Outside the Beginner's Town, two Zones existed: the Caeldra Plains and the Caeldra Forest. Both of them were Level 1 - 10 Zones, meaning Players would find Monsters from Level 1 to Level 10. As for the kind of Monsters, they would be Wolf-type monsters, and two Species shared both Zones: Silver Mane Wolves and Silver Werewolves.

Silver Mane Wolves were mostly active during the day, while Silver Werewolves were only active during the night. Jake did not have good memories of either Species of Monsters. While they provided XP, Loot and sometimes Skill Books, they were very difficult to deal with. During the Beta, quite a few players never managed to get past Level 10 and see what else the game had to offer.

And it was not solely for lack of skill or talent on their part. Nor was it a lack of information. Silver Mane Wolves were AGI-focused Monsters, always faster than an equal-Level Player. Players would almost always form Parties to deal with one. And most Silver Mane Wolves moved in packs of two, sometimes three. They could rapidly overwhelm Parties, as they often focused on the same target. But they were not the real threat to Players.

Silver Werewolves were. Very simply, while Silver Mane Wolves were Common Monsters, Silver Werewolves were all Elite Monsters, one Grade higher. Their Attributes were all firmly above those of Players, and unlike Wolves who were only capable of using Basic Attacks, Werewolves could use three Skills: "Bite", "Swipe" and "Berserk".

"Bite" was an empowered Basic Attack that would Heal Werewolves, while "Swipe" was an AoE Crow Control Skill that sent Players flying, and "Berserk" was a very simple Attribute Buffing Skill used when a Werewolf dropped down to 25% of their HP.

The one saving grace of Players was that Werewolves were few and always alone. So they could be raided, and the rewards for slaying one were on par with the difficulty they presented. Jake remembered that most of the Werewolves had dropped Iron and Bronze Equipment and all of them dropped Skill Books. And when many Beta Players complained about the difficulty, developers pointed out that Arcadia was not meant to be easy. The Wolves were only the beginning of a very expansive and very challenging game. Nothing would come easily. But nothing would be impossible either.

Jake liked that view. And he liked that slaying one Monster was so challenging and just as rewarding. The biggest flaw of previous MMORPGS was the mind-numbing task of farming Mobs to Level Up. The fun and joy of playing was replaced by an industrial and repetitive act with little rewards and no challenge. Boring. But right now, his focus was not on the trauma-inducing Wolves, but on the soon-to-be traumatized Players.

While Raid strategies had made their way on the Internet after the Beta, nothing could prepare Players to the difficulty of Combat in Arcadia and to the unforgiving Wolves.

Stolen story; please report.

He shrugged. Players would figure it out. It took everyone a while in the Beta, but they managed to do it. And he was thankful for it. It had prepared them for what came next, once they left the Beginners' Town and joined with the rest of the Players in the other Towns.

Once a Player crossed the threshold of the Town's door, they would be met with the sight of the Caeldra Plains. They were a flat surface, covered in tall grass. Even Odin, who had taken on Jake's characteristics, and measured over 180 cm, could barely see above the browning and yellowing green grass. The ground was made up of hard, almost rocky, dried up earth. The Beginners' Town was currently suffering under the summer weather and its harsh sun.

Jake looked up: it would not be sunset until at least 6 hours. He had a lot of time until the Werewolves came out. And with a little luck, he would complete his Quest before then. Running into Players would not be difficult. Currently, it was difficult to walk for more than a minute without seeing a Party of them close by. And while Jake was confident in his knowledge of the game and his new fencing skills, there was no way he could eliminate a Party in the Plains without another Party hearing them fight and coming over.

So, he only had one choice: go to the Caeldra Forest. It was further from the Town and much more expansive, thinning out the population of Players.

As he approached the Forest, less and less Parties appeared. He checked the in-game time. 14: 07: 55. It had taken Odin a little over half an hour to cross the Caeldra Plains with alternating Running and Walking to save Energy. At the edge of the Forest, he unsheathed his [Coarse Sword].

While he had taken extra precautions to avoid Silver Mane Wolves in the Plains, as he wished to steer clear of conflict with Parties, the Forest was different. He was going to target Players, but would not avoid Wolves either. And if he could get both, well, that would be for the best.

He walked into the Forest, checking on his Energy. 30/30. Now or never. He felt the excitation rising. He almost wanted to run in, rushing at the first Party in sight and killing them in one fell swoop. Almost. But this was not the Beta. He did not have his past equipment. Not yet.

Inhaling slowly, he calmed down, exhaling just as slowly. He listened to the sounds of the somewhat dry, somewhat lush forest. No wind to shake the leaves. Silence. And then, further away. Steps. Voices. Indistinct, but rapidly clearing up. Three different strides. Three Players. He crouched down, leaning back against the bark of a tall tree. And peaked at the three approaching Players. He did not yet have an Identification Skill, but he could recognize their Classes.

All three Players had chosen Magical Classes: a Witch, a Cleric and a Spellblade. He had lucked out. While there were no Basic Classes that were fundamentally better than others, Magical Classes had one early disadvantage: their Mana consumption. In order to deal damage they solely relied on Skills, and were forced to spend more APs early on INT, so as to rapidly gain Mana and Magical Damage.

It meant that they had a lot less APs spent to increase Attributes like STR, AGI or even HP that Physical Classes relied on. So, in early Levels, Physical Classes would dominate Magical Classes in PvP situations. Things would look different once Players reached Level 10. But right now, the highest Level Player would not be higher than Level 1.

Jake inhaled slowly as the three Players passed his tree. He glanced at the clock. It showed 14: 10: 39. His heartbeat quickened, as his blood pulsed to his head. As soon as he could see the Cleric, who was trailing behind, he leapt out.