The leveling was fast at first. They managed to reach level 7 in no time by killing Black Wolves in the area. As a result, their inventory was filled with [Wolf Fang], [Wolf Claw], and [Wolf Pelt]. Not only their level but also their skill level increased, making their hunting smoother than usual.
Still, life wasn't always smooth sailing—a person bound to make a mistake once or twice.
"Look out!" Ferin shouted as she noticed a wolf escape from her aggro and leaped toward Atlas. "It's coming for you!"
"No worries."
Holding a simple wooden staff in his hand, he pointed the tip toward the leaping wolf and activated [Mana Bolt]. The bluish bolt pierced the wolf's head and killed it immediately with a critical hit. The damage done by the skill had increased alongside his status and skill level.
It was now level 4, and the description also changed slightly.
– Mana Bolt (Lv 4): Launch a bolt of pure mana at a target. Damage scales with MAG x 1.4 [2 MP, 2.7 seconds cooldown]
While the MP needed to use the skill increased by 1, the cooldown was decreased, and the damage increased by point 1. It was an improvement.
"I leave the rest to you, Ferin!" Atlas shouted back and raised his head to prepare to help his girlfriend. However, it seemed like she didn't need any help.
"It's done already." The bunny girl said as she sheathed her beginner sword, smiling brightly. "That was pretty easy."
Atlas could only smile at her. Thanks to their 5 years of experience in the game, it was easy. But he didn't say that because he didn't want to destroy Ferin's good mood.
"Good job." He said as the notification rang, notifying him of his success at hunting the group of 5 Black Wolves and the drop they obtained. "That was our 54th wolf."
Unfortunately, while they had many items from killing wolves, they didn't get a single piece of equipment at all. It was too rare for a normal monster near a newbie village to drop them. The probability of getting [Uncommon] equipment was only 1%.
Horizon Online's day and night cycle was set every 6 hours. Some monsters' behavior changed when the night arrived. Furthermore, nocturnal monsters would also be active. Combined with the lack of light, night in this game was slightly more dangerous than daytime.
Looking at the sun that was about to set above, Atlas noticed that they had been hunting for at least 5 hours already. They spent too much time hunting. Killing the wolves wasn't the hard part; finding them was. Hence, it explained why they haven't reached level 9 yet.
"I think we should return for now," Atlas said to Ferin as he looked at her. "The sun is about to set. We need to prepare for the night hunt."
"Oh, it's been that long?" Ferin exclaimed, her ears twitching cutely as she looked up. "You're right. The sky is now orange. I didn't notice that we had been hunting for that long already."
Naturally, night wasn't a problem for the seasoned veterans. As long as the preparation was complete, they could hunt without rest for 24 hours if needed. As for their physical bodies connected to the VR capsule, it also wasn't a problem. They had a way to keep the burden to a minimum.
The newbie village was still crowded. Many new players still arrived, mainly because not all logged in when the game was released due to their jobs. Whether they wanted it or not, humans still had jobs to earn money to play games.
Visiting the shop, Atlas sold everything he had in his inventory: [Wolf Fang], [Wolf Claw], and [Wolf Pelt]. His total number of items was 46, with 20 fangs, 12 claws, and 14 pelts. Each fang and claw sold for 5 Nar, while each pelt was sold for 8 Nar, totaling the item to be 272 Nar.
Ferin also sold all her drop items and got 308 Nar. Combined, the money they had was now 590, including 10 Nar left from the earlier hunt.
The same shop they sold their item to also provided items necessary to hunt at night, namely lanterns and torches. The former was a bit pricey, but it provided a better light source. Because Ferin was a close combat type of fighter and needed both hands, the couple only bought 1 lantern for 50 Nar.
Then, he also bought a sticky trap, a ball that stuck into any surface for a minute. It was 3 Nar each, and he bought 10 of them. Usually, it was only used as a prank item, but there was a hidden strategy that a player found in the future that utilized this prank item.
"Now that we have a lantern and stickies, should we move to the cave area? I bet many players are going to hunt wolves around this time. They probably have already gotten used to this game's mechanics." Atlas suggested as they stood in an alleyway, far from people's eyes.
"That's right. Are we going to search for that now? It's also in a cave area."
"Well, there is nothing wrong with searching for it early. I also brought the necessary items to defeat it."
"Then, there is nothing wrong with going to a cave area. However, I hated that place because I couldn't really defeat the enemy easily. Those bats are annoying." Ferin pouted.
"Hahaha, don't worry about that." Atlas patted her head. This was one way to calm the pouting Ferin; she did that a lot. "Just protect me. After all, that area is a hunting area for the Mage or Rogue class. As long as you keep me safe, it will be an easy hunt."
"If you say so… Well, before the cave is filled with people, why don't we go now? It's a bit far from the newbie village."
Pulling his hand away from her head, Atlas nodded. That would be the best choice in this situation.
"Be sure to look at the ceiling all the time…"
"And don't make a loud noise when we reach level 9. I understand, At." Ferin finished his sentence and grabbed his hand. "Which entrance shall we go to? The first or the second?"
"Let's do the second, for efficiency's sake."
After deciding their next course, the couple departed south of the newbie village. Unknown to them, there was a player hiding behind the shadow and observing them. His hood, a special equipment for the Rogue class, hid his upper face.
When the couple was gone, he stepped out of the shadow, revealing his tanned skin and blood-red eyes. His gaze stayed on the village exit they used.
"Cave? That must be a secret area. I must follow them and check the area myself! Who knows if I can sell this information to others? How lucky!"