*Date: 33,480 Second Quarter - Iron Confederacy Borders*
Asena took one step back, mouth sizzling with low growl that rumbled through her chest like distant thunder. Her patience was clearly running thin with this tense situation. The giant wolf's muscles coiled, ready to spring into action at the slightest provocation.
Demir turned to the beast, smiling despite the tension crackling in the air. He raised one hand slowly, palm out in a calming gesture. "Easy, girl." Then he turned back to Lex and his group, keeping his voice steady. "They are friends."
This situation created a unique opportunity. A look at high level players and their gear. Something Demir couldn't pass up. He quickly produced Marco's special glasses, sliding them on subtly as if they'd always been there after taking his helmet off. The weight of them felt reassuring on his nose.
Demir took a couple steps toward the old man and offered his sword. "Could you look at this? I made it from orichalcum. Master said I'd be wasting the material with my current experience, but I needed something powerful. Learning up to this point took almost five months."
While their focus shifted to the blade, Demir assessed the odd group's gear through the glasses. The information flooded his vision. Bunny and the shadowborn were wearing mostly A grade gear. Each piece had amazing unique skills or overpowered resistances that made Demir's equipment look like training gear. But the old man was something else entirely. Cover to cover, he was wearing S grade gear with insane stats and skill effects that defied belief.
Then his eyes fell on a grade he'd never seen or heard of before. The bike. One of a kind, rumored to be hand crafted by the Game Designer himself.
[Creator's Wings] [SSR grade] [Durability 670,934 / 1,000,000] repairable
Demir couldn't mask his excitement, admiration mixing with pure awe. The word slipped from his mouth unbidden. "Woow."
Lex raised his head with confused demeanor, one eyebrow arching. "You said you started smithing five months ago. How did you gain levels?"
"That is the thing. I don't think I did." Demir's area of expertise came to the table now. It was his time to show off. "I am sure you get interference on your vision from time to time, especially when doing something new." He made a hand gesture, trying to visualize the flicker when they got that telltale sensation. His fingers traced patterns in the air. "It is like a broken broadcast, less than a second. My theory is nanites in our body want to show that immediate outcome, but new game rules are blocking it in an instant."
Lex bowed his head in thoughtful process, cigar smoke wreathing around him. "I don't think so..." Then he scratched his head, beard rustling. After a couple seconds, his eyes widened with recognition. "Wait, I did get one or two after the game closed. It happened when I started cooking. I never cooked before the game closed. I was always buying from markets."
Demir gleamed with revelation, excitement making his words come faster. "Just like I thought!"
"What is it?" Lex leaned forward.
The overgrown bunny, nearly a meter tall, was pulling at Lex's cloak with insistent paws. "Let's go already."
"What is your hurry? Just wait," Lex said, waving Snowflake off.
Snowflake sighed with obvious exhaustion, ears drooping.
"He is not a pet, by the way," Lex clarified, gesturing to the rabbitkin. "He is rabbitkin. Grand-grandson of my companion from way, way before."
"I never met one before," Demir said, studying the unusual creature with interest.
"Well, he might be the only one left." Lex's voice carried sadness.
"We don't know that exactly," Snowflake protested, voice squeaky but defiant.
"You were saying about interference?" Lex redirected, refocusing on Demir.
"So, since you played a system based on levels of professions. Doing anything gained XP, right?"
"Like the majority of games."
"I think when they closed leveling, they didn't close the system giving locals their magical abilities."
"You mean NPCs?" Lex asked.
"Locals, yes." Demir looked at Ember, the shadowborn.
Ember spoke up, voice smooth as silk. "I don't care what you call me. I know what I am."
"These are million year old terms. Not curses," Lex said.
"Anyway," Demir continued, organizing his thoughts. "Like me, low level zone players, new starters. When we do something repeatedly, we get that bzzt. The screen flicker of some sort. I think those are the game saying you gained something."
He was getting animated now, hands moving as he explained. "Like I hunted to survive for a year. It happened. When I started mining, it happened a week later. When I started smithing, we made a bet of swinging ten thousand times. I gained that title the second after that."
"If it is not levels, then..." Lex trailed off, seeing where this was going.
"Titles," Ember said flatly. "You are gaining titles just like we do, but without actually gaining levels or stat points. What would be the meaning?"
"So you people gain levels with progress?" Demir asked.
"We do gain levels. We just can't distribute stats like you did. Also, we don't have unlimited potential. Everything is set the day we're born unless you have one of these." He pulled out a diamond-shaped stone that caught the light, refracting it into rainbow patterns.
"What is that?" Demir squinted at it.
"This is called a witness stone."
"Players used to use it to try different builds," Lex explained, taking another puff of his cigar. "Now I think the Covenant is making these to power their mass-produced meatheads."
"Hey, those are my brothers and sisters," Ember protested.
"Come on, let's not get into this debate again."
"Okay, okay. So what I am saying is we cannot gain proficiency levels like older players, but we can get titles to progress by learning from master locals. We can be anything, but with low stats."
Ember crossed his arms. "But I think this murder hobo has level ninety trading. You can't find this level of title NPC to teach you."
"What are you trying to say?" Lex asked.
"You maybe find good teachers of crafting, but can you find a Mythwright or, heck, a Legendary Artisan to teach you to craft these gears?" He gestured at Lex's S tier equipment, the metal gleaming with power.
"Yeah, we grinded our levels over years, sometimes without guidance from an NPC. We upgraded our levels with the push of a button and unlocked wonders of the game," Lex admitted.
"I guess as low levelers, we have to find a way. Or how else am I gonna reach my friend? Force open the game and get out?" Demir's voice carried determination born from desperation.
Lex studied him for a long moment, then a slow smile spread across his weathered face. "You know, Demir, I like you." He hopped off from the bike and opened a trunk mounted on the side. "That pommel you have is useless."
He pulled out a sword, examining it briefly before removing the handle and pommel. "I don't use this sword other than its unique skill, so I don't need its pommel. Let's exchange ours."
Lex rummaged deeper in his trunk. "And take this knife. But it requires at least level fifty gravity spells. Don't know about the titles." He pulled out more items, sorting through his collection. "And take this bracer. It gives insane agility. Makes you dodge incoming attacks." He poked his head out from the trunk. "Your armor doesn't have any rune slots. And I don't have any vitality stones to fit your build. But if you make any agility runes, use this to mount them. Also, take these knives. We don't need them anymore."
"Hey, don't give him my knives!" Snowflake protested.
"Shut up, you have plenty." Lex stuffed everything into a satchel and handed it to Demir.
Demir was puzzled, overwhelmed by the generosity. "Thank you, sir."
"No need. Make sure to come to the player city Parthenon. It is north of Akshar. But be careful. That desert and the people of Akshar are dangerous."
"Thanks again. Our town is right behind that forest, maybe half a day's distance. It doesn't have a name, I think. Or I don't know yet."
Lex chuckled. "Heh, that's funny. I hope to see you again, alive and well. Take care. I will tell my wandering friends to pay a visit to your town."
He kicked the dragonic bike to life. Fire and red colors filled the machine as it started to hover from the ground. Flames puffed out from the handles, heat washing over Demir in waves.
Lex twisted the handles. The bike reached enormous speed, lost from their eyes in seconds, leaving only a trail of smoke and the echo of its roar.
Demir smiled at Asena. "Let's go, girl."
He walked the whole day, mind churning with the knowledge that Aris was alive and making moves in this world. "Infiltrating a Zealot country. I didn't know you had balls, Aris. Good job," he said to himself, grinning despite his exhaustion.
By nightfall, he spotted dark fumes indicating he was near the town. He didn't stop for rest. He forced himself onward. Thanks to his new gear, he was faster and had more stamina to burn.
When he reached the hidden gates, he knocked firmly. "Demir Strovan here! Please open up!"
One of the guards cheered from above. "You're the crafter fellow! Welcome, Demir. Where were you? What is that?" The guard was pointing at the giant wolf standing behind him, golden eyes glowing in the darkness.