The Holy Church of Northshire Clerics? Northshire Abbey? McBride?
Wayne remembered instantly. In the World of Warcraft game, Northshire Abbey was the starting zone for Humans. Every player who created a Human character received their very first quest from this man, Marshal McBride, the Marshal of Northshire Valley.
But Wayne hadn't expected that a starting zone's commander would actually hold the rank of Marshal. That was the 13th rank in the Alliance's 14-tier military hierarchy, second only to Grand Marshal. Rank was distinct from position or nobility; it was earned through actual military merit, regardless of family background or political power.
Seeing Wayne look a bit "stunned," Dughan quickly introduced them. Wayne realized that this world was different from the game he played. Northshire Valley, under the jurisdiction of the Holy Church of Northshire Clerics, was a primary target for the greedy Kobolds and the sinister Defias Brotherhood.
The fighting there was intense. Many veterans were stationed there, including Marshal McBride; it wasn't just a training ground for novices. The Abbey and Westbrook Garrison guarded the eastern and southern approaches to Stormwind, respectively. Their names, "North" and "West," were determined by their cardinal directions within Elwynn Forest. If these points fell, Stormwind would be exposed with no remaining defenses.
McBride and his warriors, Paladins, and Priests had inherited the legacy of the Holy Church of Northshire Clerics, defending against hostile incursions for over a decade. The two deputies behind him were Deputy Willem and the Priestess, Anita.
Unlike the gentle Anita, Willem, clad in orange-yellow armor, was respectful only toward McBride. He held everyone else in near contempt, including Dughan, who technically outranked him. Wayne learned from Dughan that Willem had fought alongside McBride for years with distinguished merit, reaching the 10th rank of Major at the young age of 28.
Dughan was able to bring them because of a routine meeting of Elwynn Forest officers the previous day. Dughan and Deputy Rainier from Westbrook Garrison had introduced Wayne's net cafe to McBride and suggested he send someone to investigate.
With endorsements from two reliable old acquaintances, McBride decided to visit Goldshire today. Having survived the First, Second, and Third Wars, McBride was more accepting of strange things like the "screen" than his subordinates. After all, he had personally witnessed thousands of bloodshot, green-skinned Orcs emerging from the towering Dark Portal out of thin air.
McBride watched for a while and signaled Willem to try it—his strongest warrior. Willem never hesitated to obey McBride's orders, but he felt immense disdain seeing the four men from Westbrook acting as if they were possessed. The idea of "playing games to improve strength" seemed like a waste of time to him. He had slain hundreds of Kobolds and Defias thieves in Northshire Valley.
The arrogant Willem even wiped the seat with his glove before sitting down after Hudson offered it. He snorted, "Instead of wasting time here, it's better to go to the front and repel the enemy. To make me wait so long for such a boring trick... in my opinion, it would be better to—"
"Burn it down? Heh, we've heard that one plenty of times. I think instead of wasting time talking trash, you should start your performance," Verdan interrupted with a sneer.
As a noble, Verdan respected McBride as a legendary Marshal, but Willem was a nobody in his eyes. A brick thrown into the Royal Guard in Stormwind would probably hit three deputies just like him. Once Verdan finished his service at Westbrook and returned to the city, his family's connections with Lady Katrana Prestor would ensure him a position of real power. At that point, Willem might have to salute him as a superior.
Willem shot Verdan a warning look, but with McBride present, he couldn't lash out. He put on the goggles and entered the game.
Although he started from the novice quests in Kokoto Village and couldn't use the Holy Light as a Paladin in the world of Monster Hunter G, Willem adjusted his combat style quickly. Soon, his high-level combat skill forced the Westbrook quartet to admire him inwardly.
He cleared the Velocidrome on the first try, the Yian Kut-Ku on the first try, and even the Plesioth and Cephadrome on the first try while at half health. It wasn't until he faced the Rathian that he was instantly killed by a sudden burst of fire. It was normal for a first-timer to fall to the Rathian; Willem was killed because he had disdained Wayne's advice to craft stronger gear, leaving his defense too low for the Rathian's flames.
Willem took off the goggles, looking entirely unimpressed. McBride asked him how it felt. Because he had killed several monsters, Willem's account had reached Level 3, and he did feel a tiny bit stronger, but he wasn't excited.
"The illusions are indeed brilliant, but our enemies are Kobolds and Defias bandits, not strange raptors or fire-breathing dragons that don't exist."
The hot-tempered Hicks flared up at this and wanted to argue, but Hudson and Verdan held him back, gesturing for him to stay quiet in front of the Marshal.
The middle-aged McBride knew his subordinate's temper. He smiled kindly at the Westbrook group. "I started as a Goldshire guard myself when I was young. Before I went to the Dark Portal and saw those terrifying Orcs and demons, and before I saw the terrible plagues and speaking skeletons in fallen Lordaeron, I also thought the only enemies in this world were beasts, bandits, and harmless Kobolds."
Though he didn't look at Willem, every word was directed at him. Seeing his most respected superior admonishing him, Willem immediately composed himself and nodded humbly.
McBride looked toward the Priestess, Anita. She shook her head. "I don't know what other casters would think, but I don't believe this... game is suitable for Priests."
McBride nodded. He agreed. Asking a Priest who had spent half their life studying spells to pick up a greatsword or a hammer to fight monsters was indeed a tall order.
He turned to Wayne. "Young owner, I see you only have one pair of goggles here, which clearly can't handle all these guests. What are your plans?"
Wayne had been calculating since he received the money. With seven original members plus these three new ones, he had exactly ten. "Maybe tomorrow. In any case, five more sets of equipment should be added soon. Then you can play together through 'Multiplayer' (LAN)."
"Multiplayer?" The newcomers hadn't heard the term, so Wayne had to explain. "As for what the lady said, she's not wrong. But it shouldn't be long before there are games suitable for casters."
McBride, the eldest, proved to be the most open-minded. With a smile, he practically commanded Willem to bring several promising subordinates here once the equipment arrived. This applied to Anita as well, though she would have to wait for a new game.
Willem accepted the order with a military bow, despite his internal reluctance. McBride then led the group back toward Northshire Valley. Dughan saw them off, leaving the Westbrook quartet alone again, and the atmosphere livened up once more. Hicks and Verdan mocked Willem's arrogant attitude.
Wayne left them to play and took the money into the cellar behind his bedroom. As he approached the vending machine, the screen lit up:
[Quest: Recruit 10 members within a week — COMPLETED]
[Reward: 5 sets of 'Strongest in the Universe' Brand Ultra VR Virtual Reality Headsets]
[Reward: 5 units of 'Even the Pantheon Says It's Good' Brand 30-inch Plasma 16K Ultra-Clear Screens]
[Reward: 5 units of 'Sargeras Wouldn't Want to Get Up' Brand Ergonomic Gaming Chairs]
[Accept rewards now?]
Wayne felt that since transmigrating, not only were the people he met abnormal, but even this vending machine was becoming absurd.
He pressed [Yes].
With a flash of white light, five screens, five chairs, and five VR headsets appeared on the floor. Wayne checked the time; it was not yet 3:00 PM, the busiest time for the blacksmith shop. By 5:00 PM, when the sun set, the Lion's Pride Inn would get even more crowded. If he moved these items up now, he couldn't explain how they appeared in his cellar. He decided to move them after midnight.
As he was about to leave, he turned back to the machine. "With these 5 sets, there will be 6 in total. Is the 'play once every other day' rule still in effect?"
The vending machine ignored him. Sometimes silence was an answer. He tapped the machine, but there was no response. Just as he turned to leave, a "ding" sounded, and the screen lit up again. "Are you playing with me? Dammit!"
However, the screen displayed a new quest prompt.
[Gaming Equipment Unlocked in Shopping List]
[Headset: 150 Gold per unit]
[Screen: 100 Gold per unit]
[Ergonomic Chair: 20 Gold per unit]
[3-in-1 Set Price: 250 Gold]
Wayne left the cellar and returned to the net cafe. He did the math. A full set was 250 gold. Excluding membership fees, if a set was used for 8 hours a day, it would earn 8 gold, or 240 gold in a 30-day month. If he could keep the seats full, a set could pay for itself in a month by attracting two new members.
The VR goggles were the core. The screens were essential for marketing; without them, bystanders wouldn't know what was being played. As for the chairs... with the 5 rewarded sets, he would have 6 stations tomorrow but only 5 ergonomic chairs. The remaining two were wooden chairs from his uncle's room that made his backside ache. As the owner, he couldn't give a customer a bad chair, but sitting in one all day was bad for his health.
Though the chair wasn't "essential," he definitely needed one. He had earned 83 gold so far; after the 20 gold for the defense system, he had 63 gold left.
[Quest: Reach 500 Gold in Profit Surplus]
[Reward: Unlock Immersive Storylines: "Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" and "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"]
"Immersive Storylines?" Recalling the "Even the Pantheon Says It's Good" brand, Wayne felt this was probably just marketing talk. "If it's a movie, just call it a movie. What's with this 'immersive' nonsense?"
However, the 500-gold requirement restricted his spending. Buying a chair would have to wait until he saw how business went with the new stations. He muttered a complaint, locked the door, and went back to the net cafe.
Entering the room, he saw the three men surrounding Verdan, who was fighting the Diablos. Playing in a group was different; every time the Diablos was about to charge or burrow, the three men alerted Verdan. Though they couldn't always predict it perfectly, having multiple sets of eyes and Verdan's experience from his many deaths significantly increased their evasion rate.
Verdan died twice more after Wayne returned, but finally, he managed to clear the Diablos nearly unharmed. He began farming the beast and experimenting with "Part Breaking." Breaking certain parts caused monsters to flinch or drop rare materials. Most dragons could have their tails cut off, yielding rare tail materials essential for advanced gear.
But what made them even happier was Wayne's announcement that the net cafe would upgrade tomorrow, and they would finally be able to play together in "Multiplayer."