VRMMO Reality Merge Amplification System - 2

[Name: Chen Li]

[Age: 15]

[Sex: Male]

[Race: Seraph]

[Class: Chaos Sorcerer]

[Level: 1 (0/5000)]

'… Excuse me?'

Chen Li closed the status window, took in a deep breath, then opened it again.

'The f*ck is a Seraph?!'

He was 99.99% sure it said human before logging in with the capsule.

'I never selected a race different than human!' He thought as he frowned. Then he saw his class.

'… Chaos Sorcerer? A-Are you sure it's not Archmage?' Chen Li closed the status and opened it again just to be sure. But his class didn't change!

'… Sh*t, I hope this isn't an evil aligned class or something…'

Thankfully, at least his unexpected Race didn't look evil aligned.

'Seraph… Wasn't that one of angel ranks back on Earth 1.0? The kid doesn't have a memory of the name, but I'm pretty sure this Seraph should be related to angels, or angel like beings.'

Chen Li remembered how the clearing was illuminated with beams of light, and how he climbed a literal stairway to heaven!

'F*ck, I didn't grow any wings, did I? Will I end up with wings when the game merges to reality?!'

He checked his shoulders but there was nothing, no wings, no odd protrusions. Becoming an angel like being wasn't the end of the world, all things considered. As long as all parts of him remained anatomically correct! He couldn't help but panic after remembering angels didn't have genders on Earth 1.0!

'Thank god it's still there! Wait, this… Oh sh*t, I didn't expect it to be bigger.' Though it was hard to see with the red ceremonial robes still on, little Chen Li was markedly larger.

'… As long as it works, I suppose…'

After a sigh of relief, Chen Li finally noticed the little HP and Mana indicators on his status screen.

[HP: 38900/38900]

[Mana: 59720/59720]

'That… looks like a lot…' He then noticed the attribute section underneath.

[Attributes:]

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[Strength: 2600]

[Constitution: 2600]

[Endurance: 2500]

[Agility: 2600]

[Dexterity: 2500]

[Perception: 2700]

[Intelligence: 2800]

[Wisdom: 2400]

[Willpower: 2900]

[Magic: 7100]

[Spirit: 2600]

[Soul: 5100]

[Divinity: 100]

Chen Li whistled after a single glance.

'F*cking hell, it really works…'

Not that he doubted his cheat, but seeing was believing!

'Let's see, 7100 in Magic attribute. That's a lot, but I highly doubt the scaling of these attributes are exponential. 100x amplifier means that my normal Magic stat is actually 71. I assume some of these bonuses came from the Seraph race, and some came from the Chaos Sorcerer class?'

Considering most of his stats were in 2000s, with Magic, Soul, and Divinity being the outliers, Chen Li guessed that he got a flat +20 bonus to all attributes, most likely from his race. +50 bonus to Magic seemed to fit the Sorcerer archetype. He didn't know where the extra +30 bonus to Soul came from, but the odds were 50/50.

All of that meant that his natural Magic attribute was only 1, while his natural Strength attribute was at 6. Maybe.

'If the attributes were exponential, +20 Strength bonus from the Seraph race would've increased my strength by 1048576, and that's without 100x amplification… Wait, what the f*ck? How did I calculate it so fast?!'

Chen Li was a paper salesman in his previous life. While he was alright with numbers, there was no way he was this good with calculations!

'I guess 2800 Intelligence isn't there for nothing…'

This experience was actually a proof that the attributes were linear. His new calculation abilities were astonishing, but certainly not 2.990528143E+840 times astonishing!

After giving it some thought, Chen Li assumed that the Intelligence attribute was a metric for calculation, rather than an indicator for general intelligence.

'So, to double my effective strength for example, I'll probably have to double the attribute. This means that I will always remain strong against my own level. But fighting against higher level opponents will be tough. This cheat makes me strong, but not invincible.'

Chen Li thought the effect of his cheat was fine, perhaps preferable to becoming seemingly invincible, even. Because there would always be a bigger fish! Without adequate information, touting one's power or catching the attention of a wrong party would surely lead to disaster!

[Game Message: Issuing a new quest]

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[Name: A New Beginning]

[Difficulty: S]

[Objective: Establish relations with the Bloodmoon empire]

[Description: As a new Ruler, you have to make contact with the Bloodmoon empire's representatives to receive your birthright. Bring your sealed invite to the temple of Crimson Birth to begin your new life]

[Reward(s): A fief of your choosing. Regional chat function]

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[Game Message: End of line]

Just as he was reading the quest information, Chen Li felt an additional weight in his pocket. It was the sealed letter mentioned in the description!

'… Interesting. Game, open inventory.'

Nothing came up. Chen Li carefully inspected the status screen, but never saw a single mention of an inventory menu.

'No inventory, huh…'

According to the original Chen Li's memories, there wasn't a single VRMMO without an inventory function. Some co-op VR survival simulators chose to reject it, but not VRMMOs!

'Not surprising for a reality merge game, but the oblivious player base won't react kindly to such inconvenience!' He thought while smiling.

Chen Li finally stood up and dusted his ceremonial robes, even though there was no need to. The action was just muscle memory of the previous Chen Li, a byproduct of his time working at a sawmill.

'If this "game" is going for realism, what are the odds of there being permadeath?' He kept thinking as he entered inside. 'And what about the indigenous people? Do they know about the players?'

The small balcony belonged to a tavern, he found out. The stench stale beer, mixed in with various other smells - primarily sweat, along with a soup made with unidentifiable ingredients - rushed through.

His sense of smell made him assume the worst, but visually, the tavern was quite orderly and clean. The wooden tables looked newly polished. The stone floor was spotless. Not even the carvings on staircase held any dust.

'Oh… I'm not going to like that 2700 Perception attribute, am I?'

Chen Li braced himself and slowly went down the stairs. He now realized the random conversations he was hearing actually came from either outside, or from several rooms away. Because the tavern floor was empty, even the owner was nowhere to be seen.

When he was at the balcony, the noise of the city made him instinctively filter out the conversations. But now that he was inside, he found himself unable to stop from listening in.

"Sir knight, I told you, we're closed and there's no one inside!" Said a man while trying to hide his frustration. Or at least that's how Chen Li interpreted the voice!

"This is a direct order from bishop! We are to escort an esteemed guest! Step aside!" Said another man with an elegant voice. His voice sounded as frustrated as the previous man.

Since his quest involved a temple, Chen Li assumed this was a related matter. The quest mentioned his birthright, after all. The development of locals receiving a message to treat "the Rulers" well, didn't seem that far-fetched!

By now, Chen Li was already at the ground floor, and the conversation was clearly coming from just outside. He didn't waste any time and opened the big wooden doors.

'… The door's thickness is twice the size of my leg, but it feels like nothing!' He couldn't help but be amazed at his own strength.

Meanwhile, four knights and one tavern owner turned their heads towards him, and all of them froze at the same time. Chen Li inspected them one by one.

'Ugh, the stench is coming from the owner. Goddamn, wash your clothes man!'

Surprisingly, the knights exuded a faint flowery scent, with only a very mild undertone of sweat! Their plate armor looked shiny, but there were some deep scratch marks in joints, and on some curved spots.

'Civilized, but still well practiced knights?' Guessed Chen Li in his mind. Unlike the front three, the posture of the knight at the back seemed slightly tilted, and his right hand was placed at the waist, just a few inches away from the sword's handle. 'Young and inexperienced, but still included in the group. The distance between him and the other three doesn't look accidental…'

The four knights were all wearing full plate helmets, which Chen Li thought wasn't a good idea considering the heat. 'Those must be ceremonial armor of some sort.' He assumed. Though their armor didn't expose their faces, he could still see their eyes!

'The one at the back… Young, inexperienced, with somewhat prideful gaze? Looks like he's a noble, while others are just experienced knights working as escorts.'

The silence had gone a bit too long for Chen Li's tastes. Since the other people didn't look like they were going to talk, he did so in their stead.

"My name is Chen Li, and I have just arrived." He turned his head toward the owner. "Pardon the intrusion, this was beyond my ability to influence."

After a pause, the owner was able to comprehend the words, and realized how he was gawking at Chen Li. He fell down on his knees at once. "Forgive me, my lord for this disrespect! Please forgive me!" He fiercely shouted.

The tavern owner's behavior woke up the knights, and the three in front fell down to one knee. "Knights of the Bloodmoon Empire greets the envoy!" They spoke with trembling voices.

Unlike the experienced three, the one behind them straightened his back, took one step front and gave a nimble bow.

'Wow, looks like he does have some strength, he moved like the armor was nothing!'

"I am Ragnor, son of Count White. I greet the envoy as the representative of the Bloodmoon empire." The young knight spoke in a clear, and dignified voice. Throughout the greeting, his voice hadn't shaken once.

Even though the entrance of the tavern looked to be facing a secluded street, some bystanders were still present. Voices and behavior of the tavern owner as well as the knights, caught their interest. And eventually, all of them froze after taking a look at Chen Li.

The young knight noticed them without turning back. "Your highness, would you allow these unworthy servants to escort you to the Crimson Dawn cathedral?" He asked with a reverent tone.

A few bystanders that were close enough to hear the young knight's voice, immediately went down on their knees. The others that saw this followed suite, and soon the entire street save for the young knight, was kneeling to Chen Li.

'… Sh*t… Do they think I'm royalty? F*ck. F***ck…'

He was a Seraph in this game/world, but was he a royalty? His ceremonial robe certainly wasn't made with an expensive enough fabric! The only thing the robe had going for it was the vibrant/gaudy red color!

On Earth 1.0, impersonating as royalty was a capital crime in some cultures! Chen Li realized he couldn't afford to make a mistake of this magnitude!

"There's no need to kneel. Rise, and lift your heads." He said while trying to keep his voice from cracking. "I am not royalty, calling me Lord is enough."

Chen Li watched the knights' reaction with utmost concentration. The experienced ones didn't answer, but one in the middle slightly moved his head toward the Count's son, perhaps to gauge how the noble of the group would react. 'I was right; they're knights, not nobility.' He confirmed his own guess.

The young knight also hesitated, and even forgot to breathe for a moment, Chen Li noticed. But soon his practiced movements returned, and he recovered from his prolonged bow with ease.

"I do have some business to attend to in the temple…" Chen Li trailed off while trying to maintain a kind and polite demeanor.

The young knight strengthened his posture. "Our apologies, Lord Chen Li. Bishop has sent us to receive you, but we've been nothing but inadequate hosts." Chen Li noticed the tone of the knight was somehow off, as if the knight was used to playing an instrument, but it was the first time playing this a new piece! 'He looks like he's experienced with meeting dignitaries?'

"You're being too hard on yourself." Chen Li interjected with a smile. "If there are any faults, those would be mine!" He glanced at the tavern door to imply his unannounced arrival.

Upon hearing his answer, the young knight's body lost its stiffness. Count's son bowed once more, but this time his limbs took slightly wider arcs. At the same time, the middle knight that was deferential to the count's son, slowly breathed out.

Upon seeing the young knight's respectful gesture to follow him, Chen Li nodded and went along with them.

To Chen Li, it looked like the humility and self-deprecation the young noble displayed had ceremonial, almost ritualistic undertones. His suspicion was confirmed after responding to them in a similar way. The noble and the knights were following their own etiquette, which required some form of humility. Even if it was just for show.

Whether it was their steps, breathing, all of them had a tingle of pride underneath that they soon lapsed into. Chen Li couldn't shake that thought.

With the young man, along with the most experienced knight in the front, Chen Li followed. When they entered the market street, the presence of the knights alone made the crowd split apart.

The crowd's reaction varied. Some stared at Chen Li with wide eyes, some seemed visibly afraid and retreated at once. Chen Li noticed the source of these reactions were his ceremonial robes. No matter where they went, the intense red color always drew peoples' eyes.

Ten minutes later, Chen Li saw the outline of a massive structure. Judging from the decreased crowd intensity, and the subtle relaxation of the knight's gait, he guessed that this was the cathedral.

A structure made with pure white stone, with not a single blemish on sight! From the light reflecting off the stone bricks, the lack of any sort of visible mortar, and the unnatural uniform color, made Chen Li assume that this was a different material than he saw at the tavern. Under the sunlight, the stones looked holy, when in shadows they looked "warm." Chen Li couldn't think of a better way to describe them.

Rather than going inside the cathedral through the gates, the knights led him in another direction along the exterior walls.

'The outside walls are chest height; the church isn't afraid of anyone trespassing despite the size of the land. This place shouldn't be inside noble's district either, since I can still hear the buzz of the market. Other buildings in the area are all built on a perfect grid, clearly some thought was put into city planning.'

Chen Li's mind processed information nonstop. He had two main possibilities in mind. Either the city grew around the church grounds, or the church intentionally chose a land surrounded by commoners to develop.

They entered the gardens of the cathedral through a small wooden gate. The knights, including the young noble adjusted their gaits to reduce the sound of their footsteps on the stone path. Chen Li noticed that one of them even took a wider step, just to avoid stepping on a tiny blade of grass growing within the gaps.

The gardens reinforced "the game's" otherworldly feeling. Flower beds were full of unknown plant species, and the small pavilion they were heading toward was surrounded by trees with white trunks and golden leaves.

Underneath the shade, Chen Li saw only one figure. The knights and the young noble respectfully stopped and bowed to the person from far away. Chen Li understood that he was to meet the person alone. He walked the rest of the at a leisurely pace, and took in all the detail he could.

'A woman in her 70s. Simple clothing, but the material doesn't match that of the commoners I saw at the market.'

As Chen Li got closer, he felt a strange, almost imperceptible feeling from the woman. The feeling was similar to that of the Holy Wand he saw before, but slightly different.

'Does she possess a super powerful item? Or is she the one radiating this… energy? If this is a land of magic, it should be possible to have powerful priests too.'

Once Chen Li was only a few steps away, the woman opened her eyes, and revealed her golden pupils. At that moment, Chen Li stopped and frowned at the sudden invisible pressure he felt.

'Either this woman isn't a bishop at all, or a level 1 "character" is way weaker than I thought it would be…'

"I'm sorry, please forgive this old lady." The woman spoke with a faint smile. "Sometimes old habits resurface at inopportune times… Please, have a seat." She pointed at the only empty chair near her.

Chen Li gave a polite nod and sat down with relaxed movements. In truth, he didn't know what kind of behavior he should display. But since the old lady acted like a Xianxia MC with her neither servile, nor overbearing tone, he decided to act like a modern person and treat her like a modern person.

The old lady closed her eyes once again. Chen Li thought she was almost listening to something, but there was no way of knowing if that was true. Nearly a minute later the old lady nodded before opening her eyes once again. But this time, her pupils weren't gold colored, but deep shade of green instead.

'Was she probing me before? Was that the reason why I felt a sudden pressure?' Chen Li speculated and decided to ignore her previous actions.

He took out the sealed letter hidden in his robes. "I believe this is for you." He said as he put it on the table and pushed it toward her.

The old lady did not take the letter immediately. Her eyes were locked on envelope, as if she had expected, yet was still unsettled by its presence.

"I see…" She answered finally. "You truly are one of the envoys."

Chen Li shook his head. "I don't know what that means."

"The Goddess has sent us an oracle. Outsiders will appear all over the continent. Some will bring oblivion; some be our salvation." She closed her eyes and made a praying gesture with her hands. "Envoys that are worthy, shall be elevated. And the undeserving, punished."

Chen Li noticed the tone shift of the old lady when she mentioned Outsiders and Envoys. 'Envoys should be rulers, and maybe some higher-level adventurers. Does everybody else fall under the same umbrella, I wonder?'

The old lady opened her eyes, golden once more. "Which one are you I wonder. Worthy, or undeserving?"

"Neither." Answered Chen Li. This was both the truth, and the answer he thought the old lady was looking for. The modesty, humility, acceptance, simplicity, these were obviously important tenets of the church.

The old lady smiled after a slight pause. Chen Li though, shook his head. "What do you think we are?" He asked.

"This old priest… doesn't know." She relaxed her posture and leaned back on her chair. "But I do know none of the other envoys arrived at major cities…" She nodded as if she guessed the unspoken questions. "To thrive, envoys shall refine the soil." She spoke with a reverent tone, indicating this was a quote from the oracle.

'…'

The old lady's words were deceptively open ended. A deliberate move to make Chen Li speculate. Clearly, the priest wasn't willing to give any more information than this; a look at her shrewd eyes was enough to know what.

But Chen Li knew more than she thought he knew. '… So the rulers were supposed to start at an uninhabited, far away land? Were they supposed to build settlements? Refinement of the soil is almost certainly not literal. Does that mean rulers are supposed to reclaim some sort of lost lands?'

Whatever they were supposed to do, the church didn't seem to be especially fond of the "envoys." They were respectful of course, but this backdoor meeting, and openly probing him without asking, was enough evidence to convince Chen Li.

"Aren't you going to open it?" He asked. Rather than entertaining this sly old lady, he would advance the quest then find a good opportunity to log out. By this time other players should've made some progress; Chen Li thought he needed some perspective!

The old lady's eyes flickered, and she looked at Chen Li with her golden eyes once more. When she finally closed them, she bowed her head. "I sincerely apologize for my disrespectful attitude." Suddenly her voice became weary. Her movements slowed down visibly, at least to Chen Li. More than that, it was as if the air around her relaxed, and the tiny bit of remaining invisible pressure completely disappeared.

"This letter isn't meant for my eyes; I shall personally present it to the empress."

'… Empress? THE Empress?!'

"There's no need to be so exaggerated." He quickly interjected. "And I did not take any offense. Cautiousness is not a sin, as long as one knows when to let go."

The old lady seemed surprised, but she nodded after giving Chen Li's words some thought. "This old priest thanks for Lord's generosity. Please, at least allow us the chance to be good hosts."

Chen Li expected some downtime due to the nature of the quest. A game quest would've been over by now, but in reality, transferring the rights of a fief would probably require considerable amount of paperwork! "I will be in your care." Chen Li answered politely.

The old lady stood up along with Chen Li. "Maria." She said with a whisper. Chen Li saw a woman in white nun clothing far away, with some peculiarity that made Chen Li question his vision. Was there really a white glow underneath her feet? While Chen Li was trying to determine whether that was magic, or some other power, the nun traveled the distance with just a few steps.

"Maria will follow your every order. Please feel free to do anything you wish. Aside from entering the castle, or the noble district, you may go anywhere within the capital. If you will excuse me, I shall attend to this…" She took the letter from the table. "… and make sure everything goes smoothly."

The old lady drew a horizontal line in her chest upon seeing Chen Li's accepting nod. "May the Goddess protect." She said reverently, and left.

'I didn't tell her my name.' Chen Li noticed while watching the old lady enter the cathedral. 'You'd think a reality merging game wouldn't have a convoluted "ruler" mechanism. What's the point of outsiders to act like nobility?'

Inevitably, Chen Li's thoughts went to the nature of the reality merge. What did it mean exactly?

Information at hand wasn't enough to arrive at a conclusion. But that didn't stop Chen Li from speculating!

'The least invasive version would be that the characters' powers, either partially or in total, will be transferred to the player's body. And the contact with the game world will remain limited, perhaps exclusively restricted to the game.

The other extreme scenario would be humanity as a whole transferring to the game world. Having "rulers" in that case would make sense, as those people and their settlements would serve as a gathering point for humanity.'

Web novels with both scenarios existed back on original Earth. Transferring the entire human race, even transforming them into other races, or beasts, was certainly possible with the magic of writing!

Chen Li shook his head in frustration. 'This reality merge game should fall in between those two extremes. But I have no idea where it'll end up with!'

'The internet.' Chen Li thought. 'I need to check the internet for any sort of outlandish speculations!'

The priest/nun called Maria was patiently waiting at the back.

The old lady had an unknown flowery scent, perhaps the least offensive smelling person he encountered in this world so far! Maria on the other hand, clearly had a faint scent of sweat on her, yet somehow it wasn't unpleasant.

'Ever since I arrived here my senses became incredibly sharp, but the more worrying part is my interpretation of them.'

As if to clarify whether he was making a mistake, Chen Li scrutinized Maria's face and clothing. Only to find himself mesmerized by her beauty!

'So that is a face like a melon seed! I remember reading that description over and over again without knowing what it meant…'

Perfect tanned skin with no blemishes, plump lips, and brilliant blue eyes with a calm gaze, Maria did not shy away from Chen Li's gaze. She waited for his orders, just like the old lady said.

'Her headpiece has two slight bumps on top. Doesn't seem like an oversight since her outfit is perfect otherwise. And there's something odd with her eyes…' Chen Li couldn't tell what was wrong, but he couldn't help but think. 'She's definitely not human. Not completely, at least.'

His conclusion reminded him of his own condition. He wasn't human either! Not while inside the game, at least!

"I wish to rest for a while. Could you bring me to a place where I won't be disturbed?" Asked Chen Li.

Maria bowed and started walking rather than respond with words. Chen Li followed while observing everything in their path.

On the other side of the cathedral gardens, were various buildings. Built with a markedly inferior materials even at a glance. The interiors weren't any different, and slightly worse off than the tavern before. Still, despite seeing no other people, everywhere was squeaky clean. So much so that Chen Li couldn't detect a scent other than Maria's.

Finally, she stopped in front of a door and stared at Chen Li's eyes.

"Thank you." Chen Li said with a polite bow. "It is crucial that my rest is not disturbed. Please do not enter inside without my permission. You need not wait either. I will meditate inside the cloister once I wake up. You may find me there if there's something that needs my attention."

Seeing that there was no response from Maria, verbal or physical, Chen Li entered the room and carefully closed the door behind.

The warning about not getting disturbed was due to the nature of his body in the game world. What would happen to it when logged out? Would the body appear as if he was sleeping, or disappear completely?

Rather than causing a commotion, wasn't saying "don't disturb my rest" a better solution?

The answer to his question, he could find out via internet anyway!

Chen Li carefully laid on the bed, just to be safe!

'Alright, let's log out.'

[Game Message: Logging out…]

[Game Message: 5]

[Game Message: 4]

[Game Message: 3]

[Game Message: 2]

[Game Message: 1]

[Game Message: 0…]