The Second Life of Adam Cosmos

"Hurry up, workers!" yelled Hao Ling at the group following her team. "We're paying you to work, not to stroll!"

As one of the elites of the Hao-Wei Lorikan Branch, Hao Ling is in charge of exploring the catacombs. Ever since the conclusion of the first quest, she has elected to stay and explore the catacombs while most of the Hao-Wei members, including her sisters, chose to explore the Undead Regions.

While the rest of the players are busy exploring the plains, forests, and mountains that are the massive Undead Region, Hao Ling decided to focus her efforts on exploring and searching for something valuable deeper into the catacombs.

Of course, she's not the only player to do so; several independent teams and various small guilds have the same idea as hers and are focused on searching the nook and cranny of the catacombs.

This is why she asked for an elite team to accompany her to ensure that Hao-Wei monopolized whatever gains they found in the deeper sections of the catacombs. As Hao-Wei is a world-class pro gaming guild, the other players were immediately 'persuaded' to vacate the catacombs. In just a few days, every player that the Hao-Wei team encountered has been promptly evicted from the catacombs.

They then publicly made a post that the Forgotten Temple, in particular, the catacombs is officially a grinding territory of Hao-Wei. In consideration of the recent Hao-Wei and Maxima alliance, Maxima is the only guild allowed to visit the area. Anyone else will be slain on sight.

At the moment, over 100 Hao-Wei elite players are divided into smaller groups to explore the catacomb, and about 50 players are in support roles to ensure that they maintain their strength in numbers in case they encounter a monster horde or other players.

Aside from the 100 Hao-Wei members, Hao Ling has also employed groups of workers- these are players who can't afford the gaming capsule and are using a DreamWave Helmet to play World of Pangea. The difference between a player using a capsule and a helmet is between night and day.

A gaming capsule allows the player to stay for as long as needed- provided that the nutrients and essential fluids are available in the capsule. Meanwhile, a helmet player would have to lie in bed and regularly log out to ensure their bodies don't experience pain or numbness from being still. The maximum hours a helmet player can stay in Pangea is approximately 12 to 15 hours in-game or about 4 to 5 hours in real life. After that, the system would automatically log out the player to ensure their biological needs are not neglected. The wait time is also longer- about 3 hours before a helmet player can log back in.

This is a huge setback for pro gamers and other serious players. But for someone who just wants to do labor for rich guilds in exchange for some quick cash, the helmet is more than sufficient to make this possible.

The work they're paid to do is usually the most tedious tasks that professional players don't want to do themselves such as collecting herbs, mining, digging, or just simply carrying the loot and equipment of the players. Since the majority of the workers are hired to do the most menial tasks, there is no need for them to have a high level, as such majority of them are just level 1.

However, this is the reason why trying to keep up with the walking pace of a Level 74 like Hao Ling is a challenging feat for a group of Level 1 workers with very low endurance.

"Hurry up!" yelled Hao Ling again. "I'll pay extra to those that can keep up!"

"You heard the captain!" echoed Cheng Yichen, a cleric and Hao Ling's second-in-command. "We need to hurry!"

The reason for their urgency is the massive tremor they felt an hour ago.

The rest of the Hao-Wei Excavation Team was busy exploring the Inner Catacombs when suddenly the ground shook and they felt a huge part of the area collapsing. Though they can't pinpoint exactly where it is, their scouts were at least able to give them a general idea as to its location.

Hao Ling immediately organized the players under her command to spread out and search for the area. She ordered them to divide into 10 players and have each group bring 10 workers with them to ensure that they covered a wide blanket to the area affected by the earthquake.

She herself took 9 of the Hao-Wei elites, two of which are their top scouts, plus 10 workers, and decided to pick the path that was most likely closest to the center of the tremor. The rest of the teams were instructed to stick to a certain path and to dig through if they encountered any blockade. The idea is to re-open whatever path was blocked to ensure they can explore the section that was buried by the rubble as well as to draw an updated map of the Inner Catacombs.

The skills of their scouts are evident; the path they are taking has so far been free of any obstacles. The scouting duo regularly update Captain Hao Ling on their status such as their general location, approximate distance from the epicenter as well as any potential enemies in the area- which Hao Ling decided to avoid; finding the source of the quake is their priority, not fighting monsters.

After about an hour, they finally found something- a massive hole in the inner catacombs.

"Captain, this is most likely the center of the Inner Catacombs," the bow-wielding scout, Sun Chao told her captain. "Whatever caused the earthquake, it probably originated here."

"She's right, captain." concurred the dual-dagger-wielding scout, Ming Jian. "Allow us to check below to see what we're dealing with."

But Hao Ling shook her head.

"No, send one of the workers first," responded Hao Ling. "If there's a trap there, at least we'll know ahead."

Hearing his captain's decision, Chang Yi Chen immediately ordered the two closest workers to him.

"You!" he barked. "Jump down on that hole."

The worker he pointed out did as commanded. Unlike pro gamers, dying in Pangea means little to these types of workers; typically, part of their contract states that if they die while performing their duties, they would still be paid in full as if they worked their full hours. If anything, dying on the job means an early clock out and full payment.

He jumped as commanded. And then nothing.

There was an awkward silence.

"Yichen, did you form a party with him?" pointedly inquired Hao Ling. "So that you can tell his HP status on the party screen?"

There was another awkward silence.

"No, Captain," mumbled Yichen. "I'm sorry, I should have thought of that first."

But Hao Ling dismissed the cleric's apology.

"It's just a worker," said Hao Ling. "Send another one, and form a party first."

"Yes, captain!"

Another worker was asked to jump down the hole. Then nothing.

"He died, captain," said Yichen. "His HP went from full to zero after a second of jumping."

"That doesn't automatically mean the height is deadly," one of the scouts said. "They are all Level 1 so their HP is abysmal."

"That could be true," said Hao Ling. "But let's not waste any more workers."

She pulled several scrolls from her bag of holding and distributed them to her party members. It is a scroll called Feather Weight scroll that allows a user to negate 50% of fall damage for 10 seconds.

"We all jump together, tear the scrolls the moment I give you the signal!" she ordered the team. "That includes you, workers!"

"Tanks, Shen Lan and Yu Lin, the two of you will go first." she continued. "As soon as you land, activate your defensive skills. Form a party with me."

The two tanks did as they were ordered, and not long after, they jumped. After a few seconds, Hao Ling updated her party.

"They're alive but they took a huge damage from the fall," she announced. "It looks like the height is deadly, after all. Workers, return the scrolls I gave you."

If even the tanks took significant damage, then it can only mean that the rest of them will probably die on impact even with the scroll's fall damage reduction.

She took the Feather Weight scroll from the remaining eight workers and gave them a higher-tier scroll called the Weightless Scroll. It is a scroll that would completely negate fall damage for 10 seconds. Despite her calling them 'mere' workers, the workers were brought here to do a job after all. And their deaths early on would serve no purpose.

"Team! At my signal, we all jump!" barked Hao Ling. "That includes you, workers!"

"Yes, ma'am!"

"Yes, captain!"

"Understood!"

The rest of the party responded with their acknowledgment of Hao Ling's orders.

"At the count of three," said Hao Ling.

"One!"

"Two! Tear the scrolls!"

"Three!" roared Hao Ling. "Jump!"

And so, the rest of the Hao-Wei Excavation Team led by Hao Ling jumped into the hole. Upon landing, they saw their tanks yelling at someone.

There was another player there.

***

[You have slain Dark Priest Novhekaar, Level 300. You have absorbed 350,000 Essence.]

[You have slain...] x238

[Quest: Show the body of Dark Priest Novhekaar to Imperatrix Demetra.]

Details: Deliver the body of the slain Lich to Imperatrix Demetra for a reward.

[You have slain a Lich. The title and achievement ‘Lich Slayer’ has been added.]

[You have slain over 9,999 undead monsters. The title 'Bane of the Undead' has been added.]

[You are the first player to find and possess a legendary item. The achievement 'First to find a Legendary Item' has been added.]

While Adam was waiting for the party of players above to arrive, he decided to pass the time by reading the system messages that he missed earlier and checking the new pyromancy spells that became available after he increased his Mystery stat to 10.

The hole from above the clearing has notably widened, and it seems that the height is enough to kill a player. He never really noticed it during the fight with the Lich. But only now did he realize that if he had missed his mark and hadn't caught the Lich in mid-air, he probably would have died from the fall as well.

Suddenly, one low-level player fell from the hole, only to die upon impact. Though they are level 1, he expects even a mid-level player to also die without any utility spells or items that would dampen fall damage.

Next, another Level 1 player jumped and also died upon impact.

He finalized what he was doing and confirmed the purchase of two new Pyromancy spells- these are some of the spells that were unlocked when he increased his MYS stat to 10. Upon purchasing the spell, he also purchased some of their upgrades.

Fire Bullet 3

Description: Shoots a small flame projectile that deals 34 fire damage.

Cost: 20 MP

Cooldown: 0.80 seconds

Blazing Barrier 2

Description: Conjurs a shield with 375 hit points that protect the user from attacks.

Cost: 70 MP

Cooldown: 50 seconds

He is particularly happy with the Fire Bullet's effect. Though the damage isn't too high, it makes up for it with the less than 1-second cooldown; with his Ignition Glove's cooldown effect, he can shoot approximately two Fire Bullets per second. He can now fight using melee and has a quick-fire spell to complement the slightly longer cooldown of Firebolt.

As for the Blazing Barrier, he felt the need for a quick cast shield after experiencing the sudden force from the Lich when he attacked it in melee. He will not always have a barrier-type scroll with him so investing in a defensive spell is a must.

Being satisfied with all his gains from the fight, he decided to re-equip the Vetius's Dagger as a left-hand weapon and the Sacrificial Dagger as his main weapon. Ironically, the two daggers have the highest attack rating of the weapons in his possession.

Thanks to his Spatial Ring, he can switch his weapons on the go.

It was at this moment when two well-equipped players landed. Judging by the heavy armor and shield that they carry, both are tanks.

Furthermore, Adam noticed that they activated their defensive skills just before hitting the ground- their timing indicates that they are at least pro-level players.

Due to his boosted Perception stat, he can see the names and levels of the players.

Shen Lan, Shield Warrior Lvl. 69

Yu Lin, Shield Warrior Lvl. 68

'As expected, it's Hao-Wei,' smirked Adam. 'This should be fun.'

***

As soon as the two tanks landed, they immediately noticed another player standing in the clearing.

They immediately shouted at this mysterious figure.

"You there!", yelled Shen Lan at the player. "Identify yourself!"

"You are in the territory of Hao-Wei Guild!" declared Yu Lin, backing up what his fellow Shield Warrior said. "Identify yourself!"

They initially activated their defensive skills to dampen their fall, but now it also works as a pre-emptive maneuver in case the player in front of them turns hostile.

However, the player didn't attack. Nor did he say anything.

Then, the rest of their party members landed. Neither Shield Warriors took their eyes away from the player.

When they sensed the rest of the members finally landing on the ground, they acknowledged the arrival of their comrades but still kept their defensive stance on.

"Captain, there's an outsider," said Shen Lan briefly. "Orders?"

"Ming Jian, pin him down but don't kill him." Hao Ling immediately ordered.

A split second later, the bow-wielding scout fired his arrow.

"Pinning Shot!"

Her intention was to trigger the combat state so that the player couldn't escape by logging out. She made sure to clarify not to kill the figure as she needed to know who the person was and what he knew about what happened to the place.

But to the surprise of the Hao-Wei team, the man casually side-stepped the arrow as if it was a paper ball thrown his way.

"Well, hello to you too." the mysterious figure said. "I wonder what brings you here?"

Hao Ling ignored the man.

"Fire another shot," she ordered. "Don't kill him."

Ming Jian fired another shot, this time it was a regular arrow and activated skill. He could not afford to put too many skills on cooldown and he understood the intentions behind his captain's order. For as long as the arrow connects, the combat state will be activated on the player.

SWISH!

But once again, the man avoided the shot with no effort. He didn't appear to have used any skills, and neither did he move fast. It's as if he anticipated the attack and knew when to move to avoid getting hit.

"Is this the way a professional guild greets an independent player?" asked the man, clearly unperturbed by their attempt to shoot him.

But Hao Ling kept her cool- for the most part.

"I am Captain Hao Ling of the Hao-Wei Guild." she declared. "This area is under our guild's territory. No player are allowed to be here without our express permission."

"Oh, is that so, captain?"

"I demand you surrender all of your items for inspection to ensure that no items rightfully belonging to our guild are stolen," she continued. " If you cooperate, we can let you go with just a warning."

While saying so, she observed the man closely. He is wearing a white mask that fully covers his face. The cloak he is wearing looks old, but the rest of the armor he's wearing seems to be of good quality. If she's being objective with her assessment, it is a better quality than what her scouts and rangers are wearing.

As for the man's weapon, she can see two daggers in his waist.

'Must be an assassin class,' she concluded.

Based on the whispers of her party members behind her, it is clear they also reached the same conclusion.

It is Yichen, her second-in-command.

Understanding that Hao Ling is talking to the man to distract him, he takes the hint and immediately organizes the party for a fight.

"Shen Lan, protect me and Xing Li." said the cleric, Chang Yichen. "Yu Lin, prepare to activate your defensive skills to protect the captain. Consider any movement he makes as an attack from this moment on."

The rest of the members moved in a defensive formation; casters at the back, ranged dealers in the middle, and tanks in the front. Only Hao Ling, who's still speaking with the man, is still in front, but one of the tanks moved closer to her, ready to protect her from any attacks.

The man spoke again.

"Oh, so you own the place?" the man asked.

"This place is the territory of the Hao-Wei Guild," responded Hao Ling, this time a hint of annoyance is starting to show. "If you haven't heard of us, you can blame your own ignorance."

"Hmmm. Okay, I see," said the man while nodding. "So, if I didn't know of you, it's because of my ignorance."

For a moment, it appears that they managed to intimidate the man into surrendering. But then-

"But if you, Hao-Wei Guild, cannot hold your so-called territory," continued the man. "I wonder, would you blame your own weakness for it?"

At the man's provocation, Hao Ling lost her patience.

"Let's talk again when you've revived," she said coldly. "I'll make sure you die in this place a dozen times over."

Hao Ling is a Level 74 Elemental Mage who focuses solely on fire spells. While she lacks the elemental versatility that other players of her class have, it means the level of her fire spells is a notch above other Elemental Mages of her level.

Fire Javelin!

She hurled a single-target spell at the man. Aside from the fire damage, the Fire Javelin has the bonus effect of pinning the target for a few seconds if it connects.

As soon as the spell was about to hit the man, she saw that he caught fire. She was about to smile, thinking that her spell taught the man one of the many lessons she would teach him during his permanent stay in the catacombs. However-

BOOM!

While she saw her spell connect, her status window showed her something she didn't quite expect.