Eternity 19

  “Ok, can we just…hold on a second,” Eve typed.

  Ben read her message and glanced down at her. She was clearly lost in thought.

  “Of course. I am still planning our next move anyway,” Ben said.

  He brought up his map interface and looked at it inquisitively. Eve was surprised.

  “We aren’t going to the Undead Crypt anymore?”

  Ben shook his head.

  “Now that I know that the Eagle guild is trying to claim it, it wouldn’t be safe. We would most likely have to fight them again. They may even bring more members next time. Also, if the Eagle guild is already claiming territory, other guilds probably are as well. We can’t stay here,”

  Eve nodded in understanding. She fidgeted before typing nervously.

  “So what should we do?”

  Ben’s eyes settled on a certain part of his map. He marked it so that it would appear on Eve’s map as well. Eve’s eyes widened.

  “The level 10 region already?” She typed.

  Ben smirked.

  “Not just the level 10 region. The dungeon. We will head straight there. You know where it is right?”

  Eve nodded but shifted uncomfortably.

  “I do but…isn’t that too strong for us. We are only level 9. A level 10 dungeon is on a whole different level,” she texted.

  Ben could see how worried she was. He walked in front of her, put away his dragon mask, and gave her a reassuring smile.

  “Didn’t you see what we just did? We are more than ready for a level 10 dungeon. I am confident you and I could take a level 15 dungeon, even though it would take a while,” Ben said.

  Eve’s eyes widened in amazement. She turned around to look at the far away battlefield.

  “I can’t believe you defeated them.”

  “We. We defeated them. I wouldn’t have been able to do that without your support,” Ben said.

  Eve glanced at Ben with doubt in her eyes.

  “I don’t know if I believe that. Did you see yourself? You were a monster. I didn’t know it was possible for anyone to fight like that. It was…inhuman,”

  Eve had to fight off the urge to be afraid of Ben. Her fingers shook while she typed.

  “God guided my hand,” Ben said.

  Eve turned around and looked at Ben in shock.

  “God? Really?” she typed.

  Ben looked up at the sky in reverence. He maintained a contented smile.

  “How else do you explain what you just saw? I have fighting experience, but not to that extent. That was something else beyond mere skill. I can tell that you don’t have much combat experience, but you are clearly familiar with how this game works. You aren’t a complete noob. So that means that you’ve probably watched streams and youtube videos on the game, in preparation for launch day. You’ve seen what combat and fighting looks like. Have you ever seen anything like what I just did?”

  Eve shook her head. She hadn’t seen anything close to that level of skill, even from higher level beta players. That was on another level.

  “It’s because it wasn’t just me. My skill is the base, but something else enhanced me, like how God helped Samson defeat the 1000 Philistine soldiers. Samson was a warrior that knew how to fight, but God was with him on that day. I believed something like that just happened here.”

  Eve couldn’t hide her skepticism. Even as a Christian herself, she just couldn’t believe that God, THE GOD, would descend from heaven to interfere in a videogame.

  Eve stared at him for a while. Ben could tell that she wasn’t necessarily staring at him. She was looking at his character sheet. She began to type.

  “Maybe it has something to do with your combat proficiencies. Have you noticed how many you have?”

  Ben raised a brow in interest. He actually hadn’t noticed that. Ben looked at his character sheet. There was a section for combat proficiencies.

  Proficiencies were another way for players to grow in the world of Eternity. It was a completely separate system of growth than leveling up. By performing certain actions, like sneaking, using a sword, casting spells, players would become more proficient in that skill. That skill would then be enhanced.

  A rogue should always be more stealthy than other classes, but even a mage could gain sneaking proficiency if they practiced enough.

  Ben pulled up his list of proficiencies and went wide eyed. His list was massive. He skimmed through them.

  [Intermediate Dark Vision Proficiency]

  [Intermediate Sneak Proficiency]

  [Intermediate Forest-Walking Proficiency]

  [Expert Simple Weapon Proficiency]

  [Expert Martial Weapon Proficiency]

  [Expert Acrobatics Proficiency]

  [Master Athletics Proficiency]

  [Master Casting Proficiency]

  [Master Combat Tactics Proficiency]

  [Master Combat Sense Proficiency]

  [Grand Master Polearm Proficiency]

  [Grand Master Summoning Proficiency]

  The list went on and on. Ben was genuinely surprised. Eve was just as amazed.

  “This is…totally broken. This would explain it I think. You have way more advanced proficiencies than players should have at this level. Even for the Beta players, I’ve only seen Master level proficiency at high level, above level 40. And I’ve never seen Grand Master proficiency before,” Eve typed.

  Eve typed furiously while Ben continued to analyse his skills. He frowned in confusion.

  “What is this? It’s like the game took my proficiencies from my last life,” Ben thought.

  The list that Ben was looking at was familiar, but it was supposed to be on his character sheet from his last life, where he was over level 100.

  Proficiencies took a long time to train. That was one of many player’s biggest complaints. A rogue that used sneak constantly could take weeks to get to Intermediate Sneaking proficiency. And months to get to Expert.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  In his last life, Ben not only played the game of Eternity for a year, from the first day of its launch. He also survived for years after the game merged with reality. This gave him years to train his proficiencies.

  Now all those proficiencies from his last life have been inherited.

  No wonder he was so much faster than Eve at sprinting. He had a master level athletics proficiency.

  Pretty much everything that a player could do had an associated proficiency. Ben now realized that from the very beginning, his actions had been enhanced by his proficiencies. From sneaking through the forest of Lizardmen, to seeing better in the dark within the Dire Bear cave, to dodging and rolling efficiently, and even targeting weak spots and making optimal tactical decisions in combat.

  Ben also had a Grand Master level polearm proficiency. The halberd was his favorite weapon from his last life. It was his go-to weapon when he wanted to do maximum damage, so he trained with it non-stop.

  “How did I not notice that my proficiencies carried over?” Ben thought.

  As if to answer his question, a notification popped up.

  [Hidden Talent: Chosen Reencarnator]

  [Rarity: God-Tier]

  [Description: Your faith has gained the notice of powers beyond your understanding. You have been chosen. Characteristics from your past life will be inherited and revealed over time. Your actions can either speed up or slow this process. Walk with grace]

  [Bonus Effect: This talent cannot be spied on by any means, including abilities like Eyes of Truth. This talent and the associated characteristics will remain hidden until certain criteria are met. This talent may evolve]

  Ben went wide eyed at the description of the talent in front of him.

  “I inherit characteristics of my past life over time, and I can speed it up or hinder it, based on my actions?” Ben thought.

  It didn’t explain when he would unlock skills from his past life, nor how exactly they were unlocked, only that he could unlock them. Even now, Ben felt power in places he hadn’t before, even just as recently as the fight with the Eagle players. It was like actually paying attention to the talent, instead of instantly dismissing it, gave him a surge of proficiencies, like he was tapping into hidden muscle memory that hadn’t fully transferred over from his last life.

  No, it wasn’t just the mere act of paying attention to the skill. Ben felt his proficiencies even before Eve pointed them out. The surge of memory came earlier. Upon reflection, he had felt the subtle connection the most strongly directly after he prayed. He didn't notice at the time, but looking back, it was undeniable.

  His prayers were being heard, even when seemingly nothing happened.

  Ben’s eyes shifted to a particular sentence. There it was again.

  “Walk with grace,” he thought.

  “What? Did you notice something else?” Eve typed.

  Eve noticed Ben’s exaggerated reaction. She looked at him inquisitively. A realization hit Ben.

  “She can’t see this talent,” he thought.

  Ben was dumbfounded by the revelation, and also the existence of the talent. However, something still didn’t add up.

  He had Grand Master Polearm proficiency in his last life. He was probably the best person in the world with a halberd. However, the skill he just displayed was on another level. It was like the difference between 95% and 100%. It was just enough for him to notice its effect, but not so far from his previous talent that it was beyond what someone could interpret as the Grand Master Proficiency.

  Ben smiled.

  “I see,” he said.

  “You see what?” Eve typed.

  She was getting more frustrated as time went on. She felt like Ben was hiding something from her. But that should have been impossible, given her Eyes of Truth talent.

  Ben felt a wave of certainty. It was like a revelation. To others, Ben’s skills could be explained by his stat sheet, if they really sought a reason to explain his power. Ben himself even had a reason to doubt whether his experiences were divine influence.

  The powers behind the system were a mystery. In the years that the apocalypse of Eternity ravaged the world, no one ever found out who or what was behind it. It just…was. Even going back in time didn’t give Ben answers. That was just the power of Eternity. Ben and the rest of the world in his past life had gotten used to the power of the Eternity system. It could do amazing, and seemingly impossible things. Its power was unfathomable.

  Ben now was solidified in his belief. The system, Eternity, the apocalypse, it was God. He didn’t know how or why it was like this, but he knew. He believed.

  The uncertainty, the fact that there was no obvious answer, only strengthened his faith. Sure, the description of his abilities referenced his faith and grace multiple times. He even had experiences with angels, but it wasn’t like it mentioned Jesus, or the God of the bible by name. His biblical experiences could have just been in-game simulations. Eternity wouldn't be the first game to simulate biblical figures like angels. Angels were very common in fantasy games and novels.

  Some might even think of the system as a malevolent entity, or a game played by a group of higher Gods. There were many different theories in his past life. Despite all the possibilities and uncertainty, Ben was confident in his belief, and his faith.

  Ben grew a resolute smile. Eve continued to look at him curiously.

  “You don’t have to believe. I have faith. That’s enough for me,” Ben said.

  That’s all he bothered to explain. Even if he explained his reasoning 100%, that wouldn't necessarily mean it had to be the God of his faith, nor did he need anyone else to believe him. He’d seen enough, felt enough.

  “Let’s hurry along before we run into more Eagle players, or another guild. That fight slowed us down, and we didn’t get any experience for it. Even the loot they dropped wasn’t worth the time because those players were lower level compared to us. The best items are typically soul-bound, so they wouldn’t drop upon player death anyway. We need to avoid battles with players, it's a big waste of time,” Ben said.

  Eve followed obediently but something was still bothering her. Ben read her next text as he took out a minor stamina regeneration potion.

  “If fighting players is a waste of time, then why did you stay and fight instead of running?”

  Ben paused. He looked down at her with a warm expression.

  “I could have escaped. With my proficiencies I am fast enough to outpace martial players, but you aren’t,” he said.

  Eve was shocked.

  “He stayed to protect me?” She thought.

  Ben didn’t know what kind of reaction to expect upon revealing that information. But he certainly wasn’t expecting the one that she gave.

  Eve bowed her head and bit into her bottom lip. She clutched so tightly into her skirt that her knuckles turned pale.

  Ben could practically feel the guilt radiating off of her. He was once again surprised by how easily he was able to read her emotions despite the fact that she still wore that wolf mask.

  “Hey, it's ok. Don’t overthink it. And don’t think about owing me or any other silly thoughts like that. I am a Christian. What kind of Christian would I be if I abandoned an ally to save my own life?”

  Eve flinched. Ben heard a quiet sniffle from her. If anything, he was just making things worse. Her guilt seemed only to grow from his words.

  Been rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

  “Honestly it wasn’t just that. I was also pretty sure we would win. Facing the lizardman dungeon gave me a good gauge of our strength. I have done a lot of research so I know how strong level 4 and level 5 players ought to be at this early stage in the game. Also, we saw them struggling against the undead. They were pretty weak because they wasted time rushing over to this area to try to monopolize it, instead of leveling efficiently.

  I figured that in the worst case scenario, I could just focus on being defensive until my Wrath of Heaven skill activated. The halberd is an amazing defensive weapon. I really wanted to try out my halberd in a real fight. So a lot of my decision was just arrogance,” he said.

  It wasn’t a lie. Ben wasn’t the type to walk into danger without weighing the potential risks and benefits. If the Eagle guild was friendly or allowed him to pay gold to access the Undead Crypt, then he and Eve could have rushed straight to the dungeon and gotten the first-clear achievement.

  Approaching them was a calculated risk.

  There was also a part of him that wanted to trust people again. Of course not everyone he encountered would be a betrayer or a bad person, but it only took a few bad apples to do irreparable damage. Those with the most power were higher risks, so Ben was naturally wary of large organizations and powerful individuals.

  In his past life he wasn’t so powerful so early, so he did not encounter the Eagle guild early on. He hoped for peace, but planned for violence. He would not have even approached them if he wasn’t confident that he could defeat the army.

  In this case, his paranoia and readiness paid off. This experience only solidified his resolve to go alone in this life. There was just one final bastion of hope lingering in the back of his mind that maintained his ability to trust.

  That was the distressed girl in front of him.

  Eve’s mood finally lightened from his explanation. She recognized his care for her and his attempt to cheer her up. She took a deep breath and smiled at him in appreciation. She took out a stamina regeneration potion, which signaled her readiness to follow him again.

  Ben breathed an inward sigh of relief. Cheering up a distressed ally was never his strong suit. Seeing his success was strangely satisfying.

  Ben didn’t waste anymore time dwelling on the battle. Ben turned around and started to sprint. He chugged a minor stamina regeneration potion, which signaled Eve to do the same. Ben would, of course, slow down so Eve could keep up. In fact, drinking the stamina potion was mostly for show. His athletics proficiency greatly enhanced his stamina, so he could run for far longer.

  Instead of taking the main road, Ben led them through the forest towards the level 10 zone.

  Eve’s mind raced as she reflected on everything. She kept staring at Ben from behind. Her mind was awash in conflicting thoughts. Ben’s mind was clear. He was focused. God was on his side. Now all he had to do was act.

  Eve caught the elated smile on Ben’s face as they ran. His faith was overwhelming. She knew that look. Pure conviction. In a way it made her feel warm. Any lingering fear she had of him faded away. He was a man of God, with faith bigger than she could imagine.

  He was leading her. No, more than that, he was letting her follow him. He even went so far as to prioritize protecting her during the fight.

  Eve felt a wave of powerful emotions as they moved. They were far too complex to resolve, so she forced herself to push all her feelings to the side in order to just follow him.