Chapter 17

"So you were here."

Soon enough, Jhin saw Mia approach from within the crowd.

She was wearing the same default dirty sack clothes that would appear whenever a player wasn't wearing any equipment.

"Is it really that hard to find us?" Jhin playfully complained despite not having to wait for that long.

Mia rolled her eyes before turning her attention to Lily who was looking at her with twinkling eyes.

"Pretty sister! Are you our new party member?"

Mia, having been informed of the little girl's circumstances by Jhin, nodded politely and extended her hand.

"That's right, Lily." Mia pointed to Jhin and continued in an unfortunate tone, "I'm Mia, this guy's sister."

"Nice to meet you."

Lily smiled and shook the latter's hand politely.

"Nice to meet you too!"

"...Wow.. this is an NPC?" Mia muttered in amazement but it was quiet enough that it couldn't be heard by Lily.

"Wait..." Lily, perhaps realizing something, suddenly stopped shaking Mia's hand as her eyes widened in surprise.

"Mia is mister's sister?!" she exclaimed out loud.

Jhin and Mia chuckled at her reaction.

Mia found the little girl extremely adorable as she couldn't stop herself from leaning down and pinching the latter's soft and plump cheeks.

"You are so cute!" Mia was terribly affected by cute aggression.

"It's decided! Lily, call me big sister from now on!"

"Wuuuwuu- swistwah?" Lily slightly tilted her head and asked in a questioning tone. She didn't seem to be bothered nor uncomfortable with having her cheeks aggressively pinched.

Mia found herself drowning in the little girl's large crystal blue eyes, and coupled with her immaculately adorable face, Mia couldn't stop herself from hugging the little girl and rubbing her face against the latter's cheeks.

"That's right Lily! You're my little sister now!"

"Sister?"

The little girl turns towards Jhin.

"Does that mean Lily is mister's little sister now too?"

Jhin and Mia didn't miss the tinge of hopeful expectation and the longing tone hidden in her voice.

Mia stopped rubbing her cheeks and glared at her brother with a gaze that was urging him to say yes.

Receiving that gaze, Jhin only chuckled and smiled before looking back at Lily.

There, he noticed that Lily was looking at him with a peculiar gaze, prompting Jhin to finally give his answer.

"Sure. If that's what you want to call me, that's fine too."

Lily gasped out loud and questioned again to make sure, "Really?!"

Jhin smiled and nodded.

"Yes."

Lily looked as if she wanted jump out of Mia's arms and leap into Jhin but unfortunately, she couldn't as Mia's hold was tighter than she thought.

Lily looked at Mia with a pouting face to which the latter found extremely adorable.

"Alright, alright." Mia lets go of the little girl and immediately, the Lily jumped towards her brother.

Lily hugged Jhin by his legs and looked at him with an extremely happy joyful expression.

"Lily is Mister's family now!"

"Mhm..." Jhin only nodded, ignoring the peculiar gaze that has been staring at him in an imperceptible location.

He couldn't tell where it was specifically, but his instincts told him that it was Boots the Cat.

'Is it perhaps... jealous?'

Jhin chuckled to himself and it was at this time that Lily seemed satisfied and lets go of his legs.

Jhin decided to check his relationship status with Lily and there he saw...

[ Lily: 349 (Familial Love) ]

To Jhin's knowledge, the maximum numerical number for relationship status was 350.

Seeing that it was only one digit away from reaching the max number, Jhin couldn't help but wonder what else lacking for them to reach 350 entirely.

At the same time however, he wasn't in any rush at all and thought that it would reach the maximum count eventually.

"Alright. Let's go now." Jhin stated after seeing that Lily and Mai were now getting to know each other.

The two nodded and Jhin started to lead them towards another establishment.

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"So, how much money do you have left?" Jhin asked Mia who was walking beside him.

Mia looked at him for a moment and answered, "...All of it."

Jhin turned to his sister and questioned. "All of it?"

Mia nodded. "I didn't spend a single gold coin."

"But why?"

"Because! They're very precious, you know? " Mia turns to her brother and emphasized, "They're Gold coins!"

Jhin didn't comment on it and turned his gaze forward.

"Well, it's good that you didn't spend it since we're now going to get Lily's skills and yours."

"...How much would that cost?" Mia asked with slightly knitting brows.

Jhin shook his head but smiled. He didn't know that his sister was this thrifty with her money.

But it wasn't a bad thing.

Anyway, Jhin said. "Don't worry about losing gold for now, we'll be getting more of those later. So, think of it as an investment for your future."

'A very important investment.' Jhin added in his mind.

Seeing the seriousness in her brother's eyes, Mia nodded silently and followed after her brother.

Her brother seems to already have some knowledge about this game that no one else knew about so she didn't question him any longer.

In the first place, she wouldn't have even gotten that achievement reward had it not been for her brother.

And even before that, she wouldn't be playing Ascended Order right now if her brother didn't buy her the console, the very best one at that.

Which led her to the decision of playing the game in order to support him. She wanted to be of help to him, even by a little bit.

Most of all, she wanted to return the favor. Personally, she doesn't mind spending her gaming time with her brother even if it was boring.

In fact, she thinks that this would be a wonderful sibling bonding time for the two of them.

Mia was well aware that Clerics were a very unpopular class choice and that they were often ignored due to their incapability to deal any significant damage nor could they offer any enchantment or healing, which was a very important aspect especially in the early stages of the game.

It would only be when they reach level 10 and above would their healing and enchanting skills would be unlocked, and even then, their impact would still be miniscule in dungeon clearing.

Mia, however, was very smart.

Based on the [Adventurer's Will] Special Title, she knows that her brother was also very powerful and the fact that they were the first ones to clear the [Goblin's Nest] was a testament to that fact.

And so, Mia chose the [Cleric] class so that she could offer support for her brother's in-game activities that may bring them a new source of income.

Naturally, wasn't only looking to enjoying the game but was also thinking of profiting from it.

The game Ascended Order was after all, already dubbed as the 'Second World', meaning to say that the in-game economy would start affecting the real world's economy as well.

Mia realizes this as not only an opportunity to make their family's life easier, but also give her parents' the luxurious treatment that they deserve.

As for the issue about her friends and classmates not wanting to party up with her, that was just a lie she made up to guilt-trip her brother in case he refused.

She didn't tell her friends that she began playing Ascended Order because she knew that if the words get out that she began playing, then everyone in her school would invite her to play with them even if she used the most useless class in the current stage of the game.

That was how popular she was in her school but her popularity doesn't only end there. She was also known to other schools in their district.

Much accredited by her beauty and academic achievements.

If she were to make a social media account, she was sure she could become a very famous influencer.

The only reason she didn't do it was because she didn't like the idea of getting approval from other people's praises and having her identity based on the likes and hearts she receives.

The only praises that matter to her were the praises she received from the people she cared about.

'No wait... maybe I could become a streamer!' Mia thought so since she knows she already possessed the qualities of becoming one.

But then Mia scratched that idea. 'Jhin did say that most of our gaming activities would be done in secret and boring grinding sessions...'

She couldn't help but stare at her brother's back. 'I don't know why, but he seems to be keen on being secretive inside the game... But then again, considering the things he's done up until now, I wouldn't doubt that he would be the center of attention they had been revealed to the public.'

And while Mia was thinking of this, she then realized that she still hadn't entered her brother's party and so, she tapped on Jhin's name tag and a system window appeared in front of her.

[ Player: Hoarder Class: Rogue

➤ View Character Information

➤ Request Party Invitation

➤ Add as friend

➤ Whisper

➤ Request a Trade

➤ Give a like (20 Left for the day) ]

She then chose the party request to which she was immediately accepted.

Seeing his username, she chuckled and commented. "Pfft. Really? Hoarder?"

Jhin simply smiled and said, "It will make sense in the future."

Mia scoffed lightly and shook her head while rolling her eyes. Her brother is definitely going through his edgy phase.

"And it's not like you're any better." Jhin teased back.

He looked at her and mentioned her name.

"Nightingale? Seriously?"

Mia suddenly felt offended with her brother making fun of her username.

"Oh yeah?! Well—"

Just then, she was able to see her brother and Lily's icons and health bar on the corner of her vision.

She wasn't able to finish her sentence as her eyes grew wide upon seeing their levels.

'Lily is level 10 and Jhin is level 9?!'

she couldn't help but stop walking out of shock.

"J-Jhin!"

"Hm?" Jhin turned to his younger sister who was looking at him in bewilderment and stopped walking as well.

"What's wrong?"

"Y-y-y-your level!"

"It's 9, yeah?"

"No— I mean, but how?!"

"You can my view character information, you know?"

And that was what she did and seconds later, her jaw dropped.

Finding her reaction amusing, Jhin leaned closer into her face and said with a wide smile, "Your brother is pretty amazing, right?"

"B-b-but how?!" Mia then frowned and glared at him. "Are you hacking?"

Jhin laughed. "Haha! I wish I could."

"Jhin, it's serious!" Mia said gravely said. "If you were caught hacking, not only does it result in banning your account but could also lead to getting sentenced to prison!"

What Mia said was true since there were several cases to which hackers from all over the world attempted to hack in the game and all of them were located and tracked down and was later put into custody.

This news was broadcasted not only in global news channels but also in the game's forums.

This was why Mia was sincerely worried about Jhin.

"Relax, Mia. Besides, have you seen my gear? You should be able to piece it together by now."

"These are..." Mia couldn't help but be lost in thought after seeing Jhin's equipment.

"...Is this the reward for being the first to clear the dungeon?"

"Yeah." Jhin nodded.

"That's... too overpowered!" Mia complained out loud.

Jhin shook his head and smiled. "Mia, my dear sister, always remember this; This world is generous to those who always finish first and as for those who were late, they can only be left behind."

He then looked at Mia's eyes directly and continued, "This applies to you and Lily as well. If your motivation and efforts don't meet my expectations, I can only leave you in the dust."

'Which is a lie.' Jhin said so in his mind with a smile. After all, He will never leave behind his family, not in this life.

However, he still needed to say those words to his sister so that she could be resolved to show her dedication in playing this game.

"So do your best, alright?"

"I... of course." Mia only muttered so before continuing to walk forward.

She still couldn't help but feel uncomfortable whenever her brother acts like this. She knows that he's just trying to help her, but the graveness in his tone always make her feel as if something serious was at stake.

'...He's not starting to get addicted to this game... is he?' Mia worriedly thought so as she stole a glance behind her, only to see Jhin walking again normally with the serious air around him gone.

When he reached Mia's side, Mia smiled and teasingly asked him another question in an attempt to change the atmosphere.

"Even if you are hiding your identity, why do you need to wear a mask? Don't tell me- You actually think that's cool?" Mia giggled teasingly while looking at her brother's face. "You can't dig your way around this one, dear brother of mine, because I'm sure that the player privacy settings should blur your face if you were recorded or pictured without your permission."

Mia just found it extremely funny that her brother, who was a grown man, could start acting like those people who has an 8th grade syndrome.

Jhin chuckled alongside her while shaking his head before explaining in a normal manner.

"That's not the case at all." Jhin stated, "It's for protection. You do realize that your real identity could easily be found since you can't customize your appearance, right?"

"That's... correct." Mia nodded in understanding before tilting her head. "Isn't the purpose of the player's privacy policy to protect your identity?"

Jhin sighed before smiling.

"If that was the case, then I wouldn't be needing this conspicuous mask that looks like what a chuunibyou would wear, right?"

He continued. "The player privacy policy isn't perfect. There are still ways for other players to search your real life identity."

"And it all begins on your face." Jhin said while pointing at his face.

"The least we can do for our parents is cause trouble for them by only playing a game."

Mia nodded before shooting a glance at Jhin. "But it's not just 'a game' for you, is it?"

Jhin also glanced at his little sister and chuckled.

'Sure enough, she is my sister.'

She was insightful enough to pick up on that fact. But, it's not like he was trying to hide it.

It was better to give his sister an inkling to what he was planning to do.

And so, Jhin only continued walking forward without answering, following after the little girl who was already quite far away from them.

Mia was sensitive enough to tacitly understand that her brother didn't want to tell her about it.

Which made her a little disappointed, thinking that her brother doesn't trust her enough with whatever secret he was keeping from her.

Just as she was thinking this however, she heard Jhin speak.

"...I'll tell you when the time comes. So for now... just trust me, okay?"

Mia gazed at her brother's back for a short while before replying.

"Alright, I'll wait for that day then."

With that, the two siblings closed the topic on the matter.

"...For the record, I do find it cool to wear the mask." Jhin admitted after a prolonged silence.

Mia snorted and looked at her brother with a smile.

"...It sucks that our tastes are exactly the same... how childish are we?"

Mia admitted to liking the mask as well.

Jhin shrugged his shoulders. "Don't worry, you'll wear a mask as well."

That was when Mia became confused.

"Huh? I thought equipment were designed to match their class. Are you telling me that there's a mask head-piece for the Cleric class?"

Jhin answered. "Usually, no. But since you're my sister, naturally you'll get a special class."

Mia stared at her brother with a raised brow.

"And I assume that you're not willing to tell me how you know about this special class?"

"As expected of my sister." Jhin smiled while glancing to Mia. "She knows me so well."

Mia felt irked by her brother mysterious attitude but she decided to relent for now.

Then after they walked for some time, Mia muttered in a dissatisfied tone. "And here I was being happy about being so OP for my level."

Jhin rolled his eyes. "You are overpowered." he said in a matter of fact tone.

Mia snorted but still seemed dissatisfied. "Yeah, but compared to you and Lily?"

"Why are you comparing yourself to us?" Jhin said in a lighthearted tone. "You're already way more powerful than other level 1 or 2s."

"Yeah but-!"

"Sister! Brother! Is this the place?"

Lily turned to them while pointing towards a building in front of them..

Standing in front of a building that had the an emblem of a crystal on top of the entrance, Jhin entered through the double doors with Mia and Lily following behind him.

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[ Name: Nightingale Level: 1 (EXP: 0%)

Title: Adventurer's Will

Class: Cleric

HP: 380/380

MP: 370

Status: Healthy

-

Strength: 31>37

Agility: 32>38

Intelligence: 32>38

Vitality: 31>37

-

Available Attribute Points: 0

Available Skill Points: 7

-

Active Skill(s):

-N/A

Passive Skill(s):

-N/A ]

For reference, the Cleric's five available beginner skills are;

[Shield Blow (Active Skill)

Level: 1 (SP: 0/35)

➥ Deals 20-30 Physical Damage to the enemies with a 10% chance of stunning them for 2 Seconds.

Mana cost: 30

Cooldown: 30 Seconds ]

[Lightning Strike (Active Skill)

Level: 1 (SP: 0/45)

➥ Delivers an upward blow that tosses enemies into the air for 30-35 physical damage, followed by a lightning bolt that deals 40-50 magical damage.

Mana cost: 70

Cooldown: 1 Minute ]

[Divine Combo (Active Skill)

Level: 1 (SP: 0/25)

➥ Dashes to the front with quick consecutive attacks that deals 10-20 physical damage per hit (Maximum 5 strikes). Upon reaching level 3 of this skill, Magic Damage will be applied parallel to the physical damage inflicted.

Mana cost: 100

Coodown: 1 Minute 30 Seconds ]

[Charge Bolt (Active Skill)

Level: 1 (SP: 0/30)

➥ The user drives a lightning bolt into the ground, which spreads in four directions, striking enemies in its path with Light-attribute magic damage (30-50 magic damage). Each hit has a 10% chance of giving the Electrocuted ailment on the enemy.

Mana cost: 80

Cooldown: 1 Minute ]

[Holy Bolt (Active Skill)

Level: 1 (SP: 0/20)

➥ The user fires a projectile that deals Light-attribute magical damage on a single enemy and binds it into place for a short duration. At every 4 level intervals, debuff duration increases by 0.5 seconds to a maximum of 2.5 seconds.

Mana cost: 60

Cooldown: 1 Minute 30 Seconds ]

So as seen here, the early skills of a Cleric is a mixture of defense, magical, and physical attack. However, with large mana costs and low damages, this disqualifies Cleric from dealing any significant damages for a long period of time unlike sorcerers.

Meanwhile, if they wanted to be a tank or bruiser, Warriors would be far more useful than them as again, clerics would be reliant on the effects of their skills rather than their natural stats.

This was why in conclusion, Clerics were avoided by the players even if they knew that these classes would be indispensable in the future.

As for the issue with the available skills, all of the classes have free to learn skills but are only limited to five or so. There are however, more skills related to their classes but are locked due to not having met the level requirement.

Then, there are also available skills which are strong and doesn't have a level requirement, but would be needing currency to buy it, just like the skills from Master Assassin Valaeze's store.