Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Originally, he was an ordinary young man with nothing special about him. His only hobby was playing games, particularly single-player RPGs. He avoided online games because even in that virtual world, there were disparities in wealth and talent. As a result, he often found himself wandering around game community sites.

He enjoyed watching videos and walkthroughs of popular games, but sometimes illegal download links for pirated games would be used. He knew it wasnt right, but his low salary was a good excuse for him. So when he clicked on a post titled Rare Game DLC and Mod Pack. First come, first serve. It didnt seem like a big deal.

Aquilonia: a dark fantasy game with a semi-open world filled with betrayal, corruption, rebellion, and conspiracies.

The introductory text intrigued him quite a bit and the game screenshots looked impressive as well. However, the game was no longer being sold due unknown circumstances of the developer. The post was deleted shortly after he clicked on the download link. Feeling proud of being one of the first players, he immediately launched the game determined to spend the weekend reaching the end of the game.

In Aquilonia, there were five classes from which players could choose: Knight, Barbarian Warrior, Mage, Scout, and Devoted Acolyte. According to the tips that appeared during installation, players could receive assistance from other characters registered on the server in special situations like boss battles.

Unfortunately, he couldnt access the server. Whether this was due to being a pirated copy or the server was no longer available, he wasnt certain. Either way, he knew he had to handle everything on his own.

So he chose the Mage class, not only because its a range class, but its also the easiest choice for beginners making it a safe option. His unique characteristics were Sensibility and Concentration. His self-esteem made him set the difficulty level to moderate. The appearance of the mage was set at default and the name was randomly generated.

This was the beginning of Ian Hoff, his alter ego.

I should have looked for a guide first. Ian sighed to himself. It was already too late, he was too immersed in the game to even think about strategy.

Aquilonia was a good game overall. The graphics were a bit dated, but it had a unique atmosphere that didnt bother him. Based on a diverse skill tree, the combat system was satisfying to play. It required clearing specific quests to progress to the next area, but was generally free and allowed skipping of side quests and cutscenes. This made the game faster paced and he didnt feel bored.

Most of all, he enjoyed the numerous choices in the game that led to dark and gloomy outcomes, fitting for a dark fantasy setting. The game was far from easy. There were equipment limitations based on attribute requirements instead of class limitations. Skill points were scarce compared to the vastness of the skill tree. Boss battles and encounters with named mobs, in particular, were quite challenging.

Ian progressed through the game by choosing abilities and skills that suited his needs in each situation. He reached his limit in Chapter 4 when the difficulty level drastically spiked. Regular monsters became difficult to defeat, even a brief grinding session of leveling up didnt make a noticeable difference. He eventually resorted to searching for a guide.

Fortunately, he found an expert-level guide written by an experienced player. The guide resembled a research paper, so he skimmed through it, focusing only on the parts he needed. He slowly realized he was in trouble. The problems started with his unique attributes. Sensibility and Concentration didnt provide much support for long-range combat. Attributes such as elemental affinity, magical bloodline, insight, parallel thinking, or even luck and reflexes would have been more helpful.

In addition, his characters stats were lower than those of a typical mage, especially Intelligence and Mental Power. This was due to his investment in Strength, Agility, and Stamina. It was a necessary sacrifice to wear solo combat equipment, but it meant he had to overcome challenges with precise control and overwhelming firepower.

His skills distribution also presented a challenge. Instead of delving into multiple attributes, he had to focus on a single path. Only Vision and common skills were necessary to some extent as skill points were too valuable. It had been an unavoidable choice when extremely powerful enemies popped up and his character had limited mana and money. He had no choice but to follow the conventional approach of farming items and reducing enemy resistances.

The most critical problem he faced was the quests and choices. He had either missed or skipped too many essential side quests that provided additional stat and skill points. Due to intentionally selecting the worst choices, many key characters who should have helped him died or turned corrupt. In short, his character, Ian Hoff, was a complete failure. He was a total mess and nothing could be undone.

There was still time left before the weekend was over. He quickly made a decision. He would start over and follow a proper guide. He would choose an easier profession this time. However, there was only one character slot and unlocking additional slots required a paid purchase. It was an impossible task. As a result, he chose to delete the character. Thats when an error message appeared.

Deletion has been denied.

He was taken aback by the message. Then, a series of popup windows followed.

The are watching you.

The seek the worlds end.

The .

All he could remember was the blinding flash on the monitor. That flash was his last memory of his previous world. When he regained consciousness, he found himself lying in an unfamiliar swampy area. The tutorial quest window that he first saw when he started the game appeared again.

Ian was so engrossed in his memories that he forgot where he was for a moment. When the door swung wide, Ian quickly opened his eyes. Instinctively, his body grabbed the sword leaning against the bathtub and aimed it at the intruder.

Ack! The suppressed scream came from a woman holding a bucket of hot water as she splashed the steaming liquid onto her legs. I-I brought hot water to change Her voice trembled with the blade pressed against her throat.

You saved the village.

Technically, it wasnt a wrong statement. In the end, this village was destined to be destroyed. Put the water down and stop talking nonsense. Ian clicked his tongue and waved his hand.

The girl obediently placed the bucket she had brought down. If its too hot, let me know. She said as she poured the water slowly. Turning her head to the side, she gave him a fleeting glance.

He noticed that her cheeks were slightly flushed. Ah, its because Im naked. Ian finally realized. He had become too accustomed to this Dark Age. Dont imagine things.

Yes? What do you mean? The girl trembled, her shoulders shaking.

Ian casually added. Just as I said. Dont imagine things. She may be treated as an adult in this world, but in his eyes, the girl with many freckles looked very young. She was probably around fifteen or maybe sixteen at most and having any emotion beyond paternal affection for such a young girl was already a crime in itself.

I didnt think anything at all. She trembled, unable to lie.

Well, considering that he had only seen toothless drunks emitting the smell of alcohol, it must be fascinating to see such a body. He looked down at his own body. Thanks to his strength and stamina stats, even as a magician, his muscles were well-defined. The six-pack abs, which didnt exist in reality, were as clear as chocolate here.

The same went for his intelligence and mental strength. He realized that he had become much faster and had a more multifaceted way of thinking. He didnt waver or break easily in most situations. If he had distributed his stats properly, he would have been at the level of a renowned prophet.

Ian finally raised his hand. Thats enough. The water will overflow.

As if disappointed, the girl stood up with the bucket she had brought. Should I heat up more water?

Forget about the water. Prepare a meal. Ill be done within the hour.

And then?

Nothing. Just leave. With a decisive tone, Ian made the girl leave.

But she didnt forget to leave a strangely defiant look until the end.

Stars As Ian let out a bitter laugh, the voices of rowdy troublemakers echoed in his ears again. It might have been better to ask the girl for any random conversation instead of this noise. Ian leaned back in the bathtub, his head submerged as he activated his level 3 meditation skill. Originally, it was a vision skill that was only supposed to be leveled up to level 1.

***

The next day.

Ian, accompanied by the tavern owner and several young men from the village, returned to the kobold den. They also brought along a cart.

What a mess! Did you sprinkle burning oil all over the place? The kobold den still preserved the aftermath of last nights carnage; charred bodies and piles of ashes, stacks of burnt logs and remnants of makeshift shelters.

How many of them are there in total? Did you think you were building a country or something?

But Lord Eon doesnt care. Hes preoccupied with preparations for war.

Whether its Lord Eon or the mercenaries. It feels refreshing to think about it again. Good riddance, you bastards who dared to challenge me.

Instead of just spitting at the corpses, I should have stepped on them

The voices of the young men died down as Ian looked back at them. Seeing the scene he had created inspired a mixture of awe and fear in them.

Ian spoke calmly to them, As I said, your task is simple. Search every corner and pick up everything useful.