“Oh? That’s a fairly profitable request there. How strange for no one to accept it.”

I say in approval of the job request held up by Dina. I would have exterminated the orcs even if there was no cash reward. These creatures have a 3 percent drop rate for [orc meat], an HP status-enhancing item, after all.

Orcs—otherwise known as “pork chops”. When this was still a game, they existed solely so players could farm easy experience. Truly an existence worthy of their nickname.Especially for level capped players who hoped to get ahold of HP-up’s, orc extermination was a daily routine. There were also players who camped at orc spawning locations. For these reasons, they became rare monsters. The average orc’s lifespan was reduced to a measly couple of seconds.

That’s why it was impossible for them to lead a raid on a human village. They were butchered and looted the second they were born, let alone gathering to form a group. Orcs were mobs so pitiful that you start to sympathize with lines of code. For those orcs to move, gather, and attack people… this is a deeply moving moment for me.

“It’s because there’s no profit.”

“What? Orc hunting is the embodiment of profit.”

“That might hold true for Ruphas-sama, but the times have changed. Nowadays, a single orc can match the strength of an experienced warrior. The extermination of a nest would be a job for the knight order. And even then, there are plenty of casualties. No one is willing to put their life on the line for a meager 1500 eru.”

“So the times change… back then, adventurers would line up to accept such a request. Not to mention quest rewards would never sink so low. I remember a similar request that paid 15,000 eru.”

The differences between game and reality drew a sigh from my lips. Orc hunting is nothing but a worthless burden to the denizens of this world. However, players from the game would be living the dream to receive a reward for killing orcs. It’s like being paid to play games. You can’t help but think it’s too good to be true.

“So… it’s fine if I raze the nest to the ground, right?”

“Of course.”

“Alright. Then let’s accept this request. This will be our ticket to secure food and money before we embark on our journey.”

“Yaaaay, this time the orcs are going extinct for sure. Though it was my idea, I think I’m feeling a bit sorry for them now,”

This is a chance to earn money, obtain meat, and raise my HP simultaneously. If I let such an opportunity slip from my grasp, then I’m unqualified as a competitive player. With the written request in hand, I told the bar owner of my plans and left the tavern behind.

~~~~~~~~~~~

“By the way, Dina.”

“Yes?”

The village specified in the request is located half a day away on foot. While heading our way towards the destination, I decided to pass time by asking Dina some questions. There are all kinds of differences between this world and my knowledge of the game. 200 years is by no means a short period of time after all.

“You told me that the standards of combat have dropped from 200 years ago. I’d like to hear about that in a bit more detail.”

200 years ago—when this was a game, I was undoubtedly the strongest player. Listed at the top of all player rankings, I’m confident that there wasn’t a single opponent that could overpower me. However, in no way did that mean I was unrivaled in strength. Believe it or not, there was no lack of players that could challenge my authority.

The game had 8 million active players in total… and around 20 percent of them achieved level capped characters, which is the bottom line for being a competitive player. Naturally, it’ll take a bit of effort to reach, but it’s definitely not something a little perseverance can’t accomplish. Then again, that alone isn’t enough to be recognized as a top-ranking player. The real challenge comes after: efficiently collecting status-enhancing items after becoming unable to level. Then, only a small portion of the retards who ruin their health playing the game are listed as top-ranking players.

Now that I think of it… the usage of status-enhancing items doesn’t seem to be a common practice in this world. That would mean your growth would come to a halt at the level cap. But even then, that’s no reason for standards to drop this far.

The next few words that came out of Dina’s mouth blew my mind.

“Uuum, let’s see… the country you mentioned earlier, Levatin, is also widely known as the “Nation of Swords” and… there’s a sword saint famed as the greatest swordsman on the planet… he should be somewhere around level 120.”

“……120?”

“Yes, 120.”

I doubted my own ears. Level 120? The greatest swordsman on the planet is level 120!? What’s with this absurdly low number? I’m surprised he can call himself a sword saint. He sounds like a cocky beginner who decided to honor himself with a “second name” because he happened to reach level 100. At least reach level 1000 before making a fool out of yourself.

“You must be joking. There’s a limit to how low it can be, you know?”

“You see, Ruphas-sama. The strange ones were the people from that generation. Please think about it. You only have one life. The kind of monsters able to reach level 1000 without losing their lives usually don’t exist. Not to mention that the only way to get there is by fighting day after day like a madman. To train without rest—it’s barely enough to call it an act of madness… It was the heroes of that age who were actually crazy.”

I feel disoriented. But I get it.Indeed, level 1000 was only achievable because it was a game.You could simply resurrect after death. There were no consequences.It was possible because it was a game… but can we really say the same for reality?

To be hunting monsters all day, every day, and live through that nightmare for over a year. How many people on the planet can achieve such a feat? And how many of those individuals still retain their sanity?

With that in mind, even level 120 is an incredible accomplishment. The level of a lunatic on the verge of obsession.

I was the one who was irregular.

“I see… Indeed, it is considerably different from the world I knew.”

I am a lunatic and a monster in this world.Staring straight into the eyes of reality, an empty feeling enveloped my chest.

【Unnecessary Explanation】

Changing Your Occupation in X-gate Online

Status in X-gate online relies heavily on “levels” and “class levels”, How stats develop depends on the equipped class at the time of leveling. The class level caps at 100, but class changes before cost experience, What a heartbreaking way to say goodbye to your former class.

※However, these limitations can be lifted through the cash shop. This way, it’s possible to extend the maximum class level to 200. This is where the developers bare their hungry jaws for the sweet taste of your hard earned money.