I'm too slow to react but its jaws slide off my pristine golden armor. I doubt there's going to be a single scratch on it after this.

I don't have any weapons so, I pick the wolf up and throw it away. If I had my short-sword, I would gut it up in its abs. I wrangle my pick-ax out and stalk back to them. The wolf yelps and runs away.

I don't throw my pick-ax after it. There are still 2 wolves sitting around. They're cowed by their brethren's retreat.

I move in and smack one of the wolf's forward legs. It bends forward and there's a sickening crunch. I move to the other one. It's trying to run away but I throw my pick-ax into its back. The short-sword is close at hand and I wrangle it out.

I kill the other two as well.

Ding!

[Class Available: Hunter]

[Y|N]

I decide to click no. It's too common of a class. Every player who's even killed a rabbit gets the chance to get this class.

I need a class with a quest line to form my 'base'. That's what I build my entire skill tree around. It needs to be versatile and flexible enough. Hunters only get buffs in the forest and most of their class skills have to do with animals. It's too limited in scope.

The second I walk into a city I lose 40 percent of my Hunter Class' effectiveness. What's the point then?

I check that notification I got mid-fight. Somebody accepted that quest I posted, there's a PM as well.

Since somebody accepted it for the meager amount of money I posted, I decided to meet them. It won't hurt. I go through these wolves and decide to tie them up and hang them.

How should I take them to the city? That's why the dismantling skill was required. I can't leave this here, I'm not letting all this effort go to waste.

I PM that player who accepted my quest. "Do you have a dismantling skill?"

This novel is published on a different platform. Support the original author by finding the official source.

"Yup." The player's yes back with ten emojis. I close the chat window and send her my location. This is a discovered area and should be on most maps. They shouldn't have any trouble getting here.

Now the main point, should I unequip this armor or not. It's too flashy but if there's a dispute most of all with the dryad's in the room it'll be a deterrent. Let's just keep my ID set to private so, she doesn't know who I am along with my armor.

I just need to keep my mouth shut. I don't know this for sure but I think even my own voice is modified by the armor. It's deeper, not mechanic but just deeper and foreign.

That's when I saw the player coming up. I had positioned myself on the high ground, to keep a lookout for any predators.

She had a sweet smile and she was bounding up and down. It wasn't all for show though. She had a giant long sword on her back. It was shaped like a katana and two feet higher than her. Wielding it had to be a pain. Long-swords required greater reach.

The swing was wider and you couldn't move back and forth with the same agility of a short-sword. I don't know what level she is but it must be in the lower thirties at least. I feel like an impostor with this armor.

I've donned a robe to conceal it a little bit. I got it when I first logged in. Promotional material by some guild trying to recruit me. A bitter smile formed on my face but it wouldn't be clear from the mask.

"Can you dismantle them?"

"That wasn't in the quest description."

I raise my hands up in mock derision. "I was doing a quest and I don't have a dismantling skill."

"What's the quest reward?"

"I'll give you 5 Silver frags." Turns out with tables turned even I'm a miser.

"5 silver frags? Come on there's no way that's how much you're getting. Just look at your armor, stop being such a cheapskate." She must've gotten a glance at the Armor.

I shrug then I decide to be a bit more cooperative. I need her after this too. The reward is 70 silver frags.

"I'll give you twenty silver frags, but only if you dismantle any other wolves I hunt for the next hour."

"Sure." She shrugs. Doesn't seem like she has much to do. "What about that other quest? When are we getting around to that?"

My heart twangs at the thought of those tied-up dryads but I ignore it. I need to be more ruthless with myself and others. Oh, how I would regret this singular decision.

"What's your name?" She asks.

"Cent." I just blurt it out. I guess that's my name now.

"I'm Lem, nice to meet you!" She shakes my hand and I smile under my helmet.

There's a moment of mock celebration and then she gets down to it. A blazing fire is coursing through my body right now. She agreed to dismantle any wolves I hunt in the next hour. She didn't specify how many.

I proceeded to hunt and take down any and all wolves for the next hour. At some point, she decided to join in as well. Turns out she's a summoner.

We confronted a pack with twenty wolves, easy. For a second there, I was happy. Gaming without any care like a normal player. As if my heart wasn't sitting deep inside me cold, frozen, and calculating.

Then we decided to head down to the dryads.