Zenith Online: Rebirth of the Strongest Player

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The comprehensive update left players stunned for quite some time. Most players stopped what they were doing to read through all the information given. This was unusual, given that most players despised reading and would rather experience the changes firsthand and then complain about the difficulty and how it was impossible to work with.

However, that wasn't the case when it came to Zenith Online. The massive difference sparked an inevitable drive to understand what had just occurred. Of course, before they read through the information, cries of protest rained down in every player-inhabited area.

Meanwhile, Kieran scanned the contents while awaiting his party members' reactions.

The first to comment was Altair, surprisingly. "Why are Combat and Life Realism different? Isn't combat just a part of life at this point? It should be a consolidated update if you ask me."

"Well, that's because it attacks two different matters. Just take a look at the explained contents," Kieran responded. He brought their attention to the first line of the update—Stage One Life Realism.

While Stage One Life and Combat Realism comprised the general increase to Stage One Realism, a few key factors separated them into two categories. This separation allowed for in-depth knowledge rather than a generalized summary.

The update wouldn't provide the players with enough information if it were generalized.

As explained in the update details, Stage One Life Realism increased the players' familiarity with the world and presented basic human requirements. This included the Satiety Bar now present in everyone's User Interface. It was a bar that gauged from green to yellow to orange and finally red, depending on how sated the player was.

Satiety wasn't just limited to food consumption; it also included sufficient rest and giving one's body time to heal after emptying their Stamina ten consecutive times.

Negative impacts also accompanied a change like this. If the Satiety Bar were to empty and wasn't replenished promptly, severe side effects would ensue. An empty bar meant one's Stamina would be severely affected.

If a player allowed their Satiety Bar to empty, they might as well remain inside a town, village, or city because their attributes would no longer apply the same. It would be as if they possessed a negative Constitution.

The chances of winning a battle against an enemy while in that state were nil.

Therefore, professions like Chefs and Masseuses became quite popular in Kieran's past. Both of these professions excelled at ridding fatigue and increasing Satiety.

Aside from the Satiety Bar, the role of environmental factors in a player's experiences increased drastically. Whether the conditions involved heat, cold, dry air, rain, or other undesirable weather, they could all impact how a player felt.

Another feature of Stage One Life Realism was increased recognition from NPCs, otherwise known as patrons of Xenith. This increase made it easier to accept teachers, discover quests, and even created the option for tailored quests spurred by unique actions.

In light of this change, another matter would soon follow—the rapid inclusion of several vital Professions. Alchemists, Tailors, Forgers, Apothecarist, and many more would become indispensable due to the handicap removal.

Lastly, the need for reputation with certain NPCs increased considerably. Fostering a relationship with different NPCs below the Mythical Rank could improve the interactions between players and NPCs.

Stage One Combat Realism, on the other hand, shone light upon the implementation of equipment weight and created a manual requirement. A player could no longer activate a skill just by focusing on its presence in the skill menu.

Now, players could only activate skills by supplying a unique character inside their minds with the required Mana or any other energy sources and then carrying out the manual skill description provided by said character.

Attack speed and movement speed gained some restrictions and were now heavily reliant on one's attributes.

Reading through all this information baffled Bastion, Nemean, and Altair alike.

"So… the delay in activating skills will become much greater now?" Altair grimaced after thinking of his skills' physical requirement. The Assassin Class required excessive speed to unleash most of his skills, but if they were all accomplished through manual inputs, Altair somewhat rued choosing this class.

However, Alice had it even worst. Her skills required a unique Mana flow to achieve the right element. Additionally, the density of every flow differed depending on the skill rank.

"T-this…" Even Alice stammered after becoming overwhelmed by the information before her. She tried to unleash a simple Fireball Spell, an E Rank Skill, but she felt horrible when the skill failed and caused a backlash.

Alice was blown back by the implosion and lost twenty-five percent of her Health, but Kieran caught her with a bitter smile. "It's not easy, is it?"

"Not at all," Alice shook her head. "I made one misstep, and the Mana collided with itself."

"This is insane! Who would want to play a game this difficult?!" Bastion scowled. He tried activating some defensive skills, but his internal Mana barely listened, causing a fat vein to appear on the temples while straining.

"I agree, but at least most of my skills are only reinforced by Mana. I don't have to worry about the issues that plague you all," Nemean snickered.

However, his mocking expression was short-lived as Kieran's followed words were like ice cold water dousing out flickering embers.

"That means yours are even worse," Kieran corrected.

Nemean's eyes widened in horror, but he ultimately tested out Kieran's claims. He performed shadow-boxing movements since there was no nearby enemy. After his fifth strike, he fulfilled the requirements to activate his first significant skill.

"Chain Link: Shield Rush!"

Nemean's footing suddenly changed as he spun to create a whirlwind-like momentum; however, that momentum broke, and he landed flat on his face.

"What in the what?!" Nemean shouted at the top of his lungs while jumping up from the ground.

"Yeah, your skills are reinforced by Mana. That means you have to carry out and maintain that reinforcement alone. The moment the fluid flow of Mana breaks is when your skill will be disrupted," Kieran revealed.

The entire party was dismayed as they began complaining about these new changes.

Meanwhile, Kieran extended his hand and focused on one of the faint characters that circled a colossal crimson gem-like construct in his mind. 'That must be Blood Mania since it is the basis of my class. However…'

Kieran noticed something odd about this construct—the top was fragmented. Fragmented constructs meant the skill was either incomplete or the player lacked foundational understanding, thereby limiting how much power the user could bring out.

Nevertheless, Kieran didn't have a solution for its fragmented state, so he continued to focus on one of the more minor characters. The required information popped into his mind, and Kieran manipulated blood energy a moment later.

A glob of viscous red energy flowed above his palm as Kieran gazed at the others. Alice and the rest were soon filled with awe, but that quickly became envy as they noticed how effortless this display seemed.

"You're a freak; you know that?" Bastion grumbled.

"Thank you," Kieran smiled wholeheartedly. It only served to make Bastion even more furious as he stomped in place like an infant throwing a tantrum.

"This was done by understanding my skill. The change isn't as difficult as you believe. Before you complain, study the character placed in your mind. The first time you do so, a sort of map will appear. Don't try activating your skills until that map is committed to memory. You should move on to physical attempts only once that step is completed. Otherwise, you'll just frustrate yourself," Kieran said.

Because the others rushed to test out the changes, they neglected the aid provided to acclimate to said changes. But, Kieran didn't mention it until they all experienced failure because failure was often the greatest teacher.

Mistakes were inevitable but also desirable. Mistakes marked a tangible issue and opened a route for improvement. After all, there was nothing more fulfilling than documenting your progress. This applied to all aspects of life; improvement was fulfilling.

The complaints died down as Kieran called for a travel break. This gave Alice and the others time to understand these so-called maps Kieran mentioned. In short, the maps indicated where Mana should be focused and expelled from to unleash the skill.

However, these maps soon raised a question.

"Wait… can skills be overcharged?" Alice wondered.

What would happen if a simple Fireball spell was fed Mana that exceeded the consumption requirement? There were no longer markers that indicated how much Mana was being moved; it was now up to the user to decide if the amount conjured was sufficient, insufficient, or far too much.

To understand this, players would need to enter libraries and conduct research regarding the size of a Mana unit. Kieran already knew the answer to this question—one unit was the size equivalent of a grain of sand.

But, Kieran contemplated whether or not he should reveal this answer.

It wasn't like players wandered into libraries yet.

Then again, he could create an excuse.

The Hero's Sanctuary possessed an elaborate library, but Kieran didn't have the clearance to access it. It was one of the few libraries with recordings of events not present in royal, imperial, or general libraries.

Alice had posed this question, but she subconsciously looked to Kieran for the answer.

Kieran gave an absentminded look before responding. "Why… are you looking at me?"

"Are you saying you don't know the answer?!" Alice pouted, something she rarely did. Clearly, the current conditions caused her immense frustrations, enough to bring out the emotions she kept reserved.

Considering how painful the earlier implosion was, her response was understandable.

"I don't know. But if I had to guess, overcharging a skill probably requires a deep understanding of the skill and how to utilize it. If you couldn't unleash it normally, I wouldn't suggest trying to overcharge it." Kieran gave his honest opinion.

An overcharged skill, especially from a Mage, could cause severe damage to the user. If the damage was extreme enough, the user would even be afflicted with the Severely Weakened state.

"Fine," Alice relented. She understood Kieran's response bore her best interest in mind.