Ashes of the Fallen

Out were the minor low-level creatures, and in were the higher level ones. Now, we had creatures in the level fifties up through seventy-five or so. My guess, was if we kept at this pace, even stronger beasts might appear.

We weren't ready for that yet... but in time.

In time, a lot of things change.

"Soren, you're the lead here," I stated as I pointed to the shortest man in the group. He wasn't a physical specimen by a long shot, a perfectly normal looking man by all accounts really. What he lacked in physical ability though, was made up with a strong personality and a good head.

He was essentially the number two behind Astrid.

"I won't disappoint Sir," he exclaimed loudly. "Gather up, there's a pack of goblins over yonder, we'll start from the center and work our way to the flanks. Get ready!"

Standing back, I watched with arms folded as the group of five casters lined up and began to cast. The group of [Wild Goblins] weren't anything to worry about, really. All I cared about was their coordination.

A few more levels and they would be split up again to begin their new training regime. Group simulation with a mixture of warriors, mages, and a priest all in one party. If they were successful, then they would be allowed to hunt on their own.

Once that stage was reached, I could return to focusing on myself.

I couldn't afford to stagnate.

The game, was always evolving.

Players, were always progressing.

I needed to stay ahead of the game no matter the cost.

Three waves of spells later and the goblins had all been killed. Their corpses looted, we continued on our way. Every day for four hours, we repeated the process.

At night, I worked by myself, with Katherine's assistance from time to time.

She taught me Holy Magic, the same as she taught every caster in our employment. Four dedicated healers along with ten dual-magic users that all knew how to cast a heal at the very minimum. If a situation called it for it, someone would be able to throw a [Holy Light] out.

If it ever came down to it again, requiring a heal only a few seconds away in order to save a life… there better be somebody nearby and ready to cast. And if I had to be that person, so be it. There was no shame in saving a part of my mana bar for an emergency heal. Whatever it took to save lives, even if they were Artificial lives.

Yeah, I had branched out once again.

I was a true hybrid at heart.

And in practice.

Chapter 71: Intruders in the Night

(Sunday, November 7th Game Day / Wednesday, April 14th Real Day)

Another day, another night spent in the cabin staring out the window. A cloudless night with a nearly full moon. I think, it was called a waxing gibbous, or something like that. Whether that was right or wrong didn't change the fact that it was a bright night out. Though in contrast to the beautiful night, a certain feeling had been nagging at me.

"Ah," I muttered while rolling over in bed.

"Mm…" mumbled Katherine in response, fast asleep.

I had been sleeping in-game almost exclusively now; wasn't entirely sure why but it was comfortable enough. Maybe it was the comfort of having a body near, even if I knew that the body was nothing more than coding.

It certainly beat the empty bed waiting for me in my real room.

Virtual Reality, was dangerously addicting.

That nagging feeling had been bothering me and I couldn't sleep because of it. There was a half-naked beauty asleep with arms wide open, enough space for me to fill… yet as inviting as that was, I rolled to the edge of the bed.

Sitting up with hands on my knees, I couldn't shake the eerie feeling.

Opening my menus and navigating through the [Land Management] tab, there was a specific tab that I was looking for. With a click on the menu displayed out in front of me, the [Player Population] tab was the one I had been almost psychotically stalking.

There were no alerts if an enemy player entered your territory unless an NPC spotted them and told you themselves. That was how the system worked, and was how it was intended. A loophole though, existed in the [Lang Management] > [Player Population] tab.

It updated with statistics, in real time.

If someone stepped foot within my territory, which was ten miles out now due to my Reputation, it would show immediately on the player population page. The current population, should always be a single number, one.

One player.

Me.

Tonight, that number was six.

Bingo.

I knew what was bothering me now. My sixth-sense was especially on point today. It wasn't long after night had fallen in-game, only 12:45 AM local time. There was a good chance that they were players, elves, looking to explore.