The Boisterous Man
- Mirror Lake Town -
"Boss! Y-you're back early," Goruut—the boisterous man—shook like a leaf as he addressed a human wall of muscle.
With blond hair, green eyes, and a massive frame, the boss struck an imposing figure as he confidently swaggered past a shop entrance to tower over Goruut, "Are you trying to say it should have taken me longer to reach level two?" The huge man squinted, causing Goruut's spine to stiffen.
“No, Sir! Of course not, Sir!” Goruut bent at the waste, bowing before his superior.
"Relax, Goruut. Why would I hurt a valued disciple who's been doing a great job on the mission I gave him? Now, where's my equipment?"
"We were ambushed, Master Froust! He came out of nowhere with a dozen wolves on his tail. H-he had some fancy gear too, much nicer than the tutorial stuff. I took a screenshot, here.” With a flick of his finger, the blurred image of a man with four wolves right behind him appeared in Froust’s display.
“You said a dozen wolves, I only see four, and this pic is garbage. You really lost all of my gear to this clown?” Froust’s voice took on a deadly edge as he took a step closer to Goruut.
“M-maybe the gear was helping him move faster! Yeah, that must be it. We could barely keep track of him. He got behind us before we could react and then the wolves tore us apart. We were eaten alive and lost everything. We-I failed you."
Goruut slammed his face into the dirt in complete subjugation, yet no punishment fell upon his shoulders. No recriminations filled his ears, not even a single promise of everlasting pain was delivered through furious, glinty eyes. He dared to tilt his head, looking up at the notoriously dangerous Froust, whose feet were still centimeters from his nose.
The massive man spoke into thin air, having made a call the moment Goruut's tale was done, "Master, we might have a problem on our end."
Raine KongRu
Raine stopped in the middle of the narrow dirt road, taking in his surroundings. He was familiar with the area, but being the first person here, there was a chance he would spot something new. A series of low hills to his west reached into the distance. Directly north, more hills wrapped around the lake, turning into jagged, rocky cliffs that butted into a lone, large mountain after several kilometers. East, the lake stretched as far as the eye could see.
For now, Raine circled wide around the roaming throngs of well-armed crogs. He headed north, staying at water level while traversing the base of the cliff face. He moved slowly, taking his time to avoid the far-reaching patrols.
I’ll get to you cuties soon enough. If this works, it's going to save me a ton of time.
His memory was a bit fuzzy on the exact spot, but he knew it was close when he could only see half of the mountain due to the cliff cutting off his view. Nearly an hour later, he was sure he was in the right spot when a chord of nostalgia struck, sending tingles down his spine.
The sun had risen halfway in the sky and reflected off the lake, casting a heavy illumination that was making his task much harder. He faced the solid cliff wall, scanning the protruding rocks through squinted eyes.
There!
He grasped a seemingly random rock and gave it a twist. The rock rotated easily before he pushed it in. A resounding click preceded a section of the solid cliff face opening wide into two large, rock-covered doors. They revealed a dark, gaping cave entrance. Raine boldly entered the cave, only slightly nervous that his plan might fail. Worst case, he would die once and waste around four hours returning and restoring the lost level.
Without the threat of being overloaded with curses and needing to delete his character, a single death wasn’t so daunting. If anything, the witch’s quest had taken the edge off his stress by putting him in a much worse scenario than was normal.
Inside the cave he spotted a series of torches that lit up a small tunnel. Angered muttering and growls echoed off the walls, creating what should be an eerie and foreboding setting. After rounding a bend, Raine entered a fifteen-meter-wide cavern. The walls were covered with cloth sheets and tapestries while whole sections of the floor were layered with fine carpets.
A lone, short figure in fine attire could be seen pacing back and forth across a rug, wearing a track into the soft fabric. Raine approached casually, waving his hand at the finely dressed Croglock, “Hey there, nice place you got here.”
The well-dressed beast whipped around, appearing surprised for a moment before regarding Raine with a calm face.
image [https://i.imgur.com/Cvu1Q1y.jpg]
Good, he didn’t kill me outright. I should be able to work something out if I choose my words right.
"Kro, it's a hole in a wall! Nothing nice about it! Wha'da want? Can’t you see I'm busy, kro?”
"Sorry to disturb you, Sir. If you're busy, maybe there's something I can help you with."
The crog looked Raine up and down appraisingly before huffing a chortled laugh, "Kro, tadpole like you got no business here. Ain’ nothing you can help me with, kro."
Raine nodded, "You might be right, then again, maybe you’re wrong. I found this place, didn’t I? That should be proof I’m not as simple as I appear.” Raine’s words had no effect on the crog who resumed pacing, ignoring him completely.
Okay, experiment failed: This Vaaterran is different from the witch. She was definitely special for some reason other than me being the first traveler to encounter her. Now that I've determined that, it's time to get down to business.
“Why are you here instead of inside Soldoreen? Your people pride themselves on working together, aren't you ashamed to be out here alone?" The crog rounded on him instantly, its eyes blazing scarlet with the inner fire of a skill.
"K-kro, Wha’ would you know!? Kro-kro-kro!”
Gotcha! It actually worked! Even without the introductory quest item, so long as you know what to say, you can start the quest. Fantastic.
"I know a lot. I know you don't belong here. I know you were exiled. I know you're different from them and it frightens them. I know you should be… the Bigboss."
The blazing fire winked out of its eyes as quickly as it appeared. The crog stared hard at Raine with new appreciation, "Kro, maybe you know som’thin after all, but that don' change a thing! You're too white ‘round the teeth to help me, kro."
This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.
"How about a wager then. If I can kill one hundred of their adolescents, you give me something nice."
"Kro-kro! And if you fail? What will you give me?"
"Any five items I own of your choosing."
"Deal, tadpole! Now begone. I don’ want to see you again ‘til you've done the deed. If you come back a‘fore then, I'll take your lootz and eat you, kro-kro!" As soon as the offer was made, a quest notification appeared and Raine gleefully accepted it.
[Quest: Torell’s Grudge accepted]
[Kill 100 Croglock adolescents and bring their marks of maturity to Torell]
[Rewards: Variable]
[Warning: Failure to complete this quest may have unforeseen consequences. Quest may not be abandoned]
All right, I can finally get started.
Raine was so ecstatic, he skipped out of the cave. Usually doing any quests for Torell was a waste of time as you would already clear out the entire village before even learning about the cantankerous Vaaterran. Since the beasts only respawned once per day, you would have to wait a long time just for a chance to kill the hundred adolescents. Then there was the competition of other players to deal with as many people came here to level in groups, hoping to find the stolen shipment for easy entrance into Silverlight City.
Depending on the rewards, I might suggest Richtor come here with his friends when they’re the right level. Even having a few people able to skip the ten silver registration fee to enter Silverlight would give their guild a massive advantage. Hopefully, he takes my advice and saves his currency so they can get as many people into the city as possible.
Outside the cave, Raine found a good spot with plenty of shrubs and trees to block line of sight before accessing his secret weapon against the Croglocks.
[Trokt steak - Garbage: The smell of this foul meat should have been hint enough not to attempt cooking it. Feel pity for the grill that is now tainted beyond redemption. This meal is not fit for consumption unless you happen to be a most peculiar beast]
Raine turned his hand upside down and willed the steak out of his inventory. It fell to the ground with a sickening splatter. The description did not lie; the smell coming from the garbage item was truly atrocious. With a boost of Discipline, Raine beat a hasty retreat, hiding behind some bushes two dozen meters away. He opened his inventory and pulled out two rocks that he had collected from the side of the road, hefting one in each hand as he waited.
Only a few seconds passed before the nearest group of crogs came crashing through the low brush. Their eyes were bloodshot, tongues hanging loosely from their mouths while spittle dripped down their long necks. They loped toward the steak with wild abandon, unable to notice him even as they ran a few scant meters from his position.
The moment the last one was past his position, he stood and chucked a rock at its head. The stone flew strong and true—mastery of throwing weapons was a basic technique that every guild trained relentlessly. The blow knocked some sense into the monster and it turned toward him with wicked intelligence returning to its eyes.
“Kro-kro-kro!” The scout cried, but its call fell on deaf ears as its party continued toward the steak.
Raine turned and ran north, away from any potential reinforcements. The scout barreled after him, quickly catching up. He wasn’t concerned about pulling the beast away from its brethren, he only needed three dozen meters to separate it enough that additional cries for help would be in vain.
The moment he was far enough, he spun to face the charging crog as its spear lunged toward his face. Raine ducked, the blow predictable to his trained reflexes despite the beast's high Attack Speed.
With the first attack thrown, there was a flash and Raine's novice axe appeared in his hand.
The crog used Double Thrust and its spear bit forward like two snakes striking simultaneously. Both blows narrowly missed Raine’s chest as he turned sideways and jerked forward and back. With its main skill on cooldown, the beast took a leaping step back to buy time. Raine wasn’t nearly kind enough to allow two shots at him without taking a toll in blood. He dove after it, his axe coming down on its shoulder. [-16]
Seeing the low damage, Raine clicked his tongue in disappointment, even as he bent to the side to dodge a return swipe. He immediately dove into a roll, the butt of the spear whistling through the air above him.
This is going to take forever. It should have around five hundred HP. Guess I’ll try the re-roll. I just need something with blunt damage so I can use Strike.
Raine triggered the roulette function of his cursed ring. [-9] The eleven percent damage felt like being bitten all over his body while having a boot buried in his guts. He shrugged off the sensations and jumped away from the crog. This time, both his hands flashed. When the light faded, he grinned ferociously. His fists came up, covered by two strips of white cloth.
[Novice Fist Wraps - Dull Trash: (AP +2) (AS +1.5) (Durability 10/10)]
Like all players who eventually capped out each weapon for the bonus attributes, Raine had a decent amount of experience fighting with every weapon. However, that experience paled in comparison to the fist weapons he used for ninety-nine percent of the last ten years of his life.
The crogs spear came forward again as it once more activated Double Thrust. Raine weaved between the blows, taking a step forward. His fist lanced out in a straight jab—fueled by Strike—that took the scout right in its squishy face. [-21] The beast tried to leap back to create space for its longer weapon. Raine boosted himself forward, not about to let it have its way.
With 2.5 total Attack Speed, Raine’s attacks came at just over twice per second. A massive increase from the .8 he had with the axe.
Fists flew through the air in a blur that never relented. Years of footwork and body mastery were on full display as he weaved around clumsy thrusts and swipes of claw and wooden shaft. His brain buzzed, alive as trajectories were calculated instantly; a dipped shoulder and torquing of his torso avoided a thrust. The dodge fluidly transitioned into an overhead haymaker with the opposite arm. An instant later, his elbow slammed into its face in the exact same spot, sending its head rocketing back with its long tongue flailing. [-14] [Critical hit! -52]
Sensing weakness, Raine pressed the attack. His extreme focus never faltered, and the beast was reduced to a defenseless punching bag. The pummeling continued one-sidedly for nearly thirty seconds before the scout croaked and fell dead.
[Obtained 1,500 Superiority (500% bonus for defeating a monster 5 levels above you)]
[Obtained 12% Attunement (500% bonus for defeating a monster 5 levels above you)]
Seven copper and a white quest item dropped. Raine snatched them up as a flare of light and victorious music sent a pleasant buzz through his brain.
[Mark of Maturity: Before joining the warriors of its clan, a badge of honor must be earned]
[Level up! +1 to all attributes]
Had the scout been four levels above him instead of five, Raine would have only received a 200% bonus to Superiority; such was the power of the fifth inviolable law of ZionLine: The rule of five. Due to the difference between their levels being five, it yielded an insane 500% bonus, whereas normally each level difference only gave 50%. The rule of five was not restricted to bonus Superiority, but also attributes, classes, and tiers. Almost everything in ZL took a massive leap forward every fifth integer.
Since the weakest Croglocks were five levels higher, Raine planned to take ample advantage of the significant boost in SP. There were even bigger gains to be made at ten level gaps, but there was also a hefty difference in attributes between level nine and ten enemies. With his current attributes, a level fourteen enemy would turn him to paste.
Raine had no desire to attempt even the level ten crogs with his paltry equipment. The only reason he was doing any damage at all was due to his cursed ring. If not for that huge advantage, he would have stuck to his original plan of farming level five torgs in the hills before coming here.
Raine took out his dagger and funneled enough Superiority into it to de-level himself. He kept pumping more and more in until he hit the bottom of level three. Eventually he would outstrip the weapon, but that SP wouldn’t be lost as he could withdraw it at any time, though that would destroy it.
[Last Chance’s Gambit - Common Gray - LVL 2 - 1,020/3,000 SP: (AP 6 > 8) (EP 6 > 8) (AS +1) (FNS 1 > 3) (CNC 1 > 3) (Durability 45/45) Innate Skill - Final Gambit: Convert 100% remaining EP into a single target non-elemental attack. 10 > 11 damage per EP converted]
Very nice. Bonuses across the board except Attack Speed which will probably only increase at ten-level increments, if even then. I won’t be allowed to add Superiority to the dagger to raise it beyond my level, so I’ll stop once it's at the end of level three.
If my math is correct, I’ll only need three more scouts. And would you look at that, there are three right over there finishing with the snack I left them.
Raine released a pleased chuckle as he dropped another steak on the ground.