In the Exclusive Room at the Frosty Flagon Bar, Icemoor Village.
"Azorth, I heard that some player named 'Hermes' was selling coordinates to the early dungeons near all the starter villages," said one of the executives.
"I don't trust that guy. It's too risky to rely on his information," one of the executives said.
"I agree. We can't afford to waste our resources on false leads," another added.
Azorth leaned back in his chair, stroking his chin thoughtfully. "Did we get those coordinates?"
Another executive shook his head. "No, we haven't been able to get any. However, strangely, we couldn't find any of the early dungeons near Icemoor Village that Hermes posted. It seems Hermes isn't offering them."
Azorth frowned. "That's a problem. We need to get our hands on those coordinates if we want to stay ahead of the competition."
*Bam*
Suddenly, a player burst into the room, interrupting their conversation. "Boss! Boss!" he exclaimed, out of breath. "You won't believe what just happened in the Emerald Field!"
Azorth raised an eyebrow. "What?"
The player proceeded to tell them about the chaos that occurred in the field, with the two large herds clashing and causing a stampede. The guild members listened intently, exchanging worried glances.
"Interesting," Azorth mused. "And then what happened?"
The player continued, "I saw someone shooting arrows from a distance. He seemed to be the one who made the stampede."
"How could a player afford such an expensive bow in the early game when we can barely scrape together one Gold Coin in our guild savings?" one of the executives mused out loud.
Azorth pondered this for a moment before making a decision. "I need to see this player in person. We'll head to the Emerald Field immediately. Prepare yourselves, everyone."
…
Emerald Field.
Klein stood at a distance, his bowstring pulled taut as he scanned the area for his next target.
[Guerilla Mission]
Ironhoof Bull kill count: 27
Dreadstag Deer kill count: 32
Time Limit: 2 Hours 54 Minutes
Mission reward: None
---
He had already taken down several Ironhoof Bulls and Dreadstag Deer with his arrows, reducing their numbers considerably,
He carefully aimed for every beast that could be taken down with a single shot to maximize his efficiency and save some arrows.
With the herds of Ironhoof Bull and Dreadstag Deer clashing, most of the beasts were too preoccupied with the battle to notice the arrows that took out their kinds one by one.
As he released the arrow, he watched it soar through the air and strike the Ironhoof Bull right in the eye.
[Archery Point +8]
*Ding*
[Archery Level +1]
Klein felt joy as he watched his Archery level increase by one and quickly opened his status.
[Character Info]
Name: Klein
Class: Novice
Level: 8
Health Point: 64
Mana Point: 21
Martial Beast (↓)
[Attributes]
Strength: 6
Agility: 8
Endurance: 5
Intelligence: 7
Distribution Point: 7
[Weapon Mastery]
Archery Level 1: Critical Rate in Archery +2%
----
Klein nodded his head in satisfaction at his progress, he couldn't help but think back to his previous life, where he had maxed out his mastery in archery.
In this game, every player started with the same weapon mastery level of 0, but as they trained and battled, their mastery points would increase. As the level increased, so did their damage output.
With his archery mastery maxed out in his previous life, it's no wonder he has a steady hand and a keen eye for taking down targets quickly and efficiently.
Klein moved stealthily through the field, taking shots whenever he could find an opening, each shot precise and efficient as he aimed for beasts that could be one-shot with his bow. He was lost in his own rhythm, only his breathing and the sound of his bowstring filling his senses.
…
"….Hey!"
As Klein was in the middle of shooting, he suddenly heard a loud shout behind him. However, before he turned around, he put on a white-plain mask to cover his face.
Then, as he turned around, he saw a group of around 50 players who had a Guild tag in their username named Amartha. With the highest level being around level 5 while the weakest being level 3.
Klein looked confused as he never heard of a well-known guild named Amartha in his previous life.
"Hand over all your items, or we'll make sure you regret it every time you step out of Icemoor Village," said the leader of the group, a man who had transformed into a ferocious-looking werewolf.
They had come here after learning that players could level up with this kind of tactic had made them want to make the Emerald Field their Guild's hunting grounds. However, because the tools needed were too expensive for them to buy in this early game, they planned to forcibly take them from Klein.
Klein raised an eyebrow at their request and let out a small smirk. Without a word, Klein reached for his knife and drew it from its sheath and assumed a defensive stance.
The Amartha guild members looked at him with a mix of surprise and amusement. They couldn't believe that Klein would try to fight them all by himself.
*Growl*
The werewolf let out a low growl and lunged at Klein.
*Stab*
[-10]
Klein quickly dodged to the side and slashed at the man's exposed flank, but his blade barely made a dent in the werewolf's thick fur.
*Swish*
[Miss]
The man roared and swung his sharp claws at Klein, but Klein was quick to dodge and counter with a quick jab to the man's throat.
*Jab*
[-12]
"Ack!"
The man staggered back, his breathing ragged, but he was far from defeated due to his transformation, his attributes greatly increased.
*Roar*
Behind him, Klein could hear the sounds of the other Amartha guild members transforming into their demi-human forms of their Martial Beasts, their roars filling the air.
Klein remained calm, his eyes scanning the battlefield for any weaknesses. He knew that he had to act fast, or he would be overwhelmed.
*Dash*
With a sudden burst of speed, Klein charged forward, his knife flashing in the sunlight.
*Slash! Slash!*
[-14], [-17]
He aimed for the gaps in the Amartha guild members' defenses, striking at their exposed limbs with deadly precision.
Then, one of the players lunged at him again, Klein quickly sidestepped and delivered a swift kick to the player's side, causing him to stumble.
*kick*
Klein then followed up with a quick slash of his knife at fatal area, cutting the attacker's HP by a large amount.
*Slash*
[Critical -32]
[Knife Mastery Points +12]
Klein's training in his previous life had taught him to always keep his opponents at a distance after making an attack, so he moved back, creating a small gap between himself and his attackers.
He kept his eyes on the group, carefully observing their movements and looking for any weaknesses to exploit.
As the battle raged on, Klein noticed that their movements were stiff, and their attacks lacked finesse.
Klein was putting up a decent fight, but he knew that his stamina wouldn't be able to hold on for much longer if the fight dragged on for too long.
The Amartha members were relentless, and they were starting to wear him down.
He felt a sharp pain in his side as one of them landed a blow, and he stumbled backward, gritting his teeth in pain.
Suddenly, he saw a group of players running towards him from the distance.
As they drew closer, Klein began to recognize some of their faces. They were all well-known players in his previous life.
`Azure Dragon Guild?` Klein thought inwardly.
Then, he started to frown anxiously, thinking whether they were coming to fight him or help him.