—-

Run-ins with the Stone Scorpions frequently occurred on their journey through this rocky area. However, the rankings varied between Normal and Elite monsters. As a result, the experience the party gained fluctuated greatly, especially when factoring in the range of level differences.

The Stone Scorpions that appeared were as high as Lv.37 or as low as Lv.32. The Lv.32 monsters barely rewarded 3,000 Experience, which wasn’t much considering every player above Lv.30 required at least 180,000 Experience to level up.

In Kieran’s case, he required more than 540,000 Experience. It would take almost 200 low-level Sand Scorpions for him to level up. In contrast, if he could steadily receive the monsters on par with the initial bunch, that number would be reduced by 50%.

Thanks to the Invigoration Brew’s effects, although they hadn’t taken a break in an hour and fought more than five separate clusters of Stone Scorpions, neither Kieran nor the others were tired.

“That Invigoration Brew is like a miracle drug. Do you think Penni will let us have some?” Bastion whispered in hopeful anticipation.

“I don’t think it’s the type of item that we can put in our inventory. Considering that Penni had to prepare it, it’s likely an item with a limited efficacy period. It’d be pointless to store it unless we do so in its base form and find a way to prepare it,” Kieran said.

“Wait… you mean like one of us become a chef or something?” Nemean asked.

“That could work, but that’s only true if one of you is willing to do something like that.”

“I am,” Sera immediately stepped forth. She had experience preparing dishes after tending to her younger siblings, so she had no issue with accepting the profession. Besides, she wanted to be of more use to everyone.

Kieran nodded and smiled at Sera while appreciating how swiftly she volunteered. “That works, but accepting the profession will have to wait until we return to Aeredale City or until we find a solution inside the city we’re visiting. There’s also the matter of procuring enough ingredients and the items required to prepare them.”

“For that…” Kieran looked at Head Merchant Penni in the corner of his eye. “We’ll have to rely upon him.”

“I see no reason not to. He has extended nothing but gratitude thus far; I’m sure he’d be willing to help by the end of our journey, don’t you think?” Alice glanced back at Kieran, but he averted his gaze for some reason.

“Yeah, it’s possible.” Kieran nodded.

Alice found the action odd but didn’t press the matter as she looked down to see if she was proper. She was inevitably at a loss when she confirmed her mage robes were completely fine. ‘Has he not gotten our exchange?’

Alice was truly curious about this, but she couldn’t ask because the others traveled too close after entering the rocky terrain. They were no longer as spread out as before and led the way as the caravan’s vanguard.

All of a sudden, an intense tremor erupted in their vicinity, destabilizing everyone.

Kieran was the first to come to a grinding halt and look up at the sky. An opaque ripple filtered throughout the sky as the crystalline atmosphere became unusually cloudy.

The other followed Kieran and gazed at the sky.

“Are those clouds?” Altair wondered.

Unlike Earth, this world they were currently in didn’t have clouds. It only possessed a clear sky and an atmosphere filled with pure and crystalline Mana that acted as a layer of protection for the world. As the foundation of this world, Mana possessed numerous uses.

“I don’t know,” Kieran claimed. However, he didn’t need to reveal his knowledge because a notification appeared before everyone’s eyes. It was much longer than the standard notifications and addressed matters that would turn most players on their head.

┌───────────────────

«Zenith Online World Announcement»-

The First Metamorphosis has entered its final stages, and all matters reliant upon Mana will notice a noticeable change. These apparent changes will be finalized during this time. Various modifications will afflict the world, some good, some bad. However, it is up to the adaptability of you all to adapt to these changes. They should only serve as a drive to become stronger and reach the zenith. Information will be released in the following natural hour.

└───────────────────

Most players were in a situation similar to Kieran and the rest—staring at the sky with their mouths agape, wondering how this game would change. Significant updates like this usually only occurred when a game reached a milestone, whether it was game age or player base.

Zenith Online was still less than a month old, so the milestone couldn’t be the game’s age. The only remaining possibility was that this metamorphosis was triggered by enough people joining and advancing in the game.

If that were true, then it was all happening too rapidly. What changed?

Kieran began seriously contemplating if this was the same world anymore. Sure his presence could have a butterfly effect that accelerated the timeline, but he didn’t accomplish any baffling feats severe enough to alter the timeline in such a way.

The only alternative explanation was that while this world bore similarities to his original Earth, it may not be identical. If so, Kieran felt obligated to learn more and experience things on Earth because some of his knowledge could be obsolete.

“Matters relating to Mana will change? Then… won’t it become more difficult to wield it?” Alice muttered in alarm. Her class heavily relied upon Mana, so if any of its principles were to change, it could potentially destabilize her whole class! The same rang true for other players that accepted the Mage Class.

“That problem shouldn’t affect you too greatly. After all, you’ve begun training your Mana Sensitivity,” Kieran said with a mysterious smile.

Alice gasped at pointed Kieran, but he covered her mouth and shushed her. “Don’t make a scene.”

“B-but, that’s too much of a coincidence,” Alice responded under her breath once Kieran moved his hand. “You started this vital training right when this metamorphosis began as if you predicted its outcome.”

Kieran grimaced at Alice’s acuity but leaned against her ear. “Is it that much of a surprise? Our bodies began to change the moment this metamorphosis began. Tell me, what did you think the end result of those alterations would be?”

“The result would be… our experience switching from an automated one to a more manual one,” Alice whispered back. She seemed to chew her lip and avert her gaze when she felt Keiran’s warm breath waft past her ear. Perhaps it was too stimulating for her.

“Precisely. You can usually arrive at a correct assumption if you use the hints provided to fuel your deduction,” Kieran said. He did his best to provide a sound explanation for why he could guess what would occur.

Alice, although skeptical, gradually understood Kieran’s reasoning. She soon felt her disbelieving nature spurred her suspicions and apologized for that. However, Kieran decided he couldn’t accept it because she was more or less correct.

Kieran’s only intention was to avert suspicion away from him while preserving Alice’s confidence in her senses, but his instincts overpowered his intentions, prompting him to move before he could speak.

As his move was aroused by instinct, it wasn’t the best way to react, but given his teammate’s propensity to complain and scrutinize, he would rather not embark on that headache.

“I won’t say a thing; I understand why you covered my mouth, but…” Alice paused before biting her lip and shouting quietly. “Don’t do that again!”

“I’m sorry. You’ll forgive me for doing that, yes?” Kieran gave a bitter smile.

But considering he was already a handsome young man, Alice ultimately nodded and agreed to forgive him. After all, it wasn’t like she disliked what happened; she just didn’t have experience and was unfamiliar with this level of interaction.

She was usually reserved, as seen in their first encounter inside the Fanged Forest.

However, experiencing the interactions between Kieran, Altair, Bastion and Nemean made her feel secure enough to be herself.

It wasn’t pleasing to always be alone or stifle one’s opinion, and Alice understood this from experience, which is why she turned to playing games as an outlet. She could express her emotions through a vaguely interpersonal environment and escape her current one.

Kieran suddenly sent out an alert in the party chat, gaining the party’s attention.

“We need to prepare for what happens in three hours. The metamorphosis will neutralize some of our efforts in overcoming the increasing difficulty of controlling our bodies, so it’s even more important that we focus on the Control attribute. If you find it difficult to fight, dump all points in Control for the time being,” Kieran said.

The earlier ripple briefly caused sluggishness and a lethargic feeling. It was a sort of “influence” over them shattering. With the disappearance of this influence, the burden placed on their minds would increase. This also meant players couldn’t play the game as long until their minds adapted to the new realm of mental tax.

As a result, Kieran thought about ignoring fights for the time being. Having any of them forcibly logged out due to hazardous mental exhaustion was not ideal. Just losing one member could tip the scale in a fight.

“Damn, it’s always something, huh? We can’t enjoy ourselves for a moment. Thank goodness we drank that brew,” Bastion sighed in relief. Without it, the Stamina exhaustion of manual control would be horrific.

Kieran suddenly turned to Head Merchant Penni. “What lies beyond this rocky area? Do you know?”

“More rocky area,” Head Merchant Penni responded. This was only the beginning of the rocky expanse. To enter the interior of the Aubrililes Kingdom, one had to travel through the entire mountain terrain.

Kieran looked at his quest detail before formulating a plan. ‘If it’s more rocky terrain, then we must on an express route that pierces directly through the Aubrililes’ territory unlike before. But that’s good.’