Chapter 17- Arriving at the city of Lost Leaf

"What is it now?" Vincent woke up with his ringing phone once again. He had slept for 10 hours straight. You wouldn't recognize him as his hair was a complete mess and his face was even worse.

"Finally. I was worried. You disappeared for half a day," Nate was the one calling him, as usual.

"I don't know about you but I need to sleep," Vincent wasn't worried about sleeping too much. He was already the rank one player so it didn't matter.

"Anyway. I'm just calling you to tell that I just reached level 8. I'm almost at the city, hehe. And what level are you, Vincent?"

"I'm level 6 almost 7," Nate would eventually discover Vincent's identity when they create their guild but he didn't want to tell him so soon.

"Damn. Stop sleeping and go level up. We need to play together," Nate then finished the call.

Vincent took a shower and ate before heading back into the game. Soon he was once again inside the world of Rise Online.

He checked quickly the rankings and found out that the second in the rankings was level 8, so he was still ahead by a good distance.

"All right. I can't lose more time. It's finally time to reach the city," Vincent thought, turning into a crow and flying away.

In Rise, there was a teleportation system but it only worked if the player had visited the city at least once. This encouraged player to explore the world and its secrets. The city of Lost Leaf had this teleportation system but Vincent still had to visit it. The reason players could go there only at level 10 was because they needed strength to kill the monsters along the way, and also, a NPC would inspect them at the entrance, allowing only level 10 players and beyond to enter.

The monsters a long the way didn't matter for Vincent as he could fly passed all of them in his crow form.

"I need money to open my potion shop. How can I earn that...?" Vincent thought about ways of getting money fast, and he did come up with some nasty ideas.

**

Lost Leaf city had a huge wall protecting it, and tons of strong guards stood there. It was a place with few crimes as no one would escape unharmed from the guards.

A NPC checked Vincent, allowing him inside the city. The place was completely different from the villages. It felt more vivid. NPCs everywhere. Walking down the streets, talking. Shops and taverns at every corner.

"I missed this atmosphere. It's so nice," thought Vincent while walking through the city.

Most players would first look for missions but Vincent went into a shop. He had thought many ways of getting money, and he would try something different.

The shape-shifting skill was so overpowered that one could change its name and also hide the fact that they were players. Vincent could basically turn into a NPC, which was something extraordinary.

"Hello sir. How can I help you?" a NPC asked ad soon as Vincent entered his store.

"Show me the cheapest chairs and tables you have..."

Vincent left the store with a wooden chair, table and a sign. He would become a street vendor, and he would sell a item that everyone would buy, a city guide.

This was simply perfect. Every player arriving at the city wouldn't know most of the things, and Vincent knew all of it. He decided to sell disguised as a NPC and not as The Seer. It was too much information in the guide, impossible for The Seer to figure all of it in one day. But no one suspect a NPC selling it.

Vincent set up his table at a location where every player would pass. A huge sign was standing right near his table, saying 'Touristic Guide of Lost Leaf. Come to Know Everything About It."

It was then time to create the guide itself. Vincent didn't explain the best things that could be found inside the city, as these were the secrets he wanted for himself. The guide had a introduction about the city, how to earn reputation and what perks it would grant the player. It also had a map marking all of the useful shops. The city was huge so it was common for new players to get lost. Vincent also put some information about the Dungeons. The first Dungeon was unlocked at level 10, and it was the only Dungeon where you didn't need to find. It was like a tutorial so everyone had access to it right after reaching level 10. The other Dungeons would need to be discovered by the players.

Vincent added some information about Quests and other things regarding the city, like crafting, etc. He wouldn't sell the guide for much, only about 10 coppers. It didn't look like much money but soon millions of players would arrive there, so you can imagine how profitable it would be.

His name was now Jake. It also has Touristic Guide written beneath it so everyone would think that he was legit.

"Now, normal players will arrive here in about a day or so. I should try to reach level 11 to still maintain an advantage." Vincent thought.

He had another plan in mind, and that was to conquer the Dungeon before everyone even arrive at the city. One needed a party to complete Dungeons as it was impossible to be done alone, and Vincent didn't have one, but he was a noble, so there was still something he could do about that...