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Author’s Chapter preface
My original plan was for “Open Beta” to be Chapter 1, but as I read through it I felt that my Protagonist needed a proper introduction so I’m making Chapter 1 about introducing my primary Protagonist as well as introducing information about the Alternate Reality Simulation Realm Eternal.
I’m not fond of Over-Powered characters so don’t expect them; I find them far too easy to write and it makes the story unimaginative. Thus there’s no genius fighters or super mages here.
Part of the reason I’m introducing so much information at the beginning is to lock-in a canon in order to avoid the temptation of “Power Creep”. Also putting the SP=1 helps limit the effect an individual can have on the environment.
Everything I include will serve some sort of goal & purpose. I’m not gonna string 10 paragraphs together and call it a Chapter! So my Chapter target is set at 5000 words. Tables are a pain in the ass so I’m gonna try to simplify them.
『』= Info
《》= Attribute
『』= Skill
【】= Sub-Skill
Please bear in mind the concept of an Alternate Reality Simulation!
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Chapter 1: Homework First
Intently watching the joint press conference 27 year old 『Nabi Elrick』 is one of the many gamers from all over the world who had been waiting with abated breath for Realm Eternal. Nabi Elrick is the epitome of ordinary, average looks & athleticism he’s completely indistinguishable from the masses of people in the cities of the world. Other than the fact that Nabi Elrick is of mixed race with a Scottish Father and a Black South African mother Nabi Elrick doesn’t stand out.
Nabi Elrick had been in an epic slump as of late; a Deep depression brought on by Events from 25 days earlier, but the press conference related to Realm Eternal roused him from his melancholic abyss.
Nabi Elrick Carefully noted the key points and then hurried to the website to check out the details.
『And on the web site』:
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『Atlantis』:
Atlantis is essentially a result of the success of the 10 videos detailing the background story to Realm Eternal. The success of the videos lead to them being broadcast as a regular TV series on public channels all over the world, and this peaked the interest of large financial enterprises and financiers. The Phoenix Consortium gained a number of partnerships from the Banking & Financial sector.
The Phoenix Consortium Developed Atlantis using a free Access Model that uses Realm Eternal currency. Banks could build an Atlantis Branch with links to Real World bank accounts. Hoteliers could establish Hotels in Atlantis. The same applies to restaurateurs, fast food chains, spas and other entertainment facilities.
With the influx of cash the Phoenix Consortium received over $400Million in Funding to Develop Atlantis; thus purchasing 2 【AIVRE】 systems exclusively committed to Atlantis. The Paradise City of Atlantis is an Ultra-Modern Futuristic City complete with Flying Spheres that transports an individual anywhere in the City for a modest fee of 5 Copper Coins.
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Nabi Elrick Carefully used the website to register as a Beta tester which allowed him to order his Phoenix Consortium sponsored REM-Sleep Pod at $1500. Nabi Elrick checked out the details of the Open Beta and that’s when he noticed a special business offer to professional gamers taking part in Beta testing of the Alternate Reality Simulation Realm Eternal.
Nabi Elrick understood from the website that the Phoenix Consortium planned to make money through the Item mall and money going into Realm Eternal. Items have an automatic lock that can only be unlocked by auctioning the items at the Item mall for Real World Money (RWM). The Item Mall charges a 10% handling fee on all transactions.
The Phoenix Consortium set a fixed currency exchange of Real World Money to Realm Eternal money at 5 Copper Coins = $1 and RWM can only go into Realm Eternal and not the reverse. The Phoenix Consortium acted as a Reserve bank in this regard by being able to print new money.
The Phoenix Consortium made it clear that because of the rules governing the Realm Eternal simulation they won’t be able to print new Items to be sold at the Item Mall and that Items the Phoenix Consortium put for Auction on the Item Mall would be bought from natives of the Realm Eternal with newly printed money. In order to avoid inflation in Realm Eternal the printed new money for buying Items resold on the Item Mall will be restricted.
5 Copper Coins being equal to $1 was based on the fact that in Realm Eternal 5 Copper Coins could buy 2 cheap loafs of bread and a cheap nutritional drink; enough nutrition to survive for one day.
Nabi Elrick saw an opportunity and didn’t hesitate to Register a Business that operates in Realm Eternal. He had decided to escape his gloomy reality and enter the world of the Realm Eternal. Next he looked at the Attributes and characteristics of each of the available races. Phoenix Consortium had done a thorough evaluation of each Race.
『Key Attributes & Reviews on Designated User Races』:
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Since EXP is based on the Activity of Attributes and Skills Experience is gained regardless of whether the enemy is killed. However Adventurer’s Guild points will require that monster carcases or parts thereof be delivered as proof.
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『Elf』 : The Elf population consists of 7 clans and in order to avoid users distorting the composition of the Elf population users can’t choose the type of Elf. Users can choose hair colour and eye colour but the type of Elf they end up becoming is subject to the Probability of Selection.
[*] Given that Nabi Elrick intended to be a Magic user in the Realm eternal he decided to do a thorough analysis of the Elven Race.
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Nabi Elrick Resolved to risk it and take the Elven Race despite everyone on the forums saying that the Half-Elf was the best all rounder & probably the best choice for a BattleMage. Nabi Elrick who went by his father’s surname Elrick had been online for over two days straight and once he made his decision he fell asleep. Elrick slept peacefully for the first time in weeks; something he desperately needed.
The next day Elrick took his first shower in weeks and then put on his business suit and packed the documents he’d printed the previous night then headed of to the South African Department of Trade & Industry (DTI). At the DTI Elrick completed changing the name of his Closed Corporation (CC) and upgraded it into Pty Limited Corporation named 『Starlight Spark』 .
Elrick had used his CC to sell hand made figurines at comic book conventions, Cosplay events and other related events. The hand made figurines business didn’t really make money and it was mostly a hobby, however the Starlight Spark Corporation was a proper business venture that would provide a livelihood for more than himself.
Elrick needed Starlight Spark to be a Pty Limited Corporation in order for it to be registered as a legitimate company with other countries; starting with Britain his other home country. Elrick had plans to capitalize on the opportunity provided by the Phoenix Consortium through Atlantis & the Realm Eternal. Elrick then went to the local branch of his bank in order to sign documents. Elrick then went to his Alma-Mater; the university where he gained his 4 Degrees.
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Elrick was filled with emotions by the wave of nostalgia as he looked upon UCT; the university where he had spent the bulk of his formative years.
Elrick : " I still have friends in this place; it’s still Home!"
Elrick mutters to himself as he approached the Administration building.
Upon receiving his Academic Record Elrick went to the Science Buildings to visit his friends; Edwin Winston (PhD in Astro-Physics), Jason Zava (PhD in Experimental Astro-Physics) & Carol Ringani (PhD in Geology). Elrick could hardly wait to gaze upon the smiling faces of his friends; the people who Elrick considered his truest friends.
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Theirs was a friendship forge in fire; formed when all the 5 of them were put in the same dorm because they were so close in age. The fifth member of the group Estelle van Onsling (PhD in Microbiology) was in New York working for the CDC. Together they were once known as the Fortunate Five; Fortunate in that they had all received full Scholarships to attend the University.
The Fortunate Five were lead through their first year at university by the oldest amongst them the 15 year old Estelle; the others being 14 years old. Only simple people use the word genius, and they do so because they don’t know any better. Academics don’t use the word genius because they understand that True Genius is a Myth, and to the scholarly of this world when you say a genius you may as well be talking about big foot.
Academics don’t misunderstand talent for genius. The Fortunate Five have talent, but talent is merely the starting point, it is the application of that talent that produces an acute intellect. Unfortunately the Knowledge necessary to produce an acute intellect cannot be spoon-fed, it requires the passion to seek that knowledge; thus the Five are Fortunate because they had the passion for acquiring knowledge.
When faced with a talented individual an IQ test can’t tell you the level of an acute intellect; IQ tests simply measure how well an individual is adapted to their environment. One of the things an IQ test can’t measure is If you’re an over 18 year old monolingual English speaker learning to read, write and speak a language like Arabic, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin or Russian poses a technical challenge equivalent to acquiring an MBA.
The Fortunate Five didn’t possess magical powers such as Eidetic memory commonly known as photographic memory; that is the stuff of fiction. The very Idea of a photographic memory is absurd, and only people who don’t understand that memory is stored in organic living Brain tissue would ever postulate such nonsensical hypotheses.
Yet another thing that made the Five Fortunate was that they had been born in the modern age where the best predictor of success in life is Education. In the modern world being Strong, able to Run-Fast & Long, able to throw/kick a ball, able to climb or able to fight is not as useful. What all countries desire and compete for is people with properly accredited Masters Degrees.
With an accredited science orientated Masters Degree one could theoretically be accepted by any country. The Fortunate Five are such people; they didn’t waist their childhoods playing sports for they had the passion to seek that knowledge. There is a reason why individuals with an acute intellect are not particularly athletic, and that is because there’s a limit to how quickly humans acquire information.
A child who studies and a child who plays sports develop along divergent Brain Development paths. A young child who reads books stimulates a brain development path that creates an acute intellect. As the old saying goes; you are your information. Thus a child with a passion to seek that knowledge develops a brain that acquires knowledge faster, and that creates an insurmountable gap with other children that is eventualy perceived as prodigy.
Even with the development of VRMMORPG most game developers could not cater to the needs of the intelligent, and thus most games gave an unrealistic so called ‘Balanced’ scenario where game construct favoured Braun over brain; mêlée over mage.
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Elrick smiled as he saw his old friends at the café in the science buildings cluster.
Elrick : " sup!"
Jason : "Ahh! If it isn’t the black sheep of the Illustrious Five"
Edwin : " The prodigal son returns!"
Carol : " Nabi!"
Elrick : " When did it become Illustrious?"
Jason : " Well; the four of us are Illustrious, but you on the other hand are ….”
Carol interrupts Jason
Carol : " Lacking"
Elrick : " Ohh! Is that how it is?"
Edwin : " How are you?"
Elrick : "Better as of 2 days ago"
Carol : " Ah! Realm Eternal?"
Jason : " You always did like your MMO games!"
Edwin : " We’ve also signed up for Open Beta"
Carol : " We’re currently trying out Hipno pod games looking for the best fit for the four of us and our spouses. Want to join?"
Elrick : " I missed the craze over the Hipno Pod games due to the mess in my life, but now I’ve decided to focus all my efforts on Realm Eternal. So I’m gonna pass on your kind offer."
Jason : " Besides your crafting play style doesn’t really suit our adventuring style. What do you mean by focus all your efforts on Realm Eternal?"
Elrick : " Ohh! I’m starting a Farming company called Starlight Spark; look for it! I’ve submitted an outline of my Operations Research Doctoral thesis on VR Commerce to the Atlantis University; I’ve been provisionally accepted pending submission of my Academic Records."
Edwin : " Bachelors Honours in Engineering, Honours in Operations Research, Masters in Applied Maths and another Masters in Operations Research. You’re all over the place aren’t you?"
Carol : " Are you finally settling in on Operations Research?"
Elrick : " No! Since I don’t intent to do any post-Doctoral work I’ll do the Applied Maths Doctoral thesis after I complete the Operations Research Doctoral thesis; the REM-Sleep Pod time dilation officially called time compression should be very useful in this regard."
Edwin : " Very useful indeed! Maybe I should consider another PhD?"
Jason : " I think I’ll do one too"
Carol : " Count me in! Estelle is gonna love this!"
Edwin : " The old gang back together"
Elrick : " Wait! This wasn’t an invitation!"
Jason : " It’s gonna be Epic!"
Nabi Elrick’s friends completely ignore his protests while excitedly talking about how to combine their fields of studies in their PhD’s at Atlantis University.
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Elrick’s reunion with his friends greatly lifted his spirits and thus gave him the confidence he needed to face the members of his guild. Elrick returned to the home of his uncle; his mother’s youngest sibling. Elrick’s uncle James had always been fond of Elrick, and when Elrick’s life fell into disarray he amongst the first to offer a helping hand.
And James Dirang having been through a similar trauma offered Elrick the small apartment above his garage rent free while he got his life back together. James had used the small apartment above his garage as storage for junk, and if Elrick cleaned it up it was his rent free. James Dirang is a senior Engineer in the employ of the local Provincial government and so has some travel requirements therefore having Elrick around to potentially aid his housekeeper was a benefit for James.
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And so Elrick logged onto the long running MMORPG game 『Ancient Magic』 his favourite online game to meet up with the 27 members of his guild. He had sent a message to all of them to meet him at the guild hall upon reviewing the documents he had couriered to them a day earlier. Elrick knew that the support of the somewhat quirky members of his Guild was crucial to his plans.
One of the eccentricities of the guild members is that they all have names that indicate some sort of crafting specialty; Bowden, Hammerin, Blade, Swordin, Daggerin, Rapier, Staffen, Spear, Chester, Boot, Arrow, Armlet, Ring, Grinder and Axil amongst others. Elrick himself went by Elrick Craft in 『Ancient Magic』.
Upon Elrick’s avatar entering the conference room of their guild hall Elrick saw that everyone was already there.
Bowden : " Leader; praise be!"
Yet another of their peculiarities is the way they address each other and their mannerisms at the guild. This is all part of their role playing.
Swordin : " Hail Guildmaster!"
All the members repeat the words “Hail Guildmaster!”
Hammerin : “ Welcome back Guildmaster!”
Elrick : " Thank you master Bowden, master Swordin, master Hammerin"
Grinder : " We have been waiting Guildmaster!"
Swordin : "Indeed "
Bowden : " We await your guidance Guildmaster"
Hammerin : " Lead us!"
Elrick : " I suppose I owe you all an explanation about the packages you received and undoubtedly reviewed"
Grinder : " Yes!"
There is a slight murmur as the others agreed with Grinder.
Elrick : " That you may understand the path I’ve chosen for myself I will tell you of the events of the past 2 months"
They all sense that their Guildmaster is about to say something deeply personal and hesitate.
Swordin : " Leader; we will hear you out"
Elrick : " Two months ago, no exactly 11 weeks ago I came upon some information that my Fiancé was seen acting cosy with another guy; I won’t get into the details of the how I found out except to say that it was a picture taken by someone connected to the spouse of a colleague. I suppose the reason it became such a big issue is that the other guy was my supervisor at work. Elise and I worked for the same company, worked in the same building; in fact she got me the job. She was in the accounting department and I was in the quantitative role. Anyway I find out this thing, and instead of confronting Elise I do the cowardly thing and hire a private investigator to get me physical proof."
Bowden : " Of course!"
The others nod in agreement with Bowden’s exclamation.
Elrick : " At the time I didn’t know that the guy that my Fiancé was seeing was Jack Irving my supervisor. So when the pictures and videos came in I was incensed, and as such acted before I fully comprehended the consequences of my actions. I posted the videos online and sent copies to Jack’s wife via a courier!"
Hammerin : " Huh!"
Grinder : " I suppose it couldn’t be helped!"
Elrick : " That’s what I said; it couldn’t be helped!"
Swordin : " Hahahaha!"
Somehow understanding Elrick’s point of view the others give a soft laughter.
Elrick : " The next day the proverbial poop hits the fan! Jack punches me in the face in front of everyone at work and calls me a little shit. Fortunately the security restrains him before I get a serious beat-down. God only knows how I stayed conscious throughout the whole thing given the pain from my broken nose!"
Arrow : " We’re not built for violence after all!"
Bowden : " Some of you!"
Most of the others seem to agree with Arrow.
Hammerin : " I never imagined your life was so … "
Grinder : " Exciting!"
Elrick : " Oh! It gets worse"
Bowden : " Really?"
Elrick : " It turns out that Jack’s wife was so pissed-off she waived a gun around, and apparently fired a few shots. The police were called and the whole thing became a legal mess; massive bribes will have to be paid to make the thing go away. As luck would have it Jack’s wife turned out to be the granddaughter of the owner of the corporation that is our company’s biggest client, and Jack himself belongs to one of the two families that effectively own the company I worked for. The whole thing became far larger than I had anticipated; I was too Na?ve!"
Grinder : " Na?ve?"
Elrick : " Naivety is the curse of the intelligent; especially more so for those of us in South Africa. You see South Africa doesn’t have sophisticated sports infrastructure in its schools; so the only way schools can distinguish themselves is with the academic performance of its learners. As such kids with high academic aptitude are the pride of their schools. Thus as you might imagine any attempt to bully such a kid would bring fourth the wrath of God so to speak; by that I mean there would drastic consequences for anyone trying to bully a child with high academic aptitude. I was such kid!"
The others are surprised to learn that smart kids are at the top in SA schools.
Swordin : "You were sheltered?"
Elrick : " Protected and Sheltered to the point where I became Na?ve about the behaviours and reactions of the common man. So when I learned of Elise’s infidelity I took action without the capability to understand the entirety of the consequences of such actions; my forecast was to Na?ve!"
Bowden : " What happened?"
Elrick : " Needless to say the company that I worked for lost its biggest client! Other clients panicked; Everyone Bailed! As the saying goes; no one wants to be the last man on a sinking ship! No one wants to be left holding the bag! I was blamed, and of course was summarily Fired! Fortunately my attorney pointed out that since I didn’t contravene the terms of my employment it amounted to unfair dismissal. Jack’s punch to my face was the Coup de Grace that forced the company to pay out the 3 remaining years of my contract at $80000 year amounting to $240000, and Jack paid me $50000 to avoid assault charges and a damages lawsuit. But of course it’s a Pyrrhic Victory!"
Grinder : " You burned your bridges!"
Elrick : " Yeah! I scorched the Earth!"
Axil : " Scorched the Earth?"
Elrick : " Officially I’m Innocent! However unofficially I’m the Quantitative Analyst who engineered the near collapse of the major corporation I worked for just to settle a score with one of its major shareholders. And to add insult to injury I left on a Golden Parachute!"
Armlet : " Golden Parachute?"
Swordin : " It’s like a Golden Handshake except you get a massive payout and leave while the company is in crisis; other lower level employees leave with nothing."
Elrick : " Hundreds of people will loose their jobs, and because of my Na?ve actions I’ll never be able to find work as a corporate Quantitative Analyst. After Tax the $290000 payout was barely enough to cover the balance on the $400000 apartment I had bought to serve as a home for Elise and me after marriage. Revenge really is a double edge sword!"
Bowden : " Which brings us to the reason for this meeting?"
Elrick : " With no employment prospects in my field I have no choice but to branch out. Fortunately the Bifr?st Portal open up and I saw the Glow of the Realm Eternal. I’ve been accepted into Atlantis University to do an Operations Research Doctoral thesis on VR Commerce. To that end I launched Starlight Spark Pty Limited to operate as an Item farming Corporation in Realm Eternal. As a bonus for being amongst the first 100 to register a business I got free office space in Atlantis Tower; 2 rooms of 4m X 4m & One 10m X 10m room free forever. Starlight Spark is not restricted to Item farming but I expect this to be the primary business. I’ve sent all of the relevant documentation, and I now ask you to join me; become my business partners!”
There is a slight murmur causing Elrick to stop and look around.
Elrick : " This is undoubtedly a difficult choice, and I’ll understand if you decline, but consider it carefully! When I started playing MMORPG games I chose Ancient Magic as my favourite online partly because of the wide spectrum of its users. When I formed the guild Society of the Invisible Background Characters it brought me into contact with 27 like minded people, and the guild became affectionately known as SotIBc, but now I ask you to abandon every thing we’ve built in Ancient Magic. When I formed SotIBc I put the restriction that members had to have at least 2 Degrees from an Accredited University in order to guarantee that there’d be to stragglers; I was looking for people who would be able to understand me. That restriction was a curse. Locked away in our workshop we create sought after high quality Items at our leisure, but isn’t this yet another mirror of our real live? Is this not yet another place where we geek out on game science and tech? RPGs are an opportunity to do things differently, but we’ve somehow reproduced our reality. When the VR breakthroughs were announced I began selling my Ancient Magic Items, and by liquidating everything I raised $35000”
Swordin : " Ah! But at the time they said VR games would take 5 years?"
Elrick : " I admit that at the time my decision was driven by pure excitement! Anyway by selling all your Ancient Magic Items you should be able to raise 5 to 7 thousand USD. The minimum buy-in into Starlight Spark is $5000, and as a shareholder you’ll have to buy your own Pod, but fortunately open beta Pods are $1500. After paying off the Apartment in Jo’Burg I was able to sell it for $450000 tax free because it’s my sole residence, and so I’ve already paid $10000 to Register a Business that operates in Realm Eternal during the Open Beta, $135000 for 150 linked REM-Sleep Pods at $900 each, $5000 to register the business in 7 other countries, $1500 to an employment agency to find me 150 unemployed youths between the ages of 18 & 25 willing to work for $200 a month."
Grinder : " $200 a month? That seems a bit low?"
Elrick : " $200 a month is the going rate for unskilled workers in South Africa given the high unemployment. In any case $200 a month is only the baseline; they’ll also get 10% of the final value of any Item they recover. My expenses on Starlight Spark so far amount to $151500 and I have to keep $90000 in reserve to cover at least 3 moths in salaries for the workers."
Bowden : " That’s $241500 in total?"
Grinder : " That means you could theoretically operate on you own! Why bring us in on a potentially lucrative project?"
Elrick : " More than the money what I’m in need of is your gaming experience in the management of Starlight Spark. I want to devote all the workers to the combat role, and that leaves the management to the crafting role in support of the fighting force. Crafting skills are the most expensive skills in Realm Eternal, followed by Magic Skills and then lastly Combat Skills. Initially there will be a necessary investment in Crafting skills, Magic Skills and Combat Skills in order to give us a head start in Realm Eternal. Since the Employees of Starlight Spark actually own their avatars we can’t invest Real World Money in their Skills; we are restricted to equipment in that regard. Expensive skills will require vested interests like that of a shareholder. All this is in the business plan I sent to all of you, and I can’t share any further details until I have more than your verbal commitment!”
They knew that Elrick would not reveal any further the tactics he’d planned to use in Realm Eternal until they invested money and became shareholders of Starlight Spark.
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