The morning felt good as I woke up in my room in the inn. Imbis na maglog-out ay nag check-in nalang ako dito. Sayang lang din kasi 8 hours ang tulog ko gabi-gabi. Judging from the time difference, isang buong araw akong wala kong lalabas ako sa laro. So, lemme feel it. haha.
Nagluto na ang kusinera ng makakain ng mga boarders sa inn when I went down the mess hall. Ang masarap na amoy ng pinipritong bawang ang bubungad sa kahit sinong papasok dito. Sabayan pa ng aroma ng mainit na kape. Yep, a good morning starts with a beautiful breakfast.
"Eto na po ang breakfast nio." Lapag ni manang kusinera ng soufflé at ng garlic rice sa hapag ko. "Dozo."
"Itadakimasu." At nagsimula na kong kumain. Napansin kong wala pang lumalabas mula sa mess hall. Hmm, hindi ata mga morning person ang mga boarders. Or—"wala po bang nagcheck-in maliban sakin?"
"Hai." Sabi ni manang na parang wala lang. "No Linker lingers here for more than 7 hours. And the fishing season won't start till the next full moon, so sailors are out of question."
"I... I hate to say this, but this village will probably see no progress for the years to come." I fumbled with the fork.
"No, that won't be a problem." She grinned and handed me a cup of coffee. I said thanks and she joined me in the table. "We don't care for anything but stability. Yes, progress is welcome, but just as you said it, we won't see progress for a whole eternity."
"Reminds me of my country two years ago," I munched the soufflé, "but let's not talk about it. Lika po, sabayan nio na ko."
Dinaanan ko na ang smith-shop para sa equipment ko. Tuwang-tuwang sinalubong ako ni Mr. Smith.
"Ohaiio, iha." Panimula nia, "pasok ka muna. Nine pa naman mag-oopen gym ni Skil."
"Ah, ok po. Thanks." So Skil pala pangalan ni kuya tagabantay. "About the equipments--"
"No need to fret." He put down his finished works in front of me. "Here, all primed up."
Tiningnan ko kanya-kanyang stats ng mga equipment.
Devland Bracers (Any): Bracers created from the monsters of Devland. Grants 21 Strength when equipped.
Devland Armguards (Any): Armguards formed from the monsters of Devland. Grants 21 Strength when equipped.
Devland Kneeguards (Any): Knee guards created from the monsters of Devland. Grants 18 Dexterity when equipped.
Devland Scaled Boots (Any): Boots made from the monsters of Devland. Grants 18 Agility and .5% movement speed when equipped.
Nether Bracelet (Legend) (Any): Bracelet created from Asura's remains. Grants 108 Stamina and 6% attack speed when equipped.
Amazing. Plus 108 Stamina when equipped. Ilan na kaya ang damage ng Gladiate Drill kapag in-equip ko to? And the other equipment boasts better stats than a beginner's set. Hell yeah!!
After I equipped the new armor, I tried to pay Mr. Smith. He readily refused.
"I told you I won't be accepting anything," he said, "The Haunted Ores are enough payment. You don't get that thing in the community market in the mainland. And before you ask why, bosses only respawn once. Lucky you at natsambahan mo si Asura no Oojo."
"Then I won't force you kuya. Nasa 16000 units na lang pera ko eh."
"Well, 16k is a whole lot of money. Keep that in mind." Tumawa siya pagkatapos ay nagbow. "Salamat at dito mo pinagawa ang mga equipment mo. At bumalik ka dito kapag natapos ka na sa training. May ibibigay ako sayo."
"My earnest gratitude, Smith-san." Nag-bow na din ako and I prepared to leave.
Nagkakape si Skil sa labas nang dumating ako sa gym. He asked me to come sit and have coffee, so I obliged. Pro-tip: wag na wag tanggihan ang grasya, lalo na sa mga taong tinulungan ka at ngayoy pinagkakatiwalaan mo.
"Augh, tama ako ng sinet ko ang opening sa alas 9 ng umaga." Sabi nia pagkatapos higupin ang laman ng cup nia. "Nag tune ako ng mga AIs para sa iba pang mga level ng training plan. Ibinagay ko na sa stats mo. OP ka masyado eh."
"Maybe, haha." I replied. "Anu bang meron sa next level?"
Inexplain naman sakin ni kuya. Level 3 is for solitary shield and heavy guard user, level 4 ay para sa projectile deflection, level 5 para sa moving multiple targets, level 6 is for organized moving multiple targets. Level 7 ay combination lamang ng lahat ng lower levels, with a higher adaptability to my Masteries.
"Kuya, bakit po parang special na special ako dito? Yung inn konti lang ni-charge sakin."
"Well, news spreads fast in a closely knit village with less than 20 residents." Sabi nia at tumayo. "Except for the fact that you are the only Linker that lasted here for more than a day, pinatay mo rin ang isa sa pinaka-terror na boss sa islang ito. Other than that, the townspeople are treating you very good in hopes that you will remember us in your future glory."
"Oh, I will." Sabi ko. "Any other modernized town and I will be stuck on my own. I will be forever in debt to all of you for guiding me."
"Nah, nah, save the thanks later." He held out his hand. I accepted it. "Now, for level 3..."
BINABASA MO ANG
DRAGON: First Link
Science Fiction(To be edited) The Near Future. Where humans have made progress towards the enhancement of virtual reality. The Link. A device used to enter the world where one fights for his own visions. Hime. The 'old' gamer who goes to an adventure inside the vi...
