Azimuth: The Elden Throne

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All around the gaming world, word of the first Legendary began to spread.

In this super-connected reality, information can travel in the blink of an eye for those that seek it.

Pretty much all players that weren't currently occupied learned, and even those that were would eventually learn.

Be it in Japan, Korea, Russia, England, Chile… Every player of Azimuth was bound to know...

Of the first Legendary Item, wielded by an NPC in the Southernmost Village of the Continent.

The hardest place for any players where only those that wish to have an unpleasant experience or are sick in the head would go… Or not, as the Military Village further North also had its own share of bad Reputation among players.

At least, this is what most think, as having to do manual labor in a Virtual game is by no means fun, much less being looked down upon by others constantly.

Yet, for the stronger Clans and gaming Groups who saw far ahead, such conditions were manageable.

Many players wanted to visit the South for their own reasons, even if they couldn't.

But most new and old players still chose to remain where they were or to go with the suggestions they read about or were told, be it by their friends, streamers, or even the game itself.

Because with the spread of the notoriety of the Sword, so did the fame of the Village.

It was impossible to learn one without hearing something about the other.

And after doing so, no one in sane conscience would choose to go there when there were so many other places to choose from…

Especially the players who aimed to become competitive... To become Pros...

Why waste your time there when there are so many better places? Potential? That only matters in the long run...

And when that time comes, they, those that choose to grow outside will be ready to move there and enjoy the benefits, it would never be too late...

But not everyone could be so calculative, either through effort or not...

Most did not even think at all... Or did not want to.

There were even some complaints sent to Elden Throne, the game company that made Azimuth.

Why? Because some of the players who choose the South, Resko specifically, simply couldn't Level up, being trapped and forced to dig sand for days…

At least further North in the Military Village, the players were given freedom, even if they were extremely segregated from everyone else.

At least they had something to do...

In short, they weren't having fun.

To go there and be forced to dig up sand under the hot sun, and if they didn't do as they were told they would lose their Reputation points?

What about the players that were locked in prison without a sentence time?

Were they supposed to accept the loss of their characters and start again?

How was this the open world they were promised?

It is fine that there is a HardCore option, many MMOs had such options for those that wanted to challenge themselves.

But for those unwilling to accept this, if they wanted to restart somewhere else, they would also need a new account…

And such an account was pretty expensive!

For the more ridiculous and stupid these people sounded, they were simply the result of modernity, they were inevitable, these types of people exist since the rise of social media back in the late 2010s.

Of course, those people were quickly shot down by the community and the company in itself under the pretense that there were more than enough warnings in place already.

As such, they had ridden themselves of any possible lawsuit that could result from this situation... Even if they had already been targeted a few times.

They were in America after all...

However, with their understanding of the market, Elden Throne was quick to act by adding multiple new warning messages to both the Gameplay mode section and the Spawn point section, to the point it felt excessive to some players, it made them feel as if they were toddlers...

In addition to an agreement contract that forbids them from complaining in case they choose either Hardcore or Resko as their spawn point.

They were now held liable for their own choices, as it should've been from the beginning.

At least, as long as their complaint was related to those subjects...

Law is a complicated field, one whose entire essence is making itself more complicated so those that do understand it may make use of it to enforce its complexity onto others that can't bother nor have the time to do so.

The details are long and excruciating to talk about, but at the end of it all, it only contributed to decreasing the number of players spawning in Resko…

But with the hundreds of thousands of players joining Azimuth every hour, a small percentage was bound to migrate there.

Either by feeling they could take a challenge or by simply being unaware of how stupid their decisions are, even after all of the warnings…

There will always be a grandma or dad that doesn't know what they're doing… Or perhaps that young kid that simply smiles at everything, having fun for even the strangest of reasons...

But all of this was unimportant to Dale, who after several long hours working in the middle of the night, had finally sorted through all of the books with old man Testros!

…

"Phew… We're finally done." Dale said with a small smile as he finished pilling up one last book

His room wasn't filled with books anymore, and apart from a small pile on top of his table, all other books were stored within his inventory, which was now akin to a library…

It bothered him a little, to have his entire inventory full of books, but he also felt accomplished, as those books were by no means ordinary.

It made him feel powerful, albeit he was very much aware those books weren't his.

Mayhaps, that is how an accountant feels when he/she deals with large sums of money...

"Indeed... I would say we're done, for now."

"We have separated all of the Documents from the history, diplomacy, language, and other miscellaneous books, leaving behind only the ones that matter right now." Testros said with a nod as he looked at the table

Grabbing one of the books from the table, he said with some emotion:

"We'll have the time to study those at a later date, but right now, we must seek short-term gains over long-distance ones."

...

After a long night of heavy work, they had successfully sorted through the books, choosing only the most necessary ones.

Reading through all of the books would probably take years for a single person, so they couldn't afford that.

What were the contents of those books?

Books with information about the environment, so they can learn more about what exists around them, as most of the villagers never moved too far from the Village itself.

Books with information on monsters, be it the natural inhabitants of the forest or beyond it all, including ways to deal with them and how to use their materials efficiently...

Books from all professions… Alchemy, tailoring, smithing, and even some more mystical subjects like Runecraft, the art of imbuing magic into objects via special traces called Runes, and all sorts of 'Mancy'…

Pyromancy... Cryomancy... You got the drill.

Magic had been something long forgotten for the residents of Resko, to the point it was akin to something fantastical taken out of the imagination of their Elders...

Albeit even for them, magic was something they had never seen before.

Some exceptions may apply, like Yumi who is aware of more advanced potion-making practices, even if she cannot perform them...

But even Testros who grew up in a place full of such complex practices felt overwhelmed when he took a glimpse into the Magical Doors beneath Resko due to how long it had been ever since he witnessed such a thing.

As for the books about the history and layout of Resko... Who knows what they could find there?

Going by the official records to find lost treasures would be much more time efficient than digging in blindly…

But for both Dale and Testros, the most important weren't those books, but the Techniques and training manuals used by the Corps to train their soldiers.

Everything was there, the methods that made the Corps into what they were.

...

/Change of POV/

As he held the Manuals in his hands, Testros couldn't help but feel unending excitement... And even a bit of fear.

How many years had he been waiting for this? How many thousands of times had he repeated the basic training method he learned during his years on the Wall?

He repeated what he learned in 5 years for 90... He never said it out loud, but he was tired and worn out.

He had tried to go beyond just the basics, but how far should he go? Until when was it okay to do so?

How much was he supposed to distort his roots in pursuit of something?

What would be the point of it? Power? Glorification?... He sought none of that.

As he grew, he slowly forgot about those things, straying away... But on that same note, he slowly built his own understanding of it.

He knew everything about the basics, so much so that he developed his own combat style based on the faint memories he had of his superiors fighting.

Testros tried to imitate those complex movements and traces with nothing but sheer will, memory, and hard work.

But today... Today he would learn exactly where all of that led to, the true face of the Southern Corps!

His heart beat fast in excitement, something he hadn't felt in a long while… No, it did beat just as strong not that long ago when he climbed those stone chairs and took a step into a place he hadn't been before in so long...

Now that he thought about it, today was quite an exciting day… All thanks to that little boy over there…

"..."

Sitting on his bed, Dale seemed to be thinking about something silently as he grabbed a book, trying to read its contents before shaking his head in disappointment.

He seemed rather ordinary, apart from the fact he was quite buff for a young adult.

The boy kept surprising him, someone almost 100 years old…

From the bottom of his heart, he thanked him…

…

/POV change/

[DING]

"Hm?"

Dale's actions were interrupted by the notification from the game, it was so sudden he almost dropped the Skill book in his hand…

[Your actions have inspired a Key member of Resko's questline]

[Testros Reputation +2 Full Levels]

[You're currently seen by him as Family]

[His respect for you has reached a new height, and unless something truly unpredictable happens, it'll never go down from this value]

[DING]

[A new event has been triggered, Past Glory]

"Event...?"

Once again, those words…

As Dale read them, time seemed to slow down around him, making him very uncomfortable, especially this time.

He was very tired mentally, and right now, he felt as if his mind had been shoved under the scorching sun…

It felt sluggish, even thinking took its toll on him...

'Urg my head… Dammit…'

[Thanks to your actions in recovering a great deal of knowledge locked away in a forgotten place, the future prospect of Resko has risen greatly!]

[This information will greatly aid Resko in recovering its past glory]

[The Inner Potential of every native within Resko has increased greatly]

[Your recent actions have not been unnoticed, and every Villager now sees you with respect]

[Resko Reputation +30 = 197]

'Still no change?... So close…'

'Will something change if I reach 200?'

[Ju-Arkesios praises your actions]

"..."

[The God of Prosperity and Harmony has used a portion of his powers to bless Resko]

[All Villagers will now experience enhanced growth for the next 2 weeks]

[####]

[Adjusting… New Parameters have been set]

Dale suddenly felt a bit more refreshed…

His mental pain greatly decreased, and he even felt a bit more light… It could also be an illusion caused by his already stressed mind…

A small dopamine injection, one that would soon dissipate.

But that was far from the end…

[You've been given a choice]

'What?! It's happening too fast!'

'Where did that come from?!'

[Intensive Training, Moderate Training, Weak Training]

[Their Spirits rekindled, the Villagers within have started to aim higher as their ambitions grew]

[Thanks to the influx of information, Resko will soon start to flip a new page in its story]

[However, no matter what, there are still many things that need to be done despite that, not all have time to keep training and improving themselves]

[Thanks to the Blessing of their Patron God, it's time to work harder!… Or is it?]

[Above all, there was a reason for why they became who they are, and breaking free from their own shackles isn't something so easily achievable]

[But just like a raging fire in a forest, everything it needs to start is a small spark...]

[Intensive Training-> The villagers of Resko will fully focus on absorbing the information within the books and integrating its contents into their daily lives.

Due to this, the Crops and farm animals will be thoroughly neglected throughout the next 2 weeks, greatly increasing the chances of something bad happening to them.

Thanks to their focus, training and study efficiency will increase Massively.

There's a much higher chance of them finding a new advanced vocation.

There's a minuscule chance of them achieving something greater.

Multiple facilities will be renovated and improved in order to cope with their changes, thus greatly diminishing their stored resources.

...

]

[Moderate Training-> The villagers of Resko will divide their attention between absorbing the information within the books, integrating its contents into their daily lives, and taking care of their lifeblood, the crops, and farm animals...

Thus greatly decreasing the chances of anything bad happening to them.

Due to their divided attention, training and study efficiency will remain normal.

There's a slim chance of them finding a new advanced vocation.

There's a minuscule chance of them not improving at all due to the divided attention.

A few facilities, like the Alchemy Shop and Smithy, will receive renovations in order to cope with their changes, but many abandoned stations will remain as such with the intent of keeping some materials for the future.

...

]

[Weak Training-> The villagers of Resko will focus on taking care of their farms and animals, continuing with their lives as normal, only reading and training in their free time.

Apart from a select few whose day-to-day life included training or solely that, most won't bother to train and add more hardships to their already tasking life.

Due to their lack of routine and motivation, training and study efficiency will drastically decrease.

There's almost no chance of them finding a new advanced vocation due to their blinding commitment to their already existing tasks.

There's a high chance of them not improving at all due to the divided attention.

No facilities shall receive renovations and everything will remain as it was before.

]

"..."

'What now?...'

Once again, it was time for Dale to choose.

Potential versus Survival, to risk everything for growth, or to neglect growth and risk the future... What was he going to choose?

The lives of many within the palm of his hands…

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Notes

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