When I reached the Adventurers’ Hall I was completely surprised. Instead of the normal bustling hub of people, the building was incredibly desolate. There was no way to compare it to the Arturii from many days ago when I left.

A dreadful mood was in the air. Some people seemed fine but there were a lot of people leaving with a displeased look on their face. The atmosphere was affecting me and even I started to worry.

When I entered inside it was very busy, but not with Adventurers. There were at least twice or even three times as many clerks behind the counters compared to my last visit. They were constantly digging through documents and racing to and from the backroom with boxes.

With heavy steps, I walked up to the front desk. A trip that normally would require a dozen minutes waiting in line was a matter of moments: there were no lines.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

The clerk looked at me but didn’t answer. Instead, he asked for my details, “You have thirty-one new messages, would you like to see them?”

“Yes please.” In addition to the messages, he handed me another piece of paper that was stamped with the official stamp of the Adventurers’ guild located here in Arturii. I put it to the side and began going over my messages.

I was disappointed more and more as I read. Not a single message was a response from any Ajax I had contacted. The messages were all from various guilds, basically the same message each time. They were interested in meeting and talking with me.

It seemed the news of my class and level had spread quickly. I only shook my head and passed those messages across the counter for the clerk to dispose off; my intention now and for the foreseeable future was to remain solo.

With those out of the way, all my attention fixed on the letter from the Adventurers’ guild. This must have the reason for the downcast mood. I peeled it open and the wax seal broke in half. I started to read the message within.

I quickly realized this wasn’t a letter personally written for me. ‘Dear citizen’ were the first two words. It was a conscription letter. Arturii was going to war and all Adventurers over level thirty were required to participate.

“What is this?” I asked.

“Can’t you read?” It seemed the clerk had no time for small talk. His mood wasn’t that great either. My mind started to put two and two together. People were fleeing rather than allowing themselves to be conscripted.

“Where can I find out more information? This doesn’t even tell me where I should report to.” And it seemed that did the trick. As soon as the clerk realized my intention was to fight and not flee he livened up to me.

“Tomorrow, just before sundown there will be a meeting. Show up here and you’ll find out everything you need to know.” And that seemed to be my only option. No one had any idea what was going on.

All I could gather was that conscription for war had never happened before, ever. This was a first, and those Adventurers that were used to living a safe and cozy life in Arturii were suddenly called to arms.

This was the reason for so many closed up shops and the dead streets. I was curious and checked the zeppelin prices for trips to Eastrath. The prices were sky high, in the hundreds of thousands for a single person. They packed people in like rats on those ships.

I didn’t know how to feel about it. War… sounded quite exciting. I was only level 32, how much impact could I even have? How much would they expect of me?

Fortunately for me, my normal inn was still functioning. The owner of this inn was one of those people who had come from Eastrath in hope of adventure and found out he wasn’t quite cut out for it.

“Ay Joseph, what level are you?”

“Thirty-two.”

“I assume you heard the news?”

“Yeah.” His next words could have been anything: a warning to flee; a curse at those who chose to flee. I had no idea what he was going to say. In fact, he chose to say nothing. Everyone like him in Arturii, all the people who were too weak to defend themselves from the dangers of the world beyond, depended on the protection of the city’s walls and on those of us who had advanced our level.

Everyone had a choice to make, their own choice to make, about the risks of being an Adventurer. The innkeeper had made that choice many years ago as well. Human nature was hard to understand, and there were dozens of reasons why a person might reject the call to serve Arturii.

I could make my final decision about what to do tomorrow after hearing the details. Whatever it was, it definitely wasn’t good. The threat was something the planet of Yetera must have never seen before. Why else would they force everyone over level 30 to mobilize?

My mind drifted to Samantha for a moment. She was only a level 29 mage and would be sheltered from this disaster. That was unless… we lost. I thought of High Priestess Rhea, her tremendous power.

She was only a healer… it made me wonder just how strong the other leaders of the North Maledith continent were. I still knew very little about the world. The strongest caster, the strongest tank, the strongest melee DPS, how powerful were they?

Whatever the danger posed by the war, it might also be a chance for me. I could use it as an opportunity for growth and to meet and learn from the greatest figures in the world.

That night was the first night in a long while through which I slept okay. There were no bad dreams, no regrets. I didn’t feel alone when I woke the next morning; I felt part of a community. I visited the Adventurers’ Hall early.

“I’d like to send a letter to Eastrath, is that possible?”

“Sorry, the mail is being fully stopped up from the upcoming war, official business only.”

The letter was addressed to Shamont, the city Steven lived in on Eastrath. I had avoided sending a letter long enough, and now it seemed I’d waited a little too long.

I was itching for more information, but no one had any to give. There was nothing to do but wait till sundown.

Only when I returned to the Adventurers’ Hall many hours later did it have any semblance of its previous glory. Present were those people who had come to fight, or at least hear about what this war was about.

Despite the obvious importance of the news, there wasn’t a large amount of people in the hall, not by any means. In the grand scheme of things, the number was pitifully small. The amount of people who had fled must have been tremendous.

There was a small stage erected, and on it stood a man I’d never seen before. He was peculiar in a sort of eccentric way. The first thought that came to mind was unordinary.

Clerks rushed across to the stage and eventually he started to speak. There were no microphones, and yet his voice was broadcast far and wide. It was a magical ability no doubt. He was talking as if right next to us.

“Attention everyone! My name is Reginald and I’m the vice guild leader of the Abyss guild. I have come in place of my guild leader, Master Magician Daron. As some of you may know, and many of you don’t, Daron is known as one of the few prophetic mages in this world.

“As everyone is aware, the situation on the North Maledith continent has been far from normal. Lands that were once peaceful now find themselves plagued by constant invasions, anomalies of all levels terrorizing areas they have no right being in, such as the rainbow vulture, a name you all know very well, and even just recently with the sudden recession of monsters to the west.”

This was something I hadn’t heard about. When Samantha, Ajax and I left the hidden jungle we hadn’t encountered a single enemy besides the weavers. Was that the reason?

“The recent events have been pointing in one direction—chaos. It has been known for several months things were coming to this. Many of you will probably doubt my words so I will tell a story.

“Twenty years ago, there was an expedition to the West Abithos continent. Ten ships were sent. Of those ten, one reached land, eight sank halfway, and one returned after a vicious sea battle.

“There was only one survivor, and that was Daron. He was barely thirty at that time. His ship encountered a sea monster on their journey, and of the twenty-seven crew, all perished in battle except for him.

“It was in that battle he received a skill, a rare skill, rarer than any three star ability. It was the first skill of its kind known to have permanent negative effects on its user. Its name was only known by the highest members of the Adventurers’ guild: Forsaken Eye.

“Forsaken Eye allows the user to sacrifice a portion of their base EXP to peek into the future. Is this dangerous? Normally, he merely needed to give up half of a level to get a glimpse of what was in store for us.

“Over the years Daron has used the ability many times. Not once, no matter how grave the situation, has he ever had to sacrifice more than a single level. I can tell you all that for this crisis he needed to sacrifice not one, but ten levels.

“He sacrificed ten levels to only get a glimpse of the future of the North Maledith continent. Enough to know that a tide of monsters will march from the west coast to the east coast, destroying everything in their wake.

“As all of you have seen, hundreds of thousands have decided to flee to Eastrath in hopes to avoid this calamity. That is not possible. Eventually the North Maledith continent will become a dead zone, just like West Abithos.

“That disaster will eventually reach Eastrath. It might not be in your lifetime, or even your children’s lifetime, but a day will come when this planet is devoid of humans. That is unless we fight to stop it.

“I realize that is a tall order to ask of you all, so I will speak bluntly. It falls to us to make a stand for all of humanity.

“There will be benefits as well as danger. Everyone here at one point or another has risked their lives to gain levels, Zeny, and better equipment. I am asking you now to shift your focus to a greater cause.

“You can continue to level and grow on the battlefield. To show our sincerity in this matter, the Adventurers’ guild will be paying a monthly wage. Each participant will receive a hundred thousand Zeny, two EXP potions, as well as other benefits that will be decided upon a later date

“As of now, we have sent our best scouts west. They are assessing the situation as quickly as possible. But I do have some information that I can share with you now. The monster levels in a single area may vary as many as thirty levels.

“We have decided to create squadrons to counter that problem. A single squadron will compose of multiple parties of varying levels. The exact number has yet to be decided. Regardless, my point is that you will not be thrown to the wolves.

“If you are level thirty, you will have your place in battle. You may encounter level fifty and sixty monsters, but a designated group in your squadron will be prepared to deal with those encounters.

“Those of you who are guilded will be grouped with your guild members, so you don’t need to worry about being split up. If you are unguilded you will be placed in spots that needed to be filled at random.

“That’s all I’ve come to say. More information will be available in the upcoming weeks. Thank you everyone for your time and I hope to see all of you on the battlefield.” He gave a salute and then stepped off the stage.

The mood was heavy and silence reigned over this crowd. Normally there would be booing, or clapping or loud cheering. There was nothing at all. Just an eerie quiet that illustrated just how serious the issue at hand was.

Suddenly, another well-dressed man took to the stage and began speaking, “If you are planning to fight then please come register at the front.” Most people didn’t move from their spot. Some started to walk away and others headed to register.

In the end, I found myself moving forward and pushing my way through the crowd. I wanted to fight and grow stronger anyway. This way, I would be helping the civilians of the city and – if what we just heard was true – the entire world. Moreover, I would be paid for doing this. There were also the EXP potions as well.

The clerk behind the desk was quick. He asked for my information and then informed me to return in a week for my assignment. What was I even to do in the meantime?

I decided to visit my ‘friend’ at the gemcutting store if he was still around. Fortunately he was, and I presented the wooden box to him.

“What do we have here?” he asked while opening the lid.

He took the gems out one at a time and gave them a look over.

“Well?” I was expectant.

“Junk, junk, junk, and junk.” He suddenly held up the smallest looking one, it was about the size of a pearl, “However, this one is a piece of moonstone.”

“What’s it worth?”

“To the right buyer, maybe a hundred and twenty-five thousand Zeny. I can sell it for you at a ten percent cut.” And I had no reason to refuse. “Is this the only reason you came here?” he asked. “I have plenty of enchanting mats remaining.”

I suddenly remembered something else as well. It was that peculiar stone we found in the King Slithereen store room. I pulled it out and showed it to him. He glanced it over, then picked it up carefully and studied it for several minutes, “I don’t know what it is…” the gemcutter said at last, “but I can tell you it is out of the ordinary. The makeup of the rock is something I’ve never seen before, the material too.”

At least this told me it wasn’t just a piece of junk the king had taken a fancy to. I pocketed it away once more and then pulled out my beginner enchanting guide. I started to read through it right in the store.

The guide said I should continue practicing the most basic enchantments until my success rate was nearly 80%. Once I could successfully enchant a piece of gear 4/5 times with a single ruby then I should move onto more difficult enchantments.

The booklet had a ranking list of the easiest to the most difficult. There were several categories of enchantments, which it listed as follows:

Stats – Increases to a specific stat.

HP/MP – Increases in HP or MP, either a flat or a percentage increase.

Skill Effects – Increase in specific skill affinity, i.e. fire, water, earth etc.

Passive buff effects – Movement speed; better vision, etc.

Procced buff effects – Special buffs contingent on a certain event.

From my limited understanding of the craft, stats and HP or MP increases had enchantments you could practice with only a single stone. They would obviously be low quality enchantments, but it was practice none the less.

As soon as you moved into skill effects, the minimum stone requirement was two. The difficulty jumped tremendously at that stage. Skill buffs typically focused on increasing your abilities. You might be able to get a buff that gave 5% increased fire damage, for example.

Passive buff effects took enchantments another step forward and these required a minimum of three stones. They were always active and offered minor improvements to your physical abilities.

Procced buff effects were the most difficult, and required at minimum four stones per enchantment. They were contingent on an event. For example, hitting the enemy with your sword might proc a buff that granted increased attack speed, or strength, or vitality. Because it was a buff that only took effect on fulfillment of certain conditions, the effects were typically greater than most buff spells.

“Have you completed your first enchantment yet?” the shop-owner asked.

“I have, but I’ve only done it once.”

He seemed surprised at my apologetic tone, “That’s really not bad.” As a gemcutter he knew a bit about the materials I was going to need and I could see from his manner that he really was thinking about the best way for me to proceed. “How about we scrap the moonstone cut and you trade the gem for some beginner enchanting supplies.”

I wasn’t tight for Zeny for the moment, and didn’t exactly need to horde it up. So I agreed. In any case, there was a war coming up, if I didn’t survive then my Zeny accounted for nothing… and if I did, well I’d be getting 100k per month anyway.

The shop owner disappeared into the back and returned with five bags that clattered onto the counter top. “Here are two more bags of rubies; this should be enough for you to master the one-stone stat effects.” He jiggled the other three bags. “This is zircon, three bags might not be enough to get the HP and MP effect section down, but it should get you well on your way.”

“Is the moonstone enough for these?” I asked.

“Don’t worry about it. Business is gonna die down pretty soon so you’re doing me a favor.” The reality was business had already died down considerably.

It was weird to be speaking on such friendly terms but not to even know his name. I felt awkward suddenly introducing myself, but went for it anyway, “I’m Joseph.”

“I’m Josh. Glad to help you with this. I reckon Arturii is going to need all the enchanted gear we can make. If you need anything else come see me before it’s too late.” I nodded my head in satisfaction and then stored everything away.

When I returned back to the inn I sat on my bed and tried my best to relax. It was smart to be in a good mindset when enchanting. Getting distracted at any point was a surefire way to fail. My life had been so hectic lately that enchanting almost seemed like a retreat from it all.

I picked up the first ruby and held it in my hand. My other hand held the booklet as I reread the steps and did my best to remember the feeling that had previously brought me success. The ruby started to melt down and then suddenly disintegrated: a red swirl of mana hovered in my hand.

The sensation of enchanting felt awkward for only a moment, and then incredibly familiar. I tossed the book aside and pulled out my test subject. It still had that red sheen from my first successful attempt. Things were going so smoothly I was surprised.

My ability to manipulate the mana was impressing even me, and when I held it over the staff and started to imprint the enchantment, I succeeded on the first try. My mind was in something of a daze and I chalked up my success to a fluke.

I pulled another ruby and went again. I got the same result, and again I enchanted the staff with no trouble. Maybe... the staff is easier to enchant because it already has an enchanted gem on it? That must be it!

And so I pulled out my Mana Pulsing Rod and held it in my left hand. There was no worry of ruining the weapon at all. You could override an enchant, especially if it was one of the weakest versions like those I was currently doing.

I was fully expecting to fail, but succeeded again, and again. I did ten attempts and every single one was a success. When did I become so good?

I flipped the book to the HP and MP section and started to read through. A zircon rested in my hand and it melted down with incredible ease. I placed it over the staff and for a moment thought I was going to succeed.

The green swirl of mana shattered into dust. It was the easiest type of zircon enchatment, HP +10 on any piece of gear. It was only after my fifth attempt that I succeeded, and I knew something was truly not right.

My ability to manipulate mana was on another level to where I had been last time I had explored enchanting. The state of mind I needed to obtain now came naturally. It seemed to me there were two possible explanations for this. Either my progress was connected to Harvest Soul, or to Mana Scythe.

There was no doubt in my mind Harvest Soul allowed me a remarkable ability to sense the souls around me, but was it making my magical senses even better as well? Both Arlene and Marcus had praised me for it.

I had never been naturally gifted in anything before, and so I threw that thought immediately out the window. Of the two options, the most likely was Harvest Soul. Perhaps my senses had increased to such a level that finding that perfect balance was much easier.

There was no point letting the enchantments go to waste, so I began to pull gear off and add enchantments to them one at a time. Some of the pieces had been with me for such a long time, they were well overdue for an upgrade.

I spent a solid five days enchanting all of my gear. The hours it took up were not because I was failing, but because of the extreme mental taxation. It wasn’t easy to focus for extended periods of time. I was still a beginner in that regard.

Some of my gear had been with me since the beginning and I couldn’t help but glance over each item. They looked even more beautiful with a green hue to them.

Bracelet of Intelligence: INT +2 HP +10*

A bracelet of fine craftsmanship, you feel yourself getting smarter by just wearing it.

This was item I had acquired within my first week. It was scratched all over, but still served its purpose as an armguard and had done so for all of this time. I had no doubt I could replace it easily if I took the time to browse some stores in Arturii.

Skull Ring: INT +1 HP +10*

The ring of a powerful Lich. You can sense surrounding undead monsters while wearing it.

I had almost died acquiring this from that Lich. It had come in handy when we were planning our pulls and even when doing our best to avoid Feroce. It made me nostalgic to think about that time. I couldn’t help but wonder what happened to Richard and Andrew from then. Maybe they were both still alive on Eastrath?

Heart-Stone Loop**: INT +2 VIT +2 HP +10*

A ring of stone shaped like a heart.

I didn’t have many feelings about this piece. The event day was an absolute shit-show and I was happy to have the reward.

Crude Venom Gland*: Poison Resistance +10% HP +10*

Wearing this near your heart seems to make your blood flow smoothly.

Looking at this item reminded me so badly of why I fucking hated poison. The fact I wore this shit around my neck for so long furthered that point even more.

Lunar Brooch***: INT +1, Grants Lunar Blessing LV. 1, HP +10*

A beautiful brooch shaped like a half-moon. It glows with a wonderful power.

This brooch helped alleviate some of the mana loss from Energy shield, and definitely looked stylish. My feelings associated with it weren’t great though. That had been a rough time mentally, when I had to convince myself I hadn’t been abandoned.

Interesting enough, accessories were harder to enchant than regular pieces of armor. Enchanting my rings, necklace and brooch caused the most failures, by a large margin. I confirmed this from the book after the fact.

A Maiden’s Veil*: INT +2, Physical Damage Taken -10% HP +10*

The Beautiful Fabric of a Maiden. It’s a wonder how an Orc managed to obtain such a fine piece of clothing.

As a cloak this had served me well. It was just as well that I could hide the visibility of it, or else I’d have a thin see-through veil covering my face and traversing down my back. It was possible this veil had saved me from Spectre Andino. I didn’t bother to do the math on the numbers though.

Robe of Casting: INT +3 MP +15 HP +10*

A robe made with enchanted threads. Its mixture of white and red embroidery is breath-taking.

This robe had been a godsend during the time we used Meteor Storm for every pack. The more I thought about it the more I realized how lucky we had been. We truly had an easy journey to the safe-zone back then.

Seer’s Circlet*: INT +3, MP +15, MP regeneration +10% HP +10*

A circlet worn by a once-great Prophet.

This headgear looked cool and had great stats at the time. I didn’t really have much to compare it to so I couldn’t be sure how it held up to headgears in my current level range. Regardless, I couldn’t force items to drop. I would make do with it.

Valkyrian Shoes**: Max HP +10%, Max MP +10% HP +10*

A beautiful pair of shoes once worn by a Valkyrie. The back has a small pair of wings.

These shoes had been amazing when I got them, and they would continue to be amazing. I wasn’t sure if I could easily replace these due to the fact they increased HP and MP by percentages rather than flat amounts. My situation was unique as my HP and MP were scaling from Harvest Soul. In time, any flat rate item would become largely irrelevant. But these shoes would always be valuable.

Mana Pulsing Rod***: INT +10, VIT +3, DEX +5 HP +10*

An ordinary looking rod filled with an extraordinary amount of Mana. You can feel it pulsing in your hand.

It didn’t need to be said that this was my prized possession. I had yet to see an item with as many stats as this. Though I’m sure they existed. It was the perfect base for Mana Scythe as well.

While +10HP alone didn’t account for much, it definitely added up once I enchanted all of my gear.

Current EXP: 61600/103000 LEVEL: 32 Soul Harvester Formidable

HP: 1890/1890 MP: 706/706

STR: 27

AGI: 26

DEX: 35 +5

VIT: 30 +5

INT: 55 +24

Available: 0

I was already getting closer and closer to my HP and MP amount from before changing class. After that it would only be going up.

When all was said and done, I had a bag and a half of rubies remaining and two full bags of Zircons. It didn’t seem I had gotten my money’s worth, but I didn’t blame the gemcutter. He wouldn’t have known about my unique situation. And in any case, these gemstones could be used in further enchantments down the road. So they weren’t completely useless.

There were merely two days remaining until my scheduled appointment. I decided to take both those days off from enchanting and relaxed in bed till then. No doubt my life was going to become quite hectic in the weeks and months to come.