Resurgence Of The Rogue Blacksmith

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▸▹▸ Welcome to Origo. Enjoy your stay, wanderer. ◂◃◂

Raphael opened his eyes and took in the majesty of the area he had spawned in. He was lying on the ground and could clearly feel the dirt and patches of grass underneath his body. Above him, trees towered, ensnared by the vines that were hanging off them. There was a waterfall to his left, cascading off the nearby cliffs into a small pool of water that had formed underneath them.

Raphael's in-game character, Jiver Lefevre, did not bear much of a resemblance to him. His hair, although coated in a thin film of mud, was gray and shoulder length. His nose was crooked, with a scar running along its ridge, as if it had been broken in the past. His eyes were like two beads of amber and eerily reflected the dim light.

This was due to a feature of the game - it automatically randomized players' appearance, as they wanted to create enough of a difference for other people not to recognize the player in real life. The system only left a player's height intact, unless he or she had chosen one of the races that were greatly taller or shorter than humans. While there were some common features between Raphael and Jiver, if both of them were put next to each other, nobody would even think they were third cousins, let alone the same person.

After players chose their class, they would be teleported to a random spot into the vast continent of Origo. This differed from other games, as they would not be directly spawned into a beginner village. They had to claw their way to it.

This was a sort of christening that every player had to go through on their own. The chances of dying on your way to the closest village were definitely not null, but what most players did not know was that the game developers had intentionally hidden a few bonuses. It took over half a year for someone to finally divulge this information, as the few players that had unearthed this secret had decided to sell it to Guilds for a profit.

Raphael raised his body and pushed himself off the ground. His clothes were covered with grime, which he started dusting off. In a moment, his clothes were as pristine as they could be, and he decided to avail himself of the nearby water and promptly washed the mud out of his hair. The game had already been online for a few days, so Raphael had a lot of catching up to do. Steeling himself, he mentally called up the window with his Character Information.

– – – – – – – – –

Character: Jiver Lefevre (Human)

Status: Malnourished

Guild Affiliation: None

Class: Thief (Apprentice)

Level: 0

HP: 75/75

SP: 25/25

Defense: 9

Attack Speed: 1.5 Attacks per second

Movement Speed: 3.15

Main Attributes: Strength 5, Agility 5, Endurance 5, Intelligence 5, Vitality 5.

Free Attribute Points: 3

– – – – – – – – –

Skills:

Pick Pocket - Basic (Active): Enhances chances of pilfering an object from a stranger by 15%.

Hide (Passive): Enhances the ability to blend into one's surroundings.

– – – – – – – – –

Equipment:

[Vagrant's Shirt] (Gray)

+2 Defense

Durability: 7/7

[Vagrant's Pants] (Gray)

+1 Defense

Durability: 5/5

[Vagrant's Shoes] (Gray)

+1 Defense

Durability 5/5

[Rusty Dagger] (Gray)

1-2 Damage

Durability: 11/11

– – – – – – – – –

'Ugh, this is even more pitiful than last time.' Raphael sighed as he lamented over his equipment and stats. Every class would start with 5 points per Attribute, but the number of points they would receive per level differed greatly. Thieves were at an inherent disadvantage, as they would only receive 3 free Attribute points per level, while the other classes would receive 4, and even 5.

On top of that, Thieves did not receive an offensive skill, quite the opposite, their only two skills were Hide and Pick Pocket. The former was a useful support skill, especially when trying to flee, but the latter could only be viewed as a way to make a quick buck. It had close to zero fighting potential...

"Oh well, can't get down on your first day now. I've got enough of an advantage as is. Might as well save the attribute points for now." Raphael said, as he tried to cheer himself up. He was flinging his dagger from one hand to the other. It felt light and, barring the fact that it was chipped and had rust stains all over, it was a comfortable weapon.

"Okay, now where could they have hidden it? If I remember correctly, the reward should be within ten meters or so."

Raphael kept the blade in his right hand and started surveying his immediate surroundings. All he could see around him was numerous trees, each taller than the last one, with vines clinging to most of them. Their roots were visible above the soil, making his task harder, as even within 10 meters of him, there were many hiding places. There was a small path leading away from the waterfall behind him.

The 'secret', which a lot of players had only learned about months after the game started, was actually quite simple. Every time a player spawned for the first time, a small Common C.h.e.s.t would materialize near them. The c.h.e.s.t could only be unlocked by the player that had caused its appearance and if said player was not within ten meters of it for 3 hours, it would disappear forever. The trick was that it was always placed somewhere out of sight. If a player spawned in a barren environment, the c.h.e.s.t could even buried beneath their feet.

Raphael walked to the nearest trees and squatted down next to their roots, looking in the nooks and crannies. Within 5 minutes he had done this for every single tree within 10 meters of him, but came up empty handed.

The Thief pursed his lips, as he turned around towards the pool of water behind him and sighed.

"I guess it's time for a swim." he said, cursing his luck as he slowly took off his clothes and placed them, with his shoes, on a nearby rock. Hypothermia was a very real danger in Origo, especially when coupled with his Malnourished state, which lowered his body's hidden resistances. It was better to light a fire and dry himself, rather than risk cold exposure with wet clothes.

With the rusty knife in hand, Raphael started checking through the shallows, but found nothing. Eyeballing the deeper end of the pool, which was to his side, he took a deep breath and plunged into the icy waters.

As he opened his eyes underwater, they immediately started stinging. Raphael had never been keen on swimming.

'Whoever invented swimming can go jump in the ocean!' he cursed, as he made his way towards the bottom. The blessing in disguise in his current situation was that the waterfall, which made the water cold, had actually kept it from going stale.

After what felt like hours, Raphael finally managed to reach the bottom. Immediately, he saw a glint out of the corner of his eye. Reaching out, half-blind in the darkness, his hand touched the surface of a small c.h.e.s.t. Filled with joy, Raphael lifted it up and headed towards the surface.

The water's surface tension broke, as his head popped out. With slow and steady steps, Raphael made his way to the shore, where he nonchalantly dropped it like a sack of potatoes.

'It's not like I can actually damage it.' he thought, as his body started shivering.

Looking upwards, he realized that the dense foliage blocked the sun almost entirely. Dejectedly, Raphael started searching for anything he could start a fire with. He was visibly shaking, as the short swim had completely s.u.c.k.e.d the warmth out of his body.

Within a few breaths' time, he had masterfully found half a dozen pieces of dry wood and even some moss, and with the help of a stick and a bout of intense rubbing, a cozy fire had emerged.

Raphael had sat down next to it, his back leaning against the c.h.e.s.t he had dragged out.

‖ Dull C.h.e.s.t (Common) ‖

▸ Safety Unknown ◂

"I wonder what prize I'll get from you, my precious." Raphael said, gold coins flashing through his eyes as he gently stroked the c.h.e.s.t's surface.