Broken then shared his virtual map, which was visible to those in front of him. RememberMe jumped to his feet to get a better look at what he was doing, his eyes widening with interest.
"I need companions to take this route up until this point here," Broken said, pointing to the map. "This journey through the forest to the top of the mountain, I'm not sure if I can do it alone."
"We'll come with you!" RememberMe responded without a second thought, his voice filled with enthusiasm.
"But..." Broken paused, swiveling around to face them. "I don't want this to be a quest that only benefits me. I have a mission I want to pursue, yet I have absolutely no intention of joining the party. I think it's only fair that we divide the rewards of our hunt evenly. And I'm not sure how long it will take me to accomplish my task on the summit of the mountain, but I'm certain it won't be a short and simple journey."
Broken did not level up in the usual manner. He did not gain experience points from killing monsters because of the Sloth Champion status he held. Therefore, he did not want to expose this information to others.
To keep this secret, he began to hide any sensitive information from his friend list. This way, even Booba would no longer be able to see his level or other statuses.
For this reason, if he joined a party with other players, they would quickly become suspicious if he did not level up during their monster hunts, especially over a long period. This could lead to uncomfortable questions and unwanted attention.
So, he decided to strictly limit any kind of information leakage to anyone for the time being. Until he was confident enough to open up about this to more people, he would keep it under wraps. And that moment wouldn't be far off, because he had resolved to pursue his goals tirelessly. He was determined to overcome any obstacle and achieve his objectives, no matter what it took.
"We've already decided. We're in!" RememberMe declared, his voice full of conviction. "Do you know, we don't really have any specific goals in this game. So we don't mind tagging along for some aimless fun, hahah."
PussyCat smiled and nodded in agreement. "It has been such an exciting 24 hours of hunting with you," she said. "I'm sure we'll have plenty of great adventures ahead of us."
"Agreed," Forev added, her tone calm but firm.
"Okay, then," Broken nodded in agreement. "Let's meet up again here in a few hours. I need to do some preparation beforehand."
Broken set off for the plaza, eager to restock his supplies of healing and mana potions as well as some food. The bustling market was filled with vendors shouting out their wares, and the air was thick with the scents of spices and fresh produce.
He had yet to buy himself a suitable piece of armor, but he felt it would be a waste of money to purchase it now, as he would not be able to acquire a decent piece with his current funds. He thus decided to postpone it until he was able to craft something himself.
He finally decided to go to the blacksmith at the plaza to repair his sword's durability.
After browsing the market stalls for a while, he had parted with fifty silver coins, leaving him with a much lighter purse.
Since there were now four people traveling together, Broken could not ride on Polly, so they decided to use a carriage instead. RememberMe, taking the initiative, rented the carriage with his own money and proudly presented it to Broken as a surprise.
The carriage they were riding in was no different from those found in the real world, except that instead of a horse, it was pulled by a level 85 tamed Gorgon Lizard. This monstrous reptile had orange scales, a long, snake-like tail, red eyes, and large horns atop its head. Such a beast could only be controlled by those with the Beast Tamer class or something similar. The lizard's powerful legs moved with a fluid grace, pulling the carriage effortlessly over the uneven terrain.
The distinction between having a contract with a spirit beast and taming a monster was stark. While only certain classes of players had the ability to tame monsters, all players could enter into a contract with a spirit beast if they received the favor. Spirit beasts were mystical and could be sent back to their own world, while monsters coexisted in the same realm as the players and NPCs, meaning they would accompany the player wherever they went. Only a select few players with access to ample dimensional storage could opt to place their monsters there.
While spirit beasts, when they died, could return to their world for a while until they recovered, it was not the same for tamed monsters. When a monster died, the user had to find and tame a new one. For this reason, caring for tamed monsters required exceptional dedication from Beast Tamers. To ease this burden, most Beast Tamers had healing or status-boosting skills specifically for their tamed monsters.
"In the future, I plan to open a business in this game so that I don't need to work in the real world and can become wealthy," RememberMe declared with a laugh.
"You're already rich, aren't you?" Forev quipped, raising an eyebrow.
RememberMe laughed heartily, glancing at Forev. "I need more than that, a lot more, hahaha…"
"There is no such thing as enough money, right, RememberMe?" PussyCat murmured.
Broken remained silent, listening to the conversation of his new companions. He found their banter amusing but kept his thoughts to himself.
"Broken, tell me more about you…" RememberMe then chimed in, turning his attention to Broken.
"Not everyone is open about their background, you know!" Forev interjected, giving RememberMe a pointed look. "It's enough that he let us join his mission."
"No!" Broken responded. "Actually, I need you all as well, so it's no problem."
"You are so humble, even though RememberMe seems still curious about your incredible luck, Broken," PussyCat remarked, giggling softly.
Once they arrived at the base of the mountain, right before the line of trees that would lead them into the wild and up to the peak, they quickly disembarked from the carriage.
"Hey, you…." RememberMe called out in a loud voice to the carriage driver. "Can you make sure you come back here every morning, and if we don't come down from the mountain by midday, you can return home."
"Yes, sir." The NPC nodded in affirmation and then began to drive the carriage away, the sound of the Gorgon Lizard's heavy footsteps fading into the distance.
Broken opened his virtual map once more and gazed at the forest before him. The trees stood tall and close together, their canopies forming a dark green ceiling.
"We can take the shorter route," he began, pointing to a path on the map, "but the monsters we will come across are estimated to be around level 90. On the other hand, if we take the longer path, we should encounter monsters of a lower level, but it will take us three to four times longer to get there."
He looked up at his companions, the map still glowing in the air before them. "What do you guys think?" he asked.