[Eliminate Giant Rats in the Outskirts]
It was a mission that didn't require her to venture out in the unknown wilderness yet, and it was geared towards new players with low levels. This should be perfect as a training session for those just starting out. It'll have them learn the basics of fighting in a trial by combat. In this game, before level 5 you couldn't lose XP. This allowed new players to get used to the game before the real challenges set in. However, after level 5, you could then start losing XP. Even so much as to revert back to level 1 with enough deaths. You would also drop random equipment and items on death, which could potentially leave you penniless and without the ability to raise your level again. At that point, a lone player would be better off deleting their account and starting over just to get back the new player bonus. Dags and Cynthia had read about that in the Getting Started guide before, not worrying too much about failure.
Dags rubbed his chin and sent a message to Cynthia.
"[Be careful when you encounter those rats. While it's a beginner's mission, it's best to err on the side of caution. I will do what I can to support you as well.]" After Dags sent the messages, Cynthia nodded and put on a determined face as she approached the counter to confirm taking the mission. As she approached the receptionist, her facade did crumble a bit, but still walked up regardless.
Seeing the girl who had a slightly silly looking face approach the counter, the attractive receptionist behind the counter let out a soft chuckle.
"You appear to be new here. Would you like to first register as a mercenary and then take that mission in your hand?" The woman pointed down at the tablet on the edge of the counter, then at the paper at Cynthia's side.
"U-um yes I would. Thank you miss…" Cynthia stuttered as she read the name on the receptionist's breast.
"Miss Remia." As always, she was too quiet for most to hear properly, especially in this loud place. Regardless, Remia just smiled and tapped a few things on her side of the screen.
"Alright, please put your hand on the scanner to the right. It'll let us know what to put on your Resolute card. After that, simply put the mission paper on the left and let it scan the barcode to see which mission you're taking." Said Remia, showing Cynthia how it worked.
Nodding, Cynthia went ahead and held her hand onto the palm scanner. With her hand on the scanner, a blue scan line went down and up her hand. Remia tapped a few more things on her screen, and then a pristine new copper colored card got spat out.
"Alright you're all set! You'll see some basic info of yourself on there, and the color of the card indicates your current rank. If you lose that and need a replacement card, you'll have to pay a small fee." Remia smiled at Cynthia and let her examine the card.
[Formless Mist]
Rank: Copper
Class: Marksman
Subclass: None
Completed Jobs: 0
"That card of yours has a chip on it that will auto update whenever you turn in a mission. No need to do anything extra with it. It will also allow you to enter some places that normal people aren't allowed to go to, but at the lowest rank those areas will be rather limited." Remia explained to her.
"Alright, now please let the machine scan your mission and you'll be set to go." Remia waved her hand toward the other side of the tablet.
"O-ok." Cynthia felt much more at ease with how friendly Remia has been so far, making her voice a little louder and face relaxed. She put the paper under the scanner, and immediately a screen popped up on her HUD.
[Eliminate Giant Rats in the Outskirts]
Details: There is a group of Giant Rats in the outskirts of the city that have been bothering the local residents. They have been spotted near the western gate, usually hiding in the alleys. There have been multiple reports that they are aggressive, and actively attack those that wander through. Exterminate five (5) of these pests and bring peace back to the locals.
"Thank you Miss Remia for helping me. I'll try my best." Cynthia bowed to the receptionist and made her way out of the mercenary building, still getting a few looks from others.
"Good luck, little miss!" Remia yelled after her with a smile. She then shook her head.
"I hope she can deal with those vile things..." She let out a sigh, going back to finishing the other paperwork on her tablet.
—
"[You'll have to work hard to catch up to the rest of the player base.]" Dags sent a message to Cynthia's HUD.
"Mhm. I want to show my father that I can be successful too! I'm far behind my brothers since they started a week earlier when the game came out, though…"She bit her lip in contemplation, wondering if she could really do it.
"[I believe in you Miss Cynthia. I will give you all my support.]" He proclaimed his support for her. With his skills that will probably get better in time, Dags had no doubt that she would be able to rocket up to the top of the player base given enough time.
With a small smile, Cynthia gave her thanks to Dags and made her way to the western area of the city. Dags provided a little help along the way since he had the complete map of the city, while most of Cynthia's was grayed out as she hadn't explored it yet.
"[This should be the general area that the Giant Rats are in.]" He gave a warning before delving into the [Beast Compendium] that was in the information section. He wanted to see if there was anything written about the rats before the fight began, searching for a weakness or abilities to look out for. Rather quickly, he found what he was looking for.
[Giant Rat](Base Stats)
Hit Points (HP): 20
Mana: 0
Strength (STR): 5
Dexterity (DEX): 1
Endurance (END): 3
Intelligence (INT): 1
Agility (AGI): 3
Perception (PER): 2
Resistances (RES): None
Skills:
[Quick Attack]
Effect: Put on a burst of speed in a straight line to attack the enemy head on. During skill usage, cannot evade attacks.
-Add 2 AGI.
-Cannot evade enemy attacks.
[Call the Pack]
A screech that will call all other [Giant Rats] belonging to the territory to the location. Other [Giant Rats] will quickly fill the area, forming into a frenzy that attacks any beings perceived as a threat and granting a bonus to strength.
-40% extra STR.
-Forgoes evading attacks.
A variation of the standard rodent that infests filthy areas. These are highly aggressive and territorial to those that encroach upon their spaces. They have incredibly sharp frontal teeth and claws, which can easily deal serious harm to those not well protected. If backed into a corner and injured, they can be exceptionally ferocious. While having no other method of attack, they can be incredibly dangerous in large numbers. It's recommended to form a team of at least 3 members when taking on these large pests. Hits to the head of this beast will generally defeat it in one hit. Hits to other areas will anger it and attempt to call for help to deal with the intruder.
Dags frowned, starting to worry for Cynthia.
"It seems that these rodents are more troublesome than I thought. I hope she doesn't aggro too many of them at once. I'll have to warn her and use some skills to prevent an ambush." He hurriedly typed out a message for Cynthia.
"[Cynthia, be careful dealing with the rats. They aren't as easy to deal with as one might think. I'll help you detect when one is targeting you.]"
Cynthia with a serious face on right now, nodded and started to carefully check her surroundings as she walked into an alley. The alleys in this area were almost like a maze, making it difficult to navigate.
Dags activated [Detect Hostility], which used 5 PP and cost him 1 unit of energy per minute. Cynthia got a popup notifying her that the skill was active. She felt an odd sensation when this happened, as if she got some sort of sixth sense that gave her a tingling feeling in her head. It was a little distracting, but it wasn't unpleasant.
"Mm, this feels weird…" She quickly shook her head, ignoring the feeling. She had already pulled out her pistol, a beginners [USP 2145]. It was one of the higher caliber starting firearms, using a .45in x 1.1in bullet. It was a more powerful bullet than the antiquated ammo from centuries ago, and used a different style of projectile that held its power for a longer distance.
As Cynthia passed by a dark alley, she suddenly felt like there was something emanating killing intent toward her in it. The [Detect Hostility] process had done its job, preemptively warning Cynthia of the danger. With a frightened expression, she pointed her weapon down the alley. What she saw scared her even more, something with glowing red eyes and drooling mouth filled with sharp fangs staring right at her.