A few hours later...

Rank up! Scan has reached Rank 5.

You use the Scan ability a dozen more times around the bar, which you've since learned was called the Cunning Stunt, and you start to see the rank skill grow over time. Most of the patrons have no notable traits whatsoever – levels ranged from two to five, with a notably unfortunate level one patron who seemed as thin as a rake and about as smart. Everyone had the same four standard skills – strength, intellect, agility, and wisdom – and also some sort of fighting or classic RPG skill in their fifth slot.

You also quickly realised you can use Scan on yourself as well.

John Doe – LV5
Strength: 10
Intellect: 10
Agility: 10
Wisdom: 10
Lust: 15
Abilities: Scan (R.5), Weak Cold Resistance (R.1), Novice Oral (R.2)
Titles: None

You grimaced looking at your progress. This slow grind even at this low a rank makes you feel this is supposed to be a long game. It's no surprise, given the massive amount of time it takes to develop a VRPG, that the virtual game should be filled to the brim with content and made to stretch out as long as it can. But even so, you hoped to get your skills higher than this by now.

You also noticed your stats haven't changed, nor has your rank in cold resistance. Sure, you've spent your time not too far away from the fireplace but... you were freezing! You hoped you'd get at least a couple ranks for your torment.

The number of people inside the _Cunning Stunt _had ebbed and flowed over the last couple of hours, but never more than a few dozen people at a time. The bar itself, with its stunning vista and huge open space was clearly able to hold hundreds, and looked nearly deserted for most of the time you sat there. The lack of booze clearly had a big impact on the trade.

You tried to talk to other patrons but most people said very little, keeping to themselves. A couple even grunted at you rather than talked to you. But you gleamed from eavesdropping and a few very short conversations that Everest itself was maybe twenty thousand people large, a large town at best, sitting at the near-summit of a mountain. You resolved that, tomorrow, you'd take a look at the city itself and explore the walls, find some gear, and start your adventure proper.

But by now, it was very late with the day, and now most people had left. Most people had gone back to their bars, but a couple patrons had gone upstairs into other rooms of the tavern to stay and sleep. Liza included, you thought, as you saw her slip back into the room you've paid to rent for the week with your silver shilling.

You smiled at the thought of what comes next. You knew you could log out for the day, but... well, when did five more minutes of gaming ever hurt anyone?