The shouting of the players was getting closer the sound echoing ominously off the damp stone walls, ethan had to move now and he had just angered a Lvl 5 Crystal bloom slime and gained 3 levels. He couldn't risk being trapped inside the cave.
He moved quickly and his newly allocated agility was making the descent from the ledge feel quiet and precise. He landed silently on the rock floor, and the confused shouts of the players inside the cave grew louder
No time for mistakes, these players are slow, but they're loud.
He used his vision filled with clarity to trace the fastest and the quietest path. He avoided the steaming pool of toxic poison and slipped back into the tight dry crawl space he had used earlier. The tight squeeze was still uncomfortable but due to his enhanced vitality meant he powered through the physical drain easily. He felt the resistance but the exhaustion didn't immediately set in. This was the difference between a level 1 player and the level 4 player.
He crawled until he reached the junction overlooking the main chamber. The three players the clumsy swordsman, the arguing mage and the slow cleric were still huddled near the debris. They were still busy complaining about the difficulty of the dungeon.
Ethan emerged silently from the crawl space, he kept the camera concealed beneath his jacket, he was silent and better than the loudest players.
He moved into the deepest shadow near the dungeon exit. The last thirty feet were open ground but the players were facing the wrong way. He took his risk and sprinted his movement was providing a smooth fast burst of speed that covered the distance in seconds.
He burst out of the Marsh crossing archway and back into the late afternoon sunlight of THE FALCON ALLEY. The warm dry air felt like a massive weight lifted from his lungs. He didn't stop running until he reached the safety of the central vendor stalls.
He leaned against the rough wood of a discarded cart and wiping a trickle of sweat from his head. He finally allowed himself to look at his HUD. The PV counter was no longer increasing out of control, but it had settled into a powerful strong number which was surprising.
[PUBLIC VISIBILITY (PV): 108,450] [PV TREND:+25 PER SECOND]
"One hundred and eight thousand", he breathed the number a dizzying a beautiful testament to the photos viral power. His hands started to tremble not from fear but from the sudden surprising presence of success.
He understood the mechanism now the initial high payment was secured. The current +25 PV per second was royalty. It was his photo right now being downloaded by players all around the world. licensed by a gaming magazine in Europe and being used as the featured image on a major North American lore forum. He was making money while standing still.
[SYSTEM NOTIFICATION: PV CONVERSION INITIATED]
[75,000 PV CONVERTED TO 3750 EXP]
[LEVEL UP! LEVEL: 4→5]
[LEVEL UP! LEVEL: 5→6]
[LEVEL UP! LEVEL: 6→7]
The system automatically completed the conversion process for the secondary earnings.
He had gained six levels in less than 1 hour of actual game-play, this is ridiculous and this feeling was wonderful.
[CONGRATULATIONS! YOU HAVE RECEIVED 15 FREE ATTRIBUTE POINTS]
He pulled up his stat window and he had a moment to breathe and a moment to plan his future and he couldn't waste it
NAME: ETHAN BELLWETHER
LEVEL 7 {EXP: 1900/4000}
CLASS: THE SYSTEMS WITNESS {EX-TIER}
HP: 130/130 MP: 50/50
STRENGTH: 5
AGILITY: 12
VITALITY: 13
INTELLIGENCE: 5
LUCK: 5
PERCEPTION: 30
He stared at the 15 points, he had proven that the Perception worked but he had also proven that the moment his Temporal shutter was on cool-down he was a dead weight, he needed something to get buffed up.
He started with the survival points
"Vitality", he needed the HP pool to survive from any danger and surprise attacks, he added 5 points " I'm not a warrior, but i cant be a corpse".
"Agility", " is key to evasion and camera positioning, if i move faster and my photos and more dynamic and i stay out of the skill zone", he added 5 points to agility.
Finally the remaining points went to his core stat Perception. He knew increasing it past 30 was a gamble but if it improved the clarity of his vision and foresight, it was the best investment possible.
He allocated the final 5 points to Perception.
[ATTRIBUTES CONFIRMED: VIT 18, AGI 17, PER 35]
His body surged again not with raw power but with vision and clarity too. His maximum HP jumped to 150. His movement felt sharp. The change Perception was the most profound: the risk percentages flashed faster and the details of the environment already crystal clear now felt like he could see the textures and hidden things which cannot be seen. He was seeing the future of the games mechanics more vividly.
He pulled up the final most satisfying notification. The conversion was complete.
[PV PAYOUT: 108,450 PV ( CONVERSION RATE 10 PV : $1 USD)]
He stared at the massive amount of money the market demand was overwhelming.
[TOTAL PAYOUT AMOUNT: $10,845 USD]
He immediately clicked the notification demanding the a breakdown, he needed to know exactly from where and how did the money come from
[PAYOUT BREAKDOWN: FIRST LENS: CRYSTAL BLOOM SLIME]
1) GNN (Gaming news network) Exclusive License: $5000 USD (Initial breaking news report fee)
2) Aethelgards Lore Curator (Official): $3500 USD (Verification of Mutant Existence for the lore databases)
3) In game content HUB purchases (users): $1845 (Wallpapers, HD Downloads and content shares)
4) Systems marketing ( Aethalgards Promotion fee): $500 USD ( The system paying ethan for creating viral marketing)
TOTAL NET PAYOUT: $10,845 USD
The money was real, Ten thousand eight hundred and forty five dollars!!!!. It was a single devastating blow against the despair he'd felt this morning.
He checked his real world bank account. The massive debt $1,540,210.44 stared back at him. He had only paid off a tiny fraction but the psychological barrier was gone.
One percent he thought a cold focused fury setting in his stomach.
He pulled out a virtual notepad, if one Level 5 mutant earned him $10,000 and Level 20 boss would likely be worth $50,000. A level 50 raid boss completely undocumented could be $500,000. He just needed more perfected shots to wipe out his debt.
He had the weapon, the ability to cheat time and the clarity to find the impossible, he had no room for mistakes.
He looked at the towering city gate in the distance the only way out of the starter zone and into the vast dangerous high level world.
He straightened his back adjusting the camera strap, he was level 7 stronger faster and more dangerous than any beginner. He felt a desperate sense of hope he hadn't experienced in years.
The Marsh crossing is over. The wipe out my debt is my target. He concluded by pushing off the cart. I'm going to photograph my way out of this hell