After a few moments, Rust's group stood up and left. Rust nodded at Manco as they walked by.

Turning to the bartender, who was wiping his face with the same rag he had just used to wipe the counter, Manco asked: "I'm looking to learn a trade skill or two. Where can I find people who can train me?"

"What kinda skills?"

"Resource gathering. Weapon training, Anything, really. I need money!"

"Right. You bought a drink, so I'll give you something back." Manco took out his map and the bartender marked down the location of several trainers. Giving him another 5 farthings as thanks, he stood up and prepared to leave, but remembered something.

"Do you have a room?" He asks.

"Thirty farthings a night. Five more gets you breakfast."

"Here's for two nights and two breakfast." He handed over a thaler and received thirty farthings as change[1]. Hopefully, breakfast would be decent.

With food and lodging taken care of, Manco left the tavern.

Mistwoods was a small village. It only took five minutes to walk from the south gate to the north gate. Most of the businesses were concentrated on the main street.

Stopping at the butcher's he asked to be trained to harvest animal carcasses. In exchange, he would bring back some of the meat. He did the same at the leather worker, promising some hide in exchange for some training.

〔Mastery learned: Carcass Processing〕

〔Level: 7.25〕

〔Mastery learned: Leather Working & Tailoring〕

〔Level: 6.15〕

Actually, for most trade skills, players did not need to be trained. For example, they could simply start chopping up an animal, and would eventually gain the Carcass Processing skill. However, learning from NPCs who already knew the job immediately awarded several levels, depending on the learner's Intelligence and the difference between both sides' mastery levels.

Asking for a training was simply a matter of initiating a conversation, selecting the right option, and forking out money. The trainers in Mistwood were generous and gladly help him for a tiny fee or even for free.

〔Mastery learned: Farming〕

〔Level: 4.15〕

〔Mastery learned: Fishing〕

〔Level: 4.15〕

〔Mastery learned: Quarrying〕

〔Level: 5.15〕

〔Mastery learned: Woodworking〕

〔Level: 6.15〕

〔Mastery improved: Scavenging〕

〔Level: 3.15 ► 7.30〕

〔Mastery improved: Foraging〕

〔Level: 3.15 ► 7.30〕

〔Mastery improved: Alchemy〕

〔Level: 3.15 ► 7.30〕

…

Well, most of them do.

"Hold it!" grunted Gwyndham the Archery Master - the only weapon trainer in the village. Manco froze, not because of the voice, but the powerful crossbow in his hands. Already loaded was a wicked-looking barbed-head bolt, ideal for unarmored targets, which he happened to be.

"What do you want?"The man was sitting on a chair in front of his house. He looked quite old, with white hair and beard, and his hands were slightly shaking.

"I'd like to be trained…"

"No time! I'm busy!" the old man interrupted.

"Uh, could you…"

"Get lost! My hands are tired! Don't blame me if they slip and send a bolt through your skull!"

Seeing no way to talk to him, Manco walked away. After turning a corner, he peered back. Gwyndham had put the crossbow back on his lap and was staring into the distance.

"So much for lifelike AI!" Manco shook his head. "What a pain in the *ss!"

Looks like he would have to complete a quest (or more likely several) before he could be trained in using crossbows. Making a note to ask other NPCs and find out what the deal with Gwyndham is, he stalked away.

At the general store, he bought some supplies and tools. Then he exited the south gate and headed into Misty Woods.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

The Kingdoms of Betovium and Haufaria were separated by a natural border in the form of the Death Forest. This gigantic, ominously named forest was home to all manners of strange and vicious creatures.

A dozen times a year, some of these creatures would form packs, navigate themselves out of the forest, and terrorize the populace. There would be a short period of terror and chaos before the army in the nearby garrisons could eliminate them. It often took several days to learn of the news, and a few more days to mobilize the troops.

Eventually, a solution was proposed to the Queen. Communities would be set up alongside the border, blocking the routes used most often by the monsters. The settlements would act like outposts to observe, defend against, and send warnings of monster attacks.

To encourage people to live in these dangerous areas, the Queen offered generous incentives. Each person with a house in the village received a substantial monthly salary, provided that they pull their weight in protecting and maintaining the place. Troublemakers or freeloaders were swiftly identified and dealt with. Soldiers and mercenaries were hired at much higher fees. In some cases, criminals were arranged to live and work there in exchange for reduced sentences.

Mistwood village was built five years ago as part of the outpost ring. Located on the edge of Misty Woods, part of the Death Forest, the village was home to people coming from different walks of life. Former soldiers, mercenaries, pioneers, farmers hoping for a quick fortune; criminals, exiles and rejects looking for a fresh start or a place to lay low.

Over time, taverns, blacksmiths, brothels and other "facilities" had been added, completing a disjointed, but functioning community.

The village rarely had visitors, and traveling merchants only occasionally stopped by. Once a month, they received a shipment of goods from the nearest town.

~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~

〘 Misty Woods 〙

In the waning sunlight, Manco made his way through the trees. He was on a hunt.

Utilizing his limited Tracking skill, he tried to locate some killable creatures. They were a decent source of experience and their meat and pelts could be sold. He needed to gear up as best he could before continuing the quest with Rust.

The sunlight coated everything in a muddy orange hue. The mist did not help, and he found himself relying more on his nose and ears than his eyes.

A gust of wind carried the scent of blood and pungent fur. A predator!

Manco stopped, his eyes scanning the surroundings. His ears strained, listening for sounds. The forest was unusually quiet! He held up the iron-studded club, ready for battle.

A rustle on his right caught his attention.

*WHOOSH!

A blurry shape flew at him at blinding speed. Manco dropped to the ground but paid attention to its trajectory. The creature's blow missed his head, but still grazed his back.

-25!

Instinctively, Manco pointed his left hand and fired off the most basic Crimson Mage spell.

「Mana bolt」! 「Mana bolt」! 「Mana bolt」!

-5! -4! Two numbers floated off the creature as two transparent projectiles hit its buttocks.

It roared in pain. As it landed with a thud, Manco identified it as a Gray Panther.

The panther turned around. For a few seconds, man and beast were still, sizing each other up.

*Swoosh! WHOOSH!

The creature then feinted a left and rushed in on his right. But he was ready for it.

「Mana bolt」!「Mana bolt」!

-9!

One projectile hit the panther on its left eye, temporarily blinding it. The still charging creature made a perfect target for a swing of his club.

*THWHACK!

-34!

Manco scored a solid hit on the panther's head. While he winced at the shock on his arms, the animal was briefly stunned and collapsed onto the ground.

Collecting himself, he ran back to the edge of the woods but made sure to let the panther see him. Several seconds later, it recovered from the Stunned and Blinded status effects.

*ROAR!

With an angry roar, it rushed after Manco. He did not look back as he could hear it just fine. The sound of its footsteps, the rustling of leaves, the breaking of the branches, its heavy breath, and guttural growl. All were approaching him at a hair-raising speed.

He glanced back and saw the creature readying itself for another pounce.

*WHOOSH!

This time, he did not fire off a spell or use his club. He simply dropped flat on the ground.

The panther overshot him again, landed on a pile of dry leaves,…

…and fell down the pit trap hidden underneath that layer of leaves.

Gruesome squelching sounds were heard as the creature was impaled on several sharpened stakes buried at the bottom of the pit.

Brushing himself, Manco approached the pit. The panther let out an anguished cry then stops moving.

〔Creature "Weak Gray Panther" (lv 9) killed〕

〔1480 XP gained〕〔Creature information added to Beastiary〕

〔Level up! Your level is now 2!〕

〔Int +2; Wil +1〕

〔Free attributes points + 2 (Total 2)〕

Several notifications popped up at the bottom of his vision, but Manco ignored them. He stayed still, letting his Health, Stamina and Mana points regenerate, and listened carefully. After a few moments, the normal sounds of the forest are heard again; birds sang, insects chirped. It seemed there was no more predator nearby.

"Shouldn't have got hit by that first pounce. The lag's worse than I remember," he mused, reflecting on the confrontation. He was still used to the extremely low latency of the top-of-the-line Full-Immersion VR set. With this first generation rig, besides the lower quality hardware, the connection was still unstable, which led to a significant latency, affecting his reaction speed.

"Ah well, guess I'll have to adjust." Shrugging, he began appraising his equipment.

The iron-studded club was adequate. The cloth cloak he was wearing offered nothing but a measure of modesty. It was completely useless against any physical attacks. He would have to replace it soon.

The 「Mana bolt」 spell was the only spell available to Crimson Mage at the beginning. At level 1, it cost 10 mana per shot, had a half-second cooldown and did a paltry 6 damage on an unarmored target. Aiming was awkward as there was no reticle and he had to point his palm at his target.

Regardless, 「Mana bolt」 would be the mainstay of his arsenal in the foreseeable future. Besides the high rate of fire and low mana cost, it played an important role in his eventual build.

Noting the darkening sky, Manco stopped musing and carefully made his way down the pit.

As he touched the creature, a transparent screen appeared next to it.

〔Harvest "Weak Gray Panther" corpse?〕

〔Available tools:〕

▢ Iron Skinning Knife

▢ Iron Cleaver

▢ Iron Pliers

〔Estimated time: 00 m 00 s〕

〔►Yes〕〔No〕