6 A.M

Wake up, brush teeth, wash my face then go to the class. It's almost the end of this semester so I had to study, it's one hell of a fight if you didn't forget that I am a gaming addict. And trust me nothing is harder than fighting you own desire. If I don't want to put more burden on myself by losing my scholarship then I better get my ass to class and study.

Just as always my group get together in a corner chitchat about anything but lately the only thing we talk about seem to be the Eternal glory game. And to tell the truth it's the same for every group in the campus. Today Yuri tell us that he start in the Eternal Empire since it's the center of the known world in game he want to make use of that to become a powerful merchant. I guess it's what any merchant think but the greater the opportunity the greater the risk. I want to tell him that he may gone bankrupt in game long before he can become a normal merchant at such place but I hold back when I see his face full of confident. He think that he still have a good chance that the other players still only 2 weeks ahead of him.

Anyone who start as merchant before him probably try to monopoly the trade already but from what I learnt AI merchants won't sit idle watch the players do what we want. They do move to protect their profit and even expand in new market and new merchandise if they see a good opportunity. For players merchant if they don't somehow get in protection of AI big merchant they will found themselves in trouble very soon.

Unlike normal game, the Eternal Glory is created by using a "seed" method. The starting AI will create a world of fantasy with random characters for tons of races and then fast forward the time for 10000 years which end up the current world that we know in game. Why 10000 years? It's because they need time to grow, explore and populate the world but the main point is a lot of races went extinct in the span of 10000 years. Wars and peace, along with that the "seed" created ít's history. This world's lore isn't some fiction story that written by a writer but it's "people" made their own history.

It's a funny that the history of this world somehow quite similar to the real world even through it's have much more races that just human.

Enough for the game mechanic, right now in front of me are two cats. Opps, I am sorry I meant two ladies and one of them is fidgeting. It's look like she want to ask me something. She is always like that and after 3 years friendship I know for sure she isn't in love when she does that. What she want is some help but to break this silence I guess I should speak first.

Me: So what is your problem Natalia?

Natalia: I am not sure myself.

Me: Err? If you can't explain it I can't solve anything, you know.

Natalia: It's hard to explain. Basically I want to play like a mage, the type that casting spells and such but even after I learn a few spells I am not good at all. My mana can barely let me use 2 or 3 skill at most in a fight and after 3 skills my mana gone I am as good as dead.

Me: ... *facepalm* okay so the problem is what? mana controlling or low rate of mana recovery or something else?

Natalia: Somehow I get the feeling that mage aren't for battle.

Me: Don't be like that, the history of game world in the manual did tell us that mages participated in heroes war and even now they are employed by many factions. I think may be it's just hard to become a powerful mage. Why don't you try to find AI mages that employed by Elf and ask them for advice? A few possibilities like need good equipment to increase the mana recovery rate, need higher skill level to reduce the mana cost, need high level to have bigger mana pool. It's hard to know what's the correct way to live as a mage.

Honestly I am as blind as you are since Greeco favor priestess so they can ask for god guidance and blessin. It's hard to find mage in human land and small city like the one I am currently staying don't even have a mage guild.

But for now just use what skill that cost you the less mana, you should wait for cool down instead of use all spell you have at once.

Anton: You are still lucky, guys who want to play as mage can't do anything in Heaven Kingdom. Only the Church magic is allowed here. Forced them join the church as priest or become paladin. Who don't want to do so have to set sail to the Greeco or Empire. It make the matter worse I heard that in some noble's land they are starting to kill anyone who they considered as "infidel".

Girls: That's ... savage.

Me: Well, look at the human's history, it's not strange to see such thing happen again in a world that have human.

Anton: I tell you that's suck, I want to be a knight of justice, a knight that protect the weak not some sort of murderer. But the church's power in this land is too great and a squire in training like me in one of the lord's court can't do anything to stop that. If it's not because the pope forbid it they may start a crusade already.

Dave: Crusade? like the old one in history to the holy land?

Anton: Yeah, like that. but it's worse here.

Dave: Anyway I am getting bored in the western land, don't get me wrong, the warrior here is strong but somehow I don't like fighting with sword and shield.

Me: Raise your level then, after that try to go to the north of the Empire, it's the land of the Vikings who excels in axe fighting too, maybe you can learn one thing or two from them. As long as you don't like my spear and shield style I am fine with helping you out.

We laugh out loud and the bell ring at the same time make us get back to our sits. Tonight I have to get the training done. It's taking too much time already, I want to be prepared and set my foot on the game of war as someone who can influence the outcome, not just a foot soldier. And war is coming, I can feel it in the air, my gamer instinct tell me that and it's never wrong so far.

****************

Phalces POV

I was drinking in the afternoon out of boredom. It's almost half a year since the "stranger" appear it this world and none of them show interest in the Greeco military at all. In the beginning there are a few try to learn but as soon as they found out that Greeco fight with a spear and shield as main weapon they drop out. They are bunches of idiots if they think they can fight a horseman with sword. In this land we Greeco have to fight the Eastern Empire and the Nomad barbarians which use huge army of cavalry, no way we can survive if we go to war with sword.

That's the moment I saw that boy. He wear barbarian clothes but had a Greeco sword on his right side and clearly show interest in the foot soldier training. By his appearance I am sure he is a "stranger" but after so long that strangers in this land all become mercenaries by receive training from Empire or Heaven Kingdom. He is the first one that look at a sparing between 2 full armor soldier using shield and spear.

When I ask him to go home as a test and a joke he show some displease for a milisecond then answer me politely that Attalos sent him here to train. That's the moments I decide I will train him myself. Unlike normal people stranger even when killed will reappear one day later and only weaker a little bit so it's possible to get him into the hardest training ever. It won't work out for normal Greeco but he is a stranger so he will be fine.

But the main point is he clearly know that I am a trainer and don't want to angry me so he can learn how to fight. This kid have a good brain and who know maybe he can even become a general one day. I will let him study Greeco military tactic start from tonight while I train him during the day.

That's when I saw the kid get out of his room

- I am back, master.

- Here you are. I am thinking about double your training if you don't mind?

- Suit me well, master. I also want to speed up my training as I feel the world is changing and I want to be a part of that.

- Oh, so your friends tell you that the Eastern gonna attack Greeco or something?

- No, nothing like that. It's just that I heard some disturbing news from the Heaven Kingdom.

- Is that so? Well, Heaven Kingdom is far from us so I don't know if that can effect us or not. Let's leave that aside for now. This morning I will teach you the rest of Pankration so be ready and run your ass to the training center now.

Once we get to the training center I start to teach him arm lock and how to chock the enemies. Right in the morning I call for 3 Ekdromoi soldiers to have spar with him in turns and somehow he able to beat one of them in spar. Just one day and he can beat one of the guys who trained for months. Of course it's not strength he have but he is good with his brain and a fast learner, he understand what should be done after 2 spar and able to win the 3rd one by an arm lock. Surely if he stay in an striking match with punch and kick he will lose sooner or later.

- Not bad, kid. Now we can get you start learning how to fight with equipment, let's start with the Greeco weaponry.

I led him in the armory of the training center and show him the weapons that he can use.

-This is a few type of Greeco swords, those ones are single edge like the one you have while the rest are double edge.

Next is the main weapon on the Greeco battlefield, the Doru, a spear length above 2 meters. Some cities have a longer Doru like the Thebes which could reach 3 meters. While the Macedon have the Sarrissa length about 4.5 meters.

This here is shields that Greeco use. The small one that look like the crescent moon in early month is called Pelte, they can appear as oval and round shape too. Most the time they are use by the javelineer, The Macedon troops use them too due too the length of Sarrissa. The last one is the Hoplon use my most Greeco soldiers, a lighter version for the cavalry called Aspis but it's quite similar so you can use the Aspis like a Hoplon without any problem.

For now you pick up a shield and a Doru then get back to the training ground.

The kid listened to every words of mine then picked up a Doru and an Aspis instead of the Hoplon.

- Why did you choose the Aspis?

- It's lighter and a little smaller than the Hoplon so it's more compatible to me than the Hoplon.

- Good choice, good answer. A lot of people just go for big and shiny things without consider what is really good for themselves. For now let's start with the how you use them. How about you try a stand that you feel the most comfortable to you.

- Yes, master.

Then he turn and put a leg up front with the shield cover the upper leg up to the shoulder while his body turn a little side way with the spear in ready.

- Good, it's natural stance, you will wear armor so the leg is protected by armor. You will use it when you not in formation.

After that are hours of teaching stances and correction any mistake he made. He is not a brightest but he know what should be done once I told him what's wrong and improve very fast. I had him train for the rest of the day and only return to my house when it's getting dark. After dinner I asked him:

- Kid, do you want to learn tactic and strategy?

- ... master,do you also teach those?

- Actually no, but I have a few books about Greeco tactics and strategy, I can lend them to you so you can learn them at night before go to bed.

- I want to, master.

I walked toward the back of the closet, took out 3 books and gave them to him.

- I had them during my days when I was young, now I don't really have a need of them anymore, what I learned is in my head so you can have them.

- Thank you, master.

- Good, now you can return to you room.

He go back to his room with a bright and smiling face. Seeing that I can help but think that i wasn't wrong to choose this kid as my discipline. He is promising and can go far and high if he work on it.

****************

Eumenes POV

This morning I gained the Pankration skill after defeat one of the Ekdromoi. They are light infantry in Greeco land. The skill was marked as a bare hand combat passive skill so I think it can be use as long as I use my hand to attack instead of weapon.

But that's not the reason I am so happy right now. Those books the old man gave me can help a lot as I want to start my military career here in Greeco's land. Knowledge about tactics and strategy is really important. Out of three books, one explain me the ranking and structure of the Greeco army. Another one about how to do camping, fort, location, and logistic in the army. The last is about tactic and strategy.

I decide that I should read the first and the last one now while the second one later. It actually didn't take too long for me to finish the two books. I get them done after 2 hours and decide to go to sleep.

*Tink*

New skill gainedTactic and formation.Beginner lv 5

It seem that learn skill from book give me higher starting level that learn it by myself.

New formation unlockedLine FormationBeginner lv 1

New skill unlockedHold Ground.Beginner lv 1

Err? unlocked? why? does it have something to do with the Tactic and formation skill?

-Check skill Tactic and formation.

Tactic and formation skillBeginner lv 5This skill allow you to unlock formation and tactical skill. All formations and tactical skills will be locked until you gain this skill. They can still be use even when locked but your troops won't get any bonus till you unlock the skill.

-Check skill Line Formation

Line FormationBeginner lv 1+5% Defend for troops in formation

-Check skill Hold Ground

Hold Ground skillBeginner lv 1+20% Defend and -50% Moving speed for troops under you command, Duration: 5 minutes

Ughh, whatever, those are not bad skills but I will need to be at least a captain or in Greeco it's Dekadarchos to be able to command 10 men to use this skill. My aim is once I leave Minos I should be able to reach Lokhagos rank which allow me to command 100 troops.

Tomorrow I have to finish the basic training of weapon and shield to move to full armor training. Better now or never, anyway I need to have my full energy tomorrow so I close my eyes and go to sleep.