Abel read a multitude of books authored by the legendary guardian.
The old man might not have traveled as extensively as his older brother but the knowledge he gained about the Caelondia region, especially the kingdom of Veridia was profound.
So far, he found mention of at least 3 possible unclaimed dungeons on the island. They were monster nest's the kingdom's army or navy would regularly clear out around Stormwatch city, Petalhaven city and Thundertide port.
'I knew reading these books would be useful. I hope I can reach these dungeons before others find them, it'll bring up my reputation and I could also gain double EXP rewards.'
Abel was excited from simply thinking of all the gains he could make, but for now the quest came first!
He took a look at the time and saw it was nearly 1 am in-game. He had been reading without break since he logged on in the afternoon so decided to quickly log off for a quick bite to eat. Melly and Frankie were asleep by now so he swiftly ate the leftovers they'd kept for him and logged back on after a short bathroom break.
Whooooooosh
Once he was back online, he tidied up the mess around him and made his way outside. He needed to clear the dungeon, the pact would end in 30 hours so he had a couple more runs to make.
As Abel made his way out of the building, down the street was Slick Mick, having just exchanged positions with Grimfist. This was supposed to be the last shift before they gave up on this mark. He thought he'd just have to hang around for a couple more hours before going to meet up with the rest of his group. The archer and his boss were out leveling up while Grimfist was on his way out of the city's northern gates to meet them.
Slick Mick's eyes suddenly widened as he saw a ruby-red haired man walk out of the building. He had the exact same sword at his side, the same sword he saw on the cloaked figure. He quickly turned around to avoid being seen and hid behind a store on the corner.
"Boss, I found him!! He just stepped out…"
He quickly sent a whisper to his boss and started tailing the guy. He was much more inconspicuous without the tall and muscular Grimfist by his side in contrast but his overall trailing skills still sucked.
It was fine while they were still in the city and surrounded by the night time hustle and bustle on every street but the second Abel stepped into the Hollow Forest, he picked up on his tail.
'It seems I'm being followed. Did some people finally notice my pattern through the southern ga- hold up… isn't that the skinny rogue from before.'
At first, Abel had thought a group of players had taken note of him when he kept making those runs back and forth for all the loot.
Although he was very careful and even switched up his path to and fro, he wasn't an expert when it came to such things so he didn't know if he messed up somewhere along the lines. When he got a little farther and turned around to see who was behind him, Abel was surprised to see the skinny rogue trying to follow him from a distance.
The rogue could barely make out Abel's shadow in the forest so he didn't realize the young man had turned around. He definitely didn't know Abel could see him and even remembered him from earlier.
'Were they waiting on the opposite street. How could they know it's me though…'
It definitely wasn't because of Chronelix or Coinweaver as he would have gotten a notification of the pact being broken. While there was a tiny chance they somehow circumvented the pact, it was not very likely.
They didn't know who these guys were and they had no reason to pay the hefty 100 gold fee if they broke any of the clauses so he ruled them out entirely. He thought about his recent encounter with them but he couldn't figure it out.
He covered himself fully so none of his clothes or armor were showing. He thought he might have gotten some sort of tracking powder or a positioning spell placed on him covertly but even if that was the case, the old guardian would have definitely picked up on it.
The sense of a Legend was nothing to scoff at and were actually beyond Abel's understanding but he figured if the old man could affect the very fabric of space then he would have definitely noticed something was up and informed him of it. This was the benefit of having friendly favorability with a Legend!
He looked over his current equipment and called up his panel when his eyes suddenly fell onto his sword.
'Ah shit… my sword, I was careless. I forgot about my sword damn it! It was the only thing still showing, I should have put it away.'
Abel let out a sigh when he realized his blunder but it was too late to do anything about it now. It wasn't like he could travel back in time and give himself a reminder.
'But why would these guys wait for so long, are they really that poor and in need of money or is it something else?'
He couldn't understand the thought process of these people. What he didn't know was that they were simply bullies picking on lone and weak players, robbing and killing to fulfill the inferiority they felt deep down from their current reality.
'Whatever, I should take care of this guy before his friends show up. I don't know their level but even if they were weaker than me, I shouldn't allow myself to get ganged up on.'
Abel carefully but swiftly tread his way forward to lose his tracker and then made a turn from around to attack from the side.
Slick Mick had been chasing after his target to the best of his abilities, his boss had replied and told him they were on the way back. Grimfist was the closest to him and would get there a lot sooner. He wasn't allowed to lose the guy at all costs and it would be best if he could track him all the way to the dungeon.
He suddenly stopped as he lost sight of the guy's shadow, he couldn't understand how the man was running through the Hollow Forest without a torch. He didn't dare light up a torch himself as it would instantly give away his position.
He assumed the man knew the trail by heart but that still wouldn't explain why there were no small monsters on his path. Monsters might stay within a specific region but they'd be constantly moving around within that area and would even fight amongst themselves. They had their own food chain and would simulate a real ecosystem and environment.
He tried looking around for any tracks left by the man when suddenly, an arrow came whooshing from the side. He barely dodged it with roll when another arrow struck him before he could get up.
-60
"Bastard!"
He got up and ran towards the source, intending to get shrink the distance for close combat.
He easily dodged another couple of arrows coming his way, it was much simpler now that he was running towards them. His high agility due to his class aided him immensely in dodging, adding to the fact he was aware of the attacker and the direction, he swiftly avoided the arrows coming his way.
'How the hell did he know.'
He was surprised at his attacker, not having expected the young man would not only notice him but also backtrack around for an attack.
'You had your chance to run away, now I'll gut you when I'm close'
Although Slick Mick had lost 20% of his health from that single arrow, he wasn't worried as he was sure he'd make quick work of his opponent the second he got near. In his surprise, the young man dropped his bow and drew his sword.
He was slightly apprehensive of the longer reach of a sword but he had confidence in his own close combat skills. He had killed and gutted many players during the past week and his self-assurance in being able to run away if he couldn't prevail further bolstered his courage.
Suddenly, the young man traveled at a speed not much slower than Slick Mick himself, appearing at his side. Slick Mick sidestepped out of range but the sword started gleaming with light when unexpectedly, an arc came slashing at him.
-194
'He has a sword skill!'
-68
His stunned shock caused him to get hit with another slash, bringing his health down to just 3%. Slick Mick was absolutely terrified and tried to run away but somehow, the man's speed increased greatly and he couldn't run away from him. He kept dodging and parrying as best as he could but he eventually took stab from the sword, bringing his health down to 0.
*Ding*
You have been killed by Red Sky. Realm Quest inaccessible for 23:59:58…
He stared at the notification in his user home for a full minute before snapping out of it.
"I have to get in touch with the guys…"
Unfortunately, outside messages couldn't be sent when a person was in the world of Faeron so he had to wait until they logged out of the game to pass on the message. The only other way was to have physical access to the pod being used, though he couldn't do such a thing in the gaming lounge as every pod would be in their own space due to privacy regulations.
He started thinking about their earlier exchange of blows and got more scared of his opponent. He could wield a bow pretty well and was even better with the sword. He had a ridiculously high attack and guessed his defense wouldn't be too low either, though he wasn't able to get a chance to even find out.
But he nearly despaired when he thought about the man's speed. What he didn't know was that Serpents Dance had 5 more seconds before it entered cool down. If he had hung on for a few more seconds, then he could have gotten away.
Of course, Abel would have run after him and tried shooting him with his bow but at least he would have had a small chance of escape.
***********
Back in the Hollow Forest, Abel was looking at the corpse before him. It was the first time he had killed someone.
Although he knew it was just a game and the player behind the avatar was still alive somewhere in the world, the full immersion and realism of the virtual world could slightly convey the feeling of taking a human life.
'His bad intentions were obvious from the get go. No need to feel bad, especially when he's still alive in reality. I'll follow my heart in all things, even in a virtual world. Those that treat me well will in turn be treated well. As for those that scheme against me… no need to care about their life and death.'
Abel took a deep breath and shrugged off the humane feelings he had as a natural response to taking a life. The man deserved it as far as he was concerned. Once he calmed down, he finally took note of the notification that popped up after he had killed the rogue.
*Ding*
+850 EXP
You have killed a tainted individual- Slick Mick. +MAX coins granted.
'Huh… did I get EXP because he was tainted or just because I killed him. Whatever, it doesn't matter… it looks like it wasn't his first time hunting and killing other players. Just like that old saying from Xiaowen's Earth; if you walk by the riverside too often, your shoes will eventually get wet. This is also a reminder for me to not wantonly kill players, otherwise I could be killed in return.'
Although a person wouldn't become a 'red name' after player killing like in other games, the player would still be tainted. Upon death, they'd lose the maximum amount of wealth they had which was 50%. Even after death, depending on the number of players you killed, the tainted status would follow you for as many deaths.
If you killed 10 people unprovoked, then you'd have to die 10 times to get rid of the tainted status. Most players wouldn't really care about such things, especially those that loved to PK.
The only way to PK without getting tainted was to take part in a major battle or plotline within the world. As for one on one, you had to wait for someone to attack you first or kill an already tainted individual. That way the system would then deem it as a form of self-defense.
After seeing the notification, he took a look at his wealth and saw it increase by 40 copper coins.
'What a poor bastard, he didn't even have a silver coin. I wonder if his friends are just as poor, they're probably tainted too. After all, birds of a feather tend to flock together.'
Abel had no idea about the number of players these people had killed, if he knew then he wouldn't have felt even a shred of sympathy.
'Why is he alone though? Could his friends be coming on the way... they wouldn't all be wasting their time keeping a look out on the area after all.'
While Abel was going through his loot, he thought about the peculiarity of the rogue being on his own. The couple of times he saw them or heard about them from Coinweaver, it would be at least 2 guys together.
'He was probably a lookout and they should be following his trail, I'll head back and see if there's another one coming. If it's just 1 or 2 of them, then I'll use the cover of darkness and attack. If it's all 3 or even more of their friends then I'll retreat.'
He was able to get 2 level 5 daggers that were much better than his currently equipped Rat-tooth Dagger. He also got a graceful looking ring that had silver threads that seemed to be weaved around a small gem.
He took off the man's leather armor, leaving him with the system clothing that couldn't be removed due to the in-game privacy laws. It was unfortunate he couldn't remove the boots or pants but he was happy with what he got.
"Inspect"
*Ding*
[Graceweave Ring]
+8 Agility (AGI)
+10% movement speed
Description: Crafted from a combination of enchanted silver and an iridescent gemstone, it enhances the wearer's nimbleness and reflexes while also looking beautiful.
Requirement: Level 5
[Bladeslinger Dagger]
Attack: 29-31
+10% attack speed
+5% critical hit chance
Durability: 30/35
Description: A sleek and deadly instrument, the Bladeslinger Dagger is a slender, double-edged blade forged from steel, offering a balance between sharpness and durability.
Requirement: Level 5
Abel equipped the ring and replaced the dagger on his back with the two he had just gained. He loved the new equipment he had gotten but was also worried about the possible backup this guy might have.
He stuffed the ordinary leather armor he got off the corpse and his old Rat-tooth Dagger into his spacial bag then headed back to the trail to see if there were others coming.