For the sake of his family, Ren embarked on the popular VRMMORPG, COVENANT, that used real-time in-game currency. But being a mediocre player who only knows how to gather information, he was put in a supporting role.

As the game explodes in popularity and every multibillion-dollar company invested in the game, things have turned for the worse for Ren. Due to the amount of information he gathered, the cheats, secrets, quests, and bugs he discovered, he was silent in fear of selling the information to the other guilds.

But given a second chance, he went back in time when his father was still alive and COVENANT was just in its starting phase.

This time . . . he wouldn't be that guy on the side who gathered information from day in and day out for ten years.

Equipped with the games knowledge he accumulated, he will become . . . an Alchemist!

Chrono Mage? Djin Master? Summoner? Necromancer?

Chaos Lord?

What good are those?

Sure they're powerful and rare classes and sought after by guilds, but it's the alchemist who forged artifacts and concocts rare items and potions that gets the most coins at the end of the day!

It was better than being a blacksmith or a crafter! Plus, he could use all sorts of magic without limit to race and class!

It was the ultimate class! And no one even knows it!


Read MMORPG: Rebirth as an Alchemist - 1 Ren online free - Novelfull

"Re . . . n . . ."

"Ren!"

Ren blinked, and his eyes zeroed on his father.

"Did you hear what I said?"

Ren was definitely dreaming. One moment, men were chasing him, and the next thing he knew, he was jumping off a building.

And when he blinked, he was facing his father, who was supposed to be dead.

"Stop daydreaming." Troy then looked at his wife, Helen. "He is always like this. His head is always in the clouds."

Helen rubbed her husband's hands and forced a smile before she faced her son. "Ren, dear. Your father is asking you where you want to go to college."

Ren gasped at the sight of her mom, who was supposed to be suffering from stroke and bedridden when his father died.

If this was heaven, then he was glad that he jumped off that building!

Ren's eyes watered, and he choked, "M-mom . . ."

"Ren, what's wrong?" Helen was worried when her son suddenly started crying out of nowhere. She then cut Troy a sharp glare.

Troy was taken aback. He was just asking his son where to go to college. Did Ren didn't want to go to college that much? Enough to make him cry?

"Ren, there's no pressure. You can go to college anytime you want. Think it through," Helen consoled and rubbed Ren's back while squeezing her son's hand.

Ren lowered his face and gritted his teeth. As much as he wanted to stop the tears, they just kept coming and coming. The feeling of her mother's warmth spread to his back, and the pressure from her hands released all frustrations he had. He buckled and wept his hearts out.

It had been so long since the last time he saw them. So long.

Troy didn't know where to put his eyes. He was never good at consoling, nor was he a man of comfort. He cleared his throat and said, "Well . . . you still have a month to decide. I just want to let you know that your mother and I have already saved some money for your college, so you don't have to worry if you want to enter that famous university you always spoke about."

Ren's shoulders shook. How could he stop crying now that his father said the exact same words years ago?

Four hundred dollars. That was his father's pay per month as a janitor while doing multiple jobs at the side. In comparison, his mother was a housewife doing buy and sell in her free time.

With a family of three, bills alone were about a hundred dollars per month. The house rent was another hundred. Not to mention the food and other expenses.

And yet, they still manage to scrape his hundred thousand dollar university tuition, and Ren knew how exactly they did it. While he was eating fried eggs and chicken, his parents often ate rice with soy sauce after he went to bed. And who knew what elsewhere they were doing to save money behind his back.

Mom . . . Dad . . .

If he really was back in time then . . .

—-

Later that night, due to Ren's incapacity to hold a proper conversation, the rare dinner where his mother and father were present was cut short. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

Ren's eyes were red and sore as he laid on his mattress and watched his ceiling in a daze while the ceiling fan twirled in a buzzing sound.

He was back . . .

He was really back in time.

Ren pinched himself and found the sting delightful.

Closing his eyes, he grinned and fisted his fingers. He didn't care why or how he turned back in the past, but this time, he would change everything!

Ren got up and scrambled to get his outdated smartphone. The year was 4XoX, and in just a few days, the hit VRMMORPG COVENANT would be released.

Skimming through his memory in the past, he didn't enter the game when it was the first release. He entered it when it became popular and at the time when his father died due to pneumonia from working so hard even when he should be retired while his mother was bedridden from the stroke of the sudden death of his father.

He stopped college and entered the game because he needed the money to help his mother at that time. COVENANT used real-time in-game currency, and most players instantly became a millionaire overnight.

But since he was mediocre at best, he was mostly put in a supporting role.

It would change this time!

Ren thought of a plan. He would enter the game in its first release! He'll apply for a college loan while he'll use his parent's money to buy the game pod.

After the game boomed, it would start to make updates and use in-game currency after a few months due to flocks of investors. Ren was confident that he'd already accumulated thousands of dollars by that time, so paying his loan would be a piece of cake.

Though he didn't really want to go to college like what he felt in the past, he wanted to make his parents happy since they both didn't even finish high school.

But first, for his parents to give him the money and play the game undisrupted, he needed to move out. And the perfect excuse for that was by moving near Fate Academy.

Fate Academy is one of the top universities in Zone A. On Earth, the countries were now segregated based on world status. Zone A was the wealthiest country and mostly were billionaires resides while Zone B was for the middle class and Zone C was for the poor who rented on government lands.

Meanwhile, the infrastructures and commercial establishments were segregated in these zones to make jobs accessible and easier for the people. But the main reason was so the people would disperse and wouldn't congregate on a single spot.

They were currently in Zone C, and it was a day by plane from Zone A, where Fate Academy was located.

Ren's eyes twinkled. First things first, he had to get that game pod, and all would start from there.

—-

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After two days.

"Are you sure that you're going to be alright by yourself?" Helen didn't know what to do when Ren suddenly said that he wanted to move out to live closer to Fate Academy.

She and Troy somehow expected it but coming from their son's mouth was a different thing entirely. She cried that night after hearing the news. Ren was with them in his nineteen years, and now, he would live alone. She was both proud, happy, and sad at the same time.

Ren nodded. "It's easier for me," he said as he packed his clothes while being aware of his mother's burning gaze on his back.

"Does it really have to be a university in Zone A? And why so sudden? Classes wouldn't open until two months."

"Helen," Troy reprimanded his wife. "We already discus this and said that we will support Ren's decision. And besides, graduates in the universities in Zone A have a much higher chance of being accepted in big companies."

"Dad's right, mom." Ren zipped his bag and faced his parents.

When did his parents look old? Why did he only notice now the flocks of grey hairs and wrinkly skin? The hunches of their backs and the difficulty of their breathing.

Ren blinked away the tears in his eyes and forced a smile. He wasn't emotional, and most even said that he was unsympathetic and cold. But anyone would shed tears at the sight of their parents getting old and weak.

"I have to go to Zone A as early as possible to find a dorm and to apply to Fate Academy." Ren flung his bag over his shoulder. "I'll call every day."

Helen pressed her lips and didn't say any more while Troy patted his son's shoulder. "I've wired the money into your account. Don't spend it all and be careful in the big city."

"Don't go out partying all night. Avoid bad crowds and eat healthy foods, exercise, and study hard so you can get a decent job after you graduate, buy a house and marry a kind girl," Helen chimed in.

Ren smiled. "I will."

Though he doubted about the marrying part, he was sure as hell would buy them a house. Not just a house, a mansion in one of Zone A's most prestigious neighborhoods with top-notch security and views. And his parents would live like King and Queens surrounded by servants.

It was his promise to himself, and he would fulfill it this time, no matter what.

—-

Upon reaching Zone A, Ren was instantly hit with the sight of flying cars, train pods in the sky, towering buildings that projected 3d images, and fresh air that was made possible by multiple filters from every establishment.

The scenery was very different compared to zone C, where it took in the architecture of the old. Everything in Zone A looked new and futuristic.

Ren walked out of the airport and rode a bus to his destination. He was familiar with every zones because of his past life. And out of habit, every time he rode a vehicle, he took the window seat and stared down at the sights below. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

Roads for public transportation were now weaving the skyline while the ground took space for landscapes, bicycles, and other forms of non-vehicle transport. The people looked like ants from above as they went about their daily activities, and the sight of the open spaces, fountains, plants, and trees was breathtaking as always.

After his stop, he proceeded into an all-male dorm called Ravens near Fate Academy. It was also the same dorm he used in the past. It was the cheapest dorm out of the many dormitories and apartments near the Academy.

Upon completing the papers and checking in, Ren fixed his things and called his parents before he took a bath and finally had the chance to rest on his bed.

Dorms and apartments in Zone A were high class. The one he was staying in was a wide ten by ten-meter space complete with a foyer, toilet and bath, a mini kitchen, a single bed, a student desk, a filter, and an air conditioner.

But of course, the price per month reached from five hundred to ten thousand dollars depending on the quality of the room.

In the past, aside from his school workloads, he had to juggle multiple jobs to pay the rent and his living expenses.

Ren chose the cheapest dorm, like where he was staying in the past. He had no use for carpeted floors, granite walls, leather sofas, chandeliers, and Jacuzzis anyway. He had lived with a faucet and a cup and a ceiling fan his whole life. So he could get by without the luxury.

He closed his eyes.

He'd apply for a student loan in Fate Academy and process all the paperwork tomorrow. Once he confirms his enrollment, he'll immediately buy the gaming pod in the city.

It was of the utmost importance that he was among the players who made it in the first opening of the game COVENANT.

Exactly seven months from now, due to the popular game, private establishments, millionaires and billionaires would invest in guilds, and these guilds needed a base of operations.

Their tiny plot of lands that they were renting from the government would be sold to these uprising of mass construction.

Because of the in flock of rising demands on lands, the rent skyrocketed, and his parents were left with no choice but to live in the slums with a makeshift house from scraps of wood and discarded metal sheets to save money just so he could live in comfort in Zone A.

It was also the time when his father's health deteriorated because the house couldn't even protect them from the rain and cold.

A blazing desire hit Ren's stomach, driving him to achieve his goal faster.

Knock!

Knock!

Ren opened his eyes and groaned. He thinks he knew who was at his door at six in the evening.

"Ren!"

Ren took a deep breath and calmed his nerves as he opened the door. A boy his age with semi bald brown hair and muddy colored skin was grinning at him from ear to ear.

But Ren knew that behind his smile hid an opportunistic character.

"Roni." The son of Ren's neighborhood.

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Ren and Roni were having their dinner in a restaurant inside a luxury mall. Ren didn't really want to go, but since he was hungry and it looked like that Roni wasn't going to leave his front door if he didn't come to dinner with him, he agreed.

Ren wanted to eat on his favorite kebab near Fate Academy. It was a small stall on the side of the street, and they had the best hot pot in the country.

This luxury mall was Roni's favorite hang-out place together with his rich friends in the future.

Ren didn't like the food in here. Though it was indeed delicious, the price tag was too expensive, plastered on a fancy, hard-to-read name. But it was just a regular burger served in colorful dishes and seasonings that he could get in a regular burger joint.

"Man. I couldn't believe that you also entered Fate Academy! And the soonest I heard from my mom that you're staying in Raven's dorm, I know I just had to go see you! It has to be fate since I'm also staying there!"

"Mm . . ." Ren munched his burger as an excuse not to engage in their conversation.

As Roni was talking, Ren seized the guy's information from his memory. Roni came early to Zone A than him, and he was from another class.

They were just neighbors who had the same poor background. They weren't even close. Roni's mother would often brag about him to their neighbors and Ren's mother. Saying that her son was a genius and was going to an Academy in Zone A.

In truth, it was because of Roni's aunt and uncles who helped that was why he could afford to go to college in Zone A.

But Roni hated his low-income family and often lied about his upbringing from their fellow schoolmates.

When the mass construction took place, both their families were forced to evacuate. Roni and his parents were safe because their relatives took them in.

But for Ren's parents . . . they weren't so lucky.

They didn't have any relatives who were willing to take in another mouth to feed.

And to make matters worse, due to Ren's looks, which he took up from his mother of mixed descent, he was popular with the ladies, which got Roni and some men jealous.

And maybe due to that or what started out with a harmless prank, Roni spread rumors that Ren's parents lived in the slums. Since then, everyone started calling Ren a rat while the ladies avoided him like the plague.

What was so good about looks without money and power?

Ren didn't mind Roni and the others, though. He even forgets about Roni in the past years. However, he was devastated by the news that his parents were indeed living in the slums.

But this time . . .

Ren looked over at Roni. He would make sure that he'll collect the debt with interest.

Ren's school life was a living hell because of the rumors he spread. No one wanted to be associated with him, and everyone looked down upon him just because he was poor.

"I'm sorry that you have to pay, man." Roni wiped the sauce from his lips and grinned. "I was too excited to finally have someone I know here that I forgot my wallet in my room. I promised to pay you back."

Oh, you will, alright, Ren mused to himself. "Don't worry about it."

"By the way. There's a popular game coming, and I heard they used virtual reality like you're really inside the world as a character!"

"Covenant," Ren replied and offered no ongoing conversation. He was blatant about his dislike for Roni, but the guy couldn't take the hint.

Ren couldn't blame him. Roni was indeed thick-skinned. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

"Yes! That's the one! Man, I really wanted to play it."

Roni entered the game early than Ren. Even without money, Roni used his flattering and leech-like skills to get to the good side of his rich classmates until someone actually gave him an old game pod.

While Ren couldn't even afford one in the past. Not even when he graduated. He had to register in a guild before he was lent one.

"Man . . . rich kids have it easy, huh." Roni was thick with envy as he eyed the passing teenagers in their designer clothes and latest gadgets.

"If I'm rich, I'm going to buy a mansion and surround myself with beautiful maids!" Roni laughed and looked at Ren. "What about you?"

Ren thought for a second. He didn't want to entertain Roni, but his mind was still geared to his parents. "I just want to give my parents a good life."

Roni's expression dropped. "You're really a filial kid."

He then leaned on his chair and spat with pouting lips, "I mean, what good are my parents? They can't even give me a good life. But they still had the guts to reproduce like there was no tomorrow. Do you know how many annoying siblings I have? I'm glad I'm out from that hell hole."

Ren didn't comment. He was an only child. His mother had a miscarriage, and his little sister was gone before she was even born. The accident left damage to his mother's body, and she never got pregnant after that.

"Hey, look at that! That girl is a beauty." Roni's eyes shone at the sight of a beautiful girl with long blonde hair and striking blue eyes complete with an alluring frame.

She was donned in the finest designer's dress that showcased her ample breasts and long snow-white shapely legs. Her skin was adorned with the latest Bijoux jewelry, the most expensive jewelry brand in the whole world. Owning a set of this jewelry was a staple for the rich. You wouldn't belong in their circle if you didn't have one in your collection.

And her bag and boots were custom made in the most expensive leather. She was accompanied by her bodyguards in finely dress suits and ties, carrying loads of paper bags in their hands.

Ren was surprised because it was Silvia, the daughter of a tycoon in this country. She was also the guild leader of Golden Phoenix and a top beauty in the game. Though her guild was mediocre at best, she had access to rare items, tomes, and secret information due to her parent's money, placing her group in the top guilds in COVENANT.

Roni sighed in disappointment. "Guys like us could only look at those rich, beautiful girls from afar. They would never look our way."

It was true. Ren never even meet Silvia in his entire existence in the past, and they even attend the same school! Funny how he got to see her in person now. Though it was from afar.

Every eye looked her way, and even in real life, Silvia attracted attention by simply standing and breathing.

In the past, many top players were wooing her and even leaders of top guilds. But Silvia remained indifferent to them all. She only used them to strengthen her guild's position further.

Not that Ren was ridiculing her. He indeed admired her, for she was using everything in her resources to reach the top. She was competitive and goal-driven, which also contributed to why the Golden Phoenix position remained unshakable even if it was an all-female guild.

Ren drank his coffee. He had a few crushes in the past, but because he was always busy with school and work, he didn't have time to insert a woman into his life.

Though there was an exception, but Ren didn't consider her as a girlfriend because she was just using him for information, and because of that, he was kicked from his first guild.

Ren sighed. Why was his past life so miserable? And why did he let himself be surrounded by opportunistic people?

Ren himself didn't know. Maybe because he was naïve and didn't have many friends due to his lifestyle?

Ren's eyes flashed with determination. This time, he'd be more careful whom to trust. He wouldn't have a problem with that department now that he knew most people's colors both in-game and out.

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After days of processing his papers and finalizing his enrolment, Ren finally bought the gaming pod for COVENANT. It was the cheapest version, unlike those deluxe gaming pods like the Pros and rich people bought with custom design and high-quality materials. But it would have to do.

After finalizing the payment, the store delivered it to his dorm, and Ren shuffled one foot and another as he watched the staff set up his pod. The game would officially start tonight, just in time that his gaming pod arrived.

He didn't have to worry about sleep because the game operated when a person was asleep. Time in the game was different in the real world. One day in-game was equivalent to an hour in the real world to accommodate the many features and adventures in the world of COVENANT.

Ren sprawled his fingers on the sleek design of the pod. Once inside, it induces a sleeping agent, and you could even set a timer if you want to wake up. It was safe, and Ren didn't know any pod issues causing death in the past like the conservative older people proclaimed.

Even after the installers left his room, Ren stared blankly at his pod.

It was his very own pod.

His own . . .

Ren chuckled.

It was the first expensive item he bought for himself, and he promised that it wouldn't be the last.

Money couldn't bring true happiness, they said. And they were right, but Ren still preferred to cry inside his Bugatti than in the streets.

He used to think that working hard and playing fair would lead to success in the past.

Wrong!

It was a joke to keep the likes of the poor while the rich used any means and resources to reach the top with lesser to no effort.

To reach the pinnacle of success, Ren would cheat and play dirty using his past knowledge, and no one would stop him from attaining riches and changing his life for the better.

He was not asking for fame. What he wanted was money. After all, the world revolves around that piece of paper.

After taking a bath and eating dinner, Ren waited for the clock to strike eight in the evening. His heart thudded with each tick and tock.

The developer of the game was kept secret for the assurance of fairness. So the big folks couldn't bribe them and influence the game. But they were shrewd as fuck. They only advertised the game but never announced the exact date of its opening, and everyone was caught by surprise one morning when all people talked about was COVENANT.

Because of it, only a few players logged in the first opening and achieved many first bloods and godlike characters later.

"Yosh."

Ren laid inside the gaming pod and closed its glass door. Fingers shaking, he pressed his palm on the glass, and a hologram screen appeared before him with a robotic voice of a woman filling the space.

Welcome Player Ren, do you want to enter the word of COVENANT?

YES

NO

The interface was simple at the moment, but in the later version, you could even change the robotic voice of some of the voices of your favorite artist, singer, or voice actors.

Ren pressed yes, and a cloud of white scented smoke filled the cabin. It was cool and minty, and Ren was lulled into sleep within seconds.

. . .

. . .

Downloading . . . 70% . . . 90% . . . 100%

Welcome to COVENANT!

When Ren's consciousness was back, he found himself in a white room with only a large screen and a hologram of himself in front of him.

Everyone was given options to change the color of their hair and eyes as well as add some props depending on their chosen race. But they could never alter their appearance.

COVENANT wanted to retain the facial features of its players to enhance the feel of living in its world like you're just living in the real world. This also prevented players from doing anything since their real face was exposed.

Looks weren't important in the game. You could be like a monster for all to care. As long as you were a top player, everybody would want you, including the women.

Though the game would have many pieces of equipment to hide your appearance if you really wanted to remain unanimous to everyone.

And after a month in the game where towns became accessible, you could change your hair, skin, eye colors and add some props in parlors and shops. This mostly catered for the female players.

Ren wiggled his fingers and pinched his cheek. Everything was working like he was just in his real body on earth. The only thing that changed was the intensity of pain. It was set to ten percent to avoid overloading the brain.

Please choose your race

Human

Elf

Sprite

Dwarf

Beast

Orc

They were the primary race, and the guidebook only explained the bare minimum of it. But Ren knew that they were hidden races in the latter part of the game, and depending on your race, you could unlock rare or world quests.

He remembered a popular thread before that many players regretted that they didn't put any consideration about their race. They could have access to rare quests or even rarer races if they did. Some even recreated their account.

"Hmm . . . Let's see . . ." Once you chose your race, that was it. You were set for life.

In COVENANT, there was no changing your race or creating multiple accounts. The pod was like a scanner and knew even your blood type and DNA. That was why it was impossible to create another account using the same body.

All you could do was delete your account and make a new one. But all your hard-earned items and gils would be deleted, and you were back to the newbie village. Many players did this option in the past, all to acquire rare races and quests in the mid and later games.

That was also one of the reasons why many players lamented when they didn't put any special consideration about their race. But since the developers were shrewd as fact, they didn't put much information on the guidebook or their website. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

Ren recalled that the humans were balanced in terms of attributes. Elves excelled in speed and stealth. Beasts and Orcs had the most strength in the early game. Dwarves have the most defense, while Sprites have the most magic damage and MP.

The race that had the most quests were the humans. Ren didn't know if the developers decided it like so as an honor to humanity. But he chose the Sprite race, and he watched as his ears turned pointy while his skin glowed like the luminous moon.

Do you want to add wings?

YES

NO

Hell no!

Who would want that? Ren thought and shook his head. He skipped the props like wings, horns, and other stuff. The pointy ears and glowing skin were enough.

Sprites had the weakest defense in the early game but had the strongest magic power and MP. This race also offered the fewest class options. Typically, most females chose this race because of their pretty appearance and the many props that accompanied it, but Ren didn't choose it for those reasons.

He chose it because of the next question.

Please choose your Class

Mage

Ren smirked.

He chose this race precisely because of the Mage class that was only exclusive to the Sprite Race.

In COVENANT, classes were restricted by race. Like the Human race, the only Class available was the Swordsman and thief.

Elves only had the archer class.

Sprites had the mage class.

Dwarves had the guard class.

Beasts had the animist and monk class.

Orcs had the brute Class.

But of course, some of these classes were further categorized into subclasses.

Please chose a subclass

Dark Mage

White Mage

Green Mage

Blue Mage

Red Mage

Cancel

Ren pressed cancel.

WARNING! Once canceled, the subclasses wouldn't be available again.

Are you sure you want to Cancel?

YES

NO

Ren pressed a decisive YES then the screen returned to normal.

There was a reason why he didn't choose a subclass. That was because he was aiming for the hidden Mage sub-class later.

Since the developers were shrewd as fuck and didn't tell anyone about this information, everyone chose a subclass at the start. Almost all of the players lamented in the mid and later game when they found out that you could only have access to some of the rarer subclasses if you didn't choose a subclass in the first place.

These prompt some of the players to recreate their accounts.

These rare subclasses could only be triggered if you didn't choose a subclass at the start and you talked to the right NPCs in the game. They were usually in the form of a hidden quest.

Time Mage, Necro Mage, Arcanist, and Seer were all hidden rare subclasses belonging to the Mage.

Ren was aiming for the Alchemist, the final evolved Class of an Arcanist. So he needed to become an Arcanist first.

Recalling the information of an Arcanist, it was unremarkable. It used spell books and scrolls as a means to attack and defend. Unlike the other mage sub-class where you could evolve into a Chrono Mage or later have the chance to be an Elementalist, Summoner, or Necromancer, the Arcanist only evolves to a Scholar.

Also, most of its skills and spells were useless and hard to level up. It was the reason why not many chose it as a class. But what the majority didn't know, the Arcanist skill was among the OP (overpowered) in the game. It allows you to use any spell/skill books and scrolls without the restriction of Race and Class, though for only more than half of its power and for a certain amount of time.

But it was still considered an OP skill. Imagine casting spells that only a blue mage could do or even summon a beast exclusive to the summoner's Class.

And if you evolve it into a Scholar, its passive allows you to identify every item in the game that was otherwise marked as (?). You wouldn't also be cheated because of counterfeit and faked items when doing business which became a trend when the in-game currency was introduced.

And since Ren's goal was to accumulate money, it was the perfect Class for him!

It might not sound remarkable, but it was the only prerequisite to becoming an Alchemist! The hidden and final Class of an Arcanist.

Ren didn't know of anyone who achieved the title of an Alchemist in his past life. But there were NPC's who have that hidden Class, and the items and equipment they crafted were god-tier or even legendary artifacts!

What's more, an Alchemist could produce anything with the right materials and tools! Be it weapons, armors, accessories, or potions! And Ren could sell or auction it for a high price!

It was indeed the perfect Class for him!

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After choosing his race and class, Ren looked at his information again, ensuring that nothing was wrong and everything was perfect.

He had black hair and silver eyes, pale skin, and pointy ears in this world. Nothing much changed from his actual appearance except the luminosity of his skin and his pointed ears.

He wasn't worried if someone noticed him since it was still the beginning of the game. Also, the game had its own countermeasures to protect the privacy of its players in real life.

In COVENANT, every avatar is unique because they're an exact copy of you. However, you could still hide your appearance by equipping certain armors and accessories.

Once you set your avatar, you could no longer alter its face and body in the future except for the hair, eyes, skin, and adding some props like wings and horns, which would become accessible once towns were open.

In the beginning, everything was set in the newbie village and beginner's forest, grinding until your ATP (attributes) reached the specific amount to enter towns.

Dungeons, bosses, some quests, and most towns required specific ATP as well as equipping armors and weapons.

Ren then happily pressed his player status.

‖ S T A TU S ‖

Name: Ren

Age: 19

Race: Sprite

Class: Mage (?)

Eye Color: Silver

Hair Color: Black

Attributes:

HP (Health Points): 40

MP (Mana Points): 70

STR (Strength): 2

DEF (Defence): 2

MDF (Magical Defence): 2

INT (Intelligent): 10

AGL (Agility): 2

LCK (Luck): 4

Skills:

(None)

Spells:

Heal Lv.1

Life Skills

Cooking: Beginner

Fishing: Beginner

Foraging: 5Beginner

EXP (Experience points): 0 1000 BONUS

Money: 0 100 gil BONUS

Items:

Newbie Garbs

COVENANT's map

‖ E N D ‖

Since he didn't choose a subclass, he didn't get the additional bonus ATP points and the skill and spells associated with that subclass.

The default HEAL spell was common to all mages and other class as well. It was a generic basic spell to aid everyone at the start of the game.

Classes could be evolved when specific attributes were met. Aside from that, there were also hidden classes and races.

ATP could all be leveled up using EXP. HP and MP could have an additional 5 for 100 EXP while the rest would increase 1 in exchange for 100 EXP.

While skills, spells, and life skills could only be increased through the amount of using the said skill.

Skills had the maximum LV. 10 before they could evolve to a much-advanced version of the spell. In contrast, life skills have the category of Beginner, Intermediate, Master, and Grandmaster. The life skill category determined whether your cooking would be a success or pig's food. It dictates the quality and rarity of the fish you catch when you fish and dictate the amount of materials you gather when you're foraging.

There were also hidden life skills later in the game, but those were the basics.

Aside from the usual common skills and spells that could be bought from any shop, there were also rare and hidden skills and spells from missions and drop items. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

But of course, the chances of dropping these rare items was only four percent of probability. However, if your luck were high, the percentage would also increase.

There were no restrictions to your ATP, so there was no limit even if your ATP reached thousands. Pro players and god-like characters have this much attributes later in the game. But of course, the more you advance, the lesser the EXP you gain, except maybe if you encounter bosses.

Ren didn't waste time and immediately distributed his 1000 EXP to his ATP.

‖ A T T R I B U T E S ‖

HP 45

MP 75

STR 2

DEF 5

MDF 4

INT 11

AGL 3

LCK 5

‖ E N D ‖

STR was useless with his race and class, so Ren didn't bother with it. He would rather allocate his EXP to DEF, MDF, INT, and LCK.

The common mistake that most players made was, they wanted everything to be balanced and wanted every of their ATP to increase without considering their class. This mistake caused their character to fall behind from the others.

A mage couldn't wield weapons since most of it has Class restrictions, so it was impossible to use them as a means of physical attack. At the same time, Mage's spells and skills heavily rely on mana and magic. They didn't have spells and skills that use physical attacks, so STR was really useless to level in a Mage.

Likewise, if you have a Class that heavily focuses on physical attacks, then INT was useless to level up.

EXP was generous in the early game since your ATP was low. But in the mid and later part, EXP was so scarce that only Dungeon raids, PVP (players versus players) battles, Rare Quests, and Boss fights gave enough EXP to level up your ATP.

Equip with that knowledge. Ren must allocate his EXP to ATP's that would greatly benefit him from the start. Hence, he couldn't afford to even waste a single EXP to ATP's that he wouldn't use. His STR could stay at (2) for all he cared as long as his INT and DEF's reached thousands.

Satisfied, he looked at his skills and spells.

‖ S K I L L S ‖

(None)

‖ E N D ‖

‖ S P E L L S ‖

Heal LV.1

–– cost 5 MP

–– single target

–– 10% replenish HP

–– 1 Min. cool down

‖ E N D ‖

Ren almost forgot how mediocre the stats were at the beginning of the game. In a fast phase fight, a minute cooldown was disastrous. The penalty was EXP if you died and you'd respawn in the nearest village or town or a save crystal that was usually present near dungeons. And there was no save in a boss fight.

To make matters worse, if your EXP reached O and you keep dying, your hard-earned ATP would go down in exchange for your EXP.

There were even players whose characters ATP's all reached zero. Needless to say, they quit the game.

Such was the shrewdness of the developers.

And thus, many players opted to buy potions to make sure that their HP and MP remained at optimum during unexpected encounters.

It would be disastrous if you accidentally encountered a rare beast and your HP was low. Just imagining the rare items from that loot turned to dust just because you didn't bring any potion sent a shudder in Ren's spine.

More than once, it happened to him when he was still new to the game. And no matter how many times he triggered that encounter again, it never came. The rare items that came from that rare beast were gone.

Such was the life in the world of COVENANT.

Ren looked at his empty skill and shrugged the matter off. He didn't have any skill or spells to attack his enemies at this point in time.

Ren wasn't worried, though. In the early game, PVP wasn't introduced yet. It'll come later when the guild features open in the game, so he didn't have to rush to acquire and level up his skills and spells. He could just buy a basic spellbook in the newbie village later in preparation for the upcoming quests.

He needed to complete first blood, acquire rare items, and raise his attribute points. And besides, he already had something planned to compensate for his lack of combat ability.

—-

A/N

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Ren opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was a flash of vertical lights before he found himself inside a newbie village.

There was only him in the current village he was brought in since only hundreds knew the exact time of COVENANT's opening, and the other players were mostly distributed across hundreds of newbie villages as well. And by this time, everyone was still entangled by those damn races and classes.

Even though there was an endless stream of promotions about the game, there was little to no information about races and classes as well as spells and skills.

Crucial information was shrouded in mysteries like the developer's dark, twisted hearts.

The game's name was COVENANT because the developers intended the game to be guild and multi-players driven. But the world in this game is called ARCADIA, a paradise for players.

Ren glided his fingers on thin air, and a hologram screen appeared. He was the only one who could see the details on his screen, and it was one of the game's many privacy perks. Aside from that, players could only see your ID Name, HP and MP bar, and nothing else.

Ren equipped his Newbie Garbs.

‖ N E W B I E G A R B S ‖

Robe

–– Common

HP 5

DEF 2

MDF 2

Staff

–– Common

INT 2

‖ E N D ‖

Ren pressed the map button.

Do you want to view the map while walking?

YES

NO

Ren pressed YES, and the map popped and shrunk in size beside the upper right corner of his view while his HP and MP were displayed to his upper left. Both were lowered in opacity so as not to hinder his vision.

Depending on your taste, you can customize the display, but Ren preferred it like this. It was the same setting as his past life, and he was used to it.

Another advantage to him was that he was already familiar with his new environment and viewing screen while others still had to adjust. That would speed his goal of getting first blood.

Besides that, Ren knew the game inside and out. Though not everything but certainly a lot. He knew of NPC's, which had links to side quests, hidden quests, world quests, an Epic Quest, as well as the location of hidden treasure chests, event triggers, and bugs.

Ren rubbed off the sweat in his shaking hands against his robe. He felt like he would pee from the sheer excitement alone as he approached a traveling merchant.

Agor, a Halfling merchant. Another race in the game that would be accessible later on.

Agor's half body was human with two horns twirling beside his head, while his waist down was the body of a goat.

Agor greeted Ren with a silly smile that shook his red goatee. "Yo! Interested in anything? Take a look at my wares."

Ren wasn't interested in Agor's wares since they contained mostly basic items. He did, however, buy the common Fire Spellbook for 100 gil, spending all his money in one go.

Ren then checked his spells.

‖ S P E L L S ‖

Heal LV.1

–– cost 5 MP

–– single target

–– 10% replenish HP

–– 1 Min. cool down

Fire LV.1

–– cost 10 MP

–– single enemy target

–– 2 sec. cool down

‖ E N D ‖

Spells and skills were dependent on your ATP. The greater your ATP, the higher the damage. Since Ren's INT was high, it was the perfect setup for him.

He then went to the Village Mayor before the others could arrive. It was of the utmost importance that he gets the very first blood.

"Ah . . . my dear young Sprite. My name is Murkov, Euclid's Village Mayor. My family has been in charge of this village since *blah . . . * blah . . . *blah . . ."

Ren restrained a twitched of his eyebrow as he faked a smile. His fingers were itching to skip and fast forward the dialogue but decided against it. It would only cause a drop in his relationship level with Murkov.

In COVENANT, NPCs should be treated as real people like on earth. There were four relationship levels with NPCs, starting from being [Strangers] to [Friends] and finally [Intimate]. And if your relationship level fell from Strangers, then you'll became a [Ruffian].

If you skip the dialogues, your relationship level with that NPC will drop, affecting the number of quests and rewards you'd get. And sometimes, NPCs wouldn't even talk to you if your relationship level fell from [Strangers] and you became a [Ruffian].

It was the reason why most players in the past treated NPCs as real-life people and not just a character plastered on a game. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

Ren didn't have a choice but to endure the long talk with faked enthusiasm. It seemed like minutes had passed before the old man finally decided to make a request.

"We have been experiencing goblin attacks recently. Our animals were stolen and eaten, and our livelihood suffered tremendously. I can only ask you, young adventurers, to help put a stop to these accursed goblins and bring back peace in our village."

Mission: Goblin Extermination.

Description:

Help Euclid village exterminate goblins x5 in Euclid Forest.

Rewards:

Potion x5

Cooking Recipe x1

1000 Gil

ACCEPT

DECLINE

Ren accepted the mission and went straight into the back of the barn. There were ten Goblins in that area, enough to fill the requirements. It was also within the village, so he cut almost five minutes of traveling into Euclid Forest.

Not many knew of this information since the Goblins' location was hidden behind a secluded area in the barn, and their respawn time was random to none existent once you defeated them the first time.

The goblins were LV.1 like Ren, and their damage was about -5 to -10 HP.

Ren wasn't an expert in fighting. He was an information gatherer in his past life, and his reflexes weren't good, to begin with. However, the game didn't mind your physical combat abilities in real life since you mostly attack with skills and spells anyway.

Ren's greatest strength lies in his knowledge. LV.1 Goblins only have [PUMMEL] as their skill, and they weren't fast and could easily be avoided if your AGI was faster than theirs. They don't attack in groups either, unlike the savage Goblins in Euclid forest.

The Goblins in Euclid Forest were stronger than the Goblins in the barn. The Goblins in the forest were wild and attacked in groups. It was also that reason why most newbie players had a hard time defeating them. Some even died and lost ATP, while others had to form groups to defeat those LV.1 Goblins.

But there was a shortcut that only Ren knew. And that was the Goblin in the back of the barn. They were weaker and easy to defeat. And once defeated, they provided a greater amount of EXP and rewards than those Goblins in the forest.

The developer purposely placed them there to reward those players who searched every nook and cranny of a place in the game.

However, once defeated the first time, it would take great LCK and re-entering to trigger them again inside the village.

Ren cast [FIRE, and the Goblin evaporated into light particles before they had any chance to [PUMMEL] him with their makeshift hammer. And within one minute, Ren had already defeated the goblins x10.

CONGRATULATIONS on defeating Goblins x10

REWARDS:

Goblin Tooth x7

Wooden Stick x5

1000 EXP

1000 gil

Ren almost lamented at how basic the rewards were in the early game. The only consolation he had was the 1000 EXP and Gil.

The rest were garbage at this point. There was no use in holding them in his inventory as they would only take up space. He would sell them later to Agor.

Everyone's inventory had limits up to x999 items only regardless if it was a repetitive item. It was not stackable. Like for example, Ren's loot just now took a total of x12 space in his inventory.

Though if the towns were already accessible, you could have access to banks where you could store anything without limit –– for a monthly fee, of course. The bank's icon would also appear on your screen, and you could access it anytime.

Another advantage of storing in the bank was the safety perks which required a passcode when you wanted to retrieve your items. This also prevented the skill [STEAL] from pilfering your items, unlike if you put them in your inventory.

However, these perks required a hefty 100,000 GIL monthly, and oftentimes, only the rich and the guilds could afford it.

Ren sighed and reported back to Murkov.

His loot wasn't important. What's important was the next step.

Ren listened to Murkov with unabated attention. His heart was pounding crazy as he waited for that notification.

"Thank you for a job well done, adventurer. You have saved our village from those vile creatures. Accept this small reward as a token of our appreciation."

[RECEIVED:

Potion x5

Cooking Recipe x1

1000 Gil]

[MURKOV's affection went up. Your level of relationship is now FRIENDS]

CONGRATULATIONS on getting first blood for the quest, GOBLIN EXTERMINATION.

REWARDS:

Crystal Chest x1

10,000 EXP

1,000 Gil

Do you want to announce your achievement to the world?

YES

NO

Ren jumped with joy.

He really attained first blood!

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CONGRATULATIONS on getting first blood for the quest, GOBLIN EXTERMINATION.

REWARDS:

Crystal Chest

10,000 EXP

1,000 Gil

Do you want to announce your achievement to the world?

YES

NO

Ren jumped with joy.

He really attained first blood!

Ren composed himself after seconds, and he pressed NO while a grin never left his face. Announcing his achievements would only get him in trouble in the future.

He wasn't after the fame. He was after the money.

The reward chest appeared together with fireworks booming in the sky accompanied by a melodic voice of a female together with the appearance of a large screen that said;

[CONGRATULATIONS to player * for being the first to complete the quest, GOBLIN EXTERMINATION!]

The next thing that exploded was the World Chat box.

‖ W O R L D C H A T ‖

NotAVirgin: Who?

Clueless: I just arrived in the newbie village!

SecondtheMotion: Me too!

NotJealous: Who is this guy? How did he manage to acquire first blood so early?

EnvyWithGreed: And I thought I would acquire first blood.

WhoseyourDaddy: 10 000 EXP!!

ImPoor: Plz. Gib EXP, oh great lord

IamBeautiful: I am beautiful!

EmperorOfNewbies: Everyone, bow before me!

EXPisLife: I am EXP. EXP is me. EXP is life

ImPoor: Plz gib EXP

. . . multiple persons are typing . . .

‖ E N D ‖

In [World Chat] you have to make an account to send a message and you have the privilege of entering a deferent username and even had the choice to change it –– for a price, of course.

Ren ignored the chatter. His attention was on the rewards. COVENANT made a special spell or skill exclusive only to that one person who managed to get the very first blood, and the spell/skill was usually dependent on your race and class. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

Ren remembered a thread once about the lucky guy who attained the very first blood. He said that it was the reason why he had a god-like character. He was TOP 2 in rankings of strongest solo players.

Ren's stomach churned, and he felt like pooping. He rubbed his sweaty hands against his clothes and opened the one-of-a-kind [Crystal Chest].

Whatever was inside a [Crystal Chest] meant that it was the only item that existed in the entire game. It was so valuable that Ren would instantly become a millionaire if he sold it later in the game.

But he'd rather use it now because whatever was inside that chest would surely land him even more money in the long run.

Opening the chest, a notification popped up.

[OBTAINED:

Skill book x1 ]

Do you want to use the skill book?

YES

NO

Ren pressed YES, and there were particles of white light glowed in his entire body.

He then checked his skills.

‖ S K I L L S ‖

Mana Conversion LV.1 (Passive)

–– 10% replenish mana upon a successful hit

‖ E N D ‖

Mana Conversion?

Ren didn't know about that kind of spell even within the years he gathered information about the game. But a 10% mana replenish upon successful attack meant that as long as he hit his target, his MP would regenerate.

Such an OP skill!

And it could be level up too!

Mana was essential to cast spells and skills. And for Ren's class that relied heavily on spells/skills –– it was abso-fucking-lutely perfect for him!

With this, he didn't have to buy many potions and mana potions in the future! Saving him tons of money!

No!

That was not even the most important. The important thing was, he could use skills and spells nonstop without worrying about his MP!

In COVENANT, you can recover your HP and MP by certain spells, consuming potions and foods, or resting in inns.

Ren was ecstatic! It was definitely worth it to get the very first blood. But it was not the time to bask in his happiness, for the other players would appear soon.

Ren didn't care about getting the first blood on other quests anymore. Though their rewards were great, he could get or buy them later in the game, unlike when he attained the very first blood in COVENANT, where the spellbook was one of a kind that you could only get one time.

For now, his priority was the hidden chests inside this Newbie Village. One beside a giant tree near the barn, and another was hidden beside the Mayor's house.

They contained [Health Potions x5] and [Mana Potions x5]. They weren't remarkable, but now Ren didn't have to buy those potions in the shops. Saving him hundreds of Gils.

Every strategy to save money was one step away from being a millionaire. Ren thought.

[Health Potions] and [Mana Potions] cost 25 Gil and 50 Gil, respectively. When the in-game conversion was introduced, that would be $25 and $50! Not much, but ten of them would already be $500!

Ren picked up the pace when he noticed that other players were already present. He only spared the others the barest glance when he passed by them and proceeded to his next quest.

The others ignored him entirely as they skipped and jogged towards the NPCs hoping to acquire their first quest. Ren blended perfectly well in the crowds, and everyone didn't suspect that he was the one who acquired first blood.

And it was not like the others could ask the NPCs around on who acquired the first blood. The NPCs were programmed not to disclose any information regarding the players—another privacy perk of the game.

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Ren didn't care about the other players anymore. He needed to distribute his EXP to his ATP. Since he acquired a whopping 12,000 EXP points, his ATP would be way higher than the rest unless they managed to kill a boss this early on.

However, Ren doubted that would happen since the low-level Boss at this point in time had an ATP in the 20 to 40. It would take at least a week of nonstop grinding to reach that amount.

In this early game, the maximum EXP you could get even if you grind the whole day was probably around 1,000 to 2,000 EXP.

That's because the more you level your ATP, the lesser the EXP you'd get. What's more, the monsters in this Newbie Village were low levels and provided only around 50 EXP at best.

But if you did manage to defeat a group of monsters alone, then you might get a whopping 500 EXP in one go.

There was a player who achieved that feat. He used a simple trick that no one even thought about. He bought all his [BONUS 100 Gil] to buy [Health Potions] while others bought gears and equipment.

He repeated that process over and over. He bought nothing but [Health Potions] with his rewards and defeated a group of monsters until he leveled his ATP enough for him to solo group monsters at the beginning of the game without using anymore [Health Potions] while others still had a hard time defeating a single monster.

The only mistake he made was announcing his strategy in the [World Chat] for fame or out of the goodness in his heart. Thus, many players caught up to him. If he didn't, he might be one of the strongest solo players in COVENANT.

Getting ahead of the others was important in the beginning because the stronger your character was early on, the easier for you to grind, achieve first blood and win in PVP later on.

Some even dedicated their lives to the world of COVENANT that they only logged out of the game to eat and go to the toilet, just so they could get ahead of the others.

Ren wasn't worried about that, though. He could always catch up since he knew the best grinding spots, hidden quests, chests, and bugs.

Unfairness? Yes. It was indeed unfair. But the world doesn't care about your feelings at all. Ren knew that hard truth in the past, and he wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

He would cheat his way up, and nothing could stop him.

With Ren's [2000 Gils, it was enough to buy the other spells like water, air, and earth. But without having chosen a subclass, he could only max them to LV.10. He could not evolve them to higher-tier spells if he didn't meet the correct subclass.

There were particular classes where some of your spells/skills would be deleted from your list once you level up. Like when you'd become a Fire Mage, you could no longer perform any other spell except fire. In exchange, you could now have access to higher-level fire spells.

Everyone knew that it was useless to exert effort and money in leveling spells and skills that they couldn't evolve due to class restrictions.

For example, Ren had [Heal LV.1] and [Fire LV.1] in his lists of spells, but he couldn't evolve them after they reached max LV.10 since he wasn't a White or a Red Mage.

Later, when he acquired the Arcanist subclass, he would erase those spells in his list since, by that time, they were already considered weaker spells and wouldn't be much of help during his battles.

It was better to focus on skills and spells that were useful to him.

And that was when the Arcanist [GRIMOIRE] skill became OP. Disregarding race and class, he could perform any type of spell/skill with more than half its power for a certain time. And the only disadvantage was the restrictions. It had to be a Skill/Spell Book, and the book dissolved after being used.

But if Ren levels his [GRIMOIRE] skill then . . . He could perform [GRIMOIRE] at least five or even more in a single day!

And with the [Scholar] passive skill. Ren could convert any skill/spell into a book as well as any food he tasted into recipes. He could then sell them for tons of money! ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

Ren couldn't contain his grin.

He couldn't wait to get the Scholar and Arcanist Class!

However, it was still weeks into the future. That was why most didn't know that the Arcanist [GRIMOIRE] skill was too OP until that time came. And by that time, it was already too late to recreate your account because you were already heavily invested in your character.

Ren had to hordes all kinds of spell/skill books in preparation, though. So he could spam [GRIMOIRE] by that time. Paired with his skill [Mana Conversion, he could quickly level it up in no time.

In this early game, Ren didn't have to worry about his name showing above his HP and MP Bar or if someone recognized him since everyone was still low in level. But Ren still wanted to hide his face even though it was just his avatar, and he had a piece of perfect equipment for that together with the ideal 'weapon' for him.

When Ren converted his EXP to ATP, he had 120 ATP points to distribute to his stats! That was like weeks of grinding without rest.

At this point, Ren was way ahead of everyone else. So even if the others log in more than him, he wouldn't fall behind.

Without even batting an eyelid, Ren distributed all his 120 ATP points to his LCK and nothing else.

‖ A T T R I B U T E S ‖

HP (Health Points): 50

MP (Mana Points): 75

STR (Strength): 2

DEF (Defence): 7

MDF (Magical Defence): 6

INT (Intelligent): 13

AGL (Agility): 3

LCK (Luck): 125

‖ E N D ‖

It might be a foolish move to increase just his LCK, but Ren needed his LCK to reach this high if he wanted to trigger that hidden grinding spot later successfully.

And since it was still daytime in the game, Ren opted to do some quest while he was here. The rewards from that quest were mediocre at best, but Ren needed a specific item that he could only have from a quest here.

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Ren went to a shabby old house by the edge of the village located on a tiny hill. An old Lady there named Emily would trade [Cooking Recipes] for actual food of that recipe.

Since Ren didn't have the necessary tools for cooking –– yet, it was better to trade his recipe for an actual food since he needed it later.

"My, what do you have there?" Emily's opaque eyes shone with delight. Despite her liquid eyes and old bones, she could see and smell a recipe from miles away.

"Hello, my name's Ren," Ren greeted and added, "I have a recipe here that I would like to trade for food."

"Say no more. Give me that piece of scroll, and I'll whip you something good."

Ren gave Emily the recipe, and the old woman immediately went inside her hut. There was a sound of clattering metals and fire in the old lady's home, and Ren's neck couldn't help but stretch to see beyond the window glass of her house.

Though it was useless since Ren couldn't see anything beyond the exterior of the old woman's home.

In COVENANT, they couldn't just enter the NPCs' houses. They needed to at least be at the level of [Friends] before they could ask for permission to enter their home.

After a few minutes, Emily went out with a smoking hot onigiri in her hand.

"I haven't made this one in the longest time. Thanks, youngster. If you have any more recipes in the future, this old woman would be happy if you trade them for her food."

[RECEIVED:

Onigiri x 10

— restore 10% HP]

"Thank you. And I'd be sure to give you more recipes in the future."

[Your RELATIONSHIP LEVEL with Emely increased to FRIENDS!]

Ren knew that he only achieved [Friends] status with Emely and the Village Chief because he was the first player to accept their request.

In truth, it was a little challenging to increase your [Relationship Level] with NPCs.

Since Ren didn't have any more business with Emily and there was nothing inside her house for him to see and get, he made his way to another quest.

Ren headed towards a sprite woman with butterfly wings next. She was humming a lovely tune as she watered her garden in front of her house.

"Hi."

The thirty-year-old woman raised her head and looked at Ren before her smile widened, illuminating her face.

"Oh my, visitor? My name is An. How may I help you?"

Ren nodded over the lush flowers in front of An's house. "My name's Ren, and I can't help but notice that you have a wonderful garden."

This was actually a [Hidden Quest, and once the keyword [Garden] came out of the player's mouth, the quest would be triggered.

It was a good thing that the system allowed secrecy in the conversation between NPCs and players. To outsiders, Ren appeared to be talking to An but couldn't exactly hear their conversation. What was more, [Quest Announcement] privately appeared on the players' home screen so only they could see their upcoming quests –– another privacy perk of the game.

Other players didn't find it suspicious since they had already talked to that same woman and hadn't received any kind of quest at all. In their eyes, Ren was simply wasting his time.

The others didn't mind Ren anymore and resumed talking to the other NPC. They were competing with each other, racing to get the first blood of a quest.

An glanced at her Garden and then smiled. This time her smile wasn't forced, unlike the first time, and it reached her eyes. "Yes, I'm quite proud of it."

Then she sighed and placed her palm on her chubby cheek.

"If only I had a moonlight flower, my garden would shine even more."

[Hidden Quest: Find the Moonlight Flower

Description:

An of Euclid village wanted a moonlight flower for her Garden. Bring her a moonlight flower x10

Rewards: ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

?]

As expected of a hidden quest, even the flower's location and rewards were hidden. Ren thought.

But of course, he already knew where the [Moonlight Flower] was and the item he would get.

If not for Ren's past knowledge of the game, he wouldn't know what to do and would pass this [Hidden Quest] until he found a [Moonlight Flower] by chance.

Fortunately, Ren already knew all information regarding this quest.

Ren left An alone after saying goodbye and went in the direction of the small stall that sells weapons and armor.

A beautiful sprite lady with short green hair and horns greeted Ren. She beamed her brightest and said, "Welcome to Sunny's Smithy. Have something in your mind?"

Ren only nodded and proceeded to look at the selection of items in the shop. He didn't have to look much since the items were common and basic.

Ren bought a [Long Staff] providing 2 to his INT and an accessory [Protection Ring] that added 1 to his DEF and a [Monocle x10]. He also used all his remaining 1150 Gil to buy [Health Potions x46].

He needed those for his first Boss fight later.

Ren could only sigh from the poor selection of items at this stage, but it would have to do for now.

Ren left the shop and headed towards the village gate and activated the teleportation crystal so he could teleport instantly in Euclid Village later.

However, before he could step foot outside, sudden messages exploded in the sky.

[CONGRATULATIONS to player John for being the first to complete the quest, LUCKY CHARM]

[CONGRATULATIONS to player Kyle for being the first to complete the quest, A SEAMSTRESS DRESS]

[CONGRATULATIONS to player Silvia for being the first to complete the quest, HERBS GATHERING]

Ren blinked.

The Quest [Lucky Charm, [A Seamstress Dress, and [Herbs Gathering] were basic quests that provided basic rewards. Being first blood meant that players who finish [Lucky Charm] would get an additional [Rabbit Foot] that added 4 to LCK on top of the basic rewards of EXP and gold.

The first blood reward for [A Seamstress Dress] was an armor depending on your class that added 4 to DEF, while the last, [Herbs Gathering, had an additional first blood reward of [Health Potion x10].

Ren didn't need those. Although those equipment provided additional ATP Boost and a heads up to others, Ren was already way ahead. h

What he needed to do was to get to the grinding spot as soon as possible. He was on edge, and that was all he could think about. After all, he didn't see firsthand that there was a grinding spot in Euclid Village. He purely relies on the information he gathered.

And it was not like that grinding spot had a respawn. Once triggered, it couldn't be triggered again.

Meaning it only appeared one time.

He was a little unsure, and he became anxious. He needed to see it firsthand to know that it was true.

Along the way, a name caught Ren's attention on the [World Announcement] before.

So Silvia was among the people who knew the official start of COVENANT. Ren thought.

He was sure that the Silvia broadcasted in the sky was the same Silvia he had in mind, the leader of the guilds [Golden Phoenix].

After all, at this point, only beta testers, sons, and daughters of the rich had access to the inside information of the game.

Recalling Silvia's information, Ren knew that the woman only entered the game on a whim. She said so in an interview once. She wasn't a hard-core gamer, nor was she a fan of VRMMORPG games.

She was an achiever.

She had excellent grades, good at sports and academics. She could almost do anything in the real world, be it arts, music, or sports. And this got her bored, and she entered the game.

Unfortunately or fortunately, Silvia was pulled down from her high throne when she realized that she was just a mediocre player in COVENANT. But instead of being disheartened, she was ecstatic to finally found something that was a challenge to her.

She formed [Golden Phoenix] so that she could prove to herself that even in the game, she was still the best.

Her goal was always the top, whether in real life or in-game.

Ren smirked.

He only saw her as another customer later. A wealthy customer that would pay him hundreds of dollars for information.

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Like fireworks, multiple messages boomed in the sky, but Ren no longer cared about them.

The others could compete with first blood for simple quests for all he cares. He knew the rewards of those first blood weren't great at this point in time. The only noteworthy of obtaining first blood now were the rare quests, defeating bosses, and clearing dungeons.

With that in mind, Ren took his time and enjoyed the game for once. Unlike in the past, where there was a sense of urgency in everything he did that he no longer enjoyed playing the game.

While the others were busy finishing quests in the newbie village here and there and grinding for EXP like their life depended on it, Ren was busy picking flowers and herbs in the meadows.

Just across Euclid forest and beside the dirt road going to Euclid village was a vast expanse of tall grass and flowers with a pool of water at the center, coming from a reservoir from below.

Ren was there, foraging what he could.

Though he could only forage a spot once a day before the items respawn the next day.

[ACQUIRED:

Blue Grass x7

Earth x4

Rock x10

Twig x3

Fresh Water x5]

They were mediocre items at best because Ren foraged using his hands. Later, there would be tools available in the market to up his forage items.

Like if he had an axe, he could get lumber. And depending on the quality of his tool, he could get rare materials.

The quality of foraging tools depended on their color. Like for example, a bronze pix axe would get him rocks. A silver pix axe would get him basic ores. A gold pix axe would mine him precious stones.

But a platinum blue pix axe . . . it would let him acquire rare ores and stones.

As an Alchemist who relied on his materials to craft, Ren needed those tools.

When Ren had already foraged every spot there was to foraged, he snatched the onigiri from his inventory and placed it near the pool of water at the center of a small dirt area.

It didn't take a minute, and a tiny little piglet with a streak of black and white lining its brown furs appeared.

[Pelka

Information:

Appeared one time in Euclid Meadows

If LCK 100, 70% chance of appearance

If any cooked dishes are placed near the pool of water, 40% chance of appearance]

Ren crossed his hands and grinned in delight. His eyes were glinting evilly at those little plump pigs.

These little piglets were called [Pelka, and their meat was the most delicious and sought after in COVENANT. The taste of its meat, when cooked by a [Grandmaster Chef, was so delicious and out of this realm that even the conservative people who were against the game ate their words and entered COVENANT so that they could taste it once in their life.

It was also why the nouveau rich and royalty entered the game so that they could eat Pelka Meat every day. And COVENANT became a tourist destination for those who didn't want to play and only wanted to sightsee and experience the awesome scenery and delicious food.

A piece of the Pelka Meat could fetch from 10,000 Gil to 100,000 Gil when auctioned right.

And if cooked and served as food by a [Grandmaster Chef, its price doubled.

But the rich didn't care. They earned that amount of money every few hours even without working.

However, in return for the expensive meat and out-of-this-world taste, Pelkas were rare.

Very rare!

They required specific ATP and items to trigger in each location. And once activated, they would no longer appear again.

They could only be triggered once, and each location had its own requirements. In Euclid meadow, the condition was above 100 LCK and any kind of food.

It was the reason why Ren allocated all his ATP to LCK. He couldn't afford to miss it, so he poured all his acquired EXP to LCK just in case.

When all the Pelkas in that area appeared and munched on Ren's food, the latter threw the rock he acquired at them.

[Used Rock x1

Number of Rock Left: 9]

The Pelkas were startled, and they stopped munching. They looked at Ren with angry eyes before all of them charged at Ren with their snout ramming Ren's leg.

-1

-1

-1 ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

-1

Ren's HP decreased by 1 each time a Pelka hit him with its snout.

Ren stifled a laugh.

There was also another reason why Ren wanted to trigger these rare Pelkas.

It was because . . .

Ren poked his long staff over the Pelka's head. But since his STR was only 2, the amount of damage he made on the little piglet was only -1.

But it was enough to kill the piglet.

[ACQUIRED:

Pelka Meat x10

1,000 EXP]

Pelka's were actually beasts that offered a huge and fixed amount of EXP no matter how high your ATP had become.

It was indeed the best grinding spot!

It was the reason why many players in the past went 'gaga' in search of them.

However, they were quite fast. But of course, their level of AGI was still based on the player's ATP. And the moment one of them was killed, the others would run away immediately.

Ren was prepared, though. He waited and gathered every Pelka and let them attack him so all of them would get close to him since he wasn't confident with his AGI.

Needless to say, with just a thwack of his long staff and a throw of a stone to those who were fleeing, he managed to kill all the Pelka and raked a whopping 10,000 EXP and [Pelka Meat x144].

The amount of [Pelka Meat] you can acquire depends on your LCK, and that was another reason why Ren only increased his LCK.

Another thing to note about this elusive piglet was that you couldn't use magic-related attacks on them. If you did, you wouldn't be able to acquire its meat.

That was why Ren opted to buy a longer staff that he could quip so it would be easier to attack them.

Satisfied, Ren sighed in bliss.

It was really a good time to be alive!

He could only view others eating the meat in the past since it was so expensive.

But now . . . he actually had x144 of them!

With these he didn't have to worry about his student loan anymore!

Ren immediately allocated half of his 10,000 EXP to his DEF and INT in preparation for his first Boss fight later.

But first . . .

Ren roasted a [Pelka Meat] using his [Fire] spell and munched that tender meat in one go.

[ ACQUIRED:

Roasted Pelka Meat x1 ]

Ren gasped when fireworks of flavors exploded in his mouth. The meat was so soft, melting on his tongue and with it came different flavors that were more delicious than anything he had tasted in his entire life.

[ All ATP increased 1 ]

If the meat was already this delicious at his level of cooking, then what's more if a [Grandmaster Chef] cooked it?

No wonder the rich and royalties all came to the game just to eat it.

Ren found it hilarious in the past, but now that he got to taste the meat for the first time in his life, he finally understood the hype.

It was like a strong addicting drug that Ren was having a hard time resisting to take another bite from his inventory.

He was starting to regret that he even ate one.

No wonder everyone who ate it in the past said that they couldn't stop eating it once they tasted it. There were even instances where many people went bankrupt because of the valuable meat.

It felt like a voice inside Ren's head was constantly whispering for him to taste another bite.

It was like a cursed item. Ren mused, not knowing whether to laugh or cry.

Thinking about his parent and buying them a mansion on the best spot in Zone A's exclusive neighborhood helped him resist the powerful calling inside his head.

Ren lay on the grass and closed his eyes. Maybe if he slept, he would forget about the taste?

. . . maybe.

—-

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When Ren opened his eyes, it was already midnight. His HP and MP bar was set in full too.

Ren could happily sleep wherever he wanted in this early game since PVP wasn't introduced yet. Later, Ren couldn't even rest outside even if he wanted to due to fear of a player challenging him in his sleep.

It was a massive problem in the game before. Players could challenge everyone in their sleep. Even though they couldn't see the other player's screen, using the player's hand to swipe in the air, they could successfully hit confirm.

And the winner of the PVP game could choose his enemy's list of items made available to him once he won.

It won't be a global scale problem if the developers fix it.

But they didn't.

In fact, they admitted that COVENANT was designed that way to torture the players. They even laughed in their announcement, saying that they enjoyed the players' frustrating faces the best.

Such shrewdness.

But since COVENANT was such an addicting game, and they were already invested in it, everyone swallowed their indignation and adjusted to the game's system.

Ren looked over at his surroundings. He was actually surprised to find that there wasn't anyone around. The others must have stayed in the inn since it was already dark.

Some players were actually scared of adventuring in the dark in this early part of the game.

While the others might have gone to the forest since most of the newbie quests' locations were there.

Ren stretched his arms and groaned to the sky.

The twin moons in COVENANT looked lovely tonight, as well as the [Moonlight Flower] that glowed in the center of the pool of waters.

Ren went to wade the shallow waters and grabbed some [Moonlight Flowers].

[ACQUIRED:

Moonlight Flowers x 12]

Now the [Hidden Quest] for An was finished.

But instead of returning to the village, Ren crossed the dirt road and entered Euclid Forest.

Ren looked at his [Long Staff]. Its durability remaining was 20/30 since he mostly used it to whack those Pelkas.

Weapons and Armours have durability gauge, and once the gauge empties, they would break. It was common knowledge to have it fixed in the blacksmith shop before heading out to battle or buy [Grinding Stones] to refill its durability.

The [Grinding Stones] were only available in large towns and cities, so they weren't introduced yet in the newbie village.

Ren thought it was because he used his staff to strike those Pelkas that was why the durability of his weapon went down fast.

No matter.

For his next opponent, his ATP and equipment were already enough to defeat it.

Ren continued his way deeper into the forest. The deeper he went, the more ferocious the monsters were. But they were no match to Ren since his ATP was already way above for the beasts in the forest to match. Some even turned tail upon the sight of him.

Ren's goal was not to fight every enemy he encountered, so if he could avoid them, he would. They don't provide any EXP anymore, and the Gil they dropped was minuscule, so Ren preferred to conserve his weapon's durability and health bar.

He aimed to get to the hidden Boss as quickly as possible while only a few players were still logging into the game.

When he finally arrived at the deeper part of the forest where paths forked, he made his way towards a small hidden encampment and rested there. There was no one at the moment, and the forest was peaceful, unlike in the past when he entered late in the game. He remembered how crowded it was, and it seemed like there was a fiesta all the time from the noise and sheer numbers of players.

So far, the hidden treasure chest he opened and materials he foraged were mediocre at best –– things that were common to beginners like potions, grass, twigs, and rocks, but he still stored them in his inventory anyway.

Ren would sell it later to the shops back in the village.

There was no point in storing them in his inventory if he couldn't use them yet.

As he was resting in the small clearing, Ren's mind drifted to that Pelka meat once more. Its enticing smell, juicy flesh, and explosive flavors lulled him to take another bite.

Ren shook his head and gritted his teeth. He snatched a [Rabbit Meat] in his inventory and roasted it with his fire spell. His cooking proficiently wasn't moving the slightest, and Ren expected that much since he was mostly cooking with just a basic fire.

In order for him to increase his cooking proficiency faster, he needed to cook complex food with kitchen tools using [Cooking Recipes].

[ACQUIRED:

Roasted Rabbit Meat x2]

Ren waited until he heard a rustle in the leaves. Pair of amber eyes glowed like the moon only magnified by the night. Ren couldn't see the full image of the beast since it was dark.

Yosh!

The time had come to face his first Boss.

Ren immediately used [Monocle x1] to gather the Midnight's Phantom information, storing it in his library.

Later, if he evolved his [Arcanist] subclass into a [Scholar, his passive would allow him to automatically acquire information of everything he [Scan] without needing the [Monocle] anymore.

‖ M I D N I G H T P H A N T O M ‖

Location: Euclid Forest

Description:

The tyrant of Euclid Forest

Only appeared at midnight when the twin moons shone the brightest.

If LCK 20, 40% chance of appearance

If DEF 20, 20% chance of appearance ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

If any cooked meat dishes are in inventory, 40% chance of appearance.

‖ A T T R I B U T E ‖

HP: 470

MP: 100

STRG: 25 2

DEF: 22 2

MDF: 12 2

INT: 10 2

AGL: 30 2

LCK: 14 2

‖ S K I L L ‖

Passive Skill:

Moonlight Boost

–– Every full moon [STR 2, DEF 2, MDF 2, INT 2, AGL 2, LCK 2]

Active Skill:

Moonlight Gift

–– MP –40

–– STRG 2, DEF 2, MDF 2, INT 2, AGL 2, LCK 2 for 1 min.

–– cooldown 10 seconds

‖ W E A K N E S S ‖

Weakness: Fire Water

‖ E N D ‖

Ren stored the Midnight's Phantom information in his library, thinking of selling the information later.

Hidden Bosses had a respawn time of twenty-four hours, while Dungeon Bosses respawn immediately if there was a challenger.

It was harder to trigger a Hidden Boss because you had to wait the next day if someone had triggered it before you. What's more, those who didn't know thought there was something wrong with the triggering event if these Bosses didn't appear and passed it completely.

In the past, kill steal (KS) was rampant among players. Unlike Dungeon Bosses, which the challenger could only kill because they were isolated inside the boss room, Hidden and World/Epic bosses could be stolen from the one who triggered it because they mostly appeared in the field.

However, the stronger Bosses in COVENANT, the Epic/World Boss, could only be defeated one time. There was no respawn once they were killed, and their drops contained Gold items and Platinum equipment, mostly an Artifact weapon or armor, and tons of EXP and Gils. Hence everyone was fighting over them.

Ren then quickly looked at his own stats to compare.

‖ A T T R I B R U T E S ‖

HP: 55

MP: 80

STR: 3

DEF: 59

MDF: 7

INT: 66

AGL: 4

LCK: 126

‖ E N D ‖

This would take longer. Ren thought.

Even though the ATP of the Midnight Phantom was low, for a player that was just starting out, it was a nightmarish beast to defeat. And usually, a mage wouldn't even think of soloing it this early on.

Ren was confident that he could defeat the Midnight Phantom even though he was a mage since his DEF and INT were higher than the beast twice fold.

Though it would take some time since there was only [Fire] in his list of spells.

In truth, it would take at least a week of grinding nonstop in COVENANT to defeat the Midnight Phantom, but since Ren acquired EXP that was worth more than two weeks of grinding nonstop, he was way ahead from the others.

It would be a long fight. He could land 100 points of fire damage at most with a 100% chance of a critical hit since his LCK was high and the beast's weakness was fire.

However, since the Midnight Phantom's AGI was so high, it could land at least four or even seven times more damage against him, whose AGI was only 3.

But Ren already fortified his DEF for that, and he bought a lot of [Health Potions] strictly for this battle.

Yosh . . .

Doing mental preparation in his mind, the Midnight Phantom came to light.

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The midnight phantom landed almost soundlessly on the ground covered by patches of grass.

When Ren laid eyes on it, the corner of his mouth twitched in a grimace, and his heart thudded hard against his chest.

The beast was a black panther and stood two meters tall and nearly four meters wide. Its body was so dark, giving it justice to be called the Midnight Phantom. It was almost undetectable with all the shrouding darkness with only the faint light of the twin moons as a source of illumination.

It's quite beautiful, actually. And right now, its cold amber glowing slit eyes were currently locked on Ren with curiosity.

It began to slowly move towards him in elegant steps. Its graceful stride was indeed eye-catching.

Ren drew his long staff, eyes staring at the Midnight Phantom intently.

The Midnight Phantom's sleek glossy fur rose in anger upon sensing hostility.

RoOaArR!

"Come." Ren didn't move from his position at all. It was useless anyway. His AGI was low, and he couldn't run from the beast's speed. If he did, the beast might land a critical hit if he showed his back.

The Midnight Phantom's body crouch down, fangs baring and fur-raising. It was gathering power and momentum to launch an attack.

WhOoOosSh!

With a leap, the Midnight Phantom charged at an incredible speed that made Ren's heart tremble.

Ren quickly cast Fire against the Midnight Phantom.

–142 Critical Hit!

[ Midnight Phantom suffered from BURN

–5% HP every minute ]

–20 (BURN)

Ren smiled when the [BURN] status appeared next to the HP bar of the Midnight Phantom. There was also a high chance of [Critical Hit] and [Status Effect] if you attacked your enemy's weakness. It was the reason why Ren chose the [Fire] Spell early on since most beasts were weak to fire earlier in the game.

However, his smile fell right off his face when the beast just shook off his fur, and the [BURN] status was removed.

Leaping from where it stood, the beast swiped its sharp claws against Ren.

–6

–5

–7

–7

"Urk . . ."

Ren watched helplessly as his HP bar was depleting and flashed red in alarm when it half. Even though his DEF was high, the beast's multiple attacks were a problem.

Ren immediately consumed [Health Potions] to recover his HP.

[Consumed Health Potion x5

Remaining number of Health Potions: 56]

When the cooldown of his Fire spell was over, Ren cast it once more against the beast.

–122 Critical Hit!

[Midnight Phantom suffered from BURN

–5% HP every minute]

–20 (BURN)

Again, the Midnight Phantom just shook his fur, and the [BURN] status was gone from the side of its HP bar.

The Midnight Phantom attacked once more, and again Ren just healed his HP by consuming potions.

They keep going at it until the Midnight Phantom's HP bar drastically went down to just two digits.

Ren's face brightened. He could really win against it!

But just as he was about to bask in his glory, the Midnight Phantom's whole body glowed red, and its eyes turned Blood Shot.

[The Midnight Phantom entered BERSERK MODE!]

[HP: 74

MP: 100

STRG: 27 5

DEF: 24 2

MDF: 14 -5

INT: 12 -5

AGL: 32 4

LCK: 16 -5]

[The Midnight Phantom activated its skill Moonlight Gift]

[HP: 74

MP: 60

STRG: 32 2

DEF: 26 2

MDF: 9 2

INT: 8 2

AGL: 36 2

LCK: 11 2 ]

The Midnight Phantom attacked once more, and Ren watched in horror when his HP bar flashed red before his eyes. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

–12

–15

–10

–7

–5

SHIT!

Ren's face was white when he was left with just 1 HP. If the beast's last hit were any higher, he would surely find himself respawning in Euclid Village with an EXP penalty.

The amount of EXP penalty he'd received was equivalent to the amount of EXP he'd get from the Midnight Phantom. Which meant around -5,000 EXP give and take, because of Ren's high ATP.

It was the game system that calculated the EXP rewards and penalties. It considers the time a player defeats his enemy and the player's ATP.

Since his ATP was high, and it took longer for him to defeat the Midnight Phantom, the amount of EXP he'd get from the beast was only, more or less, 5,000 EXP. Ren thought.

The player in the past who got the very first blood from the Midnight Phantom achieved a 7, 000 EXP.

However, Ren wasn't after the EXP. He was after the first blood rewards for being the first to defeat the very first boss in the game.

However, Ren didn't expect that the Midnight Phantom would be this strong early in the game, even when his DEF was very high at this point in time. It was his fault for thinking that he could take it head on this early with little preparations.

But he was already here, and it was too late for regrets.

Ren immediately consumed [Health Potions].

[Consumed Health Potion x10

Remaining number of Health Potions: 27]

Ren wiped the sweat off the side of his face and grinned. No matter. His next attack would surely end it.

Ren cast [Fire] with great enthusiasm for receiving his rewards of being the very first to kill a Boss. His fire hit the Midnight Phantom, and the beast howled in rage.

–177 Critical Hit!

"Yes!"

Ren beamed and almost jumped in joy when the Midnight's Phantom HP bar went down fast.

However, his smile left his face when the Midnight Phantom's HP gauge stood still at 1.

[The Midnight Phantom entered LAST STANCE MODE!

Acquired Skill:

Moonlight Rage

–– Land Critical Damage regardless of enemy's ATP and position

–– Cost –50MP

–– Single enemy target ]

FUCK!

Ren forgot about the [LAST STANCE Mode]. It was a Boss's final mode, and usually, they acquire a new skill or spell in this mode.

However, Ren didn't expect that the Midnight Phantom could also enter it. This mode was only available to high-level Bosses, and the Midnight Phantom was just a newbie Boss. There was also no record that it could enter [LAST STANCE] mode.

Was it because it was his very first boss?

Or was it a bug that he didn't know?

Whatever it was, it was too late. The Midnight Phantom was about to attack, and Ren closed his eyes, already thinking of what to do once he was back in Euclid Village.

The death penalty from a boss and dungeon fight was an EXP reduction equal to the amount of EXP you'd get from the fight.

Such was the shrewdness of the developer.

There were a lot of instances where players' ATP automatically went zero from a boss fight or dungeon raid no matter how the EXP penalty was distributed within the group when they died. And most gave up playing because of frustration or recreated their account entirely since their ATP was reduced to zero. A newly created avatar had more ATP than that.

It was also one of the reasons why a lot of players preferred to stock their EXP in case something happened. And it was also one of the reasons that guilds only wanted the best of the best within their group because they didn't want to suffer from the enormous EXP penalty that was enough to make all their hard-earned ATP to zero in a boss fight and dungeon raid.

And since Ren all used his EXP, he was sure to suffer an ATP reduction based on the Midnight's Phantoms EXP rewards calculation.

Ren could only sigh in helplessness because of his own mistake of underestimating the first boss.

DiinNgG!

A notification prompted Ren's eyes to open.

[Midnight Phantom suffered from BURN

–5% HP every minute]

–20 (BURN)

The reaming 1 HP of the Midnight Phantom went zero, and the beast howled and dropped dead from burn while it dissolved into white particles and vanished from thin air.

CONGRATULATIONS on getting first blood from defeating the Hidden Boss, MIDNIGHT PHANTOM!

REWARDS:

5,000 EXP

5,000 Gil

Crystal Chest x1

Platinum Chest x1

Gold Chest x2

Do you want to announce your achievement to the world?

YES

NO

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". . ."

Ren couldn't react. He was still stunned by the sudden turn of events. He sure didn't expect that the Midnight Phantom would die because of Burn.

Ren's shoulders shook when it sunk into his brain until he doubled over in laughter.

Ahahaha!

He thought of all possible outcomes from this fight, and he indeed wasn't expecting this.

His LCK was really good.

Ren smiled and wiped the tears in his eyes before he pressed NO.

[ CONGRATULATIONS to player * on getting first blood from defeating the Hidden Boss, MIDNIGHT PHANTOM! ]

‖ W O R L D C H A T ‖

Clueless: There's a hidden Boss?

DaoistYun: @DaoistYuu, I told you there's a hidden boss

SharingIsLoving: Can someone share the Hidden Boss info, please.

RichGuyRick: Who's the guy who cleared it? I'll pay you $10,000 real money for the info.

IcanBuyYou: I'll double it. Send me a private message.

WhoseyourDaddy: Wow. I wish I were rich.

ImPoor: Plz. Gib money, oh great lord

IamBeautiful: I am beautiful!

DaoistYuu: @DaoisYun, then tell me where it is located.

EXPisLife: I am EXP. EXP is me. EXP is life

ImPoor: Plz gib EXP

. . . multiple persons are typing . . .

‖ E N D ‖

Ren was too busy inspecting his loot to actually take notice of the exploding messages in the World Chat.

[ OBTAINED:

5,000 EXP

5,000 Gil

Crystal Chest x1

Platinum Chest x1

Gold Chest x2 ]

[ FIRE Spell LV.1 » LV.2 ]

‖ F I R E L V. 2 ‖

–– cost 10 MP

–– inflict 10% fire damage based on INT

–– single enemy target

–– 2 sec. cool down

‖ E N D ‖

Ren was ecstatic to find yet another [Crystal Chest]. Was it because of the unexpected [Last Stance Mode, or was it because he acquired first blood from the very first Hidden Boss?

But there was nothing like a [Crystal Chest] in the forums and the information he gathered before. He was just aiming for the [Platinum Chest] that contained the [Phantom Cloak, the first blood reward from defeating the Midnight Phantom. But he ended up with much more than he expected.

Was it because of his high LCK?

Ren couldn't think of anything but this.

Whatever it was, Ren decided to check the chests later because another notification appeared right before his eyes, and it was the second thing that he came out here to do.

?

–– A mysterious creature appeared after the tyrannical Midnight Phantom was killed. Once it reaches the exit of Euclid forest, it will disappear . . . FOREVER.

Ren's smile couldn't be contained.

His weapon had finally arrived!

From what information he gathered in the past. No one actually acquired nor saw this [Mysterious Creature] because it was so fast that the player who got first blood from defeating the Midnight Phantom was unable to get it. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

This [Mysterious Creature] could only be triggered once, and that was when the Midnight Phantom was defeated the first time. And if this mysterious creature reached the exit of Euclid Forest, it'd be gone forever, as the description said, and no amount of re-entering or defeating the Midnight Phantom could make it come back.

The players and the one who got first blood for the Midnight Phantom forgot the whole thing and didn't think of it anymore as time went on and the game progressed, but since the developers loved to torment its players, they announced later in the game that the mysterious creature was actually a powerful pet.

In fact, the most powerful pet in COVENANT that one could acquire. What's more, anyone could have it regardless of race or class.

It was everyone's chance to get a pet that otherwise was exclusive only to the Hunter and Animist subclasses.

And thus the players' agony and curses.

As for the one who actually acquired first blood from the Midnight Phantom and had the highest chance to acquire this pet . . . Well, he was still cursing and begging the developers to give him that pet in the past, even after Rain jumped off a building.

That guy kept saying it was impossible to catch that creature since their ATP was low because they were just starting out. He was shouting injustice and that the developers should just give him the pet since he was the one who acquired his first blood from the Midnight Phantom.

And that guy was correct.

It was indeed impossible to catch that [Mysterious Creature]. And even the developers thought that, too. That was why they were confident to place that powerful creature at the start of the game because they thought no one would be able to catch it.

That [Mysterious Creature] was placed there as a tool for the developers to torment and make fun of its players.

Or so they thought.

Ren grinned so wide it stretched his face.

All 5 000 EXP he acquired, he put it on his AGI.

‖ A T T R I B U T E S ‖

HP: 55

MP: 80

STR: 3

DEF: 59

MDF: 7

INT: 66

AGL: 54

LCK: 126

‖ E N D ‖

[ ACQUIRED SPELL!

Teleportation LV.1 ]

‖ T E L E P O R T A T I O N L V. 1 ‖

–– cost 50 MP

–– teleport within 1000m distance

–– 1x a day

‖ E N D ‖

When a Mage AGI reaches 40, they acquire the [Teleportation] spell regarding of subclass. At the same time, the melee class received [Blink].

In fact, if your ATP reached certain milestones, you could acquire a spell/skill depending on your subclass. But since Ren didn't choose a subclass yet, he could only acquire the generic spell/skill available to all Mage class.

The guy who acquired first blood from the Midnight Phantom didn't think about it since he didn't know.

But Ren knew . . . he knew, if not everything, then most information about the game.

Using [Teleportation, Ren was instantly near the forest's exit just in time that a black creature was zooming towards him in all haste.

The little creature didn't seem to notice Ren with all its hurriedness to get out of the forest until it was too late when it smacked directly against Ren's palm.

–7

Ren suffered an HP reduction from the impact, but he still didn't let go.

[ ACQUIRED:

Mystical Creature ]

‖ M Y S T I C A L C R E A T U R E ‖

Type: Pet

Owner: Ren

Personality: Docile, loyal

Relationship: 70% ]

‖ E N D ‖

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Eh?

Ren blinked and looked at the little thing in his hand as it looked back at him with its round misty doe-like eyes, full of curiosity and adoration.

It was like a combination of a fox and bird. It was midnight black in color that its shadows turned grey in comparison. Streaks of blue-like lightning scattered around its fur. It had an odd bird-like ear, eyes, and mouth. Its eyes were so mesmerizingly beautiful, like pearly sapphires, and its body was long and small, just about an arm's length.

And it has wings!

So . . .

So CUTE!

Ren mused and rubbed the little creature's head with the pad of his finger while the latter rubbed its head against his hand in delight.

Piii! Piii!

Ren released the creature and stared at its eyes.

"What's your name?"

Piii! Piii!

"Yosh! From now on, I'll call you Pii!"

Piiii!!

Pii chimed joyfully, and it curled along Ren's neck, making itself comfortable before rubbing its little head against Ren's chin.

Ren chuckled and patted its head.

He already likes his pet.

He pressed his [Home Screen] and accessed the newly added [Pet] icon on his screen.

Do you want to give a name to your pet?

YES

NO

Ren pressed YES, and he typed his pet's name.

[ Name: Pii

Type: Pet

Owner: Ren

Personality: Docile, loyal

Relationship: 90% ]

Wow!

Ren's relationship with Pii rose 20% from just giving it a name and patting its head.

Ren then looked at Pii's stats in excitement.

‖ P i i ‖

HP: 400

MP: 70

STR: 7

DEF: 4

MDF: 4

INT: 7

AGL: 10 ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

LCK: 7

Passive Skill:

Wings

–– Grants the ability to fly and ignore all terrain restrictions

Spell:

Evolution Lv.1

–– automatically activates once HP reaches 1%

–– last 1min.

–– 1x a day

‖ E N D ‖

Ren blinked.

He didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He cursed the developers in his head like there was no tomorrow.

What did they mean by the most powerful pet? Its stat was nowhere near the level of a regular [Horned Rabbit] in Euclid Forest.

Ren didn't know what to do. He was expecting high-level ATP and OP skills from the most powerful Pet in COVENANT, but he was given a mediocre stat and a vague spell.

Ren sighed.

It was a good thing that he didn't put all his coins in this 'weapon' of his.

Ren looked at Pii once more while the little one tilted its head, eyes melting and begging. It seemed to sense his disappointments, and Ren's heart took a dive.

Ren stifled a laugh and scratched little Pii's chin. "No problem at all. Even if your stats are low, I still like you the best."

Piii!

Little red hearts bubbled out from above Pii's head as it chirped joyfully.

Red hearts would appear on top of a pet's head when its relationship level increased. That meant Ren's relationship with Pii was already maxed. And once a pet's relationship level was max, they would do everything you tell them to do, and they will help you with everything they had.

Ren didn't mind little Pii's low stats since he had ways to increase them. Like buying accessories for it or those expensive rare vitamins that could permanently raise a pet's stats.

Though Ren was hesitant to raise Pii's ATP since it was too low and it was a waste of time ad resources, it was not like those items could be found with just a snap of a finger. And those hella expensive [Vitamins] and hard to acquire [Pet Foods] would only raise a pet's ATP to one.

It would take a tremendous amount of money, time, and resources to raise Pii's stats, and by that time, Ren doubted that Pii would be useful in a battle because of its still very low ATP compared to the other beasts and monsters. Pii didn't even have a single spell or skill that was useful in a battle.

Pets could aid you in battles and various ways. The only downside for having a pet was that they couldn't be leveled up, and their ATP's could only be raised through [Vitamins] and [Pet Food]. The former was expensive as hell, and the latter was hard to find and acquire.

That was why most Hunters and Animist preferred high-level beasts because their ATP's were already high.

Regretfully, there were no skill and spell books for pets, and a pet could only use its given inborn skill and spell in combat. That was why a lot were picky with their pets.

Ren shrugged his shoulders and glanced at the fellow who was being comfortable curling on his neck. It didn't matter. Pii was still useful to him in other ways. And he kinda likes how docile and affectionate it was to him.

Ren knew and saw many Hunters and Animist in his past life whose pets were wild and untamed even if their relationship level with their pets were already high. It was the downside of having a strong beast converted to being a pet. Sometimes, they wouldn't follow you and would even act hostile against you.

Ren chose to travel together with Pii on his shoulder. He could also choose not to by just a pressed of a button on the [Pet] section, and Pii would instantly disappear. It would reaper once he called it out, though.

But for Ren, he chose to travel with his newly found pet since every time he looked at it, his mood would immediately lighten.

Besides from that, there were two reasons why Ren chose to travel with Pii. Since he was confident that he acquired [Phantom Cloak, he could hide his appearance, and with Pii accompanying him, others would think that he was a Hunter or Animist. Thus, he shall be known as such when he trades information and items for money.

Two, having your pet travel with you not only increases your relationship level but also, a pet could find rare items, spot hidden objects and traps, and help track the right paths. That was why a Hunter or Animist was a must in every team, especially if going on a dungeon raid.

Ren didn't have anything he deemed worthwhile in Euclid Forest anymore and decided to finally check his chests before returning to Euclid Village and resting in the inn.

However, before he could, a notification popped on his screen that paralyzed him on the spot.

Leonel is calling you . . .

ANSWER

IGNORE

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Leonel is calling you . . .

ANSWER

IGNORE

". . ."

Ren couldn't react for a moment. He forgot that the outside world could still call you even if you're inside COVENANT.

Ren's heart thumped widely as he stared at the name that was flashing on his screen.

Once upon a time, he and Leonel were the best of friends together with Saya and Mike. The four of them were inseparable during their high school years, and they even promised to go to the same university together.

Ren even liked Saya in the past but gave way to Mike since he'd rather keep their friendship than lose it on a girl with who he knew he wouldn't end up in the end.

Saya's parents owned a chain of restaurants, and they were actually wealthy, while Mike's family owned a real estate company. So Saya's parents preferred Mike over Ren. The only reason why they were in Zone C in the first place was because of their parents' business.

It was not like Ren wanted to compete in the first place. There was nothing to compete with. Ren couldn't bring her to those Michelin awarded restaurants that she frequented and buy her pieces of jewelry and makeup which she loved to do.

But Mike could.

Ren gave way to their love while maintaining their friendship, and it worked out in the end.

It was Leonel who supported him through those heartbreak days, and it was thanks to him that Ren managed to get over from Saya's charms.

Even when in college, Leonel didn't stop communicating and going out with him even though Leonel was admitted to Zephyr Academy because he didn't make the entrance exam cut off in Fate.

It was a thirty minutes train ride from his school to Ren's, and Leonel always made time to meet and catch up with everyone.

While in comparison, Saya and Mike, who were at the same school as Ren, started to distance themselves from him. Their reason was that they were in different departments, and it was hard to match their schedules.

But in truth, Ren knew it was because Saya and Mike were embarrassed about him since he had nothing in his name. It was okay in high school because they were the only few rich students, and they could do whatever they wanted.

It was a different matter in college, and in Fate Academy, where most students belonged to the rich and powerful, everything changed. And when the nickname 'Ren the Rat' circulated on campus, Saya and Mike stayed away from him completely.

Ren understood, and he didn't feel bad about it since Saya and Mike needed to stick to their fellow rich cliques because of connections and benefits. After all, they needed to think of their future, and sticking with the rich and powerful was a sure way to success.

Contrary to everyone's beliefs. The rich didn't hate the poor.

No.

They simply didn't care.

Ren thought that it was better for them to hate him than be invincible in their eyes. At least they felt something towards him and knew that he was still human in their eyes.

Since he had nothing to offer, everyone treated him like he wasn't there. No one wanted to do anything with him.

He was that one guy at the side that could disappear, and no one would care.

When Ren's father died, it was Leonel who stayed by his side. Ren even forgot how many times Leonel helped him both financially and emotionally, even though he wasn't that well off either.

However, when Ren entered the game, he became even busier, and he forgot about Leonel and the others.

How long had it been?

Ten years? More than ten years?

Ren pressed ANSWER, and his surrounding froze. Since there was time deference in-game and the outside, if someone was calling from the real world, time in COVENANT froze for that player.

However, a call would only go thru in the game once you're alone. If you're not alone, a notification would still pop saying of an incoming call and that you could only answer once you're alone.

This was because you'd be temporarily logged out from the game as you received the call.

"Hey, Ren! Remember that VR game we talked about?! Its opening is today! We have been dupe! You have to go to the nearest café and rent a pod now!"

Ren swallowed the lump in his throat. He opened his mouth, but no words left his lips.

He had forgotten Leonel's deep and slow voice that it felt foreign to him now.

"Ren?! Are you listening?" Leonel said, huffing as he did. He was running to the nearest café at his place to log in to the game while the others were still unaware and blissfully sleeping.

"Y-yeah." Ren could only manage that much without his voice breaking.

Ren was always a cold and detached person, so Leonel didn't find anything wrong with his voice.

"Do you have access to a café right now? You have to go there before others got wind of the information, and they jammed every café."

Ren remembered that Leonel had asked him the same question in the past, but he just brushed him off and ended the call saying that he was sleepy and needed to find a part-time job tomorrow.

Ren was actually annoyed in the past when Leonel called because he had disturbed his sleep.

"I'm going to finally become a Dwarf and experience being small for once!" Leonel continued talking on the other side while panting to catch his breath.

Ren blinked. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

Leonel was over six feet in height. He was stall and lanky and bad at sports. Many people teased him because of it, saying that his height was useless if he was so clumsy and couldn't use it to his advantage.

In people's eyes, if you're tall, then you have to be good in sports, or your height is useless.

This made Leonel feel conscious about his height. And the only reason why he entered the game was that he wanted to become smaller.

Leonel was also playing as a Dwarf Defender in his past life. But since he wasn't playing seriously like the rest, he was easily overtaken. He didn't know any strategy, and his equipment was always inferior. Besides that, he was always dying. Hence his ATP was still in the two digits even in the mid part of the game.

No one would party with him, and no one wanted to take him into their guilds. Pressed with the only option of playing solo, his quests were limited, he couldn't enter dungeons or fight bosses, and his ATP suffered tremendously.

Leonel often asked for Ren's help in the past since he had so much information about the game.

However, Ren was busy working for a guild and juggling his part-time to actually bother about Leonel. He even blocked him in the past.

And he lost all communication with him.

Ren sighed and shook his head, a bitter smile on his face.

He lent a hand to those people who only used him and didn't help the only person who stayed true to him and helped him during his difficult times.

He was such an asshole.

"Ren, I'm already here at a café and going to enter a pod. Where are you right now?"

Ren thought for a moment. Leonel was still in Zone C, and he didn't know that he had just bought a pod. It would be troublesome if he asked about the pod and reported it to his parents.

Ren decided to hide things for now.

But of course, he wouldn't tell Leonel about him being revived into the past.

Ren answered without blinking, "I'm changing right now. I'm already here at Zone A, and it'll probably take me at least fifteen minutes to reach the nearest café."

"That's great! I'll wait for you in the newbie village!"

Ren sighed.

Leonel didn't even know that players were distributed across hundreds of newbie villages.

All these newbie villages provided the same quests and Hidden Bosses at the start of the game. Even Pii could be acquired at some other newbie village if someone else acquired first blood with the Midnight Phantom.

There was Midnight Phantom as well on the other Newbie forest. It was the first Newbie Hidden Boss.

It was to make sure that everyone was given the same chance at the start of the game.

And after that, everything would start from there.

However, once the [Mysterious Creature] was caught or gone, it wouldn't appear anymore across the hundreds of newbie villages.

Pii was a unique pet. A one of a kind. And only a single player could have a chance of acquiring him.

The same with World/Epic Quest, which could only be triggered one time.

It was a race on who could find them first.

"Leo," Ren called.

"Yeah?"

Ren pressed his lips tight before he said, "Nothing. Meet you at the village."

Leonel stifled a laugh. "Weirdo. I'll call Saya and Mike too so the four of us can play together!"

The call ended, and time resumed in the game. The call didn't even last ten minutes, but time in-game had already moved to an hour.

Ren just stared at his screen for a while.

Saya and Mike . . .

Ren was in a daze. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to meet those two.

Saya became a Sprite White Mage to support Mike, who was a Human Swordsman. Both of them were mediocre players who wanted to enter the top guilds.

Saya even approached Ren and asked for his help in the past. And since Ren still had lingering feelings for her, he offered to help them acquire rare equipment and items, which was against his contract.

And when he was found out and was kicked out of the guild because of it, Saya and Mike pretended that they didn't know him once more.

No guild was willing to take him in for months because of his tainted record of giving out information.

Feeling lost and dejected and without a job, Ren was tempted to end his life.

But it was Leonel who helped him again with just an envelope of cash in his mailbox.

And because Ren's record was tainted with the history of giving out information. It was the reason why a top guild that he managed to enter later on and climbed to a higher position in the Information Gathering Department feared that he would sell the World Quest data he acquired to the other guilds –– and thus assassinated him.

Ren's eyes burned ablaze.

Ren acknowledged hard work and perseverance the most. However, he was well aware that others simply climbed the ladder of success by just using their resources and connections.

But if Leonel wanted to be a Dwarf Defender, then Ren promised to make him the strongest Tank class in the entire COVENANT, and every top guild would prostrate before his feet.

That's a promise.

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—-

Ren looked at the time.

Since there was a time difference between the game and the real world, he made a guess that Leonel would be in the world of ARCADIA within an hour or two.

So instead of going back to the inn to rest, Ren thought of waiting for Leonel in Euclid Village and hoped that he would be transported there.

But first . . .

Ren checked his loots in excitement.

[Gold Chest]

Midnight Fur x5

Premium Meat x7

High Potion x5

TOOLS:

Gold Pix axe (Foraging)

Gold Knife (Cooking)

RECIPES:

Chocolate Cookie (Cooking)

Chocolate Cake (Cooking)

Cat Suit (Crafting)

Cat ears (Crafting)

Cat tail (Crafting])

Lolita Headdress (Crafting)

Black Cloak (Forging)

Phantom Claw (Forging)

Ren was ecstatic. He didn't expect that his LCK would be this good and gave him two Gold Tools that were quite hard to get.

With this, he could skip strenuous quests just to acquire the [Gold Pix axe] and [Gold Knife].

Ren didn't pay any attention to the recipes as he didn't have the necessary tools and materials to make them –– yet.

His shining eyes remained glued on his equipment — the reason why he wanted to get first blood in the first place.

[Platinum Chest]

Phantom Cloak x1

Black Ribbon x1

Phantom's Revenger x1

[Phantom Cloak (Legendary)

–– a simple black cloak made from the Midnight Phantom's fur.

–– a legendary grade accessory that hides its wearer's face when worn.

–– 10 HP, 5 DEF, 2 MDEF

–– Class (ALL) ]

[ Black Ribbon (Rare)

–– a cute black ribbon made from the Midnight Phantom's fur.

–– a rare grade accessory that grants its wearer an enormous amount of LCK.

–– 10 LCK

–– Sorry, men, Only FEMALE's could wear it ]

[ Phantom's Revenger (Rare)

–– a scary all-black dagger made from the Midnight Phantom's sharp talons and fangs.

–– 10 STR, 5 AGI ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

–– Class: Swordsman, Thief, Hunter ]

Ren was feeling good at his loot. Two rare and a legendary pieces of equipment at the start of the game . . . he would surely get rich if he sold [Black Ribbon] and [Phantom's Revenger]!

He couldn't equip these two anyway, and he couldn't convert them to recipes yet, so it was better to sell them now.

Equipment that granted two digits on ATP is a must-have this early on.

The good thing about being an Alchemist was, Ren could disassemble anything and turn it into recipes so he could make it again and again with the right ingredients.

Just imagining that he could make legendary items and god-tier equipment made his fine hairs stand on end.

Of course, given if he had the right materials for it.

Anyway, there would be better rare and legendary equipment as he progressed in the game.

Ren checked his last chest. The unexpected [Crystal Chest].

Ren's hands were all sweaty, and he held his breath as he opened his last chest with great expectation.

[Crystal Chest]

Spellbook (?) x1

Skill book (?) x1

YES!

It was a Spell and Skill Book with a question mark tag just as he expected!

That meant whatever the spell/skill would align to the player's class. What's more (?) tag indicated that the spell/skill was unique in the world of Arcadia. It was one of a kind!

Ren was contemplating whether to use it or reserve it for later when he got to his class.

He could also sell it if ever he needed the cash.

Since he didn't expect that he would get another [Crystal Chest, he was kind of at a loss on what to do with it.

Ren decided to store it for now. At least he had something to snatch from his inventory in case there was an emergency.

Pressing his home screen, Ren equipped [Phantom Cloak, and with the [Protection Ring] he had equipped earlier, his two slots for accessory was already full.

It was another reason why Ren wanted to acquire [Phantom Cloak]. It was an accessory and not an armor. His slot for accessories where two, and the slot for armor was only one. He could equip [Phantom Cloak] with this until later in the game.

A black cloak appeared and enveloped Ren's half body. He equipped the hood, and his appearance was hidden. If someone were to see him, they would only see a haze of darkness inside the hood.

What's more, the ATP it gave was a great boost to his defense.

Satisfied, Ren nodded to himself.

Yosh!

It was time to meet Leonel.

Ren was more nervous about meeting his best friend again than getting first blood. If he was going to be honest.

Ren took a large intake of air and pushed himself forward. He was given a second chance, and he would not make the same mistake twice.

He would amend his relationship with Leonel and cherish his friendship this time.

Ren was near the forest's exit, and he might as well wait for Leonel inside Euclid's village. He didn't have any more motivation to do the other quests in the village since they were mostly errand quests that provided little EXP and basic items.

Ren was thinking about his next move as he walked towards the exit when his attention flicked to the noise near him.

Just twenty meters right from the dirt path leading out of the Euclid Forest, sounds of battle caught Ren's attention.

It was dark and quiet, and the sound stood out from the noise of the insects and beasts.

Ren was curious as to who could be the brave player who ventured out at this time in the forest and was grinding till midnight.

And Ren was shocked to find that it was actually a woman. A beautiful woman with ample breasts, a dainty waist, and long sets of legs. Her wavy golden hair was tied in a high ponytail giving way to a strict yet languid pair of ocean blue eyes.

Ren knew her. It was the leader of Golden Phoenix, no less.

Silvia?

Ren was surprised that Silvia was at Euclid Village too. And he was even more surprised when the woman was soloing a group of Horned Rabbits.

If Ren remembered correctly, Horned Rabbits could be solo by newbie players, but a group of them required for the players at least two-digit ATP to defat.

IN COVENANT, as long as it wasn't a boss, the players had the option to flee before a beast. But that option was only available before the start of the fight. Once engaged, you could no longer run away.

Ren thought that Silvia was too confident and arrogant enough to solo the group of horned rabbits this early in the game.

Ren bet that most of Silvia's ATP didn't even reach two digits yet.

If he recalled, Silvia was a Human Fencer with a subclass of Duellist. A balance in both physical and magical attacks. It was also one of the classes that had the most sub class evolution . . . That is if you could guess right what class evolution to choose in the latter part of the game.

For now, a Human Fencer Duellist was weak in the early games until she could evolve her subclass Duellist into a [Spellblade Master] and gained magical attacks.

A Fencer Duellist had little and a weak set of skills, and the only reason why Silvia managed to get by was because of her parent's money. She bought the best equipment, the rarest items, and the elusive information as soon as the in-game currency was introduced. All for the sake of proving that she could do anything, be it in the real world or in-game.

And Ren admired her for that. A woman who was not afraid to use everything that was available to her to reach the top.

However, for now . . .

She was surely going to die. Ren thought.

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—-

"COVENANT."

Silvia rolled the letters on the tip of her tongue. She looked over at the twin moons peeking above the orange sky.

It was going to be dark soon, and Pamela was still nowhere to be seen.

Silvia was inside Euclid Village and was waiting for Pamela, who was still setting up her pod. They were supposed to meet early on, but Pamela got delayed, and Silvia couldn't wait for her friend and played the game without her.

However, Silvia didn't have the heart to leave her friend behind and decided to just finish all the quests in Euclid village and wait for her after.

Anyway, when Pamela arrives in Euclid village, she'll help her with her quests, and they could grind together in Euclid Forest after that.

Silvia has already spoken to all NPCs inside Euclid Village and finished all available quests, but there was still no sign of her best friend.

She knew of the time difference between the game and the real world, and there was nothing she could do but wait. She was also worried about Pamela because she read in the game's limited guide that players were distributed across hundreds of newbie villages.

If Pamela happened to be in another newbie village, Silvia would just go to her using the [Teleportation/Save Crystal] stationed at each entrance of a village, town, city, and dungeons.

These crystals would automatically teleport you to places that you have already visited. As long as you entered a place first, it would be available as a choice when you touched the crystal at every entrance of a place.

However, the hundreds of Newbie Villages were accessible in the list of choices in the teleportation/save crystal even if you hadn't entered the place.

It was to make sure that players could play together with their friends at the start of the game even if they were transported to other villages.

There was no point in playing if they weren't together enjoying the game.

It was true that COVENANT was a unique and exciting game. A fantasy world came out of a dream. But after doing errand quests after guests, Silvia was already bored. She really wanted to venture outside of the newbie village and into the great unknown.

The only thing that was hindering her was her best friend, Pamela, who was still nowhere to be seen.

Shifting one foot to another, Silvia clicked her tongue in annoyance when she started attracting unwanted attention. The only thing keeping the group of guys from approaching her was her intimidating glares.

She cursed the game for not having the option to change her appearance.

Though she was grateful, she was gifted with godly looks and physiques, but it was a bother most of the time.

She had already forgotten how many times her face got her into trouble.

Was there some kind of an item that could hide her appearance? Silvia thought to herself.

Silvia decided to wait for Pamela in an area that was secluded and had lesser players.

Thank the heavens that there weren't many players yet, and Silvia didn't have to worry about the crowd.

However, she was bored.

Not even five minutes that, she was standing and waiting for Pamela, and she was already bored.

Silvia was not used to just standing and waiting. She needed to do something, or she'd feel every tick of the clock.

Silvia released a large breath into the sky and decided to grind in the forest. It was dark, and not many players were adventuring outside at this time, but what else would she do?

Stand here and wait?

Silvia shook her head and marched towards Euclid forest.

She entered the forest and began to grind with whatever beast she saw, making sure that she didn't go too deep inside so she could return to the village as soon as Pamela arrived.

CONGRATULATIONS on defeating Horned Rabbit x1

REWARDS:

5 EXP

10 Gil

Rabbit's foot x1

CONGRATULATIONS on defeating Crazed Wolf x1

REWARDS:

7 EXP

15 Gil

Wolf's fang x1

Notifications popped on Silvia's screen when she defeated beast after beast. She didn't care, though, since the rewards were so poor it hurt her eyes.

It would take forever for all her ATP to reach two digits at this rate.

Silvia went still and wiped off the sweat from her face. This game was too realistic that she felt like everything was real. She even felt like logging out and taking a long hot bath.

She took a moment to breathe and looked at her player status.

‖ S T A TU S ‖

Name: Silvia

Age: 19

Race: Human

Class: Fencer

Subclass: Duelist ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

Eye Color: Blue

Hair Color: Gold

Attributes:

HP: 70

MP: 40

STR: 12

DEF: 7

MDF: 5

INT: 4

AGI: 7

LCK: 4

Skills:

Stab LV.1

Spells:

Heal LV.1

Life Skills

Cooking: Beginner

Fishing: Beginner

Foraging: Beginner

EXP: 70

Money: 120 Gils

Items:

Newbie Garbs (Equip)

Beginner's Rapier (Equip)

Protection Ring (Equip)

ARCADIA's map

Health Potions x7

Rabbits Foot x3

Wolf's Fangs x2

‖ E N D ‖

Silvia sighed.

She was here for hours, but her ATP didn't even reach two digits. And Silvia knew why. The amount of EXP in the Newbie Village was so minuscule to non-existent, and the amount of EXP to level their ATP was huge.

It didn't add up.

The only time that she received an enormous EXP was attaining first blood on the quest [Herbs Gathering, and she poured it to her STR, and it only went up by that much.

She thought that grinding the forest would rake her tons of EXP, but it turned out that the EXP lessened, the more she accumulated EXP and raised her ATP. Some beasts didn't even provide any more EXP rewards.

Accumulating EXP and not distributing it to her ATP to maintain it low so she could rake EXP when defeating beasts also didn't work. The system even calculated the accumulated EXP in her [Home Screen] when giving rewards.

Silvia didn't have time to waste on lower-level beasts anymore. In the [World Chat, she read that some players encountered a group of beasts that were impossible to defeat in this early game.

Silvia thought that would surely rake her enough EXP to level all her ATP into two digits.

Silvia picked her thumb. Was her ATP enough to solo this group of monsters, though?

". . ."

After consideration, the only way for her to be ahead of the others was to take risks.

And besides, she wasn't used to just staying in her comfort zone.

"Let's do this." Silvia's eyes shone, and excitement racked her veins for the second time.

The first time was when she entered COVENANT, and she almost forgot how it was to be excited once more.

The real-life was dull to her because she could get whatever she wanted and could do many things if she set her mind to it. Being number one was effortless to her, and this got her bored.

A good thing that this game came at the perfect time.

Silvia's eyes glowed, and her tongue wiped her bottom lips. "Don't disappoint me."

She went into the area where the players said they had spotted a group of Horned Rabbits.

She would test the waters first since Horned Rabbits were the weakest beasts in Euclid Forest.

She didn't have to go far because the group of rabbits was located under the giant tree at the center of a wide clearing of patches of grass.

Silvia made some mental preparations in her mind. Her ATP could take care of every single one of them before, and she was confident that she could win even if there were four of them now.

She was confident in her skill with the sword since she was practicing fencing in real life. She also knew self-defense.

A Fencer was the perfect class for her. The skill [Stab] inflicted [True Damage] and had a high chance of critical attack if she pierced her weapon against her opponent's weakness.

It was also the reason why she was ahead of the others in the game. While others squirmed and were still getting used to the battle system, Silvia felt right at home.

Silvia readied her weapon.

At the sight of the approaching woman, the peaceful bunnies, who were minding their own business of eating grass and collecting food, all turned hostile and immediately circled Silvia.

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Silvia drew her weapon and was about to use her skill when all four Horned Rabbits attacked her all at once, and she was completely caught off guard.

–10

–17 Critical Hit!

–10

–15 Critical Hit!

Silvia was surprised that the Horned Rabbits were faster than the normal ones. Bigger too. They were about knee in height, and their large bucktooth was sharper than it appeared.

What's more, two of the rabbits managed to circle her and attacked her on the back, landing Critical Hits in return.

Silvia immediately took a step back, creating distance between the rabbits and her. She was about to consume her potions when the Horned Rabbits attacked again.

–10

–9

–9

–7

Silvia was stunned and didn't expect that she wouldn't even get the chance to attack before her HP bar quickly flashed red and emptied.

You have DIED!

And when she came too, she was nothing but a wisp on top of her body that was laying on the hard cold ground, which felt strange to her.

There was a notification on her screen saying that she had to pay the death penalty with ATP since her EXP was insufficient.

The notification wouldn't leave her screen, and there was no exit. She had no choice but to pay the death penalty.

Gritting her teeth, Silvia paid –5 ATP points from her MP, STR, INT, a total of 500 EXP that she should have otherwise gotten as a reward if she defeated the Horned Rabbits.

After which, her body burst into particles, and Silvia found herself back at the entrance of Euclid Village near the Teleportation/Save Crystal.

Silvia's heart was heavy. Those were 5 ATP points!

5!

Such a minuscule number, but it had a great impact on the game!

Her advantage over the others was now reduced, and she couldn't sleep knowing that she had lost 5 of her hard-earned ATP.

But despite her frustration, there was a hint of a smile on Silvia's lips.

It was her fault for underestimating the Horned Rabbits.

This time, she wouldn't make the same mistake twice.

She lacked the information about the group of Horned Rabbits, and the [World Chat] didn't provide any information either except that they were strong or a lot of players were killed when they attempted to kill those beasts. After they suffered tremendous ATP loss, they thoroughly gave up on the group of horned rabbits after just a single try.

But Silvia was different. The more she suffered defeat, the more motivated she'd become.

She wouldn't stop until she got what she wanted.

And her eyes were locked on those group of Horned Rabbits.

Through her parent's money, Silvia acquired information about the game. Not much but sill useful than the limited information and guide the developers posted on their website.

There was supposed to be an item that would let her see the stats of the beasts and monsters she encountered.

Due to her confidence, she made the mistake of not checking the information of her foes. A newbie mistake that could have been prevented if she hadn't underestimated her enemy.

It won't happen again. Silvia thought.

She went to the shop and bought [Monocle x1].

In the real world, Silvia didn't have to check the prices of what she bought. But in here, she made a twice-over encased that her Gil got depleted without her knowing.

She wasn't used to it, but it felt nice for once.

The challenge was always welcomed. Silvia thought to herself before she went back to where the group of Horned Rabbits was.

Silvia didn't know what happened back there and why she died before she had the chance to attack, but she was determined to find out, even at the cost of another death and EXP penalty.

Sacrifices had to be made for her advancement.

At this moment, all Silvia thought was defeating the group of Horned Rabbits and nothing else. Even Pamela was left out of her mind.

Silvia approached the rabbits with careful steps though the beasts heard her footstep, and loud screeching noises escaped from their wide mouths.

They surrounded Silvia once more, and the four beasts attacked her from all sides the moment Silvia pressed ENGAGED. This time, Silvia was ready and anticipated their attacks.

She jumped to the side and avoided a [Bite] from the Rabbits' mouths.

Miss!

Miss!

Miss!

Miss!

Silvia smiled at the words flashing in her view. As long as she knew the pattern of their attacks, she could easily avoid them with her AGI.

However, her smile fell right off her face when the rabbits thumped their bigfoot against the ground in a blink and easily jumped towards her with their bucktooth on wide display.

Since Silvia was still in the air, she couldn't avoid the rabbits' attacks, and her HP flashed red in alarm.

–19 Critical Hit!

–15 Critical Hit!

–17 Critical Hit!

–16 Critical Hit!

When the rabbits all paused for a second, Silvia used her [Monocle] instead of attacking them.

[Used Monocle x1

Remaining number of Monocle: 0]

‖ H O R D E S O F

H O R N E D R A B B I T S ‖

Location: Euclid Forest ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

Description:

A family of Horned Rabbits living in Euclid Forest.

Do not engage if ATPs are below two digits.

‖ A T T R I B U T E ‖

HP: 75

MP: 20

STRG: 7

DEF: 6

MDF: 5

INT: 5

AGL: 10

LCK: 12

‖ S K I L L ‖

Passive Skill:

Rabbit's LCK

–– 100% chance of double attack when the enemy's AGI and LCK are lower.

Active Skill:

Rabbit's Screech Lv. 2

–– MP –20

–– 50% chance of calling for reinforcement

‖ W E A K N E S S ‖

Fire

‖ E N D ‖

Silvia was surprised because the group of Horned Rabbits had different skills than the individual rabbits running rampant in the forest. She thought that they were the same. That was why she was confident that she could kill them even if most of her ATP's were in the single digit.

What's more, their ATPs were high!

So high!

Higher than her, that Silvia was even thinking of giving up.

Silvia shook her head.

NO!

She would not give up until this group of midgets were nothing but rabbit meats and feet.

Such horrid and savage thoughts for someone so beautiful, but Silvia didn't care for the Rabbits were now going to attack her.

Silvia closed her eyes, bracing for impact, and before she knew it, a notification appeared on her screen.

You have DIED!

Penalty 600 EXP

Insufficient EXP

Proceed to pay 6 ATP for lack of EXP

PROCEED

". . ."

Silvia blinked. It was 500 before but now a 600 EXP penalty?

How?

Why?

WHAT?!

Silvia forced herself to calm down and thought things through.

The system was calculating the penalties based on the amount of EXP she gets from defeating her enemy. And the amount of EXP she gets from killing her enemy was based on her ATP and the amount of time for her to defeat her foes.

Then that meant . . .

It was because her ATP was reduced by five a while ago that was why her amount of EXP, should she had defeated the group of Horned Rabbits, was increased to 600 EXP.

Damn!

Then that meant that the more she was killed, the higher the EXP reduction!

Silvia began to panic now. 600 EXP was no joke! She would definitely feel the burn of it.

Her ATP was surely going to suffer from this second loss. Her advantage over the other players would be null as well.

Calm down.

Silvia repeated the mantra over her head.

It also meant that if she defeated the Hordes of Horned Rabbits, she could get back most of her lost ATP points.

Silvia took a large intake of air and planned her next move. She needed to increase her AGI to 10, so the group of Horned Rabbits' skills wouldn't work against her, and they couldn't perform double attacks.

And with her fighting experience, she could avoid most of their attacks and finish them one by one.

Silvia nodded to herself. What she needed was to grind until she had 300 EXP. And by then . . .

Silvia's wisp form locked on the group of Horne Rabbits who resumed their daily lives of eating grass and collecting food. Their innocent eyes looked happy and content.

Silvia didn't know why but she was pissed looking at them.

She would surely kill those rabbits even if it were the last thing she did!

Paying for the death penalty, Silvia once again found herself inside the entrance of Euclid Village.

Instead of wallowing in her frustration and annoyance, Silvia marched towards the forest once more and grind like her life depended on it.

She totally forgot about her best friend Pamela at this point.

Some players were also doing their daily grind. Upon seeing the beautiful lady marching with dark mist shrouding her entire aura, eyes glinting dangerously, everyone gave way almost immediately.

Their fantasy of saving a damsel in distress and showing off to attract her vanished in thin air like the Crazed Wolf she slew with her sword in a single strike.

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The orange dusk swept the sky, and within hours, it was total darkness.

When Silvia came too, it was midnight, and the amount of EXP she got from grinding nonstop was exactly 300 EXP. It was because her ATP was reduced, and now she could farm up to 30 EXP from the stronger beast in the forest.

Silvia returned immediately to Euclid Village and poured all 300 EXP into her AGI. With this, she didn't have to worry about those little creatures' passive skill anymore.

Silvia stayed in the inn and paid 50 Gil, so her HP and MP bar was full once more. She also fixed her weapon in the weapon and armor shop and resupplied her [Health Potions] for her upcoming fight.

By this time, her Gil was almost zero. This was the only time that Silvia found herself without money in all her life.

It . . . it felt horrible!

After her preparations were done, she went into the Group of Horned Rabbits' nest, and this time, they would pay dearly for killing her –– twice!

Returning to the Horde of Horned Rabbits' den, Silvia was prepared to kill every last one Rabbit on sight.

She was burning with rage and killing intent that the Rabbit's fur even shook upon seeing her. They were enraged at Silvia for trespassing into their territory, and they attacked swiftly without warning.

A Horde of Horned Rabbits spotted you!

ENGAGED

FLEE

Silvia was prepared and pressed ENGAGED once more.

She avoided their attacks like the one she did before. However, she wasn't as lucky as the first time, and some of them managed to bite her.

–Miss!

–10

–Miss!

–7

Since Silvia's HP bar was still high, she didn't bother to take [Health Potions]. She used her skill [Stab] to attack one of the rabbits.

Silvia's STR was high at this point, and the Rabbits' DEF was low, so needless to say that her damaged output against them would be enormous.

What's more, her [Stab] skill had a 50% chance of landing a Critical Attack if she attacked her enemies' weak spot. It was a piercing attack that dealt true damage too.

–45 Critical Hit!

Silvia grinned with glee.

She could actually win this if she could keep this up!

Her eyes glint dangerously while the evil smile on her face widened. It's time to make them as nothing more than rabbit meat and foot.

The rabbits attacked again, and Silvia avoided them once more while activating [Stab] again. Since it was a skill, the amount of MP it required was only -10; hence Silvia could activate her skill at least four times. Enough to reduce the number of rabbits to two and finish them off completely.

There was no MP potion available yet, so Silvia couldn't replenish her MP. She wasn't worried, though. She was confident that she could kill the Hordes of Horned Rabbits and maybe acquired first blood from killing them?

Silvia felt the excitement racking her veins, and this caused her to miss a step and fail to avoid the remaining three rabbits' attack.

–16 Critical Hit!

–17 Critical Hit!

–9

Silvia immediately consumed her [Health Potions]

[Consumed Health Potions x2]

[Number of Health Potions Left: 5]

Silvia and the Horned Rabbits kept going at it until she managed to reduce their numbers to one. By this time, she only had two [Health Potions] left, and her weapon's durability was reduced to half. In contrast, her MP was nothing but a glaring zero.

Silvia wasn't worried. She was smiling from ear to ear. She was sure of herself that she could kill the remaining rabbit with just her basic attacks.

Only one Horned Rabbit left, and she could finally taste her sweet revenge and those high EXP points. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

This Horde of Horned Rabbits was in the bag. Silvia thought and smirked.

The Horned Rabbit successfully activated its skill –– SCREECH!

Silvia was confused when a notification popped on her screen, and before she knew it, a giant Horned Rabbit jumped beside the remaining last one.

"What the––!"

Before Silvia could react, a large shock wave went out from the Giant Rabbit's mouth.

The Horned Rabbit Queen activated its skill –– ANGRY SCREECH!

It was too late to dodge, and Silvia was hit right on by the loud vibration. The shock wave rang her eardrums, and she got dizzy from the ringing in her ears. She was stunned, and her body couldn't move in place.

–57

You have suffered a status effect –– PARALYZE!

SHIT!

Surprised was an understatement when Silvia's HP bar went down fast right before her eyes. She didn't know what had happened . . . but one thing was for sure . . .

She was going to die –– AGAIN!

The skill [Screech] of the Horned Rabbit successfully managed to activate despite the low percentage of success.

What were the odds? Silvia thought.

She wanted to curse out loud. The Horned Rabbit Queen that appeared out of nowhere was surely stronger than the rest of the puny rabbits.

The title Queen gave away to how strong it was. Silvia didn't have to use a [Monocle] to know. Just that single shock wave alone almost depleted her HP in a single strike.

What's more, she only had two remaining [Health Potions, enough to full her HP once. But she didn't have any potions to combat the paralyzing effect on her!

She was doomed!

Silvia contemplated whether to delay the inevitable and continue to struggle and try her luck if she could defeat that thing that appeared out of nowhere, hoping that the paralyzation would disappear soon before it could launch another attack.

It must be their mother or something. Silvia mused to herself. She couldn't even laugh at her predicament. If she died now, the EXP penalty was surely going to be enormous because of the appearance of another strong beast.

She couldn't afford another huge ATP loss!

Silvia's advantage over the others would disappear, and it was like she was back from square one!

Maybe it was even better if she deleted her account and recreated a new one? A new avatar's ATP might be higher than the one she had if she died again.

Silvia bit her lips when the Horned Rabbit Queen moved together with the last remaining smaller Rabbit. She could only watch helplessly as her death was fast approaching in the form of two pairs of large saliva-coated buck teeth.

WhoOsShH!

The sound of gushing winds and the smell of burned fur and flesh awoke Silvia from a bad dream. And when she opened her eyes, the broad back of a man dominated her view.

Who?

Silvia was taller than most women, but the man in front of her was taller than her by inches, donned in robes and face hidden by a black cloak. He had a pet that was exclusive only to the Hunter and Animist class, but he could cast fire like a Mage.

Silvia was confused. There was nothing like that from the information she had gathered. And definitely not something she read from the developers lacking guide on their website.

Then it could only mean one thing.

"Are you . . ." Silvia pried for the stranger's eyes, but she still couldn't see amidst his dark hood.

"An NPC?"

Silvia's eyes shone. Did she triggered an event or what?

—-

A/N

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A/N

Dear Readers,

If you see plot holes, mistakes, glaring contradiction, chances are my mind is a mess that day, i overlooked, i was thinking of another thing or simply forgot. Just point it out and i'll edit it. No need to go on ballistic with me

CHEERS!

—-

A Horned Rabbit Queen?

Ren was surprised that the last remaining rabbit that would have otherwise granted Silvia her sought-after victory had successfully summoned the Queen of all Horned Rabbits.

Ren didn't expect Silvia to last this long, facing the Hordes of Horned Rabbits alone. If he had to be honest. And she proved him wrong when she was about to defeat them without anyone's help –– if only the Horned Rabbit Queen didn't appear.

What were the odds that the low percentage skill [Screech] of the Horned Rabbit would be activated successfully at the last minute? And actually, summoned the Queen of Horned Rabbits no less?

The Horned Rabbit Queen was a rare beast at this point in time but a common beast in the latter part of the game that could only be encountered if its children successfully activated their skill [Screech]. By that time, the Horned Rabbit's skill [Screech] would already reach LV.7, so naturally, the success rate of summoning their Queen Mother would also increase.

In this early game, killing a Horned Rabbit Queen would surely give huge EXP and Gil. What's more, its meat was ingredients in many cooking recipes and fetched a high price when sold.

But killing it with only a single digits ATP was impossible.

Ren didn't know if Silvia's LCK was good or bad.

At this rate, she was surely going to die.

Yep. She was going to die. Ren thought when Silvia was afflicted with the paralyzing status.

Ren immensely enjoyed seeing Silvia's usual calm and arrogant face crack. It made her human and reachable.

Anyway, Ren was contemplating whether to help Silvia or not. But at the appearance of the Horned Rabbit Queen, he decided to help her.

There were advantages if he did help her. The meat of the Horned Rabbit Queen would surely fetch an excellent additional 5 000 Gil to his money . . . Silvia would owe him a debt which she would surely pay in cash.

The only disadvantage Ren had was that she would know that he could cast Fire and would surely doubt his class even if he portrayed himself as a Hunter or Animist because of Pii.

Ren pondered some more, but he quickly decided upon seeing that the Horned Rabbits were going to attack again.

Ren entered the fighting range and pressed ENGAGED to join in the fray before he cast [Fire] over the Horned Rabbit Queen.

Ren's INT was way higher than the rest, enough to reduce the Horned Rabbit Queen's HP bar to more than half with a single critical hit.

–574 Critical Hit!

[ Horned Rabbit Queen suffered from BURN

–5% HP every minute ]

–40 (BURN)

Silvia was surprised by the amount of damaged that the stranger inflicted on the Horned Rabbit Queen. He appeared to be in the Hunter or Animist class based on the beast-like pet on his shoulder. But he cast magic damage like he was a mage.

No player was capable of that unless . . .

"Are you . . . an NPC?"

Ren faced Silvia with a serious expression, though all the woman saw was hazy fogy darkness inside his hood.

"That's not important. Do you want to live and gain an enormous amount of EXP?"

Silvia was confused at the NPC's words. Was this an event? Did she triggered something? But where's the option that should have popped on her screen? Or was it voice-operated?

"Hurry up."

Silvia was still confused and nodded without thinking. She was still trying to guess Ren's class and whether he was an NPC or not. She was straining her neck if she could see inside the hood of his cloak to no success.

Ren wasn't bothered and asked, "How much?"

". . . Huh?" Silvia became even more confused.

Ren grinned and extended a hand. "How much for your life?" ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

". . ." Silvia's jaw dropped. What was he talking about? Was he talking about Gil? Is that the payment for his help? Or was it part of an event?

"And in case you're wondering, I'm talking about real money," Ren said and avoided the attack of the Horned Rabbits. With his AGI, it was a breeze.

Since Ren's attacks were higher than Silvia's, the [Aggro] of the enemies were on him, and he became the priority target of the two Horned Rabbits.

Ren didn't flinch, though, since his DEF and AGI were high. He could cast [Fire] multiple times if he wanted to and finish the fight before the Horned Rabbits could move again, but he decided against it.

He wanted to talk to Silvia first and make a deal with her.

"Hurry up. I don't have all day."

Silvia was jolted awake from her confused state by Ren's monotone and cold voice.

It was a first time that a man had spoken that way to her. She was used to everyone's attention and affection. All men she knew turned docile and idiotic upon facing her. Their hard voice melted mellow, and their cold facades cracked upon laying eyes on her beautiful face. She didn't have to make an effort. Her charms were enough to make all men bow before her.

He was definitely an NPC. Silvia thought.

"Are you an NPC?"

Ren's eyelid twitched. "Ask me that again, and I'll kill those beasts myself and take all their EXP and loot.

Silvia's eye rounded, and she restrained a gasp from escaping her lips.

He was a player!

A beta tester, then? That would explain the high damage and the weird-looking beast coiling on his neck.

Beta Testers had an unfair advantage over regular players. They already knew half the game before it was even launched. It was where Silvia got some of her information, too, by paying a huge amount of money so she could acquire the Beta Testers guidebook of COVENANT. It wasn't much, but it had more information than the guide on the developer's website.

If so, then Silvia's LCK hadn't run out! She could still get out of this predicament!

"How much do you want?" Silvia immediately offered. If this was going to be resolved with money, then it wasn't a problem for her.

Ren's smile stretched. "How much can you give?"

With an arrogant and overbearing woman like Silvia, she would surely not accept anything less. And with her fortune, money wasn't a problem.

And Ren wouldn't have Silvia in any other way. Rich, arrogant, prideful customer who wouldn't allow anyone to question her capabilities and power.

It was the reason why Ren loved rich and overbearing people the best.

Ren's grin widened when Silvia's cold façade cracked. She bit her lip and glared at him with rosy cheeks and a flushed face.

She was indeed beautiful, and Ren was one of those men who had a secret crush on her.

Too bad that Ren's one true love is money.

Silvia gritted her teeth and hissed through the gap of her clinching teeth. "How about ten thousand real money? I'm sure that's more than enough."

Ren didn't flinch and said in a monotone voice, "The EXP reward for the Hordes of Horned Rabbits is about 700. But since one of them successfully called the Horned Rabbit Queen, then what EXP you'll receive would double. BUT . . .

"If you died, then your ATP would surely suffer a tremendous blow enough for you to consider recreating your account. Are you willing to forfeit your advantage and start all over again?"

Silvia's face darkened.

Ren's lips twitched at the side. He had her. "Surely the daughter of a billionaire could offer more than that. If not, then I'll just let them kill you before I defeat them and take all their EXP and loot."

". . ."

Is he serious?!

—-

A/N

Next Update is next week or SAT. I have my hands full the remaining days to come. Please be patient and await my return.

I shall return shortly!

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Ren's lips twitched at the side. "Surely the daughter of a billionaire could offer more than that. If not, then I'll just let them kill you before I defeat them and take all their EXP and loot."

". . ."

Is he serious?!

H-How . . . How despicable! Silvia thought and added in her head. And ungentlemanly!

Silvia didn't mind that the stranger knew who she was. Everyone knew who she was. It was a given as long as you live in the real world and the internet was a thing.

Ren tilted his head to the side. "A Horned Rabbit Queen is rare and hard to find in this newbie forest. You might not get the same chance again even if you re-enter again and again.

"While their aggro is still on me, I'm giving you a chance to last hit them and take all the EXP for yourself and all of this for just a cash in your pocket."

Ren shrugged. "Your choice."

Silvia's smile dropped from her face. The man was clearly taunting her with the rewards and her family's money. Never in her life was she pressed like this and by a man no less!

He'd surely steal her kill if she refused, and she was left with nothing but the death penalty.

However, if she agreed, she had to offer money that was befitting of her identity.

She knew that he was merely baiting her, but her pride refused to pay anything less than she deserved.

Though it was merely death in the game, Silvia refused to pay cheap for her life. She knew her worth both in-game and out.

Silvia composed herself and offered with a skewed smile on her lips.

He wanted to challenge her wealth. Then . . . so be it.

"Then how about one hundred thousand real money?" said Silvia with an overbearing tone, looking down at Ren through the gap of her nose.

It was a huge amount of money, and she was sure that it was more than enough as payment.

Ren merely smiled.

Yes. That's how he wanted Silvia to be. Prideful and arrogant. Else, how could he extort money from her and all the other overbearing young masters and mistresses in the future?

"Deal." Ren faced the Horned Rabbit Queen. "Oh, and before I forget, the Horned Rabbit Queen's meat is mine."

"W-what?!" Silvia shouted, but then she closed her mouth when she realized that she was deviating from her cool exterior. "What would that leave me?"

"The other loots," Ren said without a care.

Silvia looked at Ren in incredulity. Never in her life was she treated like this.

Was he even a man? No . . . was he even human?

Author: No, Ren's a Sprite. LELz

Silvia hesitated, and Ren teased, "It looks like the Horned Rabbit Queen is about to attack. I better get out of the way before I'm hit in the crossfire."

Ren was about to move when Silvia screamed.

"Fine. FINE! Just give me the EXP."

Ren stifled a laugh at Silvia's flushed face. Her expression was still hard, cheeks red, but her pair of ocean blue eyes were shaking, the only betrayal to her indifferent face.

Ren immediately cast [Fire] before the Horned Rabbits could launch their attacks.

–570 Critical Hit!

[ Horned Rabbit Queen suffered from BURN

–5% HP every minute ]

–40 (BURN)

ScCreEcChH!

The Horned Rabbit Queen's final cry reverberated in the forest before it dissolved into white particles and vanished in thin air.

While the remaining last Horned Rabbit jumped and attacked Ren with its large bucked tooth.

Ren didn't even try to evade. His DEF was high, and no mere Horned Rabbit could cause a dent in his HP.

–1

Silvia's eyelid twitched. Even his DEF was high!

He's undoubtedly a beta tester! Silvia thought with a nod.

Ren ignored Silvia's astonished face and waved his hand at the last remaining Rabbit. "My lady."

Silvia didn't know whether to feel insulted or not. She couldn't see the stranger's face, but she wanted to smack it left and right.

Come to think of it, how did he manage to hide his appearance? Was it the Cloak? Was it a rare item?

"Anytime now."

Silvia didn't have the time to ponder as Ren's bored tone rang in her ears.

Swallowing her indignation, Silvia attacked the Rabbit with her rapier. Her [Paralysis] status was over a minute ago, and she directed all her anger and frustration at the poor Rabbit.

–27

Ren was a little surprised. He thought that Silvia could end the Rabbit's life in one stroke. But it seemed like her STR wasn't as high as he thought. Her MP was also zero, so she couldn't use any of her skills.

Ren followed up with an attack of his staff since using his [Fire[ would surely end the Rabbit's Life.

–10

Silvia's eyes shone when the number appeared on top of the Horned Rabbit. She breathed easy, knowing that the stranger wasn't invincible. At least his STR was low.

Then was he a mage since his INT was high based on the [Fire] he cast? Silvia thought to herself. But he was walking with a beast that was unique to the Hunter and Animist Subclass.

Was it a unique class then?

Silvia heard about those vague and rare classes that weren't available in the selection at the beginning. But those rare classes listed in the guide that she bought from the Beta Testers didn't interest her.

Was it one of them?

Pii

Pii uncurled from Ren's neck and attacked the Horned Rabbit with its tail. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

–2

Silvia giggled at the very low damage. At least his pet wasn't powerful either. She thought, relieved.

Ren wasn't affected by Silvia's mocking smile, and he rubbed little Pii's chin. "Good job Pii."

Pii! Pii!

Eventually, Silvia last hit the Horned Rabbit, and she acquired the loot and EXP. Her resentment and reservation at Ren vanished at the sight of the EXP reward.

Since Silvia and Ren didn't party, Silvia got all the rewards as the one who last killed their enemy. She got a whopping 2000 EXP. It was indeed more than enough to compensate for her lost ATP before. The swindled one hundred thousand dollars that she was going to pay was immediately erased from her mind, and she was even glad that she made a deal with the stranger.

Silvia faced Ren when the latter extended his hand.

A handshake? Silvia hesitated. In real life, she didn't want a guy to casually touch her disguised as a handshake. Her feelings didn't change even in the game.

But the stranger had saved her life. Surely, she could oblige just this once?

Consider yourself lucky, you brute. Silvia thought.

Hundreds had attempted to touch her hand, but only a few succeeded. The stranger should feel quite honored.

Silvia was about to shake Ren's hand when the latter retracted his arm and flexed his fingers instead like she had a rare disease that he didn't want to even graze.

"Hand it over," said Ren with a monotone voice.

Silvia looked over at Ren and asked with a flower sprouting over her head. "Huh?"

Ren flexed his fingers again. "The Horned Rabbit Queen's meat."

". . ." At his demand, Silvia was reminded once more about their deal, and she grumbled under her breath.

She was a little embarrassed for thinking about the handshake, and her face went red.

This despicable man! How many times must he embarrass her?

"How am I going to send it to you?" Silvia knew how but she pretended not to know, hoping that she wouldn't give the meat just to spite him.

But after she finished her words, a notification popped on her screen.

Player Ren is sending you a Friend Request

ACCEPT

DECLINE

". . ."

Darn it.

Ren smirked inside the hazy darkness of his hood. "Well? Don't tell me the illustrious and dignified daughter of Sylvester Rutherford is going to break a deal?"

Ren looked over at the sky while skimming his jaw with his fingers. "If the world knows about it––"

"Enough!" Silvia accepted the request and immediately sent the Horned Rabbit Queen's meat over to Ren.

"Thanks. Nice doing business with you."

Ren turned and left the shocked Silvia in place. Just like that. Without any more words and goodbyes. He was going to leave just like that.

"Wait! Your payment," Silvia blurted. She was actually surprised that the stranger would just leave after he went all the trouble to extort her.

Ren just waved his hand, not stopping for anyone. "I'll contact you when I want the money."

"Wha––" Silvia didn't get to finish her sentence when Ren disappeared from her sight.

. . .

. . .

Ren?

Silvia rolled the word on the tip of her tongue. She was momentarily in a daze, and when she got her bearing back, the stranger in the hood was gone.

A whole minute passed that Silvia just looked at where the man had left before she thought to herself.

Ren . . . huh . . .

Silvia's stoic face blossomed into a smile despite her annoyance with him.

It might have been a good thing that she encountered him. A beta tester that knew the game more than the others was exactly what she needed.

Money wasn't a problem.

Silvia placed a hand on her tilted waist and flicked her sword to the side.

"We'll be doing business in the future with you, player Ren," Silvia muttered as she looked at Ren's name on her [List of Friends].

—-

A/N

I was going to update next week but decided to update now cause I have an ANNOUNCEMENT!

NEW NOVEL!

[My Evil System]

My entry to WSA 2022

Its also has game elements but have system and apocalyptic events and heavy emphasis on Kingdom Building.

You know the drill

Do check it out and support through VOTES, REVIEWS and COMMENTS

UPDATE RATE of this NOVEL will not decrease which is one/day LELz

SUMMON a BONUS chapter on the same day with every 500PS, 50GT and a SUPER GIFT.

CHEERS!

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As soon as Ren was out from Silvia's sight, he removed [Phantom Cloak, and his appearance was visible once more.

He wasn't an idiot to parade inside Euclid Village, knowing that Silvia was going to be there too.

He also pressed the [Pet] section and had Pii stay inside his pet house in the [Home Screen]. "Sorry, Pii. I'll have you accompany me later. For now, stay in your home."

Pii~

When everything was done, Ren entered Euclid Village and decided to wait for Leonel. Since his ATP was high, it was useless for him to grind in the newbie forest anymore. And Ren wasn't keen on accepting errand quests in the village that only provided him basic items.

Ren also thought of going to the New Era bank tomorrow. If he was going to make money out of the information he gathered and the items he would make, he needed an untraceable account that had the top of the line security that no one could access, no matter who it was. And New Era Bank was number one in that department.

But of course, it came at a high cost.

Opening an account alone costs a million dollars with a maintaining balance of another million. It also had a monthly fee of one hundred thousand dollars for its services and protection.

It was not the bank for the faint-hearted. But if you wanted legal and illegal dealings, then this bank is the number one choice to go.

If Ren wanted his identity to remain hidden and protect his family and future, then he had to pay the price.

An expensive price.

Ren wasn't worried, though, since he could still open an account even if he didn't have the money –– yet. He would apply for an organ loan among the many loans they offered with a time frame of one year.

He was confident that he could settle all the money by then.

Yosh!

Psyching himself up, he went back to An's house and knocked on her door. Since it was nighttime, most of the NPCs were inside their home.

An gasped upon seeing Ren and the [Moonlight Flower] in his inventory. "Is that . . . the Moonlight Flowers?!"

Ren nodded and handed the [Moonlight Flowers x10] to An.

Your RELATIONSHIP LEVEL with An became INTIMATE!

An beamed, cheeks red in happiness. "Thank you very much!"

She then cupped her cheeks and said in a sorrowful voice, "But I had nothing to offer you except a tale. Do you want to hear it?"

YES!

Ren wanted to shout a resounding 'YES.'

An giggled at Ren's excitement, and his eyes wrinkled in glee. "Well then . . . This is a story about the secret world, Fey Realm."

Ren's joy couldn't be contained.

An's saw Ren's ecstatic face, which prompted her to tell the tale in an enthusiastic voice, "Rumors have it that there is a secret portal leading to the elusive Realms of the Fairies. In the previous [Fairy Queen's Tomb, there lies a hidden room that contained the key to visiting the hidden [Fey Realm].

"Gather your party and visit the land of the Fairies, where you delved into magnificent scenery and forsaken ruins. Explore the enchanted forest and recover fabulous treasures and unearth secrets of ancient magic."

An beamed and clasped her hands on her back. "I've never been there before, but I heard that rare flowers and never before seen beasts are abundant in the Realm of the Fairies."

Acquired WORLD QUEST!

Fey Realm

Ren was on his toes in sheer happiness.

He did it!

He really did it!

He truly acquired one of the WORLD QUEST!

Though it was only a simple World Quest out of many, but even with this, he would surely be a millionaire!

Since he was the one who acquired the World Quest [Fey Realm, only he could trigger the event. But of course, it was up to him who he would bring along in his group.

For the right amount, of course.

As long as it was a World Quest, he could bring anyone to party regardless of race and class.

In the future, no matter how hard the players trigger the event with An, she would no longer give out the Hidden Quest [Moonlight Flower] since Ren already triggered it first.

The World Quest [Fey Realm] is a whole new dimension. At first, it was like a dungeon but only ten times harder, and the final boss was a [World Boss]. And it would be available on the map once it was cleared, along with its many quests and areas to explore.

And the rewards once it was cleared . . . Ren could only imagine. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

Being the first to clear this World Quest and defeat a World Boss guaranteed a Platinum Chest or even a Crystal Chest, and this would surely be sought after by guilds by then.

Ren would wait for the in-game currency and the guilds to be established to announce the World Quest [Fey Realms] to all. They needed to grind and level their ATP to three digits anyway before attempting a World Boss.

There was no cap on the number of persons he could bring in, so auctioning the ticket to be in his party would surely make him rich with everyone who wanted to come and try their luck at a World Quest.

In the game COVENANT, once partied and entered a dungeon, you can disband your members, and they wouldn't be forced out of the dungeon, as everyone believed.

This wasn't a bug.

It was purposely designed that way because the World Quest could only be triggered once and by a single player.

This allowed the other players or the other guilds to have a chance of clearing the World Quest. This was to maintain the World Quest's scarcity and a sense of importance, promotes competitiveness within players and excitement.

If World Quest could be triggered by everyone, then the level of its allure goes down.

However, if it was designed to be triggered only once then . . . everyone would be hype and compete for first blood.

Though the Fey Realm would be available once it was cleared the World Boss would be gone forever and it's many loots. What's left were ordinary bosses of the dungeons.

But of course, the majority would only party with their guilds or groups of friends.

But Ren had other ideas.

He would bring only those who paid him the entrance fee. And once inside, it was a race on who could clear the World Quest first.

Ren would give every guild/player a chance to acquire first blood in clearing the [Fey Realm] in exchange for an enormous sum of money.

I think it's a fair price. Ren thought with a laugh.

After making sure that the World Quest [Fey Realm] was on his list of quests, Ren thanked An and proceeded to Emily to trade his [Cooking Recipes].

He didn't have the ingredients or tools to make them, so it was better to convert them into food form.

Rather, Ren wasn't keen on making food from Recipes. He'd rather have Emily convert them to food than prepare all the ingredients and tools necessary for it.

It was a hassle.

And it was not like the food would give a permanent ATP boost. At most, it would just be like a potion when consumed.

"Oh, are those!" Emily's eyes shone. "Cooking Recipes! Gimme!"

Ren almost shook his head. Emily was like him wanting money.

A few minutes later, Emily went out of her house and gave Ren the [Chocolate Cake x1] and [Chocolate Cookie x1].

Ren inspected the food's description as he walked back into the main village after giving his thanks to Emily.

‖ C H O C O L A T E C A K E ‖

–– a delicious sweet cake made from 100% cocoa, Four Horned Cow's full cream milk, and native farm Coacoododle's eggs.

–– restore 100% MP when consumed.

‖ E N D ‖

‖ C H O C O L A T E C O O K I E ‖

–– a deliciously sweet cookie made from 100% cocoa, Four Horned Cow's full cream milk, and native farm Coacoododle's eggs.

–– heals all status effects.

‖ E N D ‖

Ren wasn't familiar with recipes and food since there were hundreds of them, and it was a waste of time for him to memories all of them. So he was surprised to find that the Chocolate Cake and cookie were handy items to have. Especially the cookie where it could heal any status effect like that of an expensive [Panacea, which would only be available in shops at a later time.

Ren was nearing the main village square when a notification popped on his screen.

Player Leonel is calling you

ANSWER

DECLINE

—-

A/N

I hope everyone reads the MAY Stretched Goals and support this poor author to continue writing

CHEERS!

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Player Leonel is calling you

ANSWER

DECLINE

This time Leonel was calling via the game's messaging interface, which incorporated real-life phone numbers to enable your friends and relatives to call you when you're both playing in the game.

Ren's heart thumped once more, and he answered the call with jumbled thoughts.

"Ren! Where are you? I'm already in the game. Are you here yet?"

Ren cleared his throat and said, "Yeah. I'm at Euclid Village."

"Huh? There's another village? I'm at Ironto village. Where is this?" asked Leonel with a scratch on his head.

Ren sighed. Yep. Leonel didn't change. Not one bit. "There is. There are hundreds of newbie villages, and the one you're in is miles away from me."

"Oh, no! Does that mean we can't play together?"

"Just wait there. I'll go to you via the Teleportation Crystal."

"Teleportation Crystal? What's that?"

Ren sighed, and he shook his head. Leave it to Leonel, who didn't read even just one paragraph of the guide. He was the type of guy that would venture into the unknown unprepared and enjoy the thrill of the surprised.

While I hate surprises.

"I'll explain to you as soon I get there. Don't leave the village and wait for me."

"Alright. Hurry. Others are already getting firstbloods here and there. We're already soooo behind!"

Ren ended the call and hurried to the entrance of Euclid Village. Along the way, he even spotted Silvia entering the village, and he unconsciously avoided his eyes even though Silvia couldn't recognize him.

The woman didn't even bother to spare him a glance as she zoomed past him and went straight to a woman with pink hair tied in twin buns standing at the side whose beautiful face was coated in worry. She looked lost from how her head was moving left and right while her blue eyes shook like she was about to cry.

And based on her get-up, white Robes, and staff, she was a White Mage.

"Pamela!"

Ren heard Silvia say before he went out of the village.

Pamela. Ren thought. He knew who she was. She was Silvia's best friend. Whether in the game or real life, the two were often seen together.

Ren shrugged the women off his mind. He would retrieve his hundred dollars from Silvia once he made an account with New Era tomorrow.

Ren placed his palms on the Crystal post glowing at the entrance of Euclid Village. A warm light enveloped his palms, and the game automatically saved his stop. So that if he died unexpectedly, he'd be respawned to Euclid Village.

Where do you want to go?

The game system listed the available newbie villages, and Ren pressed [Ironto Village] before being engulfed with blinding white light.

When he came to, he was at the entrance of Ironto village. The newbie villages all had the same NPCs and quests, so Ren didn't bother with the NPCs here and went straight to Leonel with shaking steps.

Along the way, Ren thought of Leonel's class. A Dwarf Defender. The only Race that was a tank class. And due to the dwarfs' short height and robust physique, not many took this Race. Not to mention that no one wanted to be a Tank. A class with a lot of responsibility on the front lines and often the blame in a group but none the fame. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

Due to this, Dwarf Defenders were rare and sought after by guilds, especially skilled ones. More so than an attack class. But since Leonel was just playing for the fun of it, he was left behind by the others, and no guild wanted to take him in because he himself didn't know his skills nor what a Tank's main responsibility was.

Leonel just wanted to be short, so he chose the Dwarf Defender on a whim.

Ren slightly shook his head and chuckled.

No matter. He would make sure to personally 'guide' Leonel to become the greatest Tank there is in the world of ARCADIA.

There were many scenarios in Ren's head as to what his and Leonel's encounter would be like after ten years of not seeing the guy. But Ren never would have thought that the first thing he felt upon laying eyes on his best friend was . . . dread.

The excitement and happiness he felt all took a dive at Leonel's appearance. Leonel took the short height of a Dwarf and its robust physique, but his good looks didn't match the Dwarven Race at all. Not to mention that he added a thick beard on his baby face that only appeared like it was pasted on his lips and jaw.

All passers-by were looking at him while holding their laughter. But Leonel was indifferent to it all. He just stood there, blue eyes shining, face beaming with excitement.

Ren was about to turn back when Leonel spotted him.

"Ren! Ren! REN!" Leonel waved his hand and jumped on his toes.

Upon Leonel's voice, every attention flickered at Ren, and the latter could only lower his head and look at the ground in hopes that everyone wouldn't see his face.

"Man! What took you so long?" Leonel said, grinning from ear to ear. He then twirled front and back, left to right. "Look at this! I really became short! Now everyone has to look down on me while I don't have to be wary if I step onto something anymore!"

Ren's face was indignant, and he asked with a monotone voice, "Leo . . . why did you add a beard?"

"Eh? This?" Leonel rubbed his long thick beard, chest forward, beaming with pride. "As a Dwarf, you have to have the beard. It's a staple for this Race! Don't you know? And here I thought that you know everything!"

". . ."

He then winked and posed in front of Ren. "Does it look good on me?"

". . ." Ren wanted to whack his head. But only managed a wry sigh.

This was also Leonel's past appearance, but Ren didn't care at that time.

Ren thought that something would change in this time due to him making ripples with the events and really thought that Leonel wouldn't choose a beard in this timeline, only to be left disappointed.

Leonel was actually a good looking guy, but due to his weird taste and . . . even more bizarre mindset, girls distance themselves from him.

"Saya and Mike said that they'll enter the game tomorrow. And they wanted us to accompany them buy their gaming pod."

Ren's heart thudded hard against his chest.

"Have you received their message to meet up at Highland Mall?"

Ren shook his head. "I didn't check my phone."

Leonel placed his hand on his hips. "I'll be flying to Zone A tomorrow, and they said to meet up for lunch. Then we can enter the game together after we finish buying their gaming pod!"

". . ." Ren didn't speak. If he did, he'd only disagree with meeting with Saya, and Mike and Leonel would never stop asking why.

In this timeline, the four of them were still close.

Leonel didn't overthink Ren's silence since he was indeed a quiet guy, to begin with.

"Ren, let's go! Let's do some quests together." Leonel grabbed Ren's hand and pulled him to every NPC he saw.

This was also the reason why Ren didn't do the normal/errand quests in Euclid village. He wanted to do the quests with Leonel so he wouldn't suspect that he entered the game way before him.

In the end, Ren still became an errand boy for the NPCs together with Leonel.

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"Ren, why are we staying in this newbie village again?" Leonel said and [Parried] another Crazed Wolf heading their way while Ren cast [Fire] to finish them off.

Ren and Leonel have been grinding in Newbie Villages nonstop for four days, which meant four hours in real-time.

As Ren expected, having a tank in the team made things a lot easier. Ren mused to himself.

[ACQUIRED!

Wolf's Fang x1

5 gil ]

Ren was surprised that Leonel was very good at following orders. His decision-making skills and awareness were lacking, but Ren covered him for that. All he got to do was follow his lead and everything went smoothly for them.

"Damn. We don't even earn EXP anymore from the beasts here." Leonel sat on the ground and grumbled, "It was exciting at first, but after four days of grinding and doing the same thing in this newbie forest, it got boring really fast."

Leonel looked over at Ren. "Others are already setting off to other towns and dungeons and doing quests and racking firstbloods while we're stuck here."

Ren raised a brow. "Since when did you care about firstblood and quests? I thought, as long as you can play as a Dwarf, you're all good?"

Leonel looked to the side, lips puckering. "Well . . . if we're going to play this game, then at least we might as well aim for firstbloods, right?"

Ren almost choked from his saliva. Since when did Leonel become competitive?

"Good things come to those who wait," Ren said instead and turned to his heels to get back to the village.

Leonel shot to his feet and went after Ren. "Remind me again why we're still in the newbie village?"

Leonel wasn't really interested in the answer as he placed both arms over his back. He just wanted something to talk about so he wouldn't get bored.

Ren slightly shook his head. He had already forgotten how many times Leonel asked him the same question, and he answered with the same answer.

Ren should have known that information only stayed in Leonel's mind for only a second. It was his mistake for explaining with great enthusiasm every time he asked.

"It's because I don't have a subclass yet, and within the span of five days after the game's opening, a traveling merchant would appear in Newbie villages offering rare classes. They will then appear at random after that. If you miss this chance, you only have one in a million to reencounter them again. This is the only sure way to have that rare class this early in the game without undergoing time-consuming, strenuous quests," summarized Ren with a serious expression and added.

"This is my only chance to have the Arcanist subclass now." The earlier Ren became an Arcanist, the better since he could immediately level his list of spells and skills.

"Heeeh . . ." Leonel flung a booger from his nose and flicked it to the side before he snickered.

Ren looked at his best friend and said seriously, "It's not too late, you know. You can still change your race and acquire rare class."

Leonel shook his head and waved his hand. "Not a chance. If I can't be small in this game, then there's no point in me playing it."

He then stared at Ren with a puppy smile on his face. Tail wagging if he had any. "As expected of our encyclopedia. You certainly know a lot about this game."

Ren's eyes looked dead to the side and lied in a bored tone. "This information is available on the net if you're patient enough to search."

It was a half-lie. Others who have money purchased guides from beta testers. But of course, the majority still didn't know about this information. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

Leonel stifled a laugh, eyes turning crescent. "That's impossible. I hate spoilers, and I'll just forget it in a matter of minutes."

Why do you look so proud? Ren thought and sighed.

In a way, Ren was thankful that Leonel was simple-minded. Everything he said, Leonel took it without a shred of doubt.

Ren didn't know if it was a good or bad thing.

Back in the village, Ren wanted to go back to the Inn and past another day. He was too tired to have his hope crushed again and again with the traveling merchant's none appearance.

Tomorrow was the last day. They would surely come without a doubt. Ren thought.

Ren could go to other villages and towns or form a group to enter dungeons like the majority did and go back to the newbie village to check if the merchant had arrived.

However, Ren had a perfectionist side. He couldn't rest knowing that there was something in his mind. And currently, acquiring the Arcanist subclass took priority! Anything besides that could wait.

Another thing, the traveling merchant only stayed within four hours in the newbie village before they disappeared, and Ren didn't want to take that chance and miss them.

It was the reason why he went back to Newbie Villages every four hours together with Leonel. If it were only him, he would wait in the village for them to come within the span of five days.

But since Leonel couldn't wait on his feet for even a minute, Ren had no choice but to keep him entertained through grinding.

It was like taking care of a child. Ren mused to himself. There was a hint of a smile on his lips, though. He was thankful that Leonel was going along with him without complaints.

Leonel's tap on his shoulder halted Ren from going in the Inn's direction.

"What's that? That looks new," said Leonel as he pointed towards the direction of the small square.

Not many players were present in the Newbie Village anymore since four days had already passed in the game. And in real-time, it was so early in the morning that many were still sleeping, snoring in their dreams.

So a horse-drawn wagon with the words 'Classless Merchants' written along its wooden walls stood out like a sore thumb in a non-crowded square. A spirited Fairy flew around and around, attracting customers to buy their wares. While a grumpy gnome was wearing a peculiar necklace with a soft glowing crystal at the center was lying sideways on the driver seat with a hand supporting its head upright. He was looking bored and chewing on a wheat in his mouth.

Ren's eyes shone at the sight of them, and he immediately pulled Leonel along with him.

"It's finally here." Ren went over to inspect the wagon with Leonel in tow.

"Hello there, adventurers! Something catches your fancy?" the fairy said. Her little body twinkled here and there, and there was a cute smile on her face.

"Whoa! Ren, look! A real fairy!" Leonel pointed wide-eyed while the fairy giggled at Leonel's silly face.

He then skipped and pointed at the gnome. He looked over it from head to toe before his grin widened, beard shaking when he spoke, "Ren! Look! Look! A real gnome! They really have pointy ears and large pointy noise! And they're green and ugly as hell!"

Hairtoe's slit eyes pierced Leonel, and he snorted. "I don't want to hear the word ugly from someone like a dwarf with a fake beard."

[Your relationship level with Hairtoe dropped from Strangers to Ruffian!]

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[Your relationship level with Hairtoe dropped from Strangers to Ruffian!]

"Huh?" Leonel was confused. He did know about the relationship level of NPCs because Ren explained it to him before, but he didn't know nor care about the gravity of such things.

"Ruffian?" Leonel muttered.

He looked at Ren and tilted his head with a flower sprouting over it and a wolfish smile on his lips. "Ren, I think the ugly gnome doesn't like me."

Ren smacked his hand over his face, and he immediately pushed Leonel back to the Fairy when Hairtoe was about to wrestle Leonel to the ground.

"Leo, why don't you look at the items here while I speak with Hairtoe? I need to have my subclass first."

"Fine. Fine," Leonel said without a care and went over to the Fairy. Rubbing his hands together, he said, "Show me what you've got."

The Fairy beamed, cheeks full and lips pouty. "Here you go!"

‖ C L A S S L E S S

M E R C H A N T ‖

I T E M S

Elixir (100 000 gil)

–– the highly sought-after Miracle Elixir!

–– restore HP and MP to full

Full HP Potion (5 000 gil)

–– restore HP to full

Full MP Potion (10 000 gil)

–– restore MP to full

Panacea (5 000 gil)

–– heals all status effect

W E A P O N

Excalibur (4 700 000 gil)

–– a one-handed sword that only true knights may wield.

–– STR 47

A R M O R (4 000 000 gil)

Platinum Armor

–– a silvery armor that is a sight to behold

–– DEF 40

S H I E L D

Platinum Shield (2 000 000 gil)

–– a silvery shield that is a sight to behold.

–– HP 20 000, DEF 20

A C C E S S O R I E S

Fairy Shoes (2 000 000 gil)

–– this set of winged shoes will fly you wherever you want to go

–– ignore terrain restrictions

–– DEF 4, AGI 10

Platinum Gauntlets (500 000 gil)

–– its silvery shine is a sight to behold

–– HP 10 000, DEF 10

Queen Fairies Plume (40 000 000 gil)

–– a fallen feather from the Queen of Fairies.

–– SUMMON, Titania, the Queen of Fairies ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

‖ E N D ‖

"Whoa! What the heck?! What's up with all these zeros? They're all fucking expensive!" Leonel checked his 2 435 gil before looking at the Fairy with a gaping mouth. "Who the heck could afford this?"

No one. Ren thought.

The items the Classless Merchant sells were mid to late-game items, so of course, the ludicrous price tag. And the items changed, matching the race and class to the player inspecting their wares.

However, having those items early on would surely catapult you to the top. Too bad that by the time the in-game currency was introduced, the Classless Merchant was already roaming the whole ARCADIA and would take extreme LCK to reencounter them.

Even Ren, the head of the information gathering department, didn't know where they would appear next.

In the past, when the in-game currency was taking effect, those who did encounter them early in the game suffered hair loss from frustration. Because they met at random, most didn't bring enough money for their items, and it was forever the regret of their lives.

If they only acquired those items, they'd surely be one of the tops in rankings in the middle and later part of the game.

Ren left Leonel with the Fairy and walked towards Hairtoe.

"Is that ugly dwarf your friend?" Hairtoe asked the moment he saw Ren in his line of sight.

Ren could say 'no' because he was afraid his relationship level with Hairtoe would plummet to Ruffian, and he wouldn't give him the Arcanist Subclass.

But . . .

"Yes," answered Ren without a hint of regret. He owed too much to Leonel to ignore him again.

He'd rather take the strenuous quest to become an Arcanist than pretend that he and Leonel didn't know each other all for the sake of a game.

Hairtoe's face wrinkled into a frown. "Tell him never to set foot in front of me, or I'll cut his beard with my 'large pointy nose.' HMP!"

Augh . . . Ren was glad that there wasn't a drop in their relationship level, but Hairtoe was like Leonel. They're both immature and short!

"Hmm . . . I see that you're still a mortal." Hairtoe rubbed his pointy chin and looked at Ren up and down.

Finally, Ren thought.

Hairtoe's face grew solemn as he sat straight on the driver's seat and leaned towards Ren before speaking with a grating voice.

"Allow me to tell a tale, adventurer."

Here were go. Ren didn't want to skip and risk his relationship dropping and lose this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get the Arcanist Subclass this early game.

Actually, if a player with an already existing subclass approached Hairtoe, the latter would just snob the former and pretend to sleep in the driver's seat of his wagon.

"My name is Hairtoe, and I was a gnome adventure myself, like you lad. One day I stumbled across an interesting magical item during my career as a mercenary."

"Didn't you say you're an adventurer?" Ren cut in.

"Shush! Let me finish first."

Ren pursed his lips tight.

Hairtoe coughed before he continued, "As I was saying. I was a gnome treasure hunter. Finding lost forgotten relics was my game."

Augh . . .

"Behold, this is the Lost Necklace of the Gods!" Hairtoe said and showed Ren the necklace on his neck.

"This would allow ordinary mortals like you into the path of Godhood!"

I doubt it. Ren thought, though his face was still listening to Hairtoe's nonsense seriously.

"I had traveled across villages, towns, cities, kingdoms, realms and had aided many beings like you into the path of Gods. Now . . . it's your turn, adventurer. Are you ready to become a God?"

Augh . . . that line was so cheesy, but Ren still managed to nod his head. He couldn't even speak from the hives erupting on his skin, and it wasn't brought about by his soon-to-be subclass, that was for sure.

Hairtoe nodded." Hmm . . . very good. Then place your hand over the crystal and call upon your heart's desire!"

My desire is money. Ren thought and placed his palms over Hairtoe's necklace.

Choose one of the rare Subclass of the Mage Class

Necrolyt

–– others fear the unknown, but you embraced it. Death is your ally, and everything rots are within your grasp.

Chrono Mage

–– time is but a number, and you mold it in the palm of your hands.

Seer

–– past, present, future. None of that matters in your eyes of all-knowing.

Arcanist

–– the brain is your weapon, and knowledge is your power.

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Arcanist

–– the brain is your weapon, and knowledge is your power.

Ren pressed a resolute Arcanist without a second thought.

"Are you sure you want the [Arcanist] Subclass, adventurer?" Hairtoe asked, eyes stretched wide and lips grinning with sharp teeth on display.

Ren was tempted to press [Skip] but restrained himself. He was getting impatient from all the roundabout ways of getting his subclass, which showed in his tone of voice. "YES!"

Hairtoe didn't mind Ren's voice, and he laughed in glee. "Alright. From now on, you are an ARCANIST! Your brain is your weapon, and knowledge is your power!"

Augh . . . you just repeated the Arcanist description.

"Uncover the secrets of ARCADIA and further your knowledge about the world, and you will surely become invincible."

The crystal necklace on Hairtoe's neck glowed, and Ren was enveloped in a warm light. But in the others' eyes, he was just talking normally with Hairtoe.

Other players already talked to the grumpy gnome only to be snubbed by him. In their mind, Ren was just wasting his time, and they resumed whatever it was they were doing.

CONGRATULATIONS in acquiring the rare subclass ARCANIST!

REWARDS:

5000 EXP

5000 gil

New SPELL acquired!

Ren was over the moon, and he immediately checked his stats.

‖ S T A TU S ‖

Name: Ren

Age: 19

Race: Sprite

Class: Mage

Subclass: Arcanist

Eye Color: Silver

Hair Color: Black

A T T R I B U T E S:

HP: 65 100

MP: 80 100

STR: 3

DEF: 64

MDF: 9 5

INT: 66 10

AGL: 54

LCK: 126 5

S K I L L S:

Mana Conversion LV.1 (Passive)

–– 10% replenish mana upon a successful hit

S P E L L S:

Heal LV.1

–– cost 5 MP

–– single target

–– 10% replenish HP

–– 1 Min. cool down

Fire LV.2

–– cost 10 MP

–– inflict 10% fire damage based on INT

–– single enemy target

–– 2 sec. cool down

Teleportation LV.1

–– cost 50 MP

–– teleport within 1000m distance

–– x1 day

Grimoire LV.1

–– cost 50 MP

–– 10% percent chance of using 50% power of any Spell book, Skill book, and Scrolls without restriction to race or class

L I F E S K I L L S:

Cooking: Beginner

Fishing: Beginner

Foraging: Beginner

EXP: 5000

Money: 10 447 gil

I T E M S:

Newbie Garb x1 (Equipped)

Long Staff x1 (Equipped)

Protection Ring x1 (Equipped)

Phantom Cloak (Legendary) x1 (Equipped)

COVENANT's map x1

Pelka Meat x 143

Premium Meat x7

Horned Rabbit Queen's Meat x2

Midnight Fur x5

High Potion x5

Chocolate Cake x1

Chocolate Cookie x1

Gold Pix Axe x1

Gold Knife x1

Cat Suit (Crafting) x1

Cat ears (Crafting) x1

Cat tail (Crafting]) x1

Lolita Headdress (Crafting) x1 ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

Black Cloak (Forging) x1

Phantom Claw (Forging) x1

Black Ribbon (Rare) x1

Phantom's Revenger (Rare) x1

Spellbook (?) x1

Skillbook (?) x1

‖ E N D ‖

Ren looked at his [Grimoire] spell. 10% chance was low, and only 50% power was worst — no wonder not many chose the Arcanist class.

Though the spell was OP in the long run, it was hard to level up. Ren needed at least a good amount of gil and time to buy books and scrolls for him to copy and execute so he could level his [Grimoire] spell.

However, as long as the level increased, so as the percentage, and Ren had no problem spending some gil. And when he leveled it enough . . . he would surely be invincible like Hairtoe said.

Ren gave Hairtoe his thanks before he pondered if he should use his [Skillbook (?)] and [Spellbook (?)] now that he was an Arcanist. It would surely give him a spell and skill unique to the Arcanist subclass.

". . ." Yosh.

Ren made up his mind and used his [Skillbook (?)] and [Spellbook (?)]. It was better to level them this early and reap the benefits.

And besides, Ren could still acquire [Crystal Chest] later in the game.

New SPELL acquired!

New SKILL acquired!

‖ S P E L L S ‖

Heal LV.1

–– cost 5 MP

–– single target

–– 10% replenish HP

–– 1 Min. cool down

Fire LV.2

–– cost 10 MP

–– inflict 10% fire damage based on INT

–– single enemy target

–– 2 sec. cool down

Teleportation LV.1

–– cost 50 MP

–– teleport within 1000m distance

–– x1 day

Grimoire LV.1

–– cost 50 MP

–– 10% percent chance of using 50% power of any Spell book, Skill book, and Scrolls without restriction to race and class.

Mind Palace LV. 1

–– can store the details of a spell/skill you know/acquired in a room in your Mind Palace.

–– can use any spell/skill as long as it is stored in the room of your Mind Palace regardless of race and class.

–– skill/spell depends on ATP

–– capacity: x5

–– MP costs the same as the original spell/skill

‖ E N D ‖

‖ S K I L L ‖

Mana Conversion LV.1 (Passive)

–– 10% replenish mana upon a successful hit

Probe

–– probe spells/skills of your enemies and store them in the empty room of your Mind Palace

–– 100% success if LCK is higher

WARNING!

–– cause dizziness for 10 seconds if Probe is unsuccessful.

‖ E N D ‖

Ren blinked.

It was the first time that he encountered such spells and skills. [Probe] and [Mind Palace] goes hand and hand. Was it because he used a skill/spell book simultaneously?

Mind Palace was like [Grimoire] but only ten times better, less expensive, and more powerful since it depends on his ATP! The x5 capacity was low, but it could be leveled up, so he had no problem in that department!

In fact, the spell was too perfect!

And with [Probe, he could even store and use his enemies' skills and spells that otherwise weren't available in book and scroll form.

Like the unique set of spells/skills of [World Bosses] that couldn't be bought, replicated, or available elsewhere!

Ren definitely didn't regret using those books now!

With this, he could just focus on leveling his Mind Palace!

Ren couldn't contain his grin, and he was in an excellent mood as he approached Leonel, who was still arguing with the Fairy about the expensive price.

Ren shook his head and pulled Leonel by the collar. The one thing he enjoyed with Leonel's Dwarven Race was that he could now drag him whenever he wanted. Though he was very heavy.

Ren couldn't do it in real life since Leone was taller and heavier than him.

"You have to lower your prices! No one will buy from you if you keep this up! I'm telling you this for your own good," Leonel kept shouting at the Fairy while the other players looked in their direction, snickering and pointing their fingers.

Ren closed his eyes and lowered his head. "Let's go," he grumbled, face flustered.

By this time, the [World Chat] must be exploding about the appearance of the [Classless Merchant, and every villages and the one their in would be crowded with players once more.

Leonel took a turn and hugged Ren's leg, and the latter skidded to a stop.

"Ren! Those items and weapons are awesome! They have, like, two digits increase in your ATP! If we equipped it this early on, we would become invincible! But the price . . ."

Ren looked at Leonel's shaking puppy eyes. Those were his eyes when he wanted something so badly.

Ren sighed. "We can't afford it. Maybe in the mid-game."

Leonel frowned and pouted. "But at that time, it would already be too late! Others would acquire it too. You know more about this game than anyone else! There must be a way! I really want that armor and shield. Please! I'm begging you!"

Ren shook his head and repressed a laugh. Leonel's face was so funny when his faked beard was shaking. "I can only research, but I can't do miracles. I can't just make gil appear whenever I want."

"No! No! NO! There's got to be a way!" Leonel cried, and Ren shook his feet so he could escape Leonel's tight grip.

But all of a sudden, Leone suddenly went still before he pointed his finger forward.

"Hey. What's that?"

Ren looked over at where Leonel was pointing. What he saw was a group of players converging in a single spot. There were five of them, so they attracted a lot of attention, and based on their aversion and the way their bodies distanced from one another, everyone seemed to be strangers.

They must be a group put up together on the spot.

"Do you think they'll go to a dungeon? There's one about an hour away from here, or so I heard." Leonel was on his toes, and he had already forgotten about the Classless Merchant.

Ren could only shake his head and sighed. Leonel's attention span was really just a minute or so before another attracted his eyes.

"They must be attempting the Thunder Cave," Ren said. It was the only dungeon that was near Ironto Village. And it's one of the elemental dungeons scattered near the newbie Villages.

In Euclid Village, it was the Frost Cave.

"We should definitely join them. I wonder if they needed more members." Leonel was about to head in the group's direction when Ren stomped his shoes on his cape.

"Hold it."

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"Hold it."

"Urk!" Leonel skidded to a stop and stumbled on the floor from the sudden force. He looked over at Ren and asked. "What? Don't you want to go there and check it out now that you have your subclass?"

He then peeked at Ren from the corner of his squinted eyes. "You did acquire your subclass, right?"

Ren ignored him and explained, "The dungeons in this world are different. It doesn't mean that it's near newbie villages that it's a newbie dungeon as well."

". . . It isn't?"

Ren shook his head. It was another ploy of the developers' to toy with the players. "Though it appeared like it because low-level monsters are crawling inside that cave, the final Boss, however, is a whole other level completely. And attempting to clear it this early in the game and with only six players . . ."

Ren smirked. "They'll be wiped out in a matter of seconds, and the death penalty will surely be enormous that they'd be forced to recreate their account and start all over again."

Leonel gasped. "T-that . . . that hard?"

Ren nodded.

Leonel's eyes widened, and he looked over at Ren with a gaping mouth. "How do you know that? Ren could you be . . ."

". . ." Ren had a bad feeling when Leonel stared at him seriously in the eyes. He swallowed hard, and a sweat ran from the side of his face.

"Could you be a beta tester? Did you apply in secret?"

Ren released a loud sigh and shook his head. "I told you. If you know where to look, this information is available on the net." In the form of a Beta Tester guide.

Leonel chuckled and patted Ren's back since he could no longer reach Ren's head. As expected of our encyclopedia. Ren is really an excellent buddy to have. And very much quite handy!

Leonel looked at the group and shifted his eyes at Ren. "Should we warn them?"

"No. Are you an idiot? Nothing will come out good if you butt your nose in other people's business. Your kindness will only be repaid by scorn and unwanted remarks. Besides, they might not even enter Thunder Cave at all."

"Mm . . ." Leonel hesitated.

It was apparent on his face that he was keen on warning those groups, and Ren could only persuade him in another way.

Leonel was naïve and good hearted. But in this game, others would just take advantage of it. If he went and warned those groups not to enter the Thunder Cave, others would think that he was a beta tester and start to cling to him for information. At the same time, some would think of him as nothing but a crazy busybody who had other agenda for stopping their escapade into the dungeon.

"Leo, we should really log out from the game now. It's already six in the morning in the real world, and you still have to pact and fly over to Zone A, right?"

"Geh!" Leonel stood straight in alarm, and he smacked his head with his big hand. "That's right! Is that time already?!"

"Ren, I have to go ahead! My mother would kill me if he entered my room and found me gone!" Leonel accessed his screen and pressed [Log Out].

Ren opened his mouth, but Leonel's body was already disappearing into particles, and before he was gone completely, he left one final sentence with a grin on his face.

"Don't be late later! See you at Highland Mall!"

". . ."

sigh . . .

Ren could only wryly shake his head at Leonel's short attention time frame.

He then looked over at the group once more. Ren didn't tell Leonel about it, but someone in there had caught his eyes.

A woman with long straight black hair, big dark eyes, pointy ears, and a tall and alluring frame. She held a revolver in one hand, and a holster was strapped on her hips. And based on her appearance, she was an Elven Archer with a subclass [Sniper].

"Isolde . . . ," Ren mumbled.

Once upon a time in the past, when Ren wanted to prove that he wasn't a mediocre player, he ventured into DarkWood Forrest all by himself. A Forrest that shouldn't be attempted alone.

Needless to say, he was severely injured in DarkWood's Forrest and was about to die from the pointy end of a dead Troll's bark. With impeccable timing, Isolde came with her big guns and put bullet holes on the Troll's body, saving him in the process.

She was together with a group, and their plan all along was to let him die in the Dead Troll's hands and KS his kill, but she defied them, saying it was an act of cowardice.

She was kicked out of her group that day. But she never cared nor blamed him. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

NO . . . she didn't even spare him the barest glance as she challenged everyone in her group to a PvP fight because she was pissed.

Ren really thought that she would lose because it was 1 Vs. 4. But against all odds, she came out as the victor.

After her group died in her hands and took her spoils of war, she disappeared deeper into the forest, and that was the last time Ren saw her. It was their first and last meeting with each other.

Ren chuckled.

He crossed his arms and tilted his head as he stared at Isolde, who was at the far end from the others. She stood out from the rest from her height alone. Hard face, strong back, and a very confident posture and expression.

She was rather . . . cool.

Even though it wasn't intended, he owed her a life.

And he would repay it.

A life for a life.

Ren grabbed a player passing from the side and asked, "Hi. Do you happen to know where that group is going?"

The player was slightly surprised before he pointed at Isolde and her companions. "That group? They're going to attempt Thunder Cave."

As I thought. Ren mused and pondered for a moment.

The player must have thought that he wanted to join as well and he waved his hand and said with a sneer, "Don't even think of joining those bunch. They're arrogant as hell and wouldn't let anyone with even a single-digit ATP in their group."

Ren frowned.

Join them?

Who in their right mind would join a six-member party attempting to clear Thunder Cave that even top guilds have a hard time clearing?

They must be out of their minds or simply didn't know and underestimated the shrewdness of the developers of COVENANT.

Numerous players were crying and cursing in the past when they were lured by weak monsters in the Elemental Caves, thinking that it was a newbie dungeon that they could clear.

But upon meeting the final Boss, they were reduced to nothing but crying and cursing adults' respawn in newbie villages. The death penalty was so enormous that they were forced to forfeit their advantages and recreate a new account since their previous avatar's ATP all went down to zero.

You can never cheat the death penalty of the game. Once one of your ATP hits zero, you have to pay the remaining with your other ATP until you complete all the EXP penalty.

It was better to recreate a new avatar at that point.

And after that, there was a petition signed to boycott the game if the developer didn't restore their previous avatar's ATP.

Though the petition never came to fruition with just a hundred signatures because mostly those who attempted the Elemental Dungeons were players who entered at the game's opening — the children of the privilege and the Beta Testers. And now, everyone could catch up and even the playing field.

Ren shrugged. "I won't."

The player nodded before he went on his way.

Ren could hide his appearance and pretend that he was an Animist or Hunter with the [Phantom Cloak] and Pii, but he needed Isolde in the game since he didn't want to form a guild or join a guild, for that matter. He would create a mercenary group.

A no-commitment kind of group that would just come together if they were free to reap the benefits of Dungeons and Quests that otherwise couldn't be soloed.

And he was thinking of recruiting Isolde. Ren needed her skills and the explosive power of her firearms in the future.

Though Isolde would be part of the Gambino Guild that her family put up, his was just a no-commitment kind of thing that had equal sharing of EXP, gil, and items. She could totally join if she wanted to. Like a sideline.

Ren didn't need pro players. What he wanted were loyal and earnest people like Leonel and Isolde, who wouldn't backstab him with just a rare item.

Ren would ask them later about his plans, and for that to happen, Ren needed to show his real appearance to establish trust between him and Isolde.

But of course, Ren wouldn't force them if they didn't want to.

Ren took a large air intake before he went in Isolde's direction.

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Isolde looked over at her group. Only five of them huddled together while their six-member, their leader, was still recruiting.

They were strangers to her except Dolly, who she had known since she was young since they were classmates all the time.

But they were never close. Their relationship was only to the level of being acquaintances.

Dolly was also the one who asked her to join upon stumbling with each other a while back. They were going to attempt Thunder Cave together. They were the few who reached all their ATP to two digits.

Their leader, Buck, a dude with beads of black hair and large front teeth, was recruiting other players with two-digit ATP.

And to verify if the players were telling the truth with their ATP being in the two digits, once partied or added as a friend, the players within your group or in your friend's list could view your ATP upon request and your approval.

Isolde was feeling good at the moment. Everything was going smoothly so far. She completed quests after quests and grinded until all her ATP reached two digits and she hadn't died. Not once.

She had a good feeling about clearing the Thunder Cave. Some players within her group had already entered the cave though not deep since they'd run out of HP and MP before reaching the Boss's room.

Isolde believed it was because those players didn't have enough members. At most, everyone formed groups of three since not many knew about the opening of COVENANT, so the scarcity of players.

And some weren't that good at using their skills, and they lacked initiative and decision-making skills when facing an opponent.

But now . . . they have four damage dealers and two healers. Against a newbie cave, Isolde thinks that it was enough.

Isolde smiled to herself. Maybe their group would get firstblood. And whatever items and treasures they'll acquire inside would surely boost them to the top, and they would gain an enormous advantage over the others.

She nodded to herself with a slight smile on her lips.

"Hello."

Isolde spun her attention to a man who was shorter by inches in height than her. He had a course of black hair that was shorter at the back. His face was handsome, and his indifferent eyes attracted anyone who saw to look closer. He was a looker, especially with the aloof aura he portrayed.

"Hello." Isolde nodded. "If you want to join the group, then you're asking the wrong person." She was not cold. She was direct to the point and hated wasting time.

Isolde pointed in Buck's direction, who was busy asking players for their ATP. "That man is the one who is organizing this escapade and the leader of this group."

Ren's indifferent face didn't budge. Isolde was exactly like what he had imagined. She was the type who hated small talk and wasn't afraid to speak her mind and take action on the spot evident from his encounter with her in the past when she challenged everyone in her party to a PvP fight just because she was pissed at her group's reasoning and cowardice act.

"My name's Ren, and I don't want to join a group that I know will be wiped out in the Thunder Cave."

That got Isolde's attention, and he faced Ren with a serious expression. If he were being funny and spouting crazy to get her attention because of her family, like all the others he encountered, then she would personally slap his face left and right for wasting her time.

Isolde crossed her arms and looked down at Ren through her thick lashes. "And what made you say that?"

If he didn't provide a thorough explanation that would satisfy her, then she would surely teach him a lesson for ruining her mood.

Ren didn't mind Isolde's hostility. He knew her to be short-tempered and easily pissed off.

"First of all, assuming that Thunder Cave is a newbie dungeon all because it was near this village is a grave mistake," Ren stated and continued, "What made you think that raiding that cave with only six-party members and only two-digit ATP would clear Thunder Cave?"

Isolde opened her mouth to retort, but Ren beat her to it.

"Just because the monsters and beasts roaming in that cave were low-level and easily soloed? Or was it because of your ignorance of the cave and lack of information about the Boss that was why you don't know the true horrors of the dungeons in COVENANT?"

"Wha . . ." Isolde was rattled because the stranger had a point. She cleared her throat and stood her stance with a straight back. "And what made you believe that it wouldn't be cleared with just six players? Have you met the Boss?

Isolde placed a hand over her tilted hips. "Based on what you said, it seemed like you know the Boss of Thunder Cave. Are you a beta tester? Or are you a poser who didn't want us to get firstblood at clearing the dungeon?"

This was why Ren didn't want Leonel to butt in. If a player were set on going, then he wouldn't see reason until he suffered defeat.

But Ren had already prepared for this outcome. He would try his best to persuade Isolde, and after that . . . it was entirely up to her.

Ren's brow rose. "Are you an idiot?"

"Huh?"

"Do you know what Boss is waiting for you in Thunder Cave?"

Isolde raised her chin. ". . . No. But we have four damage dealers and two healers." ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

"Do you have a tank?"

Isolde's eyelid twitch. "No."

"Then your healers and mages are the first to die. They'd be targeted left and right and couldn't support anyone when they're mostly fleeing and defending for their lives.

Isolde's mood plummeted, and she snapped, "Why are you telling me this exactly? What could you gain from telling me all this? This was the first time that we encountered each other. Except maybe that you don't want us to clear the dungeon because of some . . . unknown reasons. Your opinion doesn't matter here."

Ren chuckled. "Suit yourself . . . but don't say I didn't warn you."

Player Ren is sending you a Friend Request

ACCEPT

DECLINE

Isolde tilted her head to the side. Was this his plan all along? Asking her to be friends because of her last name? Could he be like everyone else who only got close to her because of her family?

"Decline if you want," said Ren, "But retrieve it later from your logs if you find out that I was telling the truth."

And before Isolde could open her mouth, Ren turned and waved his hand goodbye.

"If you see a large golden door with intricate carvings, don't enter at all cost."

". . ."

Isolde watched Ren log out. His body dispersed in tiny white particles, and the last thing she saw was the smirk on his lips.

". . ."

How . . . infuriating.

She then pressed DECLINE and went to her [Logs] to delete his request from the [Trash Bin].

She was about to press delete when her finger stopped midway.

There was something from the way he moved and talked that gave off confidence. Like he was so sure of what he was saying.

Was he a Beta Tester then?

But why help her?

What could he possibly gain?

Except for her family, Isolde couldn't think of another reason.

She knew that she wasn't beautiful like Dolly. People would often forget her face the moment they looked away. The only thing they remembered were her last name.

Isolde wasn't a naive idiot. She didn't believe for a second that Ren was telling her all that out from the goodness of his heart.

Everyone and everything was a competition.

". . ."

Isolde's eyes rounded when she thought of something.

Could it be . . .

Isolde's cheeks puffed red, and the hard lines on her face cracked into a flustered expression.

Could it be that . . . he likes me?

—-

A/N

Okay, before you berate me with Isolde's personality, her character is truly like that. She's hard but also had a soft spot. Read succeeding chapters to know more about her

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"Who's that?" Dolly inquired after Ren dispersed from sight. She was curious because a handsome stranger was talking to Isolde.

Could he be one of those ignorant men who were after Isolde for her name only to be left running away with their tails between their legs upon meeting her family?

"Him?" Isolde looked to the spot where Ren left a moment ago. "No one. Just someone who spouted nonsense."

"Really? What did he say?" Dolly inquired, eyes shining with a gawkers glee.

Isolde shrugged. "Just another random stranger that said we shouldn't attempt Thunder Cave."

Dolly pouted. "Oh. Another one? What's his name?"

". . . Ren. I think," Isolde said and offered no further ongoing conversation.

"Did you at least send a friend request? That Ren is rather hot. It would be a shame to let him go."

"No. But he did," Isolde said without a care.

Dolly's eyes widened in surprise. She and Isolde weren't close. Throughout their life, she and Isolde were classmates, but they didn't have the same circle of friends.

Isolde was eye-catching because of her height and intimidating pair of big eyes. Her face was average, and her strong personality repelled most of the boys. Her loner and silent character also didn't go well with some girls.

But none dared to antagonize her because she was rumored to be the daughter of a long-standing line of a reputable mafia family. It was also one of the reasons that men were scared of even approaching her.

The only ones who did were those who were interested in her family name.

Right. Dolly placed a finger on her chin and looked over at the sky, thinking. There was a boy once who became her boyfriend only to leave her because Isolde was manlier than him.

Pft!

Dolly repressed the peals of laughter threatening to come out from her lips. That rumor always didn't fail to make her smile.

Don't get her wrong. She had nothing against Isolde. She was neutral when dealing with her.

Dolly probed, "And?"

"I deleted it."

Dolly's jaw dropped, and her emerald eyes rounded. "How could you? Is it still in your log? If you're not interested in him, then give me his number instead."

Isolde's eyelid twitched. Dolly was indeed a beautiful girl with a sultry face that could get any man on his knees. She was popular with the boys with her red waves, full bosom, and dainty waist.

She had many male followers who did anything she asked. And it only continued to grow.

Isolde didn't know why but she refused to hand Ren's number to her. Imagining that guy's cold face and confident voice fell in the hands of Dolly as a mere follower didn't do well with her.

"I don't think I have any right to give you his number," Isolde said before she turned and left Dolly behind.

"Wha––!" Dolly couldn't believe that Isolde snubbed her. They weren't close, but at least she expected her to act cordially towards her because they had been classmates their whole life.

Dolly gritted her teeth and sneered. "What a pretentious bitch. Just say so if you like him. No need to play hard to get."

She then flipped her hair and crossed her arms under her breasts, secretly pushing them up.

"Hmp. Let's see if I'll help you later."

—-

Eventually, Isolde and her temporary group all set forward with just six party members. They couldn't find any more players that fit their requirements. The others were probably already exploring other areas and had already left the range of Newbie Villages a long time ago.

They were the first big group with an all two-digit ATP to attempt Thunder Cave, and everyone's eyes and ears were on them.

The [World Chat] exploded with their names, and they instantly became famous.

While Dolly and the others enjoyed their fame, Isolde was still thinking about Ren's words.

She was somewhat impulsive and straightforward and admitted that planning and scouting weren't her strongest points. And when Ren said some valid points to consider, she started to hesitate.

Should she have bought that ridiculously expensive Beta Tester Guide?

No.

She wasn't keen on spoilers and she wanted the thrill of the adventure.

Isolde shook her head and fisted her hands with a resolute face.

Even if he was handsome and went all the trouble just to ask for my ID, I shouldn't waver. She thought to herself.

But what if he was telling the truth? What if they really couldn't clear Thunder Cave with six-party members?

Isolde bit her nail. Should I turn back and gather more information?

". . ."

Isolde shook her head before lightly slapping her cheeks to wake her up. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

NO!

She wouldn't know until she tried. Isolde nodded to herself. There couldn't be progress if she didn't face the challenges head on. And she wasn't raised to give up without even trying.

Even if Ren was telling the truth, she still wanted to see it for herself.

She would rather move forward and face the consequences of her action than be a coward and turn tail at the unknown.

And besides, what if Ren was wrong?

What if they could really clear Thunder Cave with just six of them?

She would surely get an EXP boost and [Platinum Chest] for getting firstblood.

With this thought occupying Isolde's mind, she didn't notice that they were already deeper in the jaws of Thunder Cave. Most of the monsters and beasts run tail upon the sight of them since their ATP was already high for the monsters inhabiting the cave.

See . . . this is just a newbie cave. The beasts and monsters here could even be soloed. I bet the final boss is nothing to be scared off. Isolde mused to herself.

However, her lips shut tight when after traversing the straightforward path up the cliff, they stumbled upon a gigantic golden door with intricate carvings on its frame.

And Ren's words whispered in Isolde's ears. "If you see a large golden door with intricate carvings, don't enter at all cost."

"Is this is?" Player A asked.

"We're finally going to fight our first real boss!"

"Everyone, calm down! Remember what we agreed upon. EXP, gil, and items will be split evenly, but the equipment and weapons will belong to whoever benefit it the most. Okay?"

"Okay!"

"K!"

There was no limit of members in a group, but the amount of EXP and gil you acquired would be reduced since it would be distributed amongst you.

All items, equipment, and weapons would go to your [Group Inventory, which would be available once you form a group. It couldn't be withdrawn unless everyone or the majority agrees which item belongs to who.

And if you leave the group, then you won't have access to the items anymore. Likewise, if the majority agreed to disband without allocating the items, the items would disappear.

This was the developers' way of ensuring that everything would be fair in a group. No leader controlled everything. Everything was handled by all members of the group.

Dolly was grinning from ear to ear. She was so glad that she returned to Ironto village and stumbled upon Buck. If she cleared this dungeon, her fame would definitely skyrocket, and she would attract even more followers.

Richer and handsome followers!

She stifled one foot over the other from sheer excitement when the others opened the giant door.

WhHoOoOsShH!

A gust of wind pushed everyone one step back from the entrance before everything went still.

Isolde and the other's neck strained from looking beyond the darkness but couldn't see even a line."

"It's too dark."

"I can't see anything."

"Should we go in?"

"You first."

Dolly rolled her eyes and pushed everyone aside. "Bunch of cowards. Let me go in first then."

Dolly sashayed towards the entrance and halted a step just in line with the door. A sheen of sweat coated her back for fear of the unknown before she mustered her courage and took that one final step inside.

For the followers!

. . .

. . .

When nothing happened, Dolly faced the others, and her smile widened. "Well? Am I going to solo the boss after all?"

The boys laughed while the girls released a sigh of relief that nothing scary had happened.

However, Isolde didn't move from where she stood.

She thought that she had already made her resolve, but face to face with the giant door that Ren spoke off, her resolve crumbled to dust.

Was he speaking the truth after all?

Or was Ren been here before them?

Isolde couldn't ponder more when Dolly faced her with a raised brow.

"Don't tell me that you're backing out?" Dolly mocked and laughed. "That's okay. More treasures for me then."

Isolde grumbled under her breath and proceeded to enter the door.

She was raised not to fear anything and faced everything with courage and confidence.

She would not back out now.

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A loud 'ThuUumPped' closed the door tight when everyone was inside. Static erupted in the space before lightning clashed with each other and illuminated the area.

"W-wha . . . what is this place?

They were transported in some kind of an open grassland with thunder raining down from the dark sky.

There was nothing but the wide-open field, raging mountains, and dark, ominous clouds.

"W-what on earth!" Someone shouted and pointed towards the sky.

Isolde held her breath when her eyes caught the silhouette of something that made her nauseous.

Towering over the landscape at the height of over 100 feet, a colossal giant lived with its head in the clouds. Surrounded by thunder and perpetual storm, the giant was incredibly stout and robust. Its glowing golden braided hair was never cut, crackling with static electricity. Its eyes glowed an electric blue, and its deep voice deafened any who stood too close. It didn't have a single armor, wielding only a single massive weapon that could cleave an entire mountain into two.

It brought hurricane where it went, each step pulverizing the ground like thunder while lighting split the sky.

Isolde couldn't stop the shaking of her limbs. At this moment . . . death was staring straight into her eyes.

She swallowed hard, and with a trembling hand, she managed to use a [Monocle] against the monstrosity before them.

[Used Monocle x1

Remaining number of Monocle: 2]

ǁ P R I M O R D I A L

T H U N D E R K I N G ‖

Location: Thunder Cave

Description:

"Where thunder walks, mountain falls."

This giant is the perfect fusion of flesh and thunder, seamless and brutal in its symbioses. Their breath is a perpetual hurricane that follows wherever they tread, and their weapon can channel the power of thunder into the earth itself.

Their one goal is to restore the world to plain and rebuild it anew.

‖ A T T R I B U T E ‖

HP: 770 000

MP: 5 000

STRG: 700

DEF: 600

MDF: 500

INT: 500

AGL: 40

LCK: 50

‖ P R I M O R D I A L

T H U N D E R K I N G

H E A D A N D B O D Y ‖

HP: 385 000

‖ P R I M O R D I A L

T H U N D E R K I N G

L E F T A R M ‖

HP: 115 500

‖ P R I M O R D I A L

T H U N D E R K I N G

R I G H T A R M ‖

HP: 115 500

‖ P R I M O R D I A L

T H U N D E R K I N G

L E G S ‖ ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

HP: 154 000

‖ D A M A G E

R E S I S T A N C E S ‖

Bludgeoning

Piercing

Slashing

‖ D A M A G E

I M M U N I T I E S ‖

Cold

Lightening

Thunder

‖ C O N D I T I O N

I M M U N I T I E S ‖

Paralyzed

Restrained

Unconscious

‖ W E A K N E S S ‖

None

‖ E N D ‖

Isolde's pupils draw a slit. W-what kind of a monster is this?!

Everyone was stunned, and not a single one uttered a word when the Primordial Thunder King raised its foot. All they could do was stare at the monstrosity and await their fate with shaking limbs.

Isolde's heart stopped. She couldn't even close her eyes when death appeared before her in the form of a gigantic foot.

BaAaaAmMM!

A large aperture formed from where the foot landed, and the force from the impact sent a gust of boulders and debris flying in all directions.

WIPED OUT!

With a single stomp, everyone died.

. . .

. . .

The next thing Isolde knew, she was back in Ironto village as a wisp with a notification popping on her screen, asking her to pay the death penalty.

You have DIED!

Penalty 700 000 EXP

Insufficient EXP

Proceed to pay 697 ATP for lack of EXP

PROCEED

". . ."

HUUHH?!

Isolde was screaming in her mind. What the hell is wrong with this game?!

Nothing made sense to her!

Was that really a dungeon boss? Isolde didn't want to think what a World Boss would be like if it were.

A hard shudder ran in Isolde's spine. Even now, the Primordial Thunder King's enormous presence felt like it would swallow her whole.

This would surely give her nightmares to come.

She pressed PROCEED with a shaking breath and heavy heart, and all her ATP went zero.

At this rate, it was better to recreate her account.

Isolde logged out of the game with a dark face. She couldn't continue playing with a hazy mind and angry heart.

When her pod opened, she went to her bed and threw a pillow on her face, and screamed her heart out.

"AaaArRgGhh!"

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"AaaArRgGhh!"

Isolde's muffled cries were drowned against the soft cushion of her pillow. The frustration was eating her alive!

All that grinding and quest hunting –– gone!

Just like that!

And she was going to start from the very beginning again.

Her advantage over the others was gone!

It was like she was going to enter the game the first time again!

It might not be unremarkable in real life because of the time difference, but it was like five days in the game.

Isolde released a heavy sigh.

She stumbled over the bed and went to one side of her wall that displayed her medals and awards. Revolving one of the frames, her walls opened to reveal a secret compartment that keeps most of her precious gun collections.

And her little baby at the moment was her family's top-of-the-line Gambino SX4X7 shotgun, specifically for the world's most demanding class of gun owners, including the Olympians who compete every four years for the title of the world's best in skeet and trap shooting.

But of course, hers were custom made with her name engraved on its blue finish steel barrel.

The SX4X7 Gambino shotgun model was priced well over $400,000 due to the 12-gauge, side-by-side shotgun's performance capabilities and the striking aesthetics created through engraving.

Far lighter than most other shotguns, Gambino's break-action shotgun features a 66-inch barrel and weighs just over seven pounds unloaded. With blue finish steel and whiter and blue front luminous sight, the SX4X7 Gambino Shotgun was further set apart by its hand-sculpted and custom-engraved receiver and sidelocks with a rebounding-hammer firing mechanism.

After a while of cleaning her baby piece by piece, Isolde carefully placed it back in its rightful place as the centerpiece of all her collection.

She placed both hands over her hips and released a satisfied smile.

Looking at her collection, Isolde regained her calm, and she could think clearly again. It always worked whenever she was feeling frustrated and out of mood.

She then went to bed and lay on her tummy.

It was nearing eight in the morning in the real world, and Isolde immediately logged in on COVENANT's App.

This allowed the user to be connected with her avatar and everyone else in the game. She could also check her messages, items, and status in the app.

Isolde retrieved Ren's number from her deleted logs.

She hesitated at first but decided to send him a message in the end.

[Isolde: You're right. Just six members couldn't defeat the boss.

Rather, do you know the final boss? You could have told me that it's a Thunder God with an exaggerated ATP.]

She then pressed send before she changed her mind.

A minute passed, and Isolde just stared at her phone without blinking. Her eyes were strained, and her expectation felt duller each second that there was still no reply.

. . .

. . .

Isolde released a sigh.

Did I come too strong? Should I have said sorry instead of blaming him?

Isolde bit her nail, and she was worried that she had made a blunder again.

Why wasn't she gifted with social skills?

Maybe he was busy? She comforted herself.

Just as she was about to take a bath and refresh her mind, a notification rang on her phone.

She stumbled onto her bed once more and checked her notification in a hurry.

[Ren: If I told you the final boss, would you not have entered?]

Isolde didn't even notice that she was smiling from ear to ear as she quickly typed her reply.

[Isolde: You're right. I would still have entered and got wiped out in the end.]

Isolde was so sure that she would still enter to see for herself.

There was no one to blame but herself.

[Ren: I thought as much]

Isolde hesitated before she typed.

[Isolde: How did you know? Are you a beta tester? Or have you been in Thunder Cave before us?]

. . .

. . .

There was a whole minute of silence, and Isolde wanted to smack her head for asking that question.

Why did she always have to make everything complicated?

Her line of thoughts was disturbed by a notification rung on her phone, and she scrambled to open it.

[Ren: Is that important?]

She immediately typed.

[Isolde: No]

She didn't care if Ren was a beta tester or that he had acquired the beta tester guide. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

What's important was . . .

Isolde took a deep breath and typed slowly, thinking of each word she was typing.

[Isolde: Why do you want to help me? We're nothing but strangers, and I don't believe that we have met or encountered each other before.]

. . . Ren is typing . . .

The veins in Isolde's eyes were turning red from looking at her screen too much, afraid that she would miss Ren's reply.

[Ren: I'll be honest with you. I plan to put a group to raid dungeons and complete quests that otherwise couldn't be soloed in the future, and I want you on my team. No commitment attached.

Equal sharing of loot and rare items belongs to those who benefit it the most]

". . ." It was good and all, especially that 'no commitment attached' thing, but . . .

[Isolde: Why me?]

Isolde's heart thumped, waiting for Ren's reply. At the moment, she didn't know which answer she was hoping to know.

[Ren: Because the game interface incorporated real-life battle skills. You're very good with guns, right? You've won numerous medals before, if I was not mistaken. Your face was sometimes plastered on news and billboards. Isolde Gambino, the youngest shooting prodigy. That's you, right?]

Isolde wasn't the least bit surprised that Ren knew her. Her family was famous, after all and her face was indeed plastered on magazines but mostly because she was the daughter of the Gambino Casino Empire and not because of her skills in shooting. On the outside, they were nothing but a harmless perfect family who ran numerous casinos in Zone A. But in the dark, they were weapon manufacturers and dealers.

Isolde sighed.

She didn't know why she was a bit disappointed that Ren was after her talent with sharpshooting more than anything else.

Idiot.

Isolde said to herself and hit her head.

Of course, he would be after her skills and not her.

Who would want a daughter of a scary family? And a woman who was manlier than most men?

She was never pretty, and she knew that.

She was good with guns, fighting, and sports. She always outplayed every male in her school.

No boys would like her.

It was evident with her ex-boyfriend, who left her because he couldn't stand feeling like he was the woman in their relationship.

Though she admitted that she was rather boyish on the outside, she was very much a girl on the inside who also liked boys and wanted to experience that rush of giddiness when experiencing love like everyone else.

Isolde released a big breath once more and typed.

[Isolde: Sure. Just hit me up if you want to party.

Likewise, I can message you if I want you to join us, right?]

[Ren: Sure. No problem here.

That is . . . for the right price, of course.

And I'm speaking of real money.]

[Isolde: Money? Shouldn't the equal sharing of loot enough?]

[Ren: You can take the items. I'd rather have the money.]

[Isolde: I thought you're rich.]

[Ren: Just because I was there when the game opened doesn't mean that I'm rich.

I'm poor and in need of money.]

". . ." Then . . . could it be that he was indeed a beta tester?

[Ren: Is my status a problem?]

Isolde quickly replied.

[Isolde: No, I think I prefer it that way. More treasures for me.]

[Ren: Good then.]

[Isolde: Rather, are you good enough to be paid for your services?]

[Ren: You'll know once we partied.]

Isolde's lips curved upward and they said their goodbyes.

At least he wasn't after her name but her talents.

That was a first.

No.

In fact, Ren was the very first who went after her not because of her family's name but because of her skills with guns.

It felt good for once.

A gentle knock on the door woke Isolde from her line of thoughts.

"My lady? Your father wanted me to inform you that there will be an urgent family meeting later at lunch. Every member of the main family must attend without fail."

Urgent family meeting?

That was rare.

Their family hadn't had one since the day her father was appointed as the head of the Gambino family.

And after the game openings?

Isolde thought.

Could it be related to COVENANT?

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After his talk with Isolde, Ren got ready and went to apply for an account with New Era's Bank in the morning. Everything went smoothly, and the transaction was fast. By the strike of ten in the morning, everything was finished, and he now had a private account with the Bank.

I guess applying for the Organ loan will speed up the process. Ren thought.

Not many applied for this loan since it was certain death, and when Ren did, it was like he became a VIP in the Bank. He was taken into an all posh room and even had complimentary champagne and Royce chocolates.

Every staff inside the Bank was excited, and their eyes were shining with eagerness when he signed his name and placed his thumb mark on the contract papers.

They might have thought that he wouldn't be able to pay his account after one year, which meant all his organs were for sale to the highest bidder. He was young and had no sign of substance abuse. He didn't smoke, he wasn't an avid drinker, and he had no history of major illness.

He was perfect!

His organs were perfect!

Ren just smirked.

He messaged his bank account to Silvia through COVENANT's app before he proceeded to Highland Mall.

Highland Mall was a luxury mall strategically located at the center of the Central Business District of the main city of Zone A. This Mall was frequented by the rich, and it always appeared on social accounts of celebrities, influencers, and wannabe influencers.

Since Saya and Mike set the place, Ren could only oblige.

Before entering the Mall, Ren first checked his appearance in a shop's floor-to-ceiling glass window. He didn't have branded clothes or designer items compared to the many people going in and out of the Mall.

He was just wearing a simple black shirt and pants with only his phone and some cash in his pocket.

The guard even eyed him suspiciously when he entered the Mall, maybe because he wasn't accustomed to seeing men in simple non branded clothes.

Ren ignored the securities stares that followed him all the way to Gargino restaurant, where Saya and Mike had made a reservation.

Even if the guards keep it subtle, Ren caught the occasional glances from the corner of his eyes.

Even after so many years and trains and cars threaded the sky, the gap between the rich and the poor only continued to widen.

. . . But it would no longer be the case once the in-game currency is introduced in COVENANT. Everyone could enter and have the chance to earn and flip their life for the better.

Though there would be a large minus of gil from drops and rewards when that happened, everybody still had the chance to earn.

So the next few days, Ren had to accumulate gil while the game was still generous at giving them out.

Ren looked at the expensive sign made in emerald acrylic on top of the restaurant's entrance. He didn't want to come. In all honestly. He was only doing this for Leonel. Tolerating Saya and Mike's presence for an hour or two for Leonel's sake was a small price to pay compared to what he did in the past to him.

If he started avoiding the two and acted hostile towards Saya and Mike, Leonel would surely question it to no end. That guy valued their friendship second to his family.

Ren had the option to turn things around this time and try his best to mend his relationship with Saya and Mike, but what they did to him was forever stuck with him. Whether he wanted to or not, their past actions in the past would always influence his decision now.

"Hi," Ren greeted the staff standing at the entrance of Gargino Restaurant. A five-star Michelin awarded restaurant that Saya just loved to frequent. They have a wide array of food choices, but they are best known for their Asian and Italian cuisine.

"Reservation for Saya Milani," said Ren, and the staff's practiced perfect smile remained plastered on her face as she guided Ren to their table.

Ren was the first one to arrive. He was that guy who came fifteen minutes before the agreed time even though he knew that the others would be late.

Leonel was still on his way to this Mall after settling his lodging At Zephyr's Academy dorm.

Saya was probably still getting ready, and Mike was . . . well, Mike was probably still in front of the mirror fixing his already neat clothes and hair. ρꪖꪕᦔꪖꪕꪫꪣꫀꪶ

Ren sat at the table and brought out his phone to pass the time. Silvia already replied, and there was a notification on his phone of the hundred thousand dollars wired to his Bank and another fifty thousand.

[Silvia: A little extra for your trouble. And I hope you can answer a question of mine]

The corner of Ren's lips curled upward.

[Ren: Thanks for the extra tip]

. . .

. . .

. . . Silvia is typing . . .

Ren wanted to laugh. What he would give to see Silvia's troubled face for not responding to her question.

As he waited for Silvia's reply, Ren went to his Bank and transferred the hundred thousand to his Student Loan. Paying it within thirty days would null its interest, and Ren could breathe easy knowing that was one less loan he paid.

Now, he would only focus on paying his New Era's Account Loan.

[Silvia: How did you hide your appearance? Is it a special item? I also want to hide my face. Money isn't a problem. Name your price]

Ren chuckled as he shook his head.

[Ren: As much as your offer tempts me. This item is only a one-time deal. However, if you really want to hide your appearance in the game, then have a Blue Mage in your group.

Ps. This info is free of charge]

[Silvia: Blue Mage?

I have a friend that is playing a Blue Mage, but her list of spells didn't contain anything that would hide my appearance.

Is it a latter spell?]

[Ren: Yes. Once your friend evolves his class to an Illusionist, he could hide your appearance anytime you want.]

[Silvia: How long would that be?]

[Ren: . . . Depends on how fast he could grind his ATP to three digits]

[Silvia: That would take forever! By that time, it would already be useless! I want to hide my appearance this early on]

[Ren: Is your beautiful face bothering you that much?]

[Silvia: Yes]

Ren huffed a laugh. Leave it to Silvia to be so arrogant about her looks that she didn't get that he was being sarcastic.

[Ren: Sorry. I don't know any other item that could hide your appearance]

Which was true.

. . . Silvia is typing . . .

[Silvia: Then . . . how much for your item? I'll give you a blank check]

Ren shook his head and only replied with three words before closing the app.

[Ren: Not for Sale]

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