Chapter 22
When Serene was able to open her eyes she was just far too shell shocked. Serene knew it was just a video game, but her feelings were real, and so it all felt real to her. She could only lay their unmoving. She wrestled with her own thoughts and concious. Trying to convince herself that it was all a game and none of it was real. That none what happened had any real affect. She didn't need to be feel so much despair and guilt over the situation. But her feelings were catching up with her and she just couldn't help but let the tears flow from her eyes. She was constantly in the game, and was going to keep going back to it. The NPC's aren't like the players where they can come back. If they are dead, they don't come back.
It took some time, but Serene was finally able to calm herself and stop her crying. She was still shocked and had mixed feelings about the events that just happened. She tried to steel herself on vengence. Not for her, but for Kalic, and for the blade. But she was here now, and wasn't there. She needed something to distract her.
Serene wiped her tears away, and sat up. She went over to her desk, grabbed her phone. She saw that it was still early in the morning, close to sunrise. However, Rain wanted to look up what the update was about. Yet, she couldn't find any information on the official or unoffical forums beyond that it would be done by night time. Plenty of players had posted theories about what was supposed to happen. Some thinking a large dynamic change was coming to the game, like a large main story that all players could join in on. Others thought that the company was updating how the class systems worked and how characters get stronger. Most people were alligned with the idea that a large change was coming to the playstyle of the game. Most people were agreeing that a war was going to break out.
While looking through the forums, Serene was able to find some more information. The card system that towns offered were universally used. Although each country was different, they still all used Dreama as their currency. 'It's probably to make it easier for players,' Serene thought to herself. She also read more into the evolutionary classes and into what their playstyles were like.
Mage was a diverse class that could be used in all sorts of ways. The most popular way was the explosive wizzard playstyle. Devloping highly in the path of big spells that dealt large amounts of damage, which came at the cost of their defense, and utlitiy. The mages could also develop into using more curse magic, and buff their allies, or use illisuonary magic to fool people. They also had some healing spells, but their usefulness was really for out of combat.
Esper had some information on it, but it wasn't very definitive. Every player had a different kind of power, though most people generally had the same type of power. Large amount of the esper players powers dealt with the natural forces of the world. The four basic building blocks of the world; fire, water, air, and earth. Whether it be a direct manipulation of it, or if they were able to create it out of thin air, the applications varied. Fewer had more unique abilities, that still dealt with the natural forces of the world. Ice, lightning, magma, gravity, light, shadows, magnatism, and plenty more. It was harder to find people in the same area as this due to great many types of of powers there were. The last catergory mostly dealt with weird and unique powers such as healing, death, teleportation, and others. It was hard to list possible powers in this category because they could just be about anything.
Cultivator was a popular path that plenty of people chose. It combined the mage class and the pugilist class. Had elements of both, but mastered neither. They could perform well in close combat, but couldn't compete with the pugilists and the warlords. The could perform magic, and create wonders, but not to the same level as mages. However, the fact that they could do both, and create their own fighting style with it was still very attractive to players. One of the most feared builds in PVP was the stealth cultivator. They used illusionary magic to hide themselves, and using their skills in CQC to nigh one shot players. The other popular idea was the explosive mage, but transfered over to CQC.
The Warlord was one of, if not the most popular evolutionary paths in the game. It had the one simple method that many players enjoyed; more strength the better. The playstyles of the Warlord weren't very diverse, usually they carried big heavy weapons, wore big heavy armor, or carried big heavy shields. Then they used those tools with imputity, using their insane strength to conqour all their problems. Some players in this evoltuionary path weren't muscle brained, but most were. That didn't mean the class was something to diss though, they were still plenty terrifying.
The Pugilist had a larger range of playstyles then the Warlord did. This evolutionary path allowed players to use smaller weapons like daggers, and ninjatos and other smaller bladed weapons with extreame skill. They could have extreame dexterity and agility and could become increasingly annoying to fight. Another path way was the assassin, those that developed their stealth and one hit damage to the maximum they could. Usually the players in this playstyle would end up in the shadier side of the game, but it was a game afterall they said. The last method they could use was as a range attacker. Using all forms of rnaged weapons like bows to hunt players from afar, always kiting people to death. Some players were even able to find and buy mystical weapons that acted very similar to the muskets of the olden days.
Diviner was usually a evolutionary path slotted to healing or cursing. Most of the exterdimeisonal beings the class 'served' fell into the good or evil category. If they were good, the Diviner would learn a lot of healing abilities and and buffing skills, with very few damaging ones. The evil ones would give the Diviner plenty of cursing abiltieis as well as some stronger damaging ones, but they would recieve few healing or buffs. The Diviner could be close quarters combatant or someone who supports from afar. It depended on who they served. Gaining all sorts of different types of skills and abilities.
Constructor was one of the rarer classes people choose, and for good reason. The class had a high learning curve, and was never very strong in combat. It was one of the worse in PVP, unless the player was extreamly good. The Constructor would be able to learn skills and abilities that allowed them to craft weapons and armor. Plus if they were using the equipment they had made, they get an even stronger boost. However, they didn't have any offensive or defensive skills, as all of them were related to the creation of equipment and boosting that creation process. The Constructor could also freely create their own equipment without any prior knowledge. Although the possiblity of succsess was rather low, people had been able to create their own unique weapons and armor. Recently, a profesional player who was at the pinnacle of C power was able to create a musket. The weapon was excessivly weak and wasn't useful to his tier, it still meant that the weapon could be made. Finally Constructors were highly in demand for guilds and were always being snatched up.
The Tamer was a rarer class due to its high learning curve as well, but more people played it then the Constructor. Tamers were allowed to placate and domesticate monsters, allowing them to become their own tamed. From their they could put a special mark on them that allowed them to be stored in a special demesional space exlusive to the tamed. The tamed monsters could also be revived, where as any player who has been able to tame a monster, or bought one, once theirs die, its gone forever. The Tamer can also have multiple creatures at once, and that number increases as they get stronger. Plus they can evolve certain monsters as the player levels up, allowing them to keep a monster they've had for longer. Special evoltuonary paths and skills will be learned by the monster as they level up. The whole process was very complicated but it was cool to see things like an 'Omega-Demon Wolf' that one low tierd C player had.
Finally, the Life-Weaver was a newer class that was added a few months ago. Its similar to the Mage, but instead they use blood as the medium for casting spells. The damage and effects they have are stronger and have much more potency, but more often then not the players will have to use their own blood, draining their health to cast these spells. Some people don't think the trade off was worth it, but others who play the class think it is. It's a unqiue class that many of players haven't gotten very far in, as in the highest Life-Weaver is a bottom tier C player who only just got into the C power level. They can also use a unqiue type of magic called 'Blood Magic' that allowed them to directly control their blood and use it damgage, heal, buff, or curse other creatures or themselves. It also allowed them to use others people blood, however it was much, much harder.
After reading through the evolutionary paths, Serene searched through the forums some more she found some information about the classes. Classes apparently were used as a means to gain acsess to certain groups, acsess to special skills and abilities as well as certain level of prestige. As with people who go the assassin route, whether it be cultivators or pugilists, highly sought the poisoner class. The class allowed them to learn about more deadly posions, how to create them, and how to use them. The class also gave them special privledges in the shady undergrounds. Classes were harder to get, and as such provided some good benefits. Furthermore, they also could be just about anything.
Lastly, Serene learned that the amount of potential points the player earned diminished over time. They are awarded once for every level 1-10 but starting at 11 its every two levels, and starting at lvl 20 its once every five. Once people made it to level 20, it also became exponetntially harder to level up. Lots of players had wasted all of their potential points learning everything they could at a low level, and ruined their prospects at higher levels. The general concesncious and advice they gave was to save atleast half of your potential points for when you hit level 20, otherwise as save atleast seven. The more you had, the better, but some skills needed to be learned.
After Serene had read through the forums some more, she couldn't find any other important information so she put her phone down. The sun had risen, and Serene looked at it out of curiosity. It was rather weird being so use to two suns in the game, while now she was looking at one. Serene looked away from the rising sun, and stood up. She moved infront of a mirror and looked at herself. She had her short black hair, the sharp green eyes, the longer torso, and tanned skin tone. She was tall compared to most other girls, and it only got worse whenever she worse heels. Serene missed looking like Rain, with her short and cute stature with the long and silky legs, the beuatiful and pure white hair with the amethyst purple eyes, she much perfered that look then how she was now. 'Plus Rain can hear too," Serene lamented to herself. She could only sigh at her own thoughts before she went and took a shower. She could feel the water brushing against her skin and running through her hair, yet she couldn't hear the sound of the water pelting the tiles of her shower.
After getting out of the shoer, drying off, and getting dressed, she went downstairs where out in the living room she could see her two little brothers play rough-housing wih each other, where her mom was sitting on the couch and keeping an eye on them. When she finally made it downstairs she could see her mom turn to look over and when she saw it was Serene she smiled, before turning back to keep an eye on her brothers. Feeling hungry, Serene went to the kitchen to grab some food. In the kitchen, was her dad who was cooking some pancakes and bacon for breakfast. When he noticed her he spoke something, from what Serene could read, he was saying it would be done soon. Serene could only nod and go over to the table where they eat and sit down.
Soon enough her father finished cooking breakfast and brought the food to the table. Serene could only assume he had called the rest of the family over because they began to make their way to the table. Her two brothers had ended up sprinting over and nearly knocked each other over. The family ate together and they casually talked, except for Serene. This was normally how it went, the family was just too use to this for them to not do it. It was only when they had finished eating, that they realized Serene couldn't have heard any of it, or even taken part in it. They could be dissapointed in themselves, but nothing could change what they had done.
Serene's father stood up and cleaned the dishes while she and her mother 'conversated', but when he was done he came back out with his car keys. He ushered the entire family into the car and started driving. Serene tapped on her mothers shoulder and tried to get her to explain, but she would only tell Serene it was a surprise. After a long car ride, the family ended up at a small amusement park that was close to where they lived. Her father had decided to make the day for the kids and take them out. As such the entire family had spent the day at the amusement park, riding coasters, and waiting lines. They ate and talked, and Serene enjoyed it, but she still could only think about Atlas. How Atlas was that much more fun, and how she could hear in there. The ride home from the park was particuarlly long for her. Atlas was supposed to be finished updating, and she just wanted to go back and play. The time dilation just simply wasn't enoug for her. When they finally got home, it took just about all the respect she had for her parents to not just run upstairs immedietly and go log into Atlas. However, it seemed her parents knew what she wanted and let her go upsatirs once they got back. She smiled as she started to make her way upstairs. She closed her door, put on the headset and laid down on the bed, grinning from ear to ear.
"Optix Start"