Shik!
...Slump.
“Well, that’s the st one I can see... is that all of them?”
Max scratched his head as he surveyed the area. The sounds of battle were subsiding with the deaths of the st few orcs, and Eleutheria’s troops had already begun tending to their wounded. With discerning eyes, he noticed a deceased soldier being carried back to the staging camp.
‘Hm? The corpses of NPCs don’t disappear?’
The dead remains of monsters and pyers would always disperse as fine particles upon death, so he assumed the same would hold true for human NPCs.
‘Strange...’
Maybe it had something to do with the lore? Well, either way, he would find out eventually. At the very least, it would be insensitive to ask Virtus about it, given the circumstances. Even if it somehow weren’t, Virtus was currently preoccupied with–
‘…? Wait, never mind – he’s coming straight here!’
Breaking out of his thoughts, Max hastily greeted the prince, “Sir, congratutions on the victory!”
Virtus smiled. “You speak as though you didn’t dispatch hundreds yourself.”
“You humble me, sir.”
‘You killed about the same number too though…’
“Cease calling me ‘sir’. As I already stated, I dislike honorifics from those who are neither my subjects nor subordinates.”
“That...” Max felt reluctant to do so. He didn’t know the exact number, but judging by the size of the capital city, this prince presided over hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions of subjects. Addressing such a prominent figure like they were an ordinary person felt absurdly inappropriate, even by modern standards.
Despite feeling that way... “Alright, I will stop.” There was no way he could just refuse the prince’s direct request.
“Thank you. As for the battle results, it is as you say – a complete victory for us. We lost fourteen great men, but it would have been many more without yours and the heroes’ assistance. For that, you have my gratitude.”
An interface appeared in front of Max.
Proximity Mission: Conquer the Orc Compound
Difficulty: Hard
Description: An orcish military compound has been discovered atop a mountain near human territory, being used as a staging ground for violent acts in Novus Forest. In order to aid the residents of Novus, Crown Prince Virtus of Eleutheria has requested the heroes’ assistance in conquering the compound and expelling all hostiles.
Milestone 1: Break through the enemy defensive perimeter (Complete)
Milestone 2: Defeat all enemy leadership within the compound (Complete)
Milestone 3: Clear the compound of enemy combatants (Complete)
Milestone 4: Prevent any substantial harm from befalling Prince Virtus (Complete)
Optional Milestone 1: Open or destroy the enemy gate (Complete)
Optional Milestone 2: Protect the lives of all Eleutherian soldiers (Failed)
Reward (Contribution-Split): 200 gold per kill, plus bonuses for individual contribution. Additionally, there is a chance of greatly increasing favour with NPC ‘Virtus’.
This mission meets the criteria for completion. Cim rewards? Y/N
Max pressed to cim the rewards.
[Received: 84,000 gold, 30 charm, greatly increased favour with NPC ‘Virtus’]
‘Woah, 84,000 gold?! That’s like 4,200 arrows!’
“Hm? Is everything okay?” Virtus looked at Max’s bulging eyes with confusion.
‘Mm? Oh, right. It was a proximity mission… meaning it wasn’t given by him.’ Max fixed his facial expression. ‘Then, it seems like those types of missions are assigned by the game system.’
*Ahem* “It was my pleasure. Is there anything else I can do to help… Virtus?”
Virtus’s lip curved up. “Actually, I do have one request, if you’ll humour me.”
“Of course.” Max listened with anticipation.
“Become my knight.”
“…Eh?”
“I’d like you to become one of my personal knights. In this battle, you single-handedly demolished the front gate and defeated hundreds of enemies, including a high orc with an aura ability, making as rge a contribution as I despite being of substantially lower level. Those are achievements I simply cannot ignore.
“I–”
“Do not be hasty to reject my offer. Becoming my knight would bring you several privileges. For one, it is an eminently respected position which can grant you an audience with many high-status personages. It also exempts you from several taxes such as entrance tolls when entering towns and cities. Most importantly, it pces you in a better position to be awarded nd grants and peerage for your future military service.”
‘He’s serious about this.’
“…What responsibilities would I have?”
“Not many. As my personal knight, your core duty would be to serve as an escort, primarily for me, but also occasionally for my family members. Knights are typically obligated to provide military service for 40 days each year, but this can be made pliant forasmuch as you require time to increase your level.
“I see…”
Max considered briefly. The conditions didn’t sound stringent – in fact, they seemed extremely favourable for him – but serving as a bodyguard might be boring... What he really wanted to do was venture into enemy territory and pierce skulls on the front lines.
As though sensing his hesitation, Virtus continued, “I am also aware of the advantages a man of your skillset would bring, so I might occasionally send you on missions that are a bit more, say… confidential in nature.”
Max’s eyes fshed. ‘Is he saying what I think he’s saying?’
“…I understand. Then, if you’ll have me, I’d be honoured to serve as your knight.”
“Fantastic!” Virtus grinned. “Here, take this.”
A small badge, engraved with a dark red emblem, entered Max’s hands. “This is?”
“My family’s crest; proof that you are one of my retainers. Normally, I would also lend you a communication bead so that we may speak over long distances, but, as I don’t currently have any spares with me, that will have to be deferred for the time being.”
“Oh, I think I have some of those, actually.” Max reached into his pocket.
“What? How could you possibly hav–”
Virtus’s jaw sckened as two red crystals appeared in Max’s palm.
“I acquired these from that high orc I defeated yest– a few days ago.” Max corrected himself on account of game time. “Will these do?”
“Y-yes, those should do.”
Taking his gauntlet off, Virtus awkwardly accepted the beads, pinching one between his fingers. After a few seconds of gently applied pressure, it began to blink rapidly, emitting bright bursts of red light. He repeated this process for the second bead, and soon both pulses synchronised, appearing to stabilise before slowing to a steady glow.
He handed a bead back to Max. “You can use this to contact me by applying pressure for five seconds. Though, I carry a lot of these around, so I ask everyone to do so only in exigent circumstances. For other matters, come find me at the pace instead. ”
“Understood. Thanks, Virtus.”
“Virtus? I am your superior, so you should be calling me ‘sir’.”
Max: -_-
“Hahaha~!” Virtus burst out ughing. “Alright, I should also thank the other heroes before they disperse. Let us talk more ter.”
“Alright.”
Virtus walked away, leaving Max alone with his thoughts. Except…
[Current Viewers: 37,000]
‘That is a lot of viewers.’
“…Hey guys, do you think I’m the first royal knight?”
—First royal ars*hole for sure
—Turn off the aimbot, loser
‘Oh, right, a lot of them were thinking I was cheating.’ Max had completely forgotten.
“How can I convince you guys I’m not using cheats, by the way?”
—You can’t, because I’m an atheist
—Stfu u already turned them off
—Start by deleting your account :)
“Like, how would the cheats even work? Would they make my arms move on their own to point the bow directly at my enemies? Would I be able to curve the arrows to hit their target using telekinesis? Did I allow an NPC to take over my body via spiritual possession to serve as my body double?”
The chat lulled slightly.
—The NPC thing sounds pretty spot on, not gonna lie
“Whatever.” Max shook his head. “Actually, I heard a bunch of donation sounds while I was fighting; let’s check those out.” He opened up the donation dispy.
[JasonCapsaicin has donated 5]
[Yooo, big fan, send the hack deets here: [email protected]]
“Thank you Jason for the five dolrs but your inbox will be empty – there are no hacks here!”
[Waifu_With_Knaifu has donated 20]
[KYAAA!! You are so handsome! Take my money xxx]
“Handsome? That’s very kind of you; thank you Waifu. Though, they say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, which is you.”
For unknown reasons, the level of vitriol in the chat intensified further.
—That is NOT what the saying means!
—DIEE
[Timmy_of_Ignominy has donated 5]
[Coach? It’s Timothy from the club! Make me a stream moderator!]
Max froze for a moment. ‘…WHAT? TIMOTHY?!’
This was that Timothy! The kid he spent his st lesson with before the club closed down! He was here on the stream?!”
…After considering for a moment, he opened Timothy’s profile and ticked the box for ‘moderator permissions’, which would allow him to manage the other chatters. Why? In Max’s mind, it would be nice to have another connection with someone he knew from real life; he typically sat inside all day outside of work, so he didn’t have many friends. That, and the kid might doxx him if he refused.
“Thanks Timmy, you’re an exception. Alright, st donation…”
[MightSmite has donated 10]
[Wow, you’re really skilled! That’s insane… Be more insane if you checked your stat panel even once tho]
“Ah… Alright Smite, you win. I’ll show the stat panel. But first...”
Avaible Titles:
Blitz (4) – Defeat 100 higher-levelled enemies in less than 2 minutes, Effects: +20% HP regeneration speed, +20% MP regeneration speedTremendous Damage (First) – deal 2,000 damage with a single attack, Effects: +20% (40%) penetration power, +5 (10) luckVisionary – Destroy both eyes of a BOSS monster, Effects: +50% eye damageWho’s In Peril? (First) (Solo) – Defeat (solo) a monster bearing a ‘Perilous’ threat rating, Effects: +20% (40%) max HPWar Hero (First) – Made a rge contribution to the outcome of a military battle, Effects: +100 (200) charm, +5% (10%) max HPKnighted – Become appointed as a knight, Effects: +50 Charm, Certain NPCs will treat you with additional respect“Whoa! Lots more really good titles this time… It’s nothing like plus sixty percent attributes, but forty percent more health is really strong. As for charm, I still don’t know what it does…”
The forty percent health bonus came from defeating an enemy with a ‘Perilous’ threat rating, which must have been the high orc from earlier. Since the title said it was done ‘solo’, Max’s st arrow to the eye must have finished it off. Actually, Max suspected that shot might have nded as a critical hit, since there was a slight particle effect on impact – simir to the critical hit indicator which existed in HoL.
‘I wonder what threat levels are above perilous...’
Equipping the titles, Max put that thought aside and moved on to MightSmite’s request.
STATUS
Name: Gun
Css: Deadshot
Level: 21
EXP: 17%
Health: 1050/1050
Mana: 700/700
Abnormal State: None
Condition: Fine
ATTRIBUTES
Vitality: 41 (+29)
Strength: 52 (+36)
Dexterity: 62 (+43)
Agility: 56 (+39)
Intelligence: 41 (+29)
Wisdom: 41 (+29)
Charm: 20 (+450)
Luck: 0 (+10)
DETAILS
Subcsses: Ultra-Rapid Fire, Rapid Fire, Sniping, Kinematics Mastery, Multi-Shot, Armor-Piercing, Marksmanship, Sharpshooting
Titles: Unique, Cruel, Headshot Harry, One Shot One Kill, Pyer Killer...
Active Skills: None
Passive Skills: Arrow Retrieval, Successive Speed
“Woah.”
Max looked over his stat screen.
“It’s starting to look impressive. Wait, level 21? Then I gained 13 levels from that battle?! That’s so much! Wow, the EXP gain must be really high in this game – I only expected to go up five or six levels!”
—Only 13 levels? He killed like 300 level 30+ orcs though?!
—What sort of dumbassery is he spouting?
—Did he mean low?
—Charm is so high – Is he pying a dating sim??
—EXCUSE ME: IS NOBODY SEEING THAT HE HAS OVER A THOUSAND HEALTH???
“Not bad... Not bad at all.”
Max inspected a bit longer until noticing Lemonade approach from behind the panel.
“Lemon! You lived!”
“Hahaha, they need more orcs than that to take me down! I even managed to kill one!”
Max responded a tick te, “…Wow!”
Two people accompanied Lemonade, who Max recognised as the streamers he’d met earlier.
“Jasmine, Rafael, you guys were also here? When did you arrive?”
Jasmine was first to reply, “Right now! …We only just got here. Our monolith teleports were on cooldown, so it seems like we just barely missed the battle!”
She smiled and made a peace sign with her fingers, most likely hiding her inner suffering.
“Dammit, stupid f*cking cooldown.” Rafael cursed.
‘Come to think of it, is Rafael still angry with me?’ Max remembered this guy getting heated and even rage-quitting during their dungeon raid earlier. ‘Well, I’d rather get along with Lemonade’s friends, so I’ll try to be a bit more diplomatic.’
“Too bad, it would have been a lot easier with you guys around.” Max consoled them. “Ah, that reminds me, Lemon, here’s your ring back.”
Max took the storage ring off his finger and transferred it back to Lemonade.
“Ah, you can–”
“You should hang onto it, it seems valuable.” Max cut him off. “Also, that thing I did – taking the arrows out quickly – will probably be fixed in a morning patch tomorrow anyways.”
Lemonade smiled. “I see. Well, now we know you’re a man of integrity! Maybe the viewers will be less inclined to think you’re-”
Poof.
Suddenly, the scenery around Max vanished. In its pce, the game’s title screen appeared, partially obscured by a graphical notification.
‘Wha–?! I was disconnected from the game server just like yesterday… Was Virtek hacked again?’
Max read the notification message:
[Your account has been suspended on suspicion of cheating, pending investigation. Please remain patient while we assess your case (Est. wait time ~48h)]
“Oh you’ve gotta be f*cking kidding me.”