The butcher grunted, finally glancing up from his work. His beady eyes swept over Damon, taking in his gear and stature. "You don't look like much, kid."
Damon's Avatar has messy black hair and sharp brown eyes, giving him a rebellious, untamed look. He wears a simple leather tunic with frayed edges and scuffed boots, fitting for a beginner. Despite the plainness, there's an air of quiet determination in his stance, hinting at untapped potential.
Damon forced a smile. "I've been told that before. What do you need?"
"Hmmm. The weather is too hot for me to go hunting for rabbits and my stock is already empty. Hurry to the rabbit fields and get me 100 pounds of rabbit meat and I'll reward you well," the young man replied without sparing Damon a glance.
Ding!
{Butcher wants you to give him 100 pounds of rabbit meat from the wild.
Reward: 10 copper coins / 1 small Health Potion / 1 small Mana Potion
Mission Grade: Common
Mission time limit: 45mins
Accept?}
"Don't worry Mr. Butcher. I'll get you those pounds of rabbit meat," Damon agreed, confirming the mission.
The butcher snorted. "Good luck, boy. Rabbits are tougher prey than you think. No torn-up carcasses. Otherwise, don't bother coming back."
The butcher continued plucking the feathers off an animal. As Damon exited the shop, he noticed a group of players loitering nearby. Turns out Damon wasn't the only one who had received the Butcher's mission. Word had spread quickly about the butcher's mission, and at least five other players were eagerly discussing their strategies.
"Rabbits? Easy money," one of them said, a spear slung over his shoulder.
"Yeah, but they're fast. Gotta corral them somehow," another replied.
Damon stopped by a merchant and using from the copper coins he got after creating his Avatar, he bought some bundles of carrots. He ignored the chattering players and headed toward the outskirts of the village, already formulating a plan. He knew better than to waste time chasing after the rabbits blindly like most players would.
The forest clearing he found was quiet, save for the occasional rustle of leaves. Damon crouched low, scanning the area. He spotted his first target- a small rabbit nibbling on some grass near a bush. Its white fur practically glowed in the sunlight.
Damon smirked. "Let's get started."
{Inspect has been Activated}
{Furry Rabbit
Level: 1
HP: 20
NOTE: They are harmless but fast and annoyingly hard to catch.
Skills: NONE}
Instead of rushing in, he opened his inventory and pulled out a bundle of the carrots. He tossed one onto the ground a few meters away from the rabbit and waited. The creature twitched its nose, hesitated, and then hopped cautiously toward the bait
"Gotcha," Damon whispered.
The moment the rabbit was close, Damon rushed to it. The rabbit was no match for Damon's insane movement speed. He appeared behind the rabbit, exposed his palm and casted a fireball spell. A small ball of fire shot from the center of his palm, flying fast and leaving a faint trail of orange sparks. When it hit the rabbit, it burst in a quick flash of flames, dealing light damage and leaving a scorch mark at the point of contact.
-17.5
Damon felt a sense of pride when saw the digit that floated above the rabbit's head. His fireball spell had drained more than 85%of the rabbit's total HP in one cast. His MP bar reduced by an insignificant amount. The rabbit tried to make a run for it after getting attacked, but Damon held it by the neck then smacked it in the face. Its body dropped to the ground with a soft thud.
-5
-DEAD-
{You have obtained 2 pounds of Rabbit Meat}
"Two pounds? This going to take forever," Damon complained, stashing the meat in his inventory. He needed a faster method.
After experimenting with a few different tactics, Damon devised a system. He used the carrots to bait rabbits into small clusters, then herded them toward narrow spaces where they couldn't escape easily. Once they were cornered, he would unleash fireballs at them till their HP was reduced to nothing.
Damon tried his best to be precise. If he damaged the rabbits too much, the butcher wouldn't accept the meat. Damon carefully aimed the fireball for their heads, delivering lethal strikes that left the bodies intact.
Half an hour in, Damon had already collected 86 pounds of meat. His system was working flawlessly. But then he heard a commotion nearby. Two players stumbled into the clearing, weapons drawn.
"Well, well," The player in front sneered. "I saw you leaving the butcher's shop. Don't think you can hog all the rabbits to yourself."
"I'm pretty sure this forest is public property," Damon said with a shrug. He didn't stop working, casually baiting another rabbit with a carrot.
The player's companion stepped forward. "We're not asking. Hand over your meat, or we'll make you regret it."
Damon straightened, letting out an exaggerated yawn. "Sure. I'd love to see you try."
The leader of the group snarled and lunged, his mace swinging wildly. Damon sidestepped easily, countering with a quick blow to the leader's face.
-66
The swordsman joined the fray, slashing at Damon with a wide arc. Damon ducked, and quickly moved to his back. A kick to the back of the knee sent the swordsman stumbling forward, and Damon followed up with a kick on his head that knocked him flat.
-12
-54
"Pathetic," Damon said, shaking his head.
Before he could decide whether to continue, one of the players pulled a smoke bomb from his inventory and threw it to the ground. The clearing was instantly filled with thick gray smoke, making it hard to see anything.
By the time the gas cleared, the players were gone. Damon didn't think too much about the disturbance but returned his attention to the rabbits. He had gotten used to players like those who enjoyed preying on others to collect the rewards for a mission they didn't work for.
With only ten minutes left on the clock, Damon reached a small burrow where rabbits were densely concentrated. He set his traps around the area, baited them with his remaining carrots, and waited. The rabbits, oblivious to the danger, hopped right into his traps. Using his Spell, he drained the HP of all the rabbits.
-17.5
-17.5
-17.5
-35 {Critical Hit}
-17.5
-DEAD-
-DEAD-
-DEAD-
{You have obtained 100 pounds of Rabbit Meat}
"Perfect," Damon said, storing the last of the meat in his inventory. He glanced at the timer. Three minutes to spare.
The butcher was waiting when Damon returned, his arms crossed and a skeptical look on his face. Damon dropped the sack of rabbit meat onto the counter with a satisfied smirk.
"100 pounds of Rabbit Meat, as requested," he said.
The butcher inspected the meat carefully, nodding in approval. "Fresh quality… Not bad, kid. You're better than I gave you credit for."
{Mission Complete!
Reward: 10 copper coins / 1 small Health Potion / 1 small Mana Potion}
As he left the butcher's shop, Damon couldn't help but chuckle to himself. The other players might have seen rabbit hunting as a boring grind, but for him, it was an opportunity to test out the efficiency of his Fireball spell. Before he would take up more challenging missions, quests and even dungeon clearing, Damon wanted to familiarize himself with the weapons in his arsenal. Hence, his search for low-grade missions.
"Good Afternoon Mister. Is there anything I can help you with?" Damon said, stopping by an old man's shop.
In the Beginners village, only NPCs can give missions so players had to render help to them in exchange for rewards. The best place to receive missions was the market. It was filled with NPCs that needed help with their trade.
"Go away punk. You are too weak to help me with anything," The old man shouted after giving Damon a onceover.
'Who the fuck are you calling weak, old timer?'