The room vanished around Liam. A movie pyed before him showing the world of aboul in all its glory.

  The flying ti Deaviny and the mainnd divided into tral piern mountains, norther, western o, and southern wastend, offered infiories and puzzles.

  But this time Liam was finally able to skip.

  A light shone on a small altar in a nephilim vilge as Liam stepped out. He stared ahead with varying plicated emotions.

  Carried to a new world he finally felt a hint of familiarity in aboul.

  Excited voice reached him. A few people were surprisingly doh the character creation already.

  “Wow is this really a game?”

  “No, it’s a virtual world. My father said it’s thousand of times more plicated than any game we know.”

  “Why did they start so suddenly? I’m gd I bought a sole early.”

  “Frank is that you? Damn, you look just like in real life!”

  A tall man looked at a short woman before him.

  “Do I know you?!”

  The short ened her eyes wide, boxing Frank’s shoulder.

  “Don’t ynize your own sister?!”

  Liam smiled at the lively se when a young man approached him.

  “Hey, bro. Did you just arrive? My name is Raadu, the Allknowing, the best information broker in all of aboul. Should I introduce the novice vilge to you?

  Only two copper s!

  Do you know how to access your money? Here, I will tell you for free. Think ‘iory’ in your head.”

  Liam watched the blond, slightly chubby man before him, not able to suppress a chuckle.

  “You’re an information broker? Didn’t you just join the game as well?”

  “What does this have to do with it? Let me tell you, my parents are part of the devs. I have a lot of insider information!”

  “Devs? Isn’t the virtual world retrieved from the A Civilization?”

  “SHHH! Don’t talk too much! Are you buying now or what?”

  “Maybe ime.”

  Raadu shook his head, but he wasn’t disced.

  “Alright. Let’s add each other as friends. Don’t fet to call me iure if you o know something.”

  “Sure.”

  A friend invite popped up before Raadu’s eyes.

  Bleary Mirage was fused for a moment as he noticed the surprise in the man’s eyes, but he quickly uood where it came from.

  After all, even such simple things like friend iook most people a few mio figure out.

  “Damn I feel like I’m talking to a peer. Let’s cooperate iure!”

  “We’ll see.”

  Raadu smiled brightly as he walked away, trying to sell his services elsewhere.

  Liam was left standing on a town square, looking at all the different pyers.

  Some immediately left for the surrounding forests. Some stayed and tried to find likeminded people. Some talked to the NPC, astonished by their incredibly lifelike behavior.

  But as Liam watched this behavior, he couldn’t help but fall into thought. He didn’t have any clear dire right now.

  He could do some quest o leveling but it didn’t bring much excitement to him.

  Let’s see… what do I want to do?

  Earn some moo secure a good life for Serena?

  Not bad, but the credit exge isn’t ope.

  Search for a challenge?

  I could do so, but I would have to make it up myself. Something along the lines of soloing a level 10 boss at level five…

  Just then a voice appeared in Liam’s head.

  [Challenge ‘Enter Fate of aboul on the first day of its unch!’ aplished.]

  [Evaluation: Rank S!]

  [Possible rewards:

  EXP boost.Choose oem with a level requirement below 20. Please choose, Pyer Liam.]

  Liam’s eyes lit up. He couldn’t deny that he was gd to receive an S-ranked evaluation this time.

  Looking at the rewards his previous reasoning didn’t ge much, directly choosing reward 3.

  [gratutions on finishing this challenge. You reward will arrive shortly.]

  [Reward information:]

  [The currency exge will open in one month at a rate of 1:20.000.]

  “One gold for twenty thousand credits?”

  Liam was surprised, even speaking out loud, before quickly suppressing his voice.

  [Yes, Pyer Liam.]

  Liam was surprised by this price. In his old life even at the beginning the rate was only 1:3000, gradually dwindling over time.

  But he soon figured it out. Taking the entire federation into ption, the popution was much rger than oh. On top of that the virtual world could grant orength in real life, making it much more important.

  At this moment a small otion nearby caught Liam’s attention.

  “Hmm? Why does my status say I have three lives?”

  “Oh, mioo.”

  “Focus on it to get more information!”

  “What?! If one dies, they only revive in the graveyard three times a day? Otherwise, they will be returo the city and lose a life?

  After losing three lives one will be banned from the game?”

  “What?! Why would the devs do this?”

  “Is this some measurement by the gover?!”

  Liam was fused to hear this as such a rule haded in his previous life. He scrolled through his status, soon freezing in pce.

  C? Why does it say I only have one life?!

  [This is a feature of [Hell] difficulty, pyer Liam.]

  Liam didn’t know how to feel but he could only accept it.

  I still have three revives from the graveyard. This shouldn’t be much of a problem for me.

  While new pyers arrived and others left, Liam closed his status, finally ready to begin pying.

  A few funny quests with good rewards came to his mind as well as some of the more challenging fights.

  Let’s begin with the novice vilge.

  Liam pushed his body through the crowd. He reached a small wooden home rown with greenery. In front of it, its owner opened a small stall selling some beginner gear.

  The pints of multiple pyers could be heard.

  “Hey, why is this sword so expensive? Wouldn’t I ge it by tomorrow the test?”

  “And look at this tunie point in defense? A single point? What is this?”

  “Mert, are y to scam us?!”

  As the new pyers cmored, the mert’s face turned more and mly.

  Liam shook his head, knowing that this was one of the plights of the nephilim.

  The mert, Zeygnar, who had settled here was a dark-skinned human inating from somewhere in the norther.

  But the nephilim didn’t have a good reputation in the world and this mert only came to make money. He didn’t like their race at all.

  Thus, if one wao get good deals from him, the pyer first o plete some quests.

  However, Fate of aboul wasn’t like ames where a bright yellow excmation mark symbolized quest givers.

  In this game almost every character could give quests. Some after only one question, others needed some sweettalking. Additionally, the hidden charisma stat also eased the process.

  However, many quests also had various requirements like a high charisma stat, a certain level, or the possession of items etc.

  The mert’s face turned ever more unsightly. But fortunately, Liam wasn’t here to deal with him.

  Just as he passed the crowd though, Zeygnar suddenly showed some movement.

  “You came to buy from me? Of course, of course. You look like a woman of character.

  Say, why don’t you help me with a little something and I will open my wares to you?”

  Liam was taken aback. So was the crowd.

  Everyoared at a young woman who just arrived. She didn’t even speak before Zeygnar warmly weled her.

  The woman was fused as well. She stared at Zeygnar but wasn’t uled by the attention on her.

  At this moment a prompt appeared in front of her eyes.

  [Bleary Mirage wants to be your friend.]

  The woman was o gaming, not suspeg anything. Thus, she accepted the friend request.

  Liam acted purely out of curiosity. He wasn’t someorying to hold others down. There was o do so.

  Thus, he sent a message to the woman.

  [Bleary Mirage: Hi! Your charisma stat must be through the roof for Zeygnar to be so enthusiastic. Quickly, accept the quest.]

  [Silver Bde: Hi. Sorry, I don’t uand. What is charisma? And how do I accept the quest?]

  [Bleary Mirage: Charisma is a hidden attribute useful when dealing with NPCs. And to accept the quest, just say yes.]

  The crowd watch as the young ened her mouth.

  “Yes.”

  “Wonderful, wonderful. Thank you. You know, retly I have spilled a health potion, dirtying my beautiful carpet. If you could bring me some rabbit fur, I would be utmost grateful.”

  [Do you wish to accept the quest ‘Rabbit fur for Zeygnar’?]

  [Yes]

  [No]

  Silver Bde naturally didn’t need further expnation, pressing [Yes.]

  A reminder fshed before her eyes for a few seds.

  [Quest: Rabbit fur for Zeygnar]

  [Collect ten ‘Fur of the red eyed rabbit’! (0/10)]

  [Hint: Red eyed rabbit often be seen near Rabbit Creek.]

  After Silver Bde read the text, it quickly vanished.