Chapter 3 - Stagnant Moss Town

Upon loading into the game, Draco was deposited in the town square of Stagnant Moss town.

Around him were hundreds of other players coalescing into reality. While towns were smaller than cities, they were still big enough to support large populations, larger than usual in the real world.

Stagnant Moss town should have a starting population of 500,000 people, not counting players.

Draco estimated that the player population should be less than a thousand, a relatively small amount for the area. After all, Stagnant Moss town was one of the less obscure towns available in the Sturgehaven kingdom.

It should be noted that towns are functionally different from cities. Towns are basically starter areas where players can take low level quests to familiarize themselves with the scope and diversity of Boundless and its combat system. There were four high tier cities: Koldone City, Cario City, Farst City and Sturgehaven City with the latter being the capital city. Each one of them had its benefits and detriments over the other, but the secrets hidden in them could decide the fate of the world.

Right now, players couldn't access cities until level 10. Guilds also could not be formed until level 10, which is the first benchmark level. At level 10, players would be assigned classes based on their attribute point distribution. Majority had no idea of this and even few top level experts were able to guess.

Before level 10, players could learn any assortment of classless skills and three class-based skills, so players assumed this was the criteria for getting a class, but this wasn't it. It solely depended on your point distribution. More points in strength and endurance would grant a Tank class and even then, there were differences. High strength and endurance with some points put into spirit would lead to a paladin class. High strength with slightly less endurance and more intelligence would lead to a mage guard class.

Many players ended up falling into categories they didn't aim for, and reset their accounts foolishly, falling behind players who took it as it was. The reasoning behind the AI's plan was that without foreknowledge of such a mechanic, players who allocated points based on preference, would end up with classes that had the best potential for them. Someone who invested in intelligence and spirit would expect to get a mage class with high mana recovery but would rather end up with a cleric class and restart. After a few years, those players would regret their hasty actions because the classes they wanted didn't suit them.

Last time around, Draco had ended up with a fairly unique class that he didn't intend upon but stuck with because he didn't have the money to restart. That was a great thing because that very class' abilities allowed him to rise to the top, even those who got the same class as him weren't as compatible.

His class was a variation of the spellblade class, the Avenger. Avengers were agility focused swordsman classes with some minor magical capability, but mostly for passive use unlike spellblade who used active magic like fireballs.

Draco knew the exact point allocation for the Avenger class, so he wasn't worried. Right now, he just needed to follow his early game plan to build a solid foundation for the mid game season. Opening his character sheet, he gazed at it with a mixture of melancholy and loss.

｢ Name: Draco

Class: unallocated

Level: 1

Exp: 0%

Str: 1

Dex: 1

End: 1

Int: 1

Spr: 1

Cha: 1

Lck: 1

Combat Skills: None

Tradeskills: None｣

The simple and empty table really brought home the absurdity of his situation. Draco was long used to the 7th update's menu style and complexity, but there was something refreshing about this simplicity that made him take a pause.

The AI was still collecting information for improvement, so things were pretty barebones right now. Still, it would make his job easier, as the skill assist system was still active in the base version.

Without wasting more time, Draco activated his package.

｢Thank you for choosing the Master package!

Rewards:

2 Health potion

2 Mana potion

2 Stamina potion

1 common weapons set

1 light armor set

1 medium armor set

1 heavy armor set

3 blank Tradeskills books

1 basic resources chest

1 rare resources chest

2 rare weapons chest

3 blank uncommon combat skill books｣

Unfortunately, no matter how much money one injected out of game, you couldn't purchase in game money. That was why these packages gave you a wide array of items, so that players could get some basic funds to kick off. It was precisely because of this clever mechanic that made Boundless so valuable. The patronization along with the rarity of resources made it similar to humanity discovering a new earth that had never been touched. It was a goldmine that could be reaped. The only difference was that in Boundless, being rich didn't give much of an advantage.

Draco wasted no time shifting the potions to his limited slot inventory. He immediately equipped the medium armor set which was a mixture of light plate on his thighs, calves, arms and chest and cloth armor covering everywhere else underneath. It made his avatar looked quite heroic actually.

He put aside the common weapons and armor, as well as the other two armor sets. After all, he wasn't the only one who bought a package. Majority of players bought at least, the basic package. The market would be flooded with these items and the value would drop drastically. Unlike most MMOs where items sold to NPC merchants had a fixed price, the market in Boundless was like the real world, working along the laws of supply and demand. Hundreds of adventurers selling trash tier weapons and armor in such a small town was a disastrous idea.

He quickly took out the three blank Tradeskill books and saw a selection menu pop up. There were countless Tradeskills available, but only common ones. Advanced Tradeskills like Scribing, Divination and Accounting were unavailable to him. He didn't bother looking through and selected the best combination: Blacksmithing, Alchemy and Enchanting.

｢Congratulations on learning skill(s)

Blacksmithing: 1, 0%

Alchemy: 1, 0%

Enchanting: 1, 0%｣

｢Congratulations on opening: 1 basic resources chest (Smithing, Alchemy, Enchanting)

Rewards:

30 copper ore

20 Varium leaf

20 Gloia leaf

20 Sere leaf

50 low grade soul stone

3 low grade enchantments｣

｢Congratulations on opening: 1 rare resources chest (Smithing, Alchemy, Enchanting)

Rewards:

50 Iron ore

10 Steel ore

20 Darike plants

20 Elerian herbs

20 Selcto basil

20 medium grade soul stones

5 high grade soul stone

1 medium grade enchantment｣

｢Congratulations on opening: 2 rare weapons chest (Sword)

Rewards:

Excalibur

Durandal｣

Draco cursed and swore angrily, making some idle players who were still selecting through their packages move away warily. Despite his heavily cultured and calm demeanor, he felt like going on a rampage and throwing the biggest tantrum.

What the hell was this? Not even taking in the rare resources pack, the basic one was enough to make him hate destiny. 30 copper ore? One copper ore alone sold for almost 30 bronze. When the first player reached level 10, the Intermediary Trade Center will be opened in each region, allowing players to purchase in-game currency and items from other players in an auction like manner. At that time, 1 bronze coin would go for almost $3. Comparing that to how much was given, the 30 copper alone meant that players who went as far as buying the master package would have their money spent returned with a profit of almost 400%!

That was why Draco was enraged. He had to slave and suffer as a harveey in his past life just to make enough to pay the outlet cashier lady for a proper helmet, much less his living expenses. At that time, he had no idea of the value of these things much like other players, even the pro players had no clue. Most people would rush to sell the common weapons and armor while others would utilize these 'free' items to raise their Tradeskill level.

This realization almost made Draco spit blood and faint due to hatred as well as anger. Those poor fools. By the time they realized their mistake, everybody would be past that stage and there will be no point to it.

But the difference was that Draco knew. All the items he had been given were a hundred times more than he expected and he began to fear that it was a glitch. With this, he didn't need to spend so much time on his early game plans. It could be done in less than three months, not even the one year he expected.

Still, he wasn't done yet. He had to choose three uncommon skill books to learn. He naturally didn't have the privilege of gaining uncommon skills until he was almost level 40, so getting them at this stage made him woozy. Even so, he made his selection quickly: Cloud Feet, Revenger and Absolute Void.

｢Cloud Feet – Passive skill

Movement speed +20%

Attack speed +10%｣

｢Revenger – Passive skill

Weapon damage +20%

Magical damage +20%｣

｢Absolute Void – Active skill

Effect: Create spatial anomaly in an area of 100*50 yards around user which boosts attack and movement speed by 10% for each enemy within. No cap on percentile increase.

Duration: 1 minute

Cooldown: 10 minutes｣

With this, it could easily be seen why the Avenger class was dangerous to other players. Unofficially, there were two types of classes: PvP classes and PvE classes. PvP classes were suited to battling other players in places like the arena, fighting ring and for general player killing. PvE classes were typically suited for dungeoneering, exploration and harvesting. PvP classes included Assassins, Poisonmancers, Spellblades while PvE classes were the typical classes like Swordsmen, Berserkers, Mages, Clerics.

A class was good one and not so good at the other, but the Avenger class was different. It was the literal best of both worlds, with insane speed and damage enhancements. The passives alone were mindboggling because percentage boosts – even on items – would only exist on Epic items and above, yet this class could learn them as passive skills, which meant no cooldown and no cost. They would also grow depending on class advancements.

The active skills also focused on percentage boosts for a period of time, instead of dealing direct or indirect damage. After all, the Avenger class was based on the theory of rage moments from anime and manga, that in a moment of absolute fury or loss, intense power boosts would be granted for revenge. Clearly, the AI had had too much access to miscellaneous data when forming classes.

The downside to the avenger class was of course, its rarity and its abysmal leveling speed. Still, there were ways around it, which was his next goal.

Before heading out, Draco decided to check the stats of the two weapons he was given before equipping them.

｢Excalibur – One handed Sword

Rank: Rare

Atk spd: 5

Dmg: 30-70

Effect: Movement speed +10%, Sword mastery skill +2｣

｢Durandal – One handed Sword

Rank: Rare

Atk spd: 2

Dmg: 50-90

Effect: Damage +10%, Sword mastery skill +2｣

Draco swore loudly again, making players frown at him, some even thinking about whether or not they should report him. Not even the damage, the effects of these two swords were absurd for meager rare weapons. These kind of effects were only seen on epic and above items.

This reminded him of his old nickname when he had popularized the sheer overpowered nature of this class. They called him "The Flash" because the Avenger class moved so quickly that even anime and wuxia characters would look on in awe. With these speed boosts alone, most wouldn't even be able to discern his attacks.

There was also the fact that Draco had the acc.u.mulated combat experience of over 15 years of FIVR gaming, which outside these boosts, was enough for him to wipe the floor with almost every player in Boundless worldwide.

Sighing, he could only accept his fate and equip the weapons. With that done, he sprinted towards the town hall. While out of combat, stamina wouldn't be consumed so players could run for eternity. It solely depended on your speed, but the sheer size of Boundless made long distance running a daunting task.

As for Draco's current movement speed, well, suffice to say many players were dazed when his form blurred past them.

"Who the hell was that??"

"How should I know? God he was so fast."

"Damn, he scared me shitless. Can I sue for that?"

"Bruh, it's 2065, you can sue for everything."

Draco only heard these remarks in passing and smirked. When he got his grimy hands on the actual Avenger class, these people would see true speed and power.

Upon reaching the large townhall, he noticed there was a queue outside of those lining up to go in for starter quests. But that wasn't the only attraction of the town hall area. Outside, there were various groups huddled together, some seated at stands and others standing, all shouting a similar call.

"Join Desecrators today! Accepting pro and amateur players alike!"

"Line up for the chance to join Kamisuo! Only accepting players with a package!"

"Last chance to join Lorebinders! Only accepting players with a master level package."

These were impromptu recruitment stands that allowed external guilds to recruit members and build a power base before the guild system was unlocked. Upon recruitment, one would sign a digital contract which would be inescapable, otherwise who's to say that your harveeys wouldn't run away?

Draco sneered at these time wasters. Instead of rushing to level, they were seated here like kings and queens. Their guild leaders were probably in this very line somewhere trying to rush to level 10 so they could officially start a guild.

Draco didn't bother to join the line, there was nothing there for him. What he did was pass an alley behind the townhall that led to a very obscure area. Some players noticed him go that way with looks of confusion and ridicule.

"What's that player doing? Doesn't he know he has to line up?"

"Whatever, must be a noob."

"He's probably going to get mugged. I heard NPCs in this game can rob players."

"Poor fool, I feel bad for him. Well, he's lucky he isn't a girl. Then losing his items wouldn't be the only thing he'd have to worry about."

Draco ignored their ignorant remarks and disappeared from their view. Majority of them lost interest in this noob, but some of them watched with worry, wondering if they should help, while other were simply curious as to the outcome.

At this moment, Draco was crouched before an emaciated child beggar who could barely see what was in front of him. The poor lad was barely conscious, a mere inch away from death due to starvation and dehydration.

In the second year of Boundless in his past life, a bored amateur player decided to stroll through the town and found this alleyway. There, he had seen this half-dead boy and taken pity on him. He fed him and nurtured him back to full health and created one of the most rewarding hidden quests for the early stage of Boundless.

Draco took out Durandal and impaled the boy on the sword while sneering at him. It easily pierced through his chest and killed him on the spot. Pulling the sword out, he sheathed it and waited.

The player had created a powerful quest by saving the boy, but the quest came in the form of a calamity. In the end, he even lost his account's functionality due to the side effects of his actions.

That was because this poor looking boy was none other than the third son of Mephisto, one of the most powerful devils in the world of boundless. When the player nurtured him back to health, he repaid his kindness with a devilkin's most feared ability, Omega Blast. This blast directly attacked a player's immortal spirit or more precisely, their ability to respawn. The higher the grade of the devil, the more potent. The son of the Devil King essentially meant his account was gone for good.

The kingdom had to mobilize almost 90% of its paladin army just to subdue him long enough to get the hidden powers to exterminate the boy. By that time, countless towns had been vanquished and many players lost their accounts.

Right on cue, a black mist seeped from the boy's body, coiling around his head like a snake.

｢Name: Devil essence – Unique monster

Level: 1

HP: 200/200｣

Of course, Draco was no fool. He wasn't going to attack the son of the most powerful devil at level 1 if he didn't know there was a way to do it. Unlike the main body, a devil's essence was released after its death, mimicking the level of the person who killed it.

And with NPCs and monsters, a same level situation would always be advantageous to the NPC. Coming here and fighting this thing at level 10 would be much more difficult that fighting it at level 1, especially with his powerful weapons and passive skills.

The devil essence took on the shape of a spear and hurtled towards Draco lightning fast. A newbie player still getting to know the game would be caught off guard and skewered, but with his level of expertise, Draco didn't even need to dodge.

He simply swung Excalibur, the speedier sword, in a thrusting motion, allowing its tip to hit that of the spear. The precise timing and accuracy meant that, not only was the devil essence spear pushed back, it even took a damage of 30 points.

Draco didn't drag it out by giving it time to recover, immediately following up with a swing from Durandal, the damage heavy sword. But it must be said, even though this Devil's essence was only level 1, it was not a common monster. Its reaction time and power were beyond that of any other ranking.

By the time Draco had reached it, the devil essence had already morphed into a round shield with a spike in the middle. It planned to use his own momentum to impale him on its shield. It could be seen that this monster's level of intelligence and combat wisdom was above even humans.

Draco sneered and brought Excalibur around in an uppercut sweep. Seeing the second sword cleaving towards it, the shield made the fatal mistake of tilting towards Excalibur's blade, aiming to deflect it.

Excalibur's swing was a decoy for Durandal, after all, this was the damage dealing blade. Draco activated Absolute Void and became even faster, bringing Durandal round and cutting into the devil essence. With an otherworldly shriek, a damage number of 250 appeared above its head, totally bottoming out its HP with some left to spare.

Instantly, Draco's experience bar rose up with maddening speed, completing almost seven cycles before resting at the latter stage of level seven. But that wasn't all, far from it.

Before him came a screen displaying his rewards. When Draco's eyes scrolled through them, he almost spat blood and fainted.

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