While most players did not have to sleep at night in the game, many chose to rest and recover their stamina they had spent throughout the day. Since Edgar had done nothing much all day, he was full of stamina and ready to try his strength against the forest creatures. He logged back onto the game and decided to set out quickly. The night was quiet and the moon was still hanging high, lighting Edgar's way.
Edgar had read some information on the players that were hunting and learned two things. Firstly, most of the monsters around the starting villages will always run away as they get low on health. With the players' low speed at the start, it was almost impossible to catch them. Instead, hunters had to use traditional methods of traps in order to capture prey. Secondly, he learned that with the initial stat points that players had, it was almost impossible to hunt these monsters. Furthermore, without weapons, players found it even more difficult to do so.
This was the reason for most of the players heading back inside the city after their fruitless efforts at hunting. Edgar had already achieved what he wanted inside the town and wanted to try his luck in the forest. It was much quieter now than at the beginning of the day. The forest was asleep.
Edgar's plan was simple.
If he was quiet enough, he should be able to find the hiding spots of the monsters and take care of them quietly. He was practicing his stealth ability while scouring the forest for experience points. It was not as easy as he had imagined. The animals' senses were acutely tuned to danger and always seemed to sense Edgar as he came close.
With no tools or weapons at his disposal, Edgar decided to grab a few sticks and stones from the ground. He proceeded to grab the strongest, thickest stick he could find and sharpened it as much as he could. After around 30 minutes of cleaning the branches and sharpening the wooden stick, Edgar received a notification.
[Sharpened Wooden Stick]
[Durability 9/10]
[Attack Damage: 1 (+1 Sharpened Bonus)]
[Crafting Skill Unlocked]
[Novice Crafter: 1/1000]
Edgar was delighted at his progress, but the lack of achievements meant he was not even close to being the first to craft items. He imagined those survival enthusiasts having a field day at the beginning of the game.
With his new wooden stick in hand, Edgar felt slightly more prepared. He made a couple more just in case with his new ability. This time it was much faster, although it provided him no experience to his crafting skill.
Edgar moved quietly as he could in the forest, carefully placing his feet to make the least amount of noise possible. After an hour of sneaking around the forest, Edgar finally found his prey. At the bottom of the tree, he saw a mound of leaves gently rising and falling. He had come to realise the habits of the [Horned Rabbit] with a couple of encounters with them earlier. He had never come this close before, however.
Edgar moved as silent as ever, using his 8 agility points to the maximum. He was able to comfortably shift his body weight and move silently across to the [Horned Rabbit]'s sleeping place. He inched nearer and nearer as he had already crossed at least fifty meters in utter silence. As he brandished his weapon in order to hunt the [Horned Rabbit], a notification appeared in front of him.
[Agility +1]
Edgar attempted to conceal his excitement and joy, but his body betrayed him for a second. However, it was too late already. The [Horned Rabbit] had woken up and used Edgar's slip in concentration to scurry away.
Edgar was not too frustrated, he had gained much more than the experience points he would have received from the rabbit. It seemed that straining his senses and controlling his body to the limits allowed his agility to rise. He was overjoyed at the new information, sensing the path he had to take in order to improve. He couldn't wait to see what Myran's quest would truly reward him with.
--
Edgar continued for the night, attempting to push his senses and control of his body to the maximum. Although he killed no monsters, he pushed his Agility to 10. He had gained 2 agility points after a full night of hunting, and he was satisfied.
[Arthur]
[Lvl 1: 0/100]
[Hp 100/100]
[Mana 0/0]
[Str 6]
[Int 3]
[Agi 10]
[Vit 3]
[Cha(Charisma) 3]
He was proud of having raised both his charisma and agility by two points in merely one day in the game. The sense of progress drove him even more to improve.
The sun was rising and he was due at the old Myran's place soon. He may not have gained much in terms of gold or experience, but Edgar felt the trip was worth it. He had gained experience traveling through the forest unnoticed and learned plenty about the area and its hunting zones. Next time, Edgar was more confident to travel less stealthily. Although he had seen players joining up in parties, it seemed much too complicated to him.
It wasn't his style. He preferred moving on his own, doing things whimsically. Other people would just add responsibilities, and that was the last thing he wanted.
Edgar eventually got out of the forest and headed to the corner of town where Myran seemed to have just woken up. Edgar looked at the old man in a different manner, noticing his wrinkles and slight burns around his arms. He also noticed his elegant gait and tall build. He was clearly not an ordinary old man. Perhaps it was because his shop was so run down, but nobody seems to have noticed his presence. At least, he wasn't thought of much. If it came out that old Myran used to be the capital's greatest blacksmith, who knows what would change.
Edgar walked up to Myran and nodded his head, indicating that he would get on with his work now. Myran pointed at the old axe, stump, and logs in the backyard of his shop. There was a huge pile of logs there already waiting to be treated by Edgar.
Edgar had no idea what he was doing, but he was determined to get through the quest as quickly as possible. He didn't want to lose this opportunity. He rolled up his sleeves and felt the rough grip of the axe and started his journey of cutting firewood.