Rise of a Tank: A LitRPG Adventure (Getting Hard Book 1), page 21
Derrick laughed. “That was what the guys used to call me back then. Fits my huge body, they told me. They just couldn’t picture me as a Derrick.”
“Oh yeah, he did say you were large in the past. I can barely remember what you looked like, so I had to check some photos.” She recounted Herald’s visit, intentionally leaving out the part where she was rude. Hopefully, Herald wouldn’t bring that up when he and Derrick eventually met.
“Man, it really has been a long time. And plenty of things changed.” Derrick narrated about Herald’s past, his father dying, their business failing because of that, and their family debts. “His family had to move to a cheaper city. And Egret wasn’t an expensive place to live in back then, so that’s saying something.”
“He seems to be doing well now,” Eclairs observed.
“That he is. We stayed in contact for maybe a couple of years after he dropped out of school and transferred out of Egret. But after that, he was too busy juggling multiple part-time jobs. Imagine my surprise years later when I found out he was the CEO of Dolly’s. There’s like a Dolly’s in most big cities in the country now.”
They chatted a bit more about Herald. Then their conversation was cut short because Derrick and the Reaching Hands had to start preparing for their feeding program for the day.
“Bye, Derrick! I’ll tell Herald you want to meet him.” After the call ended, Eclairs again checked the list of ingredients they lacked. “Oh well, I can’t really do anything about these given the market situation. Maybe I should just go for a swim before opening the store?”
“Good morning, Mr. Customer,” Eclairs said when she saw Herald Stone enter Vanguard Gaming. “How may I help you?” She grinned to show she was joking while she referenced what happened yesterday.
“Good morning, Ms. Manager,” he replied with a confident smile, showing that he understood the joke, which was a relief. Some customers didn’t have any sense of humor.
After learning from Derrick that this Herald guy turned out to be very rich, Eclairs predicted he’d eventually return to buy premium currency. He seemed the kind of guy who’d become a massive whale, a megalodon, probably.
Who knows? He might become their biggest customer of MCO’s premium currency. And she wouldn’t have any conflicted feelings about it.
Whenever a kid wanted to buy premium currency from her store, she’d vehemently try to convince them out of it. They were probably using the allowance their parents gave them, and they wouldn’t know how to use the currency they bought effectively.
Out of politeness, she didn’t immediately try to sell Herald premium currency. She told him about her call with Derrick and that her cousin was excited to meet him when he returned to the country.
“I look forward to seeing him,” Herald said. “I owe him a lot.”
Next, Eclairs shifted the conversation to MCO, first asking about how the AU-VR Helm he bought was performing—it was their most expensive one. She followed it up by talking about the game itself. He shared his first day, and he seemed really happy about it.
“Oh, you chose a human and headed to the Kishin Mountains?” she asked. Human? Figures.
A middle-aged man probably trying to recapture his childhood playing the old RPGs. Of course, he’d choose human. But it was an interesting choice to go to the War Shrines of Kishin.
“Yep, on my way there.”
“Are you going for a Battle Monk Ocadule? I can’t recall what those are called. Like, Iron Fist, Flaming Fist…” All sorts of fisting, she wanted to add, but thankfully caught herself before anything inappropriate left her lips.
“Yes, I just find it fascinating to fight with fists,” Herald replied, “instead of the usual swords, axes, and bows.”
He might not be so generic after all, she thought. They talked for a few minutes about the Unarmed State, which was required for a specific type of Kishin Monk Ocadule. It didn’t allow any weapon, including the usual knuckles or war claws.
Then he asked her a weird question. “Ms. Manager, you seem to know a lot about a game. I was wondering about something. What do you think of the viability of equipping two shields? Dual-wielding shields?”
CHAPTER
TWENTY-NINE
“Dual-wielding shields?” I asked Eclairs.
I didn’t want to admit I chose Mardukryon. Her reaction to that was something I couldn’t predict.
Perhaps she’d be delighted I was playing something not-so-popular these days. Or she might judge me for making—to her eyes—a pretty poor choice. My reasoning for picking the Mardukryon race wasn’t exactly easy to explain to others.
And thus, I pretended to have selected one of the more popular builds with an Unarmed State and snuck in my question. I researched it during my business meeting earlier and wanted to hear opinions from players.
“Shields?” Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. “But Kishin monks don’t use shields? Unless there’s some change in the meta. What I know is that the Kishin monks using fist builds use Ocadules that trade weapon slots for more rings or amulets slots. Some crafter classes also do it—the bakers, for example—because any weapon available for them usually sucks so bad.”
“Perhaps there’s a Kishin monk build that uses shields?”
“Not as far as I know. The Kishin monks with kick-based builds do go for stuff to hold. Like scrolls, tomes, maybe orbs? I think some hold statues.” She raised her hands apologetically. “By the way, I’m not saying you shouldn’t do it. MCO is about freedom. You do you.”
“Is that so? Thank you for the information, Ms. Manager,” I said with a slight snort so she’d know I was keeping up the joke by calling her that. “I’ve tried other characters, but none that required an Unarmed State. I was wondering if they’ll be fragile and I’ll need more survivability, since I’m also casually playing on my own and don’t have a steady party. “
“Don’t worry, Mr. Customer. Monks have plenty of defensive skills. They don’t need shields. But as I said, you do you. Don’t let me discourage you if you want to play a certain way. Like, if you’re that keen on dual-wielding shields, I think it might be better to use a great shield instead.”
“A great shield?” My ears tingled at that.
“You know, those two-handed big-ass shields—whoops, sorry for my language. I’m trying to be professional here since I’m the manager, but my crass side tends to show when talking about games.”
“I don’t mind, Ms. Manager.” I hadn’t encountered a two-handed shield in RPGs, only two-handed weapons like swords and axes. I’d seen a game with dual-wielding shields, but Nornyr Online didn’t have a feature like that. Imagine my delight in finding out it was possible in Mother Core Online. “But why do you say a great shield is better than two smaller ones?”
“There are certain defensive attributes of shields that don’t stack—I mean add, you know, like merge,” she hastily clarified herself, probably unsure if I knew what she meant by stack. She continued, “Take Block Chance. If you equip two shields, their Block Chances don’t add together. Otherwise, it’ll probably go past a hundred percent for the high-level shields. Those kinds of stuff. Personally, be it in a game or real life, I don’t want to pay for an item with parts I don’t use.”
“So, that’s why you say I should go for one… What was the term you used? Big-ass?” I gave her an obligatory fake laugh as I filed away her advice. “One big-ass shield instead of two.”
Eclairs might not be an expert in tank builds, but her advice was sound and in line with how I valued things, whether in-game or in real life. That was the main reason I couldn’t decide between [Fiery War Stomp] and [Cleansing Flames] as my second Cidule skill—I couldn’t use their full value.
“Anyway, what brings you here today, sir?” She emphasized that last word to end our random conversation about MCO.
Indeed, it had gone on for too long. I got too caught up, enjoying the opportunity to discuss a game I played with another player; something I hadn’t had the chance to do for the past decade and a half. I was too absorbed thinking about MCO, that I was even distracted from Eclair’s abyssal eyes from the void—would it be impolite to ask her if she wore decorative contact lenses?
Better not. She might already think I was trying to hit on her—something she certainly experienced plenty of times given her attractiveness—with how long we chatted about random matters despite having only met once before.
“I want to buy a foam neck brace for the helm,” I said, massaging the nape of my neck. “I think I have a stiff neck from using it.” I only noticed the pain in the car, and I recalled Vanguard Gaming was selling an item that looked like a neck pillow.
“Oh, that usually happens if you lay your head on something high. Like, maybe you’re used to having lots of pillows when you sleep? And then you wear the helmet, your head is elevated, and your neck gets strained. Personally, I don’t use pillows when using the AU-VR Helm.”
“Ah, so that’s the problem.” I was going to buy pain relievers for my stiff neck, probably add in an ice pack, and follow Eclairs’ advice so this wouldn’t happen again. I couldn’t concentrate on work the whole day. Herald Stone, the literally stiff-necked man—sometimes, figuratively too.
“No pillows and a foam neck brace should do the trick.” She tapped on the counter, and out came a hologram for their selections. She explained each, taking samples from their backroom for me to try. Eventually, I settled on two kinds, both with the latest memory foam technology. While wrapping my purchase, she asked. “Anything else, sir? How about currency?”
“Currency?” I raised a brow.
“Premium currency for Mother Core Online.” A few more taps on a holo-keyboard and a price list appeared before me. “These are the packages we have available. We have great discounts if you buy larger amounts.”
Eclairs explained all its uses in the game, ranging from the simpler ones, like exchanging it for Artas, and buying unidentified Shards, to those that gave considerable boosts to a character’s strength, like buying limited edition equipment.
This was understandable, for how else would AU Corp. keep MCO going? I heard they underpriced their VR Helms so more people would buy them to play MCO. The company would earn back the deficit from microtransactions—those were more palatable to the average person than a substantial one-time payment for an expensive VR unit.
In some ways, this was comforting to find the same as during my teenage years. Sixteen years and nothing has changed.
“Oh, I’m not going to buy any premium currency,” I told Eclairs, politely cutting her off when she paused to breathe in the middle of her energetic sales pitch. I was resolved to stay free-to-play—do people still use this term?
Her face noticeably fell. “Why not?” She straightened some, catching that what she said might be too blunt and improper to ask a customer, and hurriedly modified her question. “I mean, our smallest package is very affordable and includes freebies for your first purchase.
“A few unidentified Shards, a beginner armor set of your choice, and various consumables. Or you can go for the starter pack and save even more money. It really helps a new character a lot for an affordable price.”
“I’m fine with having to grind more,” I said. “It’s an experience unto itself. The world of MCO is beautiful. There’s no need to rush anything.”
“If you don’t want to feel like you’re getting too strong too fast, then you can just buy accessories and skins instead,” she continued to press.
Maybe I should tell her the actual reason why I didn’t want to use any premium currency. “And I’m trying to play like I’m a kid again. I didn’t have any money to buy premium currency in the game I used to play, Nornyr Online. Boady played it too, and I know he spent a ton on it back then.”
“I heard about that. I think I remember Auntie Mikayla scolding him about something like it.”
“My allowance and anything I’d earn from chores for the neighbors was just enough to rent a unit here when this was a PC Cafe. Now, I can spend on premium currency, but I’d rather not so I can experience the game like in the past. Brings back memories.” I added in my head, and it’s also in keeping with the circumstances of Goal #1.
Eclairs had a slight smile. That was the gentlest expression I’d seen her wear. “That’s nice. Really nice, to think like that.”
Did Boady tell her about my past?
She gave me a sheepish grin and added, “But not nice for me as a seller.” She handed me the paper bag with my new foam braces. “Do tell me if ever you change your mind. Don’t buy from another place, got it? Thanks for your purchase and have a good day!”
CHAPTER
THIRTY
“This must be the place,” I said, reviewing the added details to the quest Sharulrath gave me. For each monster, a torn piece of the Golden Forest map would appear, giving me clues to where my target was located.
I was sure I’d never been in this part of the Golden Forest before—I combed through every inch of it when searching for plants or other items that could help me kill the Mirdabons. If I wasn’t mistaken about my location—Herald the Navigator was but a dream—everything to the east of Mehubanarath’s hidden base was blocked off by densely packed trees I couldn’t fit through.
After I resolved the Big M’s quest and accepted the next one, the pathway opened up, the trees receding their lush branches and gnarled roots.
“…Where the earth opens its maw,” I reread the clue. “Well, this seems like the only opening around here,” I said, nodding at a small cave entrance that descended on a steep ramp.
Looking around, other things caught my eye.
The cave was in the middle of the ruins of a settlement. There appeared to be a small building over the cave entrance in the past. Only parts of the wall remained, and one broken column. There were other traces of buildings constructed ages ago. Even a couple of broken Mardukryon statues lying on the ground.
Weird plants I had never seen before that could probably be farmed also grew in this place. And strange creatures flitted behind the trees, hiding in the shadows. From their silhouette and size, they weren’t Mirdabons.
New area, new flora, and fauna. And plenty of new things to discover.
But for now, let’s find this Craggy Crabore.
“And what do we have here?” I excitedly said as I opened the broken lid of a wooden chest. “An armor?”
(Broken) Mirdabon Fur Jacket | Item Level: 1
Common | Light Armor | Chest
15 Armor
Requires: 10 Might, 10 Vigor
“Okay, this is useless.” I sighed. “How the hell does a jacket become broken anyway?”
Broken items couldn’t be worn until they were repaired. And this armor wasn’t even worth repairing. I wasn’t certain of the cost of fixing it, but it was probably better if I sold this off to an NPC.
I couldn’t have it repaired or sold anyway because I needed to enter Kurghal Village for that. No sense risking invalidating my connection with the Big M. Hopefully, I could find better gear here.
This cave was actually a dungeon—not a prison in the usual sense, but an enclosed area with enemies in the RPG sense. Did entering the dungeon create an instance specifically for me? Or was this area open to all? Most likely, the room with the Craggy Crabore, which I still hadn’t found, would be exclusive to me. Otherwise, random players could stroll in and kill my target, ruining my quest.
From the long stretches of the cave with rough walls and unevenly shaped passageways, I could tell this formed naturally. Then Mardukryons expanded it, digging new rooms, smoothening parts of some tunnels, and carving symbols and figures on the walls. They also arranged the golden crystals growing out of the rocks to adequately light the space.
This place and the settlement above must’ve been a grand sight when Mardukryons lived here. But it had seen better days. To be more accurate, it’d seen a particularly bad day. A severe earthquake likely hit here, which was why the Mardukryons abandoned their settlement.
I passed by a couple of rooms that were wholly caved in; the doorways fit for Mardukryons turned into openings appropriate for mice.
Mice or mouses? Déjà vu?
Large boulders that had crumbled from the ceilings blocked one path. Anything the Mardukryons hadn’t evacuated had been overcome by time. The cabinets, tables, and chests were rotting, paintings and carvings barely recognizable, broken weapons and armor velveted by inch-thick dust.
And what would a dungeon be without roaming monsters?
I encountered a few [Lvl 8 Craborelings]. They scuttled through the dim corridors. Whenever I heard their echoey scratching noises, I’d swiftly find a room to hide in or even just a tiny corner where I could press myself against the wall to get out of their way.
They were pretty large, about three times the size of a Mirdabon, and took up much of the width of the tunnels when they walked with their numerous, spindly legs spread out.
They’re crabs, right? I thought the first time I saw one. Were they walking forward or did my eyes make a mistake because of the lighting?
The Craborelings sported a few tiny crystals and a large one on their backs, the same kind of crystal scattered across the Golden Forest and on the walls of this cave. That must be the “ore” part of their name. However, nothing in the word Craboreling explained the dainty, human-like hands with an excess of fingers growing from the sides of their head.
I didn’t bother them because I had no idea how strong they were, and there wasn’t much space in these cramped tunnels to flee if it turned out they had bullshit mechanics like the Mirdabons. It was a long walk back here from the cliffs if I died.
Creepy, giant crabs with human hands notwithstanding, I did enjoy exploring the tunnels.
As soon as I recognized this was a dungeon, my instincts from ages past kicked in, searching every nook and cranny, every chest and cabinet for hidden items. It was just like riding a bicycle—the skill stays with you. Although, rather than skill, I’d consider this an instinct to comb every part of this place.
