Mark checked the time.
"It's been forty-two hours since I started playing." He has been inside the game world for almost 2 days, but not even half a day has passed in the real world. According to Ethereal Inc., time passes faster inside the game. Three days inside the game was only 15 hours in the real world.
The players could only stay at a maximum of 3 days in the game before they would be forcibly logged out by the system.
The players didn't have to worry about being left behind by others since everyone can only play at the same timeframe which is between 6 p.m. to 9 a.m. While playing the game, the players would be in a sleep-induced state so it was no different than normal sleep. Players didn't need to worry about being fatigued the next day.
This revolutionary game garnered a lot of attention since playing the game could potentially enhance the lifespan of humans. After all, humans need to sleep at least more than 7 hours a day, but with the help of the game, anyone can enjoy their sleeping time in the game world. With the help of technology, 15 hours in the real world was like 3 days in the game! Because of this, even people above the age of 40 became interested in the game.
Mark returned to the inn and cultivated for the rest of the day.
+1 Qi
+1 Qi
+1 Qi
Mark skipped two meals and cultivated straight for almost an entire day. His Qi increased by 20 points and it was now at 32. He only needed 68 more Qi to be promoted to the next level.
He stood up and grabbed his belly with a frown. "I feel like I could eat a cow." He headed to the dining area and ordered five dishes. Everything cost him 12 Orbes. Luckily, he earned 65 Orbes yesterday from selling the big rat carcass so he didn't mind paying more for his breakfast today.
'I should find better equipment before I go to Elder Victor's residence.' Mark thought after eating his meal. His only possessions were the ordinary items gifted to the new players, but they might be ineffective against mystical beasts. He had to equip himself with better items to increase his chances of survival.
Before that, Mark went to the reception. "I'm here to return this." He calmly said to the blonde receptionist.
She was surprised when she heard this since Mark paid for 3 days of stay. He had only been in the inn for less than 2 days so he could still stay for another day.
"S-Sir, is this about my attitude from-"
"No. I have something to do so I won't be here for the next few days." Mark shook his head.
"I-Is that so? Then I hope that you had a great time in our inn, sir. Please visit us again soon." The receptionist bowed lightly at him, no longer having the same attitude she had when they first met.
Mark nodded his head calmly and left the inn.
He headed to the market and searched for a shop that sells weapons and armor. After walking for over ten minutes, he finally found the perfect shop.
"Freddy's Weapon Shop… I like this simple name…" Mark smiled as he read the name of the shop. There were more than ten people inside the shop. They were browsing through the weapons and armor displayed inside.
It was his first time visiting a weapon shop so he was curious about everything.
Leather Breastplate [Ordinary] (500 Orbes)
+ 0.5 Endurance
+ 0.4 Cold Resistance
+ 0.4 Heat Resistance
Leather Legplates [Ordinary] (400 Orbes)
+ 0.3 Endurance
+ 0.3 Cold Resistance
+ 0.3 Heat Resistance
Leather Armguards [Ordinary] (400 Orbes)
+ 0.3 Endurance
+ 0.3 Cold Resistance
+0.3 Heat Resistance
Leather Helmet [Ordinary] (400 Orbes)
+ 0.3 Endurance
+ 0.3 Cold Resistance
+ 0.3 Heat Resistance
Brave Warrior's Sword [Uncommon] (1000 Orbes)
+ 2.8 Damage
Savage Tiger Sword [Uncommon] (1200 Orbes)
+ 3.5 Damage
- 0.5 Speed
Hunter's Leather Shield [Ordinary] (500 Orbes)
+ 1 Endurance
- 0.2 Speed
There was an array of weapons and armor, but most of them were only ordinary and uncommon. However, Mark still felt that they were cool since these items were many times better than his equipment.
"I can only buy one item." Mark sighed when he saw the prices of the items. He didn't expect that they would actually be this expensive.
He wanted to buy the full set of leather armor, but he only had over 800 Orbes. "Too bad…" He muttered in disappointment.
Mark didn't want to leave empty handed so after careful consideration, he decided to purchase the Hunter's Leather Shield that was priced at 500 Orbes. This was worth more than half of his money, but he felt that it was worth it. The Enchanted Woodlands was filled with dangerous creatures and powerful mystical beasts. Not to mention that they would hunt the Black Scaled Boar that was as strong as a Third Level Body Strengthening cultivator.
Mark paid for the shield and left the shop. He then inspected his player attributes after equipping the shield.
Player IGN: Wolf of the Grassland
Cultivation: Body Strengthening First Level
Physique: Mortal
Qi: 32/100
Wealth: 363 Orbes
Vitality: 1.7
Endurance: 2.4 --> 3.4
Strength: 1.8
Stamina: 1.7
Speed: 1.7 --> 1.5
Spirit: 2.9
Cold Resistance: 0.3
Heat Resistance: 0.3
Damage: 0.5
His endurance stat increased by 1 point, but his speed decreased by 0.2 points. "This shield is quite heavy. No wonder my speed was reduced by a small fraction." Mark felt the weight of the shield after equipping it, but he didn't mind since his endurance increased by a point which was already significant in the early stages of the game.
Mark kept the shield inside his storage bag and headed to the residence of the village head. When he arrived, he saw that some members of the hunting party were already.
His arrival attracted everyone's attention. Mark felt a bit nervous under their inquisitive gazes.
"Who are you?" A muscular man with a huge axe strapped on his back stood in front of Mark.
"I'm Wolf. I signed up yesterday to join the hunting party. Here's my token." Mark showed him the bronze token he received from Elder Victor.
The eyes of the muscular man eased up when he saw the bronze token in Mark's hand. "So you're one of us. I'm Jason, the leader of this hunting party. It's nice to see you, Wolf."
Mark was surprised upon hearing his introduction. He didn't expect to meet him so soon. "The pleasure is mine, Sir Jason!"
"Come here. I'll introduce you to everyone." Jason smiled as he grabbed Mark's shoulder.
The hunters' gazes became friendly after hearing that Mark was part of the hunting team. It didn't hurt to know another cultivator so most of them greeted him politely, but there were also a few of them who only looked on with indifference.
"Wolf, you look quite young for a hunter. How old are you this year?" Someone asked.
"Actually, I'm 25 this year." Mark replied honestly.
"Eh? You're already 25!? I thought you were 19 or something." Everyone exclaimed after hearing his age. Mark looked younger for his age so they were quite surprised.
"Looks can indeed be deceiving…"
Mark chuckled at their words.
Everyone became a bit closer after a few more interactions. Even some of the stubborn guys were starting to speak with Mark.
An hour later, the village head, Elder Victor, arrived. "Thank you for coming here, everyone. As I promised, you guys will receive the initial payment for the job. If you manage to kill the Black Scaled Boar, everyone will get an additional payment from me. I hope that you will come back victorious."
After the short speech, Elder Victor asked the servants to distribute the initial payment to the hunters.
[You received 100 Orbes!]
Mark's wealth increased to 463 after getting his initial payment.
Jason briefly chatted with Elder Victor before he led the hunting party towards the Enchanted Woodlands.