[Server Announcement:]
[Please congratulate TEAM TMMBC on completing the first
Immediately commotion broke out among the players.
“The first unique quest?”
“Damn! I haven’t even received a normal quest yet!”
“I heard one can get a unique quest outside our village. Many people are working on it right now!”
“Congratulations to the brave team!”
Curses and congratulatory words intermixed.
Back in Prento, three figures stood on the town square. A handsome, blond man wore an ugly face as he read the announcement.
“B*stard! I won’t forget this!”
Meanwhile, the party members received another notification.
[Accomplished achievement: Even a blind newbie finds a quest.]
[Received title: Problem solver]
[Effect: Charisma +2]
[The people of Crunaboul begin to entrust you with their problems. Don’t disappoint them.]
Cyclone wore a giddy smile, feeling like a pro gamer.
But Silver Blade felt somewhat uneasy. She finally managed to get everyone to move on.
The party chatted leisurely as they continued on the road. Soon, they passed old man Meyhran again, exchanging friendly nods without stopping.
But at this moment Talin and Malin exchanged strange glances.
“Guys, thank you for everything but I have a quest in another direction. Let’s separate here.”
“Yeah, sorry, I will help my brother.”
Silver Blade and Cyclone showed some surprise but naturally didn’t want to hold the others back.
“Oh ok. Thank you for your help. I hope we will meet again.”
“Yeah, thanks.”
Liam only smiled knowingly as the two thieves left the party and disappeared.
A few seconds later he directed his companions:
“You two go ahead. I will catch up in a while.”
“What? Expert, don’t leave!”, exclaimed Cyclone with a pout.
“Don’t worry, I will stay in the party. You two go ahead and take the next path on the left to Rabbit Creek. Remember not to enter the zone before I arrive.”
Silver Blade nodded calmly but still asked:
“What are you doing?”
“Getting your dagger back.”
“What?”
“You’ll see.”
With those words Liam revealed a crafty smile as he turned around.
The young man entered the forest, carefully staying close to the road. A short while later he spotted old man Meyhran again.
Liam stayed silent as he observed the road carefully.
Just then he saw footsteps in the dirt, small clouds of dust rising.
Liam inwardly shook his head. In Fate of Crunaboul stealth wasn’t all-powerful. Even with a high skill rank it would still leave some signs behind.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
With Liam’s experience he could even see the faint distortion in the air, taking the form of two human figures walking upright. Talin and Malin didn’t even adjust their posture.
In his old life those two would’ve died before reaching anyone. They really didn’t show much intelligence.
The two brothers were blinded by greed. However, it was hard to blame them as Meyhran was too deceptive. Even if they inspected the NPC right now, they would only see an old man of level 1 with hardly any strength.
Liam recalled the stats Meyhran showed in his previous life but even he couldn’t be sure if those were real or fake.
Unfortunately, the two thieves didn’t consider any of this as they sneaked up on the old man.
With shining eyes, they both activated their [Steal] auxiliary skill.
Their hearts beat wildly as a loading bar filled. Talin could already imagine the powerful item which might land in his hand soon.
Meanwhile, Malin’s ambition was even grander, desiring to take away the old man’s magical bag.
But after a few seconds they were surprised as they ended up empty handed.
Liam nodded inwardly, knowing that this was Meyhran’s generosity.
But the thieves didn’t think so. After a moment of pondering, they figured it out. How could the good stuff be won after just a single try?
With eager smiles on their lips, they reached out again.
The progress bar filled.
Talin and Malin pulled their hands back at the same time, almost unable to suppress their laughter as they felt the metallic texture on their fingers.
They tilted their heads down, appreciating their loot.
At this moment, Meyhran suddenly flashed. With a single step he appeared ten meters away, continuing as if nothing happened.
Liam saw the scene from within the forest, lamenting the thieves’ fate.
Boom!
An explosion shook the ground. Dirt splattered in all directions. Flames shot into the air.
Liam scrunched his face as miserable wails reached his ears.
He realized that the brothers might not have bothered to reduce the standard 50% pain simulation yet.
A familiar wall of flames burned in front of Liam’s eyes. After twenty seconds it gradually died down.
Players jogged on the road, lured by the commotion. But Liam was prepared, not giving anyone time to react.
He rushed out of his hiding spot, quickly grabbing the items on the ground before disappearing again.
The onlooking players were surprised.
“What happened here?”
“I think someone died.”
“Damn, we were too late. The items are gone.”
“Do you think that guy laid a trap here?”
A few players felt shivers running down their spines. They decided to take a detour.
However, if they knew what Liam just picked up, they might have disregarded all danger to chase after him.
The young man smiled brightly as he sneaked through the forest, playing with the dagger in his hand.
He decided to give it back to Silver Blade directly. Receiving the notification the young woman was reluctant, but after Bleary Mirage explain how he got the dagger back, she accepted without much guilt.
She was even disappointed in those thieves, setting their greedy eyes on an old man.
Liam refrained from trying to let her understand that it was just a NPC, knowing that it was important that everyone could enjoy the game their own way.
While approaching Rabbit Creek Liam still wore a huge smile on his face, thinking about the piece of paper Malin dropped. It was actually the recipe for a basic dagger.
Although the weapon was nothing special, this recipe would allow Liam to acquire the blacksmith profession, which was one of the things he genuinely enjoyed.
Thus, Liam arrived at Rabbit Creek in a good mood, watching the beginner zone.
The environment changed a little, with less trees and more high grasses. The path was narrower, somewhat overgrown, leading up to an old wooden bridge.
Water gurgled joyfully below it, attracting white rabbits to drink and bathe.
If it weren’t for Bleary Mirage’s warning, Silver Blade and Cyclone would’ve long walked up to enjoy the peaceful scenery.
Now they hid behind a tree, waving at Liam as the noticed the young man arriving.
“Expert, I don’t get it. Why did you asked us to wait?”
“Use your inspect skill.”, advised Liam with a smile.
The two women complied, focusing on a cute looking white rabbit. But they were confused when they noted the monster’s name written in red.
“Do you see its name? Red-named monsters are aggressive, attacking on sight.”
“Really? Those cute rabbits?!”
“Yes. I have to admit that it is quite evil from C to place red-named level 1 monsters here. But I guess players need to learn somehow.”
Just as the trio was talking among themselves, two young men arrived from the road. They drew their weapons and ran towards the creek not far away.
But their path led them right into the center of this area. About a dozen rabbits noticed the invaders, instantly pouncing at them angrily.
The poor players didn’t stand a chance. At least they had some luck as their equipment didn’t drop.
Silver Blade and Cyclone gulped.
“It’s good that we listened to an expert.”
“Well, those two were quite unlucky. But we also shouldn’t overly fear red-named monsters. If you are a bit careful, there isn’t much threat to it.”
“Yes, yes. You lead the way!”
Cyclone nodded, still wearily looking at the bunch of rabbits slowly scattering again.
Liam didn’t mind, signaling the two women as he slowly approached the area from the side.
A moment later a notification popped up, prompting him to stop in place.
[Discovered Rabbit Creek. Reward: 10EXP]
[EXP: 103/100]
[Congratulations, you have reached level 2.]
[Please remember to distribute your attribute points.]
Liam didn’t care much, as he had read such a notification too often. He quickly distributed his new points.
But as he listened to the two women exclaiming in delight, he couldn’t help but show a faint smile as well.
“Hey, I reached level 2!”
“Me too, me too!”
Liam waited, letting Silver Blade and Cyclone celebrate for a bit. Afterward he helped them distribute their points before continuing with the quest.
Liam sneaked forward alone, slowly approaching the rabbits. He chose his angle wisely, making sure not to attract too many of them.
However, with the level up right now he knew that they didn’t need to be overly careful anymore against those level 1 enemies.
Thus, Liam took a last bold step, prompting five pairs of red eyes to turn his direction.