[NR] Planning For Tomorrow - Chapter 561 (Patreon)

After their conversation, it doesn’t take long for the three of them to clean up the clearing. Of course, Jason is still considering whether he should dig out the one spot, but for now they all sit down at the campfire and relax. They had completed the challenge and gained what is basically magical homesteading rights to the land. As long as they continue to live there, the land is theirs.

Rosha looks over at Jason, “So, how is this going to work? I’ve personally gained a single level over the last few days and with your nonsense, you’ve likely rushed ahead. I know we already planned to do a little bit of hunting together, but for some reason, I doubt you’ll need that.

“Do we just skip to the part where you hang out here and build the place up while Courtney follows me into the wilds for fun and adventure? It seems a bit uneven to me, but you volunteered to stay back.”

Jason nods, “I gained two levels and am halfway to the next. Of course, this was a series of fights designed to challenge us to the point of failure if we weren’t careful. Things will be a lot slower and much more dangerous out in the forest. Though at least as long as I maintain this place, you’ll have a close-by spawn point.”

Courtney sighs, “You’re going to end up hitting the bottleneck off of crafting and farming before we manage to do it through hunting. If you actually got stronger from levels, it would make me sick.”

Jason shrugs, “Even without bonuses from my levels, I’m still getting ahead. Despite only getting two levels, I gained over 24 points to my stats. That puts me ahead of the curve, when I already was to begin with. I should be able to cap out before I hit the bottleneck.”

Rosha shakes her head, “Just make sure Lily doesn’t fall behind. I don’t see how she is going to train herself while you build our base, but I assume you have something.”

Jason nods, “I’ll get her to do some training. Lily has shared too much with me to let her fall behind at this point. Besides that, any requests for what I build?”

Courtney, “As long as you make a house for the two of us it should be fine. While out adventuring our close distance can’t be helped, but it isn’t proper for a lady to share a house with a man.”

Jason raises his eyebrow, “And pull the other leg, it has bells on it. That kind of thinking hasn’t even been a talking point for over a century. Even for a family like hers, they aren’t that stuck in the past. If only because any truly ancient family got knocked off their pedestals during the changes.”

Courtney laughs, “Yeah, you got me there. Still, we have the space so I’d like a house for the two of us. I can’t really help that I’ve been trained as a maid, but here we are.”

Jason nods, “I doubt I’ll be able to make much more than more of what we already got. At least not until I get a skill for it and some experience with the tools. Still, at some point I should get a skill or two for building.”

Rosha smiles, “And if anything, there are more than enough videos out there showing off how to do it. Maybe you won’t be able to make an old style mansion, but I don’t think I would like that, anyway.”

Jason, “So, what will be happening tomorrow?”

Courtney, “I think all three of us should make a quick trip back to town and report our successful claim. If anything, that will make sure someone else doesn’t come out our way looking for land.”

Rosha claps her hands, “I like that plan! A quick trip together before we put our noses to the grindstone!”

Courtney nods, “And it will be a grind. At least, it will be if you all aren’t satisfied with being just a little ahead of our peers. Of course, other scions and the supremely talented have already hit 25, some even before us. But the main population probably still has an in-game month before those aiming to level quickly manage to break through to 25.

Jason sighs, “And to think that a massive chunk of the population is still stuck at level nine. I don’t even get why the game stays so popular when so many fail to even hit level ten.”

Courtney shrugs, “Honestly, those who would be stuck at level nine probably haven’t hit it yet. Though as for why the game has stuck? Remember, it is the only game in town with such a high time ratio. That and money here is basically the same as money IRL? Well, asking why it stuck is like asking why pure capitalism stuck around so long.

“Kind of hard to take down the system that you live in. At least NeoRealm makes things easy on people. I won’t say no one starves, but it isn’t the default state anywhere in the world at this point.”

Jason sighs, “And so we get to race along with the new one percent as we try to advance in a game, both real and fantasy, trying to gain power that despite not reaching reality is just as impactful there.”

Rosha nods, “We did sort of replace one system for another. But hey, at least kids aren’t starving because of their parents’ sins, especially when those sins tend to just be being born into the same situation.”

Jason rolls his eyes, “Maybe if we can solve it in NeoRealm as well, that would be good. Magic and Skills certainly make good and such less of a problem, but the locals aren’t exactly living in some sort of paradise.”

Courtney, “There are people trying to work on that. The biggest problem compared to irl is the logistics. Of course it isn’t needed anymore, but a plane can get needed supplies to basically anywhere in the world within a day, if not sooner. Try the same thing here and a Roc or a Dragon is going to have a new chew toy.”

Jason sighs, “It always comes down to a matter of being strong enough. You introduce any level of supernatural power and it almost seems inevitable.”