Chapter 14

Leon stared at the message in front of him. Corrupted baby rabbit? It had to be a joke.

“What does a corrupted rabbit even mean?” he mumbled.

Even though he didn’t mean it as an actual question, a new notification window popped up.

‘Unprecedented occurrence. There is no information. Please check back at a later time.’

He barely had the time to read it before it disappeared.

Leon looked at the rabbit and lifted it with one hand up in front of his face. Its purple eyes stared into his and the nose twitched.

“You look like a troublemaker now,” Leon said and pointed it on the beginning of the green marking. It shut its eyelids and pushed its head toward his hand, letting the ears rest against its back. He scratched with a finger on the fur. “You like that?” Leon chuckled. “Yeah, I’ll call you Troublemaker.”

‘Option to name Baby Rabbit is locked. The option unlocks once the rabbit is fully grown.

Estimated time until fully grown: 7 weeks

Do you wish to save the name? [Yes] [No]’

“Sure. Let’s do that.” Leon let the rabbit down on the cover. “I think I’ll let you stay here in the room, so nothing else happens.”

The rabbit took a few trying jumps toward the end of the bed, then returned to lie beside Leon’s knee.

Leon opened the inventory and pulled out the carrots and the rabbit’s foot. From what he could see, the rabbit was the only thing in there that had gotten the ‘Corrupted’ status. He placed the rabbit’s foot on the bedside table and the carrots on the floor by the storing chest. “I don’t think Margaret would mind. I hope you don’t, either.”

He still wondered what would happen to it now that it was corrupted. It was just to wait and see, since even the system seemed confused. Casting the thought aside, he jumped out of bed. It felt good to be washed and have new clothes, but it would all be complete with a decent meal, and then a good night’s sleep. With that thought in mind, he headed downstairs.

******

The next day, he ate breakfast and thought about what would be the first task on his to-do list. In order to have the best shot at survival, he’d have to take care of enemies as quickly as possible, and that meant he needed agility, and maybe boost up his strength. But from what he’d done so far, only one skill had triggered, and that was ‘Insight.’ It had come from his decision-making and wasn’t actually something he needed or could train up, but as Hert had said, he’d have to try a few different things and see what popped.

Since there wasn’t a way to check what was possible or not, the only option would throw out guesses and hope it wasn’t a complete waste of time. But what should he start with? Strength, maybe. It was too bad the ‘Well Rested’ bonus only applied to monsters.

Leon finished the porridge in front of him and exchanged a few words with Margaret, who told him that Ava said she would get help from the cook with something. Leon looked at the time; almost seven in the morning. Why was everyone up early? He hadn’t gone up this early regularly since high school.

Leon made his way out the door. As he walked from the inn toward the southwest gate, he pondered how he could ever work with other players, if he could convince them to join him, which seemed like an insurmountable task since he hadn’t seen a single new player since he came to Pura and the rest seemed to have settled.

The arrangement worked okay for now, but he would have to do a lot alone, even if he could get past the first level. He needed to think like a solo player. Hert wanted nothing to do with the tower, and Ava just wanted to get out of the Slums. Besides, he’d been betrayed before, but in this world, betrayal could kill you. Like how it could have ended if Ava had followed Hert’s advice to leave him to the imps. Ava...

Leon shook his head. She had a strong will and courage, but couldn’t see past her own misfortunes or flaws. Likely, he could coax her into joining him in the tower, but if she died... Leon sighed. Luring her in there for his own gain would benefit his goal, but go against his whole being. No, he’d just get emergency aid here and make her life simpler; then he would leave and both would be better off.

Having walked the same path several days in a row, he found himself having reached the outer arch without noticing. The last notification for ‘Will you give a coin’ disappeared from his peripheral, and he chuckled to himself. He’d been too caught up in his thoughts to even notice the Scabs’ approaches.

Once outside the gate, he looked into the forest. Leon chose a tree with a green crown and thick branches close to the road, but somewhat hidden behind three round bushes. He rubbed his hands together, jumped up, grabbed a branch, and tried to hold himself there for a while, then he let go. He jumped up again, tried a pull-up and failed, falling onto the ground, growling at his incompetence. How could he expect to clear the first floor if he couldn’t even hold his own weight? Leon jumped up a few more times, and at last, he succeeded in holding on for a decent amount of time. He continued for over half an hour, but the pull-ups didn’t seem to yield results in skills or stats, whether or not he managed to complete them.

Disgruntled, Leon opened up his inventory and took out the wooden dagger and short sword. Change of approach. He weighed the weapons in his hands. They would do nicely since they were pretty heavy. When fighting against an enemy, Leon wouldn’t dare to use two weapons at once, but against a tree, why not? Since the wooden weapons didn’t have a durability percentage, he’d be able to slam them into the trunk as many times as he wanted without needing to worry about replacing them. At least he hoped that was the case.

He walked over to a slim orange-leafed tree bearing small clumps of yellow berries, which trunk resembled a birch tree’s, and which smooth bark should allow for easy, continuous hits. Leon rolled his shoulders and slashed out with one hand, then the next, resulting in dull thuds against the trunk. He tried the movement a couple of times, made some adjustments, and pleased with his stance, hit the tree with all his strength in each strike. Leon soon entered a rhythm and let his thoughts wander.

He only got back to reality when the tree groaned and creaked in protest. A second later, the young tree split in the middle. The crown rustled as it thudded once onto the ground and the entire tree shattered into pixels. Even the bottom part and the roots of the tree were gone, leaving only a patch of dirt under the pile.

Leon frowned and approached it.

‘You have received the following items:

2 Kindling

Rank: F-

Stacks up to 99 times.

1 Sap

Rank: F

Crafting ingredient. Stacks up to 99 times.

3 Orange Leaves

Class: Junk

Do you wish to store or discard them? [Store] [Discard]’

“Store.”

Leon smiled. Unexpected, but welcome. If he could do this a couple of more times, there would be a way to make money without gaining experience. He chuckled and looked at the weapons in his hands. They weren’t sharp by any means, but somehow, they dealt damage, just like when he pierced the wolf with the wooden sword in the tutorial.

He opened up his status page and looked at the unused SP-points, then the percentage of his fatigue. It was only at 28%, even though he must have hit the tree over a hundred times. Leon shook his head. It was a good thing that he could hit trees for less energy, but it made no sense. He swung as hard as he could, and he did that with monsters too, but when hitting monsters, each hit made his fatigue increase significantly more. Shrugging, he closed the window and continued to the next young orange tree.

An hour later, he dragged his feet through the archway toward the plaza. He’d managed to fell two more trees, the last one being a battle of endurance since he got exhausted with about half to go. His skills or points hadn’t changed, but at least he had something to show for his work.

Leon approached the crafting merchant, took out the two sap vials stored in his inventory, and stretched them forward.

“Sorry man, no can do,” the merchant said. Leon couldn’t really place his dialect, but that might be because of the man’s large broken nose. “Saps ‘n such are 3 piece for 1 coin.” The hooded man shrugged. “‘Suppose you’ve got kindlin’ as well? Those you can sell at inns ‘n general stores, 7 piece for 1 coin. Standard pricing.”

“I don’t suppose exceptions can be made?”

The man scoffed. “Nah. Considering that we have to sell it with a profit margin, it would be helluva bad decision.”

“Thanks.” Leon pocketed the items again. Less energy spent, less money earned. No life risked. It showed in the price. “What about the leaves?”

“Throw ‘em, keep ‘em for stuffin’. It’s up to you, really. No’ne will buy ‘em.”

Leon nodded and turned to leave.

“Hey, man, you look like you need a good lyin’ down.”

Leon raised his hand in goodbye and started his way towards the inn. He entered the hall of the inn and looked at the time. Ten. He’d only been out for a little over three hours and was so exhausted that he wanted to cut off his arms. He chuckled. It would be something special if the weight of exhaustion counted toward his strength training—even if the penalty for being exhausted screamed against that possibility.

“Leon!” a voice shouted.

He turned his head to Ava, who’d just shot out of a chair and came at him at a jog. Her jute clothes looked more torn and ragged than ever, but cleaner. However, that wasn’t the surprising part.

Leon raised his eyebrows when she stopped before him. “Your hair?”

“Yeah...” Ava touched the pixie cut, laying semi-short over her scalp. The red bird’s nest had gone, leaving her reddening ears and cheeks more visible. She pulled up a hand to stroke a strand of hair behind her ear and reddened further when her fingers only touched air. Ava swallowed. “Do... does it look ugly?”

Leon shook his head. “No, not at all. It’s just unusual. Orderly.”

“Yeah... Now I don’t really need to think about brushing it. The cook helped me. Said he couldn’t stand my ‘Hobo 3000’-look any longer.” She chuckled. “He was some famous hairdresser before. Handling knives is the closest he got here, so he became a chef.” Ava cleared her throat and waved a hand in front of her. “Anyway, I’m sorry I didn’t meet up with you this morning. That was when he had time.”

“It’s good you’re making friends,” Leon said. Handling knives? A ranger, maybe? He cleared his throat. “Don’t worry about this morning. I’ve tried to increase my points or skills without increasing my level experience.” He sighed. “I’m beat. So, you think you could give me a couple of hours so my fatigue goes down a bit before we head out?”

“Sure,” she said, frowning. “But why don’t you want to gain experience?”

Leon explained quickly, but she didn’t agree it was the best approach. When he asked her why she deflected with, ‘forgot to tell Margaret something’ and left for the kitchen area.

*******

Four hours later, Leon woke up. He had only recouped enough to have 42% fatigue, meaning today’s hunt would be shortened a bit, if they went at all. There had to be a way to do the skill research without exhausting himself. Though that could wait a little. It was only two o’clock, so he would have some time to try out some ideas before nightfall. Not that it would matter when he slept or not, but he had decided it would be good to keep to the same rhythm as everyone else. At least, that was true when he only hunted monsters. Now, if he set his mind to it, he could probably train himself in the city during the night as well, just to see if it paid off in some way, as long as he kept away from the Slums come dusk. But how dangerous could they really be if sticks were all they could pick up and fight with?

Leon grabbed the paper package that had held his new shirt, stroked Troublemaker over the head, and ventured downstairs. Ava sat on the last step, staring into the side of the corkboard with quests, most likely daydreaming.

“Did you wait all this time?” Leon asked.

She stood and brushed off the back of her jute dress. “Well, not much else to do, really.”

“Sorry about that.” Leon stretched forward the package. “Here. This is for you.”

Ava pressed yes on the gift notification, stretched out a hand to accept the package, and viewed it with a frown. “What is it?”

“Your payment for yesterday.”

“But I got the health potion,” she said, pushing the package back.

Leon denied the gift. “You deserved more. Besides, it won’t fit me.”

“Of course it will,” she said, pursing her lips. “It feels like there are clothes in here, and clothes fit as soon as they’re equipped.”

“Well, it would be more of a bother for me than not.”

Ava quipped her lips to the side and opened it. Her eyes widened as she held out the long-sleeved dress. “It’s beautiful! Is it really for me?”

Leon nodded. “It’s just green wool. I was going to buy a pair of pants and a shirt for mobility but decided on the dress and shoes. Budgeting is tough.”

“Is this from the money you got yesterday? You really didn’t have to, you know,” Ava said.

“Yes, I did. You kept me alive. You deserve it, and more.”

“But I didn’t ask—” Ava stopped when Leon crossed his arms. “I mean, thank you.”

She pointed at something ahead of her, and the dress materialized on her body as the jute clothes withered into pieces on the floor and faded away. Seconds later, the pile had vanished, leaving only her small pouch behind.

“Rags are free, and though they have a durability like everything else, they won’t disintegrate once they reach 0% unless they’re replaced with something else,” Ava explained. She smoothed the fabric and picked up the holding item, pressing something else on her screen. A loop grew out from the side of the waist and the purse disappeared from her hand and appeared again, fastened to the loop. Then she put on the new leather boots as well. They shrunk to fit her feet, and even the top part slimmed to fit along her ankles. Done, she spun around. “I look like a normal person now!”

“I suppose you do,” Leon said with a chuckle. “How about the Scab title? Did it go away?”

Ava shook her head. “No, it’s still there. I don’t know what to do about it, but it might take more things and money for it to go back.”

“But how are you supposed to do that if you can’t keep anything for yourself? I was worried you’d deny the clothes because of some limitation.”

“Well, if it’s on me as a person, I don’t think they will take it from me.” She patted the pouch on her hip. “Players can redeem themselves, as I said. I think that as long as items stay in my pouch, I can keep them. So let’s go hunt for more!”

Leon kept the smile. “Sure, but… Why do you still want to go after monsters and items? You could try my way.”

Ava’s lips sunk into a line. “Why? Do you want to go back on the deal?” She averted her eyes. “I mean, I could understand if you wanted to, because I’m basically of no use right now. But you have to tell me in that case. Then I’ll just go wash some dishes and try to find another quest to do, too.”

Leon held up his hands. “That’s not what I meant. I offered the deal so you could get back on your feet, but if you can’t use or sell them, why? You only have two spots. I suppose I could hold them for you, but my storage space only goes so far.”

Ava scraped her foot to the floor, staring down at the dark, beaten planks. She mumbled something.

“What?”

She breathed in a huge gulp of air and clenched her fists. “Iwannaclimdedower!”

Leon frowned. “You what?”

“I want to climb the tower.” Tears welled in her eyes, then she stomped her foot on the floor, and slapped herself, mumbling, “Don’t cry. Don’t you dare cry.”

Leon closed his open mouth. He had no words.

“So?” she said, flipping her head up to stare at him. Her cheek swelled.

Leon swallowed. “So... what?”

“This is the part where you laugh. The part where you tell me it’s impossible.”

Leon held his hands up. “Look, if you want to climb the tower—”

“I know I’m weak.” Ava poked him in his chest and stepped forward. “Weak in body and mind!” Another jab. “I don’t need you to—”

Leon took her arm. “Calm. I wanted to say, if you want to climb the tower, I want you in my party.” The words flew out of him before he knew it, but they were true. If she wanted to go into the tower, they could try it together. He could trust her. Right?

Ava’s eyes widened. Leon released his grip on her arm, and she pulled it to her chest. “You’re not joking, right? You’re not making a fool of me, because I want to believe you?”

“Not joking. But I can’t promise I can protect you all time. I need to get stronger.”

“We need to level up,” Ava said.

“Why not try what I’ve been doing today for a while? I mean, to increase the skills and stats without gaining experience? That should be a good thing, to go in stronger in the first level.”

“Yes, but that doesn’t make me more useful. I think I need to level up to unlock more of my abilities, and I can’t do that for myself.” Ava bit her lip. “So… you could store the item per day for me?”

Leon nodded. “Sure. I don’t really use the storage chest in my room, so I suppose I could do that. Unless you have one in your room? Have you checked?”

Ava’s ears reddened. “No, well… I sleep on a hay mattress in Margaret’s room. I don’t have a personal chest.”

“That’s alright, then. But before we go, I’ll talk to Margaret.”