Mark had some fried chicken and a plate of Italian pasta for dinner. This might be the last good food he could eat so he savored every bite.
After eating his dinner, he washed the dishes and took a hot bath. He then changed into his pajamas before heading straight to bed.
Mark checked the time on his phone.
6:01 p.m.
He quickly put on the gaming headgear and logged in to the game.
***
Mark opened his eyes and found himself sitting in a lotus position on top of the bed. He had just eaten in the real world, but a feeling of intense hunger overcame him. "For how long did I cultivate?" He muttered as he checked his stats. His Qi had already risen to 50 which was halfway through the next level.
After checking his stats, Mark headed to the dining area and ordered some food.
While he was eating, he was thinking about how he could earn more money. He only had slightly over 2000 Orbes at this moment. If he exchanged that with the highest exchange rate, that would be worth 800 dollars. That was almost half a month of his salary and it only took him 6 days in the game to earn it! 6 days in the game was only 2 days in the real world!
Thinking about this, Mark suddenly felt like becoming a full-time gamer might be more profitable. Although there were dangers involved, he won't be dying for real. He would only die in the game.
'If I remember correctly, if my character dies in the game, my character will be deleted as if it had truly died. Then I will have to start from scratch and create a new one if that happens.' Mark thought about the penalty for dying.
Ethereal Co. issued this punishment to make the players more cautious and value their lives.
'I'll take this opportunity to get more money while the value of Orbes is still rising, but hunting is very dangerous without sufficient preparation and training. I'm only a First Level Body Strengthening cultivator so I can't head deeper into the Enchanted Woodlands. I also need to change my equipment before I go back there.'
Mark went out of the Mystic Cloud Inn and went to the market.
Max told him last night to visit him at Freddy's Weapon Shop so he decided to go there. He also planned to buy some new items so this didn't conflict with his plans.
When he arrived at the weapon shop, he saw that it was busy like the last time he visited.
"Hey, Wolf! I didn't expect to see you so soon!" A familiar voice drifted into his ears.
Mark turned his head and saw Max walking towards him. The latter was wearing thick woolen tunics and a dirty leather apron.
"Good morning, Max!" Mark bumped fists with Max.
The two laughed after greeting each other.
"Do you work here?" Mark asked. Max was a blacksmith so it wouldn't be surprising if he worked in a weapon shop.
Hearing this, Max smiled and replied. "Nah! I'm just helping my father with his business."
"Eh? You mean the owner is your father?" Mark was stunned.
"That's right." Max chuckled when he saw Mark's surprised face. "Follow me. I'll introduce you to him."
"Alright." Mark didn't see the owner of the weapon shop on his first visit so he was looking forward to seeing him.
Not long later, Max brought him to the forging room which was located on the first floor next to the display area.
The sound of hammering echoed across the room.
Mark wondered how the loud noise in this room was isolated from the whole shop.
"This room is designed to be soundproof so that the customers won't be affected by the noise while they are shopping." Max explained as if he knew what was on Mark's mind.
"That's cool!" Mark exclaimed.
A moment later, he saw a middle-aged man who looked to be in his late forties. He had curly graying hair and a muscular body. His brown skin glistened under the heat of the flames.
The man was holding a hammer, striking it back and forth at the blade on top of the forging table.
A series of high-pitched 'ping' sounds echoed.
Mark felt the ground vibrating with every strike from the forging hammer.
Looking at the serious face of the middle-aged man, Mark was in awe.
The middle-aged man seemed to have felt his gaze. He lowered the forging hammer and stared at him. He then turned his gaze at Max as if waiting for his explanation.
"Pops, this is Wolf, a fellow hunter whom I have worked with recently. If not for his help, I would have returned injured from the hunting mission."
"Wolf, this is my father, Alfred."
Alfred's gaze softened upon hearing this. He put down the forging hammer and removed his gloves. "So you're the person that saved my son. It's nice to see you! You can just call me Freddy." He took the initiative to shake hands with Mark.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sir Freddy!" Mark could feel the strength in Alfred's grip. It was like he was being held by a giant.
Alfred grinned at him before letting go of his hand. "Max, go and prepare tea for our guest."
"Alright, pops!"
Alfred grabbed a chair and said. "Wolf, come here and take a seat."
"Thank you." Mark nodded his head and took a seat.
Alfred grabbed a stool and stared at Mark as he asked. "I haven't seen you before. Are you perhaps from another village?"
"Yes, sir. I'm from a small obscure village called Earth. When I was hunting, I got lost in the Enchanted Woodlands and found my way here." Mark told him the same thing he told Max and the other hunters.
"Is that so?" Alfred rubbed his chin with his thumb and index finger. "I haven't heard of that village... If you want to return then it might be difficult."
"It's fine. I don't plan on returning there for the time being." Mark smiled.
"Wouldn't your parents be worried then?"
Mark forced out a smile. "My parents… are no longer in this world…" His father was already dead and his mother's whereabouts were unknown so what he told Alfred should be considered as half true. It would be difficult to explain his identity since he was a player so he could only leave it at that.
Alfred was stunned and he immediately said. "I'm sorry to hear that."
"It's alright…" Mark shook his head. "I like this village. I might even stay here in the next few months."
A few minutes later, Max returned with a pot of tea and three small cups. He smiled when he saw his father chatting with Mark.
"What are you two talking about?"
Mark and Alfred merely smiled at him in response.