Frontier Online

Birthplace of Monsters Part 6

*[Paragon] Triggered*

Rydr laughed aloud at the feat and [Paragon] notice, for which he automatically accepted the bonuses. His Strength score jumped from twenty-five to forty in one go. The same test Rydr just finished suddenly became almost forty percent easier compared to before. 

So you can get them for things like this? His breath quickened a little when a niggling thought hit him. Getting caught up in the leveling race...might be the wrong thing to do. Rydr needed to do some more testing before he proved his theory. He looked around again and saw that his audience wasn't the only one. 

Some divers continued their challenges after Rydr finished his. The Endurance Challenge, where everyone was welcome to throw stones at you until the diver collapsed, roared in approval as their contestant pull through again. The Agility Challenge challenger blurred across the agility course, trying to get back and forth as obstacles change without getting hit with paint pellets. 

Certain divers around the plaza recorded the performances and streamed them online. All over the internet, in the game and out, netizens tuned in and started to compare the videos released from the starting towns. Rydr's stunt and the ongoing feats of the other challengers drew more and more views. Elsewhere in the Kingdom of Aard, several other beginner villages experienced the same phenomenon. Dozens of videos started to upload from those villages.

Even with literally, millions of videos streamed or uploaded, those from the Kingdom of Aard started to stand out. Deep in the comments section of those comparison videos, someone commented:

 [Isn't Grotto in the Kingdom of Aard? It's tiny on the continent, but these divers are OP! Why couldn't I have landed there?!?! Birthplace of Freaking MONSTERS!!!!]

Beneath that person's comment, hundreds of replies said:

 [F for the Weakling]

Despite the hazing, that nickname stuck around in the future. A future where Aard was always called the "Birthplace of Monsters." 

Rydr felt envy as he watched their competitions ramp up in difficulty. The forlorn feeling in Rydr's chest was wistful. He wished the challenge was harder and didn't break on him. When he turned his head to look back toward the multicolored rope Rydr, found the miller coming to him. 

While tall and imposing to the average diver, Rydr stood head-shoulders-and-chest over the grizzled veteran. Shane, to his chagrin, forced himself to look up to meet Rydr's gaze, something he seldom did with another human.

"Well?" Shane grumped, "Do ye' hav' nuthin ter say fer ye'self?" Shane's voice shocked Rydr and everyone present. His was the first pronounced dialect they came across. Such speech was rare to hear in the twenty-second century. 

Rydr shook himself to dispel the culture shock and said, "I apologize for breaking the test. When the rope suddenly stopped moving, I should have figured it out." Rydr reached up to scratch the back of his head, using the familiar movement to calm himself. 

Despite his seclusion, in reality, Ryan was a fantastic public speaker. Skills engrained into him according to family tradition, horrible as it was, proved handy to save face. 

Shane scowled at him for a moment longer before he guffawed and slapped Rydr's arm. "O, I'mma jus' pullin' ye' lehg, boy!" He turned and gestured broadly with his arm, "Now, I ken stick it ter tha' smarmy elf abou' his weak designs!" Shane's belly shook as he roared with laughter. 

I can't help but notice that his insults are perfectly said. Rydr chuckled to appease the bald, boisterous old-timer. Shane slapped Rydr's on the back a few times, nearly making him fly forward before he settled down.