Unveiling Secrets: The Player Within      

There were countless tasks awaiting Rain and the others upon their arrival at their broken shelter. The foremost challenge was securing water for Druger to make bricks. They couldn't draw water from the salty marsh, as it would still be salty. Their only viable source was through rain seeding, or find an aquifer or something.

Salt wasn't an issue anymore, given their discovery of the ocean. The real problem lay in transporting the salt from the ocean to their settlement. Rain assigned Chin and Chill to make salt at the ocean and catch fish while they were at it. Thraigar and Druger were tasked with the construction of their village.

Thraigar handled all the heavy lifting, including salvaging what remained of their shattered shelter. With his help, they rebuilt the ruins into a makeshift cave, albeit smaller than before. The remaining boulders were used to construct the foundations of their village.

Druger started by erecting a fence around the shelter, following Rain's instructions and his own recommendations. Since Rain didn't need to sleep in the Spirit Realm, he didn't require a house over his head at the moment. Their priority was to deter any beasts thinking of attacking them.

Meanwhile, Chi and Chick focused on setting traps. Hana, #4, and Pup gathered materials while Rain directed the overall efforts.

Progress was slow due to the insufficient water from the clouds. They still had to wait for the salt from the ocean to bolster the salt they had from the Salt Marsh. Food wasn't a significant problem unlike before as beasts frequently ventured into their territory. Additionally, Chin and Chill brought back sea creatures from the ocean, although their trips took several days.

Days passed, and Rain became so engrossed in constructing the village that thoughts of Lord Izumi and Izu faded from his mind. There were no signs of them, and he took it as a good sign that they had given up.

Rain's focus remained on building his village. Each day brought new races who joined Rain's group, coming from the port town. They risked venturing out of the town, seeking 'hope' in the barren wasteland.

Or at least . . . that's what they told him.

Rain couldn't turn them away; he needed many hands for construction. Five bags of salt were ready for cloud seeding, enough to bring rain and boost the construction prosses. Druger needed all the help he could get.

It seems their trip to the Port Town wasn't entirely wasteful.

Still, Rain found himself thinking, "ISN'T THIS TOO EARLY TO RECEIVE CITIZENS IN MY VILLAGE?!" He shot to his feet, eyes wide and veins bulging.

Then he noticed he was in his classroom, and all eyes were on him.

"Ah . . ." Rain only regained his senses when everyone burst into laughter, except for Teacher Henry, who threw a piece of chalk at him.

"To the Guidance Office, now!"

Rain didn't waste any time and bolted out of the room, embarrassed. Did he really fall asleep in class? How could that happen when all he did was sleep at home?!

Nathan sighed, shaking his head. "What is that guy doing?"

"Did he pull an all-nighter to finish a game?"

"He really needs to stop playing and get a life."

"As if you have a life."

"Still . . . don't you think Rain has changed?"

Nathan blinked. "Changed?"

"That's right. I can't explain it, but . . . don't you think he's grown taller and more mature?"

Nathan shrugged it off. "You mean puberty?"

"It's not just that. There's also this confidence that I can't explain."

"Right, right. I thought I was the only one who noticed it."

"And don't you think there's a strange aura around him? Like . . ."

"Like some young lord in those movies?"

"Exactly!"

Nathan was silent for a moment before he patted his friend's shoulder. "Come on, everyone, this is Rain we're talking about."

"Hahahaha! Right, we're probably just imagining it."

While the boys were talking, Alice was deep in thought. 'Too early to receive citizens in his village?' She pondered Rain's words, and her doubts grew stronger.

Could it be just a video game?

But she had to admit that Rain hadn't been himself lately. He changed as well, like the players did.

The more they developed their spirit in the Spirit Realm, the more their bodies kept up with the change. Changes in physical appearance and mental fortitude for example. There was also an aura that only players carried.

The aura of a Lord.

This aura made any human pause and take a second look at you. One that made them stare at you for hours, unable to take their eyes off you. The more you leveled up in the stages of Lord, the more this aura intensified, and the more people venerated you. Some Adept Lords could even make people with weaker spirits do their bidding.

Many high-ranking Lords became celebrities because of this trait, raking in fame and money. People just loved them and couldn't say no to them.

Could it be . . . Alice couldn't take it anymore and excused herself. "Teacher, I want to go to the bathroom."

Teacher Henry didn't get the chance to open his mouth when Alice bolted out of the door and caught up to Rain.

Rain had no clue what was going on as he kept muttering to himself, walking down the empty hallway of the school.

"Rain Weathers."

At the familiar voice, Rain stopped and looked over to see Alice, her face serious but equally breathtaking.

"Uhm . . . do you need something?"

Alice walked over to Rain, and he thought she might slap him, given how serious she looked.

"You . . ." Alice raised her hand, and Rain closed his eyes, his hands instinctively covering his face for the expected slap.

But Rain didn't feel the slap. He opened his eyes to see that Alice was pointing at him.

"You . . . you're a player, aren't you?"

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|| A/N ||

Thank you for reading!

This novel is now moving into the next phase, and as you might guess, there will be locked chapters starting from the next one. I need to eat and pay bills, so I appreciate your understanding.

I hope you'll continue to follow Rain's journey until the end. There's still a lot of twist and mysteries and war to be written. I promise it will be worth it.

Thank you for all your support!

PS:

- Every 10 reviews (no trolling) = 1 extra chapter

- Every 100 Power Stones = 1 extra chapter

- Every 50 Golden Tickets = 1 extra chapter

- Every Super Gift = 1 extra chapter

BONUS chapters will be released on the same day on top of the 2 regular chapters, with a maximum of 2 to 4 bonus chapters per day. Any remaining bonus chapters will be added to the following day.

Thanks a bunch!