“Hey,” Steve stopped one of the villagers, his perfect hair swaying in the wind. “We’re looking for Babo. Do you know where to find him?”

“The legendary fisherman?” the villager asked. “Are you here to learn fishing from him. No, wait! You’re heroes.”

An old man who was listening to their conversation suddenly chimed in, “The last batch of heroes had quite a few who wished to see Babo as well. He never ages. What is his secret, heroes, if I may ask? Is he a hero like yourself.”

“He’s an NPC,” said Steve.

“A what?”

“A Non Playable Character.”

“What’s that?” asked the old man.

“He’s special,” Bon interrupted. It might not be a good thing to make these people aware of Babo’s real identity. If they did then maybe the Tower would penalise them. “Could you point us in his direction?”

The old man pointed towards a house on the banks of a river. It was built on stilts, very different from all the other houses. The party of five women and three men made their way to the house and knocked on the door.

“Who is it?” a man shouted from inside.

“We’re heroes looking for Babo,” Steve shouted back.

“Well,” a man opened the door. “You’ve found him.” He was a big man, and had only one arm. Bon wondered how detailed Babo’s programming was. The villagers hadn’t guessed his identity at all, except for some vague feeling of strangeness.

“We’re here for our quest,” Steve said.

“Come in. Have you eaten? I can prepare something.”

“No,” said Bon, wondering what an NPC’s cooking would be like.

“I’ll make some eggs then. And will you all have coffee?”

“Sure,” Steve answered for the group.

“Haven’t had coffee for so long,” Kara laughed with joy. “I’ve missed it so much.”

“You didn’t buy it from the Tower’s store?” Bon asked.

“Who would waste money on that?” Steve snorted. “Don’t tell me you spent your gold on food and drink when there was epic equipment for sale. No wonder you’re wearing ordinary clothes. Don’t worry. I’ll buy you something when we go back to the city.”

“No need,” said Bon. This Steve wasn’t so bad after all.

“Steve, can you buy me some jewelry then?” Lucy asked.

“I want a ring,” Kara said immediately.

“Stop it, girls,” Steve raised his hand. “We’re here for a quest. Let’s talk about all this later, and the offer was for Bon. He won’t be able to last in a fight without armor.”

“I’ll do fine,” Bon took a deep sniff as the eggs began to fry and the bread began to toast. It smelled good. “I’m a master dodger.”

“If you say so,” Steve didn’t look convinced. “You’re one of us now. Don’t drag us down.”

“I’ll try not to,” Bon nodded at Steve, feigning sincerity.

“You just have to buff us. We’ll level you up quickly. Enjoy the bus ride for now.”

“Don’t worry about leveling me up. It will take too long. Let’s just go to the top floor as quickly as we can.” Bon needed an enormous amount of experience to level up.

The women chattered among themselves while Babo served the table. Jim, the other man, never said a word. In fact, Bon had never heard him speak. He wondered if Jim was a mute.

“Hey Jim,” Bon said brightly. “Where are you from?”

“America,” his voice was hoarse, like he had been smoking from the cradle. No wonder he didn’t speak.

“Really? Whereabouts?”

“Texas.”

“So, you must have handled guns before coming here. Why didn’t you choose the Gunslinger class?”

“I’m an Olympic archer.”

“Oh. What’s it like to take part in the Olympics?”

Just then Babo called to them. “Food’s ready.”

Bon ate like a famished man. This Tower had really changed his character. He had never really thought much of what he ate before. Would Sarah even recognize him now?

“This is good,” he said, after swallowing a mouthful. “You’re a great chef.”

“Thank you,” Babo smiled. The smile showed in his eyes. He didn’t seem like an NPC at all. “It might need more salt.”

“Tell us about the quest,” Steve said in a commanding voice.

“Very well,” Babo sighed. “The murlocks have crowned a new king. He constantly sends raids against our village. He has conquered most of the river near the village. Our boats cannot go far out, and our village is starving.”

“It doesn’t look like it’s starving,” said Bon.

“I’m just giving you the backstory of the quest. It doesn’t reflect present day reality,” said Babo. “The village really was starving because of the murlocks until about five centuries ago, when the roads were built. This place used to be a ghost town.”

“Are there really murlocks and a murlock king close by?” asked Steve.

“Why, of course. They respawn two days after they are killed. The villagers don’t even bother hunting them anymore. The fishing industry here has declined though. I’m the only fisherman left. The handicraft industry is booming instead. You should buy some. They are much cheaper here.”

“Enough,” Steve said. “Give us the rest of the quest.”

“Oh brave heroes, please rescue Carp village from the evil murlocks. Slay fifty murlocks and kill their king. You can find the vicious murlock king on the island, east of here. If you slay them I will reward you all with rings that I found within a giant carp that I fished out of the river.”

Slay fifty murlocks and the murlock king Mrngoz

Murlocks have been plaguing Carp Village

Their people are starving to death and need a hero to save them

Find the murlocks on an island east of Carp Village and slay them

Completion of this quest requires a party of at least two members

Murlocks killed [0/50] Rewards: Ring of Teleportation, 100 Gold, 5,000EXP

“Kara,” said Steve, “It looks like you will get your ring.”

“I don’t want a stupid quest ring,” Kara’s forehead creased. “I want a ring from you.”

“What’s the difference?”

“Ugh! You are clueless.”

“He really is,” the other girls agreed.

Steve shrugged, “Let’s go.”

“I haven’t finished drinking my coffee,” Bon complained, taking a deep gulp. “Thanks for the hospitality,” he said to Babo, and ran after the others who had already left the house.

They journeyed eastwards by the river, and in a few hours came upon their first murlock. It was an ugly misshapen purple creature, with webbed feet, a reptilian body, and a head like a very ugly fish with protruding teeth and big black eyes. It was holding a simple wooden spear with a stone tip, and patrolling the river bed. It was as tall as Bon’s waist.

“Buff us Lucy,” Steve said.

“Anything you say,” Lucy replied, blessing everyone with her priestess skills.

“You too Bon. Let’s see how good a bard’s buffs are.”

“Aye aye,” Bon said cheerfully. He played a medley of tunes. Some sounded like chugging power chords, some like complex solos with a lot of tapping, hammer-ons and pull-offs. He ended with a series of arpeggios and a cadence for artistic effect. Each tune had a different effect on the party.

Chu Chu Train LVL 3

Increases attack and movement speed by 5%

Bonus to stamina

Mana required: 150 Duration: 10 minutes Cooldown: 15 minutes Caprice LVL 3

Immunity against Curse, Petrify, Paralysis, Frozen, Slow, Sleep, Fear, Blind, Confused and Silence

Mana required: 200 Duration: 1 minute Cooldown: 5 minutes Summer Progression LVL 4 Increases all stats by 10% Mana required: 200 Duration: 30 minutes Cooldown: 30 seconds Winter Progression LVL 4 Increases all resistances by 20% Mana required: 200 Duration: 30 minutes

Cooldown: 30 seconds

Coda of Dissonance LVL 2 Adds chaos effect to every third attack Mana required: 500 Duration: 30 seconds Cooldown: 10 minutes

“Wow,” said Kara, probably looking at the buffs on her HUD. “Look at all the colors. Your tunes sound and feel so nice.”

“Enough talking,” said Steve. “Let’s attack. The normal pattern.”

Steve the Paladin attacked first. Kara the Berserker ran in after him, while Nia the Fighter attacked from the side with dual swords. Elizabeth the Mage and Jim the Archer let off ranged attacks, while Aisha the Rogue sneaked behind the murlock and backstabbed it. Bon stood back and watched as the murlock quickly lost its health and died.

“Well done,” Bon clapped, when they were done.

“You could have attacked it too,” Steve said. “Kara said you were a combat bard.”

“It’s no fun that way,” Bon answered. If he attacked, the monsters would die with the first note. “I’ll play pure support from now on.”

“This isn’t a game,” Steve growled.

“Sure seems like it to me. Look at all the skills and monsters. Best of all, we can’t die for real while we are here.”

“Dying hurts so much that it’s as good as dying for real. I’ve died twice and I swore – never again. How many times have you died?”

“Too many times to count,” Bon sighed, remembering how he had suffered during the beginning of the Alpha Test. Those had been some tough times, but he had got through them thanks to Tian Bu Ru, the old cultivator whose soul he had found in a necklace.

“Why am I not surprised,” Steve rolled his eyes. “Then you should know the agony of death better than any of us. This is no game.”

“Games aren’t always just for fun,” Bon said. “Some of them hurt.”

“Then what’s the point of playing?”

“Stop arguing,” Lucy pushed them apart. “This is no game, and that’s that. Let’s kill some more murlocks while the Chu Chu Train is still moving.”

Bon chuckled and followed the group. They came upon murlocks in groups. Steve could take on three at a time and Nia two. Kara and Aisha helped out Steve, while the rest helped Nia. Bon put one to sleep with a skill he hadn’t used before.

Lullaby LVL 1 Puts the target to sleep Mana required: 50 Duration: 10 seconds Cooldown: 3 minutes

It was a soothing melody. Most of his skills required a playtime, or channeling time as many people called it, of five seconds, but Lullaby required him to play constantly for the entire duration. Ten seconds wasn’t much, but it was enough to take the pressure off Steve.

They walked along the river coast and found an old fishing boat on the shore. It was still in working condition. The wood hadn't rotted yet. They wouldn't have to swim to the island after all. The water looked calm though, and it was a hot day. Bon wouldn't have minded a swim.

On the island, a group of fifty murlocks came at them. The party killed the murlocks very quickly, and made their way to the center of the island where the murlocks had built a fortress. There were murlock warriors, spear throwers who were stronger than ordinary murlocks, and murlock generals who were quite troublesome to kill. They soon made it to the king, in the middle of the fortress. He was five times the size of a regular murlock, towering over the party of humans. He held great battleaxes in each hand, and wore chain mail.

“Identify.”

MINIBOSS Murlock King Mrngoz HP

30,000/30,000 MP 5,000/5,000

The ruler of the Carp River Murlocks.

He has drunk the blood of a hundred knights and gained the favor of Maghiel, God of Murlocks

Powers Aqua Cannon Shoots a jet of water at a random target Divine Armor of Maghiel A layer of steel coats the Murlock King Mrngoz’s body Maghiel’s Frenzy Increases attack and movement speed by 150%, decreases armor by 50%

Everyone took their position. Bon and Lucy buffed the party. Steve charged in, followed by Kara and Nia. Mrngoz concentrated on Steve, provoked to such fury that it began to roar while it struck him with its axes. Steve parried the blows, hitting the axes right at their hilts. Meanwhile, Elizabeth turned Mrngoz into an ice cube, disrupting his attacks for two seconds. Nia dealt damage from the side, her two swords drawing green murlock blood with each strike. Jim fired mana arrows in an unending display of blue light. Aisha stabbed Mrngoz from the back.

Mrngoz used Aqua Cannon, and a stream of water almost hit Bon.

“Careful,” Steve shouted, and used a skill that exchanged places with Bon instantly. Nia had to bear the brunt of Mrngoz’s attacks while Steve ran towards battle once more. Lucy was having trouble healing her. Nia was a little bit away from death, and Bon was getting ready to one hit kill the Murlock King, when Mrngoz got provoked by Steve once more. Nia was out of danger. Bon, pebble in hand, decided to keep watching. Mrngoz used Aqua Cannon a few times in succession but it didn’t target Bon again. Steve exchanged places with Lucy when it was about to hit her, but didn’t bother with the rest. They were able to take the hit.

The party whittled away at the Murlock King’s health, its divine armor crumbling with each strike. It roared loudly and looked to the sky. A red light shone upon it and Mrngoz became much faster than before. Bon put it to sleep, while the party positioned themselves once again. His lullaby skill leveled up. The duration lasted twelve seconds now.

“We’re good to go,” shouted Steve. Bon stopped playing, and Steve immediately provoked it with a Battle Cry. Lucy’s healing was able to keep up with the damage Steve was receiving, so he wasn’t in any danger. Still, it was getting boring. Bon threw the pebble at the Murlock King and it let out an anguished cry before falling to the ground.

“What happened?” Steve asked, looking in puzzlement at Mrngoz’s corpse.

“Probably a sudden heart attack,” said Bon.

“Don’t be silly. Monsters don’t get heart attacks,” said Elizabeth.

“It happened to my father once,” said Steve. “He fell the same way.”

“Maybe it was a heart attack then,” Elizabeth changed her tune instantly.

“Not possible. This is a Tower created monster,” said Steve. “I was merely musing on the similarity.”

“Ooh,” Elizabeth giggled. “Of course. I’m so stupid.” She really was—a lovestruck fool. Bon wondered if he had ever acted this silly when he was with Sarah.

“Whatever it was,” Kara grinned as she rubbed her hands together, “It’s dead. Gather the loot, boss.”

Steve picked up the items. There was one chain mail, and some gold. Steve tossed the chain mail to Bon.

“For you.”

“No thanks,” Bon tossed it back. “I’m more comfortable in cotton.”

“Comfortable he says,” Steve muttered under his breath. “Fine. It’s probably too heavy for you anyway. Aisha, it’s yours. This is slightly better than the one you’re wearing.”

“Thanks Steve,” Aisha put it into her inventory. Just like her boyfriend Jim, Aisha didn’t talk much. Maybe that was why the two of them got along so well together. She had an American accent, but from what he had overheard from everyone’s conversations, Aisha seemed to be from Lebanon. She didn’t seem to care about Steve’s looks, which improved Bon’s perception of her character. Steve was a decent guy, but the women around him were nuts. Even Kara, who seemed reasonable on the surface, would go gaga at times.

They camped out in the open that night, deciding to go to the village the next day. It was a cold night, so they pitched their tents. Bon had a tent as well. Luckily, Tomato had made Bon buy one before coming to this level. She had not done such a bad job as his guide. The heat or cold couldn’t affect him, but he thought it would be good to look normal and not draw any attention.

He pitched his tent far away from Steve’s big one, not wanting to hear what went on within it. Every now and then he would hear squeals of laughter coming from them, despite the distance. The next morning, Steve looked exhausted. His face was pale and there were dark circles beneath his eyes. He sat beside Bon outside his tent.

“It’s not easy being a harem king,” Bon said sympathetically.

“What?”

“Nothing. Have I ever told you about my Sarah? She’s the kindest woman in the world.”

“Your girlfriend?”

“Fiancee.”

“Did she come into the tower?”

“Don’t know. I hope not. I don’t want her to go through all this pain.”

“I had a girlfriend outside as well,” Steve sighed, “But the Tower’s changed all that now. Life will never be the same again. We don’t know how long we’ll be stuck here for or what comes after. My Guide said that dark times are coming to Earth.”

“What else did she say?” Bon asked. Tian Bu Ru had hinted at something as well.

“She refused to say anything more. She said she had already broken the rules by giving me that little hint.”

“If Pete was here he would probably know,” Bon sighed. He wondered how his friends were doing. They had been teleported to the Tower at the same time as him. “He’s my friend. He said that he had read a story that’s similar to all this.”

“A story?”

“Yeah. It probably included a guy with a harem as well. You could be the main character of all of this.” Steve did look like the main character. Level thirty five when everyone else was about thirty, and with a fan club of beautiful women at his beck and call. He was filled with righteousness. He could have also been the ultimate villain, suddenly disillusioned from his heroic vision by some catastrophic event. One could never say. Bon may have outleveled everyone, but he was not hero material. All he cared about was living peacefully with his family.

“It’s not a harem,” Steve said, his face harsh. “We are a pentouple.”

“Sure. Call it whatever you want, man. Honestly, I don’t know how you handle it. One Sarah is more than enough for me.”

Steve walked off, looking a little peeved. Kara sat next to Bon a little later, handing him a sandwich.

“What were you two talking about?” she asked. “Steve looks pissed.”

“About life and love and other stuff,” Bon said vaguely as he munched on his breakfast.

“He might seem a little arrogant at first,” Kara said, “But inside he’s a really nice guy.”

“I’m sure he is.”

They walked back to Carp Village and collected their quest reward from Babo the fisherman.

Ring of Teleportation Batch#4,578,916 (Mythical) A ring that Babo found within a carp that had almost leaped over the dragon’s gate

Party Talk

Allows long distance communication between all ring bearers of batch 4578916

Party Teleport

Allows long distance teleportation between all ring bearers of batch 4578916

Teleportation cooldown: 1 day

Mana required: 50

This reward was quite good. No wonder Tomato had told him about the quest. They took their rewards and headed back to the city. On their way, they got a notification for a new quest.

Region Quest: Goblin Attack The goblin tribes have banded together to attack the city

The king has issued a quest to all able heroes to immediately come to the city’s aid

Defeat the goblin chiefs and the newly crowned goblin king and queen

You will be rewarded points for each goblin you kill

Current points 0 Rewards: Adjusted according to the number of points won