Ding!
[You have successfully logged into Eternal Nexus.]
The world of Eternal Nexus greeted Liam with a familiar rush of crisp air, the soft hum of magic in the wind, and the rustling of leaves overhead. Duskwind Village still slumbered in the dim glow of morning. Birds chirped lazily from rooftops, and faint wisps of smoke curled from chimneys as fires were rekindled.
Liam stretched his arms wide, breathing in deeply. "Back again," he muttered, a slight grin tugging at his lips.
Beside him, Vix blinked into existence, shaking his tiny body and releasing a small yawn. The pup gave a soft bark, tail wagging energetically.
"Sleep well?" Liam asked with a chuckle, rubbing Vix behind the ears. "Let's get started. We have things to do."
He opened his interface and fired off a message.
Liam: Logged in. I am at Duskwind Village. You coming?
A few seconds later, a response arrived.
Mia: Yep. Be there in a sec.
A pulse of golden light shimmered near the teleportation circle at the village center. Liam turned, eyes narrowing slightly.
The light faded, revealing a tall, graceful figure in pale robes. Mia had arrived.
Her entrance turned a few NPC heads. Even among the basic garb of starting adventurers, she stood out.
Her wavy, light-brown hair cascaded down her shoulders, catching the sunlight with soft glints. Her healer robes, while standard, clung just enough to reveal a lithe figure, tall and poised. She walked with a light step, confidence in every stride. Her eyes—amber, curious, and sharp—scanned the area until they locked with Liam's.
"Damn, why did I never notice that Mia looked so fine..." Liam muttered, spellbound for a second as he looked at Mia.
But then again, it was probably because he was highly devoted to Elena in his last life.
"Wow, you are really level 30," Mia said as she approached, arms folded.
Liam smirked. "Guilty as charged."
"Well, I am nowhere near your level in terms of strength or ability. You will have to carry me for quite a bit, guild leader."
Saying this, Mia pulled up her stats.
[Player: CherryBlossomFairy (Mia)]
Level: 9 (Healer)
HP: 980 (22 HP regen/s)
MP: 1420 (11 MP regen/s)
Attributes
Physique - 12
Dexterity - 8
Willpower - 35
Endurance - 9
Charm - 33
Luck - 14
Weapon: Apprentice's Blessing Wand
+60 Magic Power
Passive: +10% healing effectiveness
Armor: Blessed Initiate Robes
+50 Armor, +10% Light Resistance
Skills:
[Healing Light] – Heals 1000 HP, 6s cooldown, 90 MP
[Radiant Pulse] – 500 AoE light damage, 15s cooldown, 130 MP
[Minor Purify] – Removes 1 debuff, 30s cooldown, 100 MP
Passive: Light Channeling (+12% healing and light damage)
Perk: Empathic Aura (Nearby allies gain +3 HP/s regeneration)
Just then, Vix bounded toward her. The little wolf gave an excited bark and hopped up on her leg, tail wagging.
Mia's eyes widened. "Oh. My. God. Who is this cutie?!"
"That's Vix," Liam said, watching with a proud glint in his eye. "My companion."
"He's adorable," she said, kneeling down to let Vix sniff her hands. The little pup responded by nuzzling against her palm and giving it a light lick.
Mia giggled. "He likes me. That means we are a team now, right?"
"Welcome to the team, Mia. However, there is one more person I must introduce you to," Liam replied, amused.
Liam, Mia and Vix made their way to the inn. As usual, Aria was in her room, meditating and trying to feel mana. She slowly opened her eyes and looked up the moment they entered.
Her gaze lingered on Mia.
Mia, for her part, straightened up. Her friendly smile faltered slightly under Aria's calm, piercing stare.
"Aria," Liam began, stepping forward. "This is Mia. She's a friend and is going to be helping us from now on."
Mia extended a hand. "Nice to meet you. I am a Healer. Light-based spells and some crowd control."
Aria gave a slow nod. "Pleasure. I'm... a friend of Liam's."
"Mia, can you look at Aria? She has been cursed by an evil cult."
"What? let me see.."
Mia scanned Aria with her system and seemingly fell into a deep thought
Aria
Level 1 (Stats Sealed) (Poisoned)
Marked by Ember binding - Can be tracked by members of Black Ember as long as they are within a 1 km radius. Applies a sealing poison to the victim, cutting off their connection to their strength
"This looks like a very advanced curse. I don't think I can help her. I could try if I had access to a few higher-level skills, but I don't think I can do it right now. Why don't you show her to a high priest of this world?"
"Ahh, I see. Well ,let us put this aside for now."
It was not that Liam had not thought of that, but all priests and healers of this world had to report major diseases or curses to the state in order to prevent an epidemic from spreading or a slave being set free. Liam did not wish to expose Aria to any official system, as that might give information to her enemies.
Liam clapped his hands. "Alright. Let's get to work. Mia, I'm lending you my weapon for a bit. It'll help you grind levels faster."
He pulled out Stormcaller and initiated the lending interface.
[Lend Item: Stormcaller] → [Recipient: CherryBlossomFairy] Rental Cost: 1 copper Duration: 2 hours
"System will ensure that it comes back to me once time's up," Liam said. "Even if you die or log out."
Mia accepted it, eyes wide. "It's heavier than I thought... and kinda badass-looking."
Liam turned to Aria. "As for me, I need to sell off my loot. Hopefully, we'll get enough to start gearing up. My armor reduction is already seeming to be very low against level 30-35 monsters."
Aria stood, placing her cup down. "What about your weapon? The one you just lent?"
"It is still defective," Liam said, scratching the back of his head. "Still strong, but I'm not sure how long it will last."
"I can visit the local library," Aria offered. "There may be old records or crafting manuals that mention it."
He nodded. "Good idea. Thanks."
And just like that, they went their separate ways.
Liam first went to the village chief's hall.
The chief, a short, old man with a hunched back and wrinkled hands, examined the mountain of loot Liam had brought.
"Quite the harvest, young man," the chief said, adjusting his spectacles. "But this is a humble village. I can't afford to buy everything."
"Well, do you have any suggestions? I cannot go to the city right now."
"A merchant passed through just this morning. Varlon. He's set up shop south of the village. He might be interested."
"Okay"
Sure enough, Liam found the merchant. Varlon had long silver hair tied back and a broad smile that didn't quite reach his eyes. His cart was filled with exotic goods.
"Looking to sell?" he asked, already eyeing Liam's bag.
"Everything. Bulk deal." Liam replied as he took out all of his loot from the past few days, including the Moonshade Lotus.
"Hmm, quite a number of materials. But I will be honest with you. Apart from the Moonshade Lotus, none of the others are particularly valuable.
They negotiated briefly.
"Thirty gold for the lot. Fair offer."
"Well, Deal."
Liam might have got slightly higher if he sold it in the city, but he was ok. After all, the merchant had to bear expenses and earn his own profit.
As Liam handed over the items, Varlon asked him, "Is there anything that you are looking for?"
"I need 5 basic teleport scrolls. Also, let us see what else you have."
"Sure, 5 scrolls are 5 gold coins. Here is a list of other items I have."
Liam casually looked through the list without hoping to find anything good. However, something caught his eye—
[Skill Book: Blessing of Rupture (Rare)]
Removes all buffs from enemies within 10m and prevents new buffs for 10s. Cleanses debuffs from allies.
MP Cost: 150, Cooldown: 60s Usable by: Healer, Paladin, Light Mage
Liam's mind jumped to Aria's curse. Could Mia use it to counter the curse?
"I like this Skill Book. How much will it cost?"
"Ah, you have a good eye. This is a very powerful skill, but is a bit pricy - Two hundred gold."
Liam grimaced. "How is it so much?"
"Well, it was sold by a disciple of the Grand Priest of the Orlem Church. I spent 4500 gold coins to purchase it. 5000 is the bare minimum that I must sell it for."
"I don't have that much with me..." Liam said, slightly dejected. "Can you hold onto it for some time?"
Liam knew about the Orlem Church, but again, they were based in the Empire of Zivi, a much higher level area similar to the Astradan kingdom. Liam did not hope to be able to interact with them anytime soon.
"No promises..." Varlon shrugged. "However, I'll be in Highvale City next week. You can find me near the adventurer's guild."
"Okay, thanks a lot."
--------------------------------------
Back at the inn, Liam found both girls seated in the common area, chatting. They quieted when he arrived.
"Alright," Liam said, sliding into a chair. "Progress update. Mia?"
"I'm level eleven now," she grinned. "Your sword is broken. And amazing."
She returned Stormcaller, shaking her head. "I don't have any skills that do this much damage."
Liam took it back. "Glad it helped. Did you gain any new skills?"
"Not yet. I only managed to improve some of my stats."
"Okay, how about you, Aria? Did you find something?"
Aria shook her head. "Nothing in the library. The librarian did mention Highvale City. Said their archives have blacksmithing records and forge relics. Also, we could look for some blacksmiths there to take advice from."
"Perfect," Liam said. "I also found a merchant. He has a rare skill book that can cleanse debuffs and suppress buffs. It might help you both. He's headed to Highvale, too."
Liam briefly recounted his encounter with Varlon.
Aria and Mia exchanged a glance.
"Then that's where we're going," Mia said.
"Well, let's retire for the night. Tomorrow, I need to complete a transaction first, and then all of us can head to Highvale City."