The Gamers: Prologue - Gamers, ASSEMBLE!

Oh the frivolity.

Where Tae Min was once reminded before of his previous encounter with the goblins, he now he felt full blown nostalgia. The surprise, the enemies, falling teammates, and a speedy escape - it was all there again. And though Rei's forewarning from before the battle remained the same, Tae Min had to cover his mouth to suppress the laugher lodged in his throat.

What are we now? A twenty-four episode TV show?

Tae Min calmed down and rested his hands on his navel just as Rin and Aiko returned to the pseudospace, which cued more conversation about all of their circumstances. Most of the talk seemed to be around a new training place.

"A base sounds cool," Tae Min piped in. "Bonus points if we get electricity and dummies." He smiled winsomely at the prospect. Very twenty-four episode TV show like.

"Though once again, I do agree with Geom girl," he briefly glanced at Rin as he spoke again. "I shared my business card, Blue Bird," Tae Min settled his eyes on Rei's heterochromatic hues. His smile tightened a touch.

"So shouldn't you do the same?"
 
"The note simply says 'War sends his regards'" replies Rei nonchalantly as he reaches into his still open Inventory as he says this and pulls out the business card, letting everyone who wants to see it, or take pictures of it, do so before shoving it back in.

"Anyway, I'm not denying the prospects of a base, it'd be good for at least this week while you all still can't be dragged into Pseudospace," Rei pauses, "But I think it'd be a waste of time personally. Not while we still lack funds to acquire better equipment and strength to actually make it mean something."

Rei sighs heavily. "In the end, as much as I hate to admit it, we all need to find teachers of some kind, or those with the funding and capability of creating Indoor Pseudospaces, which can only be created with Pseudospace Stones." Now that was another new term. "The likes of which have limited uses and are immensely expensive. 500,000 Yen for the cheapest one on the auction, and it only gives about 5 - 7 days worth of Pseudospaces. It doesn't even create adequate training space either, it only turns the room you make it in into an empty one."

Essentially, if The Gamers actually wanted adequate training spaces of their own, they would need to have a vast amount of funds to do so with.

"And they can still be invaded, meaning if you have one set up in your house, it becomes fair game for those with powers to break into. And we still lack the means, supernaturally and possibly financially, to actually make Pseudospaces defensible."

A goal then. A lofty one, but a goal nonetheless.

"Rin's meeting with that Alchemist gave me an idea. Not too keen on it, but right now we don't have that much of a choice." A bit of strange frustration present in his voice, he continues. "Our weak power has only one ultimately unique ability." At this, Rei pulls out a small, glowing blue shard from his inventory, it being about the size of his index finger.

"The ability to create Physical Items from defeated Monsters. Normal Ability Users can only harvest their essence, which can be used for crafting, but these physical Items are immensely useful, and our only card to play in terms of negotiation." Rei puts the shard away into his Inventory.

"Essentially if we find someone who could benefit from our Ability, and has a space that we can use, we offer up Items that they can use as payment to utilize that space. Who knows" Rei shrugs, "They may even offer more than just space as well. After all, the stronger you are, the stronger the Monsters you can fight, and thus the stronger the Items you can attain."

Rei just chuckles a small, foreign chuckle. "In the end, you can think yourself as strong or gifted as you like" Rei looks at Rin and Aiko mainly as he says this, "but you won't be able to accomplish anything in the Abyss without money."

Rei checks the time now on his phone. "Anyway, I need to get going, so we can talk more later. For now, do whatever you want in regards to that base thing, but I still think its just a waste of time." He looks at Majima though before he departs.

"You will need Magic or Elementalism if you want to have Magical or Physical Element Attacks. The former requires 20 INT, the latter requires SPI. So why don't you just choose which of those you want, and then contact me later. And as for breaking your limits..." Rei just shrugs. "Your power holds alot of potential. So just grow and get stronger if your weakness concerns you. I don't really know if we can do Class Changes, so just be content with what you have and use it."

With that, unless he is stopped, Rei would leave The New Gamers to their own devices.


​
 
A secret base was a boy's romance, huh? As Kazuo and Soren all jumped on board Hira's idea, adding in their own about repurposing an abandoned facility to suit all their training needs, Rin just gave them a look that was a mixture of exasperation and surprise. Were they actually listening to themselves right now? Were they somehow incredibly flush on money? Were they so blinded by the progression they gained from their Gamer power that they think they can improve dramatically without outside help?

And Soren. After that pathetic display against only two Goblins, he still thought that he didn't need any sort of physical training? He'd still prefer to burn away time in workshop, instead of making up for his crippling weaknesses?

"So improving INT doesn't do anything after all," Rin muttered, before turning her attention on Rei instead. "That's not 'simply', Rei. If the Horsemen are involved in this, and if the Walker has had contact with them, that's one way of finding out more about them. A clear connection between our two quests is nothing to simply hide."

Still, the heterochromatic youth did bring up some new information. Rin had already planned on taking advantage of the item generation ability to begin with, and unlike the others, she had a solid connection to someone who could offer training towards her. Money was important, definitely, but in another way, it was meaningless without connections, without a network.

The Enforcers, an organization that served to hunt the Hunters, with her cousin as one of their captains.

The Alchemist, Mai Xing, as a source of arcane knowledge, supplies and income.

The Walker, as a general connection towards her current opponents, the Horsemen.

It was 2PM now.

"If we're done here," Rin said, nodding slightly, "I'll be taking my leave too. Aiko, let's go."

Without waiting further, she strode towards her bike, chained to a telephone pole. This hardly constituted as training.
 
After Rei left, Aiko and Rin were the next two to immediately leave. After they had walked or biked a bit of a distance away from the four remaining Gamers, those four Gamers would suddenly be greeted by a window.

A Pseudospace is seeking your presence.

Will you enter?
Click to expand...

Upon reentering the silent world (for whichever of the four chose to do so), they would see a familiar figure and a strange orb floating in the center of the space. The Walker is the figure once again. No Goblins this time. He gives a simple wave to the four of them.

"Now that those three have left, my client actually wishes to speak to you."



He reaches into his pocket, pulling out a square stone. He seems like he's about to tap it, but pauses for a moment to ask a question.

"What did that note I gave Rei Amagi say anyway? Were you told its contents?"

Tapping on the center, the stone glitches with static and floats into the air, floating towards the four Gamers until it is in front of them.

"Greetings Tae Min Lee, Majima Kazuo, Chikara Hira, and Soren Manuel" begins the voice.

"For now, you may simply call me AR, and I am going to cut to the chase" the owner of the voice says, before clearing their throat, revealing that this is either a very interesting recording or someone actually speaking in real time on the other side.

"I like you four. You guys are simple as well as personable, and trusting. People with good, easy to work with personalities coupled with a unique power can make for very nice partners. Unlike those other three." It is easy to guess who he is referencing.

"Two of them are so obsessed with gaining power that they see everyone and everything around them as either things to beat up or tools to get there. And that so called 'leader' of yours... well... there is a can of worms I don't even want to open."

He just chuckles.

"But I digress. Simply put I want you four to work for me. The Items that I received from the Walker are definitely interesting, and I know that if you guys can fight stronger monsters, you can get me better Items."

A pause.

"So we both have a dilemma. You guys need a place to train, I get it. Don't want to get ambushed again. And there are certain special Monsters whose Items I want you to get, but you lack the strength or the place to do this. I mean, you guys just started after all, so it makes sense that you lack connections."

Another pause.

"Basically, I am offering a proposal that will solve both of our problems. Ill give you a place to train, and you'll be able to give me the Items I seek." He chuckles. "Fair trade, is it not?"

The Walker now holds out a hand towards them.

"If you wish to accept my proposal" the square slightly turns in mid-air, 'gesturing' towards the Walker, "simply go with the Walker over there, and he will take you to what will be our personal meeting, and your new place of training."

"Of course, I will also answer questions, if you have any."


​
 
Place his money into his inventory after Rei took the bones he held out, Soren found he now had the funding to continue his work. Though, as Rei pointed out, it would take a lot of money to set up a base for them to work and train at, or at least train if they planned on doing anything above the normal human capacity.

"Setting up some dummies and simply duelling each other doesn't necessarily require a pseudo space. If we have some fake cameras set up, it could be easy to play it off as an indie film set." Soren giving his last two cents as the Rei and the girls started to leave, getting the vibe they didn't care for the idea.

Soon though, an invitation appeared before him. Soren cocked a brow, before clicking to accept it. Much to his surprise as he saw the walker standing before him, this time in a much more hospitable circumstance.

"He told us that it said 'War sends his regards'." Soren's guard wasn't up, he saw no point. Clearly something was desired for there to be an invitation sent, and truly, if the Walker, or his 'Client' wanted to, they could take them out the moment they enter a pseudospace. "Weither that was the truth or not, I don't know. I didn't see the card." Soren shrugged.

Listening to the voice speak, Soren felt torn. This is likely the person who sent the Goblin on us, it might be War, it might not be, at the very least, they tried to do us harm. But the offer is too good, and while they might want to off us, our power would be useful to anyone. He looked down at the dirt.

He knew what he should do.

He knew what he wanted to do.

Looking back up, Soren spoke, "Will I still be free to make my inventions as I see fit?"
 
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Hira was excited to go check out the old factory and there seemed to be plenty of people who were willing to go along with the idea. However, Rei and Rin seemed to have other ideas. Rei presented the point that they needed a real pseudospace to practice, one that could be fortified and could not be easily invaded like the ones they had now. It seemed that they needed someone to sponsor them in their endeavors. Hira did not like the idea of a sponsorship-of-sorts, as the party sponsoring tended to want more from the party being sponsored than they could deliver sometimes. However, if they could find a sponsor, Hira wasn't opposed to the idea. He just thought that since they could be self-sufficient, they might as well try to make it work.

But then the entire party left before he was able to say anything, so he sat there for a moment in contemplation. Well... Did he want to go check out the factory, despite the fact that some stubborn members didn't want to? For now, he thought yes. Then something unexpected happened. He got a window displaying that he could enter a pseudospace. For the hell of it, he said yes. It seemed Soren was willing enough. And since he was in rough shape, if it was a pseudospace full of monsters, Hira would be able to protect him.

The pseudospace he entered was something even more unexpected. It was The Walker. Hira squinted his eyes slightly and gripped his hammer, which he was holding down toward the ground. It seemed that The Walker's employer, which to Hira's knowledge was War, wanted to meet with this small group of the Gamers. It seemed that they weren't giant assholes, so they got a special deal.

The voice of 'War' seemed to speak to them and he was... Giving them quite an interesting proposal. He offered to give them a place to train in return for items. Hira wondered what the application of these items might mean. What was the power that War possessed? If he needed items, it seemed that this would probably make him stronger and make him a harder enemy to face in the future. However, he might be able to figure some things out about War if he joined his side. He could secretly give Rei reports of what War was up to, while also doing training inside the safe area. War seemed to need some high quality, high level items, but they weren't powerful enough to face those enemies yet. If they could get their hands on just one of the items, then they could create pseudospaces for the rest of the Gamers and they could level just as quickly as they were. Hira truly considered joining and meeting War. And it seemed that Soren did as well. Hira, however, had one question that would determine whether he would go with War or not.

"I have a single question, and this is under the assumption that I'm speaking to War. What power do you possess? Since you seem to know much about ours, I'd like to know what yours is as a sign of good faith."​
 
Aiko sighed. What Rei ultimately said boiled down to needing connections. Yet again. Something the white-hair clearly did not have. If anything it really boiled down to three options: The people Rin knew, the people Rei knew and confronting her father.

While the first two more-or-less happened by itself it was the last one that Aiko found trouble actually doing. In fact, the girl was glad that her father had not been around recently, allowing her a convenient excuse of deciding to not confront him.

Ultimately however, what was Aiko afraid of? That he would kill her? Really? After all they had been through did such a doubt really gnaw somewhere deep in her mind? The white-hair should have been ashamed of herself. Their bond was stronger than to be broken just because of some enchanting other-world. The next time she'd met him the crimson-eyed woman would make sure to call him out on the secrets he had yet kept hidden.

"Mhm..." Aiko finally spoke up as she, once again, had her hands wrapped around Rin as she drove the bike. "I believe I told you last time, but if you want to come over and 'practice', you're always welcome." Aiko didn't ask her out straight forward, alas, she wasn't too subtle about her invitation either. After all, mere moments ago the white-hair did decide to share her the advantages of her place with the Kendo-Freak.
 
Well, phooey. Tae Min visible pouted when Rei divulged the contents of the business card. He had expected something more - a shady phone number, a weird pseudonym - just something. But, instead, there was nothing more than a curt greeting. Tae Min held a bubble in his mouth while Rei finished talking about their objectives and key points once again. Nothing new, aside from a small realization.

Marcus had talked about using a pseudospace stone before, too. Although, as Tae Min had learned, the gamer power seemed to be able to overwrite that. I suppose there could be other natural abilities that could overwrite those items too, then. Is nothing safe then? Tae Min exhaled the bubble he'd been holding. He had started sounding a touch like Rei with that thought.

At the end of the talk, Rei, Aiko, and Rin left shortly to no one's surprise. The die was cast, but the gamers only seemed to divide further.

Tae Min was about to offer some joint training time to the other remaining gamers, when an invitation to a pseudospace occured. A quick glance around showed that the others had received it too. Might as well, then, he thought. There was safety in numbers, and the the teen didn't mind surprises, especially after the lackluster note left by the walker...

... who happened to be right there, in the space.

Tae Min's smile returned full force. He listened eagerly to the walker and his "client". It seemed perfect - a way to get stronger, without worrying about being invaded, and a delicious potential connection. It was almost too perfect, suspiciously so.

Not that Tae Min cared all that much.

He stepped forward, his gaze steady and his stance confident. "So long as you leave my kidneys in my body and my hair on my head, you have my cooperation," he said, practically vibrating. Though, whether his decision was forthright and opportunistic, or otherwise complete idiocy was something he would figure out later. Only time could tell the difference between risk and reward, after all.
 
Majima shrugged as Rei, Rin, and Aiko left "Eh suit yourselves kiddos...Bye." He smirks and stretches after they leave turning to the others and starting to ask "So what no..." He get's the message and puts his arms down, then his hands go to his hips, he shrugs again grinning still and clicks yes. Kazuo listened intently, his body moving into a readied stance. He didn't like getting ambushed, and was ready in case the Walker decided to do so again. However it just seemed like he came to deliver yet another message, connections...a place to train, and how exactly did this AR know what to give them. Answer was staring back at him obviously, mister ambusher in the first place.

Majima sighed at how fast Tae Min said yes, as well as looking at the other two asking questions about if this being was War or not. He just had one simple question "Ya gonna give us rewards for getting this shit to you. We could easily sell it ourselves for our own prophet, granted getting a protected space to train is nice...but once we get stronger, and keep getting items for you...will we get our own spoils of war as well?"
 
The voice from the stone chuckles. AR decides to just go in the order that he was asked these things.

"Aside from the three things already in the room, you are free to add or do whatever you want to the room, but whatever it is you want to add must come from your own funding. Beds, workbenches, chairs, TVs. You are free to get whatever you want, but you'll need to pay for it."

Now for Hira, as the stone faces him and a chuckle escapes from it.

"You must not really know much about the Abyss if you're actually asking for a 'Show of Good Faith' in the form of vital information on me, but I'll humor you regardless. I'm a Summoner. I know Bestial Summoning, Demon Summoning, and Elemental Summoning. Do with this as you will."

"And don't worry Lee-san" the stone turns to him, "I have no intention on harming any of you, directly or indirectly, as long as you don't intend to do the same to me. You did pass that test after all, and have proven yourselves to have potential. It is one of the reasons I am even considering this partnership in the first place. Rather than do what most would do, and just kill you, enslave you, or sell you off, I find it much more profitable to make partnerships."

"I have seen the Items you're able to acquire so far, Majima-san." The stone now turns to face the realtor. "The reality is, you have no way to get better Items currently, and you lack the strength to actually fight off anyone who would seriously desire your heads: alive or dead. I am providing you a space that you can train freely, which is giving you much more money than what dozens upon dozens of these Items could ever get you from the Auction."

The stone pauses.

"A man of 'business' such as yourself should understand right? A well placed, good investment is much more profitable in the long run than a series of tiny, time consuming, immediate, high-risk acquisitions performed in a cut-throat environment where you have nothing to depend on but faith to survive."

A Pseudospace Stone is expensive after all, far more so than the Items the Gamers will get.

"But yes, to answer your question, I will be giving you returns for your hard work. How else will you be able to progress if you don't actively profit. I am willing to provide you slight measures of better equipment, or the tools you need to make it" the stone 'looks' to Soren as it says this, before turning back to Majima.

"I understand that Rei Amagi bought you all Magic Books, and that your Power lets you learn things much faster. I recommend learning Magic as soon as possible then. After all, I am much more interested in the Items that Elementals and Spirits would drop far more than what Goblins do drop. And am far more willing to reward you for those, even if they aren't what I precisely need. Until then, the space itself will be the reward for your Items."

So the goal remains the same. Learn a Power like Magic and Level Up. Both can be achieved by fighting Monsters.

"Anyway, I need to finish preparations over here. If you accept the terms, then go with The Walker. Otherwise, you can leave at any time. I will answer more questions in person, if you have any."

With this, the stone vanishes.

The Walker just shrugs. "You should really never discuss vital things in open, unprotected Pseudospace. Its so easy to peek on that sort of thing and you never know who's listening. Information is one of the most sought after things in The Abyss after all." The Walker now holds out hid hand towards them.

"Anyway, if you're coming, then stand next to me. Otherwise, you're free to go if you want."




​
 
Majima started to ease off from jumping into action and moved to stand normally again, he looked to the other three there with him "Well guess I'm game, this guy is right, I'm used to playing the long game when it comes to sales and...other endeavors. So why the hell not I'm in." He says and walks towards the Walker and stands next to him. Well this could either be really bad, or good, story of my life. All I know is that this is bound to be interesting, especially because of our mysterious backer. What kinds of items does he want us to get for him, and what creature are we supposed to kill...ha sounds like one of those old time RPGs, shit even got four heroes of light like in the original Final Fantasies.


These thoughts brought a smirk and a chuckle out of the big man more like we're the dupes about to be slaughtered...especially if this guy or the Walker are actually War...then we're screwed. Although he had a whirlwind of thoughts about this Majima looked calm and composed, almost to the point of arrogant about his decision, he felt this would be the way to break their limits faster than just with each other...killing the same shit over and over until their psuedospaces evolved. Although he now wonders if that's exactly what they're going to do with this sponsor anyway.


It didn't really matter, Majima wanted to excel at this, not just get stronger, or be the strongest, this would aid his family in more ways than he could count. And that's a thought that gave him even more determination to see this through.
 
For the three that do choose to go, and Soren as well if he chooses to do so, it would all occur in an instant. The world seems to glitch, twist, distort, and turn around them as everything goes black for just a moment, as if they just blinked. As when in the next the light returns, they are in a room that is about twenty yards by fifteen. Overall a decently large space. Not too large, but large enough to still allow the Gamers to get ranged attacks off at their enemies if they needed to.

There are three fixtures already in the room. A desk with a laptop upon it, a large red orb embedded in the ceiling, similar to the palm softball sized orb the Walker pulled out earlier only this one was three times larger; and a glowing blue stone stuck in the northern wall, a magical circle around this stone. These must be the three things that AR mentioned they wouldn't be able to adjust or mess with.

The rest of the space is free game though. But in the end, it is still AR's space.

The laptop screen suddenly comes to life, and there is a man sitting behind the desk, a white mask upon his face with "AR" in bold letters printed upon it. Other than that, the mask has no defining features.

"Forgive me for not being able to meet you in person" says the man in the laptop screen. "But some things came up, and to be honest, I'm not so sure how much of my identity you'll be able to see. So I would prefer to make sure I can trust you all first. You know how it goes."

"This is The Abyss after all."

The man just chuckles.

"But onto the main point. This is your space. You are free to use it at any time." He gestures his hand to the side, pointing to the side of the screen.

"I have made an Abyss Auction Account of your own for the four of you. Simply click the 'Abyss Auction' Icon on the Desktop and you'll be taken right to it, easy as that. I've even already deposited 100,000 Yen into your account. To buy whatever you want with it. Call it..." he scratches his chin, "an apology, for the whole Goblin thing. Plus its also a little bonus, to get yourselves started with some extra gear and the like. To give you a little faster edge in hunting these Monsters."

The man then gestures towards the ceiling, where the large orb is embedded. "That is the Essence Orb. It will take the Items that appear. Anything that is not taken by the Orb is yours to keep. Easy as that. For now, it will be taking everything until you can start getting me better Items."

Then he gestures to the wall, where the blue stone in the Magic Circle is. "That is the Pseudospace Stone. If you want to create a space to fight Monsters, simply put your hand on it and do so. Easy as that. I even left four of those knives in the desk drawer for you, so you can each make a Space to fight some Goblins again if you'd like."

There is one thing to notice about this room though. There is no door.

"If you need to leave the room, simply go to the Pseudospace Stone and chant 'Exit Room'. You'll be taken to another room on the first floor of this building, then after that you just leave the building. If you need to know, this is an old Office Building that is on the border of the Business and Industrial Districts."

He gestures to the desk drawer once again. "In that Drawer you'll also find your ID Cards. In that same room where you'll be deposited when you leave this room is how you can reenter this room, just tap your ID Cards against the Northern Wall. Easy as that."

With this, the man clasps his hands together.

"Anyway, with this, if you're still interested of course, you are now employees of The VelTex Corp. A small telemarketing company. Of course" the man chuckles, "that's just the name of the Ghost Company. Gotta have a cover for the real world after all so your parents, friends, family, or all of those other normal people in your life don't wonder where you go every day."

The man sighs. "Anyway. I have to get going now. If you need to go home for now or want to leave and never come back, The Walker will take you to wherever you need to go for just today only. After that, you're on your own for transportation. Enjoy the room, and good luck."

With this, the laptop goes back to the desktop screen, that has two icons on it. The Abyss Auction icon and an icon that read 'Call AR'. It seems like they wouldn't be able to use this laptop for much else.

The Walker, who was watching from the sidelines, walks up now.

"And there you have it. Quite the new job you have, working for a Ghost Company like this. Its pretty common for rookies such as yourselves actually to get wound up into working for a Ghost Company if you don't wind up being a Hunter or picked up to be someone's Apprentice. You'll either stay here, or leave once you can get along on your own." He scratches his head. "And between you and me" his tone quiets a little, "I'd leave as soon as I can." He shrugs.

"But that's just my personal opinion. Mainly because I like being my own boss." He chuckles.

"Anyway, I can take you guys out of here if you'd like, or are you going to fight some Monsters?" He now gestures with a point of his thumb towards the Pseudospace Stone on the wall.

​
 
Majima will walk to the desk, sit down in the chair and boot up the abyss auction. He also grabs his badge from the desk looking at it then at the Walker "Alright, I gotta say it, my people won't really give a shit where I go, I'm the fourth in my father's line within our Yakuza Family. So going to places like this I've never needed a reason before, so why now? Also wouldn't being a civilian and working for something else get this." He holds up his right fist with his little finger jutting up and wiggles it back and forth. "Cut off my fucking hand." He exclaims angrily to the Walker and glares, looking back at the computer screen he continues. "Also, I will say this, even with the fact I've got these problems with this...I'm in, and I want to know if you guys are as well? Also who wants to do some shopping, as I want to get myself some god damned armor."

Majima wasn't thrilled about being hired without warning, the implications of it, and the problems that should come later scare him. The loss of his finger not so much, the loss of his Family (both blood and sworn) would devastate the man, he wouldn't know what to do other than continue fighting like this. Or he'd simply let it consume him until the end. His eyes were distant as he continued to think about these new problems that have popped into the light as he opens a few tabs for the auction, armor, weapons, crafting supplies if applicable, and accessories.
 
Upon turning on the Abyss Auction site, they would be greeted with... something special, for a lack of better words.

The front page of the site appeared to be something straight from the store page of some brightly colored MMORPG mixed with a few things that make the site reminiscent of the shipping site 'Congo'. Complete with a box in the center of the page that had different 'featured Items' all with immensely ridiculous prices. 750,000 ¥ for a 'Moderate Magic Resistance Phone Charm'? 25,000,000 ¥ for a 'Crimson Magic Staff'? 1,500,000 ¥ for a 'Greater Spell Power Elixir'? 2,500,000,000 ¥ for a 'Fortress Stone'?

And these 'featured deals' change every day.

Truly mind boggling prices.

And the four Gamers only had 100,000 ¥ to spend.

Fortunately the tabs on the top of the page seem to have much cheaper Items, well within their price range.

There are multiple tabs up top, each with various itemized listings. However clicking on one of the main named tabs reveals more tabs to click on, each tab having a Rank. Rank G, F, E, D, C, B-, B, B+, A-, A, A+, S-, S, S+, SS-, and so on and so forth with the highest being SSS+. A clear sign that the Gamers still have a long way to go.

Especially since, if any of them are curious, clicking on any tab beyond C only reveals the following message.

'Abyssal Proof of Strength' or 'Abyssal Proof of Commerce' required.
Click to expand...

It seems that they don't just want 'anyone' shopping in the higher echelons of the Abyss Auction. To shop on those higher ranked tabs would be a tough climb. Who knows what sort of Items rest there.

Slaves Books Tools Potions Magic Items Miscellaneous Goods

  • Its definitely the same as the screenshot photos that Rei Amagi gave to them. Itemized listings of people, with a lettered ranking for each of them, are upon this page, 25 of them at a time by default with the default.

    The cheapest Rank G slave is 250,000 ¥ and reads as 'Good Material, High Mana'. Not even a listing based upon how decently cute this girl is or even her age. Just 'Material'.

  • Rank G Rank F

    • The books in this tab cost alot, but not more than 90,000 ¥ and not less than 25,000 ¥. There are several more pages of these Rank G books, but the first page in particular has very interesting books.

      How to Start Learning Enchantment (Cost: 65,000 ¥): A book that can get any novice mage into the Arcane School of Enchantment. (There are four other books that are similar, each for a different school of Arcane Magic. Abjuration, Alteration, Evocation, and Mysticism).

      So You Want to Learn Fire Magic Huh? (Cost: 75,000 ¥): So you want to know how to shoot fire balls huh? Well this book on Flame Magic will show you how. (There are other books that are similar, one for each magical element. Wind, Aqua, Flame, Terra, and Lightning).

      My Spiritual Power Can't be this Strong! (Cost: 50,000 ¥): My spiritual power is much stronger than I thought, but how can I learn to harness it? Well, this book will teach you how to harness your spiritual power so that you too can become a Spiritualist.

      My Fists are the Fists that will Beat Your Face! (Cost: 35,000 ¥): Want to learn how to fight like a real man?! Then pick up this book today and learn how to really use your fists to beat up all those that stand in your way! This book is full of basic techniques good for any user of their fists and feet. Your Body is your true weapon.

      A Rookie's Guide to (Weapons) (Cost: 30,000 ¥): Want to learn how to use (insert weapon type here)? Then this book will show you how. (There are various volumes here for many different kinds of Weapons).

      Divination for Morons (Cost: 40,000 ¥): Are you really stupid? Or perhaps you just can't take a hint? Well with Divination you can always understand what's going on anywhere. Buy this book and get half off on your first Crystal Ball.

      Black-Smithing for Creative Dummies (Cost: 25,000 ¥): You're creative, but you don't know how to use that creativity. Then pick up this book to learn how to be a blacksmith. (There are other similar books for other forms of crafting like Leather-Working, Armor-Smithing, Fletching, Carpentry, Etcetera)

      A Study on Mana Theory (Cost: 45,000 ¥): Do you want to know more about the Mana you wield as you continue your training to use actual Magic? Well with this book, you can learn all about Mana and know how to use what you know to make your Mana even more powerful.

      There are other books as well, some for more individualistic abilities and others for just seem to have rather normal titles. Either way, there are many books here. (I am not going to list them all. If your character wants something more specific, feel free to ask XD)

    • The Tomes here seem a small bit more expensive, ranging in price from 75,000 ¥ to 150,000 ¥. Alot of the books in this Rank G section are slightly improved versions of books from the previous section (and thus are 50 to 75% more expensive), with a few exceptions that seem new.

      How to be a Dragonball Z Character (Cost: 100,000 ¥): Did you ever watch Dragonball or other such anime as a child and ask... how can I shoot Ki? Well... this book can certainly help you get you on your way to harnessing the energy known as Ki with these basic, but uncommon, mental techniques.

      How to Train your Alchemy (Cost: 80,000 ¥): So you want to learn Alchemy, or perhaps you already know it and just want to learn a few more special recipes and techniques. Whether you're new or old to this craft, this book is just the volume for you.

      How Materia-Listic of You (Cost: 125,000 ¥): Do you have a bunch of stuff lying around, or perhaps you just love to gather the essence of Monsters but have nothing to do with it? Well by learning the ancient form of Magic known as Materia Magic, you can put everything cluttering up your closet to good use.

      That Golden Oldie of Magic is filled with Soul (Cost: 125,000 ¥): Ever feel like going back to the good old days of magic when magicians harnessed the strength of their souls? Well with this book you can really go back and learn how to use the power of your spirit with Magic.


    [tab=Arms]
    Bronze and Iron Weapons fall into the Rank G Category here and range in price from 5,000 to 15,000 ¥ here. There are also a few basic firearms like small pistols that cost around 20,000 to 25,000 ¥. Armors can also be found in the Rank G Tab, with Leather being the cheapest around 5,000 ¥ and Iron Armors being the most expensive around 20,000 ¥.

    For the Rank F Category, there are steel weapons that range in price from 25,000 to 50,000 ¥ here. There are also stronger or larger firearms here, but they seem a good bit stronger and range from 50,000 to 100,000 ¥. There are also Steel or stronger Iron Armors here ranging in price from 25,000 ¥ to 50,000 ¥.

  • Rank G Rank F

    • Here seems to be various tools and kits for various forms of crafts or professions.

      Small Essence Harvester (100,000 ¥): This device is capable of harvesting the Essence of most Tier G Monsters that you defeat in Pseudospace.

      Small Essence Distiller (50,000 ¥): This device can distill mystical Essence or Shards into a powderized form, however; this powder is not very stable, but can be used in various forms of alchemy, or simply mixed with water and consumed that way.

      Novice Ritual Magic Kit (20,000 ¥): This Kit gives you everything you need for the basics of most magical rituals.

      Crafting Kits (10,000 ¥): These kits contain the tools and materials you need for most basic crafting. (There are blacksmithing, leather-working, armor, carpentry, etc).

      Crystal Ball (20,000 ¥): This basic Crystal Ball is used by Diviners for their craft.

      Small Bombs Kit (25,000 ¥): Want to be able to make small explosive projectiles? Well this Kit comes with both an instructional manual and the tools you need to make small bombs. Has enough materials for 10 Bombs.

      And there are various other kits and tools for other things, these range in price, some being pretty cheap and others more expensive. There are even basic supplies like Rope, Lockpicks, etcetera.

    • Here the Kits are a bit more imrpoved, and alot of them come with instructional manuals for making more unique things, of course that would require you to have some form of crafting ability to begin with. These can range from better reinforcing armor to making special arrow-heads in a kit that helps you to make arrows. There is one thing that does stick out though.

      Pseudospace Stone (500,000 ¥): This special stone can create a Pseudospace inside of a building, it can last for up to five days.

  • Rank G

    • There are many varying potions here, all ranging from 7,500 ¥ to 30,000 ¥

      Elemental Potion Set (30,000 ¥): These 10 Attack Potions can be thrown to create a burst of Element. They come in Aqua, Lightning, Wind, Terra, and Flame. There are two of each. Drinking them could also have an interesting affect on your spirit as well for a short time, imbuing you with new power.

      Small Wound Elixir (30,000 ¥): WOW, AMAZING! This potion can heal small wounds almost instantly and helps slightly with larger wounds. Its incredible!

      Small Spirit Elixir (20,000 ¥): Low down on spiritual power? Drink one of these and get that energy back up.

      Small Stamina Potion (15,000 ¥): This elixir really helps to boost your stamina a decent bit.

      Mana Boost Potion (20,000 ¥): Are you a Mage? Do you use Mana? Then drink this to boost the strength of your Mana for a short period of time.

  • Rank G

    • Here there are some magical rings and rods, some that do various things. They are very expensive though, the cheapest being 50,000 ¥ and the most expensive being 125,000 ¥.

      There are also various small mystical shards and stones here. These seem to have mystical affects like creating a magical shield or conjuring fire, or even strengthening your abilities by holding them They all have limited usage. They range from 20,000 ¥ to 60,000 ¥.

  • This tab is full of things that do not really fit in the other categories. Foods, with some being very expensive because they were made with magic, can be found here. There are also other various things here like furniture, and just random various goods and items that do not have a definite place in the previous category.
 
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Hira looked at Majima as he said a few ridiculous things, but in the end, his point was that he was in. This deal seemed almost too good to be true. Of course, it was quite possible that this was a genuine offer. However, Hira doubted this possibility. Since they wouldn't reveal their identity, this person was definitely formidable. They seemed to know much about the power of information in the world of the Abyss and they had even told Hira so. If they ever hoped to overcome this person, then they would need to do some information-gathering of their own. Rei would certainly not approve of Hira's method of reconnaissance, but he didn't really see much more of an option. If they hoped to defeat War, if this was War at all, then they would definitely need to gather information using his equipment. Since he admitted that he was able to summon different creatures, whether they be elemental or not, he was formidable because of the items he could get a hold of. He was especially formidable because he began using the Gamers as a loophole. Instead of losing extravagant amounts of money buying items, he could train the Gamers and get a payoff of his investment into their power through the items he'd receive.


The thing that posed the biggest problem was the collector. If they used this area to create pseudospaces, then their items would always be taken. There was always the potential to create pseudospaces outside of here, but Hira wondered if there was a delivery system through PM like in some MMORPGs he had played in the past. If he could even get his hand on one item to send to Rei, then the rest of the Gamers would be able to train with them.


Another problem this posed was that they never met directly with War. If they were to identify War, they needed some kind of clue. The Walker didn't seem to know much about them, but maybe they knew more than they were letting on. Anything within this room had to be purchased somehow though. Hira wondered if the Abyss Auction had a record of all the transactions that were ever made. Like… A credit card statement, but for Abyss Auction items. If he needed to find someone to get that, then he'd need to get the help of everyone to figure out who this person was. If they were rich enough to buy things like this, it was unlikely they were in school. Or, if they were, they must have access to an immense fortune. However, Hira thought it was unlikely they attended school with Rei. Rei probably would've noticed them and picked them off immediately.


"I'm in. It might take me a hot minute to figure out everything that we need to buy, but we should be able to start fighting and training before the day is out."


Hira then suddenly realized something. How were they going to get here after their daily schedules? He walked over to The Walker and asked, "Uh… How do we get back here? I've got a job I have to attend basically every day and if this is one of those situations where we're not allowed to leave… People would get suspicious and start investigating me. We all know how that might end up."


~~~


Everyone else seemed to run with the idea, making Soren feel even more confident with his choice. After the Gamers had met with 'AR' on the laptop, and had a chance to look around their neat little training ground, Majima was the first to act, booting up the abyss auction, he also let it out, confirming that he was part of the yakuza.

"Seems like Rei invested in us as well, if we see the prices of all those books he bought for all of us." Soren pointed to the books section, "I guess money isn't hard to come by in the abyss." His lips curled as the words left his mouth. All the funding I could ever need, for the ultimate workshop and the rarest material possible. I just need to get started.

"I think I need some armour as well…" He stepped back and looked over his clothes. His plaid button shirt draped over a T just wasn't going to cut it. "I was thinking of making my own, but for the sake of time, I'll do with someone else's handiwork." Maybe I can modify it, or at least use the materials from it later.

"Probably a lower costing 'F' rank armour is what I will get. I can use the steel for my crafts afterwards when it becomes obsolete."

Upon hearing Hira's comment though, Soren had to pause, "It's Golden week for me, so I don't have to be at school, and I am sure I can convince my parents I got accepted into an internship of sorts. With my grades, and history of tinkering, it makes adds up."

~~~

"Aw, does this mean I can't call you Mr. Realtor anymore?" Tae Min said petulantly. In all honesty, Majima's reveal didn't surprise him. Naive as he was sometimes, he wasn't a completely blind idiot. Actually hearing it from the man himself was actually pretty cool though, even if it meant he had to think of a new naming quirk.


As for his dedication to the whole thing… well, Tae Min figured that was pretty straightforward, considering his declaration earlier.


Though, he didn't plan on staying in the safety of their new training hall forever. There was too much of the world left to do that.


The conversation topic shifted to gear and availability. Tae Min scanned his eyes over the screen, flicking from one listing to another. He let out a low whistle at the prices as he nodded in agreement to Soren's comment. Seeing the auction also piqued his brain cogs. Did the abyss have an economy? Is so, was it akin to the real world economy, with inflation and whatnot? How much money from the abyss circulated to the real world? Though Tae Min didn't voice his non pertinent musing, he couldn't help but wonder.


"Light armor for me," he piped in. "I'm too delicate to wear anything heavy," Tae Min said with mock flair. "As for availability, I'm home schooled, but I take walks pretty much every night. So long as I get home before it gets too late, my folks won't question a thing," he added.


When he had finished talking, Tae Min casted a sidelong glance at the Walker. The title, and character of the person were still a staunch mystery that hadn't been uncovered. Tae Min hoped that the enigma would stick around for a while, so he could catch a word with him later.


~~~


Majima nodded and bought the armors for everyone, opting for a heavier item for himself. He looks back at Soren "You made a shield right? What's the requirements for that and could I get you the materials for it?" He asks and looks at Tae Min now shaking his head and smirking "Look call me what you like, my family is technically in the bizz itself, I mean everyone does need a good front, ours happens to be a realtor office. Wonder if longer knives/daggers are in this thing too." He says pensively looking back over the auction he says to the to the others "Hey anything else? Or should we save the money?" As he checks the weapons for something that might be better than what he has.


~~


"Mine only requires ten strength to use it, but I think that I will require more to use it to a greater function." Soren rotated his shoulder, "And I will gladly make anything for you guys if I have the material. I'll simply take the experience from crafting and scraps left over as payment." It seemed like a fair trade in Soren's eyes, especially as he was yet to truly get good at making items.


~~~

With that the four "nice Gamers" finished their business with the Abyss Auction, Majima looked at the others "So got time to train a bit first and then head out, that way we can test out our new gear and maybe learn some new skills to boot." The rugged gamer asked as he waited for their stuff to show up.
 
Several suits of Armor, appropriate repair kits for each, and a better Pike Hammer were all in the box that appeared on the ground inside of their little training room in a large glitch of blue static. Of course, there was more than just that. There was also a small black box with a note attached to it. In the black box were four simple, bronze rings with a small rune inscribed upon them.

The note read as follows.

Congratulations Gamers Tae Min Lee, Kazuo Majima, Hira Chikara, and Soren Manuel for finally making your own way into the Abyss.

Glad to see you four making decisions and purchases for yourselves, even if it is on someone else's account.

In hopes that you will get your own accounts one day, and truly become independent Ability Users able to strike out on your own path, the Abyss Auction would like to give you four interesting individuals a present.

These magic rings will provide a small amount of protection. Use them accordingly.

Best Regards,
Gin, Abyss Auction Dealer.
Click to expand...

The rings, when put on, gave their status.

Minor Bronze Ring of Protection (Rank 10, Magic Ring)
This Magical Ring has a Barrier Rune inscribed upon them that grants a very low level magical barrier to protect against attacks. +5 BR. Furthermore, imbued magic within will protect the user from a single, fatal blow, but the Ring will be weakened afterwards.
Click to expand...

The Walker of course, happens to see the note and just lets out a low, impressed whistle. "Messengers of Gaia, the Abyss Auction..." He just shrugs. "You must truly have a unique power if you have people like them actually giving you attention like this. Since its not like they'd give attention to G Ranks like you otherwise. No offense."

The Walker, after answering a couple of questions (mainly from Tae Min Lee, who wanted to know a few specifics of Abyss Auction accounts) would step back and lean against the wall to watch them train, whilst also checking his phone.

Hira asked Rei about 'Ghost Company' and said some information about War / AR.

From: Rei Amagi

I don't know how you heard of a Ghost Company in the first place, but its essentially a company that exists for those whose professions exist in the Abyss. The Ghost Company acts as a front for those in the Abyss to have a 'real world job' so they have an actual explanation for where they go to every day or how they are getting money.

Also we will talk about 'how' you heard about War later.
Click to expand...

After all, Hira never went into specifics about just how he is getting this info, so it is reasonable that Rei lead that PM reply off with a bit of skepticism, being the non-trusting person he is.

Unfortunately the Pseudospace Stone didn't provide a way to speed up the Cooldown between their Monster Pseudospaces. Still, if they were to stay here for a few hours they could get some Combat Training between their first Goblin Space and their second. Or do something else, like read those new books Rei got them.

A total of 32 Goblins were fought in the 8 Pseudospaces the Gamers were able to create. While they each got a knife so that they could use it to have the ability to make Goblin Pseudospaces, all of the other Items were taken by the Collector Orb. Still, at least the four of them were all now Level 7. This gave them more AP to spend for those who hit that Level, and put Soren closer to Level 8.

The fighting, and the training they did between, also helped.

A few Goblins in the ensuing battle did go after The Walker. Unfortunately though instead of actually fighting them, he just struck them once with his hand and made them teleport back to the main fighting.

It did at least show something about the Walker.

He was good at striking attacks and he can forcibly teleport people. Somehow.

All in all, it just showcased further how Rei was right. The Walker is someone out of their league if he not only can dodge whenever he wants, but can somehow teleport you away from him.

A truly strange individual with an even more mysterious power.

Fortunately he doesn't seem like an enemy. After all, he is only on this as a job. A payday.

At the end, three hours had passed after their second round of Goblins. The Walker checks his phone. And suddenly the laptop screen flashes to life.

"Great work today gentlemen." The screen shows the familiar masked visage of AR. "I must say, I am quite impressed. For rookies, you are learning quickly. But, I guess as Game Characters that just comes with the territory." He chuckles.

"Anyway, as I expected, you are still not ready yet to fight bigger and better things. You still can only utilize physical attacks, and even those you're not the best at. No offense of course." He just shrugs.

"Anyway, this is good enough for now. I know that its only about 5 PM, but lets call this day... your orientation." He gestures to The Walker now.

"If you need a direct lift home, he will take you for today only. Otherwise if you want to use a bit of time to go for a nice walk, you know the way out." He is referring to the ID Badges in the drawer, which he explained earlier.

"Have a wonderful day."

The screen, and laptop, both shut off now.

The Walker then stretches a bit. "Well you heard the guy. For today only, ill be you're one way taxi. Where do you need me to take you guys? Or do you wanna walk, I am fine either way."



​
 
Putting his equipment safely away into the psuedospace, Soren looked at the others he had spent the day training with. A rather strange group of associates. It was stranger of course when they all got together, but, Soren felt less like he was going to be stabbed by his teammate, and there was a lot less put downs being thrown around, when it was just these four guys.

I suppose we are like the ninja turtles. They worked very well together. Soren finished his clean up, Then glanced at the others, picturing them as giant amorphous turtles. Tae min is Mikey, Majima is Raph, Hira is Leo, I am Don.

Soren stopped for a moment, as he felt some moisture building up around his eyes. No, you barely know the guys yet, how could you tell if you belong here? He quickly turned in hopes no one would see it.

"Well, this was fun, I'll be back tomorrow afternoon to go at it again." Soren brushed his arm against his face as if to wipe away sweat, as a cover to get rid of his tears. "I'll be walking home, I need to make a few stops."
 
Majima huffed a little after the end of their training and combat. He looked at the others and back down at his hands, then back around the room scratching the back of his head. He tossed his items into his inventory, now back in his civies sans jacket he motions to everyone to come to him. He held out his hand to shake if they came closer .

"We all did good work like AR said, I'm gonna hit the Walker up on his offer and take a teleport home. That way I can get to reading this book and selling it back. Maybe then I can see about more Ki usage, maybe even ki blasts like dragonball supermegaultra ZX blah blah blah..." It honestly surprised him that that shit was still around. "Anyway see you guys back here at some point. If not I'll see about working alone, I've got an extended leave with my Family so I've got nothin to worry about."
 
83e158adfb7412ca16b959d6c586d25a.png


Hira was pleased when his new weapon came and it seemed there was an extra special surprise that also appeared with the weapon. It seemed he had received a ring from a man who went by the name of 'Gin'. It seemed he knew much about the gamers. It also seemed that he knew that they were purchasing through someone else's account. It was suspicious, but it seemed this 'Gin' person had some decent intentions. Giving them a ring of protection may have been a guarantee that they wanted the Gamers alive and well. Or maybe it was a down payment for a future deal. Either way, Hira would accept the ring and put it on. It seemed to give something called a 'Barrier Rating'. After receiving this notification, he checked what stats were affected by this. It seemed both forms of defense were affected by barrier rating. Hira took note of this so he could make purchases with barrier rating when he could. It was probably expensive, but he had the money for now.

Rei responded to Hira's message about AR and Ghost Companies. Unfortunately, it seemed Rei was more suspicious than anything. Hira wasn't mad about this, but it seemed like Rei had lost trust in him. It seemed that he'd have to properly explain himself when the time came for them to talk.

After defeating quite a few goblins, Hira was displeased with this session. It was not that he did badly, but he realized just how heavy of a gap stood between him and the Walker. He also noticed how immensely powerful a thing such as an auto-item collector is. It was unfortunate that the items were taken, but the worst part was that Hira had no idea where those items were going. Hira knew that AR needed high-level items, but bringing him into possession of goblin items meant that he could summon more goblins to pin against the Gamers. It seemed that he could easily use the Walker to do this, but the Walker did not seem highly tied to AR. AR seemed to rely on the Walker more than the Walker relied on AR.

Something struck AR as very odd though, as they had their chat after their training session. AR referred to them as 'Game Characters', but how could they have known that? Like Hira had thought before, someone might've talked to the wrong person and the information was leaked to War. It wasn't him and he knew that, but who knew what Rei was doing? Maybe Rei was already friends with War and Rei was communicating with them? In any case, it was just odd the way that AR spoke to the group.

Since it was a long way from his house, Hira thought he might as well hitch a ride home with the Walker back to his apartment. "I'd be happy to catch a ride with you. My apartment's a little far and I don't feel like walking to the train."​
 
Tae Min let out a low whistle as he put away his rapier. His fighting skills certainly left something to be desired, that much was obvious. However, whether it was a blessing or a curse in disguise, at least he had modems to actually improve. Even more enticing yet, was the novelty and the mystery of it all. Questions were like hydra heads - each time one was answered, several more came to replace it.

Things certainly stay interesting that way, though, he thought. Now, what to explore next...

"I'll probably be here tomorrow too," Tae Min piped. "If y'all want, we can also chill at my place afterwards! My housekeeper makes some real tasty food," he added. Though the other three games were little more than strangers, Tae Min was curious to know more about them as well. Though not as enigmatic as Gin or AR, they were still mysteries of in themselves.

He then turned to the walker, "You can visit too if you'd like, Walker Seonbaenim." The small glimpses of the walker's abilities that Tae Min caught during training still burned in his memory. "Oh, and I'd like a ride home too! I wanna know how it feels to teleport," Tae Min said enthusiastically.
 
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