"You want to join the hunting party?"
Mark nodded his head. "Is there something wrong with it?"
"Not really, but dude, the Enchanted Woodlands has been very dangerous in the last couple of weeks. You should reconsider it." Someone kindly suggested.
"I will be fine. Just tell me where I can sign up to join the hunting team." Mark would have never done this in the real world, but he was in a game world and his goal was to experience a wonderful adventure. He would never have the chance to do this in real life since he was too busy with his job. He also worked as a delivery man during the weekends so he didn't have time to spend for himself. This was also the reason why he decided to save up money to buy this game.
"Sigh! Young man, if you really want to join the hunting party, just head to the residence of the village head."
"Thanks for the information." Mark thanked them before he left. He took out the map of the village from his storage bag and searched for the residence of the village head. After a while, he saw what he was looking for. "So it's just near the market. That makes it more convenient." He smiled as he kept the map inside his storage bag.
The residence of the village head wasn't far from the market and it only took him about 40 mins of walking. If he didn't have to make a few detours because of his unfamiliarity with the village, he would have arrived ten minutes earlier.
There was a guard outside the residence and he gestured for Mark to stop. "Stop! Who are you?" He asked in a stern voice.
"I'm here to join the hunting party." Mark stared enviously at the guard who was dressed in a mixture of leather and steel armor. He also had a sword hanging on his waist. Meanwhile, Mark was only dressed in ordinary clothes and his sword didn't even have a scabbard.
"You want to join the hunting party?" The guard stared at him in surprise.
Mark nodded his head.
"Buddy, are you sure about that? I know that the reward money is decent, but you should treasure your life more. The mystical beast that they are trying to hunt has the strength equivalent to that of a Third Level Body Strengthening cultivator. Furthermore, you have to be at least a Body Strengthening First Level to join the party." The guard glanced at him up and down as if he was sure that Mark was not a cultivator.
"Don't worry. I'm a First Level Body Strengthening cultivator. I can prove it to you." Mark hasn't tested his strength yet after becoming a cultivator so he still didn't know the full extent of his current strength.
"You're a cultivator?" The guard was stunned. Mark looked nothing like a cultivator.
"That's right." Mark smiled in embarrassment.
The guard stared at him deeply and said. "I have no way of testing your cultivation. I will bring you inside. The village head has a device that can measure a person's cultivation. If you're telling the truth, you should be able to join the hunting party. Follow me. I'll take you inside."
Mark nodded and followed the guard inside the residence. The guard knocked at the front door.
Not long later, an old man with brown spots on his face opened the door.
"I apologize for disturbing you, village head. This man wants to join the hunting party, but I'm not sure if he is a cultivator so…" The guard carefully said.
"Greetings, village head." Mark greeted the old man.
The village head turned his head towards Mark and said. "Follow me." He then looked at the guard and told him to go back to his post.
The village head brought Mark inside his house and took him to his study. The moment they entered, Mark smelled the unique scent of old books.
"Sit down." The village head pointed at the seat in front of his desk.
Mark didn't say anything as he took his seat. He just quietly stared at the old man who seemed to be searching for something underneath his desk.
Not long later, the old man put a crystal ball on top of the table.
Mark observed the crystal ball and saw ten small orbs floating inside.
"Place your hand on the crystal ball." The village head said.
Mark did as he was told. He put his hand on top of the crystal ball and to his surprise, one of the floating orbs suddenly lit up.
The village head nodded upon seeing this. "You are a Body Strengthening First Level cultivator. You are qualified to join the hunting party, but are you sure about this, young man? You should know by now that the mystical beast that we are hunting is not your average creature."
Hearing this, Mark nodded without hesitation. "I have already thought it through."
"Since you have already decided, I won't say anything more. Here's your identity token. Come back here tomorrow and show it to the leader of the hunting party. You can also claim your initial payment tomorrow." The village head handed him a simple bronze token.
Mark kept the token while nodding his head. "Thank you, village head."
"Just call me Elder Victor. By the way, what's your name?" The village head smiled. It was the first time he had seen the village head smile since their meeting. The wrinkles on his face and his murky eyes just showed how old he was.
"My name is M- ehem! My name is Wolf, Elder Victor." Mark almost told him his real name.
"Have you eaten your breakfast?" Elder Victor asked.
"I already did."
"What a pity. Then, let me see you out." Elder Victor brought him out of the residence.
"Thank you for your time, Elder Victor. I will come back tomorrow." Mark bowed at the elder. As someone born in an Asian country, it was customary to show respect to the elderly. Although he knew that Elder Victor was just an NPC in the game, he treated him like he was an elder in the real world.