"Goal?"
I was asked that again for who knows how long. If you had asked me back then, I would have said something like wanting to be an astronaut, a physicist, or something cool that would bring me closer to the meaning of everything.
In short, I wanted to be at the pinnacle of life, to be relied upon, to be awed upon, and to know everything—Like I was some advanced creature. Everyone would have a dream like this at least once in their life.
"To survive, I think."
That's what I have said, and I think most of us could say the same. To get by and to be able to taste the small pleasures in life. A sort of idyllic fulfillment.
"Then, why do you play that game so much?"
I was at a loss for words.
Why?
Why did I put my heart and soul into this game, which doesn't even bring any tangible benefit to my life and body?
That's right.
This game was an escape, a way to funnel my suppressed childish desire.
The desire to be the world's best and to stand atop, whatever that is.
That was why, out of all 100 million players. I crawled my way to the 7th place.
I wanted to reach the pinnacle of life, even if I can only do so in a game.
That was I, Fran Asroth, who had captured over a thousand fragments.
<<----------->>
[Goblin Slayer Lv. 1 (C) Obtained]
[Base (Strength: 10%)][Passive]
[Gain a (Strength 10%) whenever fighting a (Goblin).]
[Requirement: Kill three goblins in 5 seconds]
[Level Up -> Fran Asroth ✦ Lvl. 2]
[Strength - 1 (54% + 26%)] [Agility - 2 (72% + 11%)] [Intelligence - 2 (47% + 9%)] [Endurance - 1 (16% + 33 %) [Stamina - 1 (42% + 21%)]
As Axy announced that, the chest of the now lifeless green creature slid from the blade—falling to the ground. Fran looked at the mission briefing to see his progress.
[Fragment KLO-47, Seed: 23721095432]
[Stage 1 - Barrett Village Outskirts]
[Kill Goblins 17/20]
He looked around in the luscious, vibrant forest, and the stench of blood still permeated the air. Confirming that the area was clear, he took a deep breath and sat down on the ground.
"Having my Stamina still at 1 is a problem..." He panted
Fran had mostly breezed through the Goblins using his superior agility and hitting them at their weak point before they could retaliate.
"And to think the first stage is a forest, I'm quite lucky."
Each cradle has different stages and is not always the same. Naturally, this means sometimes the area or monsters in a stage are different. However, if you're in a cradle that's already quite developed, usually the first 3 stages are already mapped and have full detail on the mission and all information about the monsters.
Rustle
"..!"
With no moment's hesitation, Fran stood up and lunged at the sound. Slowly, a goblin became visible, seemingly unaware of Fran's presence.
Pierce. Fwoom.
As the edge of his sword reached the clueless creature, a shockwave was formed, disintegrating what was previously a two-legged creature. Shortly, streaks of white glittery mist emanated from where it was previously, scattering within the air, with some floating towards Fran.
[A meagre amount of EXP has been absorbed]
[Vulnerable Strike Duration Ended]
"That's a total of 2 Strength, huh... the recoil on this is quite massive than I thought, I need to use this strategically."
Fran knew that his skill, which, aside from revealing a target's weak spot, amplified his strength by 50% in the form of a shockwave. In fact, skills are very ambiguous in the first place as to how they're phrased. When Fran was just starting out playing this game back then, he had to experiment with how to effectively use them and made a better description of it in his mind.
<<----------->>
[Congratulations on Clearing Stage 1 - Barrett Village Outskirts]
[Cradle resources have been credited]
[First Clear Bonus]
[Attribute Stone (Random) x1]
[A great amount of EXP has been awarded]
[Clear Bonus]
[A small amount of EXP has been awarded]
"Still far from enough to make it to Level 3, huh...?"
If there was one thing that Fran hated about the game, it had to be the fact that there was no way to tell when you would level up. As the status screen or the assistant knows exactly how much is needed to go to the next level. However, Fran knew one thing for sure—it was roughly three to four times the amount needed compared to the previous one, though there were times when this wasn't always the case.
[Notification]
[Resident (Fran Asroth ✦) has cleared Stage 1]
[Reward?]
[Y/N]
"Is this a bug...?"
[No, since there weren't players who were Kings before, they weren't stupid enough to fight and capture fragments :\ ]
"Haha, well, don't mind if I reward myself then."
Fran laughed at the situation, while it's true that he was being reckless, he knew this game like the back of his hand. Even if there were times when he still had to adapt due to him doing this for the first time personally, he had the knowledge.
[Calculating Rewards...]
[Congratulations (Fran Asroth ✦), the Cradle has gifted you the following:]
[Weapon Enhance Stone x3]
[Training Stone (Select) x1]
[A moderate amount of EXP has been awarded]
"Usually, I'd never be rewarded for clearing Stage 1 though..."
[Notification]
[Resident (Fran Asroth ✦) has been awarded]
[Awarding Cooldown: 6 days, 23 hours, and 59 minutes.]
"So that's why..."
As if answering his question, the notification popped up. Admittedly, even Fran never knew the game to this extent. There was never information about the Kings, and even if there was, it would only be appearances and short speeches, which never really provide any useful information.
"In any case, I'll now start on exploring the facilities."
[Return to Cradle EVO-C1191 ?]
[Y/N]
"Well, the others should still be in the tutorial right about now. I should head back while I can."
Fran would be caught in the act if he went out late, since that would mean that he did not go through the tutorial the same as the others.
The day was still long, and Fran's day had just begun.