7 First Quest!

Cyrus logged out at the same time as Chu Wang.

He swiftly removed the warm helmet from his head and laid back down on the soft mattress.

'The game was more impressive than I thought it would be.'

Strangely enough, he felt newfound boredom when he looked at the slick and monotonous interior of his apartment.

Classes were starting on the 1st of September, so he had plenty of free time to do as he wished.

However, after leaving the game, no activity seemed that interesting anymore.

'Perhaps there's something interesting on television...'

Cyrus walked towards an inconspicuous painting on the wall.

Then, he put up his smartwatch towards the painting, and as it turned out, the painting was but a television screen.

A new interface with various channels appeared in place of the painting, and he chose one through voice command.

"EFBC!"

EFBC(Europa Federal Broadcasting Center) was a state-run channel of the EEF.

As he watched the ongoing program, he rolled his eyes and turned to another channel.

It was the usual propaganda: a program about the success of a recent massive mining operation in Kizekistan.

Cyrus changed the channel, this time choosing an independent news channel.

It seemed to be more of the same, but he stuck around when he heard a familiar name.

'Paragon Online.'

(A woman by the name of Epiphany has sued Mythic Games on charges of fraudulent advertising on their new game, Paragon Online.)

(A spokesman from the company has agreed to an interview.)

Surprisingly, the face of his uncle appeared on the screen.

Cyrus listened attentively.

(This player has expressed dissatisfaction about the unequal quest rewards in the Kingdom of Labrica in-game.)

(However, the public website of the game explicitly states that this kingdom has an ideology that includes very disgusting attitudes towards women.)

'Ideologies can impact quest rewards? This is a new level of immersion,' Cyrus kept his attention on the screen.

(On top of that, the game's framework only covers the Experience Rewards and not the rewards offered by the NPCs.)

(Unless she wishes to sue an NPC, I do not see how she would win the case in front of the Supreme Court.)

The rest was just filler information from the host.

Cyrus quickly turned off the television, as all of the other channels didn't interest him in the slightest.

Instead, he sent a message to his uncle.

(Cyrus: Uncle, I saw you on TV today.)

His uncle quickly saw the message, and a chat bubble popped up to indicate that he was replying.

(Uncle: See? I told you it was important to choose the right starting state, we've gotten many complaints from players who haven't made any research beforehand, but we didn't expect a lawsuit.)

(Cyrus: Oh? When is the trial?)

(Uncle: A week from now in the capital, Kiev.)

Following that message, they exchanged meaningless messages and his uncle had to log off because of work.

Cyrus was also beginning to feel hungry.

Strangely, his kitchen did not have an oven or a fridge, but only cabinets and a sink.

There was also a strange-looking cubic machine on top of the counter.

This was the food printer, a prototype product developed by the seniors in his university, and that he volunteered to beta-test.

Cyrus simply had to place common chemical elements in the storage cabin of the printer, and a touchscreen appeared on the glass case of the printer.

There were various dishes on it.

Cyrus went with a basic choice, a Neapolitan pizza.

*Whirrrr*

The clear glass turned opaque, and a whirring sound rang out from inside the printer.

After a few minutes, a dingle notified him of the completion of the cooking process.

Cyrus opened the case, and a fragrant aroma seeped into his nostrils.

Inside, a perfectly round pizza still emitted steam.

Cyrus plated it up and began eating.

'It tastes good, but...'

It tasted too perfect, like a mass-manufactured product.

There was still merit to going to a real restaurant, to eat food made by a human chef, but the convenience and potential for the food printer to solve hunger issues were immense.

As he washed up the plate, Cyrus took notice of an old-school picture frame on the wall.

In it, there were three people.

A man, a woman, and a child.

The child was Cyrus, and the two were his deceased parents.

They took this picture in front of the Helinski Cathedral, in Suomi, twelve years ago.

'This was only a few minutes before the disaster...'

Cyrus' gaze darkened, as the vivid sound of bombs and gunshots haunted him to this day.

*Slap*

Cyrus slapped himself and thought of an activity to forget this.

Ultimately, he began playing AR tennis on his smartwatch.

Soon enough, he frowned.

Compared to the perfect immersion of Paragon Online, this game of tennis could not even remotely compare.

The sight of the game helmet magnetized him.

He didn't want to admit it, but he liked the game a lot.

"Ughh!" Cyrus declared defeat and placed the game helmet on his head.

(Paragon Online 1 - 0 Cyrus)

As usual, he lost consciousness, and when he woke up, he was still on the paved road next to Berglion.

Chu wasn't online, so he decided to adventure on his own.

The village of Berglion centered around a tall, colorful windmill.

People were going about their mundane town life.

Some NPCs baked bread and sold it on stalls.

Others gossiped as handsome men and beautiful women passed by them.

Children ran around the streets, and Cyrus even saw someone pickpocket a strong-looking man, who instantly knocked the thief down.

Numerous chariots parked around the windmill.

A merchant exclaimed repeatedly, "Only 78 Gilders for a safe passage to Cape Immergroen!"

'Cape Immergroen? That's our destination,' Cyrus stared at the merchant.

Gilders seemed to be the local currency, and as he had no in-game job, he had to find other ways to make money.

This was an MMORPG, so the most obvious way to do that was through Quests.

After navigating around a bit, Cyrus found a crowded pub and entered.

A bard was singing beautifully as a crowd observed him and danced.

However, the song he sang was rather violent, hence Cyrus dismissed it and approached the counter of the bar.

The bartender approached him and said, "What do you want to drink?"

"Hmmm, I don't really want to drink anything, but is there something on your mind?"

The bartender frowned, "Uh if you're not going to buy anything, leave."

Cyrus flushed in embarrassment.

He had underestimated the intelligence of the NPCs, and as it seemed, he couldn't get a quest so easily.

Eventually, he shrugged and stood up to leave the pub.

"Wait," He heard the voice of the bartender.

Cyrus frantically returned to the counter.

"You're not from Berglion, right?"

"No, I am but a passing traveler, akin to the westerly winds."

The bartender looked at him strangely and said, "I've been diluting the beer here with water, and eventually, the clients will start to complain."

"Why do you do so?" Cyrus was intrigued now.

"To the west, the yield from the wheat crops have never been so low, and monsters have made the job of the weak farmers very hard."

The bartender sighed.

"What am I even saying? Take it as just me ventin-

"I can help."

"What?"

"I can help solve this," Cyrus repeated himself more clearly.

"Really?" The bartender looked at him with wide eyes.

"I'll defeat the monsters, and try to find the cause behind the low yield, though...

"I'll pay you, don't worry!" The bartender desperately retorted.

'Bingo.'

(Salvage the situation of the western farmland.)

Recommended Level: 5

Quest Rank: Mundane

Quest Rewards: Experience Points, Gilders(Depending on performance)

Shareability: Solo

Description: The bar owner of this pub has had problems with the quality of their main product, beer, due to shortages of wheat and an increasing level of danger in the farmland.

He requests you, Paragon Cyrus, to help resolve this issue.