NOVEL ONLINE FREE Chapter 160: Ghosts and Skills
Stephen looks at Alex, his expression blank, like he's in a daze.
"..."
"..."
"..."
Alex stares at Stephen's face, waiting for him to say something. Finally, he breaks the silence: "Your jokes are getting worse and worse. Seriously, stop this bullshit and tell me what's going on!"
"Hello!!! Realm to Stephen, is someone in there?" Alex says, knocking on Stephen's head for emphasis.
"Wow! Ouch! Sorry about that!" Stephen replies, snapping back to reality. "You see… we all thought the maximum time you could be on a mission was just a few days. You were gone for seven days, so everyone assumed you messed up and died. Especially since Eirini and Patricia—who were believed to be the only two survivors—managed to come back in less than a day. You must've been in there for weeks… no, months, right? Nobody thought such long-term missions were even possible, at least not in the tutorial section!"
"So that's why you're all staring at me? Because you think I'm dead? And by the way, the ghost joke? Not funny. There might actually be real ghosts somewhere out there, and personally, I hate them. I hope I never encounter one myself," Alex snaps back, clearly unimpressed.
Alex chats with Stephen for a while, catching up on rumors and recent events in the Realm. As the two of them talk, more and more people gather around, curious to confirm that Alex is indeed not a ghost. Soon, word spreads throughout the busy Realm: Alex's mission simply took longer than usual, and he's very much alive.
Alex sighs. "This is so stupid. Whoever started the ghost rumor, I swear I'll get them. And Eirini and Patricia should've told everyone I was fine."
"They didn't say anything, probably because they didn't want to reveal anything about you. My guess? You must've gotten another monster rating if your mission took that long, right?"
"I'll tell you later, but yeah… honestly, I can't complain," Alex replies, keeping the details to himself.
"Anyway, Stephen, I'll catch up with you later. I've got a lot, and I mean a lot, of things to do. You're level 4 now too, right? Please be careful on your next mission, and make sure to talk to me before you leave," Alex says, standing up and waving at Stephen as he heads off.
Alex makes his way toward the Skill Hub, mentally preparing himself for what's to come—and what it's going to do to his enormous stack of FC.
By now, Alex has become quite famous in the Realm and no longer feels the need to hide his strength. Confidently, he walks to one of the upgrade chambers, not bothering to conceal his presence.
Thankfully, Alex thinks, I've saved and collected quite a few Soul Crystals, and my stack of FC is at a staggering 222,000. Almost unbelievable at this point. Of course, most of it wasn't earned through mission completions, missions, even with the highest rating, only give me 20,000 FC. No, this fortune came from other methods.
Extorting, trading, and scamming reign supreme. The last world was so incredibly difficult that Alex managed to take some of the other players for all they had. It was a huge windfall, Alex realizes, and maybe obtaining the dreaded [285th Hunter Exam Application] wasn't such a curse after all—it might've been a huge blessing in disguise!
"Now, let's see… upgrade… EVERYTHING. Start with the basic skills!"
Basic Close Combat Prowess lvl 3, Basic Footwork lvl 3, Basic Endurance lvl 3, Basic Long-Range Combat Prowess lvl 3, Basic Eloquence lvl 3, Basic Concentration lvl 3, Basic Meditation lvl 3, Basic Mana Control lvl 3
Alex spends 1,500 FC to upgrade each basic skill to level 4, paying a total of 12,000 FC.
Pistol Proficiency lvl 3 costs him 3,500 FC, Black Magic lvl 3 a whopping 6,000 FC, and Alexandrian Royal Swordsmanship lvl 3 costs 3,000 FC and 1 Soul Crystal.
The most expensive skill to level is Alex's new Innate Skill: Nen Prodigy lvl 3. It costs him not only 7,000 FC but also 2 Soul Crystals.
Since Soul Crystals are worth around 20,000 to 25,000 FC depending on demand, this single skill upgrade costs Alex the equivalent of 57,000 FC. On the bright side, Nen Prodigy lvl 3 is Alex's absolute ace. It encompasses his Basic Nen lvl 3 and Advanced Nen lvl 3, along with his Genius Conjurer lvl 3 abilities and all associated Conjuration techniques. This even includes Mustrano's unique abilities, such as Poison Resistance lvl 3 and Claw Proficiency lvl 3.
It takes Alex several hours to upgrade all these skills. In total, he spends 31,500 FC and 3 Soul Crystals, an amount that would take an average player three to four missions to accumulate.
Still, Alex feels the investment is worth it. Skills are more important than any piece of equipment, he reasons, and they'll stick with me for a long time. To Alex, some of his skills are as much a part of him as his arms and legs.
The only debate he has is whether to upgrade Pistol Proficiency. The skill had been nearly useless against a Nen Master like Darius, whose Nen abilities negated most attacks of that kind. Any character with high enough Nen mastery is barely hurt by bullets, Alex thinks. Still, he reasons that his last world was particularly unfavorable for weapon users and decides to upgrade the skill, unwilling to abandon his only real long-ranged option.
Thanks to all these upgrades, Alex gains significant additional HP, MP, and even AURA. Basic Nen lvl 4, Basic Endurance lvl 4, and Basic Mana Control lvl 4 each increase his total resources by 5% per level, giving him a noticeable boost, along with his increased stats.
Leaving the Skill Hub with a smile, Alex feels satisfied. For now, he decides to leave the Realm, remembering that he's been absent from the real world for over a week.
Of course, numerous people watch him in awe as he exits the Hub. The rarer and more expensive a skill, the longer the upgrade process takes. Since Alex upgraded so many skills—some of extremely high rarity—it had taken him several hours to complete.
Alex's reputation inside this particular tutorial Realm is already sky-high. His PvP mission in the Purge World, his encounter with the Goblin Merchant, and his exceptionally long mission duration have made his name almost legendary.
Honestly, this reputation could cause problems in the main Realm, Alex thinks, but since I can't do anything about it, I might as well forget about it for now.
Anyway, I should leave the Realm. I want to sell my items and check out the market, but first, I need to check on my family and see if everything is fine in my penthouse. Let's call the two knife enthusiasts and meet up. Maybe Menchi can leave the Realm with me? It's worth finding out, Alex decides.
Alex contacts Tereza and Menchi, and they agree to meet up outside Alex's room.
"Already done with your upgrades?" Tereza asks, standing beside Menchi.
"Yeah, it took long enough… Also, I found out that everyone thought I was dead! I was treated like a damn ghost! You should've told me!" Alex complains.
"Oh, come on. People just didn't know missions could take this long. I was scared too, you know… Anyway, why did you call us? Are you planning to leave the Realm for a while? Oh, and tell me your address! I want to visit," Tereza says.
"How can you 'visit'? Are you planning to take the long drive to Germany?" Alex responds, rolling his eyes. He adds, "Come to think of it, I visited Prague with my parents a couple of years ago. It only took about 8 hours to drive there. You're living in Prague, right? I might be interested in taking another trip there. It's a nice city—way better than Paris or London, I'd say."
"It's maybe nice for tourists, but this city holds a lot of… bad memories for me," Tereza admits. "Anyway, I'm already in Germany. I was waiting for you and just decided to move there. Thanks to Rishi, I'm rich now and can afford a nice hotel. Give me your address—you bragged about your penthouse, and you sure as hell have a room for me too!" she demands.
Alex frowns. "I've got the feeling something's wrong here. Remember, I have your contract in my inventory. Why are you acting like the boss?"
"You shouldn't use that contract to win arguments, Alex, that's very unmanly," Tereza shoots back, clearly unimpressed, putting her palm on Alex's chest.
Before Alex can retort, Menchi chimes in: "Do I have to stay in this little room while you leave? I've learned quite a bit about the Realm from Tereza, but I want to see the so-called 'real world' as well."
Alex hesitates. "1337, can supporters leave the Realm? I mean, if a famous character suddenly appears, that'd cause chaos, right?" he wonders, feeling unsure. Menchi isn't super popular, but she's definitely well-known enough that some people might recognize her.
[Supporters will have their looks changed slightly, and the Realm will make them unrecognizable. As long as you leave the Realm, supporters are allowed to follow you. However, they cannot stay outside the Realm if you are not present. They also need to stay within your general vicinity.]
"I guess… let's leave then," Alex says, sighing in resignation. Then, turning to Tereza, he adds, "My new address is…" Alex tells her his address. "Can you use Google or grab a taxi to get there? You speak some German, at least, so you should be fine, right?"
"I'll see you in a couple of hours!" Tereza says with a big smile, then heads toward her own room to prepare to leave the Realm.
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