To clear the fed's quest, the character needs thirty thousand Exp.

If it sounds like a lot, that's because it is. About twenty thousand came together in two days, less than half what's needed.

And with this patch, most contracts will no longer spawn.

Saying 'the safer part' would no longer cut it, the previous run came close to killing me.

Despite the early afternoon, the Guild's mess hall is full of players in a panicky atmosphere.

No wonder, this thing must've pissed off company owners and adventurers alike.

The easy tasks are gone, so this change will hurt even the newbies who weren't pressed for time.

Ratting will soon be a thing of the past, and the next event offer low-level crafting missions for Premium.

"Help me, Selena, you're my only hope!"

Her warm laughter indicates there's still a chance to complete this madness.

She pulls out a healthy stack of parchments and spreads them across the counter.

At a glance, they're all ratting contracts, their number halved since yesterday.

"It might seem you lost all the options, but there's still a hefty backlog here."

She notes, leaning in closer as if preparing to tell a secret.

"Those foraging and delivery errands caused quite a stir after you left. No new infestations occurred either."

"You say this as if it was a good thing."

The head shaking widens her smile. Come on, Assistant, weren't you on my side?

"Did you forget that bet with the first class? Will those errands give enough, um... Recognition?"

"Well, most are double-booked, though there should be enough."

She nods, sounding confident. She must see the confusion on this face because she explains it without asking.

"It means one or more adventurers already took the task."

"Wait, you can give the same errand to more of us?"

This is new. So that meager stack already has a contractor too? Why the smile then? She must know more than she lets on and has no sense of urgency.

"Come on, Selena, don't tease, this is getting serious."

"Haha, sorry, sorry. It's entertaining how desperate these folks can get so fast. Let this old lady have her fun every once in a while."

She throws her hair back and lets out another laugh. What the hell? Her evil side is also adorable, but this isn't the right moment.

"You aren't old in my book, sweetheart." A guy cuts in line to flirt with her out of the blue.

The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

Nobody wanted to talk to her until now, and it has to happen when I'm in a hurry.

He looks all kinds of awkward for someone who opens with such a line, and how old is he anyway?

At least forty, what is he doing here playing a VRMMO? Well, assuming that every avatar shows the real age of the player.

There are some variations around the starter village and there was no slider when setting it up.

"Ah, sir Dragonslayer, welcome back. Where have you been?"

Selena looks happy to see him, and wait, this dude took the Dragonslayer name?!

I tried it with and without adding numbers, and they were all taken. He must be an early player then, is that why his character looks older?

"How can I help you today?"

Wow, what the hell? She should've responded with 'he was here first, know your place,' not fangirl around him.

The name won't even appear above his head, nor his level, yet on the minimap, he shows up as a yellow dot. Talking about dots, a green one approaches too.

"Ello, Noob, you was the jammy one to nab the last delivery gig, wasn't ya?"

It's COTTONEYEJOE of all people. He's green since his friend request went through. That thirty percent discount was too good to pass.

"Dragi, you knockin' about as well?"

"Aye, Joe, saw the stir on the forums and logged in to check what's up."

So these two know each other as well. It's getting crowded in here, and the clock's ticking.

Selena is full of smiles but still gives nothing to do or explain the situation.

"So they finally patched that exploit?"

"Tell me about it, I was about to milk that bleedin' cow dry."

The Textile Worker laughs, pointing over his head.

"This geezer nicked me last job, but 'e did me a favor 'cause the name ain't red anymore. And 'ey, why's your moniker gone missin', mate?"

"It's not showing? Must have left stealth on."

A moment later the text DragonSlayer appears in blue, what did that color mean again?

"This rogue class has some cool features, the wizard still needs a month until it can cast the best spells though."

Rogue? Wizard? Is he multiclass, or is he talking about his alts?

He must have a high security standing or something too, which means he ran a lot of quests and fought no players.

Selena swipes all the ratting contracts to the side, pulling out another parchment.

"I take it you came for work, sir Dragonslayer. What a great luck. This gentleman here defeated an ambush from bandits."

Is she talking about me? She even winks too.

"I've got an A-rank job that needs someone of your caliber to find their camp and take them out."

"He did, huh?" He looks this way with curious eyes and turns away when I look back.

"Yes, if only he were a more experienced adventurer, I'd give this quest to him too. Well, you could take him with you."

Wait, what? What are you suggesting, dear Assistant? To go with this total stranger?

"I'm sure he'd be of some help, and he's looking for something to do."

"Aye, 'e's a decent bloke, Dragi."

COTTONEYEJOE confirms although how would he know anything about it?

"If 'e didn't take that delivery 'ere an' to the Pharmacy, the update would've given 'em both the chop. I'd still be stuck wiv that bloomin' red name for 'avin' a go at them gankers."

"Hmm, he's only a Level Eight, I'm already surprised he survived a bandit ambush."

He rubs his stubble, alternating his gaze between the contract and everyone around.

"And doesn't five thousand Exp seems less than usual for an A-rank task?"

How can he see the experience reward? No, forget that, how can he even mention experience in front of the NPC?

Ah. He is talking to us, not Selena so the system won't mute him. Still, is this a good idea? Go with a stranger on a high-level errand? She can't be serious.

"Can you use the bow?"

He asks and gets a nod.

"Do you have a decent one too? What about quivers?"

Are we doing this for real? Well, five thousand Exp does sound nice. Yeah, especially if the avatar can get a share too.

"Um, there's a plus three bow hidden in a stash and a plus two on me. There are no quivers, only training arrows. Undead is immune to them so didn't bother setting it up."

Whether I can use them or not is up to debate. Tank praised my archery skills once he forced me to switch hands.

This has him raise an eyebrow, and a player trade request pops up. It's the one thing Wroddit warned against.