Verdan played until 8:00 PM, reluctantly taking off the goggles as he watched the net cafe close.
Throughout the day, guided by previous experience and Wayne's pointers, he had successfully slain the Velocidrome, Yian Kut-Ku, Gypceros, and Iodrome. He even learned how to use Sonic Bombs to kill his first medium-sized monster, the Cephadrome.
The Cephadrome was a medium-sized monster evolved from Piscine Wyverns to adapt to the desert, capable of "swimming" through sand as if it were water. This creature was far stronger than a Velocidrome or Yian Kut-Ku, with much more complex attack patterns. If slaying the first two meant completing the novice quests and graduating from kindergarten, then killing a Cephadrome meant one had mastered the basic mechanics of the game and was ready for primary school.
His game account reached Level 5. Although leveling up became slower as he progressed, after playing for most of the day, he felt a significant increase in his own strength.
After Verdan left, Wayne finally had the chance to play himself, but then there was a knock at the door. Wayne opened it, intending to show the visitor the rules on the wooden sign, but he was surprised to see Corrine.
Corrine remained as concise as ever: "I want to watch you play for a while. I'll stay to the side and won't speak."
Wayne wanted to refuse, but remembering how Corrine had fought the three ruffians for him, he agreed. However, he stipulated she could only watch for one hour. Since she was just watching and not a paying customer, it didn't technically violate the net cafe's business rules. Corrine agreed.
Wayne asked, "Wait, why did you cut your hair short?"
A flash of awkwardness crossed Corrine's face. "It was... too long... so I cut it."
And so, they sat in silence. Wayne sat in his chair, put on his goggles, and farmed the Rathalos three times to collect materials. Combining these with his previous hoard, he crafted a full Rathalos armor set for himself.
When 9:00 PM arrived, Corrine stood up to leave without needing a reminder. She mentioned she wouldn't have time to come tomorrow but hoped that if she came the day after, Wayne would save a spot for her. Without waiting for an answer, she vanished into the night.
"Strange woman..."
Because he had been dozing off during the day, Wayne played until 3:00 AM before going to sleep.
"Wake up, Boss Wayne! Open for business!"
At 11:30 AM the next morning, Wayne was woken up by a thunderous pounding on the door. He got out of bed with a dark expression, brushed his teeth, washed his face, and walked to the entrance.
Outside stood Dughan, Verdan, and a sturdy-looking middle-aged man in heavy plate armor.
"Wayne, this is my superior, Knight-Lieutenant Rainier. He's the commander of the Westbrook Garrison," Dughan introduced.
"Oh..." Wayne, who had to deal with social obligations in his past life, had no intention of being a corporate slave in this one. Whether you were a Captain or a Commander, it was all the same to him: play if you want, or leave.
Rainier's expression was even darker than Wayne's. As the commander of the garrison, he was furious when he heard that two of his officers—nobles, no less—were openly visiting an entertainment venue called a "Net Cafe" during their deployment.
The greatest threat to Westbrook Garrison was a pack of Gnolls gathered to the southwest of Elwynn Forest. The reason they hadn't been eliminated was their leader: a giant Gnoll named "Hogger."
Hogger was more than twice the height of an average Gnoll. He could skillfully use an axe and shield in combat, and his strength surpassed even that of a wild grizzly bear. A single swing of his massive claws could shatter an ordinary soldier's shield.
To minimize unnecessary losses, the troops had been monitoring the Gnolls from the foot of the northern mountains, waiting for the right moment to strike and drive them out of Elwynn Forest. Everyone knew the Kingdom of Stormwind was currently in a defensive transition, and human soldiers were scarce.
But this meant Rainier's officers and soldiers had no opportunities to hunt small groups of Gnolls or beasts, losing their chance for combat practice. The men in the barracks could only drill with weapons daily or hit wooden dummies. Wayne knew this kind of training, detached from real combat, was essentially useless—much like the closed training camps of a certain national football team back on Earth; the more isolated they were, the worse they performed.
"Is this it?" Rainier looked at the small shop in front of him, then at the wooden sign by the door. "Are you two playing with me? We spent half a day traveling here from Westbrook for this?"
The two quickly explained. When Dughan heard that playing this game could increase combat strength, he was also quite surprised; Wayne hadn't mentioned that to him before. Dughan had only played for an hour and hadn't even cleared the Blue Garuga, so he hadn't gained any substantial improvement.
Rainier barked, "Military affairs are so pressing—Gnolls from Westfall are gathering in Elwynn Forest, and instead of training properly, you're thinking about playing games?"
The two continued their explanations. Unable to stand their incessant chatter, Rainier shouted, "Enough! Let me put the ugly truth upfront: I don't care if you two are nobles or not. If I try this and find it's useless or a waste of time, not only will I drag you back to the barracks for confinement, but I'll also take this lying shop and..."
Verdan chimed in: "Burn it! Show no mercy! I'll even provide the fire!"
Wayne: "6 gold for the first time, 1 gold per hour after that."
Verdan pulled out 6 gold coins and handed them to Wayne. "I'm paying for the Lieutenant."
"Fine." Wayne took the money. The vending machine's rules didn't say anything about third-party payments. As long as someone paid and no rules were broken, it was business as usual. He had Rainier sit down, explained the operation once more, activated the screen, and let him enter the game.
Within minutes, even a veteran of many battles like Rainier was captivated by the immersive world and the realistic combat. This was the source of confidence for everyone who introduced friends here, and it was Wayne's source of confidence as well. It was all about realism and thrill. In this world, anyone with a martial heart—be they officers, explorers, or commoners—would be deeply hooked the moment they entered the game world.
Verdan had played yesterday, so he had to wait until tomorrow to play again. He stood behind Rainier, watching the screen. He wanted Rainier to play longer so the commander could fully appreciate the game's charm; once Rainier approved, coming here would become official military business. But he also wanted Rainier to finish quickly so he could take his turn.
As a warrior who had survived real battlefields, Rainier's movements in the game were extremely precise. Even Wayne admired Rainier's solid combat skills. Those who lived by the blade were never ordinary. To put it bluntly, this guy didn't face monsters with the "I won't actually die so I can be reckless" mindset. Instead, he treated it like a life-or-death battle. He used feints and probes to figure out the monster's attack patterns, carefully evaded every strike, and then delivered a fierce counter-blow when the monster was off-guard.
He never overstayed his welcome in a trade and never got greedy with his attacks—a natural-born warrior. Moreover, the guy had a peculiar talent: he made strange noises, like clicking his tongue, mimicking birds, or shouting to expose his position. His goal was to taunt the monsters into attacking him so he could exploit the intervals between their attacks to counter.
Unlike Dughan, who spent most of his life on patrol and security, the officers and soldiers of Westbrook Garrison were frontline troops who faced enemies with real steel. Even the greenest recruit was ready to fight for their life. Seeing Rainier restored some of Wayne's confidence in whether Azeroth could withstand the coming crises.
However, even someone as tough as Rainier eventually fell when he encountered the Rathian. Even knowing it was a game world, a mortal would still show uncontrollable fear when facing a massive, fire-breathing dragon. It was like a haunted house on Earth—even if you know the ghosts are actors, the primal fear of death still makes most people tremble.
After completing several quests, Rainier's account reached Level 4, and he felt his strength truly increasing.
"This is miraculous!" Rainier marveled internally. With this experience and effect, he felt it was worth 10 gold an hour, let alone 1. Now he was thinking about how to integrate this with his soldiers' training.
"Are there any side effects?"
Wayne thought for a moment. "Does being startled count? If not, the only side effect is that it's quite expensive."
For Rainier, while money wasn't a non-issue, it was trivial compared to the lives of his soldiers. He asked Wayne, "Can you get more of these goggles? So more people can game... uh, I mean, receive training simultaneously."
Wayne shrugged. "Making these costs a lot. You'll need to find me at least 5 more members first."
Yes, it was 6 last night, but with Rainier joining, it was now 5. Wayne looked at Dughan, who knew he still owed Wayne two members and quickly looked away, pretending it was raining.
Rainier immediately agreed. He wanted to train an elite squad—not for anything else, but so that while the main force held off the other Gnolls, this elite team could surround and slay the brutal Hogger.
He asked, "Wayne... sorry, what is your name?"
Wayne almost rolled his eyes, thinking how everyone who ran in only had eyes for the game, treating the owner like an invisible extra.
Rainier continued: "My apologies, Mr. Wayne. Given that several of us might come over, could you give us a group rate? Like the Dwarven smiths in Stormwind—when crafting armor for us in bulk, they give us a discount."
Wayne picked up the wooden sign and pointed to Rule 2: "The rules of this shop cannot be changed. One person or a hundred, the price is the same. Besides, this is the only place where you can gain skills without the risk of dying. This price isn't expensive."
Rainier had no choice but to study the rules on the sign again. Suddenly, he shouted, "Verdan! Dughan!"
Hearing the tone in Rainier's voice, Verdan snapped to attention. "Sir!"
Rainier: "Since Wayne won't give a discount, and our military budget is limited. Return to the camp with me. Tomorrow, bring Sergeant Hudson and the others. I want to form an elite 'Monster Hunter' squad with the goal of killing Hogger!"
Verdan mechanically shouted, "Yes, sir!" then realized what was happening. His legs went weak, and he nearly stumbled.
Hogger?! Slaying Hogger?!
That was no joke! Countless fierce wolves and grizzlies had been torn to shreds for breakfast by that ruthless Gnoll's claws. Many unwary explorers and caravans had lost their goods or even their lives to him. Now Rainier wanted them to form an elite squad to hunt him? How was that different from a suicide mission?
Rainier added before they could speak: "Until the Gnoll camp is cleared, your game fees here will be subsidized by the military budget. Full reimbursement. Dismissed!"
The two replied reluctantly, "Un... understood..."
Rainier: "Loudly! I can't hear you!"
"UNDERSTOOD SIR!" their mouths shouted. I spit on that! their hearts cursed.
They knew Rainier's temper. He had earned his rank of Knight-Lieutenant through blood and steel. When it came to military orders, he gave no room for negotiation. Without a background, an officer like the 38-year-old Dughan was still only a Sergeant Major.
According to the Alliance's 14 military ranks—Private, Corporal, Sergeant, Sergeant Major, Master Sergeant, Knight, Knight-Lieutenant, Knight-Captain, Knight-Champion, Major, Commander, Marshal, Field Marshal, Grand Marshal—it was no wonder Dughan was so polite to the younger Rainier.
Dughan held a higher administrative post, but Rainier held a higher military rank. In the army, rank came first. People like Rainier cared only for victory, merit, and the soldier's creed. Under him, whether you were a noble's son or a commoner, you were treated equally. Those who feared battle were not only punished and expelled but branded with shame.
Therefore, even with ten thousand reasons to refuse, they didn't dare disobey. Their only thought was to write home and see if they could find a way to have Rainier "adjust" his orders. The only silver lining was that they could now book a room at the Lion's Pride Inn and play games at Wayne's net cafe legally and on the military's dime.