Inside Zenith Online…
After logging back in, Kieran spawned inside the Humble Inn.
A flashing icon appeared in the bottom-right corner of his vision, which drew Kieran's attention momentarily.
〈System: You have obtained the temporary buff: «Well Rested».〉
〈System: The following effects will apply for the next three hours: Monster-hunting EXP increased by 20% & Stamina Consumption reduced by 50%.〉
Most players didn't understand the practicality of rest in a suitable environment, but Kieran did. The buff's effects weren't astonishing, but it was helpful for Starter Characters, which faced extreme limitations with their current State of Being.
Kieran didn't move after sitting up on the bed. Instead, he took his time analyzing his mail. Because the leasing period had ended, the Medallion of Growth returned to Kieran's inventory.
Although it was back, Kieran was shocked by the change he saw in his Friend List. With the help of the Medallion of Growth, Altair had reached Lv.19, one level away from beginning his Class Promotion Quest!
'What a damn grinder. He just doesn't know when to stop,' Kieran inwardly thought, shaking his head. He had lent Altair the item with the intention of helping him catch up, but Altair took it a step further.
Of course, Kieran had no issues with this. Even if players increased their level quickly, it meant nothing if they couldn't overcome their Class Promotion Quest. Completing the Promotion was where things truly began to take a turn, presenting the uniqueness of each class.
'Speaking of Promotion Quest, if the precursor quest is SSS Rank, how difficult will my Class Promotion be? It's the legacy of a Mythical Hero, so I suspect it will be arduous,' Kieran thought.
It was hard to gauge, so Kieran didn't waste any time trying to do so. In addition to checking the mail from Altair, Kieran similarly checked the mail from Aspaira. He immediately noticed that she had made good on her promise to deliver the value of the loot.
After bartering an unknown amount of hours, Aspaira made enough in sales to send Kieran a portion of over 60 Silver. Coupled with his earlier rewards, Kieran's current wealth surpassed 2 Gold!
Due to the high demand for decent equipment, Aspaira managed to squeeze a decent amount of profit from each trade. Kieran had to commend her grit. If it were him, he would have undoubtedly sold it to the first reasonable offer just to get rid of it.
After sorting through the matter of his mail, Kieran left the Humble Inn and traveled deeper into Gena Village until he came across a string of shops responsible for selling various valuables.
Kieran ignored the shop that sold potions and the like, opting for the shop two doors down that sold what seemed to be several different scrolls. The scrolls could activate related tradeskills provided the player fulfilled the requirements.
Tradeskills were indispensable for Adventurers and Profession players alike.
Although Gena Village didn't bestow any worthwhile Professions, it did grant access to a collection of basic tradeskills that Kieran found valuable.
However, the finite slots made Kieran frown.
After entering the shop, Kieran perused the selection of scrolls until his actions caused a reaction.
〈System: Due to your Perception reaching the prerequisite value, you have unlocked the ability: «Inspect».〉
「 Inspect (Lv. Max)
Skill Rank: Special
Mastery (100.00%)
Description: Allows the user to inspect items, monsters, and NPCs within a specific sensing range. If the subject of your inspection is too great, there's a chance this ability may fail to activate. (Current Sensing Range: 10-meter radius.)
Consumption: No Consumption
Prerequisites: Strong Perception
Cooldown: None
Note: This special skill can't be leveled up, but more powerful variations exist. 」
Kieran's eyes gleamed with delight as he read the notification.
'Finally. I've been waiting for this to activate. Although it requires a somewhat higher Perception, I've felt different since meeting with Grandma Agatha.'
After obtaining the Inspect skill, Kieran quickly swept through the store's contents. Eventually, he came across the two scrolls he required.
"Mining and Harvesting it is. They're both practical tradeskills that can't be ignored now or in the future," Kieran thought.
After considering the stock of the tradeskills, Kieran immediately used 20 Silver to buy all of the available scrolls.
'Monopolizing the future market won't hurt. Players will soon require these. I suppose buying them all whenever they become available is a viable strategy, provided it remains affordable,' Kieran thought.
While he was thinking to himself, Kieran's notification bar suddenly flashed as a message appeared in the corner of his eye.
〈System: You are receiving a video call from Aspaira. Do you wish to answer? [ Y | N ]〉
Kieran answered the call but didn't expect Aspaira's current facial expression.
She seemed downcast and almost sorry—directly opposite to her lively attitude during their dungeon run. Though they weren't close, Kieran couldn't help but question her current state.
"What's the matter?"
"Um… not much," Aspaira shook her head softly. After a short pause, she continued. "I called to ask if you received your portion of the loot."
"I did. But that doesn't explain the long face." Kieran said.
Aspaira continued to purse her lips, as if not wanting to reveal the troubling details. Since she seemed against revealing the matter, Kieran took it upon himself to analyze her current condition.
The first matter Kieran examined was Aspaira's level. What should have been Lv.14 was now Lv.12, meaning that she had died at least twice, considering how dire the Death Penalty System was.
The more one died, the higher the penalty grew. It might be a harsh system, but it was designed to promote excellence by avoiding senseless deaths.
It forced players to act wisely, or at least that was its intended purpose.
'If she were killed consecutively, she must have amassed a hefty penalty. If I'm not mistaken, the death penalty spans beyond the loss of experience and levels after a certain point.'
Upon realizing this fact, Kieran's expression grew increasingly cold. A gloomy air surrounded Kieran as he leaned on his fist and stared at Aspaira. "Who was it?"
"W-what?" Aspaira yelped when she heard Kieran's severe tone. She wasn't aware that Kieran was very familiar with the Death Penalty System.
"The Shadow Cartel," Aspaira muttered reluctantly after suffering Kieran's intense gaze.
"I see. So it was as I suspected. They truly don't understand what's good for them," Kieran remarked. At the same time, his eyes and tone were cold, but his behavior remained indifferent.
"And Altair? Was he not with you guys? Also, how many of you were targeted?"
"We were all targeted. Also, Altair was with us because he was helping increase our level. Compared to us, he was fine, but the only issue was that he went on a killing spree, and as a result, he began amassing Infamy. I guess some of the people he killed weren't a part of a party. Once that happened, we decided to retreat to Gena Village, and I focused on selling our items," Aspaira revealed with a bitter smile.
She felt embittered by her powerlessness but also frustrated that she had to rely upon someone else to solve an issue for her. It was a terrible feeling.
Kieran understood why Aspaira and the rest retreated. Fights couldn't break out within the village. Not only would culprits be apprehended, but they may even be ejected from the game.
"Don't blame yourself for the current situation because this predicament is my fault," Kieran said. The truth was that his actions caused this situation. They were roped into an issue that arose from him broadcasting their run.
While he and Altair could protect themselves, he didn't consider his less combat-oriented teammates. Such a blunder made Kieran inwardly groan while igniting the desire to crush the Shadow Cartel.
"How much did you lose?" Kieran asked.
"A lot… but it isn't so bad that we are dirt poor again. Because of our rewards, we'll be able to manage our characters without falling behind."
"I see," Kieran nodded, releasing a sigh of relief.
But after his sigh, Kieran's expression grew ruthless, and a cold gleam flashed within his gaze. The anger of someone like Kieran was unsightly!
"We'll undoubtedly get them back in blood."