Chapter 2 - Sherlock’s Request
To accommodate the majority of players, God's Domain could be played while sleeping. Also, the time within the game was different than in reality, where two hours within the game was equal to one hour in reality.
Each day within the game was made up of forty-eight hours, consisting of thirty hours daytime and eighteen hours of night.
Not only that, to allow the bulk of working class people to enjoy the game, nighttime, in reality, was daytime in the game.
Shi Feng passed through a multicolored tunnel as soon as he arrived in God's Domain, arriving at a solemn. golden temple.
A female angel with four pairs of wings flew towards Shi Feng. She was only about palm sized.
"Hello Adventurer, welcome to God's Domain. I am the Navigation Angel, Gabriel. I will be introducing to you the four main categories and twelve main jobs. Please choose the job that you like most."
With a wave of Gabriel's small hand, an illustration introducing the twelve main jobs appeared in front of Shi Feng.
These twelve jobs were categorized into four main classes.
Warrior: Shield Warrior, Guardian Knight, Berserker.
Weapons Specialist: Swordsman, Assassin, Ranger.
Healer: Cleric, Druid, Oracle.
Mage: Elementalist, Summoner, Cursemancer.
Warriors specialized in defending against monsters; weapons specialists focused on physical damage output; healers focused on healing; mages focused on magical damage output. Every job had their own style of battle, which was one of the main selling points of God's Domain.
In his previous life, Shi Feng picked the Swordsman under Weapon Specialists and he was even known as the Sword Magician.
Shi Feng had already invested too much in the Swordsman job, so naturally, he would not choose any other job. He chose the Swordsman class he was familiar with without hesitation.
"Job selection complete. Please designate a name for your character."
"Ye Feng."
Shi Feng chose the same name he had in his previous life.
"Naming successful. Do you wish to adjust your appearance? Adjustment rate limited to 15%."
Thinking about it for awhile, Shi Feng chose to adjust his character's appearance by 15% as to not stand out. With this, nobody could recognize Shi Feng if they saw his character, though it wasn't as handsome as the original.
"Please select a birthplace in the Star-Moon Kingdom."
A map that displayed tens of cities belonging to the Star-Moon Kingdom appeared in front of Shi Feng.
The opening of God's Domain was globally synchronized. To accommodate for the hundreds of millions of players, the lands of God's Domain were incredibly vast, measuring up to two or three times of Earth, and the kingdoms within were even more plentiful. However, a player's living area and city, in reality, determined the country they would start in, so players could only choose the cities within the country.
"White River City."
Shi Feng did not plan to choose any other cities, so he chose the White River City that he was most familiar with.
White River City was Star-Moon Kingdom's fifth ranked city. It was an important city in the north of Star-Moon Kingdom There were quite a few Workshops that chose to develop there to avoid the struggles between large Guilds.
"City confirmed. Player will arrive in Red Leaf Town of White River City in three seconds. We wish you happy gaming."
The sight before Shi Feng immediately blurred as he was sent away.
Red Leaf Town, the buildings that were chaotically arranged there had a similar style to the medieval ages. NPCs filled the bustling streets, making them feel as if it was another world.
Shi Feng arrived at the front of a church, his new appearance resembling a penniless Swordsman. He currently wore a gray Novice Leather Armor and on his waist hung a Novice Sword.
"I still ended up in Red Leaf Town, in the end." Shi Feng smiled faintly as he looked at the familiar sight of the small town, confidence welling up within him.
At that moment, many players had started wandering around the town, speaking to NPCs in hopes of obtaining a trail for a Quest. There were also quite a few players that went out of the village, going out to the wilderness to kill monsters. Every one of them was carrying out their tasks as if their lives depended on it and they couldn't help but wish they could split their time in two.
Shi Feng didn't pay attention to the other players. With a slight wave and touch of his finger, a player's Attribute Panel appeared before him.
Character: Ye Feng (Human)
Affiliated Kingdom: Star-Moon
Title: None
Job: Swordsman
Level: 0
HP: 100/100
Physical Attack Power: 13
Defense: 4
Attack Speed: 3
Movement Speed: 4
Attributes: Strength 5, Agility 3, Endurance 4, Intelligence 2, Vitality 2.
Free Attribute Points: 4
Weapon Mastery:
One-handed Sword Mastery +5 (Apprentice Rank - Increases One-handed Sword Damage by 5%)
Two-handed Sword Mastery + 5 (Apprentice Rank - Increases Two-handed Sword Damage by 5%)
Free Mastery Points: 0
Job Talent:
Swordsman Talent 1: Sword-related Mastery +5
Swordsman Talent 2: Obtain 8 Free Mastery Points every 5 Levels.
Swordsman Talent 3: Sword-related skills proficiency increased by 50%.
Skills:
Chop. Active skill. Requirement: Sword. Additional 8 points of damage. Cooldown: 5 seconds. Skill Level: 1 (Proficiency 0/300)
Equipment:
[Swordsman's Leather Shirt] (Gray Trash)
Level 0
Defense +2
Durability 10/10
[Novice Sword] (Gray Trash, One-handed Sword)
Level 0
Equipment Requirement: Strength 3
Attack Power +3
Durability 15/15
Inside his bag, there were ten pieces of Bread and ten pouches of Water. Eating the Bread would recover 10 HP per second while drinking Water will recover 10 MP per second, and both effects lasted ten seconds.
Every Swordsman started with the same Attributes, the only difference being the allocation of the Free Attribute Points.
Each player could obtain 4 Free Attribute Points with each increase in Level. With each rise in Level, the different ways players used these points would result in their own unique style.
Strength increases Physical Attack Power and the weight behind each attack. Agility increases Attack Speed and Movement Speed. Endurance increases maximum HP and stamina. Intelligence increases Magical Attack Power and maximum MP and Vitality increases the recovery rate of MP and HP. Every Job places emphasis on different Attributes.
As Swordsmen belonged to the physical damage Jobs, most people would prioritize Strength. In his previous life, Shi Feng also made such a choice, adding 2 points to Strength, one point to Endurance, and one point to Agility for every Level. It was a very ordinary and commonplace choice.
However, Shi Feng did not plan to do so in this life.
Without hesitation, Shi Feng clicked on the plus sign (+) for Agility, placing all 4 Free Attribute Points into it. Shi Feng's Agility increased to 7 points; his Attack Speed changing to 4 and Movement Speed to 4.
This method of point allocation was something not even Assassins, who were widely known for their high Agility, would do. They would prioritize Strength first, as more damage meant an easier time leveling up.
Unfortunately, Shi Feng didn't think that way.
For melee Jobs, Agility was the best choice at the early stages of God's Domain. This was kept a secret, only being discovered several weeks after God's Domain's opening. When it was finally made known, countless melee players couldn't help but hammer their chests in regret.
After adding the Attribute Points, Shi Feng took a look at his surroundings.
Only a while had passed before another large group of players were sent here. Green rhombus-like symbols belonging to players filled the air of the central plaza, blocking out the yellow symbols belonging to NPCs. Such a situation made looking for an NPC an even greater challenge.
Di! Di! Di!
Shi Feng's voice communication rang, the caller's name showing Black Cloud. It was Blackie calling.
"Brother Feng, I chose Cursemancer and was sent to Falling Moon Town. Where are you?" Now that he had entered God's Domain, Blackie was extremely excited, itching to start his journey quickly.
"I'm in Red Leaf Town, not that far from Falling Moon Town. I'll help you level up, so come to Red Leaf Town." Shi Feng said.
"Brother Feng, you must be crazy. Do you know how far Falling Moon Town is from Red Leaf Village? The Map says that it'll take me seven hours to get there. I'll fall behind all the other players by a lot if I go there. We should just level up on our own and meet up at White River City after reaching Level 10." Blackie nearly coughed out blood in anger. Earning 16,000 Credits in ten days was already madness. Instead of frantically leveling up after entering God's Domain, he was asked to waste seven hours? He wasn't going to do that, even if he was beaten to death.
"Don't worry. You should just come over. You'll get back the time you waste very quickly." Shi Feng said dully.
When Blackie heard Shi Feng's confident tone, he asked excitedly, "Brother Feng, could it be that you have a Beta Tester's information?"
God's Domain had invited quite a few people to test the game before it opened and these people were called Beta Testers. These Beta Testers could get ahold of first-hand information for God's Domain and, although changes would be made to the game, the Beta Testers would most definitely know more than regular players.
"What do you think? Just hurry over here." Shi Feng answered in a mysterious tone, laughing.
Hearing Shi Feng's words, Blackie knew Shi Feng had reliable information, and he couldn't help but get excited, saying, "Ok, wait for me Brother Feng; I'll go there right this instant."
Ending Blackie's call, Shi Feng walked towards a small dark alley of the town.
There were hundreds of NPCs in Red Leaf Town. However, NPCs that gave Quests only numbered in the tens, while Hidden Quests numbered five, and Unique Quests numbered only one. A unique Quest would no longer be available once completed by a player.
The Unique Quest in Red Leaf Town was only discovered two months after God's Domain's opening and it had caused a sensation throughout the entire White River City the last time. As the Quest was unique, the lucky player revealed the method to obtain it, earning the envy of many players. Unfortunately for them, the Quest was no longer available, even if they wanted to do it.
Of course, Shi Feng wouldn't let this Unique Quest go in this life.
Shi Feng arrived at the dark alley filled with beggars in tattered clothing. The beggars were like wolves discovering fresh meat when they saw Shi Feng walking over, quickly surrounding him as they begged for food.
There was once a player who had given these beggars a lot of food. These beggars would ask for items after having their fill and they would ask for more expensive items after each time. The player had agreed to all their requests, consecutively fulfilling more than ten of their wishes. Unfortunately, the beggars gave absolutely nothing in return, causing the player to nearly pop a vein, becoming a joke for others.
"Get lost!"
Shi Feng yelled as he pulled out his Novice Sword, causing the powerless beggars to quickly hide away.
Shi Feng walked to a corner after the beggars dispersed; a vagrant middle-aged man was lying there. There wasn't much of a difference between the man and the other beggars but if there were one, it would be the man's unyielding integrity, as he was the only one not begging for food.
"Do you need any help, Sir?" Shi Feng formally asked the man.
"Can you give me some food? It's been five days since I've last eaten," the male beggar responded.
Shi Feng smiled faintly, seriously saying: "Unfortunately Sir, I cannot agree to your wish."
A normal person would probably spew blood out in anger if they heard such a reply. However, this beggar merely let out a sigh, no longer saying a word.
"However, if you are willing to pay an appropriate price, I can give you the food you need." Shi Feng said.
The beggar lifted his head and looked at Shi Feng, his eyes carrying a hint of anticipation as he said, "If I had the money, I would definitely be willing to pay this cost, but right now I have nothing. Although, if you are willing to help me, I will pay you a sufficient price. Are you willing to help me?"
"May I ask what you want me to do?" Shi Feng questioned.
The beggar said seriously, "Please help me kill the Mayor of Red Leaf Town, Cross."
Even though Red Leaf Town was just a small town, the Town Mayor was still a Level 15 Elite. There were also Level 25 Guards by his side. Aside from that, killing an NPC would result in being arrested. Killing the Mayor was, without a doubt, a crazy action and no player would believe this was a Quest, as this was no different than telling players to commit suicide. Nobody would agree to such a damnable request.
"Alright, I promise you." Shi Feng unhesitatingly agreed with a smile.
System: Unique Quest "Sherlock's Request" accepted.
Quest Details: Kill Cross, the Mayor of Red Leaf Town and bring the [Mayor's Insignia] back to Sherlock. Players must not exceed Level 10.
Shi Feng turned around and headed towards the Town Hall, the place where the Mayor was staying, at after receiving the Quest.
