Swap Goddess."


    A male voice came from behind her, and she was unable to detect the being approaching her. This meant it was a counter-class being, most likely an assassin-type, on par with herself. There weren''t many that could match this criterion, but she expected something like this to happen. Ironically, the countless people sent after her were merely throwaways. However, against the Gun Swap Goddess, this number was necessary in order to drain her stamina. And now, a real threat had arrived.


    "What... do you want?"


    Fae attempted to rise off the ground, but no matter how hard she tried, only her fingers twitched. It was a fast-acting poison that could even paralyze the Gun Swap Goddess herself, which meant that it was one of the highest-level assassins in existence using one of the highest-grade poisons. Unfortunately, this information was not enough to identify the killer.


    "Of course... I won''t give it to you... no matter how much you plead..."


    "The Slyker Dynasty must fall."


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    "...!"


    *What?*


    At this, Fae Sol... no, Jisha Slyker, felt fear for the first time in a while. Her eyes widened. Did she hear that correctly?


    "What... do you exactly mean by that?"


    "I meant what I said. The Slyker Dynasty must fall. You must be eliminated."


    "What...!"


    *THWACK!*


    Another dagger was implanted in her back, and with double the poison in her bloodstream, she became unable to speak. She wanted to yell, send a message to anybody about her situation, but the poison prevented her from doing so.


    Fae heard footsteps slowly approaching her from behind. Fortunately, the system prevented those with crude thoughts from performing vile actions, so she was not that afraid. After all, if she died, she would only be afflicted with a minor penalty. There were more important issues at hand.


    *Our dynasty will be eliminated? When this is over, I must tell Father...*


    Thoughts of who to contact swirled around her head, but one sentence cut them short.


    "The Emperor is dead."


    *...huh?*


    A sentence so strange that Fae couldn''t process what she just heard. Of course, her face remained expressionless due to paralysis.


    "... Ah... I forgot you''re paralyzed. It''s a shame I couldn''t see your face twist in despair."


    *...what? Father is dead?*


    The assassin kicked her back and slowly fiddled with the dagger in the wound. Due to the paralysis poison, she couldn''t feel any pain, but she knew she was being humiliated. However, such a feeling wasn''t strong, because the Emperor of the Slyker Dynasty was supposedly dead.


    *How can Father die? He''s lying.*


    As if the assassin could read her mind, he responded emotionlessly.


    "You obviously don''t believe me, but it''s true. I did it myself."


    Fae''s brain short-circuited. She couldn''t form a single thought besides...


    *How? He''s lying. He''s lying. It''s impossible. There''s no way.*


    "Do you want to see how?"


    *...*


    Fae heard rustling behind her that drew closer.


    "Ah.. where is it..."


    The rustling stopped, and the man spoke up again.


    "Here."


    A black gloved hand placed a screen in front of her eyes that was playing some footage. If she wasn''t paralyzed, Fae''s eyes would have gone wide. Because the footage was of the Slyker Royal Palace ablaze.


    "Your father is indeed dead. Very dead."


    The assassin was no longer able to keep an emotionless tone as he burst out into laughter. He continued in a merry tone, as if his emotionlessness from earlier was merely an act.


    "And do you want to know something even better? Your father isn''t the only one."


    *...no...*


    "Your mother, your sister, and... mostly everyone else in the palace! Because I forgot who was in there..."


    *...no...*


    "You know, it was surprisingly easy to do this. You would think there would be more security around a royal palace..."


    *...*


    As the man rambled on, Fae involuntarily tuned him out. As she was mourning her losses, another question popped up in her mind.


    *Wait... How am I still alive?*


    This was because the body of Jisha Slyker should have been inside the royal palace. Even though she was deep underground, there was no way the assassin was careless enough to let her get away.


    "Of course, I saved the best for last."


    *...!*


    When the man spoke these words, adrenaline kicked through Fae''s body as her fight or flight response was triggered. However, the result of such a response was lackluster. Because... everything went dark.


    Jisha Slyker woke up in a basement room of the Slyker Royal Palace. Immediately, she was on guard. However, she was unable to feel or see anything because of the status of the virtual gaming cabin.


    *Force logout?*


    There were only a few methods of a force logout. One was if the body was experiencing extreme hunger or thirst. Another was if the body was experiencing extreme pain. And the last one was...


    *The cabin was disabled.*


    Jisha''s latest model of virtual gaming cabin was forcibly turned off. This was why she was on guard. Someone had removed the power source from the cabin.


    Jisha''s body was lying backside down in a pool of sensory deprivation material, and was wearing relatively little clothing because of this. After a moment of nervous hesitation, Jisha opened the cabin lid. The top slid off and she was able to sit upright. Though the room was dark, it was still brighter than the complete lack of light inside the cabin, so it took few seconds for her eyes to adjust. Despite the footage she had witnessed, the room she was in was unscathed. However, she knew she couldn''t let her guard down because somebody had been here to disable the cabin''s power.


    Jisha climbed out of the cabin, put on her nightclothes, picked up a laser pistol that was on a nightstand, and slowly headed towards the exit of the room.


    However, before she could reach the door, she noticed something that made her heart stop. By the door, there were multiple charred corpses lying on the ground. Though they were badly burnt, Jisha recognized them at a glance. They were...


    "Father? Mother? Sister?"


    Jisha fell to her knees as it seemed like the world spun around her. She thought it was impossible, yet the evidence was right in front of her eyes. Once again, the same thought ran through her mind.


    *How?*


    She wanted to scream. She wanted to run. She wanted to cry. However, she was unable to do any of those things. Instead, she pathetically fell to the ground. Perhaps it was because of the shock. Or perhaps it was because of...


    *Shik.*


    A cold dagger in her back that paralyzed her. In a ridiculous series of events, she died the same way twice. She couldn''t even laugh.


    *...Am I going to die like this? Is this really the end of the Slyker Dynasty?*


    Though her willpower was never-ending, it could not prevent the poison from spreading throughout her body, nor could it prevent the blood draining from the wound of the melted ice dagger.


    *I... can''t... die... here...*


    With these thoughts, she tried as hard as she could to move to no avail. As her consciousness fizzled out into nothingness, she heard a voice whose gender could not be specified. The contents of its sentence brought both warmth and chill.


    "I''m sorry to do this to you, sweetheart."


    As those final words entered her ears, Jisha Slyker passed away.

 1 - Born Again?

    Jisha Slyker awoke with a start. A cold sweat was flowing down her back. Her heart was racing and she was out of breath. She sat up as quickly as possible, causing her vision to falter. She glanced around the room as her condition slowly returned to normal. As Jisha noticed the contents of her room, her shock was replaced by confusion.


    *Where am I?*


    It was not because the room was unfamiliar, but rather because it was *too* familiar.


    Because this was her bedroom for the majority of her life.


    *Perhaps this is the spirit realm.*


    After all, she clearly remembered what just happened. It would be strange if one forgot the sight of three scorched family members. Unfortunately, she was unable to do anything about it because she, too, had died.


    There were plenty of accounts of the spirit realm, and some had reported that you would occasionally be shown your past and sometimes even your happiest memories. This was why Jisha didn''t find her situation particularly strange.


    She heaved a sigh, knowing that whatever tragedies would come to pass would be unpreventable.


    *Oh well, the only thing to do is to move forward.*


    As a spirit, there was almost nothing she could do to impact the physical world. Though she was sad, there was nothing she could accomplish by sulking. Even though it was the spirit realm, there had to be something to do, right?


    *Let''s just explore my current surroundings.*


    Jisha looked down at her left wrist where a smartwatch rested. She looked at the date and time.


    23:55 3-3-50.


    23 hours and 55 minutes on the third day of the third month of the 18050th calendar year on planet Etmos. In other words, this was...


    *11 years before my death.*


    It was natural to feel nostalgic. After all, this was the day she had stayed up until midnight in order to try the newest VRMMORPG that was released, Synergy. Though full-dive VR games had existed in the past, Synergy was said to be the next step in VR technology, as the world would be nearly indistinguishable from real life. Of course, there were many skeptics. However, the outlandish claim brought more hopefuls than skeptics to try out the new technology. On the side of her bed was one of the most primitive full-dive helmet models in existence.


    Once she saw this, she temporarily shelved the thoughts of exploring her surroundings and decided to jump into the game, where she made many of her memories. But...


    *... This is what I used to use?*


    The Vbian-02. Its quality was so poor that she would ordinarily glance over it as if it were a piece of trash on the ground. However, 11 years ago, this was a fairly decent model.


    There were less than five minutes remaining before the world of Synergy opened to the public.


    Jisha picked up the helmet but hesitated to put it on.


    *This is ironic, isn''t it?*


    The "game" that had brought many to ruin. The "game" that had toppled power structures of entire world powers. The "game" that had brought about a new wave a meritocracy. Though it was a likely cause of her family''s downfall, she had no choice but to play it again.


    *Hah... There''s no more time to waste.*


    Since the old Vbian was her only option with the little time remaining, she quickly put the helmet on her head and booted it up. Jisha wanted to experience the world for the first time again. Fortunately, the necessary files were already downloaded and preinstalled, so the startup of the helmet only took a few minutes.


    *... this is so slow.*


    Jisha was not used to waiting for so long for the VR system to boot up, so she naturally became impatient. However, this wait time also brought another wave of nostalgia over her.


    Finally, the VR main menu was visible and Jisha immediately selected "Synergy". She was lucky enough to witness the countdown since she had eagerly been waiting for the release of this game.


    *>10 seconds before the world of Synergy opens to the public!*


    ...


    5...


    4...


    3...


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    1...


    *>Welcome to Synergy!*


    As the countdown ended, the world turned white and these words appeared in the space in front of her.


    Jisha''s heart was racing. She remembered this moment as if it were yesterday, and she was living it again. What came next was...


    "Welcome to Synergy!"


    A cute feminine voice spoke in front of her. Though she couldn''t see anything at first, a small fairy with blue butterfly-like wings popped up out of thin air. She looked like a miniature human with wings and was approximately ten centimetron in height.


    "I am Lemieux, and I will guide you as you begin your journey in this world. Think of me as a tutorial bot!"


    At this, she proudly stood in the air, hand on her hips. Her dignified tone highly contrasted with her cute voice and contents of the message. Hearing this, Jisha couldn''t help but smile.


    "Beyonder, what is your name?"


    Jisha decided to use the Synergy username she had never changed.


    "Fae Sol."


    "Okay, Fae Sol! Please choose a class!"


    A screen floated before her with two options:


    *>Melee*


    *>Ranged*


    "You may notice something strange. There are only two classes! This is because the world of Synergy is more realistic than any other game so far. You must get used to your body before you can truly explore!"


    Of course, Jisha already knew these things. Lemieux was about to continue, but Jisha had no need to hear anything else. She only had one purpose in games, and that was to be a gunner. Nothing would ever change that about her. Without a doubt, she chose...


    "Ranged."


    Lemieux''s face lit up at the answer.


    "You''re quite decisive. Ranged it is! Now, we must choose your birthplace in this world. Once chosen, your soul will return to this location should your body die. Choose wisely! Select a Hamlet within the Starshine Shogunate."


    A map appeared in front of her.


    Put simply, Jisha was ordered to select a spawn location. There were many tiers of locations, such as Hamlet, Village, Town, and more. Hamlet was the smallest of these, and they were the most plentiful. Of course, they were also of the poorest quality. Because of this, new players could only spawn here. Shogunate was one of the larger location tiers, and it included a wide range of smaller locations.


    Etmos was a somewhat large planet with a circumference of over 80,000 kilometron and a population of over thirty billion, so the concept of these location tiers were created in hopes of getting people from similar locations on the planet to spawn together in the game. This was because the world of Synergy was even bigger than Etmos. In fact, it was infinite. If you took these factors into consideration, it was clear why the developers created such a system. What fun would the game be without players to play with, especially those close to you in real life?


    It was here that Jisha hesitated on the next step. She could pick something that she was already familiar with, or she could go somewhere new. But before she could even come to that decision, something had been in the back of her mind ever since she entered full dive in her Vbian.


    *Is this even the spirit realm?*


    It was common knowledge on Etmos that the spirit realm was somewhere one went after their physical body had passed. This was because spirits were not an uncommon phenomenon. In fact, they were everywhere. And there was one thing they would always say about the physical world.


    It was that "advanced technology was not visible".


    It didn''t mean that VR helmets were invisible to spirits, but concepts such as Etherless, cyberspace, and virtual worlds appeared blurry and incomprehensible to them. This topic was still under research among spiritual scientists and was difficult to solve. The most common theory was that such technologies had extremely low spiritual affinity. However, the theories only existed due to this indisputable fact. No matter how much one wanted to deny this fact, it was a law of the world, similar to how water was wet.


    If this was not the case, there were two other possibilities.


    1 - Jisha wasn''t actually dead but in a deep sleep or coma. Though technology was also blurry in dreams, it was much more likely to view technology in a dream than the spirit world.


    2 - Jisha had reincarnated into her past self.


    As much as Jisha wanted to entertain the second possibility, what was more likely? For water to become not wet, or to transgress into your past self? It was a problem that stumped her. But once the thought came into her mind, she couldn''t get rid of it.


    Everyone has the fantasy of reincarnating into their past self and redoing their younger years. This is why reincarnation novels were popular. Jisha was no exception. In fact, she desired this even more than most normal people. After all, her entire family and residence had been burned down without forewarning. If she had a second chance and was able to prevent her dynasty''s collapse...


    *There''s only one option.*


    With just one glance at the map, she knew which location she was going to choose. She immediately pointed to a location.


    "Uval Hamlet."


    There were a couple of reasons for choosing this location.


    First and most importantly, Jisha had already decided to treat this situation as a second incarnation. If this were true, she needed to take decisive steps to stand at the top. She couldn''t just be content with being a top player - she had to overwhelmingly stand above all. Because of this, she decided to pick a starting location that she was very familiar with. Starting in the Uval Hamlet would give her a massive advantage over other players who were just learning the game. After all, Jisha Slyker was Fae Sol, the Gun Swap Goddess in her previous life. She had 11 years of experience in the world of Synergy, which was absolutely incomparable to a new player.


    A secondary reason was that Synergy and Etmos were extremely vast, and the differences in power between certain entities was massive. For example, there were many guilds and organizations from previous VR games that would undoubtedly join up to create alliances in this new game. The alliances of such orgs could easily bully smaller clans and individual players. If her memory served her correctly, Uval Hamlet was located in a relatively peaceful area. Of course, this didn''t mean that it would be free of violence. Nowhere in Synergy was truly peaceful. Jisha''s goal was to rise quickly, and Uval Hamlet would allow her to do so with relatively little harassment from the aforementioned bullies.


    And the third and most unimportant reason was... she wanted to relive her first moments again. It was a harmless wish, so why couldn''t she indulge in it?


    "Are you sure? You spent less than 5 seconds deciding."


    "I''m sure. Please send me to the Uval Hamlet."


    "Okay! You sure are decisive! Before you go, this is what you look and sound like. Would you like to make any changes?"


    A 3D model of Jisha''s player character appeared in front of her, speaking preset voice lines. Submitting your body''s model data was a prerequisite to playing Synergy, and Jisha had already completed this task beforehand. The model looked and sounded exactly like her. It wasn''t wearing any clothes, but the body lacked reproductive organs since certain laws had been passed regarding these issues.


    Jisha didn''t think much of it. These waiting room type areas were private anyway, so there was no hope of anyone seeing her.


    Jisha knew she couldn''t go out into the world looking like her original self. Though the Slyker Dynasty wasn''t a large location in the grand scheme of Etmos, she was still famous enough that it was possible for her to be recognized in public, especially since the spawn locations in the game were somewhat based on your real-life location.


    The 3D model came with various sliders to adjust the body, however these were unnecessary for Jisha. Before becoming a highly skilled gunner in her previous life, she was a talented artist. This included 3D art projects such as 3D drawings and modeling. Synergy''s character design included a convenient feature to import an existing 3D model for your character, and Jisha had many models saved already.


    In fact, since she was so hyped for the game, she had already created a model for herself that she knew she was going to be using.


    Jisha opened the menu and selected her desired model. The body type was the same. She was an average height for a 13-year-old female Northeasterner standing at roughly 160 centimetron, and she had a petite build. However, the face of the model greatly differed from her real one. Jisha Slyker had long, straight, flowing black hair. Fae Sol, the avatar, had long, wavy maroon hair. Jisha had deep brown eyes that were almost black. Fae had bright blue-green eyes. Jisha had gentle facial features, while Fae had a sharper look. If someone saw Fae Sol, there was a zero percent chance of associating it with Jisha Slyker.


    Satisfied, Jisha submitted the visual changes.


    As for the voice, Jisha didn''t have much experience modifying it. Because of this, she imported a voice modulator that she found online. She didn''t fiddle with it too much, so she sounded somewhat similar to her original self, but it was different enough for people to be unable to tell.


    Jisha then submitted the audible changes.


    "These are the changes I would like to make."


    "Very good! I, Lemmi, would once again like to welcome you to the world of Synergy! Enjoy your stay!"


    At these lines, the fairy disappeared and the world entered a tunnel of black.

 2 - Shahar’s Daughter

    As the tunnel of black passed by, Jisha found herself standing in a serene plain. On her right was a village with under twenty buildings. It was a small village - a hamlet. On her left, the plains were vast. Green grass grew as far as the eye could see. Wildflowers of various colors occasionally sprouted in sparse locations. Trees were also few and far between. As Jisha surveyed her surroundings, indescribable feelings welled up within her.


    *I''m truly back...*


    It was confirmation of her return that stimulated her. This was truly the Uval Hamlet, Fae Sol''s original spawn location 11 long years ago.


    A resolve that was previously absent was kindled within her.


    *I''m going to change.*


    Jisha had lived a life with little regret. She believed that decisions built one''s character. You wouldn''t be who you were today if it weren''t for what you''ve done in the past. In addition to this, it was impossible to go and change the past, so Jisha figured it was useless to dwell on it. She was also privileged from birth, and she was grateful for her circumstances. These reasons were why she didn''t truly have any regrets. However...


    *Something went wrong.*


    If her life was perfect, why did it have to come crashing down without warning? What exactly happened?


    *My life was perfect except for the fact that our dynasty collapsed. Is that a joke?*


    After witnessing these events, Jisha naturally felt deep regret for the first time. Due to this, she gained new resolve. She wasn''t going to live idly like she had in the past - she was going to take every step with purpose. She wasn''t going to let the same thing happen again.


    *And to do that, I need strength.*


    The path was clear. Jisha was sent back in time with vast knowledge of Synergy and the future of Etmos. All she had to do was exploit everything.


    With a deep breath, Jisha stepped towards the hamlet.


    ---


    The hamlet was sparsely populated. There were various NPCs wandering about, but the player population was little to none. Though Synergy was a long-awaited release, the player base at launch was a drop in the bucket compared to what it would become. In addition to this, hamlets were everywhere. In fact, 11 years into the procedurally generated world of Synergy, there might have even been more hamlets than players. It was due to this simple fact that Jisha only saw a few players.


    She decided to open her status window to see what it looked like.


    *>Status Window*


    *>Name: Fae Sol*


    *>Class: Ranged*


    *Level: 0*


    *>HP: 10*


    *>Atk: 1*


    *>Def: 0*


    It was the body that every player character spawned with. Regardless of whether you selected melee or ranged, everyone started with this blank slate. Minimal hit points, attack and defense, as well as no skills to work with. In addition, magic didn¡¯t exist within Synergy until level 5, so stats like MP and magic attack were hidden.


    Jisha decided to open her inventory.


    *>Inventory*


    *>Ranged Starter Pellet: 50*


    The Ranged Starter Pellet was a cruel item. They were black spheres whose diameters were half of a human palm. They inflicted one point of true damage minimum upon contact with an enemy, and it disappeared immediately upon use. They couldn''t be found or purchased and only appeared in a Ranged character''s starter inventory. These pellets were Jisha''s starting weapon. They were projectiles that could be launched by any means necessary. These seemed to be her only option in combat, but she was going to save as many as possible.


    *I can''t believe we start with fifty of these...*


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    In the future, these trash items would become extremely valuable due to the lack of access to them. In fact, the Sun Dragons, Jisha''s old org in her previous life, only had a couple thousand of these in their guild inventory. The pellet''s sister item was the Melee Starter Stick which appeared in a starter melee''s account. Due to them being upgradeable upon first class evolution at level 1, almost no one kept the original Starter items. Even the upgraded versions would be discarded as soon as players found better weapons.


    Jisha''s ongoing mission would be to collect as many of these Starter items as possible so she could sell them for a high price later. It would be many years before this action would even be thought of as logical, so she had a more urgent priority at the moment. She was going to complete some secret quests, collect some hidden items, and level up as fast as possible.


    An ordinary new player would spend around an hour at level 0 fumbling around in the new world. This may seem like a long time, but time passed twice as quickly in Synergy. One hour in the game was 30 minutes in real life. However, Jisha knew of a quest that could instantly raise her level by a few. With this quest in her mind, she headed towards the only restaurant in the hamlet.


    ---


    The Lyocal Eatery was located almost in the center of the hamlet, and it was bustling for breakfast time. And ¡°bustling¡± meant there were about 15 people in the place, none of which were players.


    "Welcome!"


    An amiable female voice called out to Jisha as she entered the building. The waitress at the front desk was a very average looking girl that one would instantly forget about, but the one Jisha was here for was indeed her.


    "How many in your party?"


    "Just one."


    "Alright, follow me to be seated."


    The waitress led Jisha to a small, empty table meant for 2 people at most.


    "Would you like anything to drink?"


    "Yes, please give me some Ariosha."


    At this response, the waitress raised an eyebrow. Ariosha was a strange beverage and its taste was difficult to describe. In the future, some people would eventually recreate Ariosha in real life by adding honey to carbonated milk and heating it up.


    "A very peculiar choice. Then. One cup of Ariosha it is."


    With that, the waitress departed.


    The quest Jisha was hunting for relied on this waitress. One had to pass a favorability threshold with her in order for her to mention it. Originally, this was a difficult and meaningless task. Why would you try to curry favor with a nameless waitress in a nameless hamlet? It was currently made even harder due to Fae Sol''s character - there was no option to view favorability with NPCs at level 0. However, Jisha was experienced, and could easily tell what her favorability was with "small-time" NPCs like this one.


    Jisha observed her surroundings. Lyocal was a small restaurant that appeared to be constructed of dark oak. It had a very home-y feel due to the small commotion emanating from the few guests in the lobby. Every chair and table appeared to be handmade, so they weren''t as flawless as mass-produced furniture. However, these flaws gave the restaurant its own charm.


    After a few minutes, the waitress returned with a clay cup full of what appeared to be sparkling water.


    It looked like water but tasted like milk, and it was also a warm carbonated beverage which was oxymoronic in reality. These features were only possible in a virtual world.


    "Here is one cup of Ariosha for you. Have you decided what to order?"


    "Yes, may I have a small serving of potato crisps?"


    At this request, the waitress raised an eyebrow again.


    "Crisps with Ariosha for breakfast? What kind of person are you?"


    "Just somebody who''s looking for something."


    "I see... A small serving of crisps is coming right up."


    The waitress departed once again.


    Although what Jisha did was extremely simple, no one would have realized this method to raise the waitress'' favorability to the required threshold for the quest until a few years later. This was because Ariosha wasn''t even on the menu nor was it from this region, yet it was her favorite drink. But this waitress¡¯ favorite breakfast was Ariosha and crisps. This breakfast combination was so unusual that no one could luckily stumble upon the quest.


    As Jisha was idling at her table, she received a notification on her heads-up display. It was a friend request from an account by the name of Synycal.


    *Syny...*


    It was her best friend in her previous life whom she shared all her joys and sorrows with. However, towards the end of her life, Jisha slowly became distanced from her due to personal issues and the Slyker Dynasty''s expansion. In the end, she didn''t even have a chance to contact her before she was assassinated.


    *This time, I won''t let you go.*


    Jisha accepted the friend request, and a message immediately appeared in her inbox.


    *>Synycal: Jish, you''ve been online and you haven''t added me yet? What kind of friend are you?*


    *>Fae Sol: Ah! I''m so sorry! I was so excited about the game that I forgot...*


    *>Synycal: Ugh, that''s so like you. Don''t tell me you forgot about the conversation we had so we could start at the same spawn?*


    *>Fae Sol: Um.*


    *>Synycal: AAAAAAAAAAA you airhead, wtf am I going to do with you? Where did you even spawn?*


    As Jisha and Syny chatted over the messaging system, the waitress approached her table once more with the food. Jisha hurriedly closed the HUD and focused her attention on the waitress.


    *Sorry, Syn. You''re gonna have to wait a bit.*


    "Here are your crisps. Enjoy."


    The waitress set down the paper bag of hot crisps on the table and stood there absentmindedly. As she stood there, Jisha took a crisp, dipped it in the Ariosha, and nibbled meticulously. The taste made her nostalgic.


    One reason Synergy was revolutionary was this aspect - the virtual sense of taste was refined to a high degree. In previous virtual reality games and experiences, the development of senses such as smell and taste were neglected or poorly developed. However, Synergy strove to perfect all 5 of them... and more. Though it wasn''t perfect yet, it was still a huge advancement compared to current technology.


    Jisha noticed that the waitress was still standing around watching her eat.


    "Did you have something else for me?"


    "Well... yes. What exactly did you say you were looking for?"


    "Um, I''m not exactly sure, but someone from the center of the Cosmolai Continent said their friend had some belongings around here."


    Hearing this, the waitress'' eyes widened.


    "The center of the continent? Don''t tell me..."


    "Ah, I don''t know if it''s the person you''re thinking of, but he said his name was Razor. A friend of Shahar?"


    "Ah..."


    As Jisha spoke these bullshit lines, the waitress put a hand to her mouth as tears started forming in her eyes.


    "You... really met Razor?"


    "Yes."


    Of course... she hadn''t. However, the waitress had no way of confirming this besides asking a few questions which Jisha obviously knew the answers to. This was because Razor and Shahar were legendary NPCs on the continent. There would be no NPC or experienced player who wouldn''t know their names. Jisha was beyond experienced, so she knew much more about their lore than most. And this waitress... was the adopted daughter of the late Shahar.

 3 - Uval Cemetery

    *I may have broken the system.*


    Another aspect of Synergy that was more refined than its counterparts was NPC behavior. Though they weren''t indistinguishable from real people yet, they were pretty close. Because of this, quests that were acknowledged by the system were granted by NPCs, not the other way around.


    Jisha exploited her previous life''s knowledge to break into a chain quest - a quest with multiple parts. Originally, one was supposed to speak with Razor''s descendants in the center of the continent, learn about Shahar''s adopted daughter, Lilliana, and retrieve the items she kept in Shahar''s stead. This was not a combat-based chain quest, so Fae Sol didn''t have to raise her level to gain strength. In fact, the hardest parts of the quests were gaining access to Razor''s descendants and raising Lilliana''s favorability which Jisha either neglected or breezed through.


    One might wonder why Razor or his descendants didn''t give anything tangible to those who completed the first parts quest to verify completion. This was because Razor''s values lay in mind over matter; he was a basically a monk who valued unorthodox knowledge concerning strength. His teachings were obscure bits of knowledge and strange martial arts techniques.


    Lilliana bombarded Jisha with questions and conversation topics related to Razor and Shahar, and Jisha navigated through the interrogation with ease.


    "Looks like Father was right. I''ve waited for so long for someone worthy enough to show up, and in the end, you came. Here is the key to one of Father''s greatly treasured items. I''m sure you can keep it safe."


    With that, Jisha received a circular token with the engraving of a phoenix flying towards a crescent moon. It was Shahar''s emblem.


    *>System message: Quest Received.*


    *>Name: Grave Robbery*


    *>Description: The adopted daughter of the late Shahar has given you the key to a certain tombstone. Open it to see what''s inside.*


    *>Rating: F*


    "That token unlocks a tombstone in the cemetery. I''m sure you can figure out which one it is."


    "Thanks. It was a pleasure to speak with Shahar''s daughter. Oh, and here''s 4 Copper for the meal."


    "No, don''t worry about it. It''s on the house. It''s only 4 Copper after all."


    "Alright, then. We shall see each other again some time."


    After their long conversation, Jisha left the eatery. Even though it may not have looked like it, Fae Sol was actually quite poor. This was a given since she was just a starting character. That one meal would have cost her 40% of her bank account. Even if she had to pay for it, though, it would still have been worth it. Because...


    *This is exactly what I needed.*


    The token she had received was worth far more than 4 Copper. In fact, it would be difficult to put a price on it at all. Without delay, Jisha rushed over to the hamlet''s cemetery.


    As she walked, Jisha looked over her direct messages. Syny was still bombarding her inbox.


    *>Synycal: Uval Hamlet?*


    *>Synycal: Where even is that? Let me check the map...*


    *>Synycal: Wait. You selected the Uval Hamlet as your spawn location?*


    *>Synycal: Do you even know how far that is from the Erian Hamlet?*


    *>Synycal: You and I. Literally decided to choose the Erian Hamlet. And you run off and choose that on your own?*


    *>Synycal: Do you realize it''s almost NOT EVEN IN THE SAME COUNTRY, YOU IDIOT???*


    Honestly, Jisha had no response to this question. Before Synergy was released, the developers leaked the map of the known world. It had no information on it except for the names of every major location. It was purely for social purposes so people could decide their spawn points together. However, Jisha had ignored it in both lives. Even this made her feel nostalgic.Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site.


    *This... is just classic Syny, huh?*


    The bombardment of messages was even more proof she truly went back in time, and she was overcome with more emotion.


    *>Fae Sol: Thanks.*


    *>Synycal: What?*


    *>Fae Sol: You''re a good friend.*


    *>Synycal: ... Are you serious? You pick a location that will take me OVER EIGHT HOURS TO TRAVEL TO and you say I''m a good friend? Saying these things won''t make me not mad at you, you know!*


    *>Fae Sol: Relax, it''ll only be eight hours if you travel by foot. You should eventually meet me in Orchid Town. I''ll have something good for you there.*


    *>Synycal: Orchid Town? ... Wait. That''s almost even farther away! You want me to waste valuable leveling time and travel over eight hours to meet you in a random town????*


    *>Fae Sol: Don''t worry. Make sure to at least buy a map before you start traveling, and get to a nearby village so you can find some transportation. Anyway, I just got a really important quest so I''ll talk to you in a bit.*


    *>Synycal: Wait, don''t ignore me! How am I gonna do that? Also how did you get an important quest when we literally just spawned here?*


    With a sigh, Jisha closed her messages as she approached the cemetery. However, there was a surprise waiting for her.


    Earlier, as Jisha was chatting with Syny, she had noticed that there were more players walking around than before. This was because not everyone had instantly logged in the second the game launched, and most people had spent longer than Jisha had on character creation. After all, not everyone had a custom model ready to go.


    Even though there were more players roaming around now, the walls of the cemetery were more crowded than normal. It was as if a bunch of people decided to come watch a performance. This was odd, since the cemetery was deemed a "War Zone" by the system. Most people would like to avoid these scary places early in the game.


    *What''s going on?*


    When Jisha arrived at the cemetery, she understood why people were crowding.


    *That makes sense.*


    In the middle of the cemetery were 7 players who were picking up loot.


    In most of the world of Synergy, player versus player combat was lightly discouraged. However, the exceptions were War Zones. In a War Zone, PvP was highly encouraged. If you were to die in a War Zone, you would lose all of your items in addition to losing a level. However, if you were to kill in a War Zone, you would gain 100% of the experience lost by the player you killed. It was a very effective method to level up and almost cheat the leveling system.


    It didn''t take a genius to deduce this, but Jisha suspected the 7 players in the center of the cemetery were allies and were killing players who approached them to collect their loot. Her suspicions were proven correct when she overheard some of their words.


    "Hey, won''t the club president be thrilled when he sees what we''ve collected?"


    "Why would he? They''re just starter items."


    "But it proves we''re not trash at PvP, doesn''t it?"


    "I guess that''s true. After all, Starter Sticks and Starter Pellets are proof of kills."


    "How many have we collected so far?"


    "Uh... In total, we''ve got 11 sticks and 413 pellets."


    When she heard these numbers, Jisha''s eyes flashed with greed.


    11 sticks, 413 pellets!


    Though these numbers were absurdly common when the game launched, their rarity would skyrocket to an unprecedented degree 11 years later. Jisha, who had just returned from the future, was not used to hearing these numbers. Unable to control herself, she unflinchingly strode towards the entrance. However, before she could pass through the gate, she was stopped by another player.


    "Um... Miss... Fae Sol?"


    "What?"


    Jisha wasn''t surprised that someone knew her name, because player names could be seen above the character model itself. She was instead greatly annoyed that someone was stopping her from obtaining free money. However, when she saw who it was, her expression softened greatly.


    *This... Isn''t this Castle?*


    In her previous life, Castle was a bruiser-class player whose level was over 900. He was not far from level 1000 which was the level cap. Due to his prowess with the sword and shield, he was known as The Fortress. In fact, his prowess did not fall too short of Fae Sol''s.


    Despite his future achievements, Castle was currently a cute boy with no experience whatsoever. How could one not feel endearment when looking at such a character?


    "Ah! I... I didn''t mean to annoy you..."


    "Oh! It''s okay! I''m sorry if I came off as rude. I just wanted to go collect some money. Stay here and watch as big sis goes and kills the bad guys, okay?"


    "Uh... Miss, please don''t do that. I don''t want to see anything bad happen to you."


    "Don''t worry. They''re just a pile of cash waiting to be collected."


    "I don''t think it will be that easy... They''ve killed over 15 players and they show no signs of slowing down. It looks like they''ve stocked up on food beforehand, so they keep regenerating their health. If 15 players can''t kill them, you don''t stand a chance, miss. Are you crazy?"


    As Castle spoke, his timid nature gradually disappeared and was replaced by confidence and annoyance. This was his personality. When it came to VR games, he was confident. When it came to anything else, he was a nervous wreck. And this confidence was not unfounded; Castle was a skilled player. In ordinary circumstances, he would be completely correct. However, this circumstance was anything but ordinary.


    "You''re so cute. What if I am?"


    "..."


    Castle blushed and turned his head away. Well, he didn''t actually blush - Synergy didn''t allow such detailed facial expressions yet. However, it was easy to guess what he was feeling.


    *He''s easy to tease.*


    "M... mi... miss, don''t say things like that! I don''t want you to die!"


    Jisha sighed and continued softly.


    "I appreciate your concern, Castle. But I have a zero percent chance of dying to them, alright?"


    "..."


    Castle remained silent. Though Jisha was slightly annoyed, she didn''t press him for a response.


    After a few seconds, he finally responded.


    "... Alright."


    Castle reluctantly agreed to let her go. He knew that the girl in front of her was walking to her death. However, he was unable to stop her from doing so.


    Jisha knew what feelings must be toiling around in Castle''s heart. However, she had no intention of placating him any further, because she knew exactly what she was getting herself into.


    *Sorry, Castle. Don''t be sad. Free money is waiting.*

 3.5/4 - Fight at Level 0

    *One versus seven. Hopefully they don''t bore me too much.*


    Though she was outnumbered to this degree, Jisha was unfazed. After all, the more players she could kill, the more money she could earn. So to say she was unfazed wasn''t entirely accurate - she was motivated by the piles of cash strolling the cemetery.


    The moment she stepped through the entrance, Jisha received a system message.


    *>System message: You are now entering a War Zone. >Expand for details.*


    Jisha was already familiar with the concept of a War Zone, so she didn''t need to read further. However, the people around her didn''t think the same.


    "Hey, it''s dangerous in there!"


    "Get out of there, you''ll die. Don''t you know what a War Zone is?"


    "Ah... I saw her standing there but I didn''t think she would actually go in."


    "I guess she really doesn''t know what a War Zone is..."


    "Girl, what are you doing?! Those guys are just going to gang up on you and take everything you have!"


    *Ah, looks like the peanut gallery is here.*


    If there was one thing Jisha enjoyed in life, it was the peanut gallery underestimating her abilities.


    *I wonder what faces they''ll make after I''m done with them.*


    Jisha reveled in their panic as she approached the seven players in the center of the cemetery.


    "Bren, we can''t find anything else. I think we''ve picked everything up."


    "Hmm... I guess it doesn''t really matter. After we level up, we won''t need these starter items anyway."


    "That''s true. Why don''t we just throw them away now, then?"


    *...!*


    "Wait wait wait wait wait!"


    After hearing the words "throw them away", Jisha could no longer stay calm.


    *Don''t they know how much money they''re throwing out? ... Oh, yeah, they don''t...*


    At her panicked yells, the group turned around to face her.


    "What''s this? A little girl came to play?"


    "Those starter items. Instead of throwing them away, you should just give them to me."


    "...?"


    "Hahahahaha...!"


    After a moment of confused stares from the group, they burst out into laughter.


    "Is that a joke? You should become a comedian. You''d be the funniest woman in history."


    "I know, right? It''s already funny enough that she wants to collect garbage, but it''s even funnier that she wants to take stuff from us!"


    "Girl, who are you even with?"


    "With? I''m alone."Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    "..."


    "... Hey, are you serious?"


    "I guess... she isn''t joking? This isn¡¯t even funny anymore. Let''s just get rid of her."


    "One more kill, and let''s report to the club president!"


    "Mhm. We can definitely join the Academy''s VR team and maybe even rank up to varsity next year!"


    *The... Academy?*


    "Hold on, did you say the Academy? By chance, do you mean the Royal Academy?"


    "Oh, it looks like the little girl knows something about it? Though it would be odd if you didn''t. That''s right, we''re on the Royal Academy''s VR club team. Since you know that much, we''ll let you go."


    "No, that''s not it. I''m an alumnus of the academy. It really brings back memories."


    "What? ... Wait, how old are you?"


    "Okay. Now she''s just saying random shit. She''s either actually eleven years old or they''ve modified their voice and body to look like an eleven year old girl. We''ve definitely caught a weirdo. Next thing you know, she''s going to claim to be a time traveler. Can we just kill her already?"


    "Yea, no point in delaying further."


    "You think you can kill me? I *am* a time traveler, by the way."


    The moment she spoke those words, a black pellet whizzed towards her. Ordinary players would have definitely been hit by it, but...


    *So slow. Is this real?*


    Compared to the speed of projectiles 11 years in the future, a player throwing a ball was even slower than a snail. It might as well have been stationary.


    Even though her previous life''s physique and mental was much superior, Jisha dodged the pellet as naturally as breathing.


    "She dodged. Fire away, boys!"


    *I suppose that''s the commander of their group, Bren?*


    Though he appeared to be the commander, he was a melee class, and he was closing in on her with 2 other melees.


    *So, 3 melees and 4 ranged, huh?*


    Due to being level 0, Jisha didn''t have very many options. She decided to take a traditional back liner''s approach and decided to hit the front line while dodging the pellets from the remaining four players.


    *But first, let''s dodge only!*


    Though Jisha wanted money, she also wanted to have fun. A fight at level 0 was something that she hadn''t experienced for a long time, and it was something that she most likely wouldn''t experience again. After all, a majority of the player base would be over level 500 eleven years later.


    Jisha gracefully danced as though the pellets didn''t exist. It didn''t take long for the ranged players to realize that this opponent was much better than those who had shown up previously.


    "Her movement is quite good! We can''t hit her!"


    If an outsider were to view this battle, it would look quite ridiculous. They would claim that it looked like primary school children playing a game of dodgeball. This description was quite apt. At level 0, all players had the physical strength and mental capacity of an average human. In fact, if you were a world-class athlete, your body would feel restrained. In addition to this, there were no skills or items at level 0, which meant that every action taken was done entirely on your own. There would be no aid from the system whatsoever.


    Under normal circumstances, this was a perfect design. After all, the only purpose of level 0 was to familiarize players with their senses. Though combat was permitted, most players would not be fighting at level 0. After all, one would rise to level 1 automatically after playing the game for thirty natural minutes, or one hour of game time. Much less fight, most players wouldn''t even leave their respective hamlets within an hour.


    Jisha, the seven players, and the others who had died - they were anomalies who were either bloodthirsty, stupid, or both.


    *But does it really matter? It''s fun.*


    The early levels in Synergy, especially those below 10, were very innocent - Synergy was still very much a game. In the future, many people would take it much more seriously. After a few years, the player base would explode exponentially, and many companies would have invested into the game as well. It would eventually turn from a "game" into a "second reality". Materials, currencies, and other things in the game would gain much more value and some would be sold for astronomical amounts of real-world cash.


    However, at this time, it was merely a game - a pastime one would engage in for fun, and something that "only children" could enjoy. After all, the adults had important things to do.


    *So let''s be stupid and bloodthirsty. I''m going to enjoy the time I have.*


    With these thoughts, Jisha continued to waltz through the cemetery as if she were having the time of her life.


    ...


    "What''s going on? Why can''t they hit her?"


    "Her movement is pretty good! Maybe she has IRL formal footwork training?"


    "That seems like the most reasonable thing to assume. This would be pretty good video or stream material. I bet some would even pay to watch this."


    "Already on it, buddy. Been recording since she walked in!"


    At this point, the onlookers were impressed. It was a one versus seven situation, yet the "one" seemed unfazed. Though not many thought she could make it out alive, they were impressed nonetheless.


    After about a minute, however, the enemy commander noticed something was wrong.


    "Everyone, stop."


    Within two seconds, the seven members came to a standstill.


    "Hey. Why aren''t you attacking?"


    "Because I don''t need to."


    "..."


    An awkward silence ensued.


    "Bren, she''s clearly making fun of us. If she continues like this, we''ll eventually win anyway. Why don''t we just continue?"


    *... This sucks.*


    After purely dodging for over a minute, Jisha had succumbed to boredom. This was because the enemy decided to switch up their strategy. Rather than firing as many pellets as possible, they decided to act far more conservative with their ammunition and relied on their melee fighters to run her down.


    *If it''s dodging projectiles, I could do it all day. But this... is a snooze.*


    Being run down by a bunch of guys with sticks was no fun. Eventually, they would win with this strategy considering Jisha wasn''t even attacking.


    *... Yup. I''m going to lose if I continue like this.*


    But... How could this be? How could a maestro with 11 years of experience be run down by new players? The simple answer was that since Jisha wasn''t attacking, there would be no way for her to win by default. But if one were to look at it from a different angle, the answer would be the lack of tools at their disposal. It would be like asking a new chef and a starred chef to create the best meal out of a chunk of butter and a slice of bread. The end result would objectively be similar despite the two''s vast gap in knowledge. With so few tools, the number of possible mistakes and grasped opportunities are few. This leads to a small number of possible end results; only a small variation from the starting position is possible.


    But at the end of the day, the starred chef would still claim victory with certainty.


    *Let''s turn this around.*


    "Alright, boys. Playtime''s over."

 5-7 Omnibus - Bren’s Start

    5 - Bren''s Plan


    Bren Tchan was more excited than none other on the night of Synergy''s release. This virtual reality game had received the most hype out of any thus far. Though the developer was completely unknown, anyone who knew about Synergy *knew* this would be the game to define the new age of VR. In fact, he already formulated a plan with his six friends in order to gather experience points faster than anyone.


    *I will have to use my knowledge as an alpha tester to get ahead of the curve!*


    The general public knew next to nothing about the game, but Bren had received permission to enter the game as an alpha tester about one year prior to the game''s release allowing him to formulate this plan.


    The plan was simple.


    In Synergy, players would level up to level 1 simply by playing the game for an hour. Because of this, players would gain experience points for doing nothing. Bren also knew about the existence of War Zones and PvP basics, as well as how the leveling system worked. If you killed a player in a War Zone, they would lose up to 1 level''s worth of experience. This experience would then be transferred to you. If he killed the people who were stupid enough to walk into the War Zone, he could reach level 1 more than three times faster than the average population.


    Bren relayed this plan to his friends over the the most popular VR messaging service known as Concord on the afternoon of Synergy''s release.


    *>Brent: What do you guys think of this plan?*


    *>Allux: Great!*


    *>Molotov: We''ll definitely be ahead of everyone if we do this!*


    *>Adverse: I don''t have any better ideas.*


    *>Kenshi: As long as we''re stronger than everyone we fight, I don''t see a problem.*


    *>Liuzhi: That''s what I was going to say. What if we find someone who can beat us?*


    *>Ryozaki: ...*


    *>Brent: That should be next to impossible. How long have we been a friend group? And how long have we been playing VR games together? Though we''re not apex-tier players, you guys should all know that we''re no pushovers in VR games, especially VMA. Didn''t I tell you guys the combat mechanics are pretty similar?*


    *>Brent: Knowing this, do you guys really think someone can beat all seven of us before we hit level 1? And don''t forget that once one of us hits level 1, we''ll have no chance of losing to level 0 players whatsoever. On top of that, even if one of us dies, we can just kill whoever killed one of us, effectively loading double XP onto one of us. There are even more reasons why we shouldn''t lose, but this should be enough to convince you guys, no?*


    After hearing Bren''s extensive reasoning, there was a unanimous agreement with the plan.


    *>Brent: Great. Meet me in the Uval Hamlet. There''s a War Zone there for sure. I know we discussed this before, but make sure your character creation (model and voice mod) is ready to go so we can enter the world immediately. We have no time to lose! Remember! If this plan works, we''ll have a significantly higher chance of making varsity on the Academy''s team next year! From what I experienced in the alpha test, this game is going to be huge. There''s no way the Academy won''t have a Synergy team. I wish us all good luck!*


    With that parting message, Bren took off his Vbian-01 and got up from his bed. Or rather, "bed" was a loosely accurate word. It was more of a sleeper specialized for the comfort of playing VR games. It resembled a hammock and was much smaller than even a twin sized bed. It was only comfortable for lying down in one position, making it suboptimal for real sleep.


    Bren sighed as he looked around his room. As one might suspect of a student of the Royal Academy, the Tchan family naturally wasn''t poor. In fact, they were richer than the vast majority of the population. Despite their wealth, though, Bren lived in quite a modest room. There was only one bed, one VR sleeper (with a Vbian helmet, of course), and one desk with a traditional laptop computer. Other facilities such as the wardrobe and washrooms were installed separately.


    In a day and age where traditional computers were on the decline for more modern alternatives such as VR helmets, smartphones, and holographic projectors, Bren decided to keep a small one in his room because it gave him a rustic, homey feel.


    However, right now he was feeling anything but comfort.


    *I wonder when the tryouts are.*


    It was always Bren''s dream to become a professional virtual sports player. Though e-sports players were among the most popular "athletes" in the world, Bren had a strong feeling that v-sports would be even bigger in the future. Surprisingly, even the conservative Royal Academy was founding a VR team next year. Naturally, Bren wanted to make it to the top.


    *I''m going to be a third year at the academy. I must make varsity if I want to prove my skills!*


    The current most popular VR game was a fighting game known as Virtual Martial Arts. Bren''s friend group, colloquially known as "the Brent Clan", were also avid players of VMA. However, Bren told his friends that they should focus on Synergy the moment it was released. Since the combat mechanics were similar, he knew they would have a head start over new players.


    *There''s no way this VR game won''t become the most popular.*


    From what Bren experienced in the alpha test, Synergy contained some of the most groundbreaking technology in VR simulations. It was almost uncanny how ahead of its time the game was, even in its alpha phase.


    If he was going to become renowned for any activity, it was going to be v-sports. Bren had already set up a roadmap for his life, assuming his gamble on the v-sports market paid off. There was just one small problem...


    *Will I be good enough for varsity?*


    His confidence was lacking. He knew there were VMA players at the Royal Academy that were better than him by a significant margin.


    *What am I missing?*


    As he pondered, Bren nervously accessed the Etherless web from his laptop and searched for the next school year''s tryout date.


    *It''s... in the eighth month. I''ve got some time, but I can''t waste any of it.*


    It was currently the beginning of the third month. This gave him roughly two more months at the Academy and three months of holiday to improve.


    Bren shut off his laptop and took a deep breath to organize his thoughts.


    *I''ve planned everything so meticulously, there''s no way it''ll go wrong!*


    With that self-assurance, Bren resumed his daily activities as he awaited nightfall.


    ---


    Ten minutes before midnight, Bren booted up his Vbian-01 helmet and prepared to log into Synergy. Anxiously, he checked to see if the game would be ready to launch the moment the clock struck midnight.


    *Looks like all of the necessary files are preinstalled. I''ve got my character model and voice mod ready to go, too. All I need to do now is wait...*


    His plan was to relax the few minutes before the game''s launch, but he couldn''t help himself from deviating from the plan and checking Concord. He anxiously sent some messages to confirm everyone''s status.


    *>Brent: I can''t calm down. Is everyone ready?*


    *>Allux: Yessir, I think we''re all ready. Everyone''s got their models and voice mods prepared, too.*


    *>Brent: Perfect. Get through the starter screen as quickly as possible and meet me in the Uval Hamlet''s common area. It should be pretty easy to find.*


    *>Molotov: Yep, yep! Let''s slaughter some noobs!*


    One minute before midnight, Bren stopped chatting on Concord and opened Synergy. A countdown to the release of the game was displayed in front of him.


    ...


    *>10 seconds before the world of Synergy opens to the public!*


    ...


    5...


    4...


    3...


    2...


    1...


    *>Welcome to Synergy!*


    The countdown ended and the world turned white as these words appeared in front of him.


    "Welcome to Synergy!"


    As if on cue, Bren heard a cute feminine voice in front of him. Though a year had passed, the appearance of this miniature blonde fairy in a white dress was unchanged.


    "I am Lemieux, and I will guide you as you begin your journey in this world. Think of me as a tutorial bot!"


    *Fuck, this dialogue is exactly the same. Can''t I skip this?*


    Much less the dialogue, even the pose she struck and the tone she used was identical to last year. However, what came next was vastly different, and something that almost nobody would want to hear.


    "Oh? You''re an alpha tester. Be wary, some changes have been made before the release of the game! Don''t rely on everything you''ve previously learned!"


    Bren''s heart sank.


    *To think they would account for alpha and beta testers... This was such an obvious thing that could have happened, and yet I didn''t account for it...*


    "Beyonder, what is your name?"


    Bren grit his teeth and rushed through the starter screen as fast as he could.


    *Please let the changes be small, and please let my plan work!*


    <hr>


    6 - 7v3 Ambush


    As he entered the world, Bren was simultaneously astonished and relieved.


    *Thankfully I''ve spawned in the same spot, and it looks like the surroundings are identical, too. But it looks so real!*


    Bren was optimistic about his alpha-tester knowledge being put to good use; the only major changes he noticed were graphics and sensory updates that made the virtual world far more realistic than it had been a year prior.


    Less than a minute later, six white silhouettes appeared one by one around Bren. It went without saying that the rest of the clan had successfully logged in.


    *Fortunately, it doesn''t look like we needed to meet up at the commons. Looks like everyone made it. Just as we discussed, there are two melees and four ranged characters. Everything looks good so far.*


    Though everyone was wearing a relatively plain black outfit, there was a minor difference that distinguished a melee character from a ranged one. On the melee character''s top, there was a singular gray stripe that extended diagonally from the shoulder to the waist. On the ranged character''s top, there were two gray dots on each shoulder. Including Bren, there were three melees and four ranged. Knowing that these classes would evolve later, Bren was confident that everyone had made the right decision.


    "Holy shit! This is a VR game?"


    "For real! Everything looks incredible!"


    "Indeed, this game is years ahead of its time."


    "..."


    Though Bren was somewhat in a hurry, he empathized with his friends'' awe at the scenery and allowed them to gawk. After all, this experience was more realistic than even he had expected. Though the surroundings were bland with vast plains on the right and shabby buildings on the left, the level of sensory realism was unprecedented in the current age of VR. After a few moments, though, Bren''s impatience got the best of him.


    "Ahem... This is indeed far more realistic than anyone could imagine, but do remember that we have a mission to fulfill."


    "Ah, yes..."


    "Why don''t we enjoy the scenery along the way?"


    With a unanimous agreement, the crew turned to Bren for further instructions.


    "Alright, follow me!"


    Though the Uval Hamlet was merely a hamlet and supposedly the location of the smallest tier, it was still a couple hundred square metron in size. Since every player''s maximum speed was similar to real life, it would take a minimum of a few minutes to go from one side to the other at a full sprint. The fact that there were thousands, if not tens of thousands of hamlets meant that the scale of the world was massive, easily dwarfing that of any previous VR world. As this thought permeated through everyone''s minds, the crew was once again astonished at how logistically insane this product was.


    Around them were wooden buildings of an ancient era and NPCs that behaved almost like real people. There was a small fountain in the center of the hamlet; this location was referred to as the commons. There was background chatter, NPCs entering and exiting buildings, and good and services being sold. It was almost as if they were truly in another world.


    Because of the crew''s leisurely pace, it took them around 5 minutes to reach their desired destination.


    The Uval Cemetery.


    The feeling of realism didn''t dissipate one bit when they approached it. Rather, it increased. Even though it was daytime, visiting an empty cemetery wasn''t something this crew would normally do in real life. The fact that the cemetery was located on a plains-like area with little to no natural obstructions didn''t diminish the creepy feeling at all. These things in tandem with the fact that they were truly in an unknown world made the experience far more harrowing that it ordinarily would be. After all, this was a VR world where just about anything could exist. Even Bren, who had studied this area before, was slightly on edge.


    "Alright, everyone, listen up. I know this place feels creepy, but you guys have to trust me on this one. Other than being a War Zone, there is nothing unordinary about this graveyard. Besides, even if there were, nothing will happen to your real bodies. Remember that this is just a virtual world!"


    Since Bren had extensively discussed his plan with the group beforehand, everyone understood the concept of a War Zone.


    If it was anyone else relaying this information, Allux and the others would have been highly skeptical. However, these 7 members trusted each other with their lives. Though they expressed some concern, they trusted Bren''s words wholeheartedly.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    As everyone followed Bren into the cemetery, the same system notification popped up for everyone.


    *>System message: You are now entering a War Zone. >Expand for details.*


    "Now, all we need to do is ambush anyone who shows up. Hide behind the tombstones so we''re out of the line of sight of the entrance. We''ll need to hide in a U-shaped pattern so we can easily collapse on anyone who walks into the middle of our formation. Alright, move out!"


    Nobody would approach seven people standing menacingly in the middle of a cemetery. After all, they would frighten players if the spooky atmosphere weren''t enough.


    At this instruction, the crew each hid behind individual tombstones out of sight of the entrance. Since they could no longer communicate simply by talking, Bren pulled up his HUD and sent a friend request to the six members and added them to a new group titled "Brent Clan".


    *>Adverse: Are you sure people will show up? This place is creepy enough to drive people away from it.*


    *>Brent: Trust me, there will be at least a couple people who decide to come. There will always be at least one lunatic enticed by unsettling things.*


    Bren''s words were prophetic. In less than 10 seconds, a group of three unsuspecting players passed through the entrance. Similar to Bren''s clan, they were expressing their apprehension of the area.


    *Uh... They''re all melees?*


    At a glance, Bren noticed something poor about the party structure. Traditionally, there would be at least one ranged unit in a group of three to make up for the weakness of long-ranged attacks. Of course, this wasn''t an ironclad rule. There were definitely rulebreakers in the past, but defying orthodoxy while being efficient was something only someone incredibly skilled or lucky could do. He couldn''t say for certain, but these players probably didn''t carry either of those characteristics.


    *>Brent: Remember, everyone has 10 HP and each attack deals at least 1 HP of damage. The cooldown on your attacks is 1 second, so keep that in mind while fighting. If all of us target one of them, they should fall within two seconds. It''s also good news that they''re all melees. I''ll decide who to target. Wait for my signal.*


    Since the attacking speed of a level 0 character was once per second, seven players attacking simultaneously could remove 10 HP from a player in less than 2 seconds. This timing was sufficient for an ambush. After all, everyone was new to this game. It would be stranger if the ambushed players had a contingency plan.


    The seven clan members waited behind various tombstones in anticipation of their first battle in Synergy.


    ...


    Minutes passed with no signs of the three players making any significant movement, and the crew was getting impatient. Even Bren, who was supposed to be the moral support, was beginning to feel anxious. He was faced with a decision - to either take action or keep waiting.


    *Hmm... I suspected something like this would happen...*


    Either choice he made would be a gamble, but...


    *This whole operation was a gamble in the first place.*


    Being the leader of the group, Bren was tasked to make key decisions in times of need. He was the shot caller that his team trusted. The position as both the clan leader and shot caller gave him a huge authority, but it was also a burden.


    *Something something about power and responsibility...*


    It was truly a double edged sword. The main reason Bren had taken up this position was that it would give him more experience, hoping to use this experience to catalyze his growth. He had faced many decisions in the past that were more difficult than this one, so Bren didn''t hesitate for long.


    *>Brent: Okay, team. I know you guys are getting a bit anxious sitting here doing nothing. We''re gonna try to lure them over here. These folks seem morbidly curious anyway, so we''ll grab their attention. Molotov!*


    *>Molotov: Aye!*


    In other games, Molotov was an expert in projectile physics and demolition. Even with minimal communication from the team leader, he knew exactly what needed to be done.


    Accessing the inventory was simple - one simply had to say "Inventory" with intention or will it open.


    Using his thoughts, Molotov snagged a Ranged Starter Pellet from his inventory and threw it into the center of the U-shaped formation about 5 metron away.


    As Bren had hoped, the projectile created a small disturbance in the grass, catching the three players'' attention. Seemingly somewhat startled, the three players briefly discussed amongst themselves before deciding to discover the source of the disturbance together.


    *>Kenshi: Damn, that actually worked? Are these guys players or NPCs?*


    *>Bren: Nice one, Molotov! As soon as they''re in the center of the formation, we''ll target... BraveBaloney69. What a name... After he''s down, go wild on the other two. We have a good chance of taking both of them out as well!*


    The clan impatiently waited for the group of three to approach the center.


    10 metron...


    9...


    Slowly but steadily, the trio apprehensively approached the middle of the cemetery, looking around frantically for any unusual signs. However, the Brent Clan hid exquisitely behind the tombstones so that they wouldn''t be spotted from the trio''s line of sight.


    5 metron...


    4...


    3...


    2...


    1...


    The clan collectively held their breaths and readied their weapons as they waited for Bren''s signal.


    As the unsuspecting BraveBaloney69''s final step landed in the center...


    *>Brent: NOW!*


    Everyone received the message.


    All Brent Clan members simultaneously shot out from behind seven distinct tombstones, undoubtedly frightening the surrounded trio.


    "What the hell?!"


    Predictably, the trio''s teamwork and decision making was not nearly as good as the Clan''s. Whereas Brent would be able to make a split-second decision in this scenario, the trio were momentarily frozen in shock before fumbling around helplessly. Neither the team''s shot caller nor leader was unable to give any semblance of guidance, which inevitably led to their demise.


    Before the trio was even prepared to run...


    *THWACK!*


    -1


    -2


    -1


    ...


    ... Pellets and sticks assaulted the poor BraveBaloney69 who was struck about 10 times in less than two seconds.


    His corpse crashed to the ground and dissipated into particles of white light which eventually transformed into a fine white mist. The mist was absorbed by the seven players of the Clan, increasing their experience value by a small amount. What remained where he lay was a singular Melee Starter Stick that was free to pick up.


    The reward lay on the ground, but the Brent Clan was diligent and responsible. They would follow their leader''s words and complete the mission before rejoicing. The Clan immediately targeted the next closest player and started smacking him.


    At this point, the two players understood what was going on and finally responded...


    "It''s an ambush! Run!"


    "You think I didn''t notice? You''re such a terrible teammate!"


    "Then why didn''t you say anything until I did?? And Baloney''s dead!"


    ... very poorly.


    In a team where members didn''t trust each other, nobody wanted to shoulder the blame for a mishap. This led to immediate strife between the two. What little teamwork they may have had plummeted to nothing. In fact, they even began working against each other subconsciously. Due to this, despite understanding what was happening and being able to fight back, the second player fell almost as quickly as the first.


    The third player abandoned all hopes of winning a fight and turned around to flee. However, he was unable to outrun a group of seven players where four of them were ranged. In another couple of seconds, the third and final player fell to the ground, also dissipating into light and mist.


    <hr>


    7 - 7v18 Confrontation


    "... we did it?"


    "Yup, we did it."


    "... All right!!"


    It wasn''t a large victory by any means. After all, the Clan was way more likely to win with 7 players ambushing 3. If they somehow lost, they would be better off quitting VR games forever.


    However, the victory was a significant one. It was their first win in a new world.


    Yes. In that moment, what was supposed to be a game truly felt like another world. Of course, because it was ultimately a game, the Clan didn''t feel any remorse about taking a life; it was simply a player that would eventually respawn and go about their day. But their immersion in the world was deep. Synergy was almost blurring the lines between fact and fiction - this is what the Clan felt.


    *These feelings, this battle, this victory, and this world... They might as well be real. We''ve opened a new door for ourselves.*


    To Bren, this situation was very real and had real consequences in his life. Virtual reality was his second reality.


    However, they didn''t have much time to celebrate. Bren quickly noticed an anomaly.


    *The experience bar has filled up way slower than I thought it would.*


    Bren thought they would only need to kill a couple of players to level up to 1, but it seemed like the experience gained from killing players in a War Zone had been reduced significantly.


    *I think we can still do it.*


    Bren made a quick calculation and determined that it would still be worth it to continue fighting players.


    *It''ll still be significantly faster than any other method.*


    In fact, Bren didn''t know of any other methods to level up from 0 to 1 quickly, so this was indeed better than the default route of simply waiting for the experience bar to fill up.


    *Since there''s nothing we can do about it, we just have to be happy with what we''ve got.*


    "Alright, clan. Pick up all of their weapons. For ranged units, the extra pellets will be handy. As for melees-"


    "Hey, Bren. Check this out."


    "Oh? Is there something else within the loot?"


    "Yea... It looks like the guy running away was carrying a ton of food. Actually, it looks like it could even be 30 coppers'' worth..."


    When you died in a War Zone, you would lose every item in your inventory as well as all of the money you had. Since the 3 players hadn''t dropped any money, it was fair to assume they spent it all.


    The clan was collectively dumbfounded and grateful. Who would spend their entire bank account on food?


    "Those guys were really dumb, huh..."


    "I mean... Yeah. Did you see how easily we beat them up?"


    "True... Does the food have any special effects or status bonuses? Or are they just trash items? For 30 coppers'' worth, they better do something."


    "Yup, they indeed do something. Actually, they''re all the same item, and there''s 6 of them. Looks like each of them was meant to take two. Here, Bren. Take a look."


    Bren received the 6 food items from his clanmate and looked at the stats.


    *>Name: Cinnamon Bun*


    *>Type: Foodstuff (Edible, Consumable)*


    *>Description: A surfeit of sweet! Eloquently punctuates any meal.*


    *>Rating: F*


    *>Abilities: +1 HP/s for 10 seconds upon consumption.*


    "Yea, these will be really useful. This is a great find."


    The Cinnamon Bun granted the consumer 10 hit points of regeneration over a 10 second period. Bren didn''t know how fast the natural regeneration was, but at level 0, it was way, WAY slower than 1 per second.


    *These seem incredibly worth it for 5 copper a piece at level 0. Looks like they weren''t as dumb as we might have assumed.*


    Bren almost immediately decided on how to distribute the Cinnamon Buns.


    "Alright, I''ll be giving one to everyone except Allux. I hope you understand."


    "No problem."


    Bren decided on this distribution because melees were more likely to take damage, so he gave all of them one, including himself. In fact, they had taken a small bit of damage already. And for the ranged players, it was safe to call Allux the most skilled and therefore least likely to take damage. So, Bren decided to give one to everyone else.


    "Alright. This method seems to work pretty well, so we''ll hide behind the tombstones again."


    "Uh, Bren. About that, I don''t think it''ll work this time."


    "Oh? ... I see."


    As Bren decided to follow his philosophy of "if it isn''t broken, don''t fix it", Adverse pointed out a fatal flaw.


    A large group of players had gathered outside the War Zone and were looking in, and they seemed rather displeased.


    ---


    "So... Jackalope. Do you have any business with us?"


    The leader of this group, called Jackalope, entered the War Zone alone. Of course, the Clan didn''t mean to harm him; agitating the group wasn''t necessary. Bren hoped to adopt a non-inflammatory dialogue, but...


    "Business with you? Why would you assume that we would NOT have business with you?"


    "Because... we haven''t done anything to you guys. We''re just trying to-"


    "NONSENSE!"


    Bren''s explanation was cut short by Jackalope''s maniacal shout.


    "YOU!... have teamed up on the weak! You are despicable! Do you know what we are called?"


    "Uh... no."


    "We are the Justice Warroirs!"


    Jackalope proudly held up a sign that said "Warroirs" in a flashy cyan.


    "We fight who they are unjust! And YOU! Have teamed up on the weak! So WE! Will have to destroy you!"


    The Clan was speechless and immediately began sending private messages to each other.


    *>Liuzhi: This guy''s lost it. Where did he even get that sign?*


    *>Allux: Of course he has. They''ve even misspelled their own name.*


    *>Kenshi: Let''s just kill him?*


    *>Adverse: I''m not against that suggestion, but there are 17 people behind him.*


    *>Molotov: You counted them?*


    After processing the events that took place, Bren cleared his throat and spoke again.


    "... Are you serious?"


    "Of course! You do not understand the Warroir creed. We have witnessed unjustness, so we will take you down!"


    "Is there really no way around this?"


    "Of course not! Hmph! When I was a very young boy-"


    *>Brent: Melees, charge. Ranged units, fire.*


    -1


    -3


    -1


    ...


    The second Bren sent the command, Jackalope was pelted almost 10 times by sticks and pellets. Before he could properly react, his HP bar rapidly dropped to zero and his corpse fell onto the ground, dissipating into white light and mist.


    Bren wasted no time - he immediately issued a declaration of war.


    "I don''t want to hear your backstory. If you''ve already decided to attack us, bring it on."


    With the leader of the Warroirs immediately taken down, the rest of the group seemed deterred for a few moments.


    "What? Did you guys see that? He was taken out instantly!"


    "These guys think they''re pretty good, huh?"


    "But there''s still a ton of us left. We severely outnumber them... I think. Are they dumb?"


    "What are we waiting for, then? Charge!"


    However, a few moments was all it lasted. The Warroirs were convinced that they could overwhelm the Clan with their superior numbers. After all, it was a good assumption from their point of view. There were 17 of them and only 7 in the Clan, outnumbering them over 2 to 1. In any normal situation, the Warroirs would have overrun the less populous group.


    But this wasn''t a normal situation.


    *>Brent: Basic formation!*


    After Jackalope died, Bren immediately recognized something about their group.


    *They don''t have a chain of command after their leader.*


    Even in the small group of 7 in the Brent Clan there were secondary, tertiary and even quaternary leaders. If Bren were to die, Allux would immediately assume leadership, resulting in a minimal loss of direction in a high pressure situation. However, the Warroirs had no secondary leader. When Jackalope died, nobody had stepped up to take the lead, meaning they were now a group of headless chickens.


    *Perfect.*


    *>Brent: They have no commander! Maintain formation!*


    What could a mindless mob accomplish against a tactical troop? If the mob was large enough, the group would be overrun. However...


    *>Brent: They have minimal fighting experience. Show them what we''re made of!*


    Bren was experienced enough in combat to immediately recognize that the horde of oncoming players had little to no VR combat experience. The Clan was different - they were skilled Virtual Martial Arts players.


    *>Brent: Remember that the combat mechanics of this game are similar to VMA! Those who have recovery items, use them now!*


    *>Allux: Roger that!*


    So, what was the result when 17 newbies faced off against 7 skilled players?


    *>Brent: Melees take 3, ranged take 2. Keep targeting them as long as they live!*


    It wasn''t even a contest.


    "You guys don''t even have a commander. Why are you still fighting?"


    Bren took on three players with ease.


    *THWACK!* *THWACK!* *THWACK!*


    "Learn how to move properly before challenging us. You guys suck!"


    Kenshi furiously swatted at the players as if they were flies.


    *THWACK!* *THWACK!* *THWACK!*


    "..."


    Ryozaki silently struck down the enemy.


    *THWACK!* *THWACK!* *THWACK!*


    "Do you really think you''ll catch up to me if you run like that?"


    Allux was baffled by the adversary''s lack of talent.


    *THWACK!* *THWACK!* *THWACK!*


    "Wow, guys. Maybe if you try REALLY hard, you''ll be able to run faster! Just kidding! You''re slow as fuck!"


    Molotov cooked up a storm of pellets, landing each one with pinpoint precision.


    *THWACK!* *THWACK!* *THWACK!*


    "What are you guys doing? At least TRY to dodge."


    Adverse calmly tossed projectiles at his foes as if he were throwing paper into a wastebasket.


    *THWACK!* *THWACK!* *THWACK!*


    "You tripped over your own teammate. Good luck getting back up."


    *THWACK!* *THWACK!* *THWACK!*


    Liuzhi skillfully bobbed and weaved through the onslaught of pellets.


    The battle was one-sided.


    As each of the Warroirs perished, they spouted useless lines, like "You''ll never get away with this!" and "If you keep bullying the weak, God will bestow divine punishment upon you..." but the Clan scoffed at their nonsense.


    "You want to protect the weak, but you should probably start by being able to protect yourselves..."


    The action was over. 17 corpses were remaining in the aftermath. Those 17 corpses eventually dissipated into white light and mist, which was distributed unevenly among the Clan.


    "It''s over... ha!"


    Though none of them were moving their physical bodies, they were aware of their raised heart rates following the adrenaline rush of mental strain.


    Though it was a one-sided battle, the Clan didn''t come out unscathed.


    As the commander, Bren was able to view the experience and health bars of his clanmates.


    Though none of them were particularly close to death, he determined that the damage they took wouldn''t allow them to fight again. After all, they had no more recovery items.


    *>Brent: It looks like the experience earned was divided according to damage dealt. It doesn''t look like any of us actually hit level 1, but we should in roughly 3 minutes. Good job, team!*


    "Woooooo!"


    "Yea!"


    "Let''s gooooooooo team!"


    A triumphant cacophony emanated from a graveyard. If this scene were to happen in reality, the authorities may have been notified. However, this was a game, so no one minded the strange nature of this event. Rather...


    "Are you kidding me? That smaller group of guys took out that huge group of players?"


    A small crowd had formed at the edge of the graveyard. Those who had witnessed the whole series of events originally thought the Warroirs would emerge victorious. However, they couldn''t have been more wrong.


    "Who are they? Are they martial arts masters or something?"


    "Maybe. I think one of the melee players was using the Arsen sword technique? If my eyes aren''t deceiving me, he should be pretty good with a sword in real life..."


    "Really? Are real-life martial arts techniques viable in this game?"


    "I''m not completely sure, but the outcome of that battle looks clear to me."


    A realization was made by the public that day - martial arts techniques from reality were applicable in the world of Synergy. This was huge news! It meant that stats and game knowledge would not be the only determining factors of a battle. This would open the door to a potentially high skill cap within the game, something that would be extremely important for a game''s competitive scene. If a game was likely to have a competitive scene, there would be money involved. Money moved the world - if you could earn money from a game like Synergy, wouldn''t your life be set?


    This was something that Bren already predicted from his experience in the alpha servers, which was why he did not want to waste a single moment alive. And if battles would be worth money...


    *So will items!*


    *>Brent: Gather their loot. Scour the ground!*


    At Bren''s command, the Clan got on their hands and knees and picked up everything they could find.


    *>Adverse: Why are we picking these things up? Aren''t they just trash starter items?*


    *>Brent: Nope, they''re upgradeable at level 1. The pellets are consumable items, so it''s great to have a surplus. As for the sticks... You don''t get another one when you respawn. Don''t ask how I know.*


    *>Liuzhi: I see. We can also prevent them from getting ahead.*


    *>Brent: Yup. Even though they were unskilled and uncoordinated, they were a large and very charismatic group. That''s all you need to take down a few people at level 0 - it''ll be great if they no longer have weapons. It was unfortunate that they ran into us.*


    *>Ryozaki: ...*


    Bren didn''t need to explain why he was doing anything. The Clan didn''t really need to know, either. They trusted him, and he trusted them. Even without the explanation, the Clan would do his bidding.


    But Bren felt more comfortable explaining why he was doing something. It wasn''t his style to leave his friends in the dark. Hence, his explanation was more than sufficient to keep the group searching the ground for a few minutes.


    "... Hey. Won''t the club president be thrilled when he sees what we''ve collected?"


    Kenshi broke the mundane silence with an intriguing question. This was definitely an interesting topic for conversation, since all of the Brent Clan was looking to join the Academy''s team next year.


    "Why would he? They''re just starter items," Adverse refuted.


    "But it proves we''re not trash at PvP, doesn''t it?" Kenshi retorted.


    "I guess that''s true. After all, Starter Sticks and Starter Pellets are proof of kills," Adverse acquiesced.


    "How many have we collected so far?" Liuzhi asked.


    *>Brent: Everyone, send a snapshot of your inventory.*


    As Bren received the proof of their work, he quickly tallied up the number of items claimed.


    "Uh... In total, we''ve got 11 sticks and 413 pellets..."


    *Holy crap, that''s a lot.*


    "Bren, we can''t find anything else. I think we''ve picked everything up," Allux chimed.


    "Alright. If that''s all, let''s redistribute the loot accordingly to our classes. Give all the items to me for a sec. There''s an easy way to do this," said Bren.


    Distributing over 400 items would be a chore if you had to give them out one by one. During his alpha testing phase, Bren had discovered that you could share items instantly with consenting friends as long as they were within 1.5 metron of you and both players had sufficient inventory space.


    After relaying this information to his friends, items flooded into his inventory. This sight was truly one to behold.


    *Yup, I''m saving a snap of this.*


    With proof of his accomplishments saved to his system, he redistributed the loot accordingly. Allux received 105 pellets, Adverse, Molotov, and Liuzhi received 104. Kenshi and Ryozaki received 4 sticks as well, leaving Bren with the remaining 3.


    *>Brent: That''s enough for now. We''re out of combat now, and there''s no one else in the War Zone. We''ll be able to teleport back to the center of the hamlet without worry.*


    In order to teleport back to base, one needed to be within a certain range of a Safe Zone and be out of combat. Once these conditions were fulfilled, all you needed to do was willfully execute the command with your mind. Of course, there was an option in the visual interface as well, but Bren was fluent with a couple of commands due to his alpha experience.


    *Returning to base...!*


    *>System Alert: Unable to return to safety - there are enemies nearby!*


    *>Brent: Huh?*


    *>Allux: Uh... Bren on Etmos? Are you there?*


    *>Ryozaki: ...*


    The return command failed. Bren knew they were still in range of the Safe Zone, so the other option was that the system deemed that they were still in combat. Bren immediately pinpointed the issue - the fact that a non-ally existed in the same War Zone counted as being in combat.


    *>Brent: Fuck, we can''t return just yet. It looks like someone else wants to fight us...*


    "... wait wait wait!!!"

 8 - Level 0 Concerto

    *>Brent: That''s strange. There''s only one?*


    The Brent Clan had ambushed 3 players and fended off 18. They had defeated 21 players in total. There was a crowd that exceeded that number that was spectating from the edge of the War Zone. Yet, even this large group of players was hesitant to band together and take down the Clan. After all, these were random players that didn''t have a leader, nor did they have the charisma and willpower of the Warroirs. Since they weren''t unified, they could easily turn on each other.


    In addition, some people had noticed their experience bars fill up automatically at level 0, concluding that they would automatically level up after a period of time. The consensus among the crowd was that it was not worth it to confront the Clan; they would rather idle their way to level 1.


    Yet, despite this, a single user was confronting the seven. It was surely strange. The clan couldn''t help but voice their surprise.


    "What''s this, a little girl came to play?"


    The avatar in front of them was wearing a plain black outfit with two gray dots on its shoulders indicating that it was ranged. Named Fae Sol, it appeared to be that of a girl of approximately 15 to 17 years of age. However, it was a game world. An avatar of a player betrayed nothing about the user''s true looks, but the fact that the avatar was female could hint at a couple of things about the user''s personality. In this region, men were less likely to use female avatars, so it was indeed more likely the user in front of them was a woman.


    "Those starter items. Instead of throwing them away, you should just give them to me."


    *>Kenshi: Huh?*


    The words that came out of the girl''s mouth made no sense. It wasn''t just Kenshi - the entire Clan was struck with confusion. Not only did a solo user challenge seven others, but her demand made zero sense.


    "Hahahahaha...!"


    In such a bewildered state, the Clan could do nothing but laugh. Was the user of the female avatar a man or a woman? At this point, it seemed likely it was a masochistic man. It was unlikely for a woman to begin such a confrontation. And...


    "Is that a joke? You should become a comedian. You''d be the funniest woman in history."


    "I know, right? It''s already funny enough that she wants to collect garbage, but it''s even funnier that she wants to take stuff from us!"


    Women weren''t treated as equals in the Slyker Dynasty. In fact, the entirety of the "Abandoned Northeast", or the northeast region of Etmos was the same way. Though the technology of this region was deemed pseudo-futuristic, the cultural values seemed relatively outdated compared to the rest of the world. This was especially true when you compared them with the Southwest, which was gaining a lot of female participation in traditionally male-dominant roles.


    Because of the disparity between the sexes, men oftentimes made male avatars, but there were exceptions. It was these reasons that the Clan could guess Fae Sol was likely to be a man. However, the Clan still treated Fae Sol as a woman, because that''s how she appeared to them.


    Just because jokes like this were made didn''t mean the Clan was evil or misogynistic - this was just how society in the Abandoned Northeast functioned.


    "Girl, who are you even with?"


    His clanmates'' pestering made Bren feel slightly uneasy, so he offered her a pressure-abating question. However...


    "With? I''m alone."


    His efforts backfired. The Clan was shocked into silence once again, surprised that Fae Sol would boldly admit her solitude.


    "... Hey, are you serious?"


    "I guess... she isn''t joking? This isn¡¯t even funny anymore. Let''s just get rid of her."


    "One more kill, and let''s report to the club president!"


    "Mhm. We can definitely join the Academy''s VR team and maybe even rank up to varsity next year!"


    Fae was already as good as free experience in the Clan''s eyes, so they began making statements as if their leveling jumpstart was a success. However, as if oblivious to the connotation of their words, Fae spoke up once again with the same nonchalant tone.


    "Hold on, did you say the Academy? By chance, do you mean the Royal Academy?"


    The Royal Academy was the most prestigious secondary school in the region, so the Clan couldn''t miss their opportunity to boast a bit.


    "Oh, it looks like the little girl knows something about it? Though it would be odd if you didn''t. That''s right, we''re on the Royal Academy''s VR club team. Since you know that much, we''ll let you go."


    "No, that''s not it. I''m an alumnus of the academy. It really brings back memories."


    "What? ... Wait, how old are you?"


    Wacky statements left her mouth one after the other. How likely was it that they would meet someone that graduated from the top secondary school in the region, which encompassed multiple countries and territories? Synergy was merely a game, something that was a pastime for people with extra time on their hands. In addition, it was seen as a low-brow children''s activity among the elite class. Why would a societal elite who was, at the youngest, in their early twenties be playing Synergy? The odds of encountering such a person were astronomically low. In conclusion, Fae Sol was most likely a masochist and a liar.


    "Okay. Now she''s just saying random shit. She''s either actually fifteen years old or they''ve modified their voice and body to look like an fifteen year old girl. We''ve definitely caught a weirdo. Next thing you know, she''s going to claim to be a time traveler. Can we just kill her already?"


    If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    "Yea, no point in delaying further."


    >*Brent: There''s only one enemy. Deal with her however you want.*


    "You think you can kill me? I *am* a time traveler, by the way."


    Ignoring that last bit of crucial information that came from Fae Sol''s mouth, Molotov lobbed a pellet at her from a blind spot. Fae wouldn''t have seen this pellet thrown, as it was thrown out from behind the body of Kenshi, who was positioned closer to the front of the cemetery''s entrance. The cheap tactic failed, as Fae barely sidestepped in order to dodge. Though it looked ordinary, Bren didn''t miss how she moved.


    *>Brent: It looks like this isn''t an ordinary enemy - that movement was really minimal. Don''t drag this out; finish her off quickly!*


    *>All: Got it!*


    In an un-orderly fashion, a hail of pellets descended onto Fae who dodged them easily. However, this was not unexpected.


    *>Liuzhi: At a rate of 4 pellets per second, there''s no way we''ll hit her at this distance.*


    Liuzhi''s analysis was accurate. The enemy was standing approximately 15 metron away, and the throwing strength of a level 0 ranged unit was equivalent to an average human''s. In addition, level 0 attacks were restricted to one per second, and there were 4 ranged units in the Clan. Though some uncoordinated individuals may take multiple hits, Bren''s warning had already set the Clan''s expectations.


    *>Brent: You''re right. Everyone, close the distance and surround her!*


    With this command, all seven members moved in unison to cut off the enemy''s path of retreat. At this point, nobody in the Clan was considering that the singular adversary could escape. They began to create a horseshoe formation around the entrance of the cemetery. It was impossible to leave a War Zone if the system deemed you were in combat. Due to this, it would be a perfect encirclement. Though Fae hadn''t taken any damage, she existed in the same War Zone as a non-ally. This was enough for the system to consider her "in combat". While in combat, no one was allowed to leave the War Zone unless one side perished. Of course, the Clan didn''t let up their constant rain of pellets. With the loot they had collected, limited ammunition was a non-issue.


    The seven members began to circle in, but the adversary did something slightly unexpected - she sprinted towards her left. Due to the Clan having an odd number of members, one side would naturally be less guarded. In this case, the threatened side only had 3 defenders, while the idle side had 4.


    *So not only is her movement good, but so are her decision-making capabilities... She''s definitely a skilled player.*


    Though Bren''s respect for the foe grew, in his mind, Fae was still as good as dead. Not only was it a one versus seven scenario, but the seven would level up soon from the automatic experience granted from the system at level 0. He didn''t know how close she was to level 1, but it was impossible for her to be closer to it than the Clan. During the alpha testing phase, Bren had scoured the Uval Hamlet for any clues on how to level up faster. No method was faster than killing players in a War Zone. Even though the public release of the game had decreased this amount, Bren was still confident that it was the fastest method.


    Regardless, her decision-making was still excellent. In a split second, she determined that she had to avoid being surrounded. And since she couldn''t leave the cemetery due to being "in combat", she predicted how the Clan would move in order to surround her and dashed towards the less-defended side.


    *>Brent: Allux and Molotov, we''ll collapse on her! The rest, fan out!*


    Though the words were few, the command was clear. Bren, Allux, and Molotov, the ones on the less-defended side, rushed at Fae directly, while Adverse, Kenshi, Liuzhi, and Ryozaki fanned out in a straight line perpendicular to the cemetery wall and began running parallel to it.


    The Uval Cemetery was a perfect square in shape with the entrance being in the middle of one of its edges. It was 500 by 500 metron (unusually large for a structure in the territory of a hamlet), and it was bordered with smooth and extremely tall stone walls. In other words, though it would take a level 0 character about a minute and a half to run from one side to the other, it was impossible for one to leave the cemetery from anywhere other than the exit.


    Though victory should be certain, the strange nature of the course of events thus far made Bren feel uneasy. Why did a solitary player walk into the cemetery after onlookers had witnessed the Clan''s performance?


    *Did she not hear about what we did? That''s not possible - everyone out there was talking about us. What''s her plan? There''s no way she''s just planning to die. If that were the case, she would have already done it. Is she planning to stall us out? Will she no longer be considered "in combat" after a certain period of time? That shouldn''t be possible... If that were true, I would have heard about it. Is there a secret exit somewhere? I guess it''s possible, the odds are low. I definitely scoured most of the ground here. Is there a secret method to somehow annihilate all of us? That would be insane. Is she... practicing her combat skills?*


    Bren thought that the last option was a likely possibility. Level 0 was the least significant level in terms of experience required to level up, and the beginning phases of the game were also the most lenient when it came to player deaths. The more Bren thought about this, the more he realized that it was a pretty smart move. As a training maniac himself, Bren couldn''t help but inwardly applaud.


    *A pretty reliable training method. Too bad that it won''t last long.*


    If everything went according to Bren''s plan, the Clan would catch up to Fae with ease. The ranged units would throw pellets at her nonstop, forcing her to dodge. These dodges would result in a time loss, as she would need to deviate from the optimal zigzag line through the rows of tombstones in order to do so. Though the running made the ranged units'' throws more inaccurate, it wouldn''t result in any reduction in their speed. Since all level 0 units were the same speed, they would eventually catch up. However...


    *>Molotov: What the hell is going on here? It''s like she''s not even dodging!*


    Fae''s time loss was minimal. In fact, it was almost as if she were running normally with no pellets in her way.


    Almost.


    *>Allux: Indeed... It''s like she has eyes in the back of her head. We are definitely gaining on her, though, so don''t give up.*


    Of course, it was impossible for her to maintain full speed while dodging. Level 0 avatars weren''t incorporeal. However, the fact that she wasn''t slowed down very much was a testament to her skill.


    *>Brent: Keep firing - our formation is airtight. She wouldn''t be able to turn around now even if she wanted to.*


    The seven players were expertly running Fae along the side of the wall, leaving her with no option but to press forward. Eventually, they would hit the corner of the Zone, making it simple to surround and kill her. This was the plan, but...


    "..."


    "What..."


    "How...?"


    Fae leaped off the ground, split-step fashion, and seamlessly continued her run atop the tombstones as if it were nothing special.


    In context, how impressive was this?


    One unique aspect of the Uval Cemetery was that the further from the entrance you ventured, the taller the tombstones became. Though the tombstones were below waist height at first, they were over 1.5 metron tall at this point. To be able to lift yourself to that height with the strength of an average person was a masterclass in jump timing. Not only that, but each row of tombstones was approximately 2 metron apart from each other. Though it made for an extremely crowded running space, it was extremely difficult to run and jump with a precise stride length of two metron. And finally, the tops of the tombstones were rounded and slick, which resulted in insubstantial footing. This was nothing short of a weight distribution and balance spectacle.


    However, this seemed like a dumb move. Since the tombstones were getting taller, why would she jump on top of them? They would soon exceed 2-3 metron in height, and running through the cemetery would be akin to running through a dense forest. It would be much easier to dodge and avoid contact with others by running through the gaps. Since Fae was on top of the stones, though, it made her an easy target for all of the ranged units. It was true that melees would eventually be no longer able to reach her, but this tradeoff didn''t seem worth it.


    *What''s going on here?*


    Bren felt like something was off. There was no way a skilled player like her didn''t know what she was doing.


    "Everyone, stop."


    Bren made sure to say this out loud so that Fae could hear. Within two seconds, everyone came to a standstill. There were two reasons for this.


    The first was that he wanted to establish his enemy''s motive.


    "...Hey. Why aren''t you attacking?"


    Though it was phrased like this, he really meant, "What the hell are you doing?"


    Fae was purely on the defensive. In Bren''s mind, there was no way for her to win this fight without firing a single pellet. But...


    "Because I don''t need to."


    "..."


    Her answer betrayed nothing.


    "Bren, she''s clearly making fun of us. If she continues like this, we''ll eventually win anyway. Why don''t we just continue?"


    This was the second reason - by simply waiting one more minute, Bren would level up to 1, and the rest would level up shortly after. Logically, there was no way they could lose a 7v1. But what if it somehow happened? That was impossible; how *could* it happen?


    *Something doesn''t feel right, though.*


    Bren held doubt, and he was hoping that it would be removed if they were to out-level their opponent.


    But Bren''s doubts would soon come to manifest.


    "Alright, boys. Playtime''s over."

 9-12 Omnibus - 1v7 Domination

    (1)


    At this moment, Jisha was on top of a tombstone in the Uval Cemetery, close to one of the corners of the War Zone. She was currently being chased by seven enemies, four of which were ranged and could easily hit her from this position.


    Why was she in such a vulnerable position?


    *Where is it...*


    She was looking for something.


    What was she looking for? Well...


    *>System message: Quest Information.*


    *>Name: Grave Robbery*


    *>Description: The adopted daughter of the late Shahar has given you the key to a certain tombstone. Open it to see what''s inside.*


    *>Rating: F*


    Of course, it was Shahar''s tombstone.


    *I swear it was around here somewhere.*


    The quest was ranked F, but that didn''t mean it could be completed in a few seconds. There was no combat difficulty, either, but that didn''t imply no difficulty whatsoever. F rank quests weren''t so simple in the early game.


    In the early stages of Synergy, basically everything was ranked F, whether it was items or quests. An F ranked quest would still be difficult for someone of a low level, and could even be impossible for a level 0. As players leveled up, they would be able to tackle higher and higher ranked quests. Though a quest that was ranked D was currently impossible for everyone, leveling up would inherently make said quest easier. In the near future, a rank D quest would become the player base''s average capability, and they would soon surpass that as well.


    Anyway, Jisha was currently searching for her objective atop this vantage point, hoping to jog her memory.


    *Hm... That pattern of tombstones looks familiar. I''m starting to remember the layout around here.*


    Unlike normal cemeteries, which had tombstones in orderly rows, the Uval Cemetery''s tombstones were arranged in a seemingly random layout. If looked at from far above, they would create something akin to pixel art of Shahar''s emblem, though this wouldn''t be discovered for a long time.


    Finding a pattern in a patch of tombstones that she thought was familiar, she stylishly leaned backwards off the edge, rolling to avoid fall damage.


    *Though... "Playtime''s over?" That sounds like some sort of chuuni line I would spout when I was 12 or 13.*


    "...! Find her!"


    A panicked voice sounded out, which Jisha recognized as Bren''s.


    *You thought you could lock me down in a corner of the map, huh? If it was anyone else, though, it would have worked...*


    After jumping off the tombstone, she was immediately out of sight of all 7 members of the Clan. In this area of the cemetery, the tombstones were well over 2.5 metron in height, and with there only being a couple metron between each stone, visibility was extremely low.


    *These guys aren''t incompetent, though.*


    As mentioned earlier, if she were an ordinary opponent, she would have quickly been cornered and killed. However, she was Fae Sol, the Gun Swap Goddess. Their teamwork and inter-clan communication must have been efficient, but it still took time to send, read, and process messages and instructions in a group chat. Jisha could exploit the enemy''s "brain lag" to pull off a sneaky maneuver.


    *It''s really unlucky for these guys that I know this part of the cemetery like the back of my hand.*


    After getting a quick glance of the terrain from her vantage point, she quickly remembered the optimal path she needed to take to reach Shahar''s tombstone. She also recalled the general layout of the tombstones in this corner of the War Zone.


    Why did she know this oddly specific information?


    In Jisha''s past life, this cemetery wasn''t an "oddly specific" location at all. It was discovered to be the resting place of the legendary NPC Shahar, whose name was well known not only on the Cosmolai Continent, but the entirety of the infinitely procedurally generated world of Synergy. This is how influential Shahar was.


    The Uval Cemetery had been charted and visited countless times. Users, guilds, and organizations had participated in battles and wars in this famous War Zone. It was even the venue of some professional PvP matches.


    In a world where some users had memorized the location and layout of every single of the thousands of tombstones in the cemetery, how was it odd that Jisha was familiar with the area around the tombstone of Shahar himself?


    Currently, Jisha was strolling through her own backyard, while the Clan was nervously venturing through a dense forest. In addition to this, Jisha was proficient in stealth-type missions where avoiding detection was necessary. Estimating the positions of the Clan members via the sounds of footsteps and bypassing line of sight by triangulating parallax was a relatively simple task for her, even with the senses of an ordinary person.


    *I kind of feel bad for them.*


    Though she had this thought, the reality was that no matter how skilled she was compared to new players, it didn''t change the fact that Bren would soon level up to 1. Once he did, it would be literally impossible for her to win. There were a few reasons for this, but the main one was that a classless level 1 player would have 100 HP. In comparison, a level 0 player had 10. This, along with the upgraded Atk and Def a player received, would make it legitimately impossible for a level 0 player to take down a level 1 player in a straight fight. This was why Jisha had to kill someone soon, taking their experience and leveling up to 1 herself. This was the only way to win. She didn''t know how long she had, so she had to assume that she had less than a minute to carry out the first part of her mission.


    *Say goodbye to your life, Bren.*


    Bren had to be her first target, and the reason was simple. He was the commander.


    This was the most basic tactic when facing a group of enemies. If you can take out the commander, you can sweep up the rest of the group with more ease. However, *because* it was such a basic tactic, it was normally guarded against in a various number of ways. In this case, though, it was impossible for the Clan to have any sort of protection from the aid of the game''s system, since level 0 players had access to no special skills.


    *The only current possible countermeasure for the death of the commander is to have a backup commander.*


    Since Jisha had already appraised her foe as somewhat experienced in teamwork, they would naturally have a backup plan for a dead commander. However, it didn''t matter. A backup commander would generally be less experienced than the main commander, so it was still advantageous to take out the main commander.


    Jisha began her hunt, carefully avoiding line of sight of all seven members.


    She hid behind a tombstone, waiting for an opportunity to dash to the next one and remain hidden.


    From his initial shout, Jisha had estimated the location of Bren''s footsteps. She remembered which set of footsteps were his. By listening closely, she was able to track them with a mental map of the area.


    She knew exactly what path he was taking through the small openings in the maze-like cemetery. Using this information, she predicted his next moves and was slowly able to circle around to his backside.


    *Being level 0 is truly restricting, though...*


    If she were in her prime form, Jisha would have easily been able to have a clear picture of all seven targets and predict their movements while staying out of vision. However, with the senses of an ordinary person, she was having some difficulty listening and tracking one.


    Though it was difficult, it wasn''t an undoable task by any stretch. Jisha was no stranger to difficult situations, whether they were in Synergy or in real life.


    Little by little, she made her way towards the set of footsteps that belonged to Bren.


    ---


    *>Brent: Keep sweeping the area and closing the radius of our encirclement. She has no choice but to retreat.*


    Bren was relatively confident that he would be able to encircle Fae Sol. Regardless of the strange premonition he had, she was only one player. Even though the forest of stone was dense, they should easily be able to find one player as long as their formation was structured properly.


    Currently, this was how their formation looked:


    Allux was closest to the wall of the cemetery. Bren was next to him, and the rest of the Clan were forming a line almost perpendicular to the left wall. Since Fae was close to the left wall, it would be impossible for her to go all the way around seven people in order to escape.


    The Clan had no way to locate each other if they got lost in the maze, so it was determined that each clan member should maintain line of sight with the member to their left. In this fashion, it would be a simple task to pinpoint everyone''s locations easily while maintaining a large radius of encirclement.


    *I don''t know if it''s a perfect strategy, but I don''t have anything better.*


    If everyone maintained line of sight, it should be impossible for them to lose each other. It would also be impossible for Fae to sneak by unnoticed. But...


    *Where did she go?*


    Bren didn''t see any messages in the group chat, indicating that their quarry hadn''t been captured as of yet. They could only continue with their original plan.


    *>Brent: Press forward, keep closing the encirclement. Make sure she doesn''t sneak past us!*


    Bren still harbored doubts, but he also had faith in his plan. They were a compactor, and Fae was the trash that would get crushed against the wall, unable to break free.


    He was maintaining line of sight with Allux and steadily moving forward. All was going according to plan... until he was dealt a blow to his right temple.


    -5


    When he felt this, shock and adrenaline rushed through his body. He swiveled around to see an avatar that shouldn''t have been there.


    Bren attempted to strike but missed due to his panic.


    "Haha, whoops?" Fae Sol smiled as she taunted him.


    *Damn...*


    *>Brent: She''s here!*


    This was the last message the group chat received before Bren was struck on his left temple one second later.


    -5


    The body of Brent fell to the ground, dissipating into white light and mist like so many of the enemies they''d defeated thus far.


    The essence was absorbed by the avatar who quietly whispered, "It wasn''t enough..."


    Bren was defeated in two strikes. The Clan was dumbstruck!


    <hr>


    (2)


    The first one to notice something wrong was Allux.


    *>Allux: Bren''s dead. I''ll be taking command.*


    *>Molotov: What?? How?*


    It didn''t take long for the Clan to recognize the odd circumstances surrounding his death.


    Bren had simply died way too fast!


    *>Allux: I don''t know! How would I? Look for yourself!*


    The group chat had status symbols next to their names. "Brent" was a light gray, indicating that he was not alive. However, in the next second, it turned green.


    *>Brent: I''ve respawned and am trying to make my way back. Obviously, since I''m not there, Allux is in command.*


    *>Adverse: What happened?*


    *>Brent: She attacked me in a way where each hit did 5 damage. I''m not sure how. Anyway, try to engage her when you''re level 1. You''ll have a significant stat advantage. No matter what she pulls, it''ll be impossible for her to kill you.*


    *>Allux: Roger. Finding her is top priority. Since she went on the offensive, she shouldn''t be trying to escape. Search the nearby area. Break formation and search in pairs! Don''t get caught out alone.*


    *>All: Yes!*


    Bren had immediately respawned in the Safe Zone of the hamlet and was rushing over to the fight as quickly as possible. He had lost all of the experience that they had worked so hard to collect, but it wasn''t the end of the world. As long as they killed Fae and reclaimed some of it, it would still be worth it. Even if he wasn''t any closer to level 1, the rest of the Clan would be.


    *I was so close to leveling up, too...*


    He was blindsided a few mere moments before leveling up. For better or for worse, there was no respawn cooldown at level 0, allowing him to respawn instantly and communicate with his team.


    Even though Bren had died, good news reached the ears of the Clan.


    *>Ryozaki: ... Level up.*


    Ryozaki had leveled up!


    Liuzhi, who was right next to Ryozaki, was almost blinded by the white light exuded by Ryozaki.


    The rest of the clan, who couldn''t see him directly, also witnessed the phenomenon in that area.


    There was also one more observer on the battlefield who bore witness to the sight.


    ---


    *Yup. There it is...*


    Jisha observed one of her foes level up. This meant that the rest would shortly follow, which was bad news.The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    "Tch. It wasn''t enough..."


    Jisha miscalculated; she didn''t receive enough experience to level up from her kill. In a War Zone, killing an opponent would net you 100% of their experience lost.


    *But apparently that''s not the case when you''re level 0???*


    As an extremely high leveled player and someone who didn''t fight at level 0 in her previous life, there was no way she would have known this.


    *Literally what''s the point of this feature.*


    There was no explanation she could think of other than the system wanted to screw with her at this moment.


    Fortunately, Jisha still knew of a way to snag experience in the cemetery.


    *Shahar, I''m coming for your loot.*


    ---


    Brent received the good news from the group chat.


    *>Brent: Alright! Whoever hits level 1, start attacking the tombstones. Some of them are weak enough to break in one shot. If they don''t break, don''t bother. Some of them won''t break no matter how many times you hit them.*


    This was another advantage Bren was hoping for with level 1 players. Her stealthy behavior was indeed troublesome, but with the tombstones out of the way, Fae would have nowhere to hide.


    *CRACK, CRUMBLE*


    Every second, Ryozaki swung his Melee Starter Stick at a tombstone. And every few seconds, a tombstone was pulverized, clearing some line of sight.


    Though the speed between his attacks remained the same, it was clear that the power was on a different level. Luizhi bore witness to this phenomenon. He knew that even though he hadn''t tried breaking a tombstone yet, it would take him many, many shots to even make a dent in one, much less collapse one completely. It wasn''t just the force behind the swings, there was *something* intrinsically different about the way the attack connected.


    *>Liuzhi: ... It''s a huge difference. No wonder Bren felt no doubts about level 1 characters against level 0''s...*


    *>Adverse: Really? Hey, Ryo. How different is it?*


    *>Ryozaki: ...*


    At this question, Ryozaki stopped attacking tombstones and started looking around.


    *>Kenshi: Why did the attacks stop? Does Ryo have a new idea?*


    Though Kenshi couldn''t see Ryozaki''s attacks directly, he could still hear the tombstones fragmenting. Since he couldn''t witness the attack power directly, he could only assess it through extrapolation. However, he thought that destroying the obstacles that obstructed vision was the best option at hand.


    But Ryozaki didn''t think so. After a few more glances, he kicked off the ground and ran up the side of a tombstone with a single step. He looked around, and when he couldn''t see anything, he jumped straight up. He was hoping that the extra height would allow him to view his surroundings more clearly. It seemed to have helped. His eyes went wide, and he jumped off his vantage point and ran in a straight line, breaking away from the group.


    *>Liuzhi: He''s noticed movement.*


    *>Allux: Great! Everyone, you can see which direction he ran in. Follow him closely.*


    *>Liuzhi: That may be difficult due to his increased speed.*


    *>Allux: Were my orders not clear? Follow him.*


    *>Liuzhi: ... Yes.*


    ---


    *Looks like I''ve drawn him out.*


    Of course, Jisha noticed Ryozaki climb up before he noticed her. She deliberately showed herself to judge the enemy''s reaction. And now that he had been separated from the group, it would make things easier.


    *The best option was to wait until the rest of you guys leveled up... But even then, you''d have no chance.*


    The Clan''s best move was to force Jisha into a 6v1 situation. They decided that it would be better to 1v1 with a level 1 against a level 0. This line of thinking wasn''t wrong; they must have assumed that Jisha would level up soon from killing Bren. However, this wasn''t true. Jisha would have to stall for around 20 more minutes if that was her strategy. The other logical reason was that a level 0 couldn''t beat a level 1 in a straight fight.


    *But who said I''m going to fight him fairly?*


    At this point, Jisha was relatively far away from the rest of the group. They had been searching the nearby area, but Jisha had already run away. Obviously, she wasn''t spotted while making her escape.


    Deciding that concealing her location any further was useless, she hopped up onto the next tombstone, once again in split-step fashion, and continued running. Though everyone could see her now, only the lone level 1 would catch up to her in a reasonable amount of time. And once he did, it would be the end.


    *Here it is.*


    Jisha found her target. It was a tombstone that was slightly taller than all the others.


    She jumped on top of it, performed a pirouette, and sat down to face the lone wolf''s arrival.


    ---


    "..."


    "..."


    Ryozaki arrived, and he commenced dialogue with his signature catchphrase. Fae Sol responded in kind, thus an awkward silence ensued.


    Fae was sitting down with her legs dangling off the side of her perch with a hand on her chin in a most whimsical manner.


    "Aren''t you going to do anything? What was the point of coming all this way by yourself?"


    And in this manner, Fae was taunting him.


    Ryozaki remained stoic. The distance between them was less than 5 metron. Within this range, all Ryozaki had to do was close in on her and hit her once. A level 1 unit with 10 ATK could kill a level 0 unit with 10 HP in one shot.


    "How are you going to attack? Will you climb up here to hit me? Will you destroy the tombstone below me? Will you throw your weapon at me, sacrificing it in the process? Or will you wait for your teammates to show up? Show me!"


    She smiled.


    Ryozaki wasn''t the sharpest bulb on the tree, but he was still decently capable at problem solving. Every move that he could think of had been stated out loud, and he couldn''t conceive of how they would end positively for her. Yet she wasn''t just unconcerned, but jovial. Since he didn''t know what could cause her to feel this way, the only thing he could do was act.


    He performed the most complex action his simple mind could muster. He jumped and wound up an attack...!


    "You can''t reach me like that."


    Fae must have assumed Ryozaki was going for her directly, but that wasn''t the case. With the power he built from his backswing, he unleashed it on the tombstone she was sitting on.


    If it broke, it would have brought Fae down to level ground. If it didn''t, Ryozaki could use the momentum of his jump to kick off the side and reach her in a single bound. Whatever happened, Ryozaki was confident in his victory. However, neither of these occurrences came to fruition.


    Instead, for Ryozaki, the tombstone disappeared completely and the rest of the world turned pitch black.


    <hr>


    (3)


    Everything was dark. Nothing could be seen. But after his eyes adjusted to the darkness, he could make out the borders of his world. He was in a completely enclosed space. The walls, ceiling, and floor were all made of the same material - a smooth stone. Their patterns were identical to the walls of the Uval Cemetery, suggesting that they were made from the same material. He didn''t know what was going on, but the feeling of raw, primal fear was definite and tangible. He didn''t know what he was scared of, but he was hoping that this hideout would protect him from what was to come.


    How long had he been wasting away in this bunker? He did not know. The only thing he knew was that he was being hunted by a very powerful being, and it did not matter how long he was secluded as long as he was safe.


    Out of madness, it seemed like he had forgotten to prepare enough provisions for himself, and he was currently thirsty and starving. It also seemed like he forgot to secure an exit path, so he was also unable to leave when it was no longer necessary to hide.


    And because he was in a small, singular room, it smelled. There was nowhere else to relieve himself but the corner.


    However, he wasn''t concerned about this. As long as he could shelter himself away from that *thing*, nothing mattered.


    Living day in and day out in fear could hardly be called living. At this point, he had lost track of time. Day in? Day out? These terms were meaningless. How much time had passed? It was impossible to tell in what could generously be described as solitary confinement. And due to an indeterminate amount of time passing, his fear had begun to wane.


    He sat with his back against the wall, staring at the empty space in front of him.


    Though his eyes were looking in the general direction of the wall, he wasn''t focused on it. Why would he need to? He had been staring at the same four corners for God knows how long.


    His vision would turn blurry, and he would blink. He would blink thousands of times per day and see the same thing for days on end.


    However, this time, it was different. He blinked, and a cloaked figure stood before him.


    At first, he didn''t react. He didn''t process what was happening in front of him; his mind was wandering among his seemingly infinite thoughts.


    He blinked again, and the figure came into focus. He thought he was hallucinating, but he wasn''t. He could definitely *feel* something powerful was before him. Once he realized what was happening, the primal fear that had diminished returned in full force.


    Every malnourished muscle in his body tensed up as he tried to push himself backwards. However, there was nowhere to go; his back was literally against the wall.


    Along with the fear he felt for this being was an immense pressure that came along with his presence. It was almost as if his brain was telling him he couldn''t move at all. No matter how hard he tried, he could only remain in the same locked position against the wall.


    He tried to determine the true appearance of this... *thing*, but the cloak that was draped over its body hid all discernible features.


    He was at an impasse. He wanted to run; he wanted to fight. But he could do neither of those things as the pressure radiating from the cloaked being gripped him to the ground. He knew it was over.


    From within the cloak, where the face would have been, two eyes of a golden color showed themselves and pierced through the darkness.


    That was the last thing he saw.


    ---


    Ryozaki''s body convulsed and fell onto the ground after striking Shahar''s tombstone. Soon, it dissipated into the familiar white mist that Jisha longed for. She hopped off her perch and rolled delightfully through the light. She ecstatically stood up; the same white light that had once encompassed Ryozaki surrounded her. She had collected the essence of two players and her experience bar was full.


    *>System message: Level up!*


    *>Name: Fae Sol*


    *>Class: Ranged*


    *Level: 0 -> 1 (+1)*


    *>HP: 10 -> 100 (+90)*


    *>Atk: 1 -> 10 (+9)*


    *>Def: 0*


    In a War Zone, if a player A killed player B, player A would directly receive 100% of the experience. However, in this case, player B had died not at the hands of another player, but rather via a "natural cause". In this case, whoever touched the white light first would receive the experience.


    Jisha was now level 1. This meant that she could wipe the floor with level 0''s with absolutely no effort.


    This was the reason Bren had wanted to get to level 1 as soon as possible; the difference in stats between level 0 and 1 was massive. As a ratio, it was the largest stock stat gain in the game. Of course, in the later phases, there would be times when your HP would increase by more than 90, but never again would it increase by 10 times.


    In addition, you could evolve your class at level 1. You needed to be in a Safe Zone and remain immobile for a few seconds while the evolution took place, so Jisha couldn''t do that just yet. However, once she did, it would mean that the skill gap between her and the rest of the players would increase due to the introduction of skills.


    Jisha then recalled the manner in which her foe had died.


    *Such a sad way to die, especially at level 1. I forgot that these guys are new players and wouldn''t be used to Synergy''s true nature yet...*


    How did she win? In essence, it was another exploit.


    In her past life, it was widely known that if Shahar''s tombstone were touched, the perpetrator would suffer instant death after being shown a vision. As players discovered this feature about the Uval Cemetery, Shahar''s tombstone would become an essential part of why PvP matches here were so entertaining - one wrong move could instantly wipe out one or even several players. Even level 999 players would die instantly, much less a level 1 player. However, Jisha was immune to this effect due to carrying Shahar''s token.


    The visions players would encounter could range from slightly alarming to borderline traumatizing depending on the perpetrator''s level. It was something that no one wanted to experience. This was the "true nature" of Synergy that most players wouldn''t experience for a long time. Not just sensory stimulation, but emotions and experiences of others could be relayed to the player''s mind as if they were experiencing it for themselves in the real world. It would be a while before the general public would discover this and acknowledge Synergy as a "second reality".


    Jisha hoped that, even though a level 1 vision wouldn''t be traumatizing by her standards, the new player would emerge healthy after suffering through that ordeal.


    As she prayed for the well-being of her adversary, she noticed 5 bright lights appearing in the distance. Jisha clicked her tongue in annoyance.


    *Neither Bren nor Ryozaki carried any pellets, either. Looks like this won''t be as easy as I wanted it to be.*


    ---


    The five remaining Clan members received the same system message almost simultaneously.


    *>System message: Level up!*


    This should have been good news that gave them hope, but the best thing they were currently feeling was anxiousness.


    *>Brent: ...*


    *>Allux: What???*


    *>Molotov: What the bloody fucking shit is happening?*


    *>Adverse: There''s no way we weren''t careful enough.*


    *>Kenshi: How is this possible? There has to be a bug, those shitty developers! Get this game back in beta!*


    *>Liuzhi: Either that, or our opponent is way out of our league...*


    Ryozaki''s name had gone gray in their group chat, indicating that he had died. What was terrifying was that everyone in the Clan was aware of the circumstances regarding Ryozaki''s death, but none of them knew exactly how it could have happened.


    As Ryozaki was chasing Fae, Bren had told them about the stats of a level 1 player. Once the Clan heard these numbers, they agreed that there was no way a level 0 player, with 10 times less attack power and HP, could defeat a level 1 player.


    Yet reality was in front of their eyes.


    They tried to deny this reality by suggesting other possible explanations for the events at hand, but it wouldn''t change what had already happened.


    Now that a level 0 had defeated a level 1, the level 0 *became* level 1. It was common sense that they could no longer win, even outnumbering their foe five to one. At this point, if they could, they would flee. However, their initial strategy of outnumbering and boxing the opposition in had backfired, as they could not flee a War Zone while an enemy still existed within it.


    *>Kenshi: Alluuuuuuux! What the fuck do we do now??*


    *>Allux: Hell if I know! Just stick together! Everyone, gather around me NOW. Form a circle so that NOTHING leaves our view! Do NOT split up under ANY circumstance! We can''t allow the same thing to happen to any of us.*


    Nobody had any better ideas, so everyone obediently followed Allux''s command. The group formed a circle with everyone facing outward. Everyone was hyper-focused, not letting one blade of grass out of their collective 360 degree field of view. If an observer from another world could witness this, they could be described as defending against an "Avengers level threat".


    Unfortunately, nobody could remain in an extremely focused state for very long. And when Kenshi''s focus slightly dipped...


    *THWACK*


    ... the side of his arm was struck with a pellet.


    -10


    Everyone heard this and was instantly on alert.


    *>Kenshi: What the FUCK! Where did that even come from?*


    Nobody had an answer for him. No matter how focused the Clan was, they couldn''t prepare for an attack they couldn''t anticipate.


    *THWACK*


    -22


    Out of seemingly nowhere, another pellet struck Liuzhi square in the chest. They tried to estimate where the attack came from by reverse engineering its trajectory, but by the time they were able to figure it out...


    *THWACK*


    -37


    ... another one came from a completely different direction and struck Molotov in the neck, sending him into a frenzy.


    "What the FUCK! I''m gonna kill that bitch!"


    *>Allux: Shut up. Even though we''re getting pelted here, it still helps to make less noise.*


    *>Adverse: Why are some of them doing so much damage? Isn''t our attack power only 10?*


    *>Liuzhi: Kenshi received 10, I received 22, and Molotov received 37. Not to mention, Bren received 50, if we scale the numbers appropriately. There has to be something behind it... And I think I''ve figured it out. Everyone, where did you get hit? I got hit in the chest.*


    *>Kenshi: Got hit in the arm.*


    *>Molotov: The neck...*


    *>Brent: And I basically got full force directly to my temples. That makes sense. Great find, Liuzhi. Also, I just realized that she only started with 50 ammo like the rest of us. You know what that means, right?*


    *>Allux: That takes care of that issue. Everyone, keep your eyes peeled. Make sure that you don''t get hit in vital areas and DODGE THEM at all costs. If she can''t kill us fast enough, she''ll run out of ammo. We''ll turtle until she has no choice but to confront us directly!*


    Unlike the Clan, who originally had collected over 400 ammo, Fae only had 50. The calculation-savvy members of the clan, Bren, Allux, and Liuzhi, were able to come to the following conclusion: There were 5 of them left, and each one had 100 max HP. They had 500 HP in total, and Fae only had 50 ammo that did 10 damage each. All they needed to do was dodge. If they couldn''t, they needed to make sure they took shots in non-vital areas. If they could do this, they could run her down.


    *>Kenshi: This better fucking work.*


    [author] "I''m not stuck with you; you''re stuck with me!" - Jisha, probably. -rz[/author]


    <hr>


    (4 - Final)


    *Not bad!*


    Jisha peeked at the group that was standing in a circle from the narrow spaces between the tombstones. Both she and the Clan had realized that she had limited ammunition, so they were stalling for as long as possible to draw her out. It was the best possible move. However, since they weren''t moving, she could lob shots from all angles and hit them without being seen.


    Lobs were usually slow, though, so how were none of them dodging? Well, since they were standing in a circle, there would always be at least one of them with their back or side towards her. That was the target she hit every time. If she stayed in the same spot, the group would be able to adapt to her strategy, but since she was moving around, it became difficult.


    In addition, they couldn''t send anyone out to chase her down at this point for a couple of reasons. First of all, they were all the same level, which meant that she could run away at the same speed as they could chase her. Actually, Jisha would be faster due to her familiarity with the terrain. Secondly, they didn''t know how Ryozaki died, which meant they couldn''t split up.


    *Well... I don''t know if they''re actually thinking about these things, but it doesn''t matter because I''ll win regardless~*


    Jisha was also able to hit them at odd angles due to the fact that she was applying a generous amount of spin to each projectile. Since they weren''t flying in a straight line, they were harder to anticipate. It was difficult to produce so much spin and accurately strike a target, but if Jisha wasn''t familiar with ranged attacks, she wouldn''t be the Gun Swap Goddess.


    *Even though I should have enough ammo to finish them off like this, I don''t want to gamble. I''ll have to get up close and personal with them soon.*


    Because she was familiar with ranged attacks, she well understood that hitting a specific target became exponentially more difficult the farther away from it you were. Hitting vitals, especially the temples which were ludicrously small, was exceedingly difficult with lengthy proximity and slow projectiles. Even if she was able to hit her target once or twice, the odds of hitting ten or twenty in a row were low. The best way to increase them was to move closer.


    With every throw, she would circle around to a closer spot and hone in her accuracy. She was creating a spiral of doom around five individuals by herself, and they couldn''t do anything about it.


    ---


    *>Molotov: This is stupid. They''re always hitting even when they don''t have much speed.*


    *>Kenshi: Huh. Really? I couldn''t tell. Maybe it''s because of the FUCKING UNPREDICTABLE TRAJECTORIES? Use that brain of yours, projectile expert!*


    *>Molotov: Hey. I haven''t gotten hit since the first one. This fight''s on the rest of you.*


    *>Allux: Guys. Just focus. We can make it through this.*


    The more pellets flew at them, the more demoralized they became. Allux''s words were simply hollow to them at this point, but they had to stay in position, as the only other option was most likely a swift death.


    -17


    -22


    -12


    ...


    Little by little, bits and pieces of HP were shaved off each of them. And as this continued, Their psyche was being chipped away as well.


    *>Allux: Just a little more! She''s fired 40 shots which means she should have less than 10 left. She can''t keep this up for much longer! We can chase her down afterwards!*


    Allux, who was trying to raise morale, sent this message.


    The Clan definitely had a higher mental fortitude than most people, but their current extraordinary situation was putting them under a pressure that they hadn''t experienced before.


    It wasn''t like the pressure of being in a competitive situation. This was something different. It was the culmination of anxiety, crushed pride, and fear of what was to come.


    And despite their fear and anxiety - no, *because* of their fear and anxiety - they weren''t able to respond properly to what happened next.


    "What-!"


    Molotov couldn''t keep his mouth shut out of surprise.


    "You bitch, what are you doing? Aren''t you a ranged character?"


    He was dumbfounded.


    "Who says I have to keep my distance just because I''m ranged? Weren''t you going to come after me soon anyway?" Fae said.


    This time, there was another projectile headed his way, and it wasn''t a pellet.


    "Dammit!"


    Everyone had noticed what was going on at this point, and they all turned to face the imminent threat.


    ---


    *Time to clean up.*


    At this point, Jisha had shaved enough HP off the clan to go in for a final blow. And "go in" meant literally confronting them face-to-face.


    But why? Molotov''s question was reasonable. Once again, their way of thinking was rational when it came to dealing with normal players. But...


    *Whoosh.*


    In a panic, every member of the Clan attacked her nearly simultaneously. The melee swung, and the ranged threw. If all of them hadn''t been worn down by the extended attrition they had faced, they might have been able to react in a more orderly manner. However, the pressure they faced clouded their judgement in this critical moment.


    Every attack against her whiffed. Jisha had stayed at a range where the solo melee Kenshi couldn''t reach her with a swing, and dodging ranged attacks with minimal movement was comfortable.


    There was now a one second cooldown before they could release another attack, and Jisha took advantage of this to kick off the ground, rapidly closing the distance between her and Molotov.


    "Dammit!"


    He was helpless as he watched the cute but menacing avatar rush towards him with a smug expression.


    After the pelting attrition, every member of the Clan had less than 50 HP remaining. At this moment...


    "Goodnight."


    *CRACK*


    -47


    ... Molotov was struck in his left temple with an attack that was launched from such close proximity that it couldn''t be called ranged. Receiving damage that easily exceeded his remaining HP, Molotov''s body exploded into white. Jisha happily absorbed his essence while sidestepping several attacks that came at her.


    She hadn''t calculated anything consciously, but the concept of cooldowns and how to play around them was engraved into her psyche from thousands upon thousands of hours of high-level gameplay.


    She knew when the next attacks were coming and knew exactly when and where she needed to move to dodge.


    -12


    However, she smiled as she was hit in a non-vital area by Kenshi''s attack.


    "Huh?" Kenshi muttered.


    Perhaps he was expecting her to dodge again like a ranged character should and was surprised when his attack actually landed. But it didn''t matter.


    Jisha had raised an arm in order to block the attack that was coming at her head, greatly reducing the damage.


    In this brief moment of Kenshi''s surprise, Jisha wound up an attack and Kenshi reflexively guarded his head. But...


    *THWACK*


    -30


    ... It was a feint. A pellet landed on Kenshi''s lower stomach, and he met his end in the same way Molotov did.


    Allux, Adverse, and Liuzhi were the only three remaining, and at this point, they realized that they shouldn''t sync their attacks. However, it didn''t matter.


    -11


    -13


    Jisha dodged one pellet and ate two in non-vital areas, closing the distance on the remaining three enemies.


    "Damn..."


    -32


    Liuzhi was rendered to nothingness.


    -11


    Jisha swatted away Adverse''s last ditch effort, taking minimal damage.


    "..."


    -36


    Adverse dissipated into the air.


    -10


    Jisha caught Allux''s final attack in her palm, taking the minimum possible damage.


    "Tch..."


    -41


    Allux''s avatar breathed his last.


    And in the center of where the battle once was, a nonchalant voice could be heard.


    "I wonder if I have enough inventory space for all this loot..."


    ---


    The Uval Cemetery had strangely turned into a violent hotspot that resulted in the deaths of many level 0 players.


    Despite most players'' decisions to explore it as a group, only one player remained standing at the end of the fiasco...


    *>Brent: ...*


    *>Allux: ...*


    *>Molotov: ...*


    *>Adverse: ...*


    *>Kenshi: ...*


    *>Liuzhi: ...*


    *>Ryozaki: ...?*


    ... and the losers could only stare at themselves and their surroundings in a combination of awe and resentment - resentment for their opponent and themselves.


    *>Brent: ... I''m sorry, everyone. Meet me at the hamlet commons. It''ll be easier to discuss everything there.*


    *>Allux: This isn''t anyone''s fault. Don''t blame yourself. Your plan would have worked under any ordinary circumstance.*


    *>Liuzhi: Not just that. I''m pretty sure it would have also worked in most unordinary circumstances... Our opponent this time was... way out of our expectations.*


    One by one, the respawned clan members gathered in the Uval Hamlet''s commons to discuss their plans for the future.


    "Now what?"


    "I don''t know. I guess we''ll just have to play the game like normal people at this point."


    Bren had been so busy preparing for his plan''s success that he didn''t form any contingency plans in case of its failure. He knew deep within himself that not having a plan B was a stupid decision, but he was extremely confident that he wouldn''t fail. However, his confidence was now crushed, and all of the work he put into information gathering during the alpha test was rendered useless.


    *Will we be able to become elite players in this game? Will we even be able to make the Academy''s team? What lies ahead in my future now?*


    "Bren. I think you''re overreacting."


    "What?"


    "You seem way more upset about this than you should be."


    "..."


    Liuzhi noticed Bren''s crestfallen expression even through his VR avatar and confronted him.


    "Look. I know you put many hours of research into this plan, and we all know how much it meant to you. However, we''re only level 0. We literally just started playing today! Even if you think this game has a bright future, we don''t know that for certain. There could be another game that becomes more popular than this one, and if that happens, we can just move on to that one."


    "..."


    Liuzhi''s speech seemed to have no effect on Bren, who was staring at the ground. He sighed and looked around for assistance.


    Adverse shook his head and began a lengthy monologue.


    "Bren. Like Liuzhi said, we''ve only begun playing this game. You''re not thinking straight. We''ve only been here for less than half an hour and you''re this upset? We know this was your grand plan to get us on the Academy''s team, and we know you''re sad because your meticulously-crafted plan failed.


    "But think about the future. Think about this game - no, this *world* we''re in. We don''t know how big it is. We don''t know how many NPCs there are. We don''t know what we''re supposed to be doing. We don''t even know what the level cap is, or if there is one. We don''t know any of these things, and there''s a lot more we don''t know. If we have an alpha tester in our group and we still don''t know any of these things, think about all the normal players wandering around. Hell, some of them are still trying to put their left foot in front of their right.


    "The point is, at least we kind of know what we''re doing, and the fact that the combat system is similar to VMA gives us a huge advantage over a lot of people. On top of that, we were able to display good teamwork out there regardless of what the end result was. If we give up now, we''ll only lose our edge. The only way on from here is forward. Got it?"


    At the end of the monologue, Bren finally looked up at his friends with a clear gaze.


    "Guys. I was upset that we lost, but I know it''s not the end of the world. In fact, we''ll let this be a stepping stone for us - a learning experience."


    The rest of the Clan looked at each other with relieved expressions when Bren spoke up again.


    "This loss might even be one of the best things that''s happened to us. Take a look at the group chat. I wasn''t just sulking when I was looking at the ground. I was messaging someone."


    "... Someone?"


    "Who?"


    "Did we tell our friends from the Academy that we''d be playing this today? I thought we were keeping it a secret from them."


    "Yeah... And we haven''t met many people here... Wait. Could it be that you added her?"


    Bren sent a snapshot of his friend list for everyone to see. The six that everyone was familiar with were present, but there was a seventh name in the picture.


    *>Fae Sol - Online*

 14 - Shahars Nightwalker

    *There, there, and... there.*


    Jisha was busy collecting loot. It was very simple to collect it from the locations of the five people who were standing in a circle, and the system allowed players to pick up large quantities of loot quickly as long as they were in a small area. She had already picked up Bren''s and Ryozaki''s loot from the initial kills, so the only thing left to do was to walk towards her initial goal, reveling in her inventory numbers.


    *>Inventory*


    *>Melee Starter Stick: 11*


    *>Ranged Starter Pellet: 302*


    *>Shahar''s Token: 1*


    The number of level 0 items was incomprehensible for a single player. It didn''t seem like a lot, and it wasn''t... for now. In the far future, level 0 items would be far rarer.


    Jisha sighed.


    *I would love to sit here and farm kills... But it''s not likely that anyone will come here at this point.*


    Every War Zone had a special spectator feature, and by now, people had probably figured out how to use it. If people were watching what was going on, they would have seen everything; it was unlikely that someone would voluntarily march to their death.


    *But... it''s possible. Maybe someone will be like "she got lucky!" and... you know.*


    That''s what she was hoping for, but hope was not a plan. If it happened, then it would be fantastic, but Jisha couldn''t bet on it.


    *Anyway, I have something more important to pick up...*


    She had arrived at the destination she originally planned for - Shahar''s tombstone.


    From the outside, it didn''t look any different from the thousands of other tombstones in the cemetery. The only noticeable difference was that it was the tallest one in the Zone by a small margin.


    When Jisha walked up to it, a small, circular engraving manifested at its base. The engraving was an identical but concave image of what Jisha was now holding in her hand - Shahar''s emblem, a phoenix flying towards a crescent moon.


    Anyone would know what to do at this point.


    *Here goes nothing...*


    Jisha placed the token face down so that the token fit snugly into the engraving. After a second, the token embedded itself into the stone, and the emblem engraved itself into the surface.


    *>System message: Quest complete: Grave Robbery.*


    *>System message: Level up!*


    *>System message: Level up!*


    *>System message: Level up!*


    *>System message: Level up!*


    *>Name: Fae Sol*


    *>Class: Ranged*


    *Level: 1 -> 5 (+4)*


    *>HP: 100 -> 107 (+7)*


    *>MP: x -> 107*


    *>Atk: 10 -> 11 (+1)*


    *>MAtk: x -> 53*


    *>Def -> AR/MR*


    *>AR: x -> 0*


    *>MR: x -> 0*


    *>AS: x -> 1*


    She hadn''t leveled up again from killing 7 players, but she had been very close. And now, this quest filled up that small bit to level 2 and filled it up 3 more times after that, putting her at 2% of the way through level 5.


    Quests were not common at all this early in the game when the experience required to level up was still so low. In addition, completing one would normally be done by multiple people; the experience reward was intended to be shared. Though she was surprised to see it, Jisha understood why she was able to level up 4 times at once.


    In addition, now that she was level 5, the game would become slightly more complicated as new stats such as MP (magic power) and MR (magic resistance) were introduced. After all, level 5 introduced magical classes to the game so it would be strange if there were no stats reflecting them.


    *Now, give me my reward. I want to see this item for myself.*


    This was the main reason Jisha had decided to spawn in the Uval Hamlet; the signature item of the legendary NPC Shahar lay here.Royal Road is the home of this novel. Visit there to read the original and support the author.


    The signature items of Synergy''s legendary NPCs were as rare as a phoenix''s feather, and to get one this early in the game was quite literally the biggest exploit Jisha had up her sleeve. In her previous life, neither she nor anyone she personally knew owned a legendary NPC''s item.


    *>System message: Dispensing quest rewards:*


    *>Shahar''s Nightwalker: 1*


    The single item was placed directly in her inventory, and Jisha excitedly examined the stats on it.


    *>Name: Shahar''s Nightwalker*


    *>Type: Armor (Accessory, Drape)*


    *>Description: "From darkness, bring them to the light."*


    *>Rating: Unique*


    *>Abilities:*


    *>Absolute Anti-Appraisal (Passive): When equipped, user name and level will be hidden from all parties. You may reveal them to anyone at any time. Exception: Rexian''s Eyes.*


    *>Anti-Paparazzi (Passive): When equipped, all attempts to record you will become corrupted.*


    *>Breeze (Passive): When equipped, Stamina drain is reduced by 50% and Presence is decreased by 50%.*


    *>Night Walk (Toggle: No cooldown): Presence -99% for up to 10 minutes. Time remaining: 10:00.00. Cooldown: 1 week.*


    *>Object Impermanence (Toggle: No cooldown): Gain up to 5 seconds of Incorporeality. Time remaining: 5.00. Cooldown: 1 week.*


    *>Shahar''s Blessing (Rank 0) - Item Cloak: Mask the Presence of up to 10 Rank 0 Consumable-type items by 99% per week. Items cloaked: 0/10. Cooldown: 1 week. Upgrade this ability using Shards of Darkness. Shards: 0/1.*


    *This item cannot be dropped or traded.*


    Though Night Walk and Shahar''s Blessing were nothing to scoff at, there was something else Jisha immediately took notice to.


    *Incorporeality??*


    "Incorporeality" was arguably the best status effect in the game. Once you were incorporeal, you basically "disappeared from the world". You would become a ghost-like presence with zero ability to interact with the world of Synergy.


    This status effect had a long history behind it, but once players figured out its true worth, incorporeality potions that granted even a couple seconds the effect sold for thousands of gold.


    Once incorporeal, you would become unable to become targeted, tracked, sensed, etc. You would also be able to pass harmlessly through any object, whether it be physical walls or magical barriers.


    *This item is busted. As expected of Shahar...*


    Calling it overpowered would be apt. She had unlimited access to a status effect that would ordinarily fetch a hefty sum. In addition to that, its abilities were extremely convenient for Jisha''s circumstances.


    Appraisal blocking was something she desperately needed, as she predicted she would be the highest leveled player in the game for a while, if not forever. Having a passive ability that was a guaranteed block would prevent her from being chased down for her leveling knowledge.


    The Anti-Paparazzi skill was also incredibly convenient; it disallowed any of her combat techniques from being captured and studied extensively.


    Finally, Breeze would allow much easier exploration of the massive world of Synergy.


    Shahar''s Blessing and Night Walk were the only ones she didn''t immediately have a use for, but with her extensive experience in the game, she had at least a couple of ideas on how to apply them.


    Presence was a genuine hidden stat in Synergy whose value ranged from 0 to 100. Even at max level, the system wouldn''t tell you what someone''s Presence value was. If you wanted to know, you needed a special item.


    Your Presence determined how difficult it was for others to detect you. Not just be seen, but be *detected* by any method in Synergy, whether it was audibly, magically, or something else entirely. An item (or player) with a Presence value of 50 was twice as hard to detect as one with 100 Presence. In other words, simply wearing Shahar''s Nightwalker made it twice as difficult for its wearer to be detected. And Presence -99% meant that the object would be left with a value of 1.


    *100 times harder to detect, huh. I would have trouble dealing with that even past level 900. Overpowered and convenient... I couldn''t ask for anything better.*


    Jisha equipped Shahar''s Nightwalker without hesitation. The thin, black cloth fashionably covered her whole body and didn''t hinder her movement.


    *If I could dual wield swords, I''d be the picturesque VR swordsman. Or woman.*


    After admiring her new looks, Jisha noticed another system message on her HUD.


    *>System message: You have reached level 5 and are qualified to be listed on the Global Level Leaderboard. If you choose to do so, it will grant everyone visibility of your username, guild, and level.*


    *>Accept/Deny*


    *Right, that''s a thing.*


    Starting at this level, everyone had the option of being listed on the worldwide rankings, making their name publicly searchable.


    The global level ranking was something that, in the future, every major power would look at regularly. V-sports recruiters, companies, and even countries would try to snag high-level unaffiliated members for a premium price.


    However, in the game''s infancy, it was simply a "cool" feature.


    If you chose not to list yourself, you would be able to remain private but wouldn''t be able to be recruited, either.


    Everyone had their own reasons whether they wanted to be globally ranked, and for Jisha, privacy was of utmost importance. So, she naturally denied the offer.


    *>System message: You can switch your rank privacy setting at any time.*


    *I don''t think I''ll ever be doing that.*


    As a regressor, it was obvious why she wanted to stay hidden. It was the same reason a lottery winner shouldn''t announce their earnings.


    *And now... guilds...*


    This was also something she wanted to get started on as soon as possible. Though in Synergy, it was possible for an individual to wield more power than an army, it would always help to have multiple of these individuals. There was only so much she could do alone.


    Creating the lowest tier of guild, a club guild, was free, had no requirements and could be done at any time. Jisha took advantage of this and created one with the same name as in her previous life.


    *>System message: Club guild "Sun Dragons" created!*


    Since club guilds were free, they could only hold 10 members and did absolutely nothing to benefit players. However, it didn''t matter, as the Sun Dragons would be upgraded soon enough. It was important to start the recruitment process right away. There was a lot of talent that she knew was out there, and she wanted to get them under her wing.


    Users could only receive notifications about guilds and join them once they were level 5, so it was unlikely that anyone was currently available to recruit. However, the system didn''t prevent her from sending invitations.


    *Let''s see... First, we''ll naturally invite Syny.*


    Her best friend was irreplaceable.


    *>System message: User "Synycal" has been invited to the guild "Sun Dragons".*


    *Those 30 unread messages are probably also from her... Anyway, next is Castle.*


    *>System message: User "Castle" has been invited to the guild "Sun Dragons".*


    She hadn''t forgotten about the cute boy who would soon become a top player in the future. He undoubtedly watched the fight, so she knew he would be interested. She wanted to invite more talents as well, but unfortunately there was a minimum requirement of exchanging words before one could send an invitation.


    So the natural course of action was to send a friend request to every talented user, right? After briefly considering it, Jisha sent friend requests to a bunch of names that would be useful later but wasn''t too optimistic on the results. After all, there were strange characters among talented people. Some of them wouldn''t even talk to her if she sent them a friend request this early in the game. But since she knew who to avoid, it wasn''t a huge problem.


    *Hm... And let''s also invite Bren. His teamwork capability was top-notch. I wonder what happened to him.*


    *>System message: User "Brent" has been invited to the guild "Sun Dragons".*


    In her previous life, she had never heard of Bren, which was odd.


    He was a talented v-sports player with lackeys behind him, and he was in the prime of his life. In addition to that, he claimed to attend the prestigious Northeastern Royal Academy.


    *Something big must have happened to him.*


    She wanted to know what could have made him disappear from the face of the planet, and she wanted to stop it.


    *He''s a great asset that anyone would want. It''s something I should figure out as soon as I log out.*

 15 - First Class Evolution

    Jisha wanted to return to base as soon as she gathered the loot, but the system didn''t allow her to. She quickly found the reason...


    *This... Are you serious?*


    She would have been surprised if even one or two players out of the spectating mob wanted to challenge her, but at the only entrance/exit of the cemetery, there were easily over 20 players who banded together to fight.


    "You may have been able to beat 7 of them, but your time ends now, girlie!"


    *... They''re like those mindless rodents who follow each other off a cliff.*


    Jisha didn''t even know how to respond. They were collectively making a suicidal decision.


    She glanced at her HP bar to make sure it was full.


    *Yup. Fortunately, that''s the same.*


    Though Jisha made it look easy so far, leveling up in Synergy was usually a laborious task. The system was generous enough to fully heal a user upon a level up. This meant that all "livelihood stats" such as HP and MP would be restored, and all status effects (negative or positive) would be cleared.


    *Well, I wouldn''t have been worried regardless.*


    "Melee, charge! Ranged, fire!"


    The commander issued an order.


    Once Jisha saw the salvo of pellets headed her way, her eyes widened in shock!


    "They''re incredible...!"


    She couldn''t believe what she was seeing.


    "What the hell are you doing? Aim at HER, not me!"


    "Sorry?"


    Though there were over 3 times the enemies she had just faced, the skill gap between the Brent Clan and this mishmash of random players was immense.


    Some of them were decently accurate... and some of them weren''t even close. And some ranged units even ended up friendly-firing on their melees.


    Jisha barely moved and nothing hit her. Witnessing this poor display of skill, she withheld a massive urge to burst out laughing. She had to remind herself that they were also walking piles of cash, each holding up to 50 starter pellets or a starter stick... And disrespecting money was a sin. Probably.


    She tried to suppress a smile as she took aim and fired at the nearest player.


    -14


    A level 0 melee exploded in one shot.


    "What! Are you sure we can win? Whose idea was this???"


    "Not mine! It was his!"


    "Are you kidding me? You want to avoid responsibility now?"


    Infighting ensued, drastically reducing the already minimal pressure on Jisha.


    -12


    -27


    -23


    ...


    Approximately every second, a level 0 player died, dropping their valuable loot.


    "Commando, you''re a snake! I can''t believe we trusted you with thi-"


    -15


    *This is exactly what I expected would happen if this situation were to occur... Though it''s surprising it even happened in the first place.*


    How could a hastily-formed group trust each other so easily, especially when they were all incompetent?


    Jisha giggled like a child as she knocked down every last player.


    *Well... I guess I am a child again!*


    *>Inventory*


    *>Melee Starter Stick: 26*


    *>Ranged Starter Pellet: 797*


    *>Armor*


    *>Drape: Shahar''s Nightwalker*


    "Ha... Hahahahaha!"This narrative has been purloined without the author''s approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.


    *What idiots! Also, I can''t believe all this actually fits in my inventory.*


    Though her far-future financial problems weren''t even close to solved, these ultra-rare items would definitely help offset them.


    *Oh, and speaking of financial stuff...*


    *>Coin Pouch*


    *>Copper: 500*


    500 Copper. This was a ludicrous amount for 30 minutes into the game. After all, she had killed 31 players in a War Zone in that time frame, each of which should have had 10 Copper each. A dead player in a War Zone would not only drop all items, but all of the money they had on hand as well.


    *31 players with 10 each... That makes 310 Copper. I started with 10, so Bren and his crew must have killed at least 18 players.*


    Though Jisha didn''t know about the three players who had spent all their money on Cinnamon Buns, her respect for the Brent Clan grew even more after realizing what they had accomplished in a short amount of time.


    *Really... What happened to them in my past life? No point dwelling on it right now... Oh well. Returning to base!*


    With (finally) no one left in the War Zone, Jisha teleported safely to the commons area.


    ---


    Jisha once again visited the Lyocal Eatery to plan her next moves... And not to indulge in sweets.


    *Mmmmm, Cinnamon Ariosha is sooooo good! Anyway, I should get to Orchid Town at some point whether it''s today or tomorrow.*


    She had told Syny to meet her there, so that was the current goal.


    *I have to become stronger as I travel there. Not to mention, I promised to give her a gift.*


    Syny''s journey to Orchid Town would be long for her. It might even take her multiple days, so Jisha had to make it worth her while.


    Though a multiple day journey would be considered short in the later stages of the game, it was unfathomable for a beginner.


    As she was planning various routes in her head, she was looking through her friend request notifications when she saw a familiar name.


    *Oh? Guess I should accept this one.*


    *>User "Brent" is now on your friends list.*


    *I was going to add him anyway, but it looks like he added me first. Also, Castle didn''t add me. What''s up with that?*


    *>Friend request sent to user "Castle".*


    She hadn''t seen him as she was looking around the hamlet, but she didn''t think much of it. He would probably contact her sooner or later.


    Brent started sending messages to Jisha as soon as she accepted his request.


    *>Brent: Who are you? You''re beyond incredible.*


    *>Brent: I''ve never considered myself a good player, but to meet someone that much better than me is even more humbling.*


    Jisha was surprised at Bren''s self-deprecation.


    *>Fae Sol: Uh... You''re preeeetty darn good. You''re top Royal Academy level at the very least!*


    *>Brent: ... What? No, the top players of the Academy are way better than me.*


    *>Brent: Also, if you say I''m top Academy level, then what does that make you???*


    *>Fae Sol: Hehe, don''t worry about me. (????)*


    *>Brent: Ugh... Anyway. Would you mind reviewing the battle recording with us some time? Any advice would be appreciated.*


    *>Fae Sol: Sure... on one condition: join my guild when you''re level 5!*


    *>Brent: Guild? Wait, don''t tell me you''re already...*


    *>Brent: Never mind, that''s impossible. ... I''ll think about it.*


    *>Fae Sol: No join, no review. Think hard!*


    Jisha closed her messages with Bren and opened the ungodly number of unread messages from Syny.


    *>Synycal: Heeeeey! Answer me! What quest did you get?*


    *>Synycal: omg... How am I supposed to get to Orchid Town? Huh???*


    *>Synycal: Hmph. Fine, I guess I''ll trust you (~_~)*


    *>Synycal: AAAAAAH It''s scary outside of the hamlet!!!!! I already died from falling in a hole!*


    ...


    They were all useless messages, but they were just like her.


    *>Synycal: I finally figured out how to travel to the next village... I think! I''m on my way! Probably! But you''re still not responding...*


    Her final message made Jisha feel guilty for ignoring her, so she hastily wrote a response.


    *>Fae Sol: You''re doing great! Traveling will be a lot easier when you automatically level up to 1, so don''t stress out yet. There''s a lot more fun things to come in this game, so I can''t have you burning out yet. I''ll have a present for you at Orchid Town, so hang tight! You bought that map, right?*


    *>Synycal: What? AUTOMATICALLY????? Why didn''t you tell me this earlier?*


    *>Fae Sol: Good luuuck o7*


    Syny''s instant response meant that she was doing fine. Jisha closed her messages before she had to deal with the madness again and let out a long sigh.


    *Let''s quickly evolve my class and get out of this place.*


    ...


    *Damn flies.*


    Surprisingly, some players had found her even after she teleported out of the War Zone. It was natural considering what she did, and she even knew that she was being watched while drinking her Cinnamon Ariosha at the eatery. Due to the Anti-Paparazzi skill, it wasn''t a huge concern, but it took more effort than she expected to shake off all of her pursuers and find an isolated spot in Uval''s Safe Zone.


    She didn''t want to use the Nightwalker''s abilities more than necessary and didn''t want anyone to find out she was evolving her class.


    *>Name: Fae Sol*


    *>Class: Ranged*


    *Level: 5*


    *>HP: 107*


    *>MP: 107*


    *>Atk: 11*


    *>AR: 0*


    *>MR: 0*


    *>AS: 1*


    Her current class was a default Ranged, but that was about to change.


    Jisha began the class evolution process.


    *>System message: Ranged -> Adroit Ranged class evolution prerequisites:*


    *>Safe Zone: ?*


    *>All prerequisites for class evolution Ranged -> Adroit Ranged fulfilled. Proceed?*


    *>Accept/Deny*


    At level 1, there was only one class evolution option, so she immediately accepted.


    *>System message: Commencing class evolution.*


    *>Evolution requirements: Don''t move for 5 seconds.*


    Jisha knew this was coming, which was why she deliberately hid herself from all players and NPCs.


    *>0%*


    *>20%*


    *>40%*


    *>60%*


    *>80%*


    *>100%*


    *>Minimum Tribulation threshold: 80%*


    *>Tribulation score: 100%*


    *>System message: Evolution successful!*


    *>New Skill learned: Targeted Throw. >Expand for details.*


    As the evolution ended, Jisha''s avatar was wrapped in a soft white glow, one that was similar but weaker to that of leveling up. Class evolutions quests were a strange aspect of Synergy''s gameplay. The more you evolved, the more difficult a class evolution quest would become. They were basically testaments of skill, luck and resource management.


    Jisha shuddered as she recalled her level 900 Demigod evolution quest. What had just transpired couldn''t even be called a quest compared to that monstrosity.


    *System message: Convert Starter items to Adroit items?*


    *>Accept/Deny*


    Jisha hastily denied the system''s offer.


    *Nice.*


    There were many reasons why Starter items were so rare in the future, but this was the number 1 contributor. Once you evolved your class, Starter items would become absolutely useless in combat. Adroit Melee units would have to use Adroit Melee Sticks, and Adroit Ranged units would have to use Adroit Ranged Pellets. The system would automatically upgrade them, and there was literally no reason for normal people to deny the offer.


    *And... It looks like I''m qualified for the next evolution, as I thought.*


    Jisha correctly recalled that the first class evolution occurred at level 1, and the second occurred at level 5. Since she was level 5, she naturally completed one of the prerequisites for evolution.


    This time, there were multiple options she could choose from.


    *>Adroit Ranged -> Pitcher*


    *>Adroit Ranged -> Slingshotter*


    *>Adroit Ranged -> Neophyte Mage*


    *Hmm... What a tough decision! ... Not.*


    She immediately selected Slingshotter.


    For now, she was going to stay on the familiar path of her previous life.


    There were thousands of classes in Synergy, and it would be a while before the entire class tree was explored. At first, users would have to undergo trial and error to see which classes they preferred to play. The only way to lose XP and re-evolve was to die, so penalties for deaths in the wild were quite lenient in the beginning to mid game. Dying in the late game was punishing, and dying in the end game was borderline crippling. Fortunately, Jisha was still many years away from having to worry about that.


    *>System message: Adroit Ranged -> Slingshotter class evolution prerequisites:*


    *>Safe Zone: ?*


    *>100 Copper: ?*


    *>All prerequisites for class evolution Adroit Ranged -> Slingshotter fulfilled. Proceed?*


    *>Accept/Deny*


    *Accept!*

 16 - Second Class Evolution

    *>System message: Commencing class evolution.*


    *Well... This is something else.*


    The blue sky was crystal clear, and the lush green grass spread out in all directions with no obstructions as far as the eye could see. There was no wind and the temperature and humidity was ideal for humans.


    That''s right - Fae Sol was transported from a place with buildings and sparse trees to a place with no buildings or trees whatsoever.


    This class evolution quest was a more "true" version; you would be transported to a temporary dimension for the sole purpose of completing the quest.


    *>Evolution requirements: Using Adroit Ranged Pellets, strike the target at least 5/10 times.*


    *>Dispensing quest items:*


    *>Adroit Ranged Pellet: 10*


    Thankfully, this quest didn''t require the use of personal items. The system was generous enough to give her the necessary items to complete the task.


    A target appeared roughly 5 metron away from where Jisha was standing. It appeared to be a standard modern archery target. As a ranged weapon fanatic, she obviously knew what this meant. It was 122 centimetron in diameter with the center being 130 centimetron off the ground. The face of the target was also tilted at a 15 degree angle. In a standard competition, the yellow center represented 10 points, and each ring outside of it was worth 1 less point.


    *Ahh... I remember this. It''s been a long time. Hmm... The rules only say I need to hit the target, but they don''t specify how I need to do it.*


    As a beginner in her past life, she completed this quest how most people would and received a normal reward. However, after experiencing many class evolution quests, Jisha knew that there would sometimes be bonus opportunities hidden within the temporary dimension. Exploiting loopholes in the quest''s rules was one way to achieve these bonuses.


    The first thing she tried was moving closer. Even though the target was only 5 metron away, moving closer would still exponentially increase the odds of hitting the target.


    However, there was an invisible barrier blocking her way, rendering the attempt useless.


    *Well, that''s to be expected. Let''s see... Is this skill as useless as I think it is?*


    *>Skill: Targeted Throw*


    *>Description: Throw an item at the system''s designated target.*


    *>Rank: Level 1, Common*


    *>Cooldown: 3 seconds*


    *Yup. Doesn''t look like I''ll be using it.*


    Jisha knew exactly what this skill was. In fact, it was a very useful skill for new players; she had used it the first time around. All you had to do was set a target in your mind and the system would move your body for you, throwing an item with pinpoint precision.


    Body movement in Synergy was not too different from real life, so players who didn''t have great control of their body would benefit from assistance from an external aid.


    However, who were we talking about here? For Jisha, using a beginner-level skill like Targeted Throw would only be restricting. Why would an expert cyclist ride with training wheels?


    *Looks like I''ll just do this quest normally. If my hunch is correct, I should be able to complete it with a Tribulation score of over 100% anyway.*


    With an Adroit Pellet in her hand, Jisha wound up her throw like a professional pitcher and let loose at a target that was virtually right next to her.


    She heard a satisfying *ding* as the pellet struck the bulls-eye, and the target moved approximately 5 metron back.


    *>11%*


    *Seems like that''s the ticket. Let''s continue.*


    Hitting a 1.2 metron-wide target from 10 metron was still a piece of cake for Jisha.


    *Ding!*


    Bullseye.


    *>22%*


    The target moved to 15 metron.


    *Ding!*


    Another one.


    *>33%*


    20 metron.


    *Ding!*


    Like a machine, Jisha continued striking the bulls-eye.


    ...


    Finally, at 35 metron, Jisha made a mistake.


    *Whoops. That''s a 9.*If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.


    She knew it before the projectile even landed. But...


    *Ding!*


    *>77%*


    *Huh? Still +11%?*


    If there were 10 targets to hit and the maximum score was 100, each target clearly gave 10 points each. 11 was a bonus.


    Until now, she had assumed that hitting the bulls-eye was the requirement for a bonus point, but apparently that wasn''t the case. There was only one other possibility.


    *The requirement for a bonus point... is to throw the pellets normally. Basically, no using Target Toss. That''s a relief. But that doesn''t mean I''m not going to try for the bullseye every time!*


    The pressure was off, but Jisha was still going to push herself to the limit. This was the key to improvement.


    40 metron.


    *Ding!*


    *Bullseye.*


    *>88%*


    45 metron.


    *Ding!*


    *9.*


    *>99%*


    50 metron; the finale.


    *Ding!*


    *... 8.*


    *>110%*


    Jisha was slightly less accurate than world-class archers with only her arms, yet she still let out a dissatisfied sigh.


    *>System message: Quest complete.*


    *>Minimum Tribulation threshold: 50%*


    *>Tribulation score: 110%*


    *>Evolution successful!*


    *>Dispensing quest rewards:*


    *>Quest reward items:*


    *>Wooden Slingshot: 1*


    *>Adroit Ranged Pellet: 50*


    *>Quest Bonus achieved!*


    *>Dispensing Bonus rewards:*


    *>+100 Copper*


    *>Bonus reward items:*


    *>Golden Slingshot: 1*


    *>Adroit Ranged Pellet: 50*


    With a massive system message flooding her HUD, Jisha was transported back to her original hiding place where her avatar was once again wrapped in a slightly brighter white glow.


    *>Coin Pouch*


    *>Copper: 497*


    *Looks like the system was generous enough to refund my quest fee with the bonus completion. Also... I wonder what this Golden Slingshot does?*


    In the past, Jisha had received the Wooden Slingshot as a quest reward and didn''t complete the bonus. She had never owned a Golden Slingshot before.


    *>Name: Golden Slingshot*


    *>Type: Weapon (Ranged)*


    *>Class Restriction: Slingshotter-branch*


    *>Description: Have you considered becoming a professional pitcher?*


    *>Rating: Level 5, Epic*


    *>Abilities:*


    *>Passive: +50 ATK, -50% AS while equipped.*


    *>Targeted Sling: Sling a projectile at the system''s designated target. Cooldown: 8 seconds.*


    *That''s pretty good.*


    Jisha was impressed by its stats. In comparison, the Wooden Slingshot was quite a bit weaker.


    *>Name: Wooden Slingshot*


    *>Type: Weapon (Ranged)*


    *>Class Restriction: Ranged-branch*


    *>Description: Slingshotter''s standard weapon.*


    *>Rating: Level 5, Common*


    *>Abilities:


    *>Passive: +33 ATK, -67% AS while equipped.*


    *>Targeted Sling: Sling a projectile at the system''s designated target. Cooldown: 10 seconds.*


    The abbreviation AS stood for Attack Speed, and it was a hidden stat until level 5. By default, AS was 1, which meant that players could fire one "basic attack" per second. In a melee player''s case, it was one swing of the stick. In a ranged player''s case, it was one pellet throw.


    By equipping the Golden Slingshot, Jisha''s attack power rose from 11 to 61. Though she could only fire it once every two seconds, her overall damage output increased by over three times.


    Meanwhile, a standard Wooden Slingshot increased attack power from 11 to 43, and it could only be fired once every 3 seconds. This was less than double the base damage per second (DPS).


    Even without looking at the ratings, it was obvious which weapon was far superior.


    With a satisfied smile, Jisha left her hiding spot and headed towards the Eatery once again.


    *I''m not addicted to Cinnamon Ariosha. I just need to buy recovery items for my journey to Orchid Town!*


    ---


    A sketchy-looking group of players stood outside the Lyocal Eatery.


    *>Stein: What? You lost her??? There are four of you and only one of her. Uval isn''t big, either! What the hell are you guys doing?*


    *>Ivonna: Didn''t you see that battle recording we sent you? She''s not normal.*


    *>Stein: I know, but all you had to do was talk to her, not kill her!*


    *>Yaele: Even if we have to force her?*


    *>Stein: ... YES! I TOLD YOU THAT FROM THE BEGINNING! GET HER TO JOIN OUR GUILD OR ELSE.*


    From that point on, Stein ceased responding to messages.


    "Acting like he''s so high and mighty just because he''s the commander of our unit..." Ivonna said.


    "Right? It''s not like he knows how hard this job is... Ivonna, why did you just have to describe her as ''not normal''? That was a severe understatement. That player is a freak," Yaele inquired.


    "... The battle recording should have spoken for itself."


    Out of the four players Stein had mentioned, three of them were standing outside, while one was inside gathering intel. This group of players was part of a larger virtual gaming organization that decided to spawn in the Uval Hamlet. They had players dispatched to other nearby hamlets all rushing to collect information and secure dominance over the area.


    Jisha had decided to spawn in the Uval hamlet because the war between orgs was lighter in this place, but that didn''t mean it was nonexistent.


    "Ahh... I swear we got the hardest job... And it was supposed to be the easiest," Ivonna complained.


    "I don''t know about that. Brookie apparently found a huge group of the Shock Collar gang and others in the Covan Hamlet." The third player, Muyonnu, finally spoke up.


    "I''d take on the Shock Collar gang over *her* any day."


    "Normally, I would, too, but apparently Shock Collar dispatched an unusually large number of troops where she''s at. Asunder might have to surrender Covan already. We should make up for it by securing Uval."


    *>XiNalaSlave77: Did someone say "shock collar"? OwO*


    *>Stein: ... Say that one more time and you''re kicked from Asunder.*


    "... Why can''t we just take over Stein''s position? He just gets to sit back and bark orders at everyone," Yaele said.


    "Yeah..."


    Ivonna and Yaele both knew it wasn''t that easy, but nothing was stopping them from dreaming.


    Their organization, Asunder, was fairly small compared to most, so they had to use their limited manpower to secure a small number of hamlets. By using the world map that had been leaked before the official launch of the game, large-scale collaboration via 3rd party media was possible. According to the news they were receiving, out of the 8 hamlets Asunder had attempted to acquire, 1 of them already looked to be lost, while the others were in a stalemate. Ivonna''s unit couldn''t let their opportunity to secure Uval slip through their fingers.


    "Anyway, all we have to do is talk to her. If she doesn''t want to listen, we''ll just use force. The four of us might not be enough, but the threat of an organization should make her back off."


    "Right... And how are we supposed to find her to tell her that?"


    As Ivonna and Yaele discussed their plans, a cheerful voice called out to them.


    "Excuse meeee, coming through!"


    In response to this, the three immediately blocked the door.


    "Sorry, but this restaurant is currently undergoing recon by the organization Asunder. Come back after we''re done."


    Yaele immediately spoke up.


    Their reaction was smooth and practiced, as if asserting the power of an organization over an individual was something they did daily. They expected the typical submissive response after they stated they were an org, but...


    "Asunder? Never heard of it. I''m going in."


    "Wait..."


    Before they could respond, the player managed to slip past them into the restaurant.


    "... Are you stupid?"


    "No, are you?"


    Ivonna and Yaele immediately turned on each other after they failed their one job of not letting players into the Eatery, but Muyonnu remained level-headed.


    "Um... Did either of you get that player''s name?"


    "... Name?"


    At that moment, they realized that the player they had just encountered had no name written above their head like everyone else did.


    "What... That''s freaky."


    "Who is that?"


    "Isn''t that obvious? How many players in this place are ''freaky''? It has to be *that person*..."


    "You really think so?"


    "Isn''t there only one way to find out?"


    With that, the three players of Asunder entered the Eatery together.

 17 - Preparing to Leave Uval

    *Let''s see... Cinnamon Buns, Cinnamon Ariosha... Hell, I could eat a raw cinnamon stick at this point. But that might not be a good idea.*


    Jisha was sitting at a booth, ordering copious amounts of food to stock up on consumables for her journey. At this point in the game, it was impossible for normal players to even think about heading to another location, but Jisha was almost ready.


    The natural rate of HP recovery in the wild was slow. As of now, Safe Zones were the only feasible place to recover quickly, and there wouldn''t be one for a while where Jisha was headed.


    *That''s right! They¡¯re consumables for recovery! I''m not addicted to cinnamon sweets!*


    She justified these sweet purchases in her mind, but she knew deep down how dangerous these types of addictions could be.


    Synergy wasn''t real life, yet it didn''t feel far off from it. As technology advanced, sensations would become more and more realistic. In the far future, it may even be possible for virtual worlds to feel "more real" than the real one.


    In a way, virtual worlds could discard the negative aspects of reality while only keeping the positive ones. For example, you could eat as many sweets as you wanted in Synergy without consuming an excessive amount of calories. And since nothing physical was affected, every bite tasted like the first.


    Sweets were innocent, but what about other highly addictive pleasures, like sex or hard drugs?


    Sure, nothing was physically addictive, but psychologically, it was a whole different story.


    Jisha looked at the massive Cinnamon Bun she was holding as if it represented the sins of mankind.


    It was bigger than both of her hands.


    *The developers of this game... Are pretty sadistic.*


    Jisha took a massive bite out of the Cinnamon Bun.


    As she contemplated the future of morality, she noticed three players enter the building. They, along with a fourth that was already inside, blocked her escape from the booth.


    *Two blonde, two black-haired. I wonder what business they have with me?*


    She pulled down the hood of her Nightwalker so they could recognize her face.


    Of course, Jisha recognized them as the "Asunder" players that attempted to block her from entering the restaurant.


    The blonde girl, Ivonna, spoke up before Jisha could even say anything.


    "So it *is* you. What org are you a part of?"


    "... None."


    "Really? Then join our group."


    *Huh?*


    Jisha was surprised at first, but it was obvious once she thought about it. Anyone would want to recruit a highly skilled player to their Guild or org. It was no different from what Jisha herself was doing with the Sun Dragons.


    "Sorry, I''ll have to decline."


    This was probably the first of many recruitment offers she was going to receive, so she would have to get used to saying this.


    "Then we''ll force you to join!"


    The blonde guy, Yaele, was clearly dissatisfied with her response.


    "You... Are you guys a bunch of idiots?"


    "What did you just say?"


    Jisha was even more surprised at Yaele''s response.


    "Give me 3 good reasons I should join."


    "Uh..."


    "You''re hot?"


    Yaele hesitated, but the black-haired guy, XiNalaSlave77, said something extremely unexpected. Of course, this resulted in a slap from the black-haired girl named Muyonnu.


    "Are you jealous she''s prettier than you?"


    Jisha smacked her face with her palm.


    "Thanks for stating the obvious, but that''s not the point here. What''s in it for me? Why should I join you guys instead of staying as I am now??"Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.


    *What am I doing with these guys... No wonder I haven''t heard of Asunder. They''re hopeless.*


    Jisha inadvertently ended up teaching these newbie players recruitment 101.


    "Hmmm... What''s in it for you? If you don''t join, we''ll hunt you down forever!" Yaele adamantly said.


    "... How?"


    "We know your name from the recording of your fight in the War Zone. That''ll easily be enough to track you down."


    "Really, now? I wonder about that. Don''t you see this convenient item that hides my name and face?"


    "So what? All we have to do is find an item that can appraise you anyway. You won''t be able to hide forever."


    "Is that so? If that''s all, then have a nice day."


    Jisha shook her head as she took another bite out of the Cinnamon Bun.


    Their line of thinking wasn''t entirely inaccurate. Items that solely hid name and level were extremely common, but so were ones that were able to break through these disguises. However, only Rexian''s Eyes, another legendary NPC''s item, could see through Shahar''s Nightwalker. In addition, Synergy was a massive world. It was fairly easy to run off and hide somewhere if you weren''t tied to a location for various reasons.


    "... Hey, are you really ignoring us? It won''t end well for you if you do. Just agree to our terms, and you will receive opportunities that come with being a member of the Asunder organization," Muyonnu said kindly.


    *This sounds like a marketing scam.*


    "Playing good cop? Unfortunately, you guys don''t even have terms I can agree with. Sorry, but I''m leaving. You¡¯ve spoiled my delicious Cinnamon Bun."


    Jisha effortlessly snuck by their pitiful attempt of a blockade and left the Eatery.


    ---


    "... Are you stupid?"


    "No, are you?"


    Muyonnu couldn''t help but bury her head in her hands after witnessing Ivonna and Yaele quarrel once again.


    "... Stein''s gonna kill us," she worriedly said.


    *>XiNalaSlave77: Yo Stein, the hottie got away again. She declined our offer~*


    "WHAAAAAAAT ARE YOU DOING???"


    Yaele immediately tackled Xi after seeing the snitching message. A Safe Zone meant that no damage could be taken, but it didn''t mean that tackling another player wasn''t allowed.


    *>Stein: Are you kidding? I''ll assemble troops to find her myself. Keep an eye on where she''s headed and report back to me. How''s the situation in Uval?*


    *>Muyonnu: It''s relatively peaceful. It doesn''t look like any other organization is trying to claim this hamlet. Fae Sol is our only obstacle. She keeps avoiding us, and she said she wasn''t from any org.*


    *>Stein: And you believe that? Regardless of whether she''s lying, it doesn''t look like she has any conflict of interest with us. Like I said, just report her whereabouts to me and I''ll deal with her sooner or later.*


    *>Muyonnu: ... Roger that.*


    "Wow, he really went easy on us, huh? He must have had a change of heart after reviewing that battle footage."


    Ivonna sighed in relief after seeing the org leader''s lenient messages.


    "Right? He''s not normally like that... Maybe she''ll be a worthy opponent for Stein and his crew?" Muyonnu questioned.


    "Nah, there''s no way. She''s good, but there''s no way she can beat all of them at once. You know how good they are at pretty much all VR games," Ivonna refuted.


    "Nooooo! My queen Fae Sol will reign supreme!" Xi wheezed from a chokehold on the floor.


    "Come on, you two. We need to find her so we can report on her position to Stein."


    "Oh, yeah."


    "Yes, ma''am!"


    Though the reason each obeyed differed, Yaele and Xi snapped to attention when Stein''s name was uttered by Ivonna.


    ---


    *Alright... If I recall correctly, Inkling Village is this way.*


    Before she could arrive at Orchid Town, Jisha had to cross through a place known as Inkling Village first. Though it was technically possible to go directly from a Hamlet to a Town, it was much easier to visit a Village beforehand, as it was smaller than a Town and bigger than a Hamlet.


    *Looks like the frontier shop is in that direction, too, so that works out.*


    After about a minute of walking from the Eatery, Jisha arrived at a small wooden shop that was labeled "Rai''s Adventures". Synergy''s universal frontier symbol was engraved at the top of the building, so Jisha knew what to expect when entering it.


    The frontier symbol was a circle with a sword and compass in the middle, indicating that it was a go-to shopping spot for the adventurous type. If you wanted to go on an adventure in the wild, visiting a frontier-type shop was a necessity. Even Jisha would end up dying without a couple of valuable items from one.


    *Well, I won''t die in a low-level area like this one, but I would certainly need some of this stuff beyond level 500.*


    As Jisha entered the shop, armor, weapons, ammunition, and all sorts of odds and ends could be seen lining the walls and stands. A couple of players were looking around at the items for sale.


    There were lots of level 1 common items for sale, and most of them were priced at 10 Copper or less, which was conveniently the same amount of money everyone would start with.


    However, what Jisha was here for was neither weapons nor ammunition. Instead, she walked over to a shelf that held some strange pieces of blank paper.


    *Looks like they''re here.*


    The little tags beneath the pieces of paper read the following:


    *>Mini Local Map: Free (Maximum 1 per player)*


    *>Small Local Map: 10 Copper*


    *>Medium Local Map: 25 Copper*


    *>Large Local Map: 100 Copper*


    *The Medium Local one should be good enough for now.*


    These map sizes were extremely small compared to what Jisha was used to seeing in the past, but that couldn''t be helped. She took one of the Medium Local Maps off the shelf and headed to the clerk to pay.


    "One of these, please."


    "That''ll be 25 Copper for a Medium Local Map. Thank you for your business."


    As she was paying, she heard some chattering from within the entrance of the shop.


    "Really? That costs 25 Copper??? Why would someone waste money on a map?"


    "Right? It doesn''t even do any damage!"


    Jisha couldn''t help but smirk.


    "Haha. New players always say the funniest things. ... Oh, it''s you guys."


    The source of the chattering was none other than the Asunder clowns she had encountered earlier.


    "What do you mean by new? This game just came out."


    *Whoops. It looks like I''ll have to be more careful about what I say.*


    "Uh, anyway. The point is that maps are important. Just because it doesn''t do damage doesn''t mean it isn''t useful. Knowing what''s around you before your enemies do is vital to winning battles. Also, while adventuring-"


    *Ah, why am I lecturing them?*


    Jisha found herself reminiscing about the past; maybe she saw her old self in these newbie players... But she didn''t have time to teach right now.


    "Sorry, but I really can''t play with you guys. See ya."


    She was about to slip by them again, but the four of them were completely body blocking the door.


    Instead of kicking them aside, she decided to humor them.


    "Do you guys have any more business with me?"


    "Of course we do! May my queen emerge victorious in the upcoming battle," the black-haired boy named XiNalaSlave77 dramatically said.


    Once again, he earned a slap from Muyonnu.


    *What''s with this guy? That username seems vaguely familiar... Oh!*


    Jisha figured out the reason behind this guy''s strange character. She had trouble remembering since it was from such a long time ago, but in the southeast, there used to be a popular supermodel by the name of Nala Xi.


    *And since he has "slave" in his name... he''s THAT type of guy.*


    Everything made sense.


    "I apologize for his behavior. Actually, we''re supposed to report your position to our org leader, so we''ll keep you trapped until he gets here," Muyonnu said.


    "Really? You think you can do that?"


    "Of course."


    "Well, pardon me."


    With a simple front kick, Jisha knocked several of the Asunder crew off balance, easily skating by them once again.


    As she was leaving, Jisha heard the following conversation at the edge of her hearing.


    "... Are you stupid?"


    "No, are you?"


    "Ugh... Let''s just report her movements to Stein and keep track of her."

 18 - First Frontier

    *System warning: Now leaving the Safe Zone and entering the frontier. >Expand for details.*


    The frontier.


    It was the aspect of Synergy that excited and terrified players alike. After all, traveling through the frontiers of Synergy meant that you were discovering new territories - you were stepping foot where no man had gone before!


    It was difficult to do that in modern times, where almost every square metron of the surface of Etmos had been tread upon by humans. There was nowhere in real life you could easily explore that no one had been. Even if you were in an isolated area, it was likely someone had been there before. Whether it was the peak of the highest mountain or the bottom of the deepest valleys, they had been traversed upon and named.


    In addition, treading into uninhabited territory always came with degrees of risk. Injury and death weren''t uncommon in the most extreme terrain of Etmos. Dying in real life was the end of everything.


    But this wasn''t the case in Synergy. Exploration of the world was a key aspect of the game, and it also came with varying degrees of risk. However, death didn''t usually mark the end of your journey. You could always go back and try again.


    *In order to leave this hamlet and find resources, settlements, rarities, and other things... You have to suck it up and walk into the wild.*


    There wasn''t any guidance system once you left your starting hamlet. The game wouldn''t tell you what to do. For better or for worse, you were treated like a chick who was tossed from their nest. You had to learn how to fly on your own.


    *A lot of players, including me, were apprehensive about walking into unknown territory. But the thrill was like nothing else.*


    Nothing good came from holing up in your starter hamlet, waiting for others to do the job for you. The ones who got ahead early were the ones who stepped up to the task and ventured forth.


    And now, unlike her past life, Fae Sol was one of those players.


    *Though I guess I''m not really exploring anything as of now, since I already know which way I have to go...*


    Similar to the experience of the class tree, players in Synergy would also have to randomly experience the wild and see what came about. Other than the general locations of starter hamlets that had been leaked before the game''s release, nothing was known. Jisha''s advantage in this area was also clear.


    *I wonder if they''ll follow me... Yup.*


    Jisha glanced back to see 4 players trying to tail her. However, since she was level 5 and had evolved her class, she was significantly faster than the level 0 Asunder players. In no time at all, she had already lost them.


    At this moment, the hamlet was disappearing into the distance.


    Uval was located at the edge of two biomes: plains and sparse forest. Jisha currently ran through said sparse forest.


    *Always explore the more dangerous side... is what I was told in the past.*


    It was a good rule of thumb in Synergy, though not always accurate. The closer you got to the centers of continents, the tougher your life would be in the wild. In a principle of fairness, the difficulty was appropriately rewarded.


    Hence, frontier explorers, or "front runners", would often travel in the more dangerous direction when faced with a choice.


    Jisha''s choice was almost immediately rewarded.


    *There''s the first mob I''ve seen so far.*


    If she had run in the direction of the plains, it was still likely that she would see one eventually, but the density of mobs was usually directly proportional to the difficulty of the biome. In addition, she would be running further from the center of the continent, which was akin to suicide for a front runner.


    *It wouldn''t be any good for leveling, either, would it?*


    Jisha looked at her first artificial adversary.


    *>Name: Green Slime*


    *>Level: 1*


    Similar to that of players, appraisal information was limited to name and level by default. If you wanted more information, you would need a rudimentary appraisal item at the very least. The more information you wanted out of an appraisal, the higher the grade of the appraisal item would have to be.If you spot this tale on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.


    *Which is why I want Rexian''s Eyes... But that''s a quest for far in the future.*


    Rexian''s Eyes... the appraisal item of the legendary NPC Rexian. Since he was a higher-ranking NPC than Shahar, his item was naturally superior.


    *Ah, I''m getting distracted.*


    As Jisha was daydreaming about a super-rare item, the round green slime had bounced very close to her.


    *Bounce, bounce, bounce.*


    Jisha observed its simple movements.


    *It''s cute... But not so cute that it makes me not want to attack it.*


    Perhaps it was a design strategy by the developers of the game.


    Synergy was quite realistic, after all, and many citizens of the modern world didn''t have any experience killing anything. How would a player react to a realistic situation where they would have to kill something? That was akin to being sent off to war, and it wasn''t most people''s idea of fun.


    Level 1 slimes were inoffensive and not like anything that existed in real life. Even people who "wouldn''t hurt a fly" wouldn''t have trouble inflicting harm upon a slime.


    Jisha casually kicked the slime in its weak spot, causing it to explode into the ever-absorbable white light. Even its death was as non-traumatizing as possible.


    *>+1 Slimeball*


    *>+1 Copper*


    Though her damage was halved due to inflicting a melee attack as a ranged character, she wasn''t about to waste any of her 100 ammo on such a weak monster.


    *That barely gave me any XP. That''s to be expected, though...*


    She was level 5, and she had just killed a level 1 Common monster. It would take an ungodly amount of them to level up. Killing them would just be a waste of time. Hence, Jisha continued her sprint through the sparse forest, hoping to find some higher-leveled mobs. However, her prayers wouldn''t be answered immediately.


    *>Name: Small Lesser Mayfly*


    *>Level: 1*


    It was an insect, yet it was too big and cute to look like a real fly. Similar to the slime, it wasn''t so cute that one would have trouble killing it. However, if one were a super-pacifist in real life, they might have some trouble.


    Unlike the slime, which was slow and predictable, the mayfly was quicker as it whizzed around the air. However, at the end of the day, it was still a level 1 mob.


    *>+1 Lesser Insect Wing*


    *>+1 Copper*


    Jisha easily swatted it out of the air with her bare hands. She didn''t want to waste time on killing weak mobs, but this one was quite fast and it wouldn''t leave her alone.


    *>Name: Young Clay Doll*


    *>Level: 1*


    After passing some more Green Slimes, Jisha found another unique level 1 mob. It was an earthen mass guarding a tree. Though it was called a doll, it wasn''t very humanoid in shape. Rather, it looked like a bell with legs sticking out from the bottom. It was quite a bit bigger than the other monsters; the slimes were not much bigger than a football. While the mayfly was around the same size, it was less physically dense than the slime.


    The Young Clay Doll, on the other hand, was wider than an average human and its height reached Jisha''s stomach. It moved even more slowly and predictably than the slime, but its constitution was much sturdier. However, at the end of the day, it was still just a level 1 mob.


    *>+1 Clay*


    *>+2 Copper*


    With a couple of punches and kicks, the Young Clay Doll met its end. This monster wasn''t of the Common rarity, but rather of the Uncommon rarity, which was why Jisha gained 2 Copper out of it. Even though she couldn''t appraise it precisely, Jisha could still approximate its worth due to her experience in the game.


    *I wonder if it was protecting anything?*


    This mob was another exception to Jisha''s "too weak to kill" rule, as it was likely guarding items. Upon a quick inspection, the Young Clay Doll seemed to have been sitting atop a small pile of leaves. Unsurprisingly, Jisha found an item underneath them.


    *>Name: Small Wooden Dagger*


    *>Type: Weapon (Melee)*


    *>Class Restriction: Batonista or Fracasier-branch*


    *>Description: An introduction to a slightly different fighting style to a traditional Batonista or Fracasier.*


    *>Rating: Level 5, Common*


    *>Abilities:*


    *>Passive: +33 ATK while equipped.*


    *Hmm...*


    Though it wasn''t an exceptional item by any means, it was still a rare find this early in the game. It was uncommon for a level 1 or 2 monster to drop or protect a level 5 item.


    *I guess it''s my lucky day. I''ll save this for Syny.*


    Jisha knew Syny would become a dagger-wielder in the future, so she stored it in her inventory for the near future.


    *I want to find something better, though...*


    Even though it was a level 5 item, it was of common rarity. Gifting her best friend with a common item didn''t sit right with her, but if she couldn''t find anything better, the wooden dagger wasn''t a bad backup plan.


    ---


    *>Inventory*


    *>Clay: 1*


    *>Lesser Insect Wing: 7*


    *>Melee Starter Stick: 26*


    *>Ranged Starter Pellet: 797*


    *>Slimeball: 14*


    *>Twig: 3*


    *>Coin Pouch*


    *>Copper: 468*


    After a few minutes of running, Jisha had encountered various types of monsters, but none of them were over level 1. The density of mobs she was encountering was unusually decreasing as well, so she still hadn''t used any ammunition.


    *This is a bit odd...*


    It''s not like she intended to encounter anything strong in this area, but the lack of mobs worried her. She had an idea of what was coming up, but it didn''t make much sense to her.


    *Is there a Wild Boss here somewhere?*


    The sudden decrease in mob density was a telltale sign of a Wild Boss in the area.


    Wild Bosses were similar to ordinary mobs in the fact that they roamed around in random wild areas. They were Bosses because they were much tougher to deal with than ordinary mobs, whether they were stronger, smarter, faster, or something else entirely.


    *But this is a level 1 area?*


    Wild Bosses didn''t appear until level 5 at the very earliest, which was why Jisha was confused. However, her confusion was exacerbated when she entered a clearing in the forest.


    *Traveling Corrupted Land???*


    It was something that was even stranger than a Wild Boss to appear this close to a starter hamlet.


    Traveling Corrupted Land - a rare biome. A phenomenon that was aptly named - it was a mobile biome that poisoned and "corrupted" land as it randomly traveled.


    Half of the grass in the clearing was reduced to a dark green, almost blackened hue. Some of the grass had even turned a shade of purple due to some unknown effect.


    Natural mobs would instinctively flee from it, and those unlucky enough to be caught in this natural disaster would be transformed into something more horrible.


    It was a dangerous area for players.


    Jisha now had two options: Ignore the mobile biome and continue towards Inkling Village, or follow the number 1 rule of a Synergy front runner.


    *Always explore the more dangerous side.*


    Was it even a choice to begin with? After all, in Synergy, difficulty was appropriately rewarded.


    *I wonder what I''ll find in this one?*


    Without a second thought, Jisha sprinted directly into the Corrupted Land.

 19 - Corrupted Land

    As soon as Jisha''s foot hit the darkened grass, a wave of discomfort assuaged her body.


    *>System message: New biome discovered - Traveling Corrupted Land.*


    *>You are the first player to discover this biome! Dispensing rewards:*


    *>+1 Silverium*


    *Oh?*


    1 Silverium had been awarded to her coin pouch for discovering this biome. For the current Fae Sol, this was a ludicrous amount of money.


    To put this in context, 100 Copper could be exchanged for 1 Bronzium, and 100 Bronzium could be exchanged for 1 Silverium. She essentially had gained 10,000 Copper.


    *Well, I guess it makes sense.*


    Synergy incentivized exploration, and the system would give exploration-related rewards quite often.


    Traveling Corrupted Land was not a common biome, and it was extremely unlikely for it to show up where it did. Hence, the reward was fair. In fact, it might have even been lacking.


    *I forgot about biome discovery rewards. New biomes were so rare in the end game...*


    Jisha was going to take everything she could get in this game, including more discovery rewards... and the Boss of this Corrupted Land.


    *I wonder where it could be...*


    At the center of every Traveling Corrupted Land, there would be a boss monster that was the source of the corrupting miasma. If she could find and defeat it, the system would undoubtedly reward her handsomely.


    Jisha continued running deeper and deeper into the Corrupted Land.


    -1


    *Looks like it''s started.*


    After entering this biome, Fae Sol was exposed to miasma that was dangerous to normal players. Unlike poison gas, which could only be ingested by breathing, miasma could negatively impact a body just by coming into contact with it.


    *Doesn''t look like this one''s too dangerous, though.*


    She had only lost 1 HP after a couple of minutes, so it was clear that this was a low-level Corrupted Land.


    *Gotta hurry up, though.*


    No matter how slow the HP corrosion was, it was still faster than her natural regeneration. She couldn''t idle.


    -1


    After several more minutes of running, Jisha encountered her first mob in this land.


    *>Name: Corrupted Air*


    *>Level: 5*


    It was a massive purple gas cloud that hung in the air, blocking her path forward.


    *The first level 5 mob I encounter is not currently killable. That''s fun.*


    Though it was called Corrupted Air, in reality, this cloud comprised thousands of small organisms that could float. These organisms thrived on the miasma of the area, making them dangerous to the touch. Jisha would need a stronger area-of-effect attack to be able to wipe them out; it was impossible to do significant damage with pellets slightly smaller than her palm.


    Whether she liked it or not, Jisha would have to detour around them.


    -1


    As she got closer and closer to the center of the Corrupted Land, the grass turned a more vivid shade of purple. She had encountered a decent number of monsters so far, but they were all slow.


    *I could have killed them, but I might need all of my ammo for the Boss.*


    She had a small idea as to how strong this Boss would be after seeing the levels of the various mobs in the biome. After all, the Boss was the source of the corruption. The difficulty of the surrounding Corrupted Land was directly proportional to the strength of the Boss.


    It was still better to save her ammo. The return on investment was much higher for slaying a higher difficulty creature.


    -1


    The grass was now almost a translucent purple, and the rate at which she took ambient damage was increasing.


    -1


    Finally, in the distance, through the wilted trees and dead leaves, Jisha caught a glimpse of the Biome Boss.


    *>Name: Corrupted Tamaskan Devil*


    *>Level: 7*


    *Yep, it''s strong alright.*Stolen content warning: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    If it was an ordinary level 7 monster, Jisha would have been able to kill it with ease. However, this was not a level 7 common mob, but a level 7 Biome Boss. Despite being described by the same number, the two were not on the same playing field.


    *It''s also unfortunately hideous.*


    If a new player were to see this, they would experience quite the shock. This dog-like creature was not at all like the overly-cutesy mobs Jisha had seen so far. First of all, it was much bigger than an ordinary dog. Even while standing on all fours, it was a bit taller than the current Fae Sol.


    It was limping, its fur was falling off, and it was covered in bald spots. Its eyes also appeared cloudy and almost bloodshot. Some of its mouth was torn off, too, exposing its sharp teeth for the world to see.


    *It was probably cute in the past. That sucks.*


    In the past, this monster could have been an ordinary Tamaskan dog, and they were pretty adorable. It was a different story now. All Jisha had to do now was put it out of its misery... also known as collecting its loot.


    *I''m so kind... I''ll hold on to your valuables for safekeeping!*


    Killing the Tamaskan wasn''t going to be difficult, but it wasn''t going to be a walk in the park, either. Jisha would have to focus on this hunt.


    Jisha was currently about 100 metron away from the Tamaskan. This creature''s number one way of detecting its surroundings was via smell. Its hearing was a bit weaker, and its sight was abysmal, so getting spotted in the traditional sense was the least of her worries.


    Though other monsters were roaming the area, they were weak or slow enough to ignore. Jisha could hunt the Boss directly.


    *Using the Nightwalker... Is out of the question.*


    Jisha couldn''t think of a good way of closing in on the Tamaskan without alerting it to her presence, but this fight wasn''t difficult enough to warrant using the Nightwalker''s overpowered abilities.


    *I could just climb a tree and shoot it until it dies, but that''s too boring.*


    In the dog''s current state, there was no way it could possibly climb a tree.


    But after a couple more seconds of pondering, Jisha had another idea.


    *Haha. This might actually work.*


    Maintaining a distance of 100 metron from the Tamaskan, Jisha navigated to a spot where she had an open line of sight on the foe.


    *Alright, there''s no trees to block this now.*


    Jisha withdrew her ultimate weapon from her inventory: the Cinnamon Bun. It smelled delicious. In fact, it smelled strongly enough for Jisha to worry about being detected by the dog at this distance.


    *Ugh... I want to eat them now... I''m buying lots more of these next time I see them for sale.*


    Jisha hastily equipped the Golden Slingshot and loaded the Cinnamon Bun as if it were a projectile.


    *I can''t believe this works.*


    The Cinnamon Bun wasn''t directly categorized as a projectile weapon by Synergy, yet for some reason, it didn''t matter.


    Jisha pulled back on the slingshot, aimed at the Tamaskan, and released.


    The bun was clearly far larger than the slingshot, yet by some absurd logic, the slingshot had no difficulty firing.


    Of course, there''s no way this would have worked in the real world. First of all, the bun would not have fit onto the launch pad. Second of all, the force applied by the slingshot would most likely just squish the bun, making it lose a lot of kinetic energy. Lastly, air resistance would have altered the bun''s flight significantly. However, since they were not in the real world, none of these problems mattered. Synergy was realistic, but it didn''t replicate every nuance of reality.


    After flying through the air, the Cinnamon Bun landed right next to the nose of the dog sniffing the ground.


    *Huh. I missed?*


    Jisha thought the low-level Corruption wouldn''t affect her performance in the slightest, but in extreme cases, like trying to hit a monster from 100 metron with a slingshot and a Cinnamon Bun, her aim was slightly off.


    *Oh, well. It''s nothing significant. At least I won''t be getting attacked.*


    -1


    "..."


    Jisha observed the reactions of the Tamaskan that had been suddenly assaulted with a strong scent at point blank. In its perception, a strong signal had suddenly shown up right next to it. It was as if something bright had appeared next to a person; it was disorienting.


    It was clearly startled, but quickly realized the origin of the scent was not hostile. Could it even be... A delicious scent? Unable to resist the sugar, it gave the source of the scent a tentative lick. After a pause, it quickly devoured the whole thing.


    *It really likes them, huh? Let''s send in another one!*


    While the Tamaskan''s nose was filled with the cinnamon-y scent, Jisha advanced 20 metron. She quickly loaded and fired another Cinnamon Bun.


    This time, she didn''t miss, but no damage was dealt. Rather, the dog happily ate the second Cinnamon Bun. Little by little, Jisha fired more Cinnamon Buns and stealthily approached the Tamaskan. When she had 3 left, she had circled directly to the rear of the dog, yet it still hadn''t reacted to her presence.


    *It should have noticed me by now, but I guess those Cinnamon Buns are just that good. Maybe the threat of a level 5 player is outweighed by that deliciousness.*


    However, the sugary sweetness wasn''t the only reason Jisha had decided on Cinnamon Buns as a weapon.


    Suddenly, the Tamaskan stopped eating and keeled over.


    *Now!*


    Jisha approached the monster, mounted it, and started firing pellets at its head at near point blank.


    -103


    -127


    -142


    -138


    ...


    *This is hilariously stupid, but it''s actually working.*


    Though cinnamon wasn''t toxic to dogs, overconsumption would undoubtedly leave them with stomach problems. As if on cue, the Tamaskan vomited.


    *Haha, that''s gross. It''s probably disoriented, too, with everything that''s going on.*


    Its movements were sluggish, and Jisha was easily able to maintain her position atop the monster.


    *Don''t they do this in the Far West? It''s quite exhilarating.*


    As if she were one of those bull riders with the large hats, Jisha shouted excitedly while slugging the poor creature with pellets nonstop.


    ...


    After 32 shots, the Tamaskan helplessly toppled over, exploding into white. Jisha had accumulated 10 HP of damage, none of which were from the Boss she was just fighting. However, even those measly points of damage didn''t matter, because...


    *>System message: Level up!*


    *>System message: Level up!*


    *>Name: Fae Sol*


    *>Class: Slingshotter*


    *Level: 5 -> 7 (+2)*


    *>HP: 107 -> 111 (+4)*


    *>MP: 107 -> 111 (+4)*


    *>Atk: 11 -> 12 (+1) + 50*


    *>MAtk: 53 -> 55 (+2)*


    *>AR: 0*


    *>MR: 0*


    *>AS: 0.5*


    A single level-up was enough to full-heal her, much less two level-ups. She had soloed a Biome Boss that was two levels higher than herself. Though it was only a dumb level 7 monster, Jisha was proud of her equally dumb tactic that actually worked.


    When the white light cleared, Jisha saw a singular purple item sitting on the ground.


    *Ah, is that what I think it is? Crap, my inventory''s full.*


    A Biome Boss usually dropped multiple items, but this one only dropped one, so it was likely more valuable than normal. Jisha dropped the useless Twigs from her inventory and picked up the purple item to examine it.


    *>Name: Shard of Corruption*


    *>???*


    *A corrupted shard!*


    It was a valuable material that could be crafted into a variety of weapons or armors if you gathered enough of them.


    *What a find.*


    *>System message: Congratulations! You have liberated a Corrupted Land Biome.*


    *>+10 Karma*


    *>System message: Calculating First Kill Bonus...*


    *>+1 Silverium*


    *Hmmm...*


    As the system messages popped up, the purple grass slowly started turning green where the Corrupted Tamaskan had died. The circle of green expanded slowly, and as it did, life was breathed back into the earth. It was truly a sight to behold.


    However, Jisha paid no attention to this beautiful sight. She had expected the First Kill Bonus but had forgotten about the +10 Karma she would receive.


    Karma was another genuine hidden stat in Synergy, and it represented one''s "alignment". Positive Karma was usually related to "good" beings, and negative Karma was usually related to "evil" beings. Being good-aligned wasn''t a bad thing, but Jisha had a small problem with it. If you were good-aligned, you would be punished for killing players. Meanwhile, if you were evil-aligned, the system wouldn''t punish you for doing such things.


    Jisha was still unsure which direction she wanted to take in this new life. Of course, in her previous one, she had been good-aligned. It had naturally protected her from PvP battles in the wild. Two good-aligned players were discouraged from fighting each other. If you were good-aligned and met an evil-aligned player in the wild, a fight was inevitable, though evil-aligned players were far rarer.


    The color of the player''s name above their head represented their alignment. If it was some shade of green or white, they were good-aligned. If it was yellow, orange, red, or black, they leaned towards evil.


    But Jisha had Shahar''s Nightwalker. It wasn''t possible for players or NPCs to glean her alignment at a glance.


    *I''ll have to think about it some more.*


    There were many advantages and disadvantages to being evil-aligned, so it would take some time to make a decision.


    In the meantime, there was nothing she could do but continue walking towards Inkling Village.

 20 - Brookies Wish

    For the first time on this journey, Jisha took the map out of her inventory to inspect it.


    *Hmm... Looks like I''ve veered slightly off course.*


    When Jisha originally purchased the map from the frontier shop, it had been a blank parchment. However, after activating it, all of the areas she had visited were slowly colored in.


    As of now, most of the paper was still white. Starting in the middle, there was a group of buildings that could only represent the Uval Hamlet. From there, there was a thick line of green due west jutting out from the middle.


    Jisha traced the line with her finger.


    *And this is where I found the Corrupted Land.*


    The straight green line became purple and was bent at roughly a 25 degree angle towards the south. The purple line wasn''t straight, though; every detour Jisha had taken in order to find the center of the Corrupted Land had been accurately mapped out, taking her even further south.


    *Alright. This way, then.*


    Jisha was in a forest, but she could still see where the sun was due to the sparseness of the trees. Using the position of the sun as a pseudo compass, she reoriented herself and sprinted what originally would have been due west.


    *It''s convenient that stamina is not a thing yet.*


    She wouldn''t have been able to sprint nonstop for this long if it was.


    As one leveled up, more and more hidden stats would be revealed, complicating the game further. Stamina was one of those hidden stats.


    Similar to how magic and Attack Speed didn''t exist before level 5, Stamina didn''t exist until level 10. And even then, it was very lenient. The more you leveled up, the harder it became to level up further. This wasn''t only because the experience required to level up increased each level; there were other factors involved.


    One such factor was the increasing difficulty and intelligence of higher-leveled mobs. Killing lower-leveled common mobs would not grant you sufficient experience to level up in a reasonable amount of time, so you needed to kill higher-leveled mobs to level up at the same rate. As they leveled up, monsters not only got basic stat boosts, but intelligence upgrades as well.


    Current monsters were dumb enough to kill using traditional methods, such as smacking them in the face until they died. For Jisha, it was as if she were a high-ranked VMA player creating a new, low-ranked second account to stomp newbies. It was at least a little fun, otherwise people wouldn''t do it.


    Another such factor, as mentioned earlier, was Stamina leniency. More and more actions would consume Stamina at higher levels. This meant that potential exploration time would be decreased. You would have to rest more often since you would die if you ran out of Stamina.


    Being able to run at a full sprint nonstop was useful and exhilarating, and Jisha wanted to abuse this mechanic as much as possible.


    *This experience is something you can''t get anywhere else!*


    Jisha had a bright smile on her face as she continued sprinting through the forest.


    ---


    "I still can''t believe we actually got driven out. That''s so pathetic."


    "Cut it out, will you? I''ve kept saying it''s not our fault that only two of us were dispatched to that hamlet."


    "I know, but still... We didn''t even get to evolve our class. I can''t believe I''m stuck throwing these stupid black balls. This game sucks. Other than being extremely realistic, it has no redeeming qualities. Why are we even-"


    "Brookie, shut up. We''ve leveled up to 1, so we can at least survive in the wild. Also, you''re welcome to leave Synergy AND Asunder if you want to. I''ll let Stein know right away."


    "..."


    A Ranged and a Melee player walked through the sparse forest. Due to meeting a large enemy force in their nearby hamlet, they were forced to retreat from the Safe Zone. However, just because PvP was disallowed in Safe Zones didn''t mean players had no way of harassing each other.


    Eventually, the Covan Hamlet became a hub for grappling, sudo and other non-lethal hand-to-hand combat techniques. Of course, it was two against many, and the harassment from the large group of players didn''t stop.


    Shock Collar would block entrances to doors of important locations, not allowing the two Asunder players to gain any information or resources. An hour passed, and even their level 1 class evolution quest would constantly be foiled. After all, if you were pushed, it counted as moving. It was impossible for them to stay still for even 5 seconds, which was all it would have taken to upgrade to Adroit.


    Inevitably, they were forced out of the hamlet and into the wild.


    "I know it''s humiliating, but we''ll have to do our best to find another Safe Zone so we can evolve. In the meantime, we can still level up. Let''s find some mobs. I know you didn''t play the beta, but hunting mobs is pretty interesting in this game."


    The Melee, Dharr, did his best to console his Ranged partner.


    Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.


    "I hope so..."


    "See, look. There''s a Green Slime. I''ll let you take it out by yourself."


    Dharr had played in the beta, so he was a bit more familiar than Brookie with the combat mechanics of Synergy. The level 1 Green Slime was a perfect opportunity for Brookie to experience the world of Synergy for himself.


    Brookie looked at the round object bouncing towards him. It was too pathetic to be called a "monster".


    "How did you see its name?"


    Though it was obviously green and gelatinous, Brookie turned to Dharr, wondering how he knew the exact name of the mob.


    "Just think about appraising it in your mind as you look at it. Its name and level should automatically be known to you then."


    Brookie was slightly confused at this explanation, but did as he was told regardless.


    As he thought of "appraisal" while looking at the slime, information was directly transferred to his mind.


    *>Name: Green Slime*


    *>Level: 1*


    "Whoa... Honestly, that''s more impressive than anything else so far."


    Brookie was amazed at the technology that was directly able to transfer information without the necessity of a HUD. No screen had popped up in front of him; after the appraisal, he just *knew* this information.


    "You''re really impressed by something so simple? Imagine how many other impressive things are in this game," Dharr said.


    "I guess that''s true..."


    "The reason Stein wants everyone to be so invested in this game is because he sees an incredibly bright future within it. Even if you aren''t impressed by some aspects of it, this product is so far ahead of other VR technology that almost everyone will find something they''ll be interested in... is what he said. In the future, he said it''ll even bring down the outdated feudal system. I''m not sure about that one, though... But you know how he is."


    "Hmm..."


    "Anyway, attack the slime. Let''s see if you can hit it from here."


    The Green Slime was roughly 10 metron away from the two, and it was slowly bouncing closer. Brookie lined up a shot and threw a Starter Pellet with all his might. In his mind, the pellet would go straight through the slime, vaporizing it... but reality was different.


    The pellet ended up on the ground, disappearing far from the intended target.


    "Hahaha...! I knew something like that would happen!"


    Seeing this, Dharr couldn''t help but laugh.


    "What the hell just happened?"


    On the other hand, Brookie was confused. In the real world, he was an expert darts player, so he knew exactly how to throw things. Though throwing a ball was slightly different from throwing a dart, the experience of seeing projectiles flying from your hand was shared across both activities.


    Brookie turned to Dharr, who seemed like he knew what was going on.


    "Haven''t you noticed how weak a level 1 body is?" Dharr pointed out.


    "Huh... Now that you mention it..."


    Brookie then realized that his throw had a lot less power behind it than if he were to throw something in real life. After all, though they weren''t world-class, Dharr and Brookie both had strong bodies in the real world. The level 1 bodies they were piloting were indeed weaker than what they were used to.


    "Try again, Brooks."


    "Hmmm... Alright."


    The Green Slime was now only 5 metron from them, so Brookie was able to hit it accurately this time.


    -9


    It didn''t die in one shot, but Brookie wasn''t fazed. He lined up another shot...


    -12


    ... and hit! The green blob exploded into a white mist, startling Brookie.


    "Haha, I guess it is your first time seeing a death animation."


    Dharr casually picked up the slime''s loot while Brookie stood in wonderment as the white light was absorbed by his body, increasing his XP bar slightly.


    "Grinding mobs in an RPG is something I''ve done so often, but actually being here and doing it myself, with these hands... It''s a different feeling," Brookie said.


    "Yeah, it is. You can''t describe it with words, right?"


    "... Yeah. I guess this is what Stein was talking about."


    "Ok, enough of that. You''re not missing again, okay?"


    After another minute or so of walking through the forest, they heard some leaves rustling behind them.


    Hearing this, Brookie instinctively went on full alert.


    "Who''s there? ... Oh, it''s just another slime."


    "Really, you got scared of a slime? Hahahaha...!"


    "Man, shut up. I''ve never been in a forest before, so this is all new to me."


    Wanting to avoid further embarrassment, Brookie lined up his shot and fired at the slime, which was roughly 15 metron away.


    Though he still missed, it was clear that Brookie had adapted better to the new body he was controlling.


    He immediately threw another pellet, and this time...


    -11


    It was a direct hit.


    "Not bad!" Dharr whistled.


    Brookie smiled as he lined up another shot, once again hitting the slime directly.


    -10


    The slime exploded the same way and his body absorbed all of the light.


    *>+1 Copper*


    In a similar fashion as earlier, his mind received information that money was added to his coin pouch. As he wondered how much money he had, more information was relayed to his mind.


    *>Coin Pouch*


    *>Copper: 11*


    "What are you standing there for? Go pick up its loot. You killed it, after all," Dharr encouraged.


    "Oh, right."


    Brookie walked forward to where the slime had disappeared and found a small green blob in its place.


    As he picked it up, he could vividly feel the sticky gelatinous texture of the item he was holding.


    "This is interesting, too. Never have I even considered what loot from mobs feels like..."


    "Hurry up and put it in your inventory. We''ll be here forever if you dawdle. You seem really interested in everything all of a sudden when you were so detached earlier. What''s up with that?"


    Brookie stared at the slimeball in his hand while they walked forward. After pondering Dharr''s question, he gave a response.


    "... I''ve always wanted to travel, but I never had time. I''ve always wanted to go around the world and see, hear, and touch different things. I''ve always wanted to experience what''s out there with my own five senses. Of course, there are VR simulations of various locations, but they''re not that great. It''s also not the same as experiencing the journey yourself. I think... this game can provide some sort of replacement for that desire."


    "..."


    Not expecting the answer to be so deep, Dharr remained silent as they walked forward.


    After several more minutes in silence, Brookie noticed something odd.


    "Hey... Why haven''t we seen another monster yet?"


    "Uh... That''s a good point. I''m not sure, but we don''t really have a choice but to keep going."


    "And... What''s that?"


    Noticing something else different, Brookie became excited.


    "I... don''t know."


    This time, even the beta tester Dharr didn''t have an answer.


    "Should we go take a look?" Brookie asked.


    "Uh... Sure."


    The two of them walked forward to inspect the unusual phenomenon. When they got near enough to clearly see it...


    "Whoa..."


    "This is... unsettling to say the least."


    In front of them, the grass was turning a shade of black, and the flora were dying. In the distance, they could even see hints of purple peeking through the wilted trees. It was as if they were looking into a different world.


    "So... Do we check it out?" Brookie asked.


    "I''d rather not..." Dharr apprehensively replied.


    "Just because you don''t know what it is doesn''t mean you have to be scared of it, man. You were probably a beta tester because you wanted to gather some knowledge about this unknown world, right?"


    "..."


    Dharr didn''t respond to what was basically the hard truth.


    "Look at it as I do; it''s the unknown. We''re discovering something for the first time. There are new sights, sounds, and everything else to experience. Even if you don''t want to, I''m going in."


    Dharr wanted to rebut by saying fear of the unknown was completely reasonable, but before he could, Brookie was already striding towards the anomaly.


    With a sigh, Dharr tagged along behind him.

 21 - Brookies Loyalty

    The moment Dharr and Brookie set foot on the dying grass...


    "Ugh..."


    "Oh my god..."


    An overwhelming sense of nausea assaulted them. It wasn''t anything like dizziness - though they could still see straight, their heads were swimming in a sea of discomfort.


    "No, screw this. I''m not going any further."


    Dharr immediately succumbed to the nausea and stumbled back onto living grass.


    "Oh my god. I can''t believe I took living normally for granted..."


    Dharr relievedly sucked in a breath of fresh air as he lay on his back. He turned to look at his friend... who was still attempting to press forward.


    "... Just come back. You''re not gonna last long in there."


    "Urgh... Nah. I''m gonna continue forward. Just leave me alone," Brookie adamantly said.


    "... I''ll wait here until you give up."


    Brookie was able to slowly struggle for a couple more steps before speaking up again.


    "Agh, what..."


    "What is it?" Dharr asked.


    "I just took damage..."


    "From what?"


    Both Brookie and Dharr were confused for a moment before realizing the cause.


    "... Brooks. Come back."


    "No, Dharr, I can keep going. It was only 1 HP of damage after all."


    Though Brookie remained adamant, Dharr knew he would cave eventually. Though Brookie''s willpower wasn''t lacking, there were some obstacles willpower couldn''t force you through.


    Dharr watched as Brookie continued struggling forward.


    Even after several minutes, Brookie still hadn''t left line of sight... which was how Dharr saw him collapse.


    "You alright??" Dharr shouted.


    "Urgh..."


    Brookie didn''t give a proper response.


    "This guy..."


    If Brookie was only able to make it that far in several minutes, there was no way Dharr was going to endure the mental strain just to try and save him. In the worst case scenario, Brookie would just respawn at the Covan Hamlet, only losing a couple of items and half of the coins in his pouch.


    Just as Dharr was about to leave, he received a direct message via the system.


    *>Brookie: Yeah, I''m gonna try to make my way back. The mental strain is only getting worse as I go farther. The HP decay is really slow, though. I''ve only lost 3 HP. I''m not in danger of dying, so don''t worry too much.*


    *>Dharr: I''m not particularly worried. Hurry up, will ya?*


    They both knew it was a lie, but Brookie ignored it as he crawled his way back.


    Then Dharr saw something that made him doubt his eyesight.


    From deep in the forest, where the world had turned purple, a figure was running straight towards them.


    *>Dharr: Brooks, hurry up. Something''s coming.*


    Not knowing whether it was hostile, Dharr warned his comrade.


    Seeing this message, Brooks turned his head back.


    Indeed, there was a cloaked figure running straight at them. And it was fast. Seeing this, Brooks momentarily tensed up.


    *>Dharr: Are you serious? Didn''t you say the unknown was exciting? Why are you giving up now?*


    *>Brookie: I... When I said that, I didn''t think we''d be in danger so quickly... Haha...*


    *>Dharr: Well that''s what *I* clearly had in mind. Hurry your ass over here. Now!*


    Not wanting to deal with the cloaked figure, Brookie crawled towards safety as quickly as possible, but Dharr knew it wasn''t fast enough.


    *>Dharr: I''m sorry.*


    *>Brookie: Haha, this is quite terrifying... But it''s just a game, right? Should it even be allowed for me to feel this scared?*


    The logical side of Brookie knew it was a game and that death wasn''t the end, but the instinctual side sent his body into fight or flight mode.


    *>Brookie: Dharr, this game is really something else. Because I''ve dealt with the front lines, this isn''t that bad, but... How can ordinary people handle this?*


    Dharr had already fled at this point. Brookie was mentally cursing him, but at the end of the day, he would have done the same thing if their positions were swapped.


    It was a game; death wasn''t the end. But if this situation were to occur in reality, something told Brookie that the decisions they made wouldn''t have been any different.


    The cloaked figure was gaining rapidly, and Brookie was out of steam.


    *Dammit...*


    He struggled his hardest, but he couldn''t move any further. A shadow loomed over him, and he shut his eyes and waited for the Reaper''s scythe to end him.


    He waited... but nothing happened.


    When he slowly opened his eyes, he heard an annoyed girl''s voice.


    "What the hell are you doing?"This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.


    ---


    As Jisha continued running west, she encountered the part of the Corrupted Land that was still clearing out. The circle of green was still expanding outwards from the center, but it was quite slow. Jisha easily outran it. She braced herself and stepped onto the purple grass.


    -1


    *Great, here we go again.*


    Though Jisha wasn''t severely affected by the Corrupted Land''s properties, she still found them unpleasant. She ran and ran until she saw something in the distance.


    *Wait, are those players?*


    One was pathetically crawling towards the green grass, and the other was standing just outside the Corrupted Land.


    *Huh... What are these idiots doing?*


    Curiosity piqued, Jisha ran towards them.


    A couple of seconds later, the player that was standing outside of the Corrupted Land turned and fled.


    *Oh, I guess he''s scared of me. I guess I would be, too, if I were in their position. Your friend is on the ground and there''s a mysterious cloaked figure running at him at full speed... Hehe. I''m a spooky ghost! Be afraid!*


    Jisha chuckled as she approached the player on the ground.


    *The spooky ghost has arrived. What will you do now?*


    She waited for a few seconds, but the player on the ground didn''t move. Annoyed, Jisha pulled down her hood and spoke up.


    "What the hell are you doing?"


    The player opened his eyes.


    "Wow... What a beautiful character model. Did I just go to Synergy heaven? Not that I''d mind seeing you in real heaven..."


    "No, you idiot. You''re still alive. Get up."


    Jisha kicked the player, presumably a man, in the stomach.


    "Oof!"


    -7


    The man clutched his stomach but didn''t make any other moves.


    "Okay..."


    Jisha furrowed her brows.


    With an annoyed expression, she dragged the man over to the green grass and tossed him on the ground. Though the man''s character model was slightly larger, it didn''t matter. Fae Sol was level 7. She could easily pick up and throw other players short distances.


    "Ugh..."


    After emitting another unsightly noise, the man slowly struggled to his feet while inspecting his body. After he confirmed he wasn''t injured, he sighed in relief and looked at Jisha.


    "Thanks for saving me. I''m Brookie."


    "I know," Jisha said as she looked at Brookie''s nametag above his head. "Also, you don''t have to do a battle damage check like that. Injuries aren''t realistic in this game yet."


    "Ah, right. I forgot that you can see others'' names... But what do you mean by ''yet''...?"


    *Crap.*


    "Um... As VR technology advances, won''t things like injuries get more accurate to reality? It''s a natural consequence of innovation."


    "Right, of course. Wait, what''s your name?"


    Brookie was surprised by the fact that he couldn''t see Jisha''s name. Shahar''s Nightwalker hid it, after all. She wondered whether she should answer this question.


    "Uhh... This is unlikely, but you''re not related to Asunder, are you?"


    "Ha... I actually am a member of Asunder. Why do you ask?"


    *What a coincidence.*


    Jisha grabbed the collar of the man and pulled him close. He didn''t resist.


    "Well... It seems like your organization leader is after me. You won''t report me to him, right?" Jisha whispered in his ear.


    Brookie gulped in nervousness.


    "No... I won''t."


    "Good."


    Jisha smiled as she let him go.


    "I''m Fae Sol. Good to meet you," she said as she stuck out her hand.


    "Haha... Good to meet you," Brookie said as he stuck out his hand in response.


    As he was about to shake her hand, Jisha materialized a Cinnamon Bun in her outstretched hand. Brookie grabbed it, surprised by the unexpected texture of what should have been a handshake.


    "Agh, what..."


    Brookie inadvertently grabbed the Cinnamon Bun.


    "Take it. You''ve lost some HP, after all."


    "Huh... Thanks," Brookie said as he inspected the item.


    After confirming its effects, he hesitantly put it in his mouth. But after the first bite...


    "Wow, this is delicious!"


    He ate the whole thing in a matter of seconds.


    After fattening him up, Jisha was confident that she could get information from him. So, she cut straight to the point.


    "What''s the name of your leader?"


    "Oh... it''s Stein," Brookie unhesitatingly answered.


    "Do you know Yaele, Ivonna, Muyonnu and XiNalaSlave?"


    "We''re not close, but I know them. Did you meet them?"


    "I did. How do they rank within Asunder?"


    "They''re pretty new to the group. They were accepted as a part of Stein wanting to expand the org for Synergy exploration."


    "What''s your position?"


    "I''m pretty high up, actually. The highest ranking would obviously be Stein, the leader. Right below him, there''s his party he always plays with. All of them are pretty strong. And right below that, in an officer position, is me and a couple of others."


    "Hmm... Aren''t you giving away this information a little too easily to someone who claims to be an enemy?"


    "I guess so."


    It was odd... If it were someone who was low on the totem pole, it would make more sense that they would divulge so much. But it didn''t make sense for an officer to be this disloyal. In fact, even the four that Brookie had described as "new to Asunder" were far more loyal than what she had just witnessed.


    *What''s his motive?*


    "Why? Are you planning to betray Asunder soon?"


    "Hmm... I wasn''t planning on it, but I might."


    Jisha''s eye twitched at this overly vague response.


    "What does that even mean?"


    "Haha... I''m not sure."


    Jisha materialized her slingshot in her right hand so Brookie could clearly see it.


    "Really?"


    "Wha- Okay, okay! I''ll tell you, so put that away."


    "Hmmm..."


    Jisha, not convinced, placed a pellet on the launch pad and stretched the slingshot to its maximum.


    "I wonder how much damage this does to a player? Do you want to find out?"


    "Okay, I get the point, I''ll tell you, so please put that away!"


    "Hmph."


    Pouting, Jisha put the slingshot back in her inventory.


    She wanted to test it out, but if she were to accidentally one-shot the player in front of her, she wouldn''t be able to hear what else he had to say.


    After taking a deep breath, Brookie began speaking.


    "I... am loyal to strength."


    *Oh?*


    Jisha tilted her head to the side in a cute way, trying to appear as harmless as possible. Seeing this, Brookie shook his head.


    "Yes, your avatar is beautiful. When you make that pose, most people would be captivated, underestimating your strength. But after what you''ve already shown me, it''s obvious you''re not ordinary."


    Jisha wasn''t convinced.


    "Okay... You say I''m ''not ordinary'', but Stein, someone you follow, shouldn''t be ordinary, either. Yet you''re willing to immediately betray him when you see me?"


    "Haha, it''s true that Stein''s not ordinary. But something about you is different."


    When she heard this response, a light flickered in her eyes.


    *He''s not bad.*


    "You... Do you have extensive combat experience?"


    "It looks like you can tell," Brookie said with a resigned sigh. "I''ve served on the front lines for the Alacai Covenant for about 15 years and recently got discharged. I''ve wanted to explore the world normally, but due to personal circumstances, that hasn''t been possible. When I was forced to play Synergy, I thought it was just another trash VR product, but seeing what I did today... It changed my mind, to say the least."


    "Okay... So do you want to fight?"


    "... Definitely not."


    "Hm... So what are you doing out here? Exploring with your friend?" she asked.


    "Well... that wasn''t the plan originally. You see..."


    Brookie then explained the Covan Hamlet situation to Jisha.


    "I see... So you don''t have a compass, much less a map, right?"


    "I suppose not."


    Jisha shook her head once she heard that.


    "You have to have a compass at the very least when you venture into the wild. The only valid recovery spots for you right now are starter hamlets, and once you''ve left, there''s no way to get back if you''ve ventured too far. You''ll just end up dying to something eventually."


    "We didn''t have a choice."


    "You did, though. It''s much more reliable to wait in your starter hamlet until Shock Collar gets bored of guarding the important places. It sucks to wait it out, but it''s better than leaving altogether. After all, if those players are stuck guarding the shops, their leveling progress is delayed significantly, and that''s not good for any org. It doesn''t sound like they''re very smart.


    "It''s also likely that they''re using more than two people to guard these places, so it''s still a net loss for them overall. If it were up to me, I''d let you buy things normally, then pretend like we''re leaving. Once you think you''re safe, it''s easy to just ambush and kill you with the numbers advantage. That way, we''d be able to plunder your money and items, also making you lose XP."


    Jisha finished her explanation to find Brookie staring at her incredulously.


    "What? Have any better ideas?"


    "Ah... No. I was thinking it sucks we''ll have to miss out on Covan''s auction, but maybe you could help us out?"


    "Oh, an auction? Sounds interesting, but what makes you think I can help you out?"


    "I dunno, maybe you have a couple tricks up your sleeve? Regardless, if you come along, we could both snag a couple of nice items."


    Jisha looked at the Silverium she had just earned from clearing the boss and smirked.


    "Well... I''ve definitely got some money I can spend. Where''s the hamlet you came from?"


    "Ah, well... It''s that way. It''s not far; we should be able to reach it after about 10 minutes of walking."


    Brookie pointed west, deeper into the forest.


    *Looks like it''s kind of en route to Inkling Village, so that''s perfect.*


    "Oh, cool. I was headed that way anyway. By the way, take a look at this," Jisha said as she pulled the map from her inventory.


    "What is this?"


    "It''s a map. Something you should have bought before leaving. See this?"


    Jisha pointed at a green spot on the map.


    "We''re here. And you see this?"


    She pointed at the cluster of buildings in the center of the map.


    "That''s where I started. If I wanted to go back, it''d be easy for me to retrace my steps."


    "This... I can''t repay you for this."


    "You don''t have to. I''m in a pretty good mood right now, so don''t spoil it. By the way, you know you can just teleport back if you''re still a certain distance from your spawn location?"


    "... Really?"


    "Yeah. But you and your friend might as well show me the way to this auction while we''re at it. I guess you can think of it as paying me back for the map."


    "..."


    Jisha turned and headed in the direction Brookie pointed, which was hopefully where the Covan Hamlet was located.


    *I doubt he''d lie to me, but there''s always a chance.*


    Brookie''s mannerisms had seemed sincere, so she wasn''t worried. Even if the information was wrong, Jisha still knew the way back to Uval.


    She turned around to make sure Brookie and his friend would tag along.


    *An auction, huh? Let''s hope there''s some good stuff there.*


    With a sparkle in her eyes, Jisha skipped towards Covan.

 22 - Arriving in Covan

    The player who called herself Fae Sol walked towards Covan, and Brookie exhaled as if he''d been holding his breath for a long time. If he were in the real world, Brookie was sure he''d be sweating bullets by now. He''d only felt that level of pressure from another human once before...


    *And he was a monster.*


    Brookie wanted to process everything that had just happened, but before that, he wanted to confirm something else.


    "Dharr, are you still there?"


    Fae had said she wanted him and his friend to show him the way, which implied that she knew Dharr was still around. Brookie thought he''d fled, but...


    "Yeah. I''m here."


    Dharr stepped out from behind a thick tree; he''d been observing the whole time.


    *How did she know? Even I thought he''d left...*


    "... Hey, you gonna show me the way or not?"


    The annoyed girl''s voice echoed back to them through the sparse forest.


    "... Let''s go."


    Brookie and Dharr began walking in the direction they came from.


    "Why do we have to help her?" Dharr asked.


    "Well, we don''t *have* to, but it sounds like she has a good head on her shoulders. She could probably help us snag a couple of items at the auction," Brookie responded.


    Fae Sol was waiting for the two to take the lead. As they walked by, Dharr noticed she was in an unusually good mood, which seemed to make her beautiful avatar even more noticeable.


    "Brooks..." Dharr said in a hushed voice. "Did you fall for a VR avatar?"


    When he heard this, Brookie almost laughed out loud. "Of course not. I just think helping her will be beneficial for us, that''s all."


    Brookie and Dharr took the lead as Fae Sol followed behind.


    They walked for a couple of minutes in silence when Dharr suddenly spoke up.


    "Wait, didn''t Stein send us all message about a suspicious female avatar? Isn''t that her? Brookie, what are you planning?"


    Brookie suppressed his urge to chastise Dharr when he heard this. They were very clearly still within earshot, and Fae Sol could hear everything they were saying. Brookie stopped and turned to face Fae.


    "Do you mind if I talk to him about something privately real quick?"


    Hearing this, Fae Sol became slightly annoyed.


    "... I can follow behind a bit further back or you two can use DMs. I don''t want to waste more time. Honestly, I was going to ask you guys to pick up the pace. If you don''t want to help me at least this much, I can find Covan myself."


    "... Alright, please follow behind a bit more. Sorry about this."


    Once they were out of earshot, Brookie let out his frustrations.


    "What are you doing?" he hissed. "She''s an asset we don''t want to lose right now."


    "Really? An asset? Then why has Stein put up a kill order on her?"


    "Well, that''s simple. It''s because she''s strong."


    "What do you mean? How can you even tell by just looking at her?"


    "If you knew what I did, you''d know."


    "... Brooks. Are you really going to leave Asunder?"


    "Hah... You heard that, too, huh... It''s possible. I can''t help but follow someone strong, after all. She knows Stein is after her, so it''s natural they''ll meet at some point. Though I feel like she won''t lose, I want to see their fight myself. I''ll judge what I want to do then."


    "I think you''re crazy. What if I report this to Stein?"


    "I don''t care."


    "Why? You really think she''s strong enough to warrant leaving Asunder?"


    "I do."


    "..."


    Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.


    There was a moment of silence between the two. Brookie looked over at Dharr''s unfocused eyes as they continued walking forward. He was clearly writing up a detailed report of what just happened. Brookie sighed and mulled over his encounter with Fae Sol.


    *How many people would be able to function normally in that environment?*


    The mental fatigue Brookie experienced while in the Corrupted Land was no laughing matter. He wasn''t sure how many people he knew would be able to endure that pressure. This fact alone was enough to make him respect her, yet that wasn''t all she showed she was capable of.


    Those eyes... were of someone who had seen death. Though the facial expressions of VR avatars weren''t 100% realistic, it was enough for Brookie to tell that Fae Sol had experienced death in some way. Whether it was through witnessing an unrelated death, losing a loved one, killing someone in combat, or something else entirely, he didn''t know. But the aura she radiated was not one of ordinary civilians. Of course, Brookie was able to tell because he was a veteran of war.


    But that still wasn''t all.


    *She had no openings in her stance.*


    The way she moved and stood, even casually, suggested that she was ready to receive an attack at any time. It was similar to what he had seen from someone long ago, and not many could replicate that presence. Even though Brookie was highly skilled in hand-to-hand combat, he was sure he''d lose to her.


    He wanted to explain all of this to Dharr, but it was unlikely he''d understand. After all, Dharr was an ordinary civilian who''d built his body with ordinary strength training. He''d never experienced real combat nor had he experienced death of any kind. It would be like trying to describe a color that didn''t exist.


    Brookie stared at Dharr, who was probably still writing a report, and sighed.


    "Alright, I just reported to Stein, but I left out some parts," Dharr said as he turned to focus on Brookie. "That player is an enemy of Asunder, and it was important that I reported her position. As for what you told me about wanting to leave... That''s the part I left out. I know you have your reasons, so I won''t rat you out like that."


    Though Dharr was loyal to Asunder, the two were still close friends. Dharr''s loyalty didn''t override the friendship.


    "Thanks," Brookie said. "You want to know why I want to follow her? It''s because that player is an angel... An angel of death. When she approached me, it felt like my life was in her hands."


    Dharr was nonplussed.


    "You call her an angel, but how do you know that player is female in the real world? And for some reason, you say she''s strong. If that''s the case, there''s no way, right? It has to be a male player pretending to be a girl for fun," Dharr said.


    "Yeah, you''re right. That''s highly likely, but there''s no way to know, is there? This virtual world isn''t the real one, and if someone wants to pretend to be something they''re not, that''s totally fine. We should just treat people as they want to be treated here, without any stigmas from the real world. Wouldn''t you feel strange if you were to walk up to her and treat her like a man, especially when she looks like that?"


    "Hmmm... I guess so."


    Fae Sol''s avatar was indeed beautiful, more than most of the other ones they''d seen. Most people''s avatars were only a product of the various sliders provided during character creation, but hers seemed to be custom-made.


    "Besides," Brookie continued, "she saved me. I think that fact alone deserves a little respect."


    "Alright, I get it. You got a map, too, right? Let me take a look at it."


    "Sure," Brookie said as he handed the map over to Dharr.


    As Dharr was inspecting the map, his brows furrowed.


    "Brooks, you don''t know how these maps work, right? Take a look at this."


    "Is there something wrong?" Brookie was surprised. Was it a fake?


    "Hm... Is this right?" Dharr trailed off.


    "Spit it out already."


    "You see this path?" Dharr asked as he traced his finger across the thick line on the map. "This is a record of where this map''s been. The terrain colored in is basically what the land looks like as the map physically travels over that location. You can see that a lot of this is purple, right?"


    "Yeah... so does that mean...?"


    "That player traveled straight through this Corrupted Land in order to reach us," Dharr skeptically said.


    "Right. So doesn''t that prove strength?"


    "What do you mean? It could be a fake, or she got lucky and found an item that helps her or something."


    "... We literally saw her run *from* the purple grass."


    Brookie couldn''t believe the amount of denial Dharr was in. He turned back to look at Fae Sol who was nonchalantly nibbling on a Cinnamon Bun. Needless to say... It didn''t help his case. But he saw something else that confused him.


    "Wait, look back there..." Brookie said in a mystified tone.


    Dharr hesitantly looked towards the same direction Brookie was, and when he did, he couldn''t help becoming confused.


    The dark grass in the distance was coming back to life. Where everything was previously purple, the forest was a lush green. It was as if the "corruption" from earlier was simply a bad joke.


    "Well, that''s a coincidence," Dharr said.


    "You really think so?" Brookie responded, shocked at Dharr''s conspiracy-level denial. "Don''t you think Fae Sol was responsible for clearing it?"


    Dharr shook his head.


    "It''s pretty unlikely. Let me tell you something, Brooks. The alpha and beta stages of the game were released for less than a month each. Even in that amount of time, the only thing we learned about this game was that the number of questions we had were higher than the number of answers. I don''t think any alpha or beta player has seen that biome before, much less known how to ''clear'' it, if that''s even possible. The point is, there''s so many things in this game that the only advantage beta players have is knowing how to start playing."


    Brookie *really* wasn''t convinced.


    "So that biome just magically disappeared, then?"


    "I''m saying it''s highly coincidental. You''re not a beta player, so you won''t understand how vast this world is yet. I''m saying it''s more likely for it to have cleared out by coincidence than a player understanding how to clear it themselves."


    "Hmm... Sure," Brookie defeatedly relented. Trying to convince Dharr any further was a fruitless endeavor.


    The two friends walked the rest of the way in silence.


    ---


    *Well... Looks like he didn''t lie to me.*


    In her opinion, even if Brookie had lied and led her straight into a trap, it wouldn''t have mattered. She was already twice-evolved and was in possession of Shahar''s Nightwalker. She could easily have killed everyone or simply escaped.


    The three players arrived at the Covan Hamlet, and Jisha was looking around. Covan was aesthetically very similar to Uval. However, it had a higher player population density, and the atmosphere seemed more tense.


    *Wow, so it looks like there''s more than just Shock Collar and Asunder here, huh? Looks like the auction''s really brought a lot of people here.*


    Starter hamlets with incentives for beginners... They were quite popular since beta testers had revealed some information about them at an earlier time. Auction houses and War Zones were both quite popular in all stages of the game.


    *Actually, now that I think of it, it''s strange that Uval was so peaceful...*


    In her past life, War Zones were hotly-contested patches of land. Not only were they small, but they were rare, too. They were aptly named, since you could kill anyone you wanted with no repercussions. They were PvP hotspots for all walks of life.


    *Maybe I''m just lucky?*


    Jisha shook her head. There was no point thinking about it.


    *Whatever. Let''s get rid of this inventory clutter.*


    The slimeballs and insect wings were of no use to her at the moment, so she decided she was going to sell them at a nearby materials shop. After all, her inventory was full and she could exchange the trash items for a couple of Copper.


    *Who knows... There could be something good in there. Now that I have a little money, I could possibly fetch something nice.*


    "Alright, boys, I''ve got a couple of things to do. You can follow me or leave or whatever," she dismissively said.


    "...? You sure you don''t need our help? You haven''t even been here before."


    It was a reasonable question, but to Jisha, who had seen almost every type of hamlet imaginable, it seemed quite silly.


    "Don''t worry about me," she said as she walked in front of the two players.


    *Well, let''s see what''s in this materials shop.*


    If you were a front runner and encountered a random hamlet, it would be stupid to not check the material shop and auction house. Though unlikely, it was possible for a rare item to show up once in a while. In her past life, there were many stories of players randomly encountering cheap, high-level Epic items in a remote hamlet in the middle of nowhere.


    Jisha quickly found the materials shop. The universal mats shop symbol was a pyramid stack of six bouillons, so it was recognizable no matter where you were in Synergy.


    Unsurprisingly, it was blocked by players, presumably from another group.


    *Hmm... Let''s ask these nice gentlemen why they''re blocking my way, shall we?*

 23 - Auction Preparations

    The independent players who had spawned in the Covan Hamlet were unlucky. They just wanted to play the game, but that wasn''t even being allowed to them! Why?


    "Sorry. Entry to this establishment is for Shock Collar players only."


    "We''re blocking all entry to this building if you''re not part of the Ravaging Crows."


    "Omni Industrial is taking over this area. Off-limits to all else!"


    ...


    More than a couple of groups had already taken control of the buildings that would be useful to players who were just starting the game. The frontier shop, material shop, and even the food services were hotly contested among the organization players. Those who wanted to play for fun were simply wasting away...


    Of course, it wasn''t as if none of them had tried. However, for some odd reason, the number of independent players in this hamlet was unusually low.


    In Synergy, or any game for that matter, independent players took up the vast majority of the player population. There was over a 99% chance that any given player was not part of an organization. And this made sense; most players were in the game to have a good time, and being part of an organization meant you most likely had to work.


    In Covan, however, only around 50% of the player population was unaffiliated. Why was this the case? Well...


    "Hurry and find that quest!"


    "It should have been in here... It''s not anymore!"


    "What? Look over there, then! It''s gotta be somewhere! Did someone already take it?"


    "... Once we have enough money..."


    "... We can buy that item!"


    It was discovered in the beta phase of the game that the Covan Hamlet had an auction house with a supposedly uncommon item. When beta testers reported this fact to their respective organizations, news traveled quickly. The result? Organizations'' players flooded Covan upon release.


    Auction houses'' purpose was self explanatory: they were hotspots for all sorts of items that anyone could bid on. And it wasn''t unlikely to see at least one rare item in the mix.


    The independent players had already attempted to break the orgs'' grip on the essentials-selling shops, but their lack of unity was their downfall. Similarly to how the group of 20+ players failed to cooperate to take out Fae Sol, the independent players of Covan struggled to take out the orgs. With this everyone was dejected. Until...


    "Is that player part of a group? What are they doing?"


    "Actually, is that even a player? Their name is invisible."


    "No, it''s definitely a player. I don''t know what it is, but something tells me for a fact that it''s a player."


    The independent players watched as they shook their heads. Though they didn''t recognize this player, if they weren''t part of the org that was guarding the building, there was no chance they could enter.


    "Excuse me, handsome guy. Would you be so kind as to make way for me?"


    When everyone heard this, they were shocked! It was an incredibly cute girl''s voice!


    "Um... We cannot. Sorry."


    When everyone heard the guards'' response, they were shocked once again!


    "Whaaat? You''re saying those rude guards are weak to a cute girl? Hey, you!" A young boy said as pointed at the first girl he saw.


    "Eek! Me?"


    "Go convince him to let us in!"


    "Wha... What? No, there''s no way! Didn''t you see that player was also rejected?"


    "So what? You saw how they treated us earlier. There''s a chance!"


    When the girl heard this, she frowned.


    "Don''t wanna."


    "Whaaaat?"


    <hr>


    After leaving Brookie and Dharr at the edge of the hamlet, Jisha was practicing using her avatar''s cuteness to convince the guards to let her in. She knew she had good looks both in and out of the game, so why couldn''t she use them to her advantage? She also knew how to strike optimal poses to try and break into mens'' hearts. However, no matter what she said, they wouldn''t budge.


    *Though one of them is looking a bit bashful... Hehehe...*The author''s tale has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    Jisha mischievously smiled as figured she''d just have to go with her main plan. The door to the materials shop in front of her was small enough to be completely blocked off by two players, so she couldn''t simply slip by them like she did with the four Asunder clowns. Instead...


    "I''m sorry for calling you handsome, then... Maybe you are just old. If you can''t react to this, I''ll have to call you old men instead!"


    Jisha caught both of the men off guard with a quick leg sweep which knocked them off balance. This resulted in an opening, and Jisha was able to easily dash inside.


    When everyone saw this, they were dumbstruck!


    "What?? Don''t Safe Zones prevent all damaging moves like that? How did she do that?"


    Jisha, hearing this, didn''t want to explain it. But she obviously knew why. First of all, simply by observing the two guards, it was clear that they were more skilled at guarding doors than the Asunder clowns. Their method of blocking the door was similar to professional bouncers that she had seen in her past life.


    *Skilled bouncers wouldn''t be too distracted by my charades, though. At the end of the day, it worked, and that''s all that matters.*


    Since the guards were clearly distracted, a quick leg sweep was all it took to knock one of them off balance. A proper leg sweep wouldn''t damage another player, therefore it was permitted in a Safe Zone. If she had opted for a more violent option like a roundhouse or circle kick, the system would not register the attack; it would be like kicking an invisible wall. Even the front kick Jisha had performed in Uval was more of a push than a true kick.


    "Hey, what? Who are you? Brusse, Declan, what the hell are you guys doing?"


    An unaffiliated player entered, so a lone player that was probably part of some org barked at all three of them.


    Once she was inside, though, it was impossible for players to start conflict with her. Because...


    "Welcome to Leyla''s Wares! What business do you have with us today?"


    *>Name: Leyla*


    *>Level: ???*


    The level of this NPC was too high to appraise without an appraisal tool! This meant that the level difference between Jisha and the NPC was too great. NPCs usually wouldn''t permit horseplay within their businesses, but in a strange loophole, tussles directly outside the door were allowed...


    Though thoroughly annoyed, the three players could only watch as she walked around freely.


    "I''d like to sell some loot," Jisha said as she pulled the random garbage from her inventory.


    "Alright, here''s 23 Copper for 14 Slimeballs, 7 Lesser Insect Wings, and 1 Clay." Leyla nonchalantly said.


    As they heard this, the three players became intrigued.


    "Thank you!"


    *>Inventory*


    *>Adroit Ranged Pellet: 68*


    *>Cinnamon Bun: 2*


    *>Golden Slingshot: 1*


    *>Melee Starter Stick: 26*


    *>Ranged Starter Pellet: 797*


    *>Shard of Corruption: 1*


    *>Small Wooden Dagger: 1*


    *>Wooden Slingshot: 1*


    *>Coin Pouch*


    *>Silverium: 2*


    *>Copper: 435*


    With her inventory slightly emptier and her coin pouch slightly bulkier, Jisha left to exit the shop. Unfortunately, though she looked around, there weren''t any items in this particular shop that caught her eye.


    As she was about to leave...


    "Young lass, how about you work with us Ravaging Crows? Looks like you''ve already gone outside to hunt. You seem capable," the player whose name read "Jiel" said.


    *Oh? They''re perceptive.*


    Jisha was pleased when she heard this offer. Not because it was a good one, but because they recognized what she had done based on the loot she sold.


    "Unfortunately, I''ll have to decline the offer... Oh. Do you have any business in this upcoming auction or with Shock Collar?"


    "..."


    When they heard that name, there was a pin-drop silence.


    The three Ravaging Crows players looked at each other hesitantly.


    "Let''s talk about this somewhere else," Jiel said.


    "Sure," Jisha agreed. "I''ve got some allies waiting on the border of the hamlet. Hopefully we can discuss it with them as well."


    "... If they''re your allies, it should be fine. Brusse, Declan, let''s go."


    ---


    "... Who are they?" Dharr skeptically asked.


    "New friends!" Jisha enthusiastically said.


    The Ravaging Crows'' faces clearly said that wasn''t the case.


    "They seem quite suspicious of us," Brookie noted.


    *Obviously.*


    Jisha instantly pinpointed the issue.


    "Relax, guys. We''re not affiliated with Shock Collar or any powerful organization here," she said.


    When he heard this, Jiel let out a resigned sigh.


    "That''s a relief... Shock Collar has monopolized almost everything in this starter hamlet. All the quests that give money have been taken by them. It''s impossible for us to gain any ground. Right now, Omni Industrial is putting up a small fight, but anyone with half a brain can understand they don''t have enough manpower to do anything significant... At this rate, we''ll have to give up on the auction that''s coming up soon."


    *Well... Doesn''t look like these guys are *that* smart. I could have easily been lying about my affiliation.*


    Though she was internally chastising them, Jisha knew this man could be trusted a bit since he was talking so much.


    "We might not have to," Brookie said. "We can work something out."


    *He''s got blind faith in me. I haven''t even told him anything yet...*


    "... What org are you affiliated with?" Jiel asked.


    "None," Jisha responded before Brookie or Dharr could. She looked at the two of them and continued. "We''re *independent* and not affiliated at the moment."


    Brookie and Dharr looked at each other for a moment before silently agreeing to play along.


    This answer left Jiel flabbergasted, but after a bit more discussion, the two parties agreed that they could trust each other.


    "It''s kind of crazy that you guys are trying to take on Shock Collar as independent players. What''s your plan?"


    "Plan, huh..."


    There was one thing that had bothered Jisha since she arrived in Covan.


    Independent players still formed at least 50% of the hamlet''s population.


    *If someone was competent, they would have been able to take the lead, form a truce, and work together to take out Shock Collar. Especially if the situation''s mutually terrible for everyone.*


    A truce and/or alliance would be much more effective if all parties had a specific goal in mind. The primary reason why the group of individual players failed so badly when attacking Jisha in the War Zone was because their goal wasn''t a strong one.


    In that example, sure, the goal was to kill Fae Sol. But why was that necessary? That''s why Jisha had been surprised that someone had managed to rally that group in the first place. Killing Fae Sol wouldn''t really benefit anyone.


    *Commando12... I''d have invited him to the Sun Dragons, but I''ve never heard of him. I''ll keep his name in mind, though.*


    However, in Covan, the situation was the same for everyone. Shock Collar was limiting everyone''s rights to essential starting materials and items. With a strong enough commanding voice, it would have been simple to rally them together for a single cause. Jisha could easily assume the role of this commander if she wanted. But there wouldn''t be much in it for her. Instead, she had another idea.


    "Yeah, I''ve got a plan, but I haven''t told my friends here about it yet. When''s the auction start, exactly?"


    "It''s at the top of the next hour, so that would be in 30 minutes."


    "Perfect. So here''s what we''ll do..."


    <hr>


    Brookie was dumbfounded when he heard what Jisha said. The reactions of Dharr and the Ravaging Crows weren''t much different.


    *>Dharr: What the f*ck? This is highway robbery!*


    *>Brookie: Yeah... But we want items from that auction, don''t we?*


    *>Dharr: ...*


    The player called Jiel visibly gritted his teeth.


    "Fine!" he said. "But you better promise your end of the deal!"


    "You should worry about what would happen if you were to betray me instead," Jisha said with an evil glint in her eyes.


    Jiel shuddered when he saw that expression, and Brookie was reminded once again why he was following this angel of death.


    *>Brookie: Let''s do it. You said Copper isn''t even worth that much after a while, right?*


    *>Dharr: Well... That''s true...*


    Once they accepted the plan, there was no backing out. Otherwise, it would be suicide!


    "Yep, count us in too," Brookie said.


    After everyone agreed, all of the money from all 5 players'' accounts vanished.


    "By the way, I''m Fae Sol. It''s good to be working with you," the angel said.


    Jiel smiled bitterly as the two shook hands.


    "Likewise."


    <hr>


    *>+12 Copper*


    *>+13 Copper*


    *>+12 Copper*


    *>+10 Copper*


    *>+10 Copper*


    Jisha smiled as she witnessed 5 deposits into her Coin Pouch.


    "Alright, let''s begin the show, shall we?"

 24 - Gathering Allies

    The "battle" of Covan was coming to an end, and there was one clear winner.


    "Are you kidding me..."


    "They monopolized those damn quests and took everything good!"


    "Maybe there''s a chance we can still secure some items at the auction, but it looks like the best ones will go to them..."


    Yes, *them*, the singular org that managed to take everything important from everyone else.


    Shock Collar reigned supreme while many others remained dejected.


    However, there were 5 players striking up conversations with zeal.


    "Hello, I''m from Ravaging Crows," Jiel told the nearest player who looked to be the commander of a small group. "How about we band together to take down Shock Collar?"


    "What, are you crazy? How are we going to do that?"


    Obviously, the small group''s commander wasn''t thrilled at the proposition. However, that changed when Jiel shared a snapshot of a coin pouch...


    *>Copper: 492*


    When the commander saw this, his eyes widened in disbelief.


    "Haha, what''s that? You don''t know how we''re going to do it? Doesn''t this answer your question? This is only *one* of our members'' coin pouches, so this isn''t even all we have. If you want to join us, collect all the money you have from your members and give it to me," Jiel commanded.


    "What? Why would I do that?"


    To the commander, this "offer" wasn''t even worthy enough to consider. Giving up all of your money? No one in their right mind would do that...


    "Come on, you guys are beta players right? You know that Copper is worth virtually nothing in the long run. By taking this gamble now, you can catapult yourselves above the competition. Besides, if you don''t, we''ll outbid you on every item you want. You''ll walk away from the auction with nothing."


    "... That''s not possible. There''s no way you have enough money for that!" the commander denied.


    "You think I''m making an empty threat? We have more money than you think we do. Like I said, that''s simply the pouch of one of our members, and we have 20."


    "What...!"


    "Shhh... there''s no need to be startled. You see the independent players around you? Which of them are a part of the Ravaging Crows or one of our allies? There''s no way for you to know. If you don''t accept our offer, not only will you lose out on valuable items, but you may suffer unintended consequences when you try to set foot into the frontier..."


    The commander shivered. 20 players in the wild against their small organization? It would be impossible to defend against!


    "W- Wait a moment. I''ll discuss this with the team..."


    "Oh? Was that not convincing enough?"


    "N- No, it''s just-"


    "Then how about this? Remember how we said we have 20 members? That''s just counting the members of the Ravaging Crows and our allies. It doesn''t count the other small orgs we''ve made a truce with. We''ve already collected their cash, too. Didn''t I tell you? We have more money than you think we do."


    "Shit!"


    The commander frantically messaged his subordinates in a group chat.


    *>Hutian Crest: Everyone, listen up! Give me all of your funds NOW! Here''s what''s going on...*


    The commander gathered the funds and sent them over to Jiel''s account.


    "Copper received. Thanks for your cooperation," Jiel said with a smile. "Please add the player named Fae Sol to your friends list if you want to see this money again."


    With that, he quickly departed.


    Jiel, Brookie, Dharr, Brusse, and Declan were all doing the same thing to a number of groups around the hamlet, and by now their coin pouches were bigger than ever before.


    But there was one thing Jiel was still doubtful about.


    *Will this amount really be enough to outbid Shock Collar?*


    <hr>


    Jisha merrily made her way to the hamlet''s bank. It was quite easy to spot since it had the word "BANK" embedded on the front of the building. Banks at starter hamlets were only able to exchange basic currencies for a small service fee. If you wanted to exchange currencies beyond Silverium or store your money for safekeeping, you would need to visit a village bank at the very least.


    The NPC greeted her, and Jisha commenced the trade.


    "I''d like to exchange 1 Silverium for Bronzium, please."


    "Sure thing, young lady. Since you are our first Beyonder customer, there will be no service charge for this transaction."


    *>-1 Silverium*


    *>+100 Bronzium*


    The reason Jisha exchanged only 1 Silverium for Bronzium and not Copper was because higher denominations were inherently worth more than lesser ones. For example, if you wanted to buy an item worth 100 Bronzium, you could easily purchase it with 1 Silverium. However, if you wanted to buy an item worth 1 Silverium, 100 Bronzium may not necessarily be adequate. This was because service fees for exchanging currencies were a bit higher if you wanted to exchange lower denominations for higher ones. Not only that, but these service fees varied quite a bit from location to location.


    *Now that I think about it, it''s kind of... maybe like a local tax?*


    Beyond Silverium, there was Aurite, Star Gold, Plate Core, Diamond, Amazonite, and Mythos Coin. Each one was supposedly worth 100 times its predecessor. Star Gold was the most widely used currency in Synergy and was often just referred to as "gold", and beyond this currency, you couldn''t trade lower denominations for higher ones, exponentially raising the value of the currencies above Gold.


    Many players would eventually reach 1 Plate Core in their bank account. If you had 1 Diamond, you were considered extremely wealthy. Deals between supermassive Guilds, Kingdoms, Empires, etc. were dealt with in Amazonite. And Mythos Coin was so rare that it was incredibly rare to even see one, much less own one.


    The 100 Bronzium Jisha had on hand was worse than pocket change for high-level players. She sighed and made her way over to the frontier shop as quickly as possible.


    *Alright... Need to buy another map and take a look around to see if there''s anything useful in here...*


    She browsed for a bit before finding the sheets of blank paper on a shelf. After buying another Medium sized map, she noticed another interesting item.


    *Hm... It''s interesting they sell these here...*


    Jisha was mildly surprised to see this item in a frontier shop of a starter hamlet.


    *This is why you should never skip out on browsing shops, even if they are in mere hamlets...*If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    What was this item?


    *>Small Lightweight Tracker: 1 Bronzium*


    It was an item that could be paired with a map.  Once paired, this small device would relay its position to the map it was paired with even if the terrain was unknown. It had quite a long range, so losing it wasn''t an issue for now. It had many uses, but the primary one was sticking it on players to follow them around...


    *Hmm...*


    As Jisha considered its uses, she received several friend requests she had been waiting for.


    *>Friend request received from user "Dolphin Killer".*


    *>Friend request received from user "Aphro Expo".*


    *>Friend request received from user "Hutian Crest".*


    *>Friend request received from user "Simulator Child".*


    ...


    *Alright, it''s decided.*


    Jisha accepted all of the recent friend requests, purchased 7 trackers, and headed towards the auction house.


    <hr>


    There were things Jisha hadn''t told Brookie and Jiel, and she was sure the latter was doubting her at this moment. For example, she had only shared the fact that she had 492 Copper with her and hid the fact that she owned Silverium. But it didn''t matter what he thought. At the end of this auction, there would only be one true winner.


    Jisha opened her private messages to confirm the situation. She had also accepted the 5 players'' friend requests so they could communicate in a group chat.


    *>Fae Sol: How''s the situation looking?*


    *>Brookie: I think we''ve talked to all the potential candidates.*


    *>Jiel: It appears so. A total of 7 organizations were willing to cooperate. 3 said they would abstain from the auction. 2 declined the alliance, and 3 were adamantly against us... and it seems like they might make their own alliance in an effort to copy us.*


    *>Fae Sol: Good work. Give me the names of the ones who refused!*


    *>Jiel: ... Sure. Here they are: ...*


    <hr>


    As Jiel sent the list of dissidents to Fae Sol, he wondered once again whether everything would work out. He remembered the value of Fae Sol''s total currency and compared it to the amount he currently had after compiling it with everyone''s efforts.


    *>Coin Pouch*


    *>Copper: 1,204*


    "Alright, great work everyone. Let''s head over to the auction house to give Shock Collar a taste of their own medicine, shall we?" Brookie enthusiastically said.


    "Ah. Of cou-"


    "Go ahead, Brooks. I want to discuss something with our new friend here real quick."


    Just as Jiel was about to respond, Dharr cut him off. Jiel looked at his two clanmates and then glanced at Dharr.


    "Brusse, Declan. Go on ahead. We''ll be right there."


    "Alright."


    Once the three were out of earshot, Dharr spoke up.


    "Look here, Jiel. My bud Brooks has got a couple screws loose ever since he laid eyes on that Fae Sol. He blindly trusts her, but I think something''s off."


    "..."


    "You don''t fully think this is gonna work either, right? Ever since I saw how much cash we robbed from those fools, I made my own plan. Normally, I''d let Brooks in on it, too, but... The new plan means we gotta betray that b*tch."


    When he heard this, Jiel was taken aback. Though Dharr was somewhat confirming his suspicions, Jiel wasn''t on board with the idea of betraying their benefactor.


    "... No, I don''t think-"


    "That''s the problem, man. You don''t think! Look how much money we got and compare that to how much she has. What if we make our own little alliance, huh? Just us? Screw Shock Collar. With how much we got, we can bag a couple of items for ourselves and call it good."


    When it was put like that... It was a little *too* tempting for Jiel. It wasn''t like he didn''t want to trust Fae, but there were too many holes in the plan. Dharr''s escape plan seemed much more reliable and would benefit them more.


    "Yeah... That makes sense. I thought there was something fishy about this in the first place."


    "Great. Relay the info to your buds, doubt they''ll trust me right away."


    "Sure thing."


    With that, Jiel opened up a new group chat with only Dharr and the Ravaging Crows to discuss their new plans.


    *>Jiel: Alright, guys. Change of plans...*


    <hr>


    Jisha smiled as she received the names of those who she would crush in the auction and started a separate group chat with all of her new allies.


    *>Hutian Crest: This better be worth it...*


    *>Dolphin Killer: Are you kidding me? It''ll be more than worth it! I can''t wait to see the looks on that stupid guild when we beat their faces in...*


    *>Aphro Expo: Agreed. There''s no better time to come together in a truce than right now. We are all struggling together, so we might as well do something about it while we can!*


    *>Simulator Child: You guys are too optimistic. Whoever organized this didn''t even tell us the catch. What if they run off with our money?*


    *>Dolphin Killer: You say that, but you still accepted...*


    *>Censer: I wanted to decline, but we didn''t really have a choice! It would have been every one of you against us! Of course it''s worth it to truce up for now!*


    ...


    Jisha silently observed the chaos that unfolded in the chat as she approached the auction house. She noticed the 7 new allies, along with Brookie and some of the Ravaging Crows, were in the process of gathering up. Once she was near the door, she revealed her name.


    *>Fae Sol: Good evening, ladies and gentlemen! Are all of you near the auction house? I''m the spooky and mysterious player whose level you can''t see! What level am I? I could be stronger than all of you combined and you''d never know~*


    When this message was sent, the chaotic chat went silent for several seconds. Obviously, none of them believed her level claim. Not only that, her chat behavior left everyone speechless!


    "Are you a child? You took our money and you''re acting like this? What''s wrong with you?" Censer yelled.


    "Come on, stop delaying and get straight to the point already!" another skeptical ally said.


    "If you don''t tell us what''s going on, we''re leaving!"


    Jisha pulled down her hood so everyone could see her face and narrowed her eyes at the dissenters.


    "Are you stupid? Did I hear that right? You said you''re going to leave?"


    The aesthetics of Jisha''s avatar were breathtaking, and the men around her were subdued into silence once again.


    "I have all of your money, you know."


    A skeptical ally gulped.


    That''s right, there was no backing out now. He had only said that in the heat of the moment, but it was obvious who was in power if you stopped to think for one second!


    "Enough of that, what are your conditions?" Simulator Child asked.


    "My conditions, huh... How about I tell you after the auction?"


    "That... That''s simply too far! Tell us now! Or..."


    "Or what? You''re going to leave? You''ll turn against us? Are you sure you can afford either of those things right now?"


    When she said this, Fae Sol radiated immense pressure. The near future of all of these organizations were in her hands at this very moment, and they had no choice but to do what she said!


    "If anyone wants to leave. You are free to do so. No refunds!"


    ...


    Silence. Of course no one took her up on this offer. Backing out now was suicide!


    "It looks like you are all very obedient! Then shall we head inside and wait for the auction to start?"


    With that, Jisha strode into the Auction House leaving the seven leaders outside.


    They looked at each other and walked in together as if they were prisoners heading into a cell.


    <hr>


    *>Fae Sol: Jiel, are you inside already? Where are you?*


    There were still 10 minutes before the auction started, but the inside of the auction house was starting to get crowded. Jisha hadn''t seen Jiel or Dharr in the group outside, so she assumed they must have already entered the building.


    *>Jiel: I''m on the far right wall.*


    Jisha looked over and saw him waving at her. Dharr stood next to him looking quite unenthusiastic.


    "Let''s get this show on the road, hm?" she said as she casually approached the two of them.


    "..."


    Neither of them responded.


    "What''s going on, guys? Did you forget the last step of the plan? Come on," she said cheerily.


    "..."


    Silence once again.


    Witnessing this reaction, Jisha''s expression turned serious.


    "Come on. Hand over the cash," she said with an outstretched hand.


    "... Why should we?" Dharr asked.


    This response caused Jisha to smirk.


    *Are they gonna try to betray me?*


    Jisha had half expected this to happen. It would have been stranger if they were 100% obedient. Not everyone was Brookie; this was why she hadn''t revealed all of her cards in the beginning.


    "Didn''t I tell you to worry about yourselves if you betrayed me? I wonder if you''ve thrown caution to the wind..." she said dramatically.


    "..."


    No response.


    "Well, you''ve probably earned over a thousand Copper and are feeling pretty high and mighty, aren''t you?"


    "..."


    "Hmm..." Jisha put a finger on her chin and tilted her head in mock contemplation.


    "I guess it can''t be helped! I didn''t think this far ahead... It looks like you''ll have to keep the 1,000 Copper," she shrugged her shoulders in an exaggerated manner.


    Seeing Jiel begin to relax and Dharr begin grin, she almost burst out laughing. She widened her eyes and grabbed Dharr''s collar before he could react. His smug demeanor crumpled in an instant.


    "... What, let go of me you b*tch...!"


    Dharr attempted to break free, however, his lack of understanding of Safe Zones caused all of his attacks to become neutralized.


    "Did you really think I would say that?"


    If this were a real-life situation, even Jiel might have been sweating, but the technology for advanced facial features didn''t quite exist yet.


    "Of course! You only had less than 500 to begin with, and we''ve got over a thousand. I''ve formed an alliance with the Ravaging Crows, who are an organization, by the way. Asunder plus Ravaging Crows. That''s two organizations. Meanwhile, you are just an independent player. Me and Brooks don''t even know where you came from. On top of that, Stein''s got a kill order on you. Why do you think we''d go along with this stupid, nonsensical ''plan''?"


    "Ha... Hahahaha...!"


    Hearing this canned response, Jisha couldn''t hold back her laughter.


    She then sent them two pieces of information that she had been withholding: her true net worth and level.


    When they received this information, their eyes widened in shock.


    "Didn''t I tell you not to betray me? Some incredibly bad things might happen to you outside if you do! Don''t make me repeat myself. Give me the money."


    "... Yes," Jiel obediently responded.


    Dharr wanted to object, but he couldn''t argue with the numbers he had just seen. He wanted them to be fake, but the system was telling him that they were indeed genuine.


    <hr>


    A system message appeared on Jisha''s HUD.


    *>+1,204 Copper*


    Jisha grinned when she saw the money enter her account.


    "I''m glad we have an agreement. Why don''t we get some fine seats to this show, boys?"

 25 - Dim the Lights

    Auction houses were normally relatively grand locations. After all, items varying in diversity and rarity were purchased here leading to a great number of wealthy individuals showing up.


    The same was true for the Covan auction house. Because it was only a hamlet, though, the grandeur of the building was significantly less than what Jisha was used to seeing in her past life. The building was made of sturdy wood and resembled a fancy mountain cabin.


    "Wow, this is pretty cozy."


    "It''s got a nice atmosphere!"


    "It makes me feel like I''m on vacation, haha!"


    Most ordinary players had never witnessed such a building before. In modern Etmos, wooden cabins were seen as a novelty.


    The soft, white lighting was not harsh on the eyes yet lit up every part of the singular room with ease. The room somewhat resembled a theater where seats were lower and lower the closer you got to the stage. There only appeared to be about 10 rows, so it was likely to hold a maximum of 400-ish people.


    The auction house was getting crowded, but did that mean there were 400 players in the building? Not quite. After all, NPCs could also participate in auctions! In fact, more than half of the current population of the auction house consisted of NPCs.


    *>Name: Arvinter*


    *>Level: 9*


    *>Name: Buster Chatley*


    *>Level: 7*


    *>Name: Quex Chet*


    *>Level: 8*


    ...


    In order to prevent infinite inflation in a virtual economy, it was important for there to be ways to virtually "throw away" money. At the end of the day, virtual currencies could be created on a whim by the world or the developers. If there was no way to delete money on a whim, the amount of money in the world would increase forever.


    NPCs in auction houses were one way of keeping Synergy''s inflation in check. The fact that you would have to outbid not only players but NPCs meant that more and more money would have to be thrown into a figurative hole effectively destroying the money. The new players who hadn''t participated in the beta phases were surprised when they saw this.


    "Wait, are we competing against NPCs too?"


    "Uh, isn''t this unfair?"


    "They''re a much higher level than us! Of course it''s unfair!"


    Jisha disagreed with these new players. The levels of NPCs in auction houses were usually fair. If you saw NPCs of a certain level gathered around an auction house, you could generally expect what types of items and rarities would appear. Unfortunately, level 1 players weren''t designed to participate in auctions. It was simply too early in the game for an individual to have enough money. The players from the beta test had apparently done their research which was why they had tried as hard as possible to gain capital to snag a couple of items from this "level 8" auction.


    *Hmmm... Where''s a good place to sit down?*


    Though Jisha would ordinarily strategically select a seat, in this case, it wouldn''t matter too much. With the Jiel and Dharr at her tail, she found some empty seats next to some of the organization leaders and Brookie who was waving her down.


    But before sitting down, there was one more thing she had to do.


    "Save my spot. I''ll be right back," she told them.The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.


    Jisha took the stairs down towards the stage area. On the right side of the stage, in a dark corner, there was a door that led backstage. She knocked on the door twice and waited.


    "... What do you want?"


    A female voice spoke from the other side of the door.


    "I have something I''d like to sell..."


    A few seconds passed and nothing happened.


    "Um... I''m a Beyonder so I couldn''t make this decision beforehand-"


    When Jisha said this, the door opened a crack and the woman peeked out from within the room. "I''m truly sorry about this. If I could have, I would have made the arrangements in advance, but it was simply impossible..."


    "Hmm... I guess if you''re a Beyonder it can''t be helped. Come in."


    The woman opened the door to allow Jisha to enter. What greeted her was a typical room behind a stage. There was a prep room and stairs that led to the stage which was currently hidden to the audience behind a curtain.


    *I guess that worked.*


    Typically, if you wanted to sell an item at an auction, you would have to send it to the auctioneer at a set time beforehand. However, this obviously wasn''t possible for this auction since players had just arrived in the game less than two hours ago.


    Judging by the Covan banker''s response, though, Jisha noted that Beyonders, or NPCs'' name for players, were treated favorably here.


    *The banker knew I was the first Beyonder customer, so it''s possible for there to be other player-related perks in this hamlet.*


    This is what Jisha thought, and she was correct. Similarly to how the banker acknowledged and gave Jisha a benefit because she was a player, the auctioneer gave her some time in the back of the stage.


    NPCs held many different opinions on players, and those in a community usually held similar opinions. For example, a town with NPCs that treated players favorably would usually hold benefits, whereas a town with hostile NPCs would... be unsafe for obvious reasons.


    "D?????????????????????????????????????????????????L??????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????????Q??????????????????????????????????????? told me you were coming... So this is what a Beyonder looks like up close, huh? You''re really interesting. Is it true that you never die in our world? Isn''t that a bit unfair? The synergy project isn''t a game, you know."


    ... But this behavior was a bit strange and left Jisha bewildered. This was not ordinary. Though the NPCs had alluded to the fourth wall in the past, they never explicitly broke it. Why was the game different this time around?


    *A?????h????,???? ?????i?????t???''?????s???? ????p????r???o????b????a????b???l????y???? ?????n?????o????t?????h?????i?????n????g?????.?????*


    "Look, I''m just here to sell these items. Can you do that much for me?"


    Jisha hastily changed the subject. She pulled the level 5 Wooden Dagger and level 5 Wooden Slingshot from her inventory and showed it to the auctioneer.


    "I apologize for my rudeness. Yes, it will be simple to sell these. Since you are the first Beyonder to sell at our auction, the Covan Auction House will charge you a 0% service fee on your items!" the woman said as she accepted the items.


    Another perk of being the first "Beyonder" in Covan was brought up in the form of a waived service charge. The service charge was the way for all auction houses to make money whether they were run by players or NPCs. For example, with a 5% fee, If Jisha''s item were to sell for 100 Copper, she would receive 95 and the house would receive 5. But of course, this time all the proceeds would go directly to Jisha.


    "Thank you very much. Also, I''d like to remain anonymous if you don''t mind. I hope you have wonderful items in store for today. I might be purchasing a lot."


    "Of course, that will be no problem. You won''t be disappointed. Enjoy the show!"


    With that, Jisha left backstage and headed up the stairs towards her seat.


    "I''m back. Anything interesting happen?" Jisha said as she approached the posse. "... Where''s Dharr?"


    "Uh... He left out of shame. He said he wouldn''t be participating in the auction," Brookie said. "I don''t even think he wants his money back."


    "Haha... About that, I''m truly sorry about trying to betray you, Fae, but your plan didn''t seem like a good one. It''s reassuring to know you had hidden cards up your sleeve," Jiel apologized.


    "Don''t worry about it. You''ve just proven to me that you can use your brain. So everyone''s settled?" Jisha said as she sat down in her saved spot.


    "... Yeah. Looks like everyone''s finding their seats so they can watch the show. I don''t think everyone here will be participating considering the level of this auction is quite high," Jiel replied.


    Jisha nodded as she sat down next to them.


    It was like Jiel said. Most players here wouldn''t be participating in the auction. The average NPC level looked to be around 8, so it was safe to say the auction would offer items around that level. The players, on the other hand, only looked to be around levels 1 and 2. There were a couple of level 3s, but they appeared quite rare. Those who had reached level 3 were most likely the leaders of the orgs who had completed the quests they had planned for ahead of time. Since the auction level was so much higher than the player level, it was natural that most orgs would have to gather the buying power of multiple people to be able to contest for a couple of items. Of course, it wasn''t as if NPCs couldn''t do the same, but in the lower levels, the game wasn''t that rude to players.


    Jisha opened up the group chat to confirm whether everyone was on the same page.


    *>Fae Sol: Alright, here''s how this''ll work. If you see an item you want, place the bid in chat. If multiple of you want the same item, feel free to bid among yourselves. Of course, I reserve all final judgement to place the final bid. Is that clear?*


    *>Dolphin Killer: Understood.*


    *>Fae Sol: Try not to go overboard with the bidding. There isn''t an unlimited amount of money in this pile.*


    *>Hutian Crest: ... How much is there? You never told us.*


    *>Fae Sol: That''s a secret, but don''t get too greedy! ^.^*


    This secret was kept on purpose. When a rare item showed up, sometimes people would lose their sense of reason for a brief moment while chasing a high. The organization leaders/branch leaders were all aware of how much money they put in, but they didn''t know how much money the others had put in. In effect, they didn''t know the total amount in the pot. This could lead to greedy bids since they knew all of their money was in one place. Jisha was sure they didn''t trust each other fully. This distrust would probably show during the auction.


    *Their greed could lead to their downfall...*


    Jisha smiled when she thought about this. It would be the nails in their coffins if they realized they could bid much more than they originally planned for...


    *I haven''t even told them the conditions of this alliance. Hopefully they''re stupid enough to forget that.*


    With an evil-looking smirk, Jisha sat back in her seat and waited for the auction to start.

 26-29 Omnibus - Crushing Covans Auction

    (1)


    Players fervently checked their system times in anticipation for the top of the hour.


    "Time really goes slow when you''re waiting for something, huh?"


    "Right? It almost feels like we''ve been waiting twice as long!"


    At 0100 natural hours, the lights dimmed slightly, prompting some audience members to make exclamatory noises.


    The NPC Jisha just talked to strode up to the stage from behind the curtains, and a cheer erupted from the audience. Her appearance was stunning enough for some of the male players to comment on.


    "Isn''t she beautiful? Where am I?"


    "It''s a VR world, dude. It''s not hard to be beautiful here."


    "Yeah, of course..."


    As the applause died down, the NPC took a bow and began to speak.


    "Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the first auction of the Covan Hamlet... featuring Beyonders! I hope everyone enjoys their stay. There are many exciting items in today''s queue. You won''t be disappointed!"


    The first thing that players noticed was that the auctioneer NPC wasn''t holding any sort of device to amplify sound, yet every word she spoke could be heard crystal clear by everyone in the auditorium.


    The next thing they noticed was a term unfamiliar to them: "Beyonders". This wasn''t surprising as it wasn''t a term that existed during the beta phase.


    "Beyonders? What is that?"


    "Is that some sort of rare item?"


    "Is there something special about this auction?"


    "Dunno, guess we''ll have to find out..."


    Though Jisha had heard this term countless times in her past life, the current players had no idea that they were basically alien beings to the NPCs, or the current residents of the world. This was another difference from most other games and Synergy; there was effectively some fourth-wall breaking happening here.


    Even though Jisha was a super-experienced player, neither she nor anyone she knew truly understood where the name "Beyonder" came from. The most believable hypothesis was that players came from "beyond" the scope of the virtual world, making them some sort of superior existence. However, this hypothesis could neither be confirmed nor denied. No NPC would ever give a direct answer if you tried to ask them.


    As the players and NPCs in the audience clapped, the auctioneer continued with her speech.


    "I will now be introducing our first item. As a cheer to the Beyonders, our first item is being sold by one of them! Let''s take a look."


    The auctioneer clapped twice, and an old-styled wooden cart automatically rolled out from behind the stage causing more inexperienced players to gasp with awe.


    *Haha, I forgot how easily newbies are impressed.*


    Every little thing that was slightly infeasible in the real world seemed fantastical to someone who had never experienced the hyper-realistic VR experience that was Synergy.


    *If they''re impressed by things this insignificant, they won''t find their time in this world boring any time soon.*


    Jisha herself had been infatuated with many aspects of this virtual world for many years after its launch. Even over 11 natural years after the game''s launch, she still found things that surprised her once in a while.


    It was infeasible to try to process the logistical scope of the game - no, the world - called Synergy. They say hindsight was 20/20, but looking back, it was even more confusing as to how the developer was able to fit so many features in this old hardware. Jisha wasn''t an expert, but even experts didn''t have a clue. Any attempt to look into the game''s source code was rendered useless, so nobody truly knew how the game functioned.


    The item on the cart, which was now in the center of the stage, roused Jisha from her thoughts. It was the wooden dagger she wanted to sell earlier.


    The auctioneer picked up the knife and gave another small speech.


    "This is the Level 5 Small Wooden Dagger left to us by the Beyonder. There aren''t any special stats on this Dagger, but the fact that it''s the first item sold by a Beyonder will give it incredible value! The bid on this item starts at 50 Copper."


    "60 Copper!"


    "70 Copper!"


    "100 Copper!"


    ...


    When the auctioneer mentioned the fact that it was the first Beyonder''s item, the NPCs went into a bidding frenzy over the mundane object.


    Seeing this, Jisha smiled to herself. She had guessed something like this might happen.


    "160 Copper!"


    "180 Copper!"


    ...


    *>Hutian Crest: Is there any value in this item? Should we bid on it?*


    *>Simulator Child: It''s a level 5 Common item and the NPCs are going crazy for it. We''d just be losing money if we went for this."


    *>Censer: Yea, just let this one go.*


    Jisha silently watched the org leaders discuss the matter in chat.


    *Well... It wouldn''t matter even if they wanted to bid on it. All of the money would come back to me, anyway. On top of that, I have all the money which means I''m the one doing the bidding. I don''t want everyone here against me...*


    If it were possible, she would have convinced one of her "allies" to bid on the item. But if she won the bid... there might be some negative consequences.


    As she watched the chat, the seven organization leaders fortunately came to the decision of not wanting to bid. But that didn''t stop the audience from bidding!


    "470 Copper!"


    "500 Copper!"


    "... One thousand copper!"


    When this bid was placed, the audience went silent. Even Jisha was stunned by this bid. Though NPCs bid fervently, only a player would raise the bid by such a ludicrous amount.


    *I guess there''s others out there with tons of money at this point, too, huh...*


    The auctioneer turned her head towards the source of the voice.


    "One thousand copper. Going once!"


    She waited for any other bids to be placed, but naturally nothing came.


    "Going twice!"


    ...


    More silence.


    "Sold to the Beyonder Lujen!"


    <hr>


    Luden Grace wanted nothing more in this world other than money. To him, obtaining as much money as possible was equivalent to getting a high score on some arcade game. Ever since he was young, he had some sort of sixth sense that told him when to invest into certain ventures and when to back out. This sense catapulted him out of poverty and into new money.


    When he was 4, he begged for change on the streets and found money wherever he could. When he was 5, he had saved up enough for anF electronic reader and publicly rented it for cash creating a source of passive income. When he was 16, he had bought and sold various stocks and tokens and had a net worth higher than most adults. When he was 22, he had already bought out several companies and prime real estate properties in their infancy and watched their values grow to an unprecedented degree.


    However, at age 30, his net worth had taken a significant hit after the recent downturn in the market and some unlucky investments. Not only was he not top 100 in the world, he wasn''t even top 100 in the Northeast anymore! Never having taken such a hit before, he decided to research riskier ventures to try to earn his spot back.


    Being an investor, he had at least surface level knowledge on almost all private sectors, and virtual reality wasn''t out of the question. When he heard the news about Synergy, a brand-new hyper-realistic VR game and experience, he suspected it was most likely a scam. However, the allure of the project was too great, and in some combination of desperation and wonder, he attempted to find more information on the company behind this product.


    However, he was shocked to find no information about the developers. Even if the project was a scam, there would at least be some bits of false information. However, there was nothing! On top of that, the developers didn''t plan on going public with their company, nor would they accept any private shareholders... is what he presumed, since the dev team seemed to output radio silence at all times. On top of that, there was no way to contact them.


    As an investor, this was a clear red flag. But that didn''t stop him from checking the official website once in a while since their claims were indeed alluring. Of course, usually this *would* end up being a scam, but once the beta released, Luden was surprised to find the product on sale and compatible for every full-dive VR hardware on the market.


    And when he entered the world for the first time...


    *Yeah. This is legit.*


    ... his sixth sense told him there were profits to be made here.


    So, he decided to start a gaming organization solely for the purpose of earning money within the world of Synergy. Though there was no clear revenue stream from the game yet, Luden had a strong feeling that real money could be made in the not-too-far future.


    Thus, Shock Collar was born. His public reasoning for the name was that they''d become powerful enough to control everyone around them, so much so that their enemies would seize up in fear of the name. But his true reasoning was that he wanted strict control over his own organization''s members and financials.


    He discovered a building called an auction house in the small town, or "hamlet", he spawned in and soon realized that the economy of this game - no, this world - was massive.


    A couple of weeks later, he noticed trends in the market among certain items and was confident in his ability to make lots of money once the game released for real.


    But now...


    "Sold to the Beyonder Lujen!"


    *What?*


    What was a Beyonder? Nobody knew. After all, in the beta phases of the game, this term didn''t exist. In a lapse of judgement, Luden assumed a Beyonder was a special type of NPC. However, the truth was far worse.


    *Beyonders are players?*


    To Luden, having somebody else take his money was akin to a criminal offense. This included the government. In his opinion, taxation was theft. As an expert of holding on to money, he obviously found loopholes in the tax code and exploited them to the maximum.


    So to have another person blatantly take money from him in this moment... was frustrating!


    But why did he bid on this dagger?


    Well... Luden trusted the NPCs. He had visited other auction houses in the beta phase, and in his experience, the value of NPCs'' bids were always fair. This meant that, sometimes, bidding even double the amount of what the NPCs were going for could result in a positive trade if the item being sold increased in value afterwards.


    And judging by the behavior of the NPCs when they heard of the term "Beyonder", he speculated that he could sell the item for much more in a higher-leveled district.


    But after knowing his money unintentionally went straight to a player, he had trouble thinking. It took a moment for him to calm down after that, but when he did, he realized something.


    *Wait. If Beyonders are players, this is even better news for me. If NPCs are so fervent about players now, then how obsessed will they be once there are thousands, no, millions more players in the game? Won''t the value of this item exponentially increase?*


    After calming down, Luden assessed the future value of the "first Beyonder''s" item. He believed this thousand Copper to be an investment for the future that would surely pay off.


    The wooden dagger appeared in his inventory as the 1,000 Copper disappeared from his Coin Pouch. When he inspected the item...


    *>Name: Small Wooden Dagger*


    *>Type: Weapon (Melee)*


    *>Class Restriction: Batonista or Fracasier-branch*


    *>Description: An introduction to a slightly different fighting style to a traditional Batonista or Fracasier. The first item to have been sold by a Beyonder in an Auction House.*


    *>Rating: Level 5, Common*


    *>Abilities:*


    *>Passive: +33 ATK while equipped.*


    There was a bona-fide flavor text which effectively appraised the item as a genuine one!


    Once he knew his investment would be worth it, Luden was able to focus on the rest of the auction that was to come.


    <hr>


    (2)


    *>+1,000 Copper*


    Another cash deposit entered Jisha''s coin pouch.


    When the crowd heard the name "Beyonder" uttered by the NPC, another hubbub commenced.


    "Lujen? Isn''t that the leader of Shock Collar?"


    "Lujen is a Beyonder?"


    "Is there something special about him that none of us knew?"


    "... Are Beyonders players?"


    Most players had begun to figure out the true meaning of the word, but some were still skeptical.


    "How can a player have a level 5 item already?"


    "Maybe Beyonders are just special types of NPCs?"


    "... Then Lujen has just been an NPC this whole time?"


    *Well, it doesn''t matter who wants to believe what. At the end of the day, I''m the one getting paid.*


    *>Hutian Crest: Dammit, we should have bid on it. The NPCs seem like they''re going crazy for this item.*


    *>Censer: Maybe...*


    Jisha silently observed the group chat once more. She disagreed with their sentiment; she pondered how good the buyer''s foresight skills were.


    *Decent, maybe?*


    As a regressor with perfect foresight, it was difficult to accurately judge. But if the reason Lujen had purchased the dagger was to flip it for a higher price later, he would be in for a world of hurt.


    In an ordinary game, the following logic would apply:


    Assuming Lujen was a beta player, he would have seen other villages and towns in Synergy. The further one progressed towards the center of the continent, the higher the cost of living would be. Thus, higher-tiered locations were more wealthy. These wealthier NPCs would buy the dagger from Lujen at a price far higher than 1,000 Copper.


    *But Synergy is not that simple.*


    This dagger was a highly valued item among even the NPCs of this small hamlet. There was no telling what fickle methods they might employ to claim the dagger. In addition, news from the auction would spread to other locations in the game world. Higher-leveled NPCs would hear about this auction and about who purchased the item. It was possible for Lujen to be hunted down and killed before he even knew what hit him...


    Of course, in ordinary circumstances, high-level NPCs would not be interested in low-level auctions. However, the item this time was too extraordinary!


    Jisha sighed as she pitied Lujen''s fate.


    After the crowd quieted down once more, the cart rolled off stage and returned with another item. When the players saw this item, they didn''t think much of it.


    But when the auctioneer NPC picked the item up and gave her monologue...


    "This is the second item of a Beyonder! Though it''s an ordinary slingshot, the fact that it''s the second item a Beyonder is selling will give it great value! This bid starts at 40 Copper!"


    ... they were stunned!


    The NPCs in the audience fervently began bidding once more.


    "50 Copper!"


    "60 Copper!"


    "70 Copper!"


    ...


    *>Simulator Child: What the hell?*


    *>Aphro Expo: What the hell is right...*


    *>Hutian Crest: Wait, isn''t that...?*


    *>Censer: Yeah, it''s a level 5 Slingshot. A player is selling that?*


    The group chat, as well as the audience, exploded with commotion when they recognized this item.


    Of course, not everyone recognized the item, but the ones who did were quick to tell the uninformed.


    This was a level 5 Wooden Slingshot! What did that mean?


    <hr>


    *That''s impossible.*


    When Lujen laid eyes on the level 5 item, he instantly knew what it meant.


    As the leader of an organization as well as being a beta player, he knew every possible weapon the system would bequeath a level 5 player upon completing the class evolution quest.


    Level 0 players were split into melee and ranged, and once they hit level 1, not much changed; the only class evolution available upgraded a Starter Melee/Ranged into an Adroit Melee/Ranged.


    However at level 5, there were far more options.


    For the second class evolution quest, an Adroit Melee could evolve into a Fracasier, Batonista, or Neophyte Battle Magus.


    An Adroit Ranged could evolve into a Pitcher, Slingshotter, or Neophyte Mage.


    Fracasiers would receive rudimentary grappling gloves that slightly boosted one''s strength and speed. Batonistas would essentially receive an upgraded version of the Adroit Melee Stick. Neophyte Battle Magi would receive a short wand that excelled in short-range spells.


    Pitchers would receive rudimentary gloves that enhanced one''s throwing speed and accuracy. Neophyte Mages would receive a short wand which excelled at long-range spells. And Slingshotters would receive the very slingshot that was on sale now!


    This meant that not only had a player already hit level 5, but they were willing to sell their best item, one that practically defined their class!


    Lujen was a bit confused when he tried to process this.


    After all, he was only level 3, and that was with the help of his organization snagging quests for him. The amount of experience required to level up to 5 was almost double what he currently had.


    Not only this, but the only reason he could think of why a level 5 Slingshotter would sell their weapon was that they had a better weapon!


    *And what if this is the same player that sold the dagger? My money went straight to them!*


    Lujen felt like he was about to lose his mind when he had this thought, thus refusing to bid on the slingshot.


    But as he watched the NPCs bid...


    "450 Copper!"


    "475 Copper!"


    This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author''s work.


    "490 Copper!"


    ...


    His envy and frustration grew. Why wasn''t he the one with all this money? He thought he had planned his strategy from the beta phase perfectly! Yet...


    "800 Copper!"


    ... he could only watch as a nonsensical bid benefitted the anonymous player.


    "... You f*cking retards!"


    Lujen could no longer contain his anger as he threw a fit in his seat.


    <hr>


    *>+800 Copper*


    Of course, this was the final bid. No other player wanted to bid on the worthless item, and the NPCs must have decided the price was too high.


    The group chat had also come to the consensus of not bidding on the slingshot. After all, since they were beta players and organization leaders or branch leaders themselves, they knew of the second class evolution quest and what items were given out.


    Why spend hundreds of Copper only to receive something that was given out for free at level 5? But they couldn''t help but express envy when they imagined a player receiving 800 Copper.


    *>Censer: Ah... No point in thinking about it anymore. Let''s just get some good items for ourselves...*


    *>Aphro Expo: Yeah...*


    This time, the crowd wouldn''t simmer down so easily as they too realized that players had earned 1,000 Copper and 800 Copper respectively, resulting in the auctioneer having to step up to restore order.


    When the crowd finally calmed down again, the cart rolled out and brought a third item onto center stage.


    "Don''t tell me this item is also being sold by a player..."


    "I really hope not. It''s so unfair! How can someone have a thousand Copper in two hours?"


    "They''re obviously guild players... How can normal players have a chance?"


    *Normal players, huh...*


    *>Coin Pouch:*


    *>Silverium: 1*


    *>Bronzium: 93*


    *>Copper: 3,496*


    *Yes, solo players are pretty normal, aren''t they?*


    Jisha was confident that she was the wealthiest player in the game at this point. The only thing left to do was to spend this money.


    The auctioneer introduced the third item to the crowd.


    "There are no more items being sold by Beyonders today. The Covan Auction House is very fortunate to be the home of the first Beyonder''s items, and it is already a feat that there were not one, but two items from them! We shall now move on to our regularly scheduled program - items from our World Residents.


    "Our first item is a standard rank D healing potion: the famous Homeopathic Twine Remedy! The bid starts at 100 Copper!"


    "..."


    "100 Copper!"


    "..."


    "110 Copper!"


    After the excitement from the previous items, the mood in the audience seemed to have died down significantly. The bidding from the NPCs was far less fervent than before. And this was natural - after witnessing something extraordinary, how could ordinary things catch one''s eye?


    But the auction pressed on, and at the very least, Jisha''s group chat seemed to be interested in this item.


    *>Hutian Crest: Bid 150 Copper!*


    *>Dolphin Killer: Ha, we need this more than you. 200 Copper!*


    *>Censer: Damn, 200 Copper for a worthless potion. Enjoy getting ripped off.*


    *>Fae Sol: Alright! I''ll take that as a final bid, then!*


    And for the first time today, Jisha placed a bid in the auction house.


    "200 Copper!"


    When the audience heard this, there were murmurs of annoyance as well as chastising remarks.


    "200 Copper for a potion. What an idiot!"


    "Right? She''s a typical one - doesn''t know how to spend money. Where did she get that much in the first place?"


    ...


    The auctioneer paused for a moment waiting for other bids, but none came.


    "Sold to the anonymous Beyonder for 200 Copper!"


    *>-200 Copper*


    *>+1 Homeopathic Twine Remedy*


    *>Fae Sol: After the auction, meet me at the entrance; I''ll distribute the items there.*


    *>Dolphin Killer: Haha. Thanks!*


    And this was the plan they had formulated from the beginning. Once the organization leaders saw its potential, they salivated over the items they would steal from Shock Collar and the other organizations that had refused the alliance. And on top of that, none of their names would be known to the audience since only one person would have to do the bidding!


    That''s right, all of the hostility from the players, especially Shock Collar, after this auction would be focused on Fae Sol if she continued to outbid everyone on everything.


    Obviously, Jisha knew this, but she couldn''t care less.


    Even on the off chance that she wasn''t able to fend for herself, she still had Shahar''s Nightwalker. If it came to hiding, Jisha was already a transcendental master.


    The auction continued. The cart brought the fourth item onto the stage.


    "This is the glorious shield brought to us by our World Resident Arvinter, a glorious citizen of Azhen Town! This is the Clayesque Frontplate; meticulously crafted at the behest of countless Clay Dolls, this is a reliable tool to reduce physical significantly below level 10! This bid starts at 120 Copper!"


    "150 Copper!"


    "170 Copper!"


    "180 Copper!"


    ...


    On top of the item being sold from a Town resident, it seemed far more useful than the last item, and the bids for the item immediately rose to rapid heights.


    "250 Copper!"


    "..."


    At this bid, the hype died down a bit and no more bids were placed.


    "250 Copper going once!"


    "..."


    No bids.


    "250 Copper going twice!"


    "..."


    But just as the item was about to sell...


    "350 Copper!"


    ... a familiar voice called out a slightly higher-than-normal bid. When the crowd heard this, they couldn''t help but voice their frustrations.


    Jisha looked over to the left side of the theater to pinpoint the source of the voice.


    *Yep, as I expected...*


    It was Covan''s favorite player once again, Lujen.


    *>Fae Sol: You guys are staying quiet now? Don''t you remember the entire point of this alliance?*


    *>Hutian Crest: That''s right! It''s all of us against Shock Collar now! 360! Put it up!*


    *>Fae Sol: Yes, sir!*


    "360 Copper!"


    Jisha ecstatically put up the next bid that stirred the crowd.


    "Another girl that is too wasteful with her money... What a shame."


    "No, it''s her again, right?"


    "... Who *is* that?"


    ...


    "360 Copper going once!" said the auctioneer.


    But immediately after she said this, the familiar voice spoke up once again.


    "365 Copper!"


    *>Simulator Child: 370. I just checked with our group, and it looks like one of us really wants this. Sorry, Hutian.*


    *>Hutian Crest: Whatever. We don''t need that thing anyway.*


    "370 Copper!" said Jisha, parroting Simulator Child''s bid.


    "... going once-"


    "375 Copper!"


    *>Simulator Child: ... 400.*


    "400 Copper!"


    When the audience heard this bid, nobody dared challenge it...


    "... going once..."


    "..."


    "... going twice..."


    "..."


    "Sold to the anonymous Beyonder for 400 Copper!"


    ... and everyone snuck nervous glances in one man''s direction, anticipating a reaction...


    <hr>


    A fierce back and forth took place between a player whose name was hidden and Shock Collar''s leader Lujen. And at this moment, if VR technology allowed it, a vein would have been seen bulging on his forehead.


    *>Lujen: Who is this player?! Why is there no information about her!*


    *>Axis Jack: No idea, sir. I''ve been trying to find information about her with the rest of the group, but there is nothing known.*


    *>Lujen: Dammit, do your jobs properly! What do you think you''re in here for...*


    *>Axis Jack: ...*


    Lujen slammed the armrest of his seat with fury as the fifth item was wheeled out on the cart. Fortunately, it wasn''t something Shock Collar needed to bid on. Lujen lost himself in thought.


    *Everything was going to plan. Who is this bugger that decided to show up now??*


    As if on cue, his subordinate came back with a response.


    *>Axis Jack: This is all the information we have about this player. Presumed to be a female avatar, she is the only player in the immediate area who has found a username and level concealment method at this stage of the game. There was supposedly one sighting of her roughly 30 minutes ago, but there is no evidence...*


    *>Lujen: Are you kidding me? Nobody decided to record anything?*


    This seemed unbelievable. In a crowded hamlet with over a hundred players, how was it so difficult to find footage of one who could hide their name?


    *>Axis Jack: Apparently strange things happened with all attempts to record this player. Usually the footage was straight up deleted...*


    Hearing this, Luden wanted to shoot his messenger, but this wasn''t possible nor wise. The thing that infuriated him the most was the fact that he knew which player had taken the 1,800 Copper from the first two items! If it wasn''t her, then how was it possible for her to have so much money?


    And as if his frustration couldn''t get any worse...


    "... Sold to the anonymous Beyonder for 100 Copper!"


    ... amidst the hubbub and across the crowd, the anonymous player made eye contact with Luden and gave him a sweet smile.


    <hr>


    (3)


    Across the audience, Jisha spotted a very frustrated man.


    *So that''s the leader of Shock Collar, huh...*


    She smiled when she imagined the anger he was feeling.


    *I''m not a sadist, but...*


    Jisha couldn''t get enough of winning battles while watching her opponents'' mental state break down. And this auction was a battle of its own kind.


    The cart wheeled out the sixth item. Jisha looked over at Lujen who was completely focused on the item.


    Before the auctioneer even said a word, the group chat exploded.


    *>Censer: Is that what I think it is?*


    *>Aphro Expo: Yeah. We definitely need that.*


    *>Dolphin Killer: We need it more!*


    *Hm...*


    Jisha could see why the crowd was so hyped for this item...


    "Here''s the only omni-class item of the day! Boosting all attack potential by a significant percentage until level 10, please welcome our Rudimentary Strength Bracelets! The bid will start at 100 Copper!"


    ... but to her, it was pretty useless.


    Items that boosted stats by a percentage were great, but they usually had a level cap. For example, these attack-enhancing bracelets would only be equip-able until level 10. After that, they''d be useless. And for Jisha, level 10 was something she was planning to hit tonight. In other words, it would become obsolete for her in a few hours!


    *But my... er - "allies" - are already in a bidding frenzy...*


    The audience, in the meantime, was just as lively as the group chat.


    "500 Copper!"


    "520 Copper!"


    "570 Copper!"


    "650 Copper!"


    ...


    But as the price soared to new heights, some of fiery passion began to extinguish.


    *>Simulator Child: If the bid exceeds 1000 Copper, we should probably give up on it, right? We need to save some money to buy other items. Especially the final one.*


    *>Hutian Crest: Are you serious? Even if you don''t want to bid on it, I will!*


    *>Censer: Dude, we *must* claim the final item over Shock Collar. And all of our money is in the same pot. Or else what was the point of this alliance anyway?*


    *>Hutian Crest: Right, right. My mistake...*


    "900 Copper!"


    ...


    With this bid from the audience, the shouting from earlier dissolved into murmurs. It seemed like nobody wanted to go any higher until...


    "1000 Copper."


    ... Lujen''s clear voice pierced the air.


    Some people in the audience gasped. After all, Shock Collar had already spent 1,000 Copper in this event and wanted to spend another thousand! Just how rich were they?


    *>Censer: Alright, we''re not bidding. Save the money!*


    *>Aphro Expo: I guess it hurts, but we have to see Shock Collar take this item...*


    *>Simulator Child: Fae Sol. How much money do we have left to bid?*


    Jisha, who was reading the chat as well as paying attention to the audience, was surprised that this question had come up again so late.


    *Looks like they''re finally starting to think a bit?*


    But whether they wanted to use their brains or not wouldn''t affect the outcome! When they agreed to this plan, their fates were already sealed.


    *>Fae Sol: That''s a secret. Just know that there is enough!*


    *>Censer: What? We agreed that this was an alliance. We should all be standing together against Shock Collar! What do you have to gain by hiding the amount from us?*


    Jisha suppressed laughter when she saw this message. Of course, she didn''t respond.


    *If only they knew...*


    *>Censer: ... If you''re not going to respond, we''ll just have to share our net worth with each other here. Collecting all the money from our group, we''d gathered 438 Copper. What about the rest of you guys?*


    *>Simulator Child: What the hell? You guys are clearly filthy rich! Our group only managed to scrape together 307 Copper.*


    *>Hutian Crest: Yet you spent 400! You owe all of us a little bit, don''t you think? Besides, why should I tell you how much money we had?*


    *>Censer: ...*


    *>Simulator Child: ...*


    *>Dolphin Killer: I''m not willing to share that information, either. If Fae Sol says there is enough, why don''t we just bid freely?*


    *>Aphro Expo: I''m only willing to share if everyone else is.*


    *>Censer: Are you guys dumb? How can you possibly believe that all of our net worth combined is greater than Shock Collar''s? You know how many quests we missed out on and how many mobs nearby were monopolized by them. Please be rational. Let us know how much money we have left to bid with! And Fae, I''m begging you, please understand what I''m saying!*


    *>Fae Sol: I perfectly understand what you are saying!*


    *>Simulator Child: Then...?*


    *>Hutian Crest: Bid 1100 Copper!*


    *>Censer: WHAT?*


    *>Simulator Child: You f*cking hypocrite... You''re saying I''m the one that bid too much?*


    *Hahaha!*


    Jisha was thoroughly amused when she saw these messages.


    *>Fae Sol: I''ll raise you one better.*


    "... going twice..."


    "11 Bronzium!"


    Just as the item was about to be sold, Jisha''s voice reached everyone''s ears!


    <hr>


    Luden was still angry. But more so... he was confused.


    Confused on who this player was.


    Confused as to how this player had so much money.


    Confused as to why he hadn''t heard of her before today.


    And confused as to why no one could record her!


    *>Lujen: You''re seriously saying that no matter who you talk to, none of them have recordings or recollections of this player?*


    *>Axis Jack: Again, yes. All attempts to record this player become corrupted, and we have not seen this player before 35 minutes preceding the auction.*


    Luden attempted to confirm something that he had already heard the answer to a hundred times at this point. And no matter how many times he heard it, his brain refused to process the meaning of it.


    How could no one have heard of someone with this much influence?


    Luden thought of his business rivals in the real world.


    *Maybe Arkline has something to do with this?*


    It was the only possibility he could think of. After all, only someone who had more money than him could be a fair competitor.


    And they had to run out of money soon. There was no way they had enough to outbid him on every single item! To secure the thousands of Copper for Shock Collar''s auction funds, Luden not only had to basically monopolize every quest that dispensed a monetary reward in Covan, but he also had to secure hunting grounds in a wide radius of the hamlet using the entire manpower of his organization.


    Not only that, they had to kill players in the wild to take their coins which meant some of their players had begun to lean towards evil alignment.


    "... sold to the anonymous Beyonder for 11 Bronzium!"


    Yet not only did this player have massive amounts of Copper, but Bronzium too!


    Luden hoped his rival would inevitably run out of cash... but he had no idea that this hope would be shattered.


    <hr>


    When the audience heard the number 11 Bronzium, they began to become disillusioned. It wasn''t even surprising anymore. It was similar to hearing about big numbers... Then about bigger numbers... Until everything became impossible to comprehend. What was 1000 Copper? What was 2000 Copper? 10, 20, 30 Bronzuim? The meaning of these words began to blur in the ears of the audience.


    Even if this player began to pull out real money in the game, they probably still wouldn''t be surprised!


    However, there was one emotion they were unanimously feeling.


    "Take that, Lujen!"


    "Idiots at Shock Collar! How dare you try to ruin the game for new players!"


    "Die, Shock Collar! Die, Axis Jack!"


    It was the relief of a weight being lifted from their shoulders. For two grueling hours, the new players of Covan were oppressed beyond belief.


    Oppressed... wasn''t that a bit of an exaggeration? But to players who logged in and wanted to explore a new world? For players that wanted to relax and play a game after a hard day at work? For players who wanted to escape their current reality and have fun? They were definitely feeling oppressed!


    And when some underdog came out of nowhere and stood up against the oppressor...


    "Down with Shock Collar!"


    "Down with Shock Collar!"


    "Down with Shock Collar!"


    ... the response from the underclass was radical!


    *>Censer: What the f*ck!*


    *>Hutian Crest: Hahahaha, take that, Lujen!*


    *>Simulator Child: Well... as much as I didn''t want that money to be spent, this reaction from the crowd is quite something.*


    *>Aphro Expo: Indeed... It''s a cathartic takedown!*


    *>Fae Sol: Well aren''t you fired up now? Bid away. Like I said, there''s no one stopping you!*


    The cart wheeled the seventh item onto the stage.


    The item wasn''t a spectacular one, but with all the chanting from the audience and Jisha''s devilishly sweet words enticing the group chat, no one hesitated to bid their hearts out.


    "50 Copper!"


    "60 Copper!"


    "90 Copper!"


    *>Jiel: That''s one of the 3 organizations in their own alliance. Should we bid on this item?*


    *>Fae Sol: Yeah, I think one of you should place the bid, though? Who''s up for it? You''ll feel pretty good that *you* were the one to outbid them!*


    *>Censer: This doesn''t make any sense.*


    *>Dolphin Killer: 110 Copper. Put it up!*


    *>Hutian Crest: No, 130! I want it to be MY bid!*


    *>Simulator Child: Why does it matter whose bid it is? Fae, what are you trying to do here?*


    *>Fae Sol: I take it that Hutian Crest has the final bid on this item?*


    *>Aphro Expo: 150. We want this.*


    *>Fae Sol: Haha, alright then!*


    "1 Bronzium, 50 Copper!" Jisha said.


    What was left to be said?


    "Sold to the anonymous Beyonder for 1 Bronzium, 50 Copper!"


    Nobody was surprised anymore, but...


    *Hmm? He''s getting quite worked up.*


    Lujen, who most likely assumed Jisha would run out of money, was fuming in his seat.


    The cart wheeled the eighth item and the auctioneer introduced the item with a mischievous smile.


    "We have 3 items left. And this next one is a panacea! Until level 10, it can be a full heal, ladies and gentlemen! The bidding starts at 500 Copper!"


    They way it was introduced, it seemed to be the most valuable item of the auction thus far. The bidding frenzy began once more.


    "750 Copper!"


    "1 Bronzium!"


    "1 Bronzium, 50 Copper!''


    ...


    At this point, the bids were higher than they ever were before. It was clear that the organizations that had held off on purchasing some of the previous cheaper items were going all in on the final 3.


    *But this item seems to be a bit overpriced?*


    The auctioneer had ornerily labeled the item as a panacea, but from what Jisha could remember about it...


    *Hm... This item is a classic!*


    *>Dolphin Killer: I don''t know how much we have left, but it''s clear that someone had Bronzium from somewhere. I saw we raise the bid. 1 Bronzium, 100 Copper?*


    *>Hutian Crest: 2 Bronzium!*


    *>Censer: Hutian, you''ve absolutely lost it...*


    *>Fae Sol: We won''t be winning this item. Not because there isn''t enough money in the pot, but because this item is overpriced. I''ll deal with this.*


    *>Simulator Child: Oh, and how do you know that?*


    *>Fae Sol: I have my ways.*


    "1 Bronzium, 70 Copper!" Jisha said, placing a bid that was reasonable for the field to compete with.


    "1 Bronzium, 75 Copper!"


    And naturally, it was raised.


    "1 Bronzium, 80 Copper!"


    So Jisha raised it again.


    "1 Bronzium, 90 Copper!"


    "1 Bronzium, 95 Copper!"


    ...


    And thus, a back and forth of small increments ensued. There were still a few players in the mix, but eventually they were weeded out. Only two were remaining bidding back and forth.


    "1 Bronzium, 130 Copper," said Lujen.


    "1 Bronzium, 135 Copper," said Jisha.


    The audience could only stare in awe as the two titans'' wealths collided.


    <hr>


    When Luden saw what item was being sold, he knew he had to obtain it. From his beta testing experience, it was a bona-fide full heal potion that not only restored all HP and MP, but also removed all status effects.


    "1 Bronzium, 140!" said Lujen. But as soon as he said it...


    "1 Bronzium, 142!"


    The anonymous girl raised the bid again. To Luden, who was starting to lose his mind, these bids from the girl could only be bluffs. However, you could not place a bid if you didn''t have sufficient funds. This meant that, in some absurd logic, she actually had the money she claimed to and was willing to spend it on this item!


    "1 Bronzium, 150!" he said.


    *There''s no way she has more.*


    "1 Bronzium, 155!" she said.


    "Tch... 1 Bronzium, 170!" he said.


    *It''s impossible. This has to be her limit.*


    "1 Bronzium, 171," she said... but *very* slightly quieter.


    Luden didn''t miss the change in the player''s articulation.


    *Only incremented by one... She''s clearly less confident about this! This has to be her limit! This next bid will crush her.*


    "2 Bronzium!"


    And so Luden placed a bid that once again made the audience gasp!


    With a smug smile, he looked over at the female avatar who appeared to be nervously biting her thumb.


    *Haha, you like that? This item is mine!*


    When no other bid was placed, the auctioneer began to count.


    "... going once..."


    "..."


    No bids.


    "... going twice..."


    "..."


    More silence from his opponent. Luden continued to stare at her.


    *Yes, show me your frustration!*


    "Sold to the Beyonder Lujen!"


    But when the auctioneer confirmed the sale... The anonymous player''s face twisted into a chilling grin.


    When he saw this, Luden was confused.


    Why did her face show such glee at losing such a valuable opportunity?


    *>-2 Bronzium*


    *>+1 Magic Milk Bottle*


    Something wasn''t right!


    Luden quickly checked the descriptions of the item he had just received.


    *>Name: Magic Milk Bottle (Expired)*


    ...


    *>Description: Under level 10, has a 25% chance to remove all status effects on consumption and has a 75% chance to inflict Nausea.*


    *... Huh?*


    It was odd. In the beta, Luden could have sworn that he used an identical-looking item to instantly heal him back to full. It even had the same name. But...


    *Expired???*


    When Luden looked at the smug girl who was staring back at him... He couldn''t help but fly into a rage.


    *I''m going to kill her!*


    <hr>


    (4 - Final)


    The Magic Milk Bottle. Under level 10, it was possibly the best healing item in the game. It was also relatively cheap to produce. However, it had one flaw. It spoiled quickly! Many years ago, Jisha recalled when her best friend pulled a prank on her.


    <hr>


    Two players in the middle of a forest were running for their lives.


    *>Fae Sol: Syny, I''m almost dead! Why is there a wild boss here???*


    *>Synycal: Aaaaaah! Run away! Don''t worry, Jishy, I''ve got us covered! Take this!*


    *>+1 Magic Milk Bottle*


    In a supposedly peaceful area, the two girls had stumbled upon some powerful mob by bad luck!


    *>Fae Sol: Is it a potion?*


    *>Synycal: Yeah. Just drink it!*


    Jisha immediately drank it, but she wasn''t healed like she had been promised.


    *>Fae Sol: What? Syny, what is this?*


    *>Synycal: Hahahahahaha!*


    *>Fae Sol: Ugh, my head feels kind of weird... What did you give me???*


    *>Synycal: It''s the best potion ever! Eep!*


    *>Party member Synycal has died!*


    In a whimsical manner, Syny tripped and fell. In her immobile state, the wild boss easily finished her off!


    *>Fae Sol: Ah... Come on...*


    Feeling the effects of the spoiled milk, Jisha stumbled to the ground. She could only watch as the large monster swung a club at her, eliminating the last of her HP.


    <hr>


    *Those were the days...*


    Jisha reminisced about when the game was still a game and wished she didn''t have to take life so seriously this time around. Though she wanted to get stronger, Jisha still wanted to have fun. Synergy was still fully an innocent game before level 10. Only after this significant level threshold would people begin to realize it was more of a second reality instead.


    She looked at Lujen who was most likely frantically messaging people and ruefully smiled.


    *Though if the battles are too easy, they''re not super fun...*


    Jisha did enjoy seeing people''s face twist in despair, but simple battles were too boring!


    She sighed as the cart wheeled out the second-to-last item of the auction.


    "This is a brand-new set of gauntlets brought to us by Covan''s very own Quex Chet! It''s the perfect item for a fledgling Fracasier! The bid on this Epic item will start at 500 Copper!"


    "500 Copper!"


    "550 Copper!"


    "600 Copper!"


    ...


    Once again, Jisha wasn''t too enthralled by this item, but her group chat thought otherwise.


    *>Jiel: We need this one. I don''t know how much money we have left, but can you bid 1 Bronzium on our behalf?*


    *>Aphro Expo: Nah, we''ll take it. 1 Bronzium, 75 Copper.*


    *>Hutian Crest: I think Fae Sol''s just made out of Coins. Why don''t we just bid 1 Silverium?*


    Something ridiculous was just said in the group chat. Nobody could take Hutian Crest seriously anymore.


    *>Fae Sol: Why would you bid 1 Silverium for a level 5 item...*


    *>Hutian Crest: I dunno. It''s not my money!*


    *>Censer: Hutian. F*ck you.*


    Meanwhile, the audience''s bids kept rising.


    "1 Bronzium!"


    "1 Bronzium, 25!"


    "1 Bronzium, 35!"


    When the bids reached this amount, Jisha tossed in Aphro Expo''s bid.


    "1 Bronzium, 75!"


    And once the audience heard this, they began to grumble again... But this didn''t stop Lujen from bidding!


    "1 Bronzium, 80!"


    *>Jiel: ... 1 Bronzium, 100."


    "1 Bronzium, 100!"


    "1 Bronzium, 105!"


    ...


    Members of the audience began to look at each other. Some of them were a bit tired of this charade. What was the point of them even being there?


    "1 Bronzium, 110..."


    Some of them tried to keep up with the towering amounts, but...


    *>Aphro Expo: 1 Bronzium, 115.*


    "1 Bronzium, 115!"


    Nobody, not even Lujen, could keep up with these ridiculous amounts!


    "Sold to the anonymous Beyonder for 1 Bronzium, 115 Copper!"


    <hr>


    Luden shook his head when this bid was placed. He was definitely firing some people today!


    *>Lujen: What do I pay you guys for if you can''t even find information about the competition...*


    *>Axis Jack: ...*


    Even though it sounded like it, Lujen wasn''t worried. He looked at his coin pouch, and he was sure he''d win the final item.


    *>Lujen: We''re going all in on the finale.*


    That''s right - he wouldn''t hold back! Straight out of the gate, he was willing to empty his pockets for this item. That''s how valuable it was to him.


    The cart wheeled the 10th and final item of the auction out onto the center of the stage.


    Though this was the item most people had been waiting for, nobody was expecting to win it at this point. They expected another fierce back and forth between the two titans.


    However, before Lujen could place his bid...


    Before the auctioneer even spoke a word...


    "50 Bronzium."


    A girl''s clear, calm voice pierced through the audience.


    Despite how quietly she said it, everyone in the audience heard it clearly.


    The voice carried power and confidence, but when people heard it, they couldn''t believe their ears.


    "Huh?"


    "Did I hear that amount right?"


    But it was definitely real! After all, you couldn''t bid more than you had at an auction.


    "How is that possible?"


    50 Bronzium, or over 5000 Copper, was casually thrown out. The voice did not carry excess ego, nor did it carry hint of boasting. The voice was above them. This was a simple fact!


    The hall was silent.


    There was no competition. The one they assumed to be the underdog was a dark horse all along.


    "Sold to the anonymous Beyonder for 50 Bronzium!"


    And just like that, the auction was over.


    <hr>


    The group chat was silent as Jisha inspected the item she had just purchased.


    *>Name: Magical Oaken Dagger*


    *>...*


    *Yeah. This is for her.*


    When Jisha was contacted by her best friend in this life, Jisha had already resolved herself to give her a gift when they met up.


    When she found the ordinary level 5 dagger, Jisha considered giving it to her. However, Jisha quickly realized that she could easily find something better, thus deciding to sell it off at this auction. But she didn''t expect to find something great so soon.


    Syny Cytem, also known as Synycal in the game, would, alongside Fae Sol, become a very well-known player in the future. In her past life, Syny had become one of the greatest dagger wielders in the game... And this was only after Syny was indecisive about her class for so long. If Jisha could nurture Syny''s talent at an early stage, how much better would she become?


    Jisha believed Syny could be at the level of a top player in a few weeks!


    And though professionals didn''t exist yet, Jisha was certain that Syny would stand above all future pros if she was trained properly.


    Jisha couldn''t wait to test this theory.


    Skill level was an odd thing.


    When one begins learning a skill, whether it be a game, craft, hobby, or something else, they would struggle. In the very beginning, one is obviously worse than average.


    But if one were to train properly, they could easily exceed average.


    This was because a vast majority of people, regardless of what they were practicing, were not practicing optimally. If one received guidance on *how* to and how *not* to practice, they would avoid practicing improper things thus putting their fundamentals at a higher level than most people. Without proper fundamentals, it was impossible to reach a high skill level. But with fundamentals, one was unshakeable.


    So, in Synergy, when nobody had a clue about any optimizations, those who would rise above were either lucky to have found an optimal path or had exceptional talent in some area. If Jisha, someone who knew about all optimal routes and was talented in many areas, taught a prot¨¦g¨¦ with these methods, the results would be astounding.


    Of course, Jisha wasn''t going to write any guides. At least not ones that were available for the public. The information she knew about the future was worth an unfathomable amount of money. It was suicide to simply give it away. She was going to use this information to grow herself and those around her.


    This dagger Jisha had purchased was one of the many "optimizations" she could think of for a fledgling dagger wielder. Not only was it a superior weapon until level 10, but it was also upgradeable. Usually, new weapons and equipment would have to be purchased or found after certain level thresholds. However, the if an item was upgradeable, one could use it for much longer than ordinary weapons.


    *>Fae Sol: Everyone meet outside.*


    *>Censer: ... Yes.*


    The auction had concluded and many of the NPCs had already left, but many of the players still lingered around wanting to catch a glimpse of the dark horse that took out an organization. As Jisha, Brookie, Jiel, and the seven leaders walked outside, much of the crowd attempted to follow behind.


    *Now, it''s time.*


    Using the Nightwalker''s ability "Item Cloak", Jisha cloaked seven items she was keeping in her inventory. Outside the door, she fairly distributed the items that they had purchased in the auction.


    "Congratulations! Here''s your item!"


    "Thank you!"


    And every time she did, she gave them a celebratory pat on the back or a hug. None of the men objected getting a hug from a pretty girl even if the gender of the user behind the avatar was ambiguous.


    But once all the items were distributed and everyone was feeling chipper, Jisha dropped a bombshell statement.


    "Now, gentlemen. Do you want to know the catch?"


    "... Huh?"


    Though some of the keener org leaders had remembered there would be a catch at the end, most had clearly forgotten.


    "... What can you even do? We already got our items," said Simulator Child.


    "I wonder. Do you remember how much money you spent?" Jisha asked.


    "We spent 100 Copper," said Censer.


    *Huh. I guess I was really underestimating them.*


    Though it wasn''t anything special, Jisha was mildly impressed that one of the org leaders actually kept track of how much money they bid.


    *It''s the bare minimum effort they could''ve put in, but still.*


    "Honestly, I didn''t expect any of you to actually know how much you spent. And surprisingly, Censer, you stayed within your budget! Congratulations!" Jisha praised sarcastically. "Here''s your 338 Copper back!"


    "... Thanks?"


    "And I''d also like to give an honorable mention to Jiel, who spent 0 Copper and also stayed within his budget. Let''s give him a round of applause, shall we?"


    "..."


    The organization leaders awkwardly looked at each other. No one clapped.


    "Tch, tough crowd huh? Well, that makes sense. Because the rest of you..." Jisha said ominously as she turned to the rest of the group. "Why don''t we start with... the least debt? Dolphin Killer, amazing job. You spent 200 Copper and are only 2 Copper in debt. Fantastic!"


    "What? Is that even right?" Dolphin Killer asked.


    "Did you really think that I wouldn''t keep track of how much *I* spent? It was all my money, you know."


    "... What do you mean? It''s our money. We pooled it together to take out Shock Collar. That''s what we agreed on," Aphro Expo said.


    *They''re so naive.*


    Jisha couldn''t help but *almost* feel bad for these guys... but they had to learn the ways of the world sooner or later.


    "Is there a contract anywhere saying we agreed on it?" Jisha asked.


    "I-"


    The org leaders were baffled once this play started going off-script.


    "And Aphro Expo... How sad! You spent 2 Bronzium, 165 Copper and are 46 Copper in debt!"


    "..."


    One by one, Jisha listed the sum of every leader''s total bids in addition to the "debt" they were in. At first, the leaders didn''t understand how she was getting this "debt" number.


    But they quickly realized that it was the difference between the total amount they bid and the original amount they put in! This meant that Fae Sol had not only remembered how much they spent, but also remembered how much they each individually put in as well as how much more they spent, and calculated the debt value... for all 7 members.


    When they realized this, the organization leaders got chills. It wasn''t that this math was hard, but it seemed tedious for no reason! Why was she going out of her way to torture them with this meticulous information? She was ruthless!


    Finally, Jisha approached the end of the list.


    "Hutian Crest... I am so incredibly sorry for you! You''ve spent the most, and even though you were the richest in the beginning... You''re the most in debt. You spent a whopping 11 Bronzium, and your debt is 6 Bronzium!"


    "... so?"


    "Hutian Crest, do you understand what''s happening right now?"


    "We totally beat up Shock Collar?"


    "Haha, of course. That is true, but what''s happened to you right now?"


    "..."


    "You''re deep in the red, Hutian Crest," Jisha said as she lowered her voice. "Not only you, but all of you except Censer and Jiel! All of you are indebted to me and are to pay me back this value by this day next week!"


    "... I figured something like this would happen," Censer said.


    "... D*mn, we should have thought of that. At the end of the day, we did spend some of her money, too. Well, it should be simple to pay it off by next week," Dolphin Killer said.


    The group leisurely discussed this problem among themselves, but Jisha wasn''t done quite yet!


    "And when I said ''this value'', I mean the value of the money I loaned today accounting for inflation. And don''t forget interest! Are you all a bit more aware of what you owe me now?"


    When the organization members heard this, they were confused for a bit.


    "Inflation? You mean the value of money dropping?" Aphro Expo asked.


    "Yes, you seem to understand exactly what I mean. After all, the 46 Copper you owe won''t be worth the same amount in one week! To equal the value I was so generous to bestow upon you gentlemen today, the number of coins you need by next week will be quite a bit higher, don''t you think?"


    "Oh, sh*t..." Censer mumbled under his breath. He had a faint idea of what was going on here, and when he thought about it, he was extremely glad to not have spent any money at all.


    "What? So how much do we owe you?" Hutian Crest asked.


    "Hmm... Lets see. If what I remember is correct..." Jisha murmured as she tried to estimate a value. "Ah, I got it," she said as she clapped her hands. "How about one hundred times?"


    "... What?"


    Once again, the group was confused. At first, they didn''t even understand what these words meant. But Censer immediately did, and if VR facial expressions were realistic, his eyes would be bulging from their sockets.


    Slowly, the rest of the group began to comprehend what was just said. But...


    "Hahaha... Fae Sol, that is a very funny joke! How much do we actually owe you?" Hutian Crest jovially asked. One hundred times? It was clearly nonsense!


    However, Jisha didn''t respond but instead gave a bright smile.


    When the group realized that she was most likely being serious, their first reaction was dumbfoundedness followed by rage.


    "Do you seriously mean we owe you 97 Silverium?" asked Simulator Child.


    "Precisely! One week from now, you, Simulator Child, will owe me 97 Silverium. You''re a bit slow to catch on, but if you weren''t, then you wouldn''t have fallen for this anyway!" Jisha said.


    "100 times today''s coins??? That''s a total ripoff!" Hutian Crest fumed.


    When she heard this, Jisha wanted to laugh.


    "A ripoff? Yes! It''s a ripoff. You''ve been scammed and there isn''t anything you can do about it! After all, you were the fools who gave up all of your money in the first place. Did you think there was going to be a happy ending for you once you did that?"


    "100 times. I assume you understand what you''re saying and being serious... But that would be literally impossible to pay back," argued Aphro Expo.


    "Actually, it''s not," said someone unexpected.


    The group turned around to look at Censer. Being one of the two people in the black, he was a little more confident to speak up about this.


    "A week from now, at least in the beta, inflation reduced the value of currency by approximately 50 times," he stated. "This was because earning Silverium wasn''t very difficult... comparatively. Once we got to Aurite, players started having a bit more trouble. But... 50 times was simply in the beta. If many more players join the game in the coming week, the economy will be flooded with new cash since every player starts with 10 Copper. On top of that, some of those new players will be earning a bit of Silverium in the coming week. Since we were at the forefront of the game''s progression, it was natural for us to have more money than the average player. So... as ridiculous as it sounds, especially if you were to account for interest... 100 times is quite a reasonable estimate... even if it''ll completely bankrupt you."


    After he said this, they turned to look back at Jisha who was still smiling sweetly.


    Someone audibly gulped.


    But some still weren''t convinced.


    "Ok, well... First of all, I don''t believe that. Second of all, you''re gonna make us pay you how, exactly?" asked Hutian Crest.


    "That''s right! You can''t force us to pay you!"


    "And why can''t I do that?" Jisha asked.


    "Ha, easy. We''ll just group up and kill you," Hutian Crest said.


    "Yeah? Do you want to try that?" Jisha said as she continued to smile.


    "..."


    Her confidence baffled the organization leaders. Though her level was obviously hidden, there''s no way it was that high, right? And even if it was, stat gains per level were pretty small, so even a player that was multiple levels higher could easily die to a lower-leveled one.


    "I don''t know why you''re so confident. You''re clearly bluffing. Aren''t you just one *girl*?" asked Aphro Expo, putting the emphasis on *girl*.


    Jisha''s eyebrows would have twitched in real life when she heard this, but she maintained her current expression.


    "And... on the off chance that you *can* kill us... We''ll just split up and run away," Dolphin Killer said. "You''re clearly a beta player. You know how big Synergy is."


    "Oh, you''re right... I should have thought about that!" Jisha said as she feigned helplessness. "Synergy is really really big!"


    By now, those who had been a bit scared had calmed down. Due to the outlandishness of her claims and her unthreatening stature, the organization leaders weren''t able to take her seriously anymore. They shook their heads and split up going their own separate ways.


    Only Censer and Jiel caught the obvious sarcasm in her voice... But they didn''t have to worry. They were in the black.


    "Don''t forget! You all owe me 100 times! Have that money ready next week! Or else!" Jisha yelled after them.


    "Yeah, yeah, whatever," Hutian Crest said, obviously not caring.


    Even some of the random audience members who were witnessing the shenanigans laughed at the little girl yelling after a group of guys who were clearly ignoring her.


    But little did they know, when Jisha had given them a hug or a pat on the back...


    *>-1 Small Lightweight Tracker*


    *>-1 Small Lightweight Tracker*


    *>-1 Small Lightweight Tracker*


    ...


    *>Name: Shahar''s Nightwalker*


    ...


    *>Abilities:*


    ...


    *>Shahar''s Blessing (Rank 0) - Item Cloak: Mask the Presence of up to 10 Rank 0 Consumable-type items by 99% per week. Items cloaked: 7/10. Cooldown: 1 week. Upgrade this ability using Shards of Darkness. Shards: 0/1.*


    At the end of the day, there was only one true winner in this auction.


    She would definitely find them!