Outside Forest of Beast's Dungeon Entrance…
A large, growing crowd formed outside the area as their jaws dropped upon reading the announcement sent out to all of the nearby villages in the Beginner Zone.
Although every village was somewhat unique, they followed the same base structure, including dungeons.
This growing crowd also consisted of the players who vowed to express their grievances.
"No shot! Are you telling me they received extra rewards in addition to the dungeon loot? Their haul must be disgusting! That's so unfair. I hate this shit," someone shouted in the crowd.
Another followed up with a seemingly jealous tone, "Damn! That's insane. I wonder what level they've reached. I've heard rumors that the hardest difficulty gives an insane bonus. Their average level should be around Lv.12!"
Upon listening to the remark, everyone sucked in a sharp breath.
Considering the game went live less than 10 hours ago, this leveling speed was simply ridiculous. It was a known fact that the EXP slope steepened with each successive level-up.
Players speculated how much EXP was required to surpass Lv.15, which the guides mentioned experienced a slight change.
If Kieran could hear their conversation, he would most likely wonder about their reaction toward his current level.
Meanwhile, before exiting the dungeon, Kieran unequipped his items and disabled his player status bar, which was a feature unlocked after reaching Lv.15.
A few seconds later, the dungeon entrance released a glorious crescendo that called everyone's attention.
However, apart from Kieran and the others walking outside the dungeon, another party appeared beside them.
Kieran looked to the side and noticed it was the same party he had run into not too long ago. Their expressions seemed worn and defeated. Evidently, they had just failed their run, and judging by the condition, it had to be the most challenging dungeon setting.
"It's… you," Bastion commented, slightly out of breath.
Kieran nodded faintly after examining the party. "Not much luck, huh?"
"No," Bastion grimaced. The pain in his eyes increased after recalling the announcement moments ago. "The same can't be said about you. You've gotten damn lucky, completing the dungeon before anyone else."
"Lucky?" Kieran raised his brow. "Or skill? Don't confuse the two."
All of a sudden, Kieran noticed a commotion not too far away.
"Hey! You there! You lot just came out of the dungeon, yeah? Say, how about you spill the beans about clearing the dungeon, eh?" A slender man said within the crowd. They approached Altair and the others with two daggers strapped behind their waist.
Evidently, this individual was a Thief like Altair. They went by the name of Despot. What's more, they weren't just some unknown passerby.
This individual belonged to a gaming organization known as the Shadow Cartel.
The conversation made Kieran pause momentarily and turn around while standing beside Bastion. Many people overlooked him since he had unequipped his items and disabled his information.
Kieran's eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Despot's appearance.
"How about no? Because I don't possess such information," Altair replied with an emotionless expression.
The disregard in Altair's gaze made Despot click his tongue in annoyance before scowling at Altair.
"So, you mean to say you cleared the dungeon but don't know how to clear it? Do you think my Shadow Cartel will believe that half-assed excuse?"
"Did I ever ask if you believed it? Or did I ever mention that I cared?" Altair scoffed, conveying how foolish he felt this person before him was.
The comment naturally infuriated Despot, leading him to move his hand to one of his daggers subtly. But this action made Altair chuckle.
'Heh, the Shadow Cartel. Merely a small-time tyrant attempting to wreak havoc to no avail. Trying to pry information from Altair is like pulling teeth. Not to mention, Altair should possess skills surpassing a Ranker,' Kieran thought.
A Ranker referred to how the Gamer Republic Corporation judged players.
To be called a Ranker meant the player was skilled enough to make it on the Exemplar Records, which was a compilation of several players with worldwide renown.
A piece of general, known knowledge, the Exemplar Records first appeared during the first generation of VRMMORPGs.
Despot was a player at the bottom of the Exemplar Records, but Kieran felt their skills didn't match up. This opinion was further reinforced by Altair's superior attributes. If Despot attacked him, it could only be called a suicidal act.
From what Kieran remembered, the Shadow Cartel was a third-class guild that wasn't worth mentioning. Although it could be considered a force to be reckoned with inside Gena Village, their presence was inconsequential on a grand scale.
Kieran didn't bother to interfere in this exchange because the odds of Altair losing a fight were practically zero.
"Tch, so that's how it will be? Good, I've understood your message loud and clear," Despot smirked, glancing over at the other party members.
However, it dawned upon him then that they were missing one.
'Where is that damned Warrior that acted as their Party Leader?' Despot thought.
Despot had caught a glimpse of the stream's end after the buzz it generated within the village. So, he was privy to the fact one party member was missing, which was the warrior responsible for the uproar.
When he failed to locate Kieran in the mass of players, Despot committed Altair and the others to memory before withdrawing from the area.
'There are too many eyes, and they hold the equipment advantage. But watch how the viper strikes later at an opportune time. Blame yourselves for being so foolish,' Despot thought.
Once Despot disappeared, Kieran smiled helplessly while watching the indicator on his screen flash nonstop. Countless friend and message requests were flooding his user interface. It soon reached a volume that forced him to disable most functions, including public friend and party invitations.
Though he disabled the function, he noticed a few messages that sparked an idea in his mind. 'I see some large names. Perhaps it'll be beneficial.'
Most of the requests from third and second-class guilds mentioned insider information. Because Kieran sometimes manipulated the video feed, many crucial gimmicks were omitted from the stream.
The only information they understood was the party composition. However, even that was tricky because they didn't understand how it worked.
Since the many guilds continued to request information, it was the best time to make an offer they couldn't refuse, especially with an unknown factor like Nightingale.
Before executing his plan, Kieran sifted through the names of several guilds that reached out to him. Once he acquired their details, he sent an identical message.
The contents were vague, so it didn't apply to any guild in particular. However, Kieran didn't mince his words, making his stance crystal clear.
In the reply, he first mentioned that he wasn't dispensing any exclusive information. It'd be accessible to only those who could afford it. Whether or not they could make any considerable impression in their region depended on their individual skill.
Next, Kieran divided the amount of information into three different packages—Basic, Standard, and Premium.
The Basic Version only mentioned the class combinations that worked well in beginner dungeons and what skills to focus on.
The Standard Version addressed the party synergy in deeper detail and hinted that the dungeon could be cleared if all members were above average.
If Kieran could have found a more talented Mage, the run wouldn't have been nearly as long.
Lastly, the Premium Version vaguely mentioned the dungeons' gimmicks and what class was best when attempting to tackle them. Kieran didn't delve into Attribute Allocation because that was a personal preference.
These packages weren't available on Zenith Online's official forum. After compiling and organizing the information, Kieran added the special link under his recently ended stream.
This increased the chances of the individuals viewing the stream's recording and allowed the funds to travel through the hub's secure payment platform.
With the platform dealing with the payment, Kieran wasn't worried about his real identity being exposed. There was no link to be made.
After all, he was unknown in the real world—a nobody.
The information's price ranged from $1,000 to $5,000.
The expensive price tag existed because Kieran tailored the information to the guilds that could afford the expenditure.
Moreover, he catered to guilds' herd-leading mentality.
Everyone sought to be at the head of the pack to gloat about their success, and this was something Kieran could take advantage of.
Kieran also attached a steep price to control the circulation of information. Who would expose such costly information? Of course, with the targeted system, Kieran could quickly launch an IDMCA strike and have the info nuked from the internet.
After making the necessary preparations, Kieran declined every friend request and began his journey back to Gena Village to hand in his quest.