“What is psukhôstasis?”

Aunty Priscy looks at me, surprised.

It’s as if I had told something really weird, as if… I shouldn’t know this word.

“Don’t tell me Gandock asked you to follow the psukhôstasis way?”

“No, not for me, but Jean could follow it, it’s a dark mage who is playing with me. But I don’t know what it is.”

Aunty hesitated a bit, took a deep breath, and finally tells me:

“Reapers, as in grim reapers, are creatures collecting souls from the deceased. Then, we call them psukhôpomps. If they have a scythe on one hand, they usually have a lantern on the other hand, which collects souls.”

“Why couldn’t I find any information on it on the forums? “

“It’s not really confidential intel, but it’s not spread. It’s a way followed by very few monsters, very few NPC in Alter Life, and they have many cons for players. Their growth is quite low, you have to spend much time looking for monsters souls.”

“Then why did Gandock told me to associate with a psukhôpomp if I choose to eat monsters crystals?”

“You want to become a ghoul?”

“Gandock told me it would be the best for me.”

Aunty looked at me silently for a little bit, and then:

“If you become a psukhôphage, a soul eater, then the psukhôstasis allows you to maintain the nature equilibrium, as if nothing happened...”

***

We continued to eat quietly, talking about many things around ecosystems and equilibriums in Alter Life.

Gandock is a knight who heartily maintains equilibriums, a certain order in the world.

Why?

It’s one of the mystery my aunty tries to pierce.

She looked for as much information as possible in the R&D service, but ecosystem intel is too sensitive, she doesn’t have the access.

She looks afraid for me, if I choose to follow the monster eater path.

The fact that the psukhôstasis, the weighing of souls, can play a role in the equilibrium of souls in Alter Life is still mysterious for her.

But for the equilibrium linked to the hunting done this morning, I can understand a bit.

When players began to come in Alter Life’s world, they began to hunt many carnivores, big animals.

Their prey, many herbivores and small omnivores began to proliferate, threatening the forest, field… quite every equilibrium.

Hunting reduces the number of those animals and protects plants and small animals.

There is more: places with many herbivores attracts bigger monsters, who are threats for human villages, mainly NPC.

Gandock is doing an invisible work which produces a certain peace in the area.

Nearly anywhere else, the world is burning is bleeding due to many monsters invasions, goblins proliferate, as well as orcs, sanguinary wolves, giant bears, and many other monsters which can find abundant preys where, before, there were much fewer.

This virtual world is more complex than it seems...

***

“So, Jules, what’s up since last time?”

“Oh, I hunted quite much. Gandock knight gave me chained quests. Look, just connecting, I already have three that appeared.”

Quest of the legendary meat bag (daily 1/3): Finish all the daily quests given by the quest masters (right now, you know 1 quest master)

Completing daily quests gives special rewards.

State of quest: 0/4 daily quest

Difficulty: G

Reward: Unknown

Quest of the legendary meat bag (daily 2/3): Devour 100 crystals of the same monster

Don’t loose too much time with this quest. It’s better swallowing new monsters, but swallowing weak monsters is still interesting.

State of quest: 0/100 crystals eaten

Difficulty: G

Reward: Unknown

Quest of the legendary meat bag (daily 3/3): Take 1,000 damage, give 1,000, use a competence 100 times.

If you have no competence, learn the guard from the first quest master you’ve met.

State of quest: 0/1,000 damage taken; 0/1,000 damage given; 0/100 same competence used

Difficulty: G

Reward: Unknown

“That’s weird!”

“Yeah, let’s begin looking for the quest master?”

“Sure, let’s do those daily quests before looking for the Komyshany town.”

“Oh, do you want to follow the way of the psukhôstasis? They say it can do a good synergy with the development I want to follow as a soul eater.”

“Why not? The name is cool!”

And that’s how Jean chose his undead class!

***

Guard competence is very easy to learn.

You just have to use your fists or a shield and hit a monster when it attacks you.

Learning it was a piece of cake.

As for the daily quests given by the quest master, it was most simple.

A few monsters to hunt, some mushrooms to pick, a napkin to put on the Necros altar…

Really the minimum to at the same time taking part of the village life, and at the same part not really taking part of its development.

When we finished our quests, something weird occurred.

“The quest Gandock gave me says 4 quests, but I only did 3, and I’m not given more.

“Hey, old pal! What is this last daily quest you didn’t give me?”

“A last daily quest? Oh, you might be talking about Pruurg quest! Go see him for me, after all, it’s for Zymivnyk village development.”

Nothing really original in the weaver quest, just collecting some mushrooms and algae, and then doing oneself a napkin.

Next next, instead of making one twice, I will begin by this quest on the spot…

Fortunately, it’s really quick, in no time it wwas done.

“Thank you very much! Thanks to you, I will be able to develop my activity, and begin to sell my products to Komyshany town!”

Quest of the legendary meat bag (daily 1/3 finished): Finish all the daily quests given by the quest masters (right now, you know 1 quest master)

You have finished all the daily quests of Zymivnyk village

State of quest: 4/4 daily quest

Difficulty: G

Reward: Your affinity with the quest master is enough to get the title friend of the village. Goods transport quests for the closest town are unlocked. You can claim to the quest mater the minimal equipment.

***

Title: Zymivnyk village friend (+5 affinity with Undead when the title is wore, -5 affinity with other races, +5 affinity with Zymivnyk habitants; +2 affinity with quest masters even if the title is not wore)

“Wow! My second title! I will become super friend with Undead!”

“It’s useful to unlock new quests. You need a minimum affinity level before being able to unlock more interesting ones.”

“I just have to put back my title when I come back, and remove them as I change avatar. Else, I will get attacked again by Gandock, like last time.”

“Oh, yes, it happends to me every time as I reconnect!”

Seriously, Jean… we really look alike a lot.

“Hey, old pal! We want the basic equipment! And we would like to know what it is, goods transport quests!”

“Oh, well, take this...”

You received a bonnet, a skirt, gloves, pants, all in old used canvas.

PV +10, DEF +5

It’s fragile, don’t overuse it!

“It’s the best we can do around here! If you spoil them to much, just ask Pruurg to repair them!

“Good timing, as I’m talking about him, now, you can transport for him his production to the weaver guild, in Komyshany town. It’s a quest that will increase our village reputation!”

If everything he produces is as broken as the clothes we just got, we are not going very far...