“And? What did he say, grandpa?” Looming Oak inquired anxiously.

“Dad, are you confused, or are you happy? I can't tell, say something!” Ingolf seconded insistently. He deliberately came home early in hopes of latching on to this opportunity, staking his career on it. He had a well-paying managerial job, which he was very good at, but never really liked. It was … stressful, constantly having to deal with incompetence, greed and stringent demands. That last fight with Carl against the boss, on the other hand, was something else entirely, the opposite end of the spectrum. It awakened a deep hunger within him. If only he could replicate his current income in Immortal Frontier … he would abandon his white collar without hesitation! From then on he would have a ton of fun with his kids, bond with them, and establish a family business together! Prudence warned him that it was extremely naive and reckless thinking, yet he couldn't help his longing for adventure after a lifetime of boredom.

“Grandpa, speak up!” the girls chanted, impatient with the strangely silent old man.

Fleeting Time sighed, then chuckled.

“Let's go back to the portal, I'll tell you on the way.”

…

Carl was torn.

A terrifying beast did indeed make an appearance, but the horrid wolf wasn't it – the masterwork combat knife was!

After losing the bite sleeve, the Black Fang hastily returned, slashing at the throat with a backhanded Ripping Claw. And since the muzzle was stuffed with the steel arm guard, Carl had ample time to draw the backup weapon with his liberated right. What came after …

… was epic!

The moment the boss disgorged the piece of equipment and set its sights on Carl once more, the hero delivered a full-powered Vicious Hook to the base of its skull in an upward motion, his face mere centimeters from the huge fangs and incisors shooting for his exposed head. The concussive force of the blow alone was enough to throw his feral enemy off, but the blade made it irrelevant, sealing its fate on the spot.

The prowlers were already lunging at Carl, so he had no opportunity to recover the sleeve – which he didn't even want to do.

Dual-wielding was too awesome!

The scuffle with Blood Brothers reminded him of just how much he missed it. He adjusted Last Hurrah and slowed down his swings with the mighty dagger so as not to lose grip on it. This hampered the buildup of momentum, but the 50 mana would not go to waste, because it boosted the self-sharpening forcefields of Ripping Claw and Vicious Hook as well.

“I really need another knuckle dagger. I have Beatific Restoration and excellent healers, so why should I care? No, this is the way to fight!”

And the dance of death began …

…

“Crabs?!” Ingolf spat out with puzzlement.

“Ugh, I hate those …” Lissome Shot complained.

“Don't be so quick to reject this suggestion, Liss.” Fleeting Time smiled. “Carl has big plans for you, and I think I know what he's aiming at.”

“Huh? You mean … just me?”

“You're a professional archer, and your skill translates beautifully into the game. With his money, he can just give you top-shelf magical arrows and take you on various conquests.”

“Woah! Cuz, you're so lucky!” Merciful Breeze cheered.

“Haha, no need to envy her, Mercy. He also wants you to expand your repertoire with offensive spells and do your best. If you can contribute enough, then you'll both rest at the temple and continuously use mana potions.”

“What?!” Ingolf blurted out.

“Aww, but neither of us has Mana Conduit …”

“And he mentioned proper tracking lessons for Liss, too,” the cleric added.

“Yes!” the girl rejoiced.

“Hey, what about us?” her father demanded heatedly.

“This … err …” Fleeting Time awkwardly laughed …

…

“Well, there goes this brilliant idea.” Carl grieved.

He had totally overreached, thinking himself invulnerable to the petty prowlers, and he suffered for it. But it wasn't ineptitude that held him back – it was his abysmal agility attribute. Whether he liked it or not, he had to stick to bite sleeves for the time being.

“Right, advanced instructors and premium resources! When will I find the time, though? After all, I'd have to combine it with sleeping at the arena for optimal gains … gah!”

…

Rank 4 giant red crab habitat.

Nestled into a coastal indentation, this subtropical brackish lagoon was a paradise on earth, home to diverse fish, reptiles, birds, mollusks and crustaceans. It was a place worth visiting merely for its delightful ambience.

Despite simplifying animal dimorphism and growth for playability's sake, Immortal Frontier didn't neglect other species in the instanced dungeons, filling them with vibrant life forming a cohesive food chain. Thus, one could find plenty of game in a wolves' den for example, as well as nutritious or medicinal plants, and natural materials like wood, fibers or stones, only those were practically worthless to hardcore hunters, requiring far too much labor to cash in, on top of a skill set they didn't possess. Of course, the higher the rank of the dungeon, the more favorable the resource distribution would be, introducing extra value one could obtain from rare finds.

Crustaceans and mollusks were some of the safest choices for gatherers, specifically for trappers. They had it much better than herbalists in the tutorial, because the forests infested with fast and stealthy predators weren't as forgiving. Giant crabs, on the other hand, were neither of that – evading them was a piece of cake. This, coupled with the mesmerizing environment, made the giant crab habitats – particularly those of rank 5 and 4 – the most popular grinding venue for casual players.

Harvesting mussels, clams and oysters was guaranteed profit, and there was even a tiny chance to extract pearls from them, which sold for 50 silver to 1 gold on average. One could also encounter small crabs there, and those were often treated as delicacies by the local cuisine, with an appropriate price tag. A skilled trapper, well-versed in the market demand and employing a bunch of dependable lackeys to run the supply lines, could comfortably earn as much as a first-rate black wolf hunter.

“Ugh, it's gonna be hard without poison …” Lissome Shot noticed after sending an arrow.

The giant red crabs, weighing 50-100 kg, were 100% shell, with protruding eye stalks and an armored mouth that just didn't want to open during combat. Still, it was the weakest point, so that's where the elven ranger aimed. The most handy way to kill them, apart from piercing them from underneath, which was easier said than done, was exactly as she stated – poison. This, unfortunately, was a no-go.

These critters weren't skinned, rather picked, or more precisely – dismembered. They could even be looted without the Picking skill, although this would diminish the results. All it took was to break off the massive claws, which had the most meat in them, as well as the thin legs, which were often disregarded due to a worse value-to-weight ratio, and bring them to a terminal. Another option was to haul the crab's entire body, but that was just counterproductive, as the thorax held a measly bounty. Furthermore, since there was no extermination quests for them, unspoiled meat was their sole prize, which barred the usage of all poison. No matter if it was the digestible kind that only worked after injecting it into the bloodstream, the system would infallibly label it inedible.

“I hope Mercy learns something powerful, because look at this! The mouth is so sharply angled, my Piercing Shot will chip the carapace at best and get deflected at worst if I don't land it perfectly! What am I supposed to do, bring my bow down to the ground horizontally and wait for them to come even closer? Hell no!”

“Don't fret, Liss. Carl is bankrolling us, so I told her to go for the most formidable spell available. She'll take at least an hour, but once she's back, she'll help you breeze through them, hehe. For now focus on your technique,” Fleeting Time advised.

“Need a hand, Di?” the disgruntled Ingolf offered. He didn't like being designated a pack mule for the heavy claws at all. While the young women did the killing, the men were supposed to run back and forth with the spoils and supplies? How was that fair?!

“I mean … if you could lift it somehow to give me a clear shot? That would be awesome. Maybe … stand behind it so it doesn't pinch you, grab the shell and pull backwards until its vertical?”

“I don't know, Di … those nippers have quite the range of motion … and if they can even crush a metal shield …”

“Oh don't be such a wuss, dad! Just do it!”

The dwarf scratched his head abashedly.

“Peter? Can you distract it with your grandpa?”

“Sure.”

Having previously discarded all his armaments, Ingolf circled around the alpha which resolutely chased after its initial assailant, carelessly leaving the safety of its pack.

This was the go-to way of team-hunting giant crabs – separate them from the rest, tackle both their claws, flip them on their back, then use a spike like the one of a pick axe or a war hammer to pierce the abdomen. It was a lot of work, requiring at least 3 players per crab, the bounty being so heavy one could at most loot a few of them before they had to return and unload, so the other 3 had to do the running. And the meat was so ordinary that it paid no differently than wolves, whose pelts were ten times lighter.

Understandably, this was usually done without any protective gear for efficiency's sake. Thus, one could not afford any mistakes.

“Gotcha, haha!”

“Dad, keep it steady for crying out loud!”

“Just shoot already! It's going to nab me! Aaargh!”

With a 'thwish' and a 'whoosh' the elven archer let loose an empowered arrow from a range so close, that landing squarely where she wanted posed no issue in spite of the wriggling target.

“Whoa! Whoa!” Ingolf exclaimed in distress. “That went through and almost poked me!”

“Huh, go figure. It's easy as pie from this angle,” Lissome Shot commented with satisfaction. “Good, we'll be doing that from now on. And you have nothing to worry about, dad, with this much fat on your belly you'll be fine.”

“Hey, this isn't fat, it's all muscle! Dammit, I need armor!”

“Don't be such a crybaby! Let's go lure another one. Oak, you'll be lugging the parts, and grandpa, you'll be distracting,” the girl bossed around with a smirk of contentment.

“Look at you, Di. Don't let this haughtiness be your downfall,” her father chastised.

“Less talk, more action!” she rebuked.

“Don't listen to her, Peter. Let the NPC carry them.”

“Dad! How many times do I have to tell you they don't like this term?! They're called locals, or natives!”

“Okay, okay, sorry. What was is, Philippe?”

“Phileas, Sir Ingolf.”

“Right, Phil. You're up first. And you better not cheat us!”

“Dad, you oaf, leave him be! He's one of Carl's wards, only here to train Picking! Now get to work, I want to lure this giant robber crab in the distance, so open up a path for me.”

“Slow down, Di, one at a time!”

In this way they continued to frolic, gradually increasing the tempo of slaying, so much so that the others couldn't keep up with their respective jobs, the bustling dwarf and elf duo soon leaving a trail of extinction in their wake. It wasn't long before Fleeting Time realized Carl's goal, marveling at his sagacity – there was no avoiding detection on the sandy lagoon, which had few trees and rocky hills, and the crab burrows were so large one could quickly find all those in hiding and clear the dungeon after making a single sweeping lap around it. Then, all they needed to do was to start a new run …

… while leaving behind trustworthy NPCs to wrap up the looting!