The Bösegroot feel with a thundering crash, Damien shouting "Timber" in the background. As the Field Boss fell, a pair of notifications appeared in Michael's mind.

Tier 2 level 15 Field Boss 'Bösegroot' Killed!

Participation : 21%

Ranger Experience gained : 157

Treasure Hunter Experience gained : 100

Bonus : Berserker's Rage Potion Recipe

Step Achieved!

You have killed your first Field Boss! Congratulations on not dying!

Bonus:

Identify Skill level +1.

The tone of the second message was nice, but the words worried Michael. Still, he was far too happy over the rewards to care. The potion recipe was like water in the desert, hard to find and desperately needed. With the recipe he could finally start levelling his Alchemy again. Damien, a professed Alchemist, had mentioned that there were multiple tier 1 potion recipes available at the System Store, though at annoyingly high prices. Michael had asked if Damien couldn't just share the recipes with him, but apparently that was impossible. The recipes weren't just instructions on how to make they potions, they were needed to 'allow' a person to make them. Even if you knew the exact recipe, the end result would always be a failure. It meant that each recipe, especially those found in the wild, was treasured.

Excited, Michael pulled the recipe out of his inventory, selecting yes when a prompt asked him if he wanted to learn it.

Berserker's Rage Potion

Ingredients : 5 Crag Leaves, 5 Grelaf Stems, 1 Mana Core, Water

Finely chop Crag Leaves and Grelaf Stems, mix in water and heat over a small flame for 3 minutes. Add in the Mana Core and stir until the Core is completely dissolved. Bottle immediately.

The Boundless Adventure Step wasn't particularly surprising, Michael had guessed that he'd get something for killing his first Field Boss. The skill level was a surprise, though. Identify was stupidly difficult to level, having taken thousands of uses just to get to level three, so the skill level was a blessing that nearly moved him to tears.

The Treasure Hunter experience was a nice, and unexpected, bonus. Michael wasn't sure if it was because of the Field Boss, which could be considered a treasure, the potion recipe or the literal treasure chest that appeared next to the boss after its death. Probably the last one.

The team was celebrating the win, moving towards the chest, when a voice rang out.

"Thanks for the assist, but we'll be taking that chest"

Michael, along with the rest of the team, spun around to find a group of twelve men behind them. The group wore matching sets of leather armor, dyed in a garish mix of blues and reds that made Michael wonder if the designer was colorblind. Standing in front of the group was a 30 year old man wearing metal armor and a smug look on his face. Based on the voice, slightly nasally and deeply annoying, Michael had expected a sort of generic snivelling henchmen type of guy. Not the case, the guy would've made a Hemsworth cry. Michael hated him immediately.

The team immediately closed ranks in front of the chest, putting themselves in between the loot and the newcomers. Olivia said "Wrong, Steve. This was our kill, fair and square."

The smug look never shifted off Steve's face as he replied "Wrong. Under Mayor Turks orders, this Boss and any loot derived from it is ours. Now, I'm willing to overlook the fact that you stole the kill from me and my boys but only if you hand over all the loot. Don't make me take it from you by force."

"You and I both know that Mark doesn't have authority outside Turktons walls, he can't claim the boss or its loot. As for force, do you really want to see who has the most firepower here? Pretty sure it isn't you or your circle jerk buddies."

The smugness slipped from Steve's face for the first time, anger turning his handsome face into an ugly mask. "Listen here you bench! Your ant would be a monsters plaything if it wasn't for Mark setting up the town. You either get in line and give us the djinn loot or you won't leave this place alive!"

Olivia stared at him for a second, her face stony as she studied the man opposite her, before sighing, her shoulders slumping. "I really wish it didn't have to come to this. Fine, do it."

The smug look slipped back onto Steve's face, right up until an arrow pierced his shoulder and seemed to explode into vines that rapidly tied him up. At the back of Olivia's team, unseen by Steve's forces, Michael had been ready and waiting with a Vine Trap loaded arrow, waiting for Olivia's command.

The team had already discussed what would happen in the event that they were discovered by Turktons forces. Damien was all for outright killing everyone and burning the bodies. The opinion wasn't shared by the rest of the team but they did agree that it would likely end in a fight. The loot from the Field Boss was too important, and Turks men were too used to throwing their weight around to get what they wanted. Since that was the case, they might as well get in the first shot. Michael's arrows were simply too quick to be dodged so he would make the first move, tying up the leader so that they could deal with the rest easier.

The Turkton men were stunned by the sudden attack, they had been prepared for Olivia to make a move but the sudden arrow surprised them. They managed to pull themselves together within a second, but that second was already too much. Olivia unleashed duel cast Fireballs as Sam used a Mighty Leap to propel himself through the air and land in the middle of the group, unleashing a shockwave that blew the nearest men off their feet. The combination of Olivia and Sam, coupled with their leader lying on the ground trussed up like a pig, had a thoroughly demoralizing effect on the group. No-one had died, Olivia clearly holding back, but the sudden show of might caused the men to start running for their lives. A few stayed, pulling weapons from their inventories, but Sam managed to knock them out quickly and cleanly with a few smacks from his shield.

In all fairness, they had never really stood a chance. None of the men were above Tier 2, unlike Olivia's team. They were used to picking on easy targets and bullying those weaker than them. Several months under Mark Turks leadership had let them forget the early days, when people were dying left and right and they had to fight for their lives every day. Their days as the local top dogs had made them soft and weak. Olivia's team on the other hand, had to fight for everything they had. This made the fight between the two groups not even remotely fair.

Olivia walked up to Steve who was struggling to break free from the vines. Thanks to a stroke of luck one of the vines had managed to gag the man, which had helped immensely since he could no longer order his men around. Nodding to Michael, he dropped the spell. Or tried to, at least. Despite several tries the spell remained active, completely ignoring his efforts. Apparently, using Spell Arrow allowed for versatility but removed control. It made sense, the skill essential turned the spell into an affect for the arrow. Since it was an affect of the arrow, he no longer had any control over it like he would with a spell. That being the case, they would just have to wait out the effects.

Eventually the spell wore off, Steve scrambling to get up for a second but freezing when he saw the Fireball in Olivia's hand. Her previous Fireballs had been football ball sized and dull orange, this one was the size of a golf ball and a bright, angry red. Steve wasn't exactly the brightest of characters but even he knew that the fireball would kill him if it hit center mass. The fact that the spell was aimed a little lower than center mass did not alleviate his soul clenching fear, it only increased it.

"I'll tell you whatever you want, I'll do whatever you want, just please don't hurt me. Please." The whiny begging did not help his case, though Olivia was surprised at how quickly he gave up. She hadn't even said anything yet.

"Oh, come on man! At least wait for her to threaten you with horrific mutilation before you pixel yourself." Damien said from the sidelines.

Olivia shot him a glare, which he completely missed while scribbling 'pixel' in his little notebook. Olivia sighed, before returning her attention to Steve. "Relax, we're not going to hurt you. This-" she motioned with the hand currently aiming the Fireball at his junk "-is just to make sure you don't do anything stupid. You're not going to do anything stupid, right?" Steve shook his head so hard Michael was worried he'd snap his neck. "Good. Now, you're going to take your pack of idiots, you're gonna run back to that ample-mole mayor of yours and your going to tell him that we got this boss fair and square and that if he wants to argue then he can come out here and ask for it like a big boy, mmmkay?" Olivia's tone was as gentle and as sweet as honey, yet somehow spoke to that little part of Steve's brain that controlled his fight or flight response. What it said does not bear repeating, for various legal reasons, but suffice to say, Steve ran. He ran so fast and so hard it was like one of the old cartoons where they leave a dust cloud behind.

The team stared in the direction that Steve went, astonished. Steve wasn't fat by any stretch of the imagination, but they had never expected him to move that fast. After a few seconds Sam spoke up "Ah wonder how far the daft bugger'll get 'fore he realises he forgot his teammates." The team looked down at the unconscious men on the ground, then back. Michael shrugged "Eh, who cares? We have loot to sort out"

The team went back and crowded round the chest. Olivia said "Michael, would you do the honours?"

"Seriously? Why him? No offense Michael, but your not actually part of the team. It should be Liv who does it." Damien said.

"First of all, Michael is part of the team, he's done more than enough to earn his spot. Secondly, he's the only one of us here with the Luck attribute unlocked which means he probably has the highest Luck out of all of us. If we want a Town Token, and we do, then he's our best shot. Any other issues?" Olivia stared Damien in the eyes, challenging him. Damien held her gaze for a second, before turning away. "Fine, guess that makes sense." He grumbled.

Michael, feeling awkward, kneeled down and grasped the chests lid. Pulling it open, Michael was a little let down that there was no fanfare or bright light shining from the heavens. The entire thing felt somewhat anticlimactic considering everything they did to get it. Inside the chest, nestled on a velvet inlay, was three items. The first was a small sapling, complete with it's own pot. The second item was a large brown book, the words Boulder Toss written on the front. The third was a small token, presumably the Town Token. Michael pulled out each item and handed them to Olivia, Identifying them as he did. Thanks to his new level in the skill, he didn't have any issues and received three notifications.

Mana Fruit Sapling

Tier 1 Tree, 6 Month Growth Period, Produces 3-10 Mana Fruit

Requirements: Mana Rich Soil, Mana Rich Water Daily, 10 Tier 1 Mana Cores weekly

Skill Book

One Time Use Skill Book, Imparts the Tier 2 'Boulder Toss' Skill

Requirements: Beginner Mana Manipulation lvl 5, Earth Affinity 25%, Nature Affinity 25%.

Town Token

Can be used to found a Tier 1 Town* or construct a Tier 1 Building for free.

*Additional Material costs apply depending on the type of Town.

Michael was surprised by the haul. He didn't know if a Field Boss normally gave such good loot but he really hoped not. If Mark Turk had his hands on even a dozen hauls like this then the upcoming fights were not going to be easy. The men they had just fought weren't even Mark's elite, just a random team scouring the woods for the Field Boss, so the real elites would probably be armed and skilled up to their necks with this sort of gear.

The team discussed the loot. The Town Token would go to Olivia, naturally, but the other two items were up for grabs. The sapling was an unknown, no one had heard of Mana Fruits but the rediculeous growing requirements meant that it was likely something rare. After a discussion they decided that the team would grow it and distribute the fruits evenly after they grew. The skill book was likely an offensive spell based on the name. Damien and Anne gave up on it immediately, Damien not having the Nature Affinity and Anne having the Healer's Oath skill that decreased offensive spell damage in return for increased healing. Sam also declined, he had the affinities for it but it didn't really integrate with his skill set very well. That left Olivia and Michael.

"You should take it, you would make a lot more use of it then I would."

"I highly doubt that, plus it doesn't really work with my skill set. Besides, you need it more than I do."

"Are you kidding? You definitely need it more. I've already gotten a lot from this trip. Seriously, you take it."

"Please stop being nice, you've earned this. You probably got more participation in that fight than I did, you deserve it."

"Actually, I only got 21%."

"Really? Me too."

"Will one of you just take he dune thing?! This whole niceness fight was fun at first but now it's just annoying." Anne said, glaring at the two.

"Fine, I'll take it, but I'm going to make it up to you."

"Your really don't need to, you've already helped me a lot."

"Hey!" Anne shouted

"Sorry" "Sorry"

The group moved on, continuing to the next Dungeon. They encountered a few Monsters on the way which Michael dispatched relatively easily. The Experience was welcome but outside a dungeon it was a bit lackluster. Still, by the time they reached the Dungeon Michael was only 150 away from his next level. He'd also snagged 10 Treasure Hunter experience for finding an Iron Treasure Box buried in amongst a tree's roots.

Treasure Boxes were an interesting feature of the new world. Scattered throughout the world they could be found anywhere, though they were usually well hidden. So far the team had only heard of Iron and Bronze Boxes, the Bronze giving better loot than the Iron. The Iron Treasure Box contained a pair of Mana Regen Potions which increased a persons Mana Regen by 50% for 5 minutes, which was a lot better than Michael had expected. He had discovered the box thanks to the Nose For Treasure Trait, the box giving off an amazing smell as he walked past. The smell was as if someone had somehow transformed the christmas morning experience, the movie version and not the real one, into a fragrance. He was almost sad that he found the box, since the smell immediately went away.

The outer area of the dungeon, a large portal set into the side of a massive tree, was populated by a bunch of butt ugly humanoids. The creatures looked like the result of a blind sculptor trying to fashion the very concept of 'Ugly As Sin' out of a tree, and being wildly successful. Standing at four feet tall and covered in knobbly, gnarled bark, the creatures had the usual two arms, two legs and a head. Worst of all, they were all naked, as well as anatomically correct.

"I hope no-one minds, but I'll take this one. I'd love to test the new spell on these things."