Chapter 8

Leon stretched out his arms, yawned, and fumbled with his hand over the end table for his phone. Then it hit him. He died. He’d died and come to this place, where there were no phones, no electricity, and where he’d made the decision to kill or be killed in order to reach his goal. Sunlight flooded the window and chirping birds flew by. It was already morning.

He wondered what his sister was up to, and if she knew he was missing, or just thought he wanted to be out of contact. Better not to think about that. He would only focus on what time she and Mother had left to live. The lives of his aunts and cousins. That’s why he was here.

The ruthlessness of the monsters he had to face would be something he’d have to push aside. He had to do this, or he’d thrown away his life for nothing. Sure, a thought had drifted in while he washed dishes last night. He could live until he was forty here, escape the whole disease, with more than a few extra years of perfect health. But that was his fear and laziness talking. The lives of his family for his own seemed a pretty decent price to pay. If saving them all wasn’t possible, at least he’d save his mother.

He rose and closed the window that announced he was ’Well Rested’ and set out to the plaza after he’d paid for another night and Margaret waved him off. The five coins he earned could be exactly what he needed for a weapon. He’d quit the quest after the night was done. With all the things he wanted to accomplish, he’d likely be exhausted when he came back to the inn the next time.

The plaza, which had been empty except for a few closed market stalls, teemed with life. Most of the merchants sold food of different kinds, but there was also a hooded merchant who sold jewelry and ingredients for crafting. Leon ventured through the middle of the two lines of stalls and looked at the man’s stock. Most things looked either gross or were unidentifiable, but he didn’t know if the prices, which were expensive compared to his account balance, were decent or not.

He showed the man the fox tooth from his bag and a blue box popped up, where he had to choose between buying, selling, or close the menu. He chose to sell and got two coins for the tooth, which he used to buy the eight carrots he needed for his baby rabbit. He wondered if he had to take it out to feed it, but as soon as the carrots entered the bag, one disappeared and left a message saying that the rabbit was happy and had satisfied its hunger.

Leon walked to the end of the plaza and the road he’d come from. On the corner stood a store, announcing ’Hert’s Smithery.’ Wasn’t that from the quest? Curious, he tried the shop’s door, but it was locked. ’Access Denied’ flashed up in front of his eyes.

Well, since Yung hadn’t said anything about it, maybe it wasn’t worth the time the quest took, but he was still curious. He continued down the road, stopped, and turned back to the inn where he accepted it. The quest had four hours left before it started, meaning Leon had time to purchase items and maybe find a less dangerous monster to beat in the woods before the meeting time.

He passed through the arch, where the guards nodded at him and continued into the Slums. He kept checking his sides in case the beggars would group up on him again, but what the guard said the previous night seemed to be accurate. A few beggars approached him on the way to the store, but when he chose to ignore them, they went back to their rag-wearing groups. He couldn’t help but feel a little pity towards them, but there was nothing he could do. He climbed the stairs to the general goods store and opened the door.

A dank smell hit him as he passed the threshold. Things like armor and weapons laid piled up along the walls and windows, making the place semi-dark. In the middle of the store stood a broad wooden table with a lot of items he couldn’t hope to recognize, but among them were also books and flasks of different shapes and sizes. He hoped he didn’t have to rummage through it all to see anything he’d like, and if he found something, he hoped it would be of a decent quality.

A rat-faced man with thinning hair combed over his scalp and a loose white dress shirt stood behind a counter at the back of the store, wringing his hands. “Welcome, player, to my humble store. What can I offer you today?”

Leon walked up to him. “I’m looking for some equipment, and maybe a sword.”

“What is your class?”

“Warrior.”

A box showed up in front of him.

‘Loading Warrior class and general items’

Leon stood waiting for over half a minute before another, bigger box popped up. He breathed a sigh of relief. Then, he saw the prices.

‘Long Sword, 67% - 279 coin

Short Sword, 50% - 159 coin

Fearsome Dagger, 30% - 199 coin

Iron Dagger, 72% - 119 coin’

The list continued on, first listing weapons, and then armor, which was even more expensive. He stopped scrolling. How was he supposed to climb levels like this?

“What are these prices?” he mumbled.

The man wrang his hands quicker and bowed several times as he spoke. “Market prices, sir. You see, these are hard to come by. I only do what I can to survive, and you won’t find these types of weapons anywhere else.”

Leon wasn’t so sure about that last part, but Yung had said newcomers would come to this shop. He’d just have to try to get by with the equipment he had for now. On the other hand…

“Why is a dagger in the selection of warrior equipment?”

The ratty man blinked in surprise. “I’m not sure, sir. I do not sort them myself.”

Or anything else, Leon thought. Since the dagger was the only thing he could afford and it had to be miles better than fighting with a wooden sword, maybe that would be the best choice for now. Or would he regret that later? He swore. He’d already accepted the quest from the smith, a quest that didn’t give any money. He probably wouldn’t be able to track down easy pray after that and still return before it got dark.

“Fine, I’ll—wait, what are those percentages?” He couldn’t believe he almost forgot. The iron dagger had the highest percentage of the weapons, but he still didn’t know if that was a good or bad thing, since the wooden sword hadn’t displayed it. He’d thought gifting something was good, but that turned sour. Better not take any chances.

“Durability,” the man said.

“Of what’s left, or what’s gone?”

“Of what’s left before it breaks.”

Leon nodded. “Then I’ll have the iron dagger.” A box popped up, asking him to confirm. He did. His balance went down to 6 coins.

“Wise choice,” the man said. He bent down and opened the doors to a cabinet. “Stingy.”

“What’s that?” Leon asked.

The man jumped up, red in the face. “N-Nothing. Here.” He threw the dagger onto the counter.

Leon got a notification that he’d received the dagger, giving him +3 Strength when equipped. He put it into his inventory and turned to leave.

The vendor smirked. “Pleasure doing business with you.”

“Obviously,” muttered Leon as he opened the door.

How many people came through here to purchase stuff, anyway? It was in the Slums, instead of further in, so it couldn’t be that profitable. Leon shook his head, still unsure if he’d done the right thing by not waiting.

*******

Leon made his way to the south gate, and the same groups of ‘Scabs’ lingered by the houses. None of them seemed to want to come closer than fifty yards to the stone arch leading out from the city. Maybe because there weren’t any guards there, but that also meant he could expect to meet monsters close to the road. He stopped just outside and raised an eyebrow. A huge blue circle with an empty middle part hovered by the road, close to the forest. The outer rim just touched the tips of the grass. Leon stepped forward. As soon as he entered it, a text showed up.

‘Meeting place for Hert’s quest. Time until start: 3h 05min.’

Leon smiled. Good. Then he didn’t have to rush all the way back to the plaza to meet him. Then his smile faltered. Actually, could the meaning of the quest be to protect the smith while he was looking for the special material? It hadn’t said so, but now that he thought about it, it felt implied. That meant that monsters were sure to attack them. Could he actually defeat those monsters without a party? It should be possible, right? It’s not like a smith would run for cover at the first sign of danger. But what levels were the monsters going to be?

If the F-range spanned from level one to fifteen, and a higher level showed up, they’d both be dead. But then again, it could just be calculated from his own level. Probably, but not certainly. He sighed. Well, if stuff went to shit, he could just run away or hide in a tree. He didn’t like it, but if that was what was necessary, he’d do it. An NPC would revive, a player would not.

He opened up his status page. Oh, yeah. He’d forgotten about the level two points after almost bleeding to death. Time to distribute.

Name: Leon Level: 2, (21%)

Class: Warrior Guild: None

Title: NooB

HP: 110 Fatigue: 0%

—————————————

MP: 11 Coin: 6

—————————————

Strength: 15 Agility: 11

Vitality: 10 Intelligence: 9

Sense: 10

—————————————

Available Status Points: 0

—————————————

Skills

Passive: Warrior’s Build (allows the player to take 10% less damage for two seconds if he/she deals a critical hit) (chance of critical hit: 5%)

—————————————

With more strength, he’d be able to take down the monsters more quickly, and with more vitality, he might last a little longer before he got exhausted. He smacked his forehead. Why hadn’t he bought potions instead of the dagger? Then again, he was already twenty-one percent to level three, so he should be fine if he fought two monsters, right?

He scanned the woods for movement, but couldn’t see anything. If he just kept close to the road, he would make sure to be there in time for the quest, and he could run back to the city if he needed it. He equipped the wooden sword and the dagger. Apparently, he could use both because it was a short sword. Then he chuckled. He put the wooden sword away. If he barely managed to control the sword yesterday, he had no business trying to do better with two today. But it was something to keep in mind.

Leon continued into the forest and scanned the bushes. Just a few steps in, he stopped. He didn’t know why until he heard a snarling sound. A level 1 Grey Wolf circled a tree, solely focused on a squirrel with a fluffy tail sitting perched on one of the lower branches, chattering away. The wolf’s name was in a bleak yellow color. Leon snuck forward and readied the dagger. Then he swung.

The chattering squirrel ran up the trunk as the wolf howled in pain. Leon had hit its back leg, and even though the wound was open, it didn’t bleed. The wolf spun around while Leon charged in with another attack. It missed. The wolf sprinted forward, and Leon jumped aside. They circled each other, and when the wolf launched again, Leon lashed out.

A gash showed in the wolf’s shoulder, deeper this time. It fell forward but rose when Leon came closer, and it snapped his fangs at him. Then Leon stepped forward and struck. It hit far back on the neck just as the beast’s fangs closed around Leon’s lower leg. It barely got through the fabric as it shattered into pixels, leaving five coins and a wolf’s fang behind. Leon pocketed the items. Actually, this might not be so hard after all. Although, if he met another level two wolf, things might turn out differently.

*******

Leon found a total of three level 1 wolves while he waited on the quest time, earning him a total of 18 coins and three fangs. It would take ages before he actually got enough money to buy new armor, weapons, or potions. All while risking his life. Leon was 98% on his way to level three, and his leg had small puncture holes that didn’t bleed but still stung. He looked at the time. The quest would start in four minutes. He didn’t have time to find another beast.

He walked out of the forest and into the ring. It changed from blue to green and displayed a timer for when the quest would begin. His fatigue was 28%, but hopefully, this quest wouldn’t make him exhausted. He smiled. Actually, it wouldn’t matter too much. When he leveled up, his fatigue would reset. Leon put the iron dagger into the backpack and crossed his arms.

When there were thirty seconds left, a man left the city area through the arch. He was a tall, bald man with brown eyes and a short beard and mustache. He wore a soot-stained apron and a beige satchel hung over his shoulder. In his hand was a large hammer. Good, a weapon. That meant he could fight.

“Ohoy!” he greeted once he came closer. “Are you ready to aid my search?”

“Yep. What is it you’re looking for?”

The man entered the circle, and it disappeared, showing an announcement that the quest started.

Hert put the hammer into his satchel and crossed his arms. “There have been rumors about a special stone in a cave nearby. The same stone that the Tower of Katastroph is made of. I want to find it.”

“Katastroph?” Leon asked.

The smith pointed with a thumb over his shoulder. “The black tower? Come on, you must have heard of it.”

“Well… I’m pretty new.”

“What level are you?”

“Two. Soon, three.”

Hert kneaded his eyebrows. “Should’ve put a restriction.” He sighed. “Oh well, maybe it will be fine. Let’s go.”

Leon frowned. Wasn’t this a newbie quest? What a weird response. He followed Hert into the woods while looking around. He hadn’t spotted any mountains, not even when he’d climbed the tree.

“Where’s this cave, then?”

Hert pushed aside the bushes as he went forward. “You’ll see. Took some time to gather that information, so I can only hope it’s true.”

They continued through the woods until they came upon a hidden dirt path. So far, there hadn’t been any attacks, but that could change in a heartbeat. They followed the path for over half an hour, keeping north. They must be close to the wall of Pura, unless they’d already started to go round it. Then, they came upon a massive stone, wearing a carving of a stickman, holding a ring of some kind up to the sky. Hert smiled and traced a finger after the sunken lines.

“It should be here somewhere. Come on, help me look.” Hert strode forward and started to push bushes aside.

“The entrance is in the ground?” Leon asked and mimicked the man’s actions with another set of bushes.

“Yeah, something like that. The details aren’t that clear. Go a bit further in and look there, and call me if you find anything.”

“Sure.” Leon made his way further into the wild, pushing the branches aside as he went. He kept on for fifteen minutes, then he stopped and stretched out his back. This felt pointless. At this rate, he wouldn’t be able to complete the quest or gain any more coins.

He had 24 coins in total, so at least it would buy him a meal and lodgings tomorrow night. He frowned. A bit further in stood an oak in a clearing. It was the largest tree he’d ever seen, with each root as massive as the base of a small cottage. Between the middle roots was a dark opening.

“Hert!” he called. “I think I found it!”

“Great!” the man yelled back. “I’ll come to you.”

Leon stumbled through the bushes. The clearing laid in shadow under the massive branches of the tree, and the grass outside had wilted into a perfect circle. It crunched under the weight of his feet. He stopped and sucked in a breath. Whatever was here gave off an ominous feeling. Something in the air had shifted, something giving off cold, and a smell of rotting flowers.

The vegetation rustled behind him, and Hert stepped out. His eyes went wide. “Wow. Now, this must be quite the place to explore, don’t you think?”

“Yeah… are you sure you want to do this? Something tells me we should turn back.”

“Ah, that’s your sense. You’re probably right.” Hert sighed. “Maybe I should put up another quest, but first I want to be sure of what’s inside. Otherwise, we’d come here for nothing.” He took a step forward, then he paused, resting his hands on his hips. “I’m gonna put down a quest marker here, so I can find my way back if I need it. Why don’t you go ahead? I’ll join in a sec.”

“Uh… sure.” Leon swallowed and stepped toward the dark opening, drawing out the wooden sword for better length.

There were uneven stairs crafted from dirt leading into the underground, and as he got closer, cold air smelling of rotting leaves and moist dirt washed over him. Shivers traveled down his arms. He looked around his shoulder and at Hert. He stood staring forward, like he was in some sort of trance, and pointed with his finger at multiple places in the air. Leon sucked in a breath. A weird aura surrounded this place, urging him to turn back. Still, he needed to go in there to finish the quest. He straightened his back and descended into the darkness.

He had expected some kind of light down there, but the only guide he had was the shadowy light coming from under the oak tree’s branches, leaving only a distance of a few feet visible. He ventured forth and stopped when he stepped into the void. It was better to wait for Hert. Pattering footsteps came from within the darkness, and before he had time to react, something snapped at his backpack, ripping it off his shoulders.

“Hey!” he screamed, fumbling around after it. He hit something hard and leathery. Whatever it was, it wasn’t something he’d want to meet in the dark, but everything he owned was in there. He flailed out with his arms, but there was nothing.

“What’s up?” Hert asked. He came down the stairs and looked around. “Should’ve brought a torch.”

“Something snatched my backpack!” Leon said.

“Sorry, dude, but you’re probably not going to get it back.” Hert scratched his head. “Don’t suppose you wanna go in there without a light or something.”

Leon groaned. “You don’t have anything to light the way? You knew we were going into a cave and didn’t prepare for that?”

“Well, no. All caves I’ve known have ever-lights in them.” Hert sighed. “Fuck. Now I’ll have to come back, no matter if the stone is here or not.”

“What about my backpack? Everything was in there.” Leon pulled at his hair. “Inventory!”

‘You cannot access inventory without a holding item.’

“Everything is gone.” Leon sighed. At least his coins were safe.

“At least you’re only level two. You didn’t have that much in there of value, right?”

Leon thought of his newly purchased dagger and the rabbit. “I’d like to get it back.”

“Then…” Hert crossed his arms. “I’ll set up a quest for tomorrow. Join then, and try to find one more who wants to take this on. I’ll end the quest here for now.”

‘Quest Completed!

You have finished helping Hert to find what he needs for his Smithery.

You have gained 50 experience points!

You have gained access to Hert’s Smithery!’

‘Level Up!

You have gained enough experience to reach level 3.

These are your rewards for this achievement:

- 5 SP (influenced by NooB-title)

- Status Recovery

- Mystery Box

Would you like to accept or save these rewards?

[Accept] [Save]’

Leon sighed. “Save.”

He didn’t have anywhere to put the mystery box, anyway.

“Ah, congrats to level three.” Hert patted his shoulder. “Put in your points and let’s move out from here. Hopefully, we won’t meet anything nasty on the way back.”

Leon looked into the darkness. Something moved. Leon and Hert walked up the stairs. The loss stung, but not enough to put his life on the line. Hopefully, something would be left in the backpack for when they came there tomorrow. If he was really lucky, whatever took the backpack couldn’t open it.