- English is not my first language, and I have never learned it in any kind of English language dedicated school and/or education, so do not expect to see an exemplary use of English language in this story, nor any kind of Shakespearean vocabulary.
- Although the main characters featured in this story is new, original characters created by me, expect to see a lot of characters from .hack games to make their way here, such as Haseo, Atoli, Kuhn… etc, etc—and even the 'veterans' of the first .hack games such as Kite and Blackrose. Even C.C. Corp will make an appearance, although perhaps not in the ways you might expect…… As to what role they will play…… well, you just have to read and see it for yourself.
- I have never experienced any .hack related anime, manga, novels, or any other .hack merchandises except for the games. Thus, any .hack knowledge I have is strictly derived from all seven .hack games (from Infection to G.U. Redemption) available on PS2. I apologize if, at times, I may appear to be…… somewhat imprecise of the "what's this and what's that" of .hack terms and technicalities.
- Any kind of feedbacks—preferably in the form of reviews—will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you, and enjoy.
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.Hack//ReGather
A fan-fiction based on the video game series .Hack
Written and directed by: Pizza Blade
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(Welcome to ALTIMIT Operating System Version 5.0c)
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-Inserting disk-
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(You are about to install this following program: The World: Three)
(Proceed?) (yes/no)
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(Thank you for purchasing The World: Three. Please wait while this installation program guides you through all the necessary requirements to successfully install this game into your PC)
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(Validating system requirements)………
……(System requirements check completed. Setup has verified that this PC is more than sufficient to play the game at its most optimum setting)
(Would you like to install this game into your PC right now?) (yes/no)
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(Please insert your validation code)
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-0102j- -2345c- -1234a- -9990z-
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(The World: Three will be installed in this following directory………)
(Confirm installation?) (yes/no)
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(Please wait while the installation setup installs the program into your PC)
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……(Setup has successfully installed The World: Three in your PC)
(To begin the game, please double click on the new The World: Three icon now available at your desktop, and follow the instructions once the program launches)
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(Have fun playing the newest version of the most popular online game in history, The World!)
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(Loading)
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A particularly soothing music played itself in the background while loading process took place.
It was an orchestrated music very pleasant to the ears. Violin, flute, guitar, piano…… all arranged superbly and performed wonderfully, all meshing together to form the seemingly perfect harmony.
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(Loading Completed)
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…A beautifully rendered Planet Earth suddenly popped on the screen, along with a huge 'The World: Three' logo plastered on top of it, accompanied by a rather dramatic—but pleasing, nevertheless—music and sound effect.
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A message was displayed.
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(The game has detected that you are currently using the Virtual Reality Displayer SCREENER V.02, and Virtual Reality Controller V32s, all compatible with The World: Three. Please wait while the game makes all the necessary adjustments to ensure the smoothness of your hardware performance while playing the game)
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(Adjustments completed)
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A new set of pictures and text-boxes appeared on the screen.
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(Please enter the name of your PC Playable Character . Note that this name will be used during your entire time playing The World: Three, and cannot be changed during the game. While it is entirely up to the player to choose whatever name they desire, we suggest that you do not choose an over the top or possibly offensive name for your PC)
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(F)
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(FREY)
(Is this name correct?) (yes/no)
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(Please choose the gender of your character) (Male/Female)
(ATTENTION: The World: Three does not restrict any classes to any specific gender. For example: the player may create a male healer or a female heavy warrior if it is desirable. Please choose this just with your own personal preference)
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(MALE)
(Is this gender correct?) (yes/no)
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(Please choose the race you want your characters be inside the game)
(HUMAN) (BEAST) (MECHANICAL)
(ATTENTION: The World: Three does not restrict any classes to any specific race. For example: the player may create a beast male healer or a female mechanical warrior if it is desirable. Please choose this just with your own personal preference)
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……(HUMAN)
(Is this race correct?) (yes/no)
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A new set of graphics loaded.
It was a rather captivating sight. Dozens of various character models were displayed simultaneously on the screen. All models were lavishly and sharply designed, with each sported abound creativity and uniqueness.
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A message was displayed.
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(Please choose your character's class. Please note that the character designs featured here are all just examples—you will have the freedom to design your own character suited to your preferences once you have decided which class you are going to use, although each designs are still restricted to the limits of the class you choose)
(WARNING! YOU CANNOT CHANGE YOUR CLASS ONCE YOU CHOOSE ONE. MAKE SURE YOU CHOOSE A CLASS THAT BEST SUITS YOUR PLAYING STYLE TO ENSURE YOUR MAXIMUM ENJOYMENT OF THIS GAME)
(PLEASE READ CLASSES' DESCRIPTIONS THOROUGHLY TO HELP YOU DECIDE WHICH CLASS YOU WANT TO PLAY AS IN THIS GAME)
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(The World: Three features many of the classes available from the previous versions of the game, while also at the same time adding new, original classes to ensure you have plenty of options to choose from a total of 13 classes. Please direct your pointer to each class you wish to choose or you wish to view the descriptions of)
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(01. Twin Blades. Weapon of choice: twin small blades, one on each hand. Type: Melee. Strengths: One of the most agile melee classes in the game, Twin Blades rely on their quick reflexes and blinding fast movements to launch a rapid succession of physical attacks to the enemy, leaving little to no room for the enemy to counter-attack. Weaknesses: mediocre defenses against both physical and magical attacks. This class is unable to equip heavy armor (only a light armor), making it especially susceptible to strong physical attacks from the enemy. Relatively unable to deal strong damages to the enemy, making it a hard class to use against enemies with especially strong defenses)
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(2. Harvest Cleric.Weapon of choice: healer staffs. Type: Magic/Healing. Strengths: The strongest healing and restoration spells available only to this class, making a Harvest Cleric a very valuable asset to have in a battle against strong enemies where things may get easily out of hands. High defense against magical attacks, making magic attacks directed to the player much less effective than they normally would do. Also able to learn very basic offensive spells. Weaknesses: the weakest class in term of physical defense, plus a low HP, a player choosing this class must be especially aware to the danger posed by enemies with high physical attack stat, as three or four direct blows usually enough to dispose the player. Magic chanting requirement time may also make the player especially susceptible to enemy attacks, since movement is prohibited during magic initiation process. This class is also restricted on equipping only the weakest armor level possible in the game)
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(3. Heavy Blade. Weapon of choice: two handed broad-swords. Type: Melee. Strengths: One of the classes with the highest physical attack stats, this is a suitable class to choose for players wishing to deal massive and total destruction to the enemies with pure physical attacks mayhem. High HP, able to equip heavy armor, and high physical defense all make this class suitable to use toe-to-toe against enemies with high physical attacks. A competent "tank"-like character—its attacks also oftentimes affect a wide area, making this class a formidable foe even if enemies outnumber your allies. Weaknesses: Virtually no magical defense, making this class the weakest link when players facing an enemies with especially high magical attack stat. Its low magical defense also makes this class much more vulnerable to status-altering spells, which oftentimes could make even the seemingly easiest battle turning to dangerous for your party. Slow attack speed also makes this class easier to evade, and careless players may find that they are getting overwhelmed by counter attacks before they can do anything about it)
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(4. Shadow Warlock. Weapon of choice: magical tomes. Type: Magic/Offensive. Strengths: This is the class with the highest magical attack stats, and many of the highest level offensive spells in this game available only exclusively to this class. Able to manipulate enemies' elemental weaknesses much easier compared to any other classes, making this class a suitable choice for various battle situations. This is also the class with the highest SP stat available in the game. Weaknesses: Only the very basic of healing and restoration spells available for this class, making it not suitable if the player prefer to do battle which require a lot of supports to gain victory. Offensive spells are among the most costly in terms of SP to cast, making SP restoring items practically a must for this class, making it a pretty expensive character to maintain effectively. Low defense and HP, and its movement speed are amongst the lowest of all the character class in this game)
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(5. Long Arm. Weapon of choice: spears. Type: Melee. Strengths: Capable of dealing high physical attacks to enemies, while at the same time possessing a higher magical defense compared to a Heavy Blade, making this class quite a versatile choice when dealing with either physical-type or magical-type enemies. This is the only class with the 'Pierce' skill inherent inside it even without the need of equipment customizing, making a Long Arm the natural bane for armor-wearing enemies. Also capable of dealing strikes in a much more rapid succession than a Heavy Blade. Weaknesses: this class is effective mostly in one-on-one duels, and difficult to use against multiple or many enemies at once. Also, a Long Arm is restricted only of equipping light armor for defense purposes, making this class a less survivable class compared to the Heavy Blade in an intense battle situation)
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(6. Flick Reaper. Weapon of choice: scythes. Type: Melee. Strengths: This class is designed especially for multiple-foes combat situation, where the amount of enemies outnumbering the player or the player's party. Nearly all attack skills available for this class are area-effect skills, affecting multiple enemies at once on great range around the player. A Flick Reaper's normal attack typically encompasses a large area, capable of striking multiple enemies at one swoop. Moderate physical and magical defenses, this class is also able to equip heavy armor to ensure further survivability against enemy attacks. Weaknesses: the attack power of a Flick Reaper is—although higher than a Twin Blade—noticeably weaker than many of other melee-oriented classes such as Long Arms or Heavy Blades. Since nearly all skills available for this class are area-effect skills, this is not an efficient class to use in difficult one-to-one battle situations, such as when the player must face a game boss character. A Flick Reaper's attack speed is also the slowest of all melee-oriented classes, making the player an especially vulnerable victim of counter-attacks launched by the enemies)
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(7. Wavemaster. Weapon of choice: long rods. Type: Melee/Magic. Strengths: This is the only class available of which both melee/magical skills are available in one place, making a Wavemaster a great asset to have in many various battle situations. Capable of casting both offensive/healing magic, and also able to execute various melee skills, players can opt to either stay in the background and act as a support character or join the frenzy battle in up front, as this class provides adequate versatility to cover both options. Weaknesses: only low to medium melee/magical skills are available to this class, while many of the high-tier and strongest skills still remain exclusive to other classes, making this class an inadequate choice for players wishing to master the highest skills available in this game. This class may also prove to be inadequate when facing enemies where the highest level of skills may otherwise change the tide of battle. This is also one of the most expensive classes to maintain and upgrade effectively)
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(8. Adept Rogue. Weapon of choice: twin blades, broad-swords, scythes. Type: Melee. Strengths: Capable of wielding various weapons at the same time, and also—given enough time and effort—upgrading their skills into their maximum levels possible, this class is potentially the strongest melee class available in this game. The most versatile class in this game, players using this class can adapt to various battle conditions, and change their tactics accordingly depending on what kind of situations may arises mid-battle. Weaknesses: Adept Rogue is the hardest class to maintain and upgrade, and the most costly too. It requires an extremely dedicated player willing to pour countless hours and efforts in order to unlock this class' full potential. This class also requires a longer time to level up due to restricted experience gain exclusive to this class only, and it is also take a considerably longer time for this class to upgrade its skill levels compared to any other melee classes. In short, this is a very difficult class to use effectively)
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(9. Element Warrior—new class. Weapon of choice: elemental knives. Type: Elemental Melee. Strengths: this is the only class able to 'fuse' elemental properties to their weapons or other character weapons in his/her own party in order to maximize potential damage against enemies weak against elements. A player using Element Warrior class is able to switch the elemental properties on his/her weapons on the fly to further increase the advantages for the player, and since this class can imbue other party members' weapons with elemental properties, an Element Warrior is also an excellent support to have for other melee-oriented classes such as the Long Arms or the Heavy Blades. High-level Element Warrior is even capable of altering enemies' elemental properties, making this class also an excellent support for magic-oriented classes such as Shadow Warlocks or Wavemasters. Weaknesses: knives are sitting at the very bottom of melee-oriented weaponry in terms of attack power. This class is also the only melee class in this game restricted on using the weakest class of armor available in this game, which can result in an especially dangerous situation when the player must face high-leveled enemies with strong attacks. Some monsters also ignore elemental properties altogether, making an especially difficult situation for a player using this class when facing them)
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(10. Steam Gunner. Weapon of choice: guns. Type: Ranged Melee. Strengths: this is the only melee-class in this game tailor-suited as long-range attacks' specialist. This is a class suitable for players wishing to wreak havoc to the enemies, but without endangering themselves by jumping into the front lines where enemies may counter-attack. Possessing the longest attack range of all classes available in this game, the Steam Gunner class also the owner of the highest HIT stats on the game, making its attacks almost impossible to evade and/or to counter. Weaknesses: a Steam Gunner's attack speed is not so fast, and coupled with the fact that guns must be reloaded at certain intervals, a Steam Gunner is not the most effective class to choose should the player wishes to play solo in this game, since even the shortest delay can give the enemies a chance to shorten their distance to the player. Steam Gunner possesses no close-ranged skills whatsoever, so a close-ranged battle situation is a very dangerous thing for a Steam Gunner to encounter)
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(11. Dark Assassin—new class. Weapon of choice: claws. Type: Melee/Support. Strengths: A player using a Dark Assassin class is not to be underestimated under any circumstances. This is the only melee class in this game able to attach various powerful debilitating negative status effects on his/her own weapon, effectively making a Dark Assassin a foe to be reckoned with. While other classes may also obtain a negative status effect equipped to their weapons by means of equipment customizations, the successful rate of the various status effects infliction to the enemy is exponentially amplified when the player is using this class, and moreover, their effects are also doubled, and the amount of time the statuses persist is tripled the normal time. One of the most useful status effects: 'Helpless', which render the enemies inability to cure all negative status effects inflicted on them during the period of a battle, is exclusive to this class only, provided the player has reached the sufficient level required to obtain it. Weaknesses: while the effect and the period which the negative status effects lingers when they are inflicted by Dark Assassin are amplified, they are still incapable of bypassing status immunities, whether it is inherent in the monsters or by the means of equipments. Claws are also not an efficient weapon for attacking in their own right: they have a low attack power, low attack speed, and the strongest level claws are still very weak compared to, for example, the strongest twin blades weapon. Much of this class' skills also require a lot of SP to activate, and since a Dark Assassin is a melee class with typically low SP stats, this may also cause various serious problems for the player during a prolonged battle against strong enemies)
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(12. Engineer—new class. Weapon of choice: explosives, bombs, mines. Type: Special. Strengths: A player using this class is attacking by throwing a myriad of explosives and bombs to the enemies, which will explode immediately upon impact, damaging the enemies and everything around them, suitable against enemies with large numbers. Engineer is the only class in this game able to plant traps on the ground, which will explode upon detection. Damages done by an Engineer ignore both physical and magical defenses, so this class is especially useful to be used against foes with exceptional stats on those areas. Weaknesses: damages by explosives, bombs, and mines are not calculated through the player's stat, but by the stat of the weapons themselves. An engineer with a 999 attack stat will cause the same damage with an engineer with a 100 attack stat, provided they both use the same exact weapon. Thus, equipment customizations are the only possible way for an Engineer to increase his/her damage potential to the enemies. It is not advisable for those who do not wish to spend a great deal of time customizing their equipment to choose this class when playing this game)
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(13. Hyper Dancer—new class. Weapon of choice: none. Type: Magic/Support. Strengths: this is one of the most unique classes available in this game, and players seeking more challenge when playing this game are advised to choose this class. The ultimate party supporter, many of this game's strongest support or status enhancements spells are exclusive to this class only. Some examples of powerful supports spells exclusive to this class (attainable only on high levels): 'Invincible'—granting the party full invincibility for a period of time against all attacks from the enemy, 'Power Enhancements'—granting a 200 percent boost for all stats for all party members for a period of time, and 'Break the Wall'—a spell which reduces both physical and magical defenses of an enemy to zero for a period of time, regardless of how high the stats before the alteration. Other support or enhancement spells' effects are amplified when they're used by a Hyper Dancer, and the time period of which they're active also increased. Weaknesses: this is the only class in this game of which the attack command is automatically disabled, since this class is unable to equip any kinds of weapons whatsoever. A player using this class is unable to attack by all means, so it is impossible even for a Level 100 Hyper Dancer to defeat a Level 1 monster if he/she is not accompanied by other party members during a battle)
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(Please choose your desired class wisely)
(ATTENTION: IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO CHANGE YOUR CLASS ONCE YOU HAVE BEEN CONFIRMED OF SELECTING A CLASS FOR YOUR PC!)
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(CLASS: ADEPT ROGUE. Are you sure?) (yes/no)
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(Please choose another class)
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(CLASS: LONG ARM. Are you sure?) (yes/no)
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(Would you like to edit your character's appearance?) (yes/no)
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(Please edit your character's appearance to your heart's content, using all the options available in your screen)
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(Character edit confirm?) (yes/no)
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(Character Name: FREY. Character Gender: MALE. Character Race: HUMAN. Character Class: LONG ARM)
(Confirm choices?) (yes/no)
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(Are you absolutely sure?) (yes/no)
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(You will now be taken to Delta Server: Mac Anu, a root town suitable for beginner players of this game. For further information about the game, please consult your manual for details and/or consult the game's official forum)
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(Welcome, to The World: Three!)
-OmegaGames Corporation-
To Be Continued