Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player

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An intense hunger assaulted the team, mainly Altair, Nemean, and Bastion, in the form of prominent growls. They grimaced at one another because they hadn't expected this outcome. Who would have thought a character could become hungry in a game world?

It was unthinkable if one didn't consider the metamorphosis's effects.

Kieran looked at his party members and immediately understood what was going on. The increasing realism included the need to perform basic human actions like eating, resting, etc.

Hunger was inevitable after exerting themselves against the Desertborn Brigands and entering a stressful situation with the Sand Worms. Kieran didn't have a solution prepared, so he could only turn to the merchants. After all, as residents of this world, they needed to eat, or else they would die.

"Ah… you all are hungry, is that so? I suppose we can set up a makeshift mess hall and eat our fill. It's only right given the unforeseen difficulty of our journey," Head Merchant Penni commented.

He snapped his fingers and had the other merchants quickly prepare some of the stools and heating devices they prepared. However, while they did that, Head Merchant Penni gave Kieran and the others a disclaimer.

"Keep in mind, none of us are chefs. So if the food isn't to your liking, I am sorry. Our lack of experience limits us."

"That's fine," Kieran shrugged.

The taste was the least of their worries. Kieran's only concern was sating their hunger not to interfere with combat later. If they wanted to complain about the taste, they would have to waste their lifestyle class on becoming a Chef. That was the only way to gain access to delicious recipes.

Of course, this wasn't a bad idea because the Chef class was somewhat unique. It was similar to an Alchemist in that their food could produce surprising effects. However, they were mild compared to what an Alchemist could accomplish.

The team of merchants quickly prepared a meal consisting of unknown roast meat, cups of refreshing water, and finally, half-fresh bread. It wasn't the most pleasant meal, but the bare minimum qualities sufficed.

Bastion initiated the race for food, followed by Nemean and then Altair. These three practically salivated over the food resulting in Sera and Alice's wry smiles.

"We can't take them anywhere. Let's never have them follow us in public," Alice frowned. She was clearly repulsed by how she scoffed afterward. In contrast, Sera giggled at their behavior as well as Alice's reaction.

"I don't know… I think they're kind of funny. But yeah, it wouldn't be the most pleasant experience to have them act that way during any high-class event," Sera added.

Kieran merely sat off to the side and watched Alice and Sera converse before shifting his gaze to Bastion and the others.

"Ugh! This ain't very good, but I'm not complaining! Hey boss, you got more meat over there?" Bastion asked. His lips smacked while he talked with his mouth full. The texture of the meal wasn't the greatest, so he immediately washed it down with the fresh-tasting water once he chewed the meal to his liking.

"Whoa! This water is amazing. I don't think I've ever had water like this," Altair exclaimed while staring into his cup.

"That's because you're used to artificial purification. The water here is purified by Mana, giving it a refreshing and crisp quality," Kieran said before finally taking a serving of food for himself.

"How do you know that, eh?" Nemean's head jerked up with a skeptical expression. That statement felt as if it came from a resident of this world.

Kieran stared speechlessly before giving an answer that made Nemean's expression redden. "It's simple…. Look at the description before you."

Nemean had been too busy engorging himself to realize everything had a description, whether it was the bread, water, or the meat he devoured. "H-hey! I knew that already. I was just testing ya… just… testing ya."

Nemean's voice died down as he looked elsewhere and returned to focusing on his food. He felt he should save himself the embarrassment of saying another silly thing.

"How long should we rest before resuming our journey? I'll let you be the one to decide since you're the one doing the heavy lifting on our behalf," Head Merchant Penni asked. He sat beside Kieran because that's where he felt the safest.

It had become Penni's instinct to stick close to the strongest person in the vicinity. While this position was often the most dangerous, it was also the most secure. It was the oxymoron of being the strongest. You had the strength to protect, but that strength also meant you'd be at the vanguard of danger.

"Resume our journey…" Kieran murmured before contemplating an answer. He didn't sense any danger nearby, so it was a safe place to rest, but Kieran couldn't ignore how difficult the return would be if it happened after the metamorphosis.

Therefore, Kieran decided not to linger too long. "We'll move about an hour after we've finished eating. But, I have a question: How far are we traveling into the Aubrililes Kingdom?"

"We'll be going as far as Aubrilies City. The branches of the Merchant Association in the other cities won't have the liquid coins needed to buy this merchandise. And our kingdom is in dire need of it."

What Kieran heard was what he hoped didn't happen. Aubrililes City was bound to be filled with players of Ezra's caliber or close. Kieran recalled that the competition in that kingdom was fierce, but this was why newcomers favorited in the past.

Why? Because it was easy to accept lifestyle classes there. Many of the Beginner Villages even offered it at the start. This meant the gear level of players in the Aubrililes Kingdom would be significantly higher than in the Aeredale Kingdom.

Ezra only left the kingdom because of Kieran's enticing accomplishment. She didn't doubt that hefty rewards accompanied these accomplishments. The rewards from achievements often outshined what could be obtained through regular routes in many kingdoms.

Ezra may not be privy to this information, but she was a keen leader capable of making sound judgments. On the other hand, Kieran was also worried about the Shadow Cartel and Sunset Triad.

He wasn't worried they'd retaliate; he was afraid they'd involve their superiors in the underworld once he thrashed them. After all, the possibility of an organization of their caliber striking fear into Kieran's heart was zero, especially with his current skill arsenal.

Many of his skills had a wide range. As a result, he could level the playing field even if outnumbered.

Nevertheless, because of his quest conditions, Kieran could only reluctantly agree. 'Making it back before the metamorphosis finishes is impossible since more than a fourth of that time has already elapsed. The remaining distance is vast.'

Reaching Aubrililes City from their current position would take an entire day at the earliest. The time dilation meant it'd take half a day in real-time. The only way to return before the metamorphosis in the best-case scenario was through the Teleportation Hall.

However, Kieran wasn't sure how high the fees would be since every kingdom had a unique price. Moreover, those prices changed depending on the kingdom's current traffic.

The higher a city's popularity, the highest its fees were. The price hike accommodated the potential loss of visitors due to crowded streets, etc. Only a high popularity rating with excellent benefits could justify exorbitant fees.

As Kieran said, the party resumed their travels roughly an hour later. The ride wasn't as smooth as the beginning parts of the Desert of Crumbling Sands because the rocky terrain shook the caravans, forcing them to slow down. The constant shuffling could damage some of the fragile merchandise.

During the slow portion of the journey, Kieran checked on his stream and considered what he could upload as content. Most of his encounters were recorded and kept in a secure database for Kieran to use as he pleased. If he ever decided he didn't want any recording whatsoever, he could always turn off the dormant recording feature.

This meant his battle against Rautori, the battle with the cyclops and even his fight against Zelliolx were all recorded. However, simply uploading as content on the platform would expose a few of his secrets he didn't want to reveal.

As a result, Kieran opted for the teaser route. He spliced the recordings to finish right before the final moments or skip essential parts of the battle that revealed skills like Wrath Eruption, Sanguinem Tempests, or Blood Wave. These skills should be kept secret since they could instantly turn the tide of any fight.

Revealing Abhorrent Paroxysm and Deranged Spirit didn't matter because their activation only became noticeable once Kieran acted. If the videos were spliced at the right moment, it would only seem like Kieran used the typical boost gained from his low Health.

Kieran let Alice maintain the horse while he focused on editing the videos to the best of his ability. What should have taken no more than 30 minutes turned into a 3-hour endeavor as Kieran meticulously chose what should be revealed and what shouldn't.

Finally, after several hours of maintaining focus, he made each video cost a small fee while adding a teaser title. The title drew attention to his upcoming stream. Although the content remained a mystery, the combat present in the video would undoubtedly garner a lot of attention.

Kieran intended to make good on his promise to Allan, so he would do everything he could to gain enough popularity to sway their future negotiation. 'This class is amazing at creating content with its brutal yet eye-catching skills. I need to use this to my advantage before any other unique classes appear.'

This advantage would soon dissipate once the prominent names of his past emerged because it was inevitable. One person couldn't hog all the attention because everyone had a preference. A class tailored to more unique preferences was bound to appear.

As Kieran closed the menu, he noticed the sky was gradually darkening. Although the days in this world were considerably longer, nighttime was another inevitable matter. It couldn't be bright at all times.

"There are approximately four more hours of light remaining. We'll be in darkness after that. We should try and reach a safe area before resting," Head Merchant Penni suggested.

While it was only a day's travel, Head Merchant Penni would rather not deal with the dangers of nocturnal creatures.

"I'm not against that. Let's get as far as possible and then rest," Kieran agreed.

Alice turned toward him and whispered. "Will we log out while they rest? It'd be boring to sit around watching them, no?"

"That's one option. But, someone would have to remain on as a lookout. The alternative would be using this time to practice our skills." Kieran felt the dead of night could be helpful.

Most creatures in a habitat like this were slow, so sensing a threat before it appeared should be possible.

"But… what would I train? I'm not a physical class."

"Train your chanting and Mana flow. Didn't you say it felt sluggish and unnatural after becoming a full-fledged Mage?"

"Yeah," Alice admitted. However, she wasn't sure how to train such a skill.

"You should have a passive called Mana Sensitivity, right?"

Alice nodded and listened to Kieran's advice.

"Then focus on perceiving Mana. The higher your sensitivity, the better that passive will scale. Your chants will improve alongside your focus. Acquaint yourself with your spells and find ways to shorten their activation. Mages are one of the many classes not limited by the indicated cast or cooldown time. It's all about manipulation in the end," Kieran said.

He only offered this advice because the incoming realism would reduce the importance of skill cooldown and increase the importance of understanding one's class. It was information they would all realize in a few hours.