Chapter 4 - Yuuki

After some time, the players discovered that they all had money in their inventories to purchase starting gear and weapons. This realization prompted them to quickly buy their desired items, but fortunately, the small town had enough inventory to accommodate everyone's needs.

Yuuki lamented, "Ah, shit! They don't have a katana here. If this game is anything like Eternal World, I should be able to create my own skills. Maybe I'll try creating the [Everlasting Sword] skill. Any sword will do; I'll just buy one first."

They are all currently at level 1, according to their interface. They noticed that the game lacked a minimap. It seemed they would have to create one themselves or purchase one from a town, at least from what they could observe at the moment.

He reached into his side pocket and retrieved his coins. Upon inspecting them, the interface indicated their value was 300 Salapi. "I wonder how much a sword costs," he pondered.

As he approached the weapons shop, he was immediately struck by the wide array of weapons on display, with prices ranging from as low as 30 Salapi to as high as 99 Salapi for a halberd.

After scanning the available options, he opted to purchase a high-quality, double-edged medieval sword for a mere 60 Salapi. He felt satisfied with his purchase and decided he could hold off on buying armor for the time being. After all, he was confident in his reflexes.

Curious about his new sword's capabilities, he checked its stats, which revealed the following:

[Item Name: Basic Sword

Rarity: Common

Tier: 1

Level: 1

Requirements: None

Stats Bonus: 10 Strength

Description: A basic sword used for the first floor of the Tower of Eternity, the Floor of Hope.]

"This is quite different from the item descriptions in Eternal World. Oh well," he thought to himself as he went in search of a secluded area on the outskirts of town. Once he found an appropriate location, he began to move with grace and precision, simulating the 12 main techniques of the **[Everlasting Sword]** skill from the previous game.

[First Form: Thrust]

[Second Form: Slash]

[Third Form: Parry] 

[Fourth Form: Kill]

[Fifth Form: Lightning Chariot]

[Sixth Form: Raging Demon]

[Seventh Form: Solar Flare]

[Eighth Form: Crescent Moon]

[Ninth Form: Downfall of Castles and Countries]

[Tenth Form: Shadow Step]

[Eleventh Form: Heaven's Door]

[Twelfth Form: Judgement Cut]

As soon as he completed performing all these forms, a notification popped up. 

[You've created a skill that doesn't exist within the tower. Please name it.]

"[Everlasting Sword], that will be the name of the skill."

[Skill Created! Everlasting Sword]

[Skill Name: Everlasting Sword

Rarity: Unique

Mastery: 0%

Sub Skills:

[First Form: Thrust]

[Second Form: Slash]

[Third Form: Parry]

[Fourth Form: Kill]

[Fifth Form: Lightning Chariot]

[Sixth Form: Raging Demon]

[Seventh Form: Solar Flare]

[Eighth Form: Crescent Moon]

[Ninth Form: Downfall of Castles and Countries]

[Tenth Form: Shadow Step]

[Eleventh Form: Heaven's Door]

[Twelfth Form: Judgement Cut]

"Heh, they're all here. And it's even a unique skill in this game? In Eternal World, it was just a mythical skill, but I'll gladly take it," he mused to himself.

Being on the outskirts of town, he found himself near the forest and specifically in a Gray Zone, which was just outside of the Green/Safe Zones where the town was situated. Although he was unsure of the specific differences between these zones, he presumed the Green Zones were simply the areas designated for NPC residential and dwelling. Curiosity piqued, he decided to venture beyond the Gray Zone and explore the unknown.

As he walked, he noticed two peculiar individuals conversing with one another. One wore a suspicious robe while the other resembled an East Asian heir, potentially of Korean ethnicity if he were to compare him to the real world. Although the latter was clearly a man, he had elegantly long hair and fair skin that could have easily been mistaken for that of a woman from afar.

Eager to listen in on their conversation, he tried to eavesdrop and caught a few snippets.

"Alright, Master Yun. Are those all your orders?" the hooded figure asked.

Handing over five silver coins, Yun replied, "Yes, please deliver them as soon as possible."

"May I ask, Master, have you found suitable allies for your climb this time?" the hooded man inquired as Yun walked away.

Yun simply waved his hand in assurance while walking away in the opposite direction. "None yet, but I will find them for sure. So, there's no need to be concerned about me."

"I wish you success this time, Master Yun," the hooded man said before whistling for a few seconds and speaking again.

"You see, if you're eavesdropping on us, you must walk away as soon as we finish talking. Why the hell are you still here?"

Suddenly, Yuuki's sync rate skyrocketed from 110% to 200%, making him perceive time half as slow. With his accelerated thought process, he effortlessly dodged the hooded man's dagger attack.

Reacting quickly, Yuuki retaliated with a simple horizontal slash aimed at the man's torso. However, the hooded man was agile and managed to dodge the attack just as easily.

The hooded man chuckled as he spoke to Yuuki, "You're good for a spy."

With an apologetic tone, Yuuki replied, "I'm just passing by, I don't want any trouble."

"Why eavesdrop on us if you're just passing by?"

Yuuki let out a sigh and attempted to explain, "You see... I was simply passing by and overheard your conversation. I admit I was eavesdropping, and I apologize for that. Please just let me go."

Just then, Yun, who was believed to be long gone, reappeared, deliberately making noise with his footsteps to signal his arrival.

The hooded man nervously said, "Master Yun, you're back?"

Yun replied with a smile, "It seems we've found the first member of our party."

Yuuki's eyes widened in disbelief. Was he really being invited to join an NPC party? This was a rare opportunity even in the mid-game of Eternal World, and for it to happen this early in the game when everyone was at level 1 was nothing short of a miracle.

The hooded man expressed his concern, "He does seem like a powerful individual, Master Yun. Are you certain about recruiting this man?"

Yun replied confidently, "Based on the way he reacted and how quickly he responded, I am certain that he is powerful, and he will only continue to grow stronger."

Yuuki thought to himself, Well, of course, I am the best player in the world, so naturally, I am strong.