After the lunch with his sister and some more joking around, Eldrian had gone back and unpacked what he had packed. Once that was done, he decided to log back in as he no longer had a restriction in that regard.

He spent the first few early hours of the morning meditating as everyone else was still asleep. Sometime later, the leaders of the division headed out to the inner parts of the city for negotiations. Leaving the rest of the division on standby as they all waited for the news of how they will be fighting and helping in the war.

Not knowing what to do, and Vivian having gone with Old Sword, Eldrian took the time to continue his training. He did not wish to walk around and maybe cause some trouble, so he tried reaching Rank 2 with spears.

It took him only a few hours, where he sparred with some soldiers. These were mostly rookies who themselves were new and had never really fought in a war. Eldrian could easily compete against them, even against the Tier 3's as long as they did not use skills. His agility growth enabling him to almost never be slower than his opponents. Though he often could not take attacks straight on.

Eldrian received a pleasant notification once he managed to get the last proficiencies he had needed.

[Player has reached Rank 2 with spears. [This includes all variants of spear-like polearms]]

[Through diligent training, the player has managed to become decently learned in how to manage a spear. Naturally, such training would increase one's strength, stamina, speed, and willpower.]

[Rank 2, Spear, Boost: 4 Agility, 2 Strength, 3 Constitution, 1 Spirit]

Not bad, ten free attributes. But the effort... Eldrian did not think that the effort really matched the reward, though he had to admit it was nice that it was there. At least it still had some meaning. In the start, he had thought that proficiencies would be really important. With time he had realized it was more something that normally just grew with time. For most people, it would be ahead of their Tier and actually never limit their growth.

Still, he was glad he had gone and reached Rank 2 now. Having done it was certainly better than leaving it just shy of done. Looking at the bonus, he wondered if he could gain this bonus for each weapon, or at least every overarching branch. If so, then it could lead to a massive amount of free attribute points.

After this Eldrian did not rush to train other weapons. He took a break and meditated, spending the rest of the day focusing only on these two activities. Making sure to always be doing something. Resting his body through meditation, and resting his mind through routine practice. Finally, the next day came and Eldrian logged out grudgingly, not looking forward to the meeting he was to have.

Sighing, he climbed out of his bed and dressed into his Miracle Corporation clothing. It was simple light blue lab-style uniform, a sleek simple pattern visible through some different shades of blue. On the chest, the Miracle Corporation logo stood proudly.

Looking himself up and down in a mirror, Eldrian still felt reluctant to go out. Spending a few hours just loitering as he waited for his parent to actually make it down from where they stayed. Today was a Saturday, and hence why they could come down so easily. The drive was also just two hours.

Today was also the day when the new wave of players joined the game.

Finally, he got a message that they were close, and as such he ordered himself a ride to go over to his commune. Waiting patiently outside, twiddling his thumbs as he imagined how it would go.

"Mom, dad." Eldrian greeted shyly as his parents climbed out of their car.

"Eldrian? Wow, look at you!" His mom shouted out, for a moment forgetting all other things. The uniform Eldrian wore showed his slender and toned physique quite well. With Eldrian having never gone back home since the start of his studies, and ANW, they had never seen how much he had improved in this aspect.

Blushing, Eldrian replied with a simple thanks as a smile grew on his face.

"Why didn't you send us any pictures of your progress?" His mom asked, rushing to give him a hug.

"I never really realized it myself. I have been too absorbed in things."

"That game?" She asked, pulling away and looking straight into his eyes. Looking for any signs that he was unhappy. The signs she found not really the ones she was looking for.

"Yeah..." Eldrian replied with a guilty sigh.

"We need to talk about that." Spoke his dad, locking the car as he did and walking up to Eldrian.

"It really isn't as bad as you think. Look, as you can see, I even have some work clothes."

"But for how long will it last?" His dad countered.

"At least the year, and when I stop playing I can start studying again. I even signed a contract where they will pay for my studies." Eldrian rushed to say, realizing that his dad seemed to have already calmed down greatly.

"Is it safe?" Asked his dad after some silence.

"Kind of..." Eldrian did not wish to go into it, as he felt this would be the next major topic.

"So it isn't safe?" His dad pushed.

"I have a designated doctor, so it's fine. If you give me some more time I can organize for you to come look at the place. And if you're still worried about me not studying, treat it like a gap year."

"Your mom already told me that viewpoint of yours."

Feeling awkward, Eldrian did not know how to continue the conversation. Luckily his mom did, "Then let's go somewhere to eat, is Jen free?"

"I asked her yesterday, she said she was busy during the morning. You can go see her later." Eldrian replied, climbing into the car and listening to his parent's concerns. Trying his best to ease them without saying too much.

The day ended up not too bad. Even slightly enjoyable. In the end they had accepted his choice, though still concerned and certainly not happy with his choice. The very least they felt they should do was give him a chance to prove his choice, and so they did.

After this, Eldrian entered the game with a much calmer mind. Extremely happy that things had been brought out into the open and sorted out.

In the game, the leaders had yet to come back. Not minding much, Eldrian continued training while also looking at the forum at what the other players were up to. They were quickly becoming disgruntled at being told to just wait. Wanting to actually go out and battle and have fun.

Eldrian found it quite nice to see their reactions. He even wondered if they would try and sneak out, but by the end of the day, this had not come to pass.

On the other parts of the forum, chaos was reigning as the new batch of players joined the game. Most of them were quickly approached by their respective Empire's recruiters. While not forced to accept, they were certainly coerced.

As such many small posts would jump up as players tried bragging about their flimsy accomplishments. Eldrian simply looked on in fun, turning to the ranking threads near the end to see how other players were doing.

Only slightly over 40 had reached Tier 2, but many were over level 15.

The next few days passed in a similar manner, even Eldrian becoming irritated by the long wait near the end. Luckily they did not have to stay inside the camp, and when he really wanted to walk around, he would.

On one such day, Eldrian had decided to walk to the next large gatehouse. Just for fun and to have something different to do. As he walked he had run into a couple of natives, surprisingly not all were centaurs.

He had met two centaurs during his walk, and three other demi-humans. He was not sure what type of animal mix they were, fearing it would be rude to ask on a first meeting. However, the experience had been interesting as no demi-human NPCs had been present in Agosstead.

He also did not talk much with them, as they were busy working and only crossed his path on their way to their next location. But he had learned a little bit about the city and its culture from the short conversation he had had with them.

The city was called Duron, and it was one of the far North Cities in the kingdom. It was only a small city with a population of around half a million, much smaller than Phallos. Though the area it covered was far larger.

There is indeed a central city inside the walls, the place actually having a second set of walls. The walls were not visible from anywhere Eldrian had been thus far. This inner part was called the city's heart and was where most rich lived. The poor often living out in the fields in small scattered 'villages' which were the clusters of buildings Eldrian had seen in the distance.

Military camps were also seemingly not inside this place but rather built on the outside of the walls. Those he talked to took great pride in their military and it seemed that soldiers were quite high ranked in this city.

...

Over in Vuetvale, in the kingdom of Vruntis, the players who had accepted the conditions of the empire were setting off. Along with the hundred or so new players who had spawned in the city.

Erik had taken the day off and brought Akarui with him to the other wall, looking at the group depearting she asked. "Where are they going? Are they abandoning us?"

"They are going to the Empire to train, and I do not know if they will come back in time. You remember what I told you if things go south right?"

"Yes," She vigorously nodded her head, "I should wait in the garden for you, ready to leave in seconds!"

Erik smiled as he heard her enthusiasm, "Correct, I hope it will never come. But I have a feeling things are about to become crazy."