Second Life: Welcome to Gaia

After they arrived in the city, Fox Demon, Conan, and Spell Bound went to the Adventurer's Guild to turn in their quests, while Ye Yan has gone to the Alchemists' Guild to meet the old gnome named Zhong Mingyu.

Before entering the Alchemists' Guild, he wore his new equipment again, so the guards would not stop him. Ye Yan always takes off his equipment and wears his worn-out clothes when walking, so he would not be over 25% weight and have a decrease in his movement speed.

Inside the guild, he asked one of the attendants to meet the old gnome and was taken to the guild manager's room about five minutes later.

"So you didn't die! I'm impressed!" The old gnome said musingly and then, like if he had thought about something, he uttered: "Now, show it to me!"

Ye Yan hesitated for a moment when he saw the old gnome's behavior. He was looking at him in a very cunning way, making it look as if he was thinking about how he could trick him. But in the end, he handed the item to him.

"These are really [Keremeet] remains!" The gnome said after examining the items. "I can pay you 1 silver for it."

'This treacherous little man! Or gnome.' He said before that one pound could sell for 1 silver, and in the box has, at least, 6 pounds (~3kg). But now, he is trying the buy everything for only 1 silver. Not even in his dreams!

"I remember you said that one pound could be sold for 1 silver, but you are trying to buy six pounds with 1 silver now. And for the rarity of this item, I think that it can be sold for 8 silvers minimum. If you don't want to buy it, I will offer it to others and I'm sure they would give me an even better price." Ye Yan stretched out his hand for him to return the item. In the last few games he had played, because of the high A.I. of the NPCs, he would always haggle with them, so he knew that he shouldn't just accept his offer.

"Wait! I only have 4 silvers with me now, because I had to buy some expensive alchemy ingredients. But I can give you something even more precious than silver, what do you think?"

"Please, speak."

"I can give you a chance. The Alchemists' Guild needs to deliver some items to the palace, and I can arrange for to you be the one that will do it. No one can enter the palace without permission and do you know how hard it is to get one? That may be your unique opportunity to get in there, so you should seize this opportunity. What is your answer?"

The gnome really knows how to sell his product well. He thought that maybe he could get a good quest inside the palace, so he decided to accept the offer. The gnome is good, making him not only get less silver but become the delivery boy of the guild as well.

"I accept your terms."

"Great!"

System: 'You complete the quest [Kill Keremeet and collect his remains]. You gained 500 exp.'

The old gnome paid Ye Yan the 4 silvers and asked him to come back in five days to take the items that he will deliver to the palace because they are not ready yet. Probably he is too low level now to take this quest at the moment.

After leaving the guild, he went to the Adventure's Guild to start his job change quest.

Inside the guild, he asked an attendant about the job change quest and was taken to the second floor to meet an NPC called Qiao Qiuyue. She is a very beautiful woman with long black hair, a triangular-shaped face, and an air of elegance that made her look powerful. 'Miracle! This NPC is flat-chested!' All other women NPCs that Ye Yan saw in the Adventure's Guild had generous breasts, so he became surprised with this woman before him.

"What do you want to talk about with me?" Qiao Qiuyue said with a face that means business. "Just say it." Ye Yan hesitated a little. Even she being an NPC, he became shy.

"I am level 2 now and would like to apply for my job change quest."

"Hum. You are the first of those greenhorns that have got to this level. Not bad! You can start your training now and chose a class that would be the basis for your future career. What do you would like to become? There are seven basic classes that you can choose from: mage, doctor, archer, fighter, thief, swordman, and merchant."

"I want to become a fighter."

"To become a fighter, you will not only need to be strong but be brave and sturdy as well. I will write a letter of recommendation for you to deliver to Commander Xia Hou Lian in the Military Camp. It is located in the northwest part of the city." She wrote the letter and handed it to Ye Yan. "Go now and don't tarnish the Adventure's Guild reputation."

Ye Yan took the letter and walked in the direction of the Military Camp. On the way, he could not help but feel amazed as he looks at the streets. So many people were playing the game already, the NPCs passing by looked so alive and the stalls on each side of the street were so detailed with some even selling paintings. It looked like the moves about ancient time but with many beggars, plus the half-orcs, dwarves, beastmen, elementals, puppies, and pointed ears, but, mostly elvens. He thought of what Spell Bound said about the elven appearance being the best among all the races in the game and that people who want to be more beautiful, would choose it.

The Military Camp occupies the entire northwest of the city and is surrounded by a long wall that makes it impossible for people to see what is happening inside. When Ye Yan got to the gate, he showed the letter of recommendation and asked to meet with Commander Xia Hou Lian, the head of the fighter's division in the Military Camp.

One of the soldiers that are responsible for the gate security took Ye Yan to see the fighter's commander. On the way there, he saw many tends and training facilities. The NPC, Xia Hou Lian, was in the innermost part of the camp giving instructions to his subordinates in a very stern way. He is using a special armor made of a mix between thin leather and metal plates. His hair was long tied up in a knot at the top of his head, like the other human male NPCs in the city. The reason for not cutting them was because the hair, body, and skin are considered a gift from their parents, and damaging them is considered unfilial¹, and the men must keep their hair tied up in a knot or bun rather than just let them go loose, otherwise, it is considered unrefined and improper.

Commander Xia Hou Lian looked at Ye Yan measuringly when the soldier told him about the letter.

"What is it, boy?"

"My name is Ye Yan and I came from the Adventurer's Guild to take the test to become a fighter." Ye Yan said and handed the letter to the commander.

"Hum. That witch thinks highly of you to write this letter personally. She normally hands this kind of thing to one of her assistants to do." Ye Yan thought that maybe because he was the first to start the quest, it was different. What he didn't know was that every first player of each city would have a differential treatment.

"You look strong to a novice but it isn't enough to become a true fighter. You need to have courage, determination, awareness, discipline, and commitment². To know if you have the right traits needed to be a fighter, you will have to do six tests, which the final one will determine if you can become a true fighter. And, as that witch wrote the letter herself, it means you are strong enough to stand a harder test than those greenhorns, so your test will be a little special. Will you take it or you just take the easier way?" The commander said, giving him a sinister smile in the end.

System: 'Commander Xia Hou Lian has a quest for you: "The hard way to become a fighter". Will you accept?'

"I will accept your test." He decided to accept the quest even being a little afraid of it be more than he can handle. But if you are given an opportunity like that and do not accept, it would be a waste. Harder quests normally mean that the reward would be better, so given the opportunity, he accepts it right away.

"Very good! This is the spirit, boy!" He said slapping Ye Yan on the back, almost making him fall forward because of the force.

"Your first one will test your awareness. It is the most vital tool of a fighter. Awareness is to perceive with clarity the truth of what is happening without interpretation or opinion. It is essential because it is the state of consciousness that allows us to discern between the facts and the Truth, between the story and the lies in our mind. The realm of our mind is filled with false perceptions and false beliefs, on what can make us use our intelligent reasoning to make bad decisions. The mind is clever, but it is also full of assumptions and limited by our world-view. Conscious awareness allows us to see clearly, instead of being blinded by these false beliefs²." After his long speech, the commander took a military token and handed it to him. "Here. With this token, you can walk freely in the Military Camp in the future. Now you will go to Xia Hou Yuan to take the awareness test. Go and don't disappoint me."

Quest: [The hard way to become a fighter]

Description: Commander Xia Hou Lian wants to test you to see if you have the traits to become a true fighter.

Type: Unique

Difficult: S

Progress: Test of Awareness (0/1), Test of Commitment (0/1), Test of Determination (0/1), Test of Discipline (0/1), Test of Courage (0/1), and Final Test (0/1).

The quest that he got is unique, which means that no one else can take this test again. Ye Yan became excited with the rewards that this quest could give him, but he knew that such a quest should be very difficult. He mustered his courage (wishing with all his heart that the quests do not involve anything disgusting), and left the commander's place, following a soldier to the NPC that will give his first test.

...

¹ The Chinese had the tradition of keeping their hair long until the Qing Dynasty (1644-1912). [The body, hair, and skin, all have been received from the parents, and so one doesn't dare damage them—that is the beginning of xiao.

— Classic of Filial Piety]

² Based on "Common Sense Wisdom Based in the Four Agreements".