Chapter 487: The Letter and The Price


    It was a shame that Leo did not pause to read Ben’s letter, as within it, his master had revealed something truly incredible.


    [ Boy,


    I’m writing you this letter because I don’t want you to think I’m dead. Of-course I’m not. I’m Ben Faulkner.


    I have merely staged my death in front of the world because, during my unexpected fight against Thalion, I’ve broken past a bottleneck that I’ve been stuck at for years.


    The skill I’ve passed down to you. [ Mirror World ] is my strongest and finest skill. A skill passed down to me by my father, however, even I had not mastered it to its utmost limit.


    I previously believed that creating 100 clones was the limit of the skill, however, it’s not true.


    Recently, I’ve realized that I can create an actual doppelganger with the skill. Not just a shadow, but an actual moving body that’s physical and solid.


    The body that everyone saw being chopped in half at the Royal Pce, was merely this clone of mine and with a few blood pellets, I made my death seem more gruesome than it really was. In any case, I’m excited to teach this new technique to you, so try and improve your mastery of the [ Mirror World ] skill as much as you can, as only after you can summon a 100 clones can I teach you this next stage.


    I will not be returning to Crest-Hill Barony for the next 6 months, as there is a location I must visit in the North before Ie to the Eastern Duchy.


    Do not sulk and do not waste your time pursuing idle hobbies, for I will return very soon to check on your progress.


    Until then,


    Ben Faulkner ]


    Ben had actually reached the next stage of mastery for [ Mirror World ] and that’s how he had duped the whole world into believing that he was dead.


    He had presumed that his letter would find Leo before he became mental, as he expected that the news of the Royal Pce incident would not travel to the Eastern Duchy in just under two days.


    An emergency letter was like a speed post and hence he assumed that it would find Leo before he heard the news from someone else, however, unfortunately, Ben did not understand gaming mechanics like the Global Forums.


    Because of the global forums and an insider friend who was present at the pce, Leo found out about the incident just a mere minutes after it unfolded and hence, by the time Ben’s letter reached him Leo had already gone maniacal.


    **********


    ( The MP exchange store, real world, the Arc Ship )


    Apart from avenging Ben within the game world, Leo also had one more goal in his mind that he wished to achieve as a yer before they reached Terra Nova.


    The idea had started to form in his head after his chat with the ship operators, however, he had not acted on it until now, thinking he had a lot of time at-hand and could worry about such stuffter.


    “Ship Operator, please state your request–” an emotionless voice said on the other side, as soon as Leo picked up a phone inside the MP exchange center.


    “I would like to know the cost associated with bringing a character from the game to life…. The character I’m looking to bring to life is Ben Faulkner, a popr assassin within the game” Leo said, as there was a long silence on the phone, once he stated his request.


    “Hello, Leo—, Raya here, did I hear your request correctly? Do you want to know the cost associated with bringing a character to life?” Raya said, as the emotionless voice previously was suddenly reced by one of a sweet elf.


    “Yes, I want to know the cost associated to bringing him to life” Leo affirmed, as Raya immediately tried to dissuade him from it.


    “That would be 4 MP to learn that answer, however, before you pay it, let me remind you that this is not a good idea.


    I understand your attachment to the in-game character, but in the end it’s just an NPC modeled after the real Ben Faulkner who has died centuries ago.


    Bringing his replica to life won’t do you much good–” Raya warned, however, Leo went ahead and paid that 4 MP price anyway.


    “Fine, since you want to know so badly, let me tell you the price for bringing a character like Ben Faulkner to life.


    It’s 750,000 MP. It’s next to impossible for one yer to earn so much MP, so I would suggest you give up on this pointless dream of yours” Raya said rather aggressively, as she did not understand why Leo would go to such lengths for an NPC.


    “Give me the list of the missions that pay out the most MP within the game and the reward associated withpleting them” Leo said next, as once he learnt the price to bring Ben to life, instead of feeling demotivated by the huge number, Leo simply inquired about the method to earn it.


    “Are you not listening to me? I’m telling you it’s impossible…. The information you’re asking for will cost you 1000 MP! 1000! That’s a lot of money for something as stupid as a list you will never be able toplete” Raya warned, however, Leo immediately paid the 1000 MP price, which made Raya furious.


    “Fine! If you want it so bad, you can have it.


    The top three missions that pay the most MP are.


    1)Kill the ck Dragon Drogo, the mightiest existence within the game. Reward, 400,000 MP.


    2)Kill the Demon King Anos, the leader of the Demon Race. Reward 200,000 MP


    3)Unify the Empire under yourmand, bing the next Emperor. Reward 200,000 MP.


    To be able to revive Ben Faulkner, you will have toplete all three in just under 30 months of journey time that we have left till we reach Terra Nova.


    Also, Drogo is a Grandmaster level existence, he’s not a master level being, he’s a grandmaster level existence who you can’t even scratch with your most powerful attack.


    If you take anyone’s aid inpleting this mission, the subsequent MP reward that you will receive will only be proportional to your contribution to the kill, so if you enlist the help of a 100 masters to bring Drogo down, the reward you will recieve is barely 1% of the total pool–” Raya ranted, passionately trying her best to stop Leo from going down a path of madness, however failing spectacrly in doing so, as Leo hung up on her before she could evenplete her rant after receiving the information that he wanted.


    Leo already had his heart set on bringing Ben Faulkner to life, as just like he was willing to go to any lengths to save his mother, he was willing to go to any lengths to save his master, with whom he had formed a very real connection.


    Although Ben Faulkner was only an NPC, and was not a real being, in Leo’s heart he was real and the affection he showed him was real, and hence Leo was willing to go to any lengths to save him, even if it meant that he had to fight a dragon on his behalf.