A New World, an immersive game experience

Eldrian also learned how fractured Miracle was at the top. The different divisions weren't really there to expand the company's reach, rather they were all created on a whim of one of the higher ups. The old fogies, as Jade continued to call them.

It sounded truly insane, but the company was basically just these people's plaything. Those at the top were from all over the world. If they wanted to, Miracle could run for a world government. A scary thought. But not an outrageous one from what Eldrian pieced together.

Jade, or at least her family, had their own branch to do with cosmetics and beauty products. As well as health products, which even touched upon life extension. The vitamin supplements he had used while using the cabin came from this branch.

Eldrian felt confident their focus was on beauty and life extension because of their power. He presumed that the entire family, or many of them, had a similar power to Jade. Though he doubted they were all as bad as she was with controlling it.

He had constantly prevented her power from influencing him, and in time, he had analyzed what it was. It appeared to be a type of charm, though Eldrian couldn't be certain since this was his first time experiencing a magic altering one's mental state.

Well, his other experience was with the taunt and curse. But the difference was too great for him to use those as comparisons. The taunt seemed to fill the environment with anger, while the curse had simply heightened his pride and, later, his rage.

'Mmm, her power is a more manipulative than those. Even altering what a person sees.... It feels more piercing, stronger. Power of love? Aphrodite?' Eldrian guessed.

'I really have seen little of the world. It is actually insane how much I still haven't experienced even once. Something like a charm should be such a common thing in a world of magic... how have I not...'

'Well, I guess that is what happens when you end up fighting the undead for like a year.' Eldrian smiled, slightly hoping to explore this vast world he had yet to experience.

But first, he had to make sure Kynigo was safe and secured.

'Right, I am going to need a place to practice.' Eldrian's thoughts continued to wander. 'Which I need to do before I do something insane, like exploring the world. In that case, what about that fort?'

Eldrian hadn't investigated it much since it was past the Kyno lake tributaries south of Ganalin. Long abandoned and in the hands of the vampires.

'I'm not sure of their numbers, but I think Theas and I might be able to clear the fort... Someone at the level of Tier 7 is... truly frightening...'

'I don't think it will be in ruins. It can be an excellent location for me. Far from anyone that I can hurt by accident. If things go south, the nearest people would be vampires...'

'Can't really say if they deserve death, but that will be their fate if it happens.' Of course, they relied on people for their food. But depending on their treatment of the people living under them, Eldrian might consider them a neutral race.

They certainly wouldn't be good aligned, but they might not be an absolute enemy, one that must be exterminated at all costs. That would be best, but he had little hope for that.

"Hey! Stop ignoring me!" Jade shouted, already having regained enough courage to hit Eldrian's shoulder with all her might when he ignored her.

To Eldrian, it was a nostalgic feeling. It felt like light taps of a child, and it reminded him of when his sister had a breakdown or was furious at him.

Those memories made it hard for him to consider her actions serious. "Sorry, I just thought of something interesting."

"Oh? What was it?" Jade asked, her eyes revealing her hope for some grand piece of advice.

"You're quite the handful." Eldrian replied with a wide smile and laughed as he watched her face crumble and the hits speed up. Until Jade tripped over a random rock.

"Ouch, ouch, ouch. Hey! Why didn't you catch me?!" Jade huffed and puffed as she removed the dirt from her clothes, which now sported new tears. There were even traces of blood.

"Quite the handful indeed." Eldrian mumbled, causing Jade to huff even more. Shaking in anger, she chased after Eldrian; who hadn't slowed down to accommodate her one bit.

"Can you be any ruder?!" she puffed.

"Do you want to find out?" Eldrian asked with a teasing smile. A smile that caused Jade to shiver once again.

"No, thanks!" She replied immediately.

"Ah, I thought that would be quite fun. Right, we're almost at the cave."

"I won't quit!" Jade suddenly declared.

"You can't keep up with me." Eldrian countered.

"T-then... Then you will be responsible for abandoning me in the middle of the mountains!" She puffed out her chest, proud of her plan.

"So?" Eldrian countered, instantly causing her to deflate.

"Don't you care if I live or die?!"

"Nope."

"How mean! Are you even human?" As soon as she shouted this, she froze. "I didn't mean—"

"Sigh..." Eldrian stopped and turned to face this energetic girl. "I'm human."

"But..." Jade didn't have the courage to point at Eldrian's ears. But her eyes couldn't move from them.

"Fine, I'm something other than human. Does that matter?"

"No way!?" Jade couldn't believe how casually Eldrian had said that. Like it wasn't something that mattered. "Don't you care if you aren't human anymore?"

"Why? It doesn't matter." Eldrian paused, realizing the normal rationale of people. To him, the he in ANW and on Earth were the same. His outer body didn't matter.

'Right, people freak out about skin tones and slight differences in features. An elf is a different species, well, maybe not...'

'I've actually never thought about what the biological makeup would say about this. Since half-elves are a thing, it means interbreeding is possible. That is normally not possible between species, only between different races of a species. No, wait. I don't think in animals it is classified as races...'

'Genome? Genus, type, family? Strain...? No, that's plants... Breed?'

"Hey, there you go again!"

"Right, sorry. It's something I do a lot." Eldrian quickly apologized. 'She's much faster than anyone else. Is it impatience or because she is—'

"Stop staring at me like that." Noticing how intently she was gazing at him, Eldrian felt slightly uncomfortable.

"Wha? But you keep spacing out."

"So?"

"So? So?!" Jade faltered. "I see, so it did get to you!"

"No, it really doesn't matter. I just pondered how things should be classified. Are mythical races different species, races, breeds—"

"Breeds?!"

"Yeah, I think that—"

"Are you some kind of animal?"

"Aren't we just more advanced animals?" Eldrian asked, his question nearly causing Jade to faint.

'This guy... He's insane. Is insanity a requirement to be good at magic?' Jade, for once, spaced out. Trying to figure out if it was worth becoming insane to be good at using magic.

"Huh, so that's what I always look like. Hey! What insane thing are you thinking?"

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