Susan froze at his words, her eyes growing wide, but then she blushed and manage to give him a trembling smile. There were still tears in her eyes.
“M-me too,” she said.
Lilith did not speak, but she did nod in his direction. To anyone else looking, Adam was certain they would just assume she was a quiet beauty who refused to talk, but he knew better. She was indeed quiet. However, the reason she wasn’t talking to him was merely because she didn’t want to accidentally blow her cover.
“Since you’ve introduced your companions to me, I guess I should do the same.” Adam gestured to Titania, who fluttered her wings and flew off his shoulder.
“My name is Titania,” she introduced herself in an imperious fashion, hands on her hips, large chest thrust out. “It is a pleasure to meet you three.”
“So you’re the famous Titania I’ve heard so much about,” Fayte murmured, her voice tinged with awe. “You’re extraordinarily beautiful. Adam neglected to mention that.”
Adam coughed and looked away. On the other hand, the compliment caused Titania no end of pleasure, causing her to preen like a peacock who’d just had their feathers primped as a wide smile appeared on her face. It almost made him snort. No matter how elegant this woman tried to act, it was clear that she also had a childish side.
“You were thinking something rude just now,” Titania accused.
“Was not,” Adam said out of reflex.
“And this is Kureha.” Adam grabbed the fox yokai from his head and held her in his arms. Kureha merely shifted at her new elevation, lifting her head to gaze at the three women with her intelligence amber eyes. “She’s a fox yokai I met when I was traveling through the Forest of Gloom. While Titania is a member of my party, Kureha is classified as my pet.”
“She’s so cute,” Susan muttered.
Fayte also seemed to find herself enamored with the adorable little fox. If this was a cartoon, Adam was certain hearts would have appeared in the eyes of these women.
“May we pet her?” asked Fayte.
“That would be up to Kureha,” Adam admitted.
The two girls looked at Kureha, who yipped once and nodded, which they both took as an affirmative. Fayte and Susan began petting the tiny fox yokai. Kureha seemed to enjoy the attention she was getting. Titania did not. She huffed and crossed her arms, jealous to see Adam’s pet stealing her thunder. While two of the three women began petting the fox, Adam noticed one of them who was not.
“Did you also want to pet Kureha, Lilith?” asked Adam.
For once, Lilith’s cold demeanor broke as her eyes widened. She glanced from him to the fox, then back to him.
“Oh, no. I… that wouldn’t be proper,” she said, the coldness in her voice thawing as she spoke to him.
“What wouldn’t be proper? Go ahead. Kureha has given you her permission,” Adam said.
Lilith hesitated for a moment longer before walking up to them and extending her hand. She drew her hand back several times as though afraid of something, but then Kureha licked her fingers once, and that seemed to break the woman’s reluctance. She began petting Kureha in earnest. Both Fayte and Susan smiled. Only Adam noticed how the tips of Lilith’s ears had turned red.
Lilith eventually realized the others were staring at her and quickly retracted her hand. However, the cold and aloof persona she had possessed until now was irrevocably shattered. She sent Adam a look of helplessness, like she was begging him to give her a hand, but all he could do was shrug.
Since they had finally met in the game, the group waited together in line. Adam stayed with them and spoke of what he’d discovered about Solum so far. Susan and Fayte listened attentively, but Lilith did not appear to be paying attention, though he knew otherwise. Titania also chimed in occasionally. This caused Fayte and Susan to look at her in awe several times. He assumed they were shocked that an NPC could have such a realistic personality.
They were eventually let inside of Solum. Adam did not need to show his letter again, but he did need to pay a tax for entering. It seemed players were only allowed free entrance on their first visit.
After entering Solum, Adam took them on a brief tour of the city, showing them the river with its watermills, the mayor’s house, the arena, and also having them register the Solum Cathedral as their revival point. It took him nearly three hours to show them around the city. When they were finished, it was probably somewhere around noon.
“We’ll have to log off soon,” Fayte said. “It’s about time for lunch.”
“I’ll make us lunch today,” Adam told her, which caused some weird looks from Susan. Fayte shook her head back and forth as though to say “don’t tell them anything.” Seeing that, Adam decided to change topics. “However, I think we should form a party before logging off. I also believe it would be a good idea if we knew about each other’s strengths and weaknesses.”
“That’s a good idea,” Fayte agreed with a nod. “I’m already fairly familiar with Susan’s and Lilith’s abilities, but I don’t know anything about yours, Kureha’s, or Titania’s. You also don’t know anything about ours.”
“It won’t take long to form a party, but it will take a while to learn about everyone’s levels and abilities,” Titania added. “We should adjourn to the food court.”
The food court was where Adam, Titania, and Kureha had been before traveling to the gate to meet Fayte, Susan, and Lilith. It was an expansive space, an outdoor courtyard filled with wooden benches and tables. There were several food vendors cooking all kinds of meals. Each one smelled delectable and caused the stomachs of everyone present to gurgle. While the players would still need to eat in real life, they decided there was no harm in getting something to eat in the game.
The food sold at the stall vendors were primarily grilled meat dishes, though there were also a few stalls that sold stew and baked bread. Adam had already eaten once during his time in the game, so he was not surprised by the bold and complex flavors of the food, but Fayte, Susan, and Lilith seemed startled when they realized their food not only had a flavorful scent but also tasted great. Food in the game not only had flavor, but Adam noticed it acted similarly to [health potions] and [mana potions]. What they healed depended on the type of food. Meat seemed to heal HP. Drinks restored MP.
Forming a party was a simple affair. Fayte disbanded her current party, then Adam followed Titania’s instructions and invited Fayte, Susan, and Lilith to join his party. They accepted.
Ding!
[Congratulations! Changing_Fayte, Little_Su, and Lilith have now joined your party!]
“We should be able to see each other’s levels now,” Adam said.
“I can’t deny I’m a little excited,” Fayte said as she accessed his stat window. “I’ve wanted to see what your level looks like for a while now, especially after finding out you gained a hidden class.”
“M-me too,” Susan added.
“Hmph. Adam’s level is certainly impressive, but you can’t judge his strength based on levels and stats alone,” Titania announced. “This man is a freak of nature.”
“I rather resent that,” Adam murmured. His response was fairly mild since he didn’t mind being called a freak, but Lilith sent Titania a fierce glare like she’d been personally insulted.
While the expressions of Susan and Fayte slowly transformed from eager to gawking as they opened a status screen with his stats on display, Adam opened his status screen with a thought and accessed their stats one by one.
Since he had known her the longest, he accessed Lilith’s level first.
Name: Lilith
Class: Assassin
Lvl: 11
SP: 0
AP: 20
Experience: 2,650/153,600
Strength: +50
Constitution: +10
Dexterity: +125
Intelligence: +5
Speed: +100
Physical Attack: +150
Health: 200/200
Hit-Rate: ???
MP: 65/65
Movement: +200
hysical Defense: +60
Magical Defense: +10
Dodge-Rate: 625%
Magic Attack: +25
Skills:
Skill Name: Hide
Description: A skill that allows Assassins to hide their presence
Current lvl: 5 MAXED
Ability: Makes Assassin invisible to everyone 10 levels above their own
Ability lasts indefinitely or until the assassin moves
MP Cost: 20
Cooldown time: 10 seconds
Skill Name: Throat Slit
Description: Coming up behind an enemy, the Assassin slits their opponent’s throats
Current lvl: 5 MAXED
Ability: Causes 400% damage
Has a 25% chance of causing instant death
X4 critical damage dealt if enemy is unaware of your presence
MP Cost: 30
Cooldown time: 10 second
Skill Name: Slash
Description: A basic skill where the player swings his or her sword and attacks the enemy
Current lvl: 5 MAXED
Ability: Causes 150% damage to enemy if it hits
MP Cost: 1
Cooldown time: 0 seconds
Equipment:
Item Name: Plain Dagger
Item Type: Dagger
Grade: 1-star
Use requirements: Can only be equipped by Assassins
Description: A nondescript dagger
Abilities: Strength+25
Item Name: Assassin Cowl
Item Type: Armor
Grade: 2-star
Use requirements: Can only be equipped by Assassins level 10 and above
Description: A cowl worn by assassins who wish to remain anonymous
Abilities: Defense+10; 5% chance of remaining unseen when moving slowly
Item Name: Assassin Boots
Item Type: Armor
Grade: 2-star
Use requirements: Can only be equipped by Assassins level 10 and above
Description: Soft boots made from leather. They are designed to increase stealth
Abilities: Defense+5; Speed+90; 10% chance of remaining unseen when moving slowly
Item Name: Assassin Pants
Item Type: Armor
Grade: 2-star
Use requirements: Can only be equipped by Assassins level 10 and above
Description: Black pants worn by Assassins. They increase defense and stealth
Abilities: Defense+5; 20% chance of remaining unseen when moving slowly
Item Name: Assassin Shirt
Item Type: Armor
Grade: 2-star
Use requirements: Can only be equipped by Assassins level 10 and above
Description: An Assassins long-sleeved shirt. Increases Defense and stealth
Abilities: Defense+30; 25% chance of remaining unseen when moving slowly
Like Adam expected, all of Lilith’s stats and equipment were geared toward helping her increase her stealth and attack power. She had basically neglected Intelligence and Constitution. While this sounded illogical, the reason was because an Assassin’s primary ability lay in their high attack power and stealth. If an Assassin was spotted and attacked, it meant they had already failed as an Assassin.
Next he checked Fayte’s stats.
Name: Changing_Fayte
Class: Mage
Lvl: 11
SP: 0
AP: 200
Experience: 1,050/153,600
Strength: +5
Constitution: +25
Dexterity: +10
Intelligence: +30
Speed: +5
Physical Attack: +5
Health: 250/250
Hit-Rate: 10%
MP: 180/180
Movement: +5
Physical Defense: +46
Magical Defense: +90
Dodge-Rate: 10%
Magic Attack: +100
Skills:
Skill Name: Energy Bolt
Description: A mage aims their staff and calls the name [Energy Bolt] to release a bolt of magical energy at enemies.
Current lvl: 5 MAXED
Ability: Deals 200% non-elemental damage to enemies.
MP Cost: 20
Cooldown time: 2 seconds
Skill Name: Energy Blast
Description: An area of effect attack that targets multiple enemies and fires a beam that sweeps across the battlefield.
Current lvl: 5 MAXED
Ability: Causes 150% non-elemental damage to multiple targets
MP Cost: 25
Cooldown time: 5 second
Equipment:
Item Name: Magic Staff
Item Type: Weapon
Grade: 1-star
Use requirements: Can only be equipped by Mages
Description: A basic staff given to a beginner Mage
Abilities: Magic Attack+10
Item Name: Mage Robes
Item Type: Clothes
Grade: 1-star
Use requirements: Can only be equipped by Mages level 5 and above
Description: A robe worn by the Mage class
Abilities: Defense+10; Magical Defense+10
Item Name: Hermes Boots
Item Type: Clothes
Grade: 2-star
Use requirements: Can be equipped by any class level 10 and above
Description: Boots made from the wool of a flying unicorn. They are kind of old
Abilities: Defense+10; Magical Defense+10 Speed+30
Skills: 60 seconds of flight.
Item Name: Peasant Pants
Item Type: Clothes
Grade: 1-star
Use requirements: Starter equipment. Can be equipped by anyone
Description: Pants worn by a peasant
Abilities: Defense+1
Item Name: Mage Shirt
Item Type: Clothes
Grade: 1-star
Use requirements: Can only be equipped by Mages level 5 and above
Description: A shirt worn by Mages. Provides basic defense against magic attacks
Abilities: Magical Defense+20
Like how Lilith chose to specialize in stealth and attack power, Fayte had chosen a specialization in magic, so all of her stats were geared primarily toward increasing her magic power. She did put a few status points into her Constitution to increase her health and defense, and there were some put into her Dexterity to increase her Hit-Rate and Dodge-Rate. But even those had been selected merely to help her survive. He wondered if Lilith had been giving her advice on how to allocate status points.
Finally, he looked at Susan’s stats.
Name: Little_Su
Class: Archer
Lvl: 11
SP: 0
AP: 150
Experience: 560/153,600
Strength: +25
Constitution: +20
Dexterity: +20
Intelligence: +5
Speed: +5
Physical Attack: +70
Health: 280/280
Hit-Rate: 100%
MP: 55/55
Movement: +55
Luck: +1
fense: +90
Magical Defense: +20
Dodge-Rate: 80%
Magic Attack: +5
Skills:
Skill Name: Deadeye
Description: Archers can increase their hit-rate and critical hit-rate by increasing their perceptions through the Deadeye skill.
Current lvl: 5 MAXED
Increases Hit-rate to 110%
Deals x2 critical damage
MP Cost: 5
Cooldown time: 5 seconds
Skill Name: Rain of Arrows
Description: Archers who learn this skill can fire a hailstorm of arrows that deals damage to multiple enemies.
Current lvl: 5 MAXED
Ability: Causes 150% damage to all enemies within 15 yards of targeted enemy
MP Cost: 5
Cooldown
time: 10 second
Equipment:
Item Name: Beginner’s Bow
Item Type: Bow
Grade: 1-star
Use requirements: Can only be equipped by Archers
Description: A bow given to beginner Archers
Abilities: Physical Attack+20
Item Name: Leather Jerkin
Item Type: Armor
Grade: 1-star
Use requirements: Can be equipped by any class above level 5
Description: A leather jerkin that offers minimal protection
Abilities: Physical Defense+20
Item Name: Ranger Boots
Item Type: Footwear
Use requirements: Can only be equipped by Archers level 10 and above
Description: These boots are worn by Rangers, people who wander the wilderness and protect others from monsters
Abilities: Physical Defense+20; Speed+25
Creating a Plan
Adam stared at the stats on his screen for a long, long, long time. He felt like his brain was unable to compute what he was seeing. That probably explained why the first thing out of his mouth was…
“These stats suck.”
“Well, excuse me. Not everyone has your insane luck.” Fayte rolled her eyes while Lilith trembled in place and Susan teared up a bit. “I’m not sure what you did to get such ridiculously high stats, but I can promise you that our stats are fairly normal. Most players of the same level only have slight variations depending on where they allocated their status points.”
“I know.” Adam sighed and ran a hand through his hair. He was sorely tempted to take this mask off since it was getting in the way. “I still think your stats are awful.”
“I-I’m sorry,” Susan apologized.
She looked down at the table in dejection, which made Adam wince as he realized he had done a pretty terrible job of explaining himself. He didn’t think he was normally this bad at socializing. Then again, this was his first time he had spoken to people other than Aris, Fayte, and his small group of elite assassins.