That was… a surreal experience. I managed to get more information through those solder NPCs back there, but never had I expected them to make such concrete guesses on the plague that almost made the forest extinct and the suspicions on the culprit who created it. I wished I could’ve learned more, but if we had stayed there any longer, there was a chance they would discover us. So for now, I decided to put them in the back of my mind and focus on the [Quests] that we were working on right at the moment. But still, I’m a bit troubled regarding their previous conversation. If they know about Kazu, there’s a chance this could snowball into disaster.

But then I wondered: can NPCs even retain their memories about the players or even have any consciousness at all? The NPCs are still AI built into the game, but for some reason, most of their conversations differed in every encounter we’ve had with them so far. Even when we spoke to the receptionist NPC, her conversations didn't limit to just welcoming us and asking about our finished [Quests]. Heck, when we talked to her earlier, she mentioned the rumors about the forest. I don't know if the devs added that during the last maintenance, but...

SMACK!

"Ow! What was that for?!" I shouted as I turned to Arthur, and rub the back of my head where he’d just hit me.

"That's for not paying attention during our quest! Razul tried to call you to get that last set of boars, but you zoned out for some reason. Seriously, get your head in the game. You're the only one who can analyze our opponents with your [Masteries] set."

Right. I shake my head in an attempt to regain focus and snap out of my thoughts once the pain on my head dissipated.

"Sorry about that. I'm just still thinking about those soldiers."

"Soldiers? Oh, you mean those guys in armor, right? Whatever they’re planning, I doubt it’s anything nefarious unless there are rumors of a conspiracy or something, but if they are around, then that means the kingdom already knows something's up."

This is already obvious to me after their previous conversation. But if that’s true, then there is a chance that I could end up in a precarious situation if I kept sticking my nose into other people's affairs.

"Besides, if we get even more involved with spying on those soldiers, there's no telling what could happen to us if they find out," Razul spoke up as he approached us. "It's best that we learn nothing if we want to protect ourselves."

That is true. But I’m still curious about them. Bai Hu said the kingdom might have some ideas about the reason that the plague and these that he was worried about.

"Yeah, but..."

"But nothing, Wind! If we want to get stronger and beat tougher dungeons, we have to grind up, level up, and get stronger equipment as soon as possible!" Arthur shouted, as I wisely back away to avoid it.

"Well, we've been doing that ever since we started playing today. Is there anything we can do other than leveling up and stuff?"

Arthur begins to hum as soon as I said this.

"Yeah, you got a good point. For one thing, have you been working on your [Mastery] set lately?"

"My... [Mastery] set?" I repeated with a hint of confusion in my voice. "You mean my skill set?"

"Skillset, abilities... Whatever... Seriously, Wind. You really need to get used to the game's terminology. If you keep calling [Masteries] for skills, they still might see you as a weird noob who has no idea how to play the game."

"U-Uh... Yeah..." I felt like calling them [Masteries] was a bit of a mouthful for me, and while Arthur's warning is a bit weird, he does have a point. "But what do you mean? I've been working on my battle s- I mean, [Masteries] non-stop ever since we started our [Quests]."

"Yeah, that's true. But are you even aware of how [Masteries] work at all?"

"Uh... All I know is that they determine what kind of playstyle we have for our character and leveling them up helps us get stronger, right?"

"Yeah, but what about adding new ones? You can't just rely on your initial set all the time if you're planning to branch out your Hunter play-style."

"Arthur's right," Razul said as he crosses his arms. "He told me about the mechanics when we were hunting together a few weeks ago. I think we should expand more with new [Masteries] on hand just in case of any future incidents or events happening in the game."

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"Okay... But how can I do that?"

When I asked that question, Arthur begins to chuckle as he slowly transitioned from quiet to a burst of laughter loud enough to scare birds from this area.

"Glad you ask, Mr. Wind! But don't worry your puny little head. As the Knight Apprentice, I will teach you more about [Masteries] and the functions behind it! We'll start..."

Oh, heck no! I quickly cover his mouth and smack his head with my bow to shut him up.

"If you're going to teach me more about this [Mastery] stuff, how about you don't start with stuff that I already know?! Or haven't you forgotten that I’ve been playing here for almost a month now?!"

"Plus, letting you explain about the game mechanics of means I have to hear a broken record version of you talking. So no offense, Arthur," Razul added before turning his eyes towards me. "And just to give you a brief abridged version, if you want to get new [Masteries], you have to gain enough [Mastery Points] to unlock them."

"Mastery... Points?"

"Yes. If I recall, you can gain them through special quests, leveling up, or completing achievements. Basically, all you can do is just battle and craft like you always do in like before. Heck, you might gain a point if you talk to us."

That makes a lot of sense. Since this game doesn't have a proper leveling system, the developers just substituting it with this point-and-achievement system, and if players play their cards right, they can gain as many [Mastery Points] as possible.

"Can I check the balance of it through my stat or [Mastery] windows?" I questioned Razul as I kept my tone of suspicion to a minimum.

"Yeah. But you can mainly check them through the latter. It makes deciding a [Mastery] a bit easier if you plan to make your perfect character. At least that's what Arthur said."

Before we can continue, I witness the self-proclaimed Knight Apprentice freeing himself from Razul's grasp as he takes some deep breaths before he glared at us.

"Geez... You guys have no fun at all. No wonder why you two haven’t got girlfriends yet."

"Zip. It. Or do you want to be my next target practice dummy in my next training session?"

"Oh, I dare you to try it, Ra-loser? And I promise you I’ll kick your ass afterward!"

"You asked for it, Osborne!"

Seriously?! We’re only halfway towards our goal and Arthur and Razul were already fighting each other even inside the game. I don't have the patience to stop them through normal means, so I pull out my arrow from my quiver and shot right between my friends as it stabs itself into a wooden log that lay down near them and a small pond. Not what I’d expected, but at least it got their attention and quelled the argument.

"Come on, even in , you two can't seem to get along on anything whenever you fight like this. Why don't you two calm down and..."

"AGGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH!!!!!"

My eyes widen as soon as I heard a sudden screech not too far away from here.

"W-What the hell was that?!" Arthur blurted out.

"It sounds like a mix of a man and woman's scream and it's not far away from here," Razul guessed as he scratches his chin. "Regardless, I bet it’s something bad."

"Could it be a strong monster attacking someone? If that's the case, we can't just ignore it. Who knows what could happen to them, aside from an EXP and item loss!"

EXP and items aside, Arthur's right. We can't just turn away from a cry for help. Once I hear another scream very closely, I slowly figured out where it had come from.

"Worst, it sounds like it's coming from the !"

"?!" Arthur shouted in shock. "Do you think...?”

"Let's not jump to conclusions. We need to follow those screams and intervene immediately!"

Razul's right. We can’t save anyone if we kept loitering around. Without any hesitation, all of us ditched the hunting grounds and headed back to the forest.

----------------------------------------

As we arrived at the , my eyes widen to see that not only were the soldiers were still at the entrance, but we saw several men in leather armor surrounding them with knives and cutlasses pointed at the former. Seeing this, I quickly hide behind a tree, with Arthur and Razul following suit.

"Yikes, we’ve only been gone for an hour and they’ve already gotten themselves in trouble," Arthur muttered. "And it's not my fault this time."

"I agree. Question is, how should we proceed?"

How indeed. I know this was obvious at first glance, but I activate my [Investigate] skill just to learn more about the soldier's opponents.

[Violent Bandit]

[Level: 18]

[Hailing from a remote village, these outlaws move in bands and can ambush any caravan or adventuring party if they don’t keep their guard up. They are also known for their love of violence and torture to any hapless victim. ]

[HP: 500/500]

At least they got the "violent" part right. But judging by their respective fear from the soldiers, I have a feeling this might not end well for them.

"Obviously, we get in there and fight! That's how a knight does in this kind of situation!" Arthur declared as I continued to observe the scene. "I mean, those guys are weak in terms of levels."

"Yeah, but brawn isn't everything. There’s a chance we could get flanked and overpowered by their numbers," Razul protested. "We need a plan to proceed carefully."

"Then what is your plan? Just wait and let them kill off those soldiers one by one?!"

"Well, I..."

And this is the point where I opted that I don’t have time to listen to any more of their stupid bickering. I quickly take out my bow and arrow and aiming carefully, I shot six arrows at the bandits, some of which hit them in their chests and knocked them to the ground. I start to sigh with relief. But then...

"W-What the hell?!"

"Where did those arrows come from?!"

"Hey! That kid with a bow! How dare he try to sneak attack us?!"

Uh oh... Maybe I’d gone too far with my ambush...

----------------------------------------

Wind's Masteries

[Archery] Level 17

[Woodcrafting] Level 7

[Swordsmanship] Level 16

[Cooking] Level 6

[Wind] Level 14

[Physical Enhancement] Level 14

[Hunting] Level 14