End Online: Volume 2 by D. Wolfin

ripped off if they worth
more.
    "Ah! Well, they aren't really worth any more. B-but would
sixteen gold be better for you?" She seems incredibly nervous. She wasn't
like this last time.
    "Yes, that should be fine. But please remember in the
future I really do not appreciate being ripped off."
    "Of-of course!"
    The clerk grabs a cloth out of her back pocket and gently dabs
her forehead and cheeks, removing the cold sweat from them. I passed over the
goods and once I received the money, two short messages appear in front of me.
    You
have extorted an innocent young female clerk. Word of your deeds has spread throughout
the land. Guards and NPC's alike will be more cautious of you.
     
    Infamy
+ 50
     
    Total
Infamy: 50
     
    With
your true identity hidden, you have become known as the ‘Hooded Man'. Any
infamy or fame gained with this identity will only be applied to the person known
as the 'Man in the Hood'.
    If
any NPC’s discovers your true identity both reputations as 'The Hooded Man' and
'Lost' will be converged.
     
    New
Title: (Hooded Man)
    Effects:
    -
Grants the holder a second identity.
    -
True identity hidden from all analysis skills.
    -
If true identity is discovered, this title becomes invalid.
     
    'What the heck is this? I didn't intimidate anyone!' 
    Thinking back I recall how 'Aggravation' got upgraded to
'Intimidating Aura' before becoming a part of my class skill. I glance back
through it and see that it is indeed there, I must have not paid enough
attention to where it speaks of my intimidating aura.
    Plus, this title is extremely weird. It seems almost custom
designed for me, but I assume anyone would get a similar title if they hid
their identity for long enough.
    I don't particularly feel much from gaining a bit of infamy. it
was bound to happen sooner or later anyway.
    My next destination was the blacksmith, where the enormous
blockade of players ended. I was fortunate the rusty armour sold for a great
deal more than the rusty weapons. It turns out that scrap metal is sold by
weight, and a chest plate can weigh up to fifteen times a standard sword.
    Although, even the blacksmith seemed to be intimidated by my
aura, despite the tough visage he usually gives off. I may have walked out
with a few more coins clinking in my coin bag but it had cost me another ten points
of infamy.
    I didn't even dispute his price, accepting what he originally
offered still led to me gaining infamy.
    At this point I had forty five gold coins in my possession. But
that was reduced to thirty once I purchased a large quantity of cheap
cooking equipment. I also stocked up a large quantity of proper precooked meals
that had a decent lifespan, not that rubbish sugar food I had in my inventory.
    One of the store clerks threw in a free water canteen with my
purchase of food. But at the end of the day I garnered another fifteen infamy
from the purchases, proving that every transaction with an NPC resulted in an infraction
of infamy.
    It is slowly turning into a bad situation. If I don't do
anything about this my infamy is going to rise every time I trade with an NPC.
Eventually they will refuse to even trade with me and in the worst case
scenario, I will even be denied entrance to the city.
    I had originally considered purchasing some new skills to fill my
newly freed skill slots, but one glance at the crowd of players that seemed
even larger than before deterred me from doing so.
    'I don't really need any new skills at the moment. Plus, the
cost of them for me is enormous.'
    Leaving the main courtyard behind me I travel around all the
parks I am aware of, restocking my pile of herbs I use for healing
myself and potion creation.
    Inspecting the information of herbs I have gathered, my improved
herbology also bears fruit. Where I previously could not determine any
information about an unknown herb, I can now view the herbs name even if I
don't know the effect of it. 'Green Paralysis Herb' and 'Fire Flower' were two
of the herbs in my