Chapter 860
Chapter 860
One huge advantage granted to the people Anton had given access to the Multiplayer option of the Diablo II portion of his Diablo System—currently limited to his father and sister—was that once they reached the maximum level with a ladder character, twenty percent of that character’s primary stat would be transferred to their real-world bodies.
Aside from that, Anders and Anna would also be able to transfer one item they found during the ladder season into the real world.
Once Anton had finished reading all the information from the new update, he couldn't wait to tell his father and sister about it. Thankfully, Anders and Anna would be notified whenever he logged in and created a game through the Diablo II tattoo on their wrists. The tattoo was identical to the one Anton had on his own wrists.
Anton was simply glad that Anders and Anna knew almost all of his secrets except one: he wasn't the true Anton. He was an Earthling who had transmigrated into this world and taken over the body of their precious son and brother. He didn't know whether Anders and Anna would be able to accept such a truth, and he had already decided to take that secret to the grave. Revealing it would serve no purpose and would only hurt them.
Besides, if he was being honest, Anton wasn't even certain of the exact truth himself. It was possible that he really was Anton and had merely inherited the memories of Anthony Saunders. Perhaps Anthony Saunders was the one who had died, not Anton. Maybe someday he would learn the truth, but at that moment, he knew nothing about his actual circumstances.
The moment he created a game through the Multiplayer option of his Diablo II System, he waited for his father and sister to join him. Even though he expected a delay since they might be busy, both of them entered the game after roughly ten minutes.
“Did you call us?” Anders asked once the three of them had settled inside Atma's Tavern in Lut Gholein.
Anton nodded and explained the major update to his Diablo System. He told them about the ladder season and that they would now be able to participate alongside him. That first revelation greatly excited both Anders and Anna.
He continued by explaining that they would need to create brand-new ladder characters once the season began. Unlike their original multiplayer characters, however, the ladder characters' skills, stats, and power would not directly affect their real-world bodies during the season.
Anton then explained the main benefit. Once a ladder character reached the maximum level, twenty percent of its primary stat would be transferred to the player's real-world body. He gave them examples, explaining that if they chose a class whose primary stat was Energy, such as the Sorceress or Necromancer, twenty percent of the character's total Energy would be transferred to them upon reaching the maximum level.
He further explained that the increase in Energy would improve their mana reserves and strengthen their spells. The same principle applied to classes with different primary stats. For example, if they played a Barbarian, whose primary stat was Strength, twenty percent of the character's total Strength would be transferred to their real-world bodies. Such a mechanic would significantly increase their power outside the game.
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Anton also informed them that once they maxed out a ladder character, they could transfer any one item they had found during that character's journey into the real world.
He found it amusing that both his father and sister seemed far more interested in the stat transfer than the item reward. After all, Anton had already promised to provide them with items that he personally transferred from the game.
Anders and Anna quickly realized another implication. Anton had previously told them that he could "create" eight items per year. Now they understood that this actually meant he could complete eight ladder characters each year, allowing him to transfer far more stats from the game into his own body than they ever could.
“That's unfair! Why can’t we create more than one character while you can create eight?” Anna complained.
Since Anton had no answer, he simply shrugged.
Anders told Anna that since Anton was the original owner of the system, it was only natural to assume that the greatest benefits would belong to him. Their father reminded them that they should be grateful that the system was willing to share any of its advantages with them at all.
Anton then explained the second major benefit. Anders and Anna could now access the Multiplayer option independently. They could create their own games or join existing ladder games without needing Anton to be present.
Because of that, there was no longer any need to meet up whenever they wanted to play. Both Anders and Anna could level their characters on their own schedules.
They no longer had to arrange gaming sessions either. If any of them wanted to communicate, they could simply create a game, and the other two would immediately receive a notification through the Diablo II tattoo on their wrists. It would serve as a clear signal that someone wanted to talk.
Even so, since Anders and Anna would both be newcomers to the ladder season, the three of them agreed to begin together once the season started in two days. They scheduled a session for the exact moment the ladder season would open.
Unfortunately, because of Anders' busy schedule and Anna's classes during the weekdays, they would only be able to play for a few hours at a time rather than the all-day sessions they had enjoyed before.
After informing his father and sister about the update, Anton left the game and returned to his daily life.
Since it was still early, he left his room to spend some time outside. Unable to find Paul or Eric, he headed to one of the ship's bookstores by himself, purchased a book, and then went to a café to enjoy a cup of coffee while reading.
The book he bought turned out to be atrocious. As a result, he switched to reading a web novel on the internet while using the physical book as a prop so he wouldn't look ridiculous staring into empty air while reading online.
He became so absorbed in the story that he completely lost track of time. In truth, ever since the beginning of the voyage, Anton hadn't paid much attention to the passing hours. Most establishments aboard the ship operated twenty-four hours a day, allowing him to stay out as long as he wished while still finding plenty of activities available.
According to the information packet he had received at the beginning of the journey, their next stop would be a major island that they were expected to reach in about a month. The ship would remain there for three days to gather resources, and Anton was already looking forward to exploring it.
At the very least, since he was currently aboard the ship and relatively free of responsibilities, Anton felt he would be able to complete his ladder season goals much earlier than usual. In previous seasons, he had almost always struggled to find enough time to accomplish everything before the season ended.
While he was reading, Anton was interrupted by someone calling his name. Looking up, he recognized one of the sons of the overweight merchant from Izmorta. Seeing the questioning look on Anton's face, the young man introduced himself.
“I'm Renor. I'm one of the sons of the merchant you spoke with at the beginning of the journey,” the young man said.