Azimuth: The Elden Throne

Another chunky edit, these chapters have become rather big sheesh...

Remember that before each chapter was like 1.5k words long, this one is now 3.8K words long...

I put quite the effort into them, so do give me a power stone when possible, and a beautiful and honest review :)

Just kidding, just having your feedback on every chapter is already enough for me.

I hope you enjoy it.

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Dale quickly read through his stats again and his jaw couldn't help but fall in shock.

"Really… I did not expect to leave this place with such high stats… I expected them to be a bit high but..."

"My predictions were around 85… Which is technically correct if we remove the bonuses from the gear and the temporary bonus from the tutorial."

'My highest Stat goes down from 115 to 75.'

'But my predictions already accounted for my items, so I was wrong regardless.'

'Aspect of Might… Jelly, looks like I owe you a bit…'

'And this isn't all...'

Dale touched his own body, it didn't seem that much different from before, but his skin did seem a bit more elastic... Though it might've been his imagination.

"Body reformation… I don't know what this is but it doesn't seem to be anything bad…"

"A boost to stamina recovery and healing rate can't be a negative thing."

'Also, this is definitely more than just a simple permanent buff... It is a bit hazy, but I do remember hearing the Green Box's voice while I squirmed in pain.'

'Something of importance has definitely happened.'

'And if it happened once it can happen twice, so I ought to pay attention to any possible events that might bring forth the Green Box.'

'The more I do, the more information I may gather to eventually deciphering this mystery. '

Dale checked his time, he still had around a minute before the Tutorial would end.

He thought about turning around and selling his current armor as its value would decrease outside, but in the end, he shook his head at his own greed and narrow-mindedness.

"Although I will lose the stat boosts for now, I will surely need them later."

'MMORPGs always have an abundance of ruins, forgotten temples, and the like.'

'So even if their usefulness decreases after I leave this place, I can always pull them out when the time comes.'

'Besides, these are Unique gear drops, they aren't guaranteed to drop on every server.'

'Especially the Sword, not only are its drops supposed to be rare, but you also need both at the same time for it to form.'

'The chance of this happening are extremely low.'

'As for this armor, it isn't a guaranteed drop from the raid.'

'Remember that every server has a fixed loot pool of items, and by opening the final chest after completing the Ancient Vault Raid, they may or may not be included inside it.'

'And to top it off, it isn't guaranteed for a server to have all of the parts at once, I was lucky, but I also got 4 extra helmets, 3 pairs of boots, and gauntlets… But I got only one chest piece.'

'This means that the loot is completely random, some servers may have a few sets, while some others may only have separate pieces…'

'And who would be so desperate as to challenge only a single Raid continuously?'

'In the Beta, we were forced to but this is the real game now, there is an entire Tutorial waiting to be explored...'

'And I bet there are more Raids out there to be completed in the tutorial, they may be simpler or harder than the Ancient Vault Raid, but it's likely the first.'

'The Ancient Vault was simply too difficult, it had no final Boss as it was an encounter instead, but after analyzing its structure with Jelly, I'm sure there will be one now.'

'Because of all of this, their value will only increase with time as I imagine that, with due time, it'll become one of the strongest Early Game items...'

'Well "Ear-ly" considering they have quite steep requirements for new players.'

'Only Elites would be able to use it as an Early game item...'

"As for the rest, I will keep an eye open for the separate pieces on the market, if I can buy them and resell the complete set… Hehehe..."

"If I can buy the sword pieces and fuse them too… I will be able to sell this very powerful and desirable gear for these Gaming groups and Clans for a steep price."

'No one knows their true value yet, so it will be easy for me to buy them at a low price.'

'I am the only one now that knows the Set Effect of this Armor.'

'That was why I invested almost all of my current money in the Trade Center...'

Dale checked his menu and saw there were only half a minute before the tutorial ended.

With this, he went to check on the promotional video's view count.

"I already did everything I wanted… Wow... Looking at these numbers… I bet almost everyone watched the video huh..." He said with a smile as he saw the number go past the tens of Millions

'One day I'll have the right to brag about this, I'm sure of it...'

"I will take a look at it later and see what they did with what I gave them."

"I only hope that they kept some of my methods and items a secret as I requested."

'I only had so much time to cut and edit things from my side...'

Dale went to the Menu and selected to leave the tutorial.

[Would you like to finish the tutorial?]

"Yes."

[DING]

[Congratulations on being the first to finish the Tutorial!]

[You've set a new record!]

[Would you like to leave your name in the Hall of Fame?]

"Just do the same as last time… Use my proxy name, My Dad… Hahaha…" He said with a teasing smile

/Fwoosh!/

White light covered his whole body as he was teleported out of the tutorial, leaving nothing but a small legend behind…

…

[DING!]

[Welcome to the Beginner Town Selection screen, please choose the area you would like to start at]

[Also, complete your character customization by choosing your starting Class]

Dale recovered his senses as he heard the nice and gentle voice of the system in his ears.

"Hum..."

He inspected his surroundings and quickly found himself to be floating on top of a massive detailed map.

There were many points of interest in it like beacons of light that shone all the way to the skies, where he was, and including other things such as mountains and forests, like an advanced 3D map.

He could even see clouds and... If he paid a lot of attention with his extreme gaze, he felt like he could see some things flying in the sky in some extreme sections of the map...

It was hard to spot them but to be able to see them in the first place meant that they were massive, considering Dale was looking at the map as if he was watching the continent from outer space.

"Time to choose… Oh!"

'I forgot to open it...'

Dale remembered his Beta Tester Reward box, he had been so utterly baffled by this new world and his priorities that he forgot to open it...

"I can do that once I'm all the way down there, as for my Class..."

Dale already knew what he wanted.

"Fallen Noble."

[Are you sure you want to proceed as a Fallen Noble?]

"Yes."

[You have been rebirthed as a Fallen Noble]

"..."

'It may seem strange that I chose the magic starting Class instead of the warrior Class, but the truth is that your start is rather meaningless...'

'At least in the Skills/Stats department, that is even more true for me, someone that already has both.'

'Even then, you won't gain anything meaningful by selecting the other Classes, in fact, you don't gain anything by selecting either of them all.'

'However, I chose this one since it brings me more chances of getting a good Class with Magic potential.'

'On their previous game, magic composed a big and almost vital role in the End-Game, and I doubt this won't be the case here.'

'Mana is the unit behind Skill casting and many other actions, and is extremely vital to the players, especially for me who is playing alone.'

'Although I do remember some cool Class paths for the other Classes, I can still seek them out by starting as a Fallen Noble.'

'I have an entire archive I made on my computer, I can check it out precisely once I'm back...'

Over his year preparing for Azimuth, Dale ended up creating the habit of hoarding up knowledge about guides and the like on multiple folders across his PC.

Because even with his enhanced body and Skills, it was impossible to memorize it all.

"Anyhow, being a Fallen Noble is much cooler than being an Outcast or a boring villager…"

[DING]

[Your Class has been processed]

[In order to help the player have a better and more enjoyable experience, your combat potential and gameplay style throughout the Tutorial have been analyzed]

[Your current combat potential is equal to the expected of a Level 56 Warrior]

"Hum?!"

'This is interesting...'

'So the AI is telling me that even with my high stats, I am still only comparable to a Late Level 50 monster/NPC? If so, what am I missing?'

"Hum... are you considering me with armor or me without my gear?" He asked as he looked around

[The combat evaluation is derived from the player's base form while wielding basic gear]

"I see... In that case, that is much closer to what I wished to be."

'If it's considering me using only basic gear, then my current true combat power is above Level 56 by quite a bit.'

Dale thought for a while before he shook his head and said:

"Time to choose my spawning point then…"

Dale immediately noticed the layout of the continent.

It was shaped like a sideways egg… That was a very forced explanation but it worked for now.

Some areas were marked, these were the places where players could start at, but only a few had detailed explanations, and Dale soon understood why.

Upon choosing an area, the map would zoom in on the geography of the region, allowing Dale to estimate what he would likely experience in there.

But he also noticed that a strange white fog covered most of the regions, making him quickly understand that the game was telling him to go explore things on his own...

The map was likely formed based on the common sense of an area, there was no need to hide an entire mountain if it could be seen from afar...

But what lies in the depths of a secluded mountain range?... Well... Go find out for yourself!

"Yelp... Even if I try to squint my eyes as much as I can, my vision doesn't help me in getting any scoops on the terrain..."

He inspected the map for a little while before coming to a conclusion.

"Hum… So the North section of the Continent is supposed to be the beginner's village."

"A lower level average, and also well explained so that every player may find their preferable place in there..."

'There are considerably more spawn points in the North close to the shore as compared to the Center and South portions of the continent. This means the developers want us to go there first.'

"But this isn't what I want." He said deeply as he zoomed out on the map again

"Purely by stat, I am a Level 60 player, my combat potential is that of a Level 56!"

"If I am to wear all of my gear while being in an appropriate place..."

"So I should go to areas meant for my level…"

[DING]

But he was suddenly interrupted by a System notification.

[You were the first to complete the tutorial]

[You have received a special temporary privilege]

[Privilege: I am Number 1

Gives you the opportunity to see some pieces of information below that of Level 10.

You can check the average Level of any of the Starter locations.

Lasts until you reach Level 10.

]

Just as the message played out, the entire map began to change as strings of words and information started to appear.

"This is…"

Dale selected one of the starting villages in the North and saw many extra bits of information:

[Stone Creek Village

Overall Level: 2

Number of Miscellaneous quests: 17234

Number of Miscellaneous quests(Repeatable): 2456

Number of Normal quests: 9658

Number of Normal quests(Repeatable): 867

Number of Special quests: 1434

Number of Special quests(Repeatable): 74

Number of Slightly Rare quests…

…

Number of Unique quests: 3

]

"Oh! This wasn't here before…" He said with some excitement

'Previously, I could only see the levels and the names of these starter villages… But now, a lot more is being displayed...'

It didn't take long for Dale to figure out what had happened.

"So this is the effect of the privilege… I can see hidden information as long as it is stated to be below Level 10…"

"Hum, in that case, these numbers could be imprecise, there might be more quests above that of Level 10 for all I know, even if that place is low leveled…"

Dale checked a few more villages, but they were pretty similar to the others, still, this allowed him to get a better idea of how rare 'Rare' was and how unique 'Unique' truly was...

Following this discovery, he focused his sights on the next interesting thing, the Capital at the center of the continent!

"Hum?! The number of quests is… Way bigger… But the overall Level is… 40?!"

Dale suddenly understood.

"Of course it is. The players are supposed to start at the North of the continent, and get stronger as they descend into higher Level areas."

"This is shown as the average level of the starter locations exponentially gets higher over time as one descends."

"Of course, there are low-level quests at the Capital as no territory will solely have high-Level quests..."

"However, that isn't the focus of that area, remember that the Capital is a high-Level Zone, so in the first place, what guarantees that those quests will be easy to finish?"

'Even if the mission to gather herbs at the forest is below Level 10, what if the monsters in said forest are Level 40 to 50?'

'Let's say such monsters are a rarity, would you, as a HardCore player risk your character for such a mission? Even if the chance of meeting such a high-Level monster was low?'

'Do remember that the pain index is at a MAXIMUM value, the pain of being decapitated or tortured by a random monster will surely stick to any person that experiences it...'

'There were many such situations in the past, and it's a reason why there are laws to limit the maximum amount of pain someone can experience in VR games...'

'Though I wonder how Elden Throne bypassed them... I... I didn't sign anything without knowing right?'

Gulping dry, he shook those dark thoughts out of his mind.

"There are many reasons as to why someone would choose to start at a harder area, and some of those include the decrease in competition, to the fact the person had a very good Tutorial and simply felt they were ready…"

"For a normal player, I can see them being able to leave the Tutorial with the stats of a Level 10 player if they get some good consumable items such as the Sigils..."

"And if they played well enough, especially if they are HardCore players or if they are part of a well-organized Clan/Gaming Club, it wouldn't be hard for a player to go out of there with the stats of a Level 25 or 35… Perhaps higher."

'Riskier areas propose better rewards…'

On that note, Dale continued to explore his options, until...

[Southern Border Village of Resko

Overall Level: 65

Number of Miscellaneous quests: 103

Number of Miscellaneous quests(Repeatable): 32

Number of Normal quests: 165

Number of Normal quests(Repeatable): 77

Number of Special quests: 319

Number of Special quests(Repeatable):160

Number of Slightly Rare quests…

…

Number of Unique quests: 53

Number of Unique quests(Repeatable): 7

Number of Relic quests: 4

Number of Relic quests(Repeatable): 0

Number of Epic quests: 1

…

]

Dale's eyes almost fell from their sockets as he read those perverted values...

"Not even the capital has such quests…"

"Of course, I can only see quests within Level 10, but still… If the quality of lower-level quests are like this, then I can only imagine when I get within the proper level of the region…"

"65 is a rather high starting Level, but I should be able to persevere… My combat assessment is close enough, so with some items, I should pass the qualifications to be there."

'I doubt anyone would come here, and even if they do, they would be stuck to these Low-Level miscellaneous quests... If I have not completed them yet...'

'By the time they rise to the Level necessary to embark in the Higher Level quests... I would've already completed them also.'

'I find it weird how there are so many quests though… Well, I just have to find out why.'

"And Before I go… Time to change from this bulky armor… The NPCs in this game are very 'aware' of things, if I go around with a massive suit of heavy armor it may attract unwanted attention."

'I still remember the story of a player that was robbed by NPCs in a previous game… I found it pretty funny, and that is one more reason why I should be careful...'

'As I do not want to be other people's target of mockery.'

With a smile, Dale selected his spot, from the North to the South, this Village was the last possible starter location.

It was also the furthest starting Village from the Capital, at least from a quick look over his astronomical view.

Over here, no one would bother Dale as he grew his powers… Or so he hoped.

/Swoosh!/

Dale's body was sucked into the map, his adventure was just starting.

…

/THUD!/

"OUCH! Hey!!... Danmit..."

"Was there a need to drop me into the hard-stone ground like this, game?" Dale complained as he got up from the ground

/Poof poof.../

He got up from the ground as he shook off the dust from his clothes and bum.

"One last look before I depart." He said as he checked his gear

He was currently wearing a full black attire with a few pieces of silver metal adorning it.

It was mostly cloth armor like a large leather jacket, but it wasn't as spacious as one being rather close to the body.

On his back was a Sword gleaming in faint light together with a Dark, plain metallic Spear.

[Vault Prospector Set (Very Rare)

+8 Mana; +8 Mental power

Gives the temporary Skill, Explorer Sense 2.5-Star (Passive)

Set Bonus -> Increases the rank of the Skill, Explorer Sense, by 1-Star.

]

It wasn't necessary to say, but this set was the evolved form of his previous Set that gave him the same Skill.

"Hum… My sword is a bit too flashy, so I'll keep it in my inventory for now."

"And lastly, going around with my hood and mask up may make the NPCs wary of me…"

'In fact, I should start treating them as normal people due to how advanced their AI is.'

And before moving on, he took a look at his Status.

"Open Status."

[Player: DareDevil (Dale Houston) Attainments: Body Reformation

Level:5 (0%)

Class: Fallen Noble

Character Status:

Strength: 60(77); Constitution: 60(77); Dexterity: 60(75); Mental Power: 35(58); Reflexes: 35(50); Mana: 10(33)

Skills:

Slot 1-> Spear Technique 2-Star (Neutral)

Slot 2-> Close quarters Combat 0.5-Star (Neutral)

Slot 3-> Stable Emotions 1-Star (Passive)

Slot 4-> Spatial Awareness 0-Star (Passive)

Slot 5-> Fighting Spirit 0.5-Star (Active)

Temporary Skills: Explorer Sense 3.5-Star

Current Effects:

Aspect of Might -> All Stats +15

Body Reformation -> Natural Healing and Stamina recovery speed have been increased

Vault Prospector Set -> Mana and Mental Power +8

Black Iron Spear -> Strength and Constitution +2

Inventory (+)

]

'It seems Body reformation has also increased the rank of my Spear Skill, which is odd.'

'Was my body limiting my own Spear Skills in any way?... This is a bit too complicated for me to think about...'

"It's also a shame that there were no trinkets in the Tutorial, only basic armor and weapons could be acquired in there…"

When he spoke of trinkets, Dale meant things like Rings, Earrings, Bracelets, Capes, and other decorative objects that go into the Trinkets Slots.

Another term they're often referred to as in the gaming community is... Accessories.

There are a total of 7 slots for Accessories, 2 Rings, 2 Bracelets, 2 Earrings, and 1 collar/necklace, together with the normal equipment: Boots, Leg slot, Belt, Chest piece, Shoulders, Arms, Gloves, and a Helmet.

Not all can be used at the same time though, some chest pieces can occupy the space for the Shoulders or the Belt, sometimes even both.

Other times, the gauntlets could block someone from using bracelets and so on, and rarely would someone be able to use all of the slots at the same time, each with different gear.

On that same note, not all equipment sets used all of the slots at the same time, oftentimes not requiring all to be used at all, the most basic sets often include a pair of boots, gauntlets, a chest piece, and a helmet, together with a weapon, though the latter is not necessary in most cases.

At least, that was the case for Standard players… Hardcore players weren't limited by equipment slots, although it was to be seen if they could wear 5 rings on each hand…

And as Dale mentioned before about the possibility of wearing a good piece of cloth gear beneath a Chest Plate, something that isn't possible for Standard players.

(Will be explained again in the future, in fact, most of these lines were taken directly from a future chapter...)

As he thought about this, he raised his head and looked at the faint outline of a village in the distance.

He smiled and made his way there… Until he stopped.

"Wait, if I go like this I'm only going to gather even more suspicion… Aha!"

'Thankfully I kept some of these since selling them wouldn't give me shit…'

Dale took out a brown sack from his inventory and strapped it around his spear, before filing it up with day-to-day items.

"Perfect."

Ready perfectly, Dale went on his way... Until he stopped once again!

"Wait! I forgot to open my Beta Tester Box!"

So he quickly opened his inventory, finding the item in question, a green box icon with a question mark in the middle.

"A question mark huh... Makes me remember those accursed loot boxes... Oh well, open for me, baby!"

And as such, Dale smiled as a Green Box appeared in the air.

It looked like a traditional wrapped Christmas gift.

/Crack.../

By pressing something in the air, Dale watched as the box parted open with a lot of confetti!

[DING!]

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Notes

I think you should take a look at innea.cm