Demonified Boars.
They were one of the few Elite Monsters that traveled in groups. Their Foundation was weaker than the Winter Wolf at around 60 to 80 Units, but they had two unique traits that made them special. Demonified Boars possessed a demonic aura, an effect that affected a small area around them. The demonic aura afflicted everyone in range with terror and drained both their energy and lifeforce.
Interestingly enough the demonic aura didn’t affect the flora of the Arylin...
2024-02-14 11:00:15 +0000 UTC
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“A Named Elite monster? No wonder it was so strong.”
Zayn heaved heavily, his entire body sore and itchy from all the energy that had flooded his body. His skin was still torn, droplets of blood trickling down the tears.
Memories about the habitat of certain Elite monsters resurfaced in his mind and he tilted his head.
‘I should make my move soon, otherwise, the Elite Monsters will be occupied by the corporates and elite workshops.’
He had been focusing on maki...
2024-02-13 15:20:25 +0000 UTC
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At the end of the day, Zayn didn’t bother carrying everything back to Emberfall. It was not necessary because he could auction everything via the Forsaken Auctionhouse. But then again, Zayn had to pay a much higher transfer fee for putting up goods while he was outside a safezone such as Emberfall.
Zayn didn’t mind the surcharge. It was already good that he didn’t have to leave behind the Armor Sets and Weapons of the Player Hunters. He could earn some pocket change while simultan...
2024-02-13 15:18:15 +0000 UTC
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After he got thrown out of the house to touch some grass, Zayn roamed around Emberfall. The Beginner Village had changed a lot. More Players roamed through the crowded streets of Emberfall but none of them acted out. He was almost expecting some street fights wherever he looked, and chaos devouring the village. But that was not the case. The first Guards sent out to reinforce the Immortals’ Beginner Villages arrived.
There were only a few Guards but their Foundation was several times ...
2024-02-13 15:10:54 +0000 UTC
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Not even ten minutes passed before Zayn had cleaned his tools, picked another set of ingredients and got started with his first attempt to concoct a Minor Fire Resistance Potion.
Twenty minutes later, Zayn finished concocting a reddish-orange liquid mixture. He transferred the liquid mixture into two vials which he handed to Old Farthma, who looked ten years older.
She didn’t even have to inspect the Minor Fire Resistance Potions to know that Zayn succeeded. He concocted an Unco...
2024-02-13 14:29:43 +0000 UTC
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Reading thoroughly through the potion recipes he had been given, Zayn was quite satisfied. He activated Alchemist’s Instinct, hoping that the active effect of the Uncommon Card could aid him in understanding everything. Fortunately, that was exactly what happened once he finished reading the recipes, requirements, and the steps to process them thrice.
[The recipes for the Energy Recovery potion and the Minor Fire Resistance potion have been imprinted on your mind!]
2024-02-13 14:25:18 +0000 UTC
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Two days passed in the blink of an eye. It was the fourth day since Forgotten Lands launched and the afternoon sun was about to set. Yet, instead of hurriedly moving around in an attempt to collect rare Cards and adventure through dangerous regions to conquer dungeons and rescue hundreds of damsels in distress, Zayn didn’t move around a lot.
He left Old Farthma’s house only once in that time. The remaining time was spent studying in the underground library, nurturing a tremendous nu...
2024-02-13 14:08:53 +0000 UTC
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Stephanie Dexter was awake when her son returned. He opened the door to their small, cozy house silently and stepped inside, just to see his mother taking a sip of water. She looked at him, one eyebrow raised.
“Where have you been?” Stephanie asked her son, who could only smile innocently. She was ready to scold him and talk him out of playing Forgotten Lands – since it seemed to be the origin of the changes that occurred in the last few days.
“I did a short workout and we...
2024-02-13 14:07:47 +0000 UTC
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Old Farthma placed a batch of 20 Inferior Energy Potions on a small wooden table in the Farming Hall without saying a word. All she did was take the pouch with 100 silver coins before she left.
That left Zayn confused, yet happy. His relationship with Old Farthma was quite weird. However, it was also entertaining.
They didn’t know each other, and it was not as if they spoke a lot either, but there was a familiarity and closeness that couldn’t be explained. It was almost like t...
2024-02-13 14:07:09 +0000 UTC
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He’d successfully invaded the insane Alchemist’s lair.
It was not as difficult as he’d feared.
‘I heard that some Players had to nag the Alchemist in their village for days, bombarding them with expensive gifts before they were invited inside. It took them weeks before they were officially acknowledged as Apprentices as well.’
Zayn recalled a few stories about Alchemists, one of them coming from an old friend. His friend was known for exaggerating, but he was a gre...
2024-02-13 14:05:00 +0000 UTC
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“I hate you. I really do!” Igor cursed Zayn as they stopped in front of a lengthy building purely made of stone. The foundation was made from a single – humongous – piece of stone as well as the pillars of support. Even the door was made of stone. That was odd.
Zayn activated Scent of Treasure and noticed with great interest that he…couldn’t smell anything. No, that wasn’t correct. He could smell something, but the source of the scent was from the surroundings. They were w...
2024-02-13 14:04:34 +0000 UTC
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Several hours passed in the blink of an eye, and it was already afternoon when Zayn returned to Emberfall. His armor was smudged with dirt and grime, giving him a rough look. Yet, his appearance was still leagues above the majority of Players residing in Emberfall. Most Players had just purchased their first proper weapon and it would take a while before they could get hold of a Ranked Weapon, and a tempered leather armor set like the one Zayn was wearing.
After spending several hours a...
2024-02-13 14:04:12 +0000 UTC
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“Woaahhh. Our video is featured on the main page of MeTube!” Percy exclaimed, shoving his phone into Nicolas’ face.
Nicolas slapped his younger brother’s hand away, but the smile on his face remained. He grinned from one ear to another.
“The MeTube video has already 10,000 clicks and 850 likes! The sales for the first Beginner Guide are also quite high. It was purchased more than 100 times!”
“That’s amazing! We will earn a fortune from a few hours of work. Za...
2024-02-13 14:03:29 +0000 UTC
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Observing the groups of Players was more torturous than grinding several days for a specific Card. It was disastrous.
Even if the Players could kill one of the Inferior Demonic Treants after working tirelessly for an hour, if not longer, the contribution system would adjust their gains according to their respective contribution in the battle. Most Players wouldn’t receive a single Soul Essence, let alone Card Shards. That was bad and not something the Players wanted to happen.
Z...
2024-02-13 14:02:21 +0000 UTC
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His mother was angry. She lectured Zayn for eternity but gave up at last. Zayn’s innocent smile was too irritating, and if he was not her flesh and blood, she would have considered punching him in the gut.
It was a good thing that she didn’t know anything about her husband falling victim to Zayn’s traps as well, otherwise, Stephanie would have snapped Zayn’s neck on the spot.
Zayn knew his mother's true nature better than anyone – probably even better than herself. That ...
2024-02-13 14:01:49 +0000 UTC
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The auction of the four Common Cards he put on sale wouldn’t end until four hours later. That was more than enough time to talk to his brothers. Precisely, Zayn was ready to brag to them about his earnings like there was no tomorrow.
It was currently 10 am and Forgotten Lands had yet to be launched for one full day, yet he obtained several bids for each of the Cards he was selling. Even if there were no more bidders he would earn more than 4,000 Credits within the first 26 hours of Fo...
2024-02-13 14:01:15 +0000 UTC
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All Zayn could do was go to the toilet to empty his bowel before he made his way into the kitchen as slowly as possible.
He entered the kitchen and found his parents near the fridge whereas his siblings stood a bit further away, either eating some of the remaining cereals with milk or devouring the last bits of bread Zayn had left behind.
Other than the food his siblings had eaten just now there didn’t seem to be much left in the fridge. He’d emptied the fridge pretty neatly.<...
2024-02-13 14:00:48 +0000 UTC
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Even after one of his Foundation Stars had been upgraded to the Novice rank, Zayn’s foundation was still much weaker than the Inferior Demonic Treant’s foundation. No matter how high his raw strength was right now, Zayn merely invested a dozen Soul Essences into his Foundation. It was just enough to destroy the Inferior Demonic Treants with ease.
Of course, upgrading his Foundation Star altered the drop-rate of Soul Essences and Card Shards, but the changes weren’t major since the...
2024-02-13 14:00:16 +0000 UTC
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Fighting with the remaining Inferior Demonic Treants was not very difficult. However, it required a specific plan and meticulous execution to prevent unnecessary injuries.
The biggest trouble about the Inferior Demonic Treants was their main roots, which Zayn had to deal with before he could start cutting down their thick bark. Fortunately, that was something he dealt with rather easily. He knew enough about Inferior Demonic Treants to outwit them with a simple plan.
The Blackbell...
2024-02-13 13:59:12 +0000 UTC
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The deeper Zayn traveled into the Arylin Forest the denser the population of monsters and plants grew. He found a few interesting herbs that could be of use for later, so he harvested them. But other than pursuing his part-time occupation as a passionate Herbalist, Zayn focused on avoiding the monsters around him.
He spent traveling almost two hours until he reached an area overflowing with large dark-green oaks. Their trunks were thicker than Zayn’s waist and their bark was rough and...
2024-02-13 13:58:06 +0000 UTC
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A small group of five Players stepped out from their hiding spot. They pushed the thorny branches of the bush aside and strode slowly toward Zayn.
“Your reflexes are pretty good. It seems like you are not a total noob. I was already confused about how someone managed to get their hand on a proper weapon and some leather armor, but you seem capable, somewhat,” A middle-aged man, probably the leader of the small group, said.
He stepped forward and brandished his stone longsword,...
2024-02-13 13:57:21 +0000 UTC
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“Perfect”
Zayn couldn’t hide his smile as his hand moved gently across the cold steel of the weapon in front of him. He gripped the stout wooden handle and noticed with great relief that the grip felt perfect. The axe head, a masterpiece of cold steel, was placed at the apex of the handle, its long, razor-sharp blade extending gracefully over the handle, evoking a sense of both elegance and menace. Forged with precision, the blade was a testament to Igor Brecht’s talent.
I...
2024-02-13 13:56:03 +0000 UTC
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Zayn expected to encounter monsters on his way back to Emberfall, but he was quite lucky. No monster obstructed his path. It surprised him, however, it was better that way. He reached Emberfall much faster than estimated.
‘There are more Players than I expected.’
On his short journey, Zayn saw a few Players. Everyone was still wearing the same clothes, but most of them were already roughed up, torn in several places, and smudged with dirt. It was not difficult to tell that the...
2024-02-13 13:55:02 +0000 UTC
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Zayn grasped the doorknob to Peter’s torture chamber and opened the door by a narrow gap. That was enough to worsen the smell of rotten flesh and blood more than tenfold.
He closed the door quickly once again.
“Yeah…I’m definitely leaving this one out,” Zayn murmured, going to the next door while secretly hoping that Peter’s treasure trove was in the last room. If not…he would have to search through the torture chamber. That was something he wanted to avoid if possib...
2024-02-13 13:54:34 +0000 UTC
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A sharp bolt of pain passed through his chest when the flood of notifications appeared in front of him. Zayn looked down at his chest, his fingers caressing his chest right above his heart.
“I nearly forgot how this feels,” He murmured, momentarily forgetting about the dead body in front of him and the blood that poured down his cheek.
Zayn didn’t know what was happening to him, but his eyes watered at the painful, but very familiar sting that passed through his chest, his h...
2024-02-13 13:53:57 +0000 UTC
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“It should be somewhere around here,” Zayn mumbled, his hands – dirty and covered in cuts – moving through the thorny bushes.
Zayn was currently near the border between the Arylin Forest and the Emberforge Mountains, where he was moving around thick, thorny bushes searching for something.
The Arylin Forest surrounded Emberfall, merely leaving the west open for the blacksmith apprentices and miners to reach the mines of the Emberforge Mountains. But it wasn’t always like ...
2024-02-13 13:53:21 +0000 UTC
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Nestled between rolling hills and surrounded by thickets of ancient oaks, the quaint village of Emberfall resided.
Cobbled streets lead through the heart of the village, lined with timber-framed cottages. The cottages were simple, most of them made with wood and decorated with vividly blossomed flower boxes and small details that gave each cottage a touch of individualism. Wisps of smoke wafted from the chimneys of many buildings near the center of the village where most villagers were ...
2024-02-13 13:52:47 +0000 UTC
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Two days passed in the blink of an eye. Zayn was busy coming up with a strategy that allowed him to gain an edge over everyone else. He came up with a wide variety of plans, but the execution depended on his spawn location and interactions with the other Players. Many variables could change his plans, or directly destroy them. Therefore, he created enough backup plans for various situations.
Zayn didn’t sleep a lot in the last two days. He spent the majority of his time typing on his ...
2024-02-13 13:52:12 +0000 UTC
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Nutrition Solutions and a VR Gaming Pod were important to improve his physical state while playing prolonged periods in a single sitting, but Zayn understood that he had to pick cheaper variations for the time being.
He had to focus on nutritious meals and a VR helmet. The most advanced VR helmet cost 10,000 and had a synchronization rate of 83%. That was a lot lower than the synchronization rate of the VR Gaming Pod, but it made sense. The materials used to produce a VR helmet were a d...
2024-02-13 13:51:34 +0000 UTC
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Zayn decided to believe that he traveled back in time. There was no sign hinting that he was in a dream or illusion.
It was like a dream had come true.
But as amazing as it might be, several issues surfaced in Zayn’s mind.
‘Even if I join Forgotten Lands when it launches, I never learned how to destroy Dimensional Anchors or World Bridges. Acquiring enough strength to destroy them with brute force is possible, but definitely not in half a year. I would have to be much st...
2024-02-13 13:49:20 +0000 UTC
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