Martial Online.



"Let's see." Ambrose felt his heart beating rapidly against his chest. He had rarely felt this much excitement for something.

Without further ado, he began checking out the updates.

[Thousands of undiscovered Tombs from ancient beings had opened. They harbor great rewards but also unimaginable dangers]

'Yeah, just like that stream expected, new content.' Ambrose thought quickly and moved onto the next one.

[A Bridge leading to Dark Waters has been opened. It leads to surrounding islands, and it is the way to reach the Dark Continent that lies behind the mist]

'A bridge leading to Dark Waters... Dark Continent...' Ambrose took a deep breath, as he didn't expect this. 

He expected that it would take years for players to reach another continent, but this would obviously encourage adventurers to go seek it out.

[Reality Market has been opened. You can sell your items for real-life currency and even transfer your silver to your bank account. This new feature opens up a whole new world of possibilities for players]

"What?!" Ambrose couldn't hold back anymore and shouted out loud. 

This update would change everything. 

No more dealing in forums, no more worrying about scammers; the Reality Market gave players a way to earn money properly!

'What is the ratio, though?' He tried checking out and pressed on the description. He soon found it and frowned. 'So, 1000 silvers is only 100 crowns. I have 35,728 silver; that would be 3572.8 crowns.'

Ambrose rubbed his chin. 

That was a lot money for just playing a video game, but he had this much money because he was lucky and hadn't spend it on anything yet.

An ordinary player would be lucky to ever get over 100 silvers. 

It was very difficult, especially now that players would be even more eager to get silver.

'However, this is amazing. I wonder if I should sell any of my items on Reality Market. Well, do I really need money?' Ambrose thought about his new situation. 

He really didn't need money, but he thought that in the future, things might be different.

'I can't leech on them forever. One day, maybe, I will have a wife, maybe kids, and my own house. That does need money, hmm.' Ambrose shook his head and checked the next update.

[Newspaper Agency had been created. Players can pay the agency to put their own dojo advertisements in the next day's paper. The newspaper would also write about the accomplishments of players, giving them a way to earn fame and glory.

[The newspaper will be a good way for players to read about the happenings of the world around them and stay connected with the latest news and events]

'Oh, yeah, I don't remember any NPC ever reading a newspaper. I wonder why they added this so late, but I guess it's better late than never.' Ambrose thought to himself and thought about one thing.

'If they write about the accomplishments of players, will they also write about their wrongdoings? Like, about my prison escape, perhaps?' 

He wasn't sure and decided to move on to the next update.

[Bounty Posters have been added. Players and NPCs alike can get a bounty on their heads. Everyone is also free to hunt down and capture those with bounties to earn silver and respect]

'Bounty posters, oh no...' Ambrose massaged his temples. 'Will they put a bounty on my head? Shit, this makes things more difficult. Maybe I will be lucky and they won't.'

The following segment was a bunch of bug fixes, but Ambrose couldn't see a fix for that strange glitched message he received when he reached 100 on strength.

'I did report it...' He shook his head and moved onto the next update.

[Multiple new sub-classes have been added. You can now become literally anything, from a school teacher to a merchant or even a wagon driver]

'Yeah, there are multiple ways of earning money, such as doing proper work. I wonder how much those jobs pay and whether it is worth it for some people to abandon their real-life jobs to start new, higher paying jobs in-game.

'Quite a crazy thing to think about.'

[Dojo Temples have opened. They are located in secluded villages at the foot of tall mountains. They teach secret knowledge and skills to those who deserve it. Players who encounter those temples can choose to accept a test to see whether they are worthy of learning that knowledge]

'That knowledge must be incredibly valuable. Maybe I can learn more about that Inner Power and Gates. Also, they are located in secluded villages, which would be a perfect place for me to lay low and grow my strength.

'I should definitely go visit those temples!'

[A Marriage system has been added. Players can get married to fellow players or NPCs]

'Huh?' Ambrose looked at that update with a strange expression. 'One can get married to the NPC? That is strange; why would anyone want that? I mean, I understand getting married to fellow players, but marrying an NPC seems odd.'

He shook his head and moved on to the next one. There weren't many updates left.

[Underground City "Warhaven" has been opened. It is located underground, out of sight, and is home to the most dangerous criminals in the game. A player can change their home city to that one if they can find it]

'Uhuh, fourth city, huh.' Ambrose scratched his head. 'So, if I change my home city to Warhaven and die without having any temporary spawn, I wouldn't be teleported to Amaterasu, but to Warhaven.

'However, the home of the most dangerous criminals. That place doesn't sound too nice.'

And when he turned to look at the remaining updates, he noticed that only one remained.

[The Future is Here. The world of Martial Online advances with every passing day, and now the residents of that world have managed to create a railway that connects all major cities with each other. With the help of the train, it is possible to move across the cities quicker and more efficiently]

'That is amazing.' Ambrose thought with an impressed look. 'That game has some modern elements, but now the train is definitely peak creation. I guess the developers noticed how painfully slow it is to move across the continent with wagons.

'Most of the players simply don't have time to stay the whole day inside the game to reach their destination. Therefore, this train will definitely be used heavily. It will greatly improve the travel experience for players and make it much more efficient.'

Ambrose kind of wanted to test it out, but he was now a wanted man. 

He would have liked to check out Tsukuyomi, the only city he hadn't been in yet, alongside the new city of Warhaven. 

However, that had to wait.

'I guess that is all. That update was so much bigger than I expected. I wonder how the outside world is reacting to Reality Market.'

...

"Huh?" A tired-looking office worker sat on his desk, the monitor's blue light landing on his face. 

His eyebags looked heavy, and his eyes could barely stay open.

Again, his superiors forced him to overwork, and he could feel that his body was already at breaking point.

With his skinny arm, he moved the mouse and accidentally clicked on a news website.

The website opened up and immediately showed news about a game called Martial Online and the Reality Market.

'Reality Market? What is that...' 

He had, of course, heard about Martial Online but had no time to check it out because he was busy with work.

After pressing on the news, he checked what the Reality Market was all about. 

The further he read, the more life returned to his tired eyes. 

The news sounded very concerned about the economic state of the future, as this could pose a lot of problems now that there was a way of earning so much money by just playing a video game.

It could encourage kids of high school age to skip any thought about getting a job in reality and try their luck in that game.

"Mark, are you done yet?!" An office door slammed open, and a well-suited man approached the tired-looking man with a lofty expression. 

"Huh, you are browsing news? Do you want to get fired that much, huh? Finish your goddamn work!"

"Boss." Mark looked at his boss and showed a tired smile. "Fuck you. I quit!"

"Huh?" The well-suited boss looked taken aback, and then his cheeks turned crimson in anger. "Y-you bastard. How dare you talk to me like that!?"

Mark grabbed his coat and showed the middle finger to his former boss while walking away with a sense of liberation and satisfaction.

"Y-you, get back in here, bastard!" The well-suited boss shouted, but his former subordinate didn't listen as he kicked open the door and left the office.

The same thing happened at countless other companies. 

Tired office workers had enough, sent their resignation letters to their bosses, and left for home. 

However, while walking or driving home, they made a quick visit to any electronic shop to purchase a VR headset.

The age of video games had arrived like a storm.