Chapter 22: Billed
The Hangman was ashamed of himself, though, he was happy that Charlotte interrupted Venus. Somehow, the Invisible Information NPC saved his life.
Sigh...
"I was trying to be easy on her, and then she took advantage of my kindness. How unfortunate," Tyler muttered in anger.
He inhaled and exhaled again, and this time, Tyler's exhaustion was lessened.
Now, his thoughts switched to the message the Information NPC had dropped.
"Attribute System... I hope this can be helpful."
Although Tyler already had a little experience from MMORPG games he had come across back in his good early ages.
'Attributes can really be helpful, but when one is a novice at managing them, they become as unfortunate as f*ck.'
Tyler lamented inwardly.
After a sniff, he decided to get some descriptions of all Attributes. Even though he had a little experience with them, he still had to study more about them.
ApexRise Online is a unique game world, and Tyler wouldn't be surprised if its Attributes are different from that of typical VRMMORPG games.
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[Energy Description: A measure of physical strength. This is the measure of the capability to maintain balance no matter what force tries to put you down.
Strength Description: A measure of raw physical power. This is a measure of the capability to carry heavy and large items.
Agility: A measure of overall finesse and reflexes. It affects reaction speed, and also dexterity in handling an item.
Endurance: A measure of overall physical fitness. It marks how much health and stamina are affected, and affects the ability to endure attacking forces and pains.
Health: A measure of mental and medical state. It marks what state a Player is mentally, emotionally, and medically].
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[A/N: If these aren't fully understood, please drop a comment. Also, it will be described practically in the future].
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Tyler's brows furrowed severally, noticing that ApexRise Online's Attribute System was almost actually similar to that of the typical VRMMORPG games.
Sigh...
'Cool enough... But for now, I think this thing is useless to me.'
Tyler was only focused on how to get James. He recalled Venus getting him struck lately, and he knew that he would have been severely injured.
"If anything happens to James, I won't hesitate to rip every single part of her flesh," he promised himself.
"I'm going back there, and this time, I'm gonna make Terror Zone Great Tier," Tyler said in anger and walked out of the forest.
The forest was only a distance away from Kurt Lenson's villa, so it didn't take much time before Tyler returned.
However, The Hangman was shocked to see a silent deserted area when he got back. Venus had left, and he couldn't find a trace of James. Only drops of blood on the concrete grounds could be seen around the spot of his attack.
"Could she have taken James?" Tyler questioned himself, confused. He checked around every corner, but James was nowhere to be seen...
Tyler frowned.
'She must have taken him.' He concluded.
He quickly put on the Location Map Glasses to make a trace, but unfortunately, it seemed as though Venus had progressed really far from Tyler's direction. Recalling Brian's explanation, it was clear that Venus had returned to her base.
"Crap!!!" Tyler cursed, clenching his fist. He felt his head spin, his mind shrouded in canopies of self-disappointment.
"It was my fault... I let her take him away," Tyler mumbled disappointedly.
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[Deathmage: I watch her take him away. Go west brother].
[Krepsore: If Venus kills James, I'm gonna eat sh#t].
[Dead_Phantom34: I think she went west with him...].
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Tyler tried reading the comments left by some of his fans, and luckily, he got the idea that Venus went west with James captive.
The game authority allows Viewers to see all areas in the game to enable them to choose a Player of their choice to render support. Fortunately, Tyler's fans knew that he was having a conflict with Venus, so they saw her leave with the NPC who they knew was The Hangman's closest ally in the Strider Station.
Not wanting to make things hard for their noble Hangman, they all have to notify him. At least, knowing her direction would reduce the rate of difficulty in finding them.
Sigh...
Tyler was pleased.
He quickly attempted to go west, ignoring the building behind. Venus didn't enter Kurt Lenson's house, so he knew that he was safe. Although he was happy that Ciara's father was going to be pleased with him for saving his life, Tyler only heaved a sigh of relief while taking these into consideration.
Perhaps Tyler might gain a promotion in the Strider Order as an appreciation. He is currently a 3-star Strider which makes him the head of a district station.
It wasn't Tyler's duty to counter criminals around the whole of New Claraville, but due to the government's selfish play on security and the Strider Order, other Strider Stations had seized to operate for years. Now, only Tyler's district station is in charge of the whole city.
It was a huge task, though, Tyler had no issues in doing the job. The safety and well-being of the people was his prior aim.
In the west, a tiny jagged pathway created a passage into a deserted area. Truth be told, one wouldn't notice this pathway if they didn't come close. It was a secret route mostly covered in rocks, rotten leaves, and even shit.
It stinks.
It really stinks.
It smells so bad that The Hangman had to shield his grieving sense of smell.
'Darn it.'
"So... This is the kind of environment she resides... She really stinks too..."
Tyler couldn't help but cuss...
"One who is so comfortable in this environment must like shit," he said with a silly frown.
Tyler kept cussing as he walked down the pathway until he got a system call from an unknown contact. Actually, mobile calls were also privileged in the game system available for Players.
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[Unknown Contact: 43-125-095].
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"Who the hell..."
Tyler paused and picked up the call. Then he decided to be silent and let the person on the other hand speak first.
"I got your boy, Officer Hangman."
Tyler froze, and his eyes widened.
"Hand over $5M and meet me at Corey Gardens in the South," Venus ordered.
"Wait wait wait!"
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[Call ended...]
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"Shit!"
"She is an assassin and robber... Now, she is a kidnapper???"
The Hangman wondered, terrified.
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[Supergift: Goldfish just gifted Venus Spaceship worth $100000].
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Sixtee
Sixtee Note that the first volume will be all about Tyler countering Beasts and Criminals as well as meeting the FL with trying to enter the Next Stage of the First Realm. I hope I'm making sense.
Sigh...
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone