I looked at the grand city in front of me.
Yvikin, the biggest and the most prosperous city in the whole of the central continent.
It was as people had proclaimed it to be.
Just from the outside, one can see the huge, never-ending city's different intersections. It was said that the city had four major parts, one was the market that held items under legendary 2 stars, something which should be priceless outside of the main city of the Sahhan empire.
The second part of the city was solely devoted to blacksmiths. It was said that the emperor had gathered the empire's best blacksmiths and equipment in order to create a blacksmith market so great that every other country's blacksmith markets would cower in shame.
Many blacksmith players, one of the popular production classes, dreamt of coming to the empire and getting accepted as the students of blacksmith of the Yikin Smith Mart.
The third area was largely categorised as an area for various guilds, both run by players and NPCs, along many restaurants and inns. The last area was a residential area where the permanent residents who owned land here, lived.
Apart from the four major categorisations, there were many subcategories. The area for beast taming and beast racing, it was said to be an area where people got rich and broke overnight. It was similar to a horse betting event in the real world.
Then there was a market especially designed to sell slaves and mercenary services. No matter how unethical it sounded, completely abolishing the slavery system in such a dog eat dog world was impossible, so the emperor had made some serious ground rules to trade slaves or their services.
So was true for prostitutes and other such shady areas. Some were legally allowed with limitations while some ran these businesses in the black market, which was protected and frequented by various nobles. It was difficult for the emperor to keep it all under his radar, when his own subordinates visited these places.
Most of the people who got into slavery or prostitution were people who had either given up on life due to their finanfical or familial circumstances, or they had willingly decided to become a slave or prostitute for money.
Of course, there were still times where people were unknowingly bought in this sewer business and got stuck in it for life, wanting to come out of this deep shit every moment of their life.
For now, I decided not to focus on the shady side of the empire. I had an important meeting coming up, and I hoped to move on to the next phase of the chained quest quickly.
'I will start levelling up too… Although I'd need to wait before I could start the next quest.'
The international competition was just around the corner, and I couldn't neglect it anymore.
'And I just lost a super fucking cool eye power because of my own expectations and miscalculation.'
I felt like my eyes were crying tears of blood. After all, in the hopes of getting something more, I ended up losing what I was already offered.
"Did you hear that? Able officially posted that his level was resetted to zero, a ZERO! Yet he climbed back to level 200 in just a matter of a week!"
"What the fuck? Are you saying my months of grinding to barely climb level 150 just amounted to nothing? What is this? Is there no justice in the world?"
"No, he actually revealed that legendary classes would get a 275% boost before they catch up to their previous level. Considering his talent and the boost, it was pretty easy to guess how he climbed up the ranks so fast."
"True man. What about that other legendary class dude? What was his name again? Shura? Is he still playing hard to get when there's already a new campus belle?"
"It seems like that. I bet Able had bagged millions just sharing some common information about the legendary classes. I fear that the other legendary guy is nowhere as smart as him, otherwise he wouldn't have left out on such fortune."
As it was the biggest city available to the users right now, it was obviously a home to players above level 100s at least. And not in a small way either. And so, the conversation that I had ended up eavesdropping on was also the conversation that a lot of people around me were having.
I slowly walked out of the crowded area and found a children's garden. There were tables placed there, on which I silently sat and covered my face with both my hands.
`Shura?`
Prolus said in a dubious voice.
'What Shura?'
`Hey, hey. Although I didn't understand most of their conversation. Even I could make out that they were trash-talking you.
Prolus said in a gentle voice.
'What? Feeling pity or something?'
`Obviously not, who'd pity a jerk like yo— I mean no.`
'Oh, C'mon! Really? Give me a fucking break, alright?'
`N-no—`
'I said stop it. Give it a break y'all. What do you think, when everyone in the world was struggling to reach a higher level or position in the game, I was busy exploring some ruins way above my level like a total noob! I get it, I am noob, alright? I ended up getting the legendary class because I was out there getting my ass whipped by a giant wyvern who's level I couldn't even judge!'
'I understand I have a really shitty gaming sense, and I know it. I was born as a machine to kill, not as a machine to play games. There was no talent like gaming installed in me, alright? That Able guy or whatnot, he's been a professional gamer for years now, even before Mayhem. Isn't it natural he'll progress faster? I am trying to catch up to him by the way that I am most acquainted with! I am doing all kinds of quests in order to catch up to the top players!'
'I never wanted to reveal my legendary class, but this shitty system told it to everyone like a little snitch. Now what? Everyone is expecting me to do great things so that they can judge me? Huh? Guess what? I never asked for their evaluation! So they all can go to hell for all I care.'
I ranted inside my brain, my face still hidden by my hands as Prolus heard my rant speechlessly. Obviously, he didn't understand most of it, probably. But I felt light letting it all out, even without moving my lips.
'Fucking hell, I just thought of so many stuff like a complete loser! Even my own words keep contradicting each other.'
I crouched down a bit more, a bit ashamed of myself.
`...So…what is it, really? Don't tell me that's what you really think. You're too shameless for that.`
'Alright, you got me. I actually don't give a fuck about any of those losers who can't do anything on their own and keep commenting on other's stuff. I am actually just jealous that I didn't think about releasing the common information related to legendary class. I could have earned tens of millions.'
`Hmm, I don't understand. But is it your fault?`
'How is it my fault? I just wasn't expecting another legendary class to appear so soon. It's like too soon. I didn't even get time to settle my own stuff before that guy decided to leave all the limelight.'
`Then don't fret it.`
I looked up at the sky, the sun was slowly going down.
'Do you understand what I have lost?'
`What?`
'I lost a legendary 4 star eye power.'
`huh?`
'A legendary 4 star eye power, it was called something like 'Eyes of the Wise' or something.'
`HUH?`
Prolus finally reacted like he cared about any of this.
`How? Who has the power to give you such powers such as that? Is your world ruled by some almighty god or something? Which god should I pray to so that I can be revived?`
Prolus asked with a voice that said it wouldn't take silence for an answer.
'Kind of? These gods are called programmars, and they are just normal humans to be honest. It's difficult to explain it, you know? They're also the ones who have designed 'Players' as 'Resurrecrtors' so that we can revive indefinitely even after dying.'
I said and Prolus laughed like a maniac.
`You really think some puny human can make me? Or this grand world? This detailed and filled with life?`
'Haha, yes I do.'
`So naive of you.`
Prolus chuckled bitterly and I couldn't help but feel uneasy. Why would he act like that? It was creating some doubts in my mind that would lead me to people calling me crazy.
`Nobody can make such an elaborate world just for some human's fun. And a human can definitely not make this, so wake up. At best, a powerful person must have casted magic on the people you call 'Players' so that they can come here.`
'Oh, yeah? You think a whole fucking person can travel through worlds in just a split
second?'
`A person? Definitely no! But I can't say the same for their consciousness.`
Fuck? What was I doing again? Listening to some NPCs conspiracy theory against us people of the earth? How funny.
`Well, don't believe me. I don't need you to either. Just remember, this world is way more than you people have taken it to be. I am sure you all will soon learn all about it.`
'Hah? Sure dude. I'd wait for that day to come. You know? If that happens, I'll revive you for real, no matter where I've to go or who I've to fight for that to happen.'
`Deal!`
Prolus's immediate acceptance of the bet didn't ease the uneasiness that my heart was feeling.
What if it's really a real world, and not just a game.
I knew the answer deep down, it was very clear. Yet my human side always told me to stay away from a truth I couldn't handle.
`You should ask the creator of this word to create another world just like it, right in front of the whole world. And then see for yourselves if he was developing another Ethra or not.`
Prolus chuckled lightly after saying that, sowing yet another seed of doubt inside my heart.
`Ignorance truly is a bliss.`
I ignored Prolus's probing, which was going to mess more with my head and directly moved towards the emperor's castle.
Meanwhile, the developers of the game were still unaware about egos living inside Shura apart from the slime.
***
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