9 Chapter 9 - On My Own, Naked
Logging back into Immortal Legacy, Broken found himself exactly where he had left off, standing amidst the towering trees of an ancient forest. As soon as he arrived, a chill breeze brushed across his exposed skin, sending shivers up his spine.
Scanning the forest surrounding the Temple of Blessings, he realized that he was alone. No other players were in sight; a stroke of luck, as he was still in his underwear and didn't have to rush to find a place to hide his embarrassment.
"Great," he muttered. "I'd better find some armor or clothes quickly."
An orb-shaped light then appeared around Broken, and as the orb of light descended to the ground, a three-tailed fox appeared there. The fox, Polly, looked up at Broken and was silent for a few moments.
"Hey," Broken said then, lifting Polly into his arms, "how are you?"
"What are you planning to do after this?" Polly asked quietly.
"There's a lot of stuff, and I'm really enthusiastic about all of it," Broken replied enthusiastically. "I need to get to the nearest town soon, but before that, I need to check all the stats and anything left after the goddess Akidia appointed me as champion."
Broken examined the map feature, and he spotted a Shrine of Regeneration that was within reasonable walking distance from his current location. This shrine had the special ability to enhance regeneration rate for players who stayed close by. As a result, the area was often bustling with both NPC merchants and players who had set up shop.
"If I walk for about half an hour," he said to himself, "I can get to the Shrine of Regeneration. Maybe I can find some merchants there who could offer me the supplies I'm looking for."
"Broken..."
"Do you have any other ideas, Polly?"
"You can reach that place faster if you ride me. Do you mind?" Polly suggested.
Broken was taken aback by the suggestion, but then he realized that the spirit he was with was a great ally in both battle and exploration. So he smiled broadly and replied, "I think that's a great idea."
Polly then leaped from Broken's arms, and a magic circle appeared beneath the fox's feet. Its white body was enveloped in light, and it rapidly grew to the size of an adult horse, with its three shining tails gracefully swaying. As she looked at Broken, Polly said, "I'm ready..."
"Good!" Broken exclaimed as he immediately jumped onto Polly's back. The fox then took off, dashing through the trees as Broken directed her.
"Oh hu hu hu..." he laughed, exhilarated by his first time riding in Yunatea. The wind blew through his hair as Polly gracefully hopped between the roots and trees. "This is so much fun!"
In the Immortal Legacy, the speed of movement while on foot was limited and only affected by the Basic Stat Agility. Consequently, classes that could make the most of this Agility stat were capable of demonstrating remarkable agility in battle.
For those classes that did not benefit from the Basic Stat Agility, they could use certain skills to jump, accelerate their motion, or employ the mounts they obtained during their adventures.
"Ah!" At this moment, Broken suddenly remembered something. "Speaking of movement speed," he thought to himself, "I haven't checked my latest status yet. Let me take a look."
[Name: Broken
Level: 0
Class: Novice
Health: 240 Mana: 276
Strength: 25 Agility: 22 Intelligence: 23 Constitution: 24 Stamina: 25
Charisma: 20 Luck: 20
Stat Points: 0
Weight: 0/150
Broken drew in a deep breath as he accepted the reality that he was back at Level 0. Despite that, when he reviewed his overall basic stats, he found that they were on par with Level 12 - since each player gained 10 stat points upon leveling up.
"Twenty extra stat points on five basic stats!" Broken murmured, shaking his head in disbelief. "That's really insane,"
He paused, then added, "Plus, I have two more special stats."
[The Charisma stat will provide a greater affinity boost when interacting with NPCs, and a higher success rate when using social related skills.]
[The luck stat will increase the probability of success in various endeavors. The success rate will be influenced by various factors, such as the player's level, the level of the related skill, the difficulty of the task, and other factors.]
"This is truly remarkable," Broken exclaimed. "Not only do I have the Divine Touch skill, which could be very beneficial when used properly, but I also have the Luck stat. Now, I am able to upgrade any item I make and, hopefully, the Luck stat will increase the success rate even more."
"I think this isn't bad." He muttered under his breath, "Leveling up is the most important way for a player to increase their fighting power, but the stat points they get when they level up are what really matters. You can't only get stat points by leveling up; many quests also give stat points as rewards. So I think, after this, I have to look for as many quests as I can and take advantage of the blessings I have to get upgrades from those quests. Plus, getting achievements will give me stat points too."
Broken smile, imagining all the possibilities that his situation could offer, "I have five different types of skills from the blessing" he said in awe, his voice full of admiration, "each of which would make anyone green with envy were they to know that I had one of them, let alone five! Isn't this an incredible privilege?"
Broken chuckled and then went back to check what else remained of him after he had lost all the levels and progress he had made in the past year.
"I'm back to being a novice," he groaned. "At least I have one sword in my inventory that I can use in a pinch."
[Ironwood Blade]
[Grade: Rare]
[Attack Power: 20~24]
[Durability: 57/100]
[Weight: 50]
[This sword, specifically designed for novice swordsmen, is lightweight and easy to wield, perfect for those who aspire to become a master.]
[Skills:]
[1. Multiple cutting edges – Launches two consecutive attacks and deals physical damage of 120%, 140%
Mana Cost: 100
Cooldown: 30 seconds]
[User Restriction: Level 1 or higher.]
"And what about money?" Broken muttered, then rechecked the total amount of money he had.
[Coins: 0 gold 27 silver 43 bronze]
The value of gold was one hundred silver pieces, and the value of silver was one hundred bronze pieces. Each bronze piece was equivalent to ten cents ($0.1). Therefore, one silver piece was worth $10, and one gold piece was worth $1000.
Due to Immortal Legacy having its own currency, some companies offered exchange services that converted the nominal value into dollars, though the rate could vary depending on both external and internal game factors.
"It's worth around $270," Broken said optimistically. "I don't think I'm short of coins, right? I usually convert them into cash, but it looks like now it'll be even more convenient to get coins. Isn't that fascinating?"
He nodded. "Yes, I guess I should be more disciplined in how I spend the money I have and only buy what I need in the beginning so I can get the most out of all my resources."
A few minutes later, Broken stopped near a massive tree in the middle of a lush meadow, having left the ancient forest area behind. Near this large tree was a small shrine that granted players Health and Mana regeneration quicker if they drew closer to the nearby area.
As Broken descended from Polly's back, the fox suddenly transformed back into its mini form and, scurrying along, followed close behind. Surprisingly, the area around the shrine was completely devoid of both players and NPCs.
"It's really something strange," Broken muttered slowly while pondering the situation. "That, in a place like this, there are no merchants. It looks like I have to make the journey to the nearest town," he said as he sighed heavily.
"What can I say?" he mused, looking down at his body which was clad only in his underwear. "It's so stupid. I don't really care what people think. I'm sure I'm not the only player who is walking around naked. I mean, I don't care what people say."
Polly simply remained silent, observing Broken closely as he spoke.
Broken suddenly received a private message from Boo-ba, the only person on his friend list.
[Boo-ba: "Oh my god, Broken! I've been waiting for you. Why did you run out of the temple naked like that? Are you okay? Where are you now? Let me catch up with you. You don't need to worry. I'll comfort you and make you happy again. I'm the best friend you can rely on in any situation."]
Broken chuckled softly as he read the message from Boo-ba.
[Broken: "Don't worry, Boo-ba. I'm fine. I just went to the nearest Shrine to find a merchant. Unfortunately, I lost my armor and am now stuck here… completely naked!]
[Boo-ba: "Wait, are you at the Shrine east of the Temple of Blessings?]
[Broken: "Yes, that's where I am. But I'll be heading to town soon, so you don't need to come here.]
[Boo-ba: "Broken! It's too dangerous. There are a lot of player killers there, and it's not a place that low-level players or merchants visit often."]
"Huh?!" Broken exclaimed in shock, his eyes widening as he saw Polly running frantically around him.
Glancing around, he noticed five players emerging from the bushes. Each one was dressed in a different class.
"Player Killers?" Broken asked slowly, his body tensing in anticipation of the possibility that he may have to confront multiple players who could be looking to cause him harm.
