*>Dispensing quest rewards:*
*>Quest reward items:*
*>Wooden Slingshot: 1*
*>Adroit Ranged Pellet: 50*
*>Quest Bonus achieved!*
*>Dispensing Bonus rewards:*
*>+100 Copper*
*>Bonus reward items:*
*>Golden Slingshot: 1*
*>Adroit Ranged Pellet: 50*
With a massive system message flooding her HUD, Jisha was transported back to her original hiding place where her avatar was once again wrapped in a slightly brighter white glow.
*>Coin Pouch*
*>Copper: 497*
*Looks like the system was generous enough to refund my quest fee with the bonus completion. Also... I wonder what this Golden Slingshot does?*
In the past, Jisha had received the Wooden Slingshot as a quest reward and didn't complete the bonus. She had never owned a Golden Slingshot before.
*>Name: Golden Slingshot*
*>Type: Weapon (Ranged)*
*>Class Restriction: Slingshotter-branch*
*>Description: Have you considered becoming a professional pitcher?*
*>Rating: Level 5, Epic*
*>Abilities:*
*>Passive: +50 ATK, -50% AS while equipped.*
*>Targeted Sling: Sling a projectile at the system's designated target. Cooldown: 8 seconds.*
*That's pretty good.*
Jisha was impressed by its stats. In comparison, the Wooden Slingshot was quite a bit weaker.
*>Name: Wooden Slingshot*
*>Type: Weapon (Ranged)*
*>Class Restriction: Ranged-branch*
*>Description: Slingshotter's standard weapon.*
*>Rating: Level 5, Common*
*>Abilities:
*>Passive: +33 ATK, -67% AS while equipped.*
*>Targeted Sling: Sling a projectile at the system's designated target. Cooldown: 10 seconds.*
The abbreviation AS stood for Attack Speed, and it was a hidden stat until level 5. By default, AS was 1, which meant that players could fire one "basic attack" per second. In a melee player's case, it was one swing of the stick. In a ranged player's case, it was one pellet throw.
By equipping the Golden Slingshot, Jisha's attack power rose from 11 to 61. Though she could only fire it once every two seconds, her overall damage output increased by over three times.
Meanwhile, a standard Wooden Slingshot increased attack power from 11 to 43, and it could only be fired once every 3 seconds. This was less than double the base damage per second (DPS).
Even without looking at the ratings, it was obvious which weapon was far superior.
With a satisfied smile, Jisha left her hiding spot and headed towards the Eatery once again.
*I'm not addicted to Cinnamon Ariosha. I just need to buy recovery items for my journey to Orchid Town!*
---
A sketchy-looking group of players stood outside the Lyocal Eatery.
*>Stein: What? You lost her??? There are four of you and only one of her. Uval isn't big, either! What the hell are you guys doing?*
*>Ivonna: Didn't you see that battle recording we sent you? She's not normal.*
*>Stein: I know, but all you had to do was talk to her, not kill her!*
*>Yaele: Even if we have to force her?*
*>Stein: ... YES! I TOLD YOU THAT FROM THE BEGINNING! GET HER TO JOIN OUR GUILD OR ELSE.*
From that point on, Stein ceased responding to messages.
"Acting like he's so high and mighty just because he's the commander of our unit..." Ivonna said.
"Right? It's not like he knows how hard this job is... Ivonna, why did you just have to describe her as 'not normal'? That was a severe understatement. That player is a freak," Yaele inquired.
"... The battle recording should have spoken for itself."
Out of the four players Stein had mentioned, three of them were standing outside, while one was inside gathering intel. This group of players was part of a larger virtual gaming organization that decided to spawn in the Uval Hamlet. They had players dispatched to other nearby hamlets all rushing to collect information and secure dominance over the area.
Jisha had decided to spawn in the Uval hamlet because the war between orgs was lighter in this place, but that didn't mean it was nonexistent.
"Ahh... I swear we got the hardest job... And it was supposed to be the easiest," Ivonna complained.
"I don't know about that. Brookie apparently found a huge group of the Shock Collar gang and others in the Covan Hamlet." The third player, Muyonnu, finally spoke up.
"I'd take on the Shock Collar gang over *her* any day."
"Normally, I would, too, but apparently Shock Collar dispatched an unusually large number of troops where she's at. Asunder might have to surrender Covan already. We should make up for it by securing Uval."
*>XiNalaSlave77: Did someone say "shock collar"? OwO*
*>Stein: ... Say that one more time and you're kicked from Asunder.*
"... Why can't we just take over Stein's position? He just gets to sit back and bark orders at everyone," Yaele said.
"Yeah..."
Ivonna and Yaele both knew it wasn't that easy, but nothing was stopping them from dreaming.
Their organization, Asunder, was fairly small compared to most, so they had to use their limited manpower to secure a small number of hamlets. By using the world map that had been leaked before the official launch of the game, large-scale collaboration via 3rd party media was possible. According to the news they were receiving, out of the 8 hamlets Asunder had attempted to acquire, 1 of them already looked to be lost, while the others were in a stalemate. Ivonna's unit couldn't let their opportunity to secure Uval slip through their fingers.
"Anyway, all we have to do is talk to her. If she doesn't want to listen, we'll just use force. The four of us might not be enough, but the threat of an organization should make her back off."
"Right... And how are we supposed to find her to tell her that?"
As Ivonna and Yaele discussed their plans, a cheerful voice called out to them.
"Excuse meeee, coming through!"
In response to this, the three immediately blocked the door.
"Sorry, but this restaurant is currently undergoing recon by the organization Asunder. Come back after we're done."
Yaele immediately spoke up.
Their reaction was smooth and practiced, as if asserting the power of an organization over an individual was something they did daily. They expected the typical submissive response after they stated they were an org, but...
"Asunder? Never heard of it. I'm going in."
"Wait..."
Before they could respond, the player managed to slip past them into the restaurant.
"... Are you stupid?"
"No, are you?"
Ivonna and Yaele immediately turned on each other after they failed their one job of not letting players into the Eatery, but Muyonnu remained level-headed.
"Um... Did either of you get that player's name?"
"... Name?"
At that moment, they realized that the player they had just encountered had no name written above their head like everyone else did.
"What... That's freaky."
"Who is that?"
"Isn't that obvious? How many players in this place are 'freaky'? It has to be *that person*..."
"You really think so?"
"Isn't there only one way to find out?"
With that, the three players of Asunder entered the Eatery together.