The relentless grind in the Hobgoblin Hills had paid off. Drake stood at Level 6, his [Basic Slash] locked at a solid 88% SCR, [Defend] at 87%, and a slightly better longsword in hand. He felt capable, his progress tangible. But the focused sessions, staring intently at timing indicators and analyzing every minute movement via [Perfect Recall], left him feeling mentally drained. More than that, the familiar gnawing of real-world hunger began to intrude on his concentration.
"Okay, good session. Lvl 6, SCRs improved significantly. Time for a break before I push further." He found a secluded spot behind a large boulder, ensuring no Hobgoblins were nearby, and initiated the logout sequence.
The transition back to his small, sparsely furnished room was always slightly jarring. He peeled off the basic VR headset, blinking against the dim afternoon light filtering through his window. His muscles felt stiff from sitting too long. First priority: food. He heated up some leftover instant noodles, the bland taste a stark contrast to the high fantasy immersion he'd just left. While eating, he opened his battered laptop and navigated to the official Legacy of Alvari forums.
He scrolled through the 'General Discussion' and 'New Player Help' sections. As he expected, they were a chaotic storm of posts. "SCR IS IMPOSSIBLE! DEVS PLEASE NERF!" "0 LOOT AFTER 6 HOURS IN TUTORIAL WTF??" "Stuck on Lvl 4 mobs, any tips??" "Is this game supposed to be this hard or am I just bad?" "WARNING: Don't bother playing Warrior, you'll never hit anything!"
Drake read through the threads, a mixture of sympathy and quiet satisfaction swirling within him. He recognized the frustration vividly – those initial hours struggling to land even a 60% hit, the feeling of powerlessness against basic mobs, the brutal drop rates. He understood why people were quitting or complaining so vehemently. Yet, his unique circumstance, the [Eidetic Execution] talent born from years of mindless grinding in another life, provided a fundamental advantage they lacked. His improvements, however small and hard-won, were permanent. His consistency was guaranteed. While they struggled with fluctuating results, his baseline only ever went up.
"They're not wrong, it is brutal without help. But the system rewards perfect execution... and my talent makes achieving and keeping that perfection possible, eventually. Just need to keep grinding the quality up." He felt a renewed sense of purpose, a validation of his grinder mentality applied to this new, demanding system. Finishing his noodles, feeling physically and mentally rested, he eagerly put the headset back on.
<< Connecting to Legacy of Alvari... >> << Welcome back, Drake! >>
He reappeared in the Hobgoblin Hills, the virtual sun casting realistic shadows. He decided to head east, towards the 'Gnarled Briar Patch' marked on his map, another area known for Lvl 5-7 mobs. As he navigated the rocky terrain, following a less-used trail along a crumbling stone wall – likely remnants of some pre-Shattering structure – something snagged his attention. A section of the wall texture looked... odd. Slightly distorted, shimmering almost imperceptibly, exactly like…
"Wait a minute..." [Perfect Recall] instantly served him a specific forum post he'd just skimmed minutes ago: User 'WallWatcher complaining: "...anyone else see that weird graphical glitch on the old wall near Hobgoblin Hills? North side path? Looks like the texture is bugged, kinda warps when you get close. Devs need to fix their broken game lol..."
Drake stopped, staring at the exact spot mentioned. It did look like a graphical glitch. Most players would ignore it, maybe report it as a bug. But Drake trusted his talent's perfect recall of the forum post and the nagging feeling that Legacy of Alvari didn't seem like the type of game for purely random visual bugs; everything felt deliberate.
"Could it be...?" He reached out and interacted with the 'glitched' section of the wall. Instead of his hand passing through, he felt a faint click, and a section of stonework smoothly recessed, revealing a small, dark compartment hidden within.
<< Discovered Hidden Compartment! +50 EXP! >>
"Knew it! Perfect Recall combined with forum whining... useful combo." Inside the compartment lay a small, heavy leather pouch and a rolled-up piece of aged parchment tied with twine.
<< Item Acquired: [Heavy Coin Pouch]! >> << Item Acquired: [Cryptic Note]! >>
He opened the pouch first. The satisfying clink of virtual currency filled the air. << Acquired: Silver Coins x 35! >> "Thirty-five silver?! That's huge for the tutorial zone! Most quests give copper..." This was a significant windfall. He then unrolled the parchment. The text was written in faded ink, using archaic phrasing and riddles.
"Where roots drink shadows and twin stones weep,Follow the path where sunlight fears to creep.Beyond the cascade that time ignores,Seek the silent watchers behind hidden doors."
"Okay, a riddle. 'Roots drink shadows'... corrupted area maybe? 'Twin stones weep'... distinctive landmark? 'Path where sunlight fears to creep'... shaded valley or cave? 'Cascade that time ignores'... maybe behind a waterfall? 'Silent watchers'... statues? Training dummies?"
He immediately dove back into his [Perfect Recall] archive, cross-referencing the riddle's phrases with every NPC dialogue, environmental description, and visual detail he had meticulously stored since starting the game. Recall Match: Old Man Willow from Veridian Rise mentioned a 'weeping cave mouth near the twin peaks north of the Briar Patch'.Recall Match: Guard Captain mentioned 'the old smuggler's route through Shadow Creek Valley never sees the sun'.Recall Match: Visual memory of a small, easily missed waterfall along the eastern path towards the Briar Patch.Recall Match: Lore snippet from an item description mentioning 'Alvari Sentinel training grounds' often placed in secluded areas.
Piece by piece, the clues aligned. He plotted a course on his mental map, leaving the Hobgoblin Hills behind and heading east, then north, towards the area hinted at by the combined clues. He navigated through the dense woods bordering the Briar Patch, eventually finding the small, easily overlooked waterfall cascading down a rock face. Pushing through the waterfall, he found a dark, narrow passage.
<< Discovered Hidden Passage! +100 EXP! >>
He followed the passage as it sloped gently upwards. It opened into a surprisingly bright, secluded clearing, circular in shape, surrounded by ancient, moss-covered stones etched with faded Alvari symbols. In the center of the clearing stood several upright figures – not mobs, but advanced-looking Alvari Training Dummies. They were made of the same smooth grey material as the artifact he'd found, and faint energy lines pulsed beneath their surfaces.
"Advanced training dummies... perfect for SCR practice! This must be the 'silent watchers'." He approached the nearest dummy, noting intricate lines across its surface, possibly indicating optimal strike paths or target zones. He readied his [Well-Used Longsword] and initiated [Basic Slash] (locked 88% SCR).
<< Skill Success! SCR 88%! Damage Dealt: 27! >> The dummy registered the hit, a section briefly glowing where his blade connected. It offered far more precise feedback than attacking live mobs. "This is perfect! I can really hone..."
Suddenly, a new UI element flared into existence – a timer, counting down rapidly. << Training Chamber Resonance Active: 10:00 >> << System Message: Access Time Limited! Optimize your training! >>
"Timed?! Damn it! Okay, focus! Need that 90% Slash threshold NOW!"
All thoughts of practicing defense or other skills vanished. He had ten minutes. He turned back to the dummy and unleashed a furious barrage of [Basic Slash] attacks, ignoring everything else. His focus narrowed entirely to the phantom line guide, the feel of his swing, the feedback from the dummy. Swing, analyze recall, adjust, swing again. His locked 88% baseline landed consistently, but he pushed for more on every single attempt, chasing that cleaner execution under the intense pressure of the countdown.
<< 05:34 >> << 05:33 >>
He felt his timing getting closer, the rhythm more precise. He executed another slash, pouring all his focus into matching the guide perfectly. SHINK! The sound was crisper, the impact felt solid, the dummy glowed brighter at the hit location.
<< Skill Success! SCR 90%! Damage Dealt: 31! >> << [Peak Performance Replication] updated: [Basic Slash] SCR 90%! >>
"Ninety! YES!" He felt the surge of satisfaction, the tangible jump in power as his baseline locked at 110% potential effect. He immediately swung again, the 90% execution flowing automatically, powerfully. He wanted to keep going, push for 91%, maybe even try for Perfect...
<< 00:03 >> << 00:02 >> << 00:01 >> << 00:00 >> << Access Time Depleted! Resonance fading... Ejecting... >>
The world dissolved in a disorienting lurch. Drake found himself standing back outside the waterfall, blinking. He turned – the hidden passage behind the water curtain was gone, replaced by solid, seamless rock. A final message lingered. << The way is closed until the resonance cycle repeats. >>
Drake stared at the rock face. Level 6, a pouch full of silver, a major SCR milestone achieved on his primary attack skill... but locked out of the perfect training ground. He felt a mix of triumph and intense frustration. The path to perfection often presented unexpected, timed hurdles.