Hunter Brotherhood Training Center,

Kerta.

3 rd Ryanem 1091.

Within the hidden archery training center, Kashi arose from a dreamless sleep. The daeben sat up on the comfortable bed and decided to examine the items Serti gifted him before he logged out. He checked the Recruit’s Set in his inventory. The starter level armor set consisted of a pair of navy blue boots and matching pants; a black short-sleeved shirt and matching fingerless gloves. A black mantle with an attached hood rounded off the assassin set.

Recruit’s Boots (Rare)

Weight: 14

Durability: (30/30)

Armor Type: Leather

DEF: 20 ~ 25

Awarded to those who completed the Basic Training Program. These boots boast better Agility than those found in shops.

AGI: +20

Charm: +3

Recruit’s Gloves (Rare)

Weight: 13

Durability: (30/30)

Armor Type: Leather

DEF: 18 ~ 23

Awarded to those who completed the Basic Training Program. These gloves grip your weapon tightly, ensuring you do not miss your target.

DEX: +20

Charm: +3

Recruit’s Shirt (Rare)

Weight: 17

Durability: (30/30)

Armor Type: Leather

DEF: 25 ~ 30

Awarded to those who completed the Basic Training Program. These shirts provide better protection from the enemy than its shop counterparts.

Charm: +3

Recruit’s Hood (Rare)

Weight: 17

Durability: (30/30)

Armor Type: Leather

DEF: 12 ~ 18

Awarded to those who completed the Basic Training Program. Provides protection from the elements, and reduces the chance of recognition.

STE: +14

Charm: +4

Recruit’s Trousers (Rare)

Weight: 17

Durability: (30/30)

Armor Type: Leather

DEF: 25 ~ 30

Awarded to those who completed the Basic Training Program. Provides protection and is more reliable than those found in shops.

Charm: +3

The stats were quite impressive for the weight class. The 17 weight class, for a non-pure-strength build, laid roughly somewhere between level 5 and level 10, depending on stat distribution. Despite this, the Defense stats for the armor set was more in line with those of common level 20 cloth armor. The strength of Rare loot could be seen here. Weapons and armor of higher grades could be used for increasingly longer periods of time.

Kashi equipped the Recruit’s set then pulled out the map. He sighed after a quick scan. As expected, only a few areas surrounding Kerta, and major travel routes to nearby towns were mapped. He did not scoff at the map though. A map with this much detail could spell the difference between life and death when on various missions. After he was done inspecting the map, a notification informed him that the System Map had been updated.

The System Map was a map in the menu that contained a map of the entire continent. Only, in the beginning, 99% of the map was grayed out and foggy. Patches of the map were revealed as the player learned about, or visited more places.

The best thing about the map, however, was that Kashi could sell it off to merchants or other players now that all of its information had been added to the system map.

The last item on the list was the Recruit's Bow, but Kashi decided he would look at its stats when he went hunting in the fields. Satisfied with the inspection, Kashi exited the room, making sure he locked the door behind him, then walked to the entrance hall.

The room, as usual, held the merry sight of Serti and the two other residents sat around a table, chatting and having a cup of something that smelled delicious. Serti spotted Kashi as he came out of the secret passage. Serti’s lips curled up in a smile as he waved at the daeben. "Kashi-kun, would you mind joining us for a cup?"

Kashi glanced at the wisben, then replied with a smile as he took a seat at the table, "It would be my honor."

The second resident, a tall, bulky, Nordic man with biceps bigger than his bald head, set a down a cup in front of the daeben. He smiled as he poured a hot cup of tea into the cup. “Please, try this.”

"Many thanks," Kashi said as he raised the cup to his lips and took a sip. Pure bliss! Kashi had to admit that this was the best tea he had ever tasted. The sweet caramel tea warmed his insides and spread joy to his face in the form of a warm smile.

Serti chuckled at the expected reaction. "Yugo makes the best tea this side of the continent."

"May I inquire as to the ingredients of this masterpiece?" Kashi asked.

"You could not make it even if I gave you the recipe,” Yugo retorted with a hearty laugh. “You need a high cooking skill. But I suppose you deem that beneath you?"

"Nonsense!" Kashi harshly retorted. His rash tone caught the trio off-guard as they had gotten rather used to his politeness. "To say that cooking is beneath one is utter rubbish." Kashi confidently poured out bullshit from his mouth. It did not matter whether he believed it or not. One important lesson every gamer learned was the art of pretending to care about another person’s ideals or goals. Kashi took his chameleon act to the next level as he stated, "A true adventurer should be able to cater to basics such as food and repairs. Any who says otherwise is, sorry for my tone: an utter fool!" The daeben made a deliberate show of catching his breath to calm himself down.

"Ho. I am touched by your passion. If you feel so strongly, then you can have this." Yugo handed the daeben a book, which he happily accepted.

You received Beginner's Cook Book

"If you wish to be a handyman speak to Bert. He's a quiet one, but he'll give you what you need." Serti instructed.

Bert was the last Resident of the three. He was a kafu of the beastman race, and the only of his kind Kashi had seen so far. Bert sported bright orange fur which was in direct contrast to his quiet, reserved nature.

"I will do that," Kashi confirmed.

"So, have you decided on what class you want to be yet?" Serti asked.

"Not yet,” Kashi replied with a sigh. “I cannot seem to think up something suitable."

"Is there anything, in particular, you want from your class? I might be of some assistance."

"My primary aim is to fight with the bow,” Kashi stated without reservation. “But I do not wish to have to rely on others; I prefer to fight alone you see. I also seek the ability to strike swiftly and deadly at a distance and engage in a frontal assault should I feel so inclined. Yet I do not wish to be at a disadvantage in close combat either. A sword or dagger would probably remove this disadvantage, but I feel it would stain the honor of my bow if I resort to them."

"Ah, I see. A tough choice indeed,” Serti mused. “Not many solo adventurers would pick a bow as their primary weapon. Yet you increase the burden by restraining yourselves from using a sword. Hmm..."

"Direct him to Fladnag," Bert suddenly said, speaking up for the first time. His voice was soft and soothing, making those around him feel at ease.

"Fladnag?!" Yugo who had been cleaning up the bar dropped a bottle, and it crashed to the ground. "Do you want to get him killed?!"

"Fladnag..." Serti tapped the side of his cup in thought.

Yugo turned to Serti with panic in his eyes. "Hey Serti, surely you don't mean to..."

"If I may, who is this Fladnag person?" Kashi asked, interrupting them.

Yugo cursed, "A crazy old wizard with too much-"

"Yugo!" Serti chided. "That's enough. It is not our place to decide." His expression softening, he turned to Kashi. "Forgive my friend. We've lost some of our brethren to his antics."

"It is no trouble really. This one understands the pain of losing a loved one." Kashi lowered his eyes towards the creamy mixture in the teacup. It was slowly losing its warmth. "Alas, it is an inevitable part of one's journey as an adventurer."

"Yes, it is..."

A moment of silence passed as each person recalled their losses.

After a brief moment, Bert’s calm voice broke the silence. "Fladnag has made his home in the forests south of here. It's not far, but I would recommend leveling up some more before you attempt to pursue this path." Bert lazily looked at the daeben. "The monsters that roam his forest are wild, bloodthirsty beasts, nothing like the rabbits in our pleasant meadow. If you make it to him alive and he does not kill you, you should be able to find what you seek."

Kashi’s interest was piqued. He could not help but ask. "What is it that is so great about him?"

"He's a survivor from the old world," Serti replied.

Kashi’s brow rose in question."Old world?"

"Ah, you know not of the creation story do you?"

"I'm afraid I have never heard of it."

Serti took a moment to consider how he would explain it to the daeben. After organizing his thoughts, he began his lengthy tale, "To put it in the simplest of terms, there were two gods in the beginning: Aethir, giver of life and Ferulic, her beloved husband and creator of worlds. The two loved each other deeply and joined hands in molding several dimensions and worlds. Ferulic created worlds which Aethir populated with life. Over several millennia, the couple had several children which they placed in charge of several important functions in those worlds.

“This system worked until the creation of humes. Aethir was so enthralled by them, that she slowly distanced herself from her husband until centuries would pass before she remembered him, at which point, she just greeted him briefly. Enraged over losing his wife, Ferulic, who till then had no interest in Aethir's living puppets, cried out when he saw the flawed creatures his wife had picked over him.

“He placed a curse on humes; that of death. Till then, they had lived immortal lives, but soon they began to fall to the passage of time. Aethir wept at the sight of her creations perishing and begged Ferulic to release his curse. When he refused, she chose to go to war.

“Ferulic held no desire to enter combat with his wife, so he left their home in the heavens and created a new realm for himself. One we have now come to know as Merta or Hell. He promised Aethir that those worthy would join her in the afterlife for eternity, but those he deemed unworthy would suffer in the pits of hell. This proposition pleased Aethir, and she agreed.

“The world continued to function with balance until roughly a thousand years ago when a rebel called the Destroyer rose and challenged Aethir's rule. He was so terrible that for the first time in eternity, Aethir wished someone dead, and removed the blessing she had put on him. When this man finally perished, Ferulic did not throw him into hell but crowned him as a soul brother and put him in charge of his entire domain.

“For the first time in eternity, Ferulic had chosen someone else over Aethir, and it saddened her so much, she wailed and cried in pain. It is said her tears ended up destroying more than half of the world. Continents were broken apart, and the geography of the entire world suffered huge changes. Very few survived the catastrophe, and it's said that they still possess her blessing. Aethir retreated from the world after that, and no one has received her blessing since."

"Quite the story. What was the Destroyer's name?" Kashi questioned, astonished.

"It is not recorded in any books,” Serti revealed with a helpless smile. “But, Flagnad is one of those who survived, though it seems to have driven him quite mad. So, will you accept?"

New Quest  Fladnag the Mad

News has reached your ears of an eccentric wizard living alone in Nama woods, home to the ferocious Direwolves. You have been told he might have some clues to a worthy class.

Suggested Level: 15

Difficulty level: D

Quest Requirements:

A close friendship with the three residents in the hidden Archery Training Center.

Joined the Hunters' Brotherhood

Achieved Bert's acknowledgment as a reliable adventure

Holy Devil!

Kashi tapped rapidly on the teacup to hide his excitement. Any gamer could smell the allure of an ultra-rare quest because the requirements were next to impossible to meet.

To start with, very few adventurers would actually go to a training hall when they start. Not when there was a whole unexplored world of monsters to conquer. Furthermore, even less were likely to come to this particular training hall, tucked away in the corner of town. Then, out of the few who actually went, Kashi was certain there were only a handful of people crazy enough to keep firing arrows for three weeks straight while snacking on nothing but stale bread.

Finally, even if all the previous requirements were, only few conversation options could possibly lead to this quest. All in all, it was like picking the one straw in a pile of hay that had a tiny dot on it marking it as the ticket for a billion yen.

"I shall humbly accept," Kashi said.

You Have Accepted the Quest!

"Good, take these as well." Bert placed a wooden stick and a book on the table which Kashi humbly accepted. "If you show the branch to Fladnag, hopefully, he won't kill you. The book is a gift."

You Received Rosario's Branch

You Received Handyman's Guide to the World

Passive Skill: You learned Handicraft

You learned Item Identification

You Have Accepted the Quest!

Kashi glanced at the notifications then bowed humbly at Bert. "This one cannot thank you enough for your kindness. I promise to repay you all someday,"

"If you wish to repay us, become a splendid adventurer and make us proud." Serti smiled at the young elf.

"I promise."

"Finally, I noticed you have been eating stale bread. Here's two silver coins. Consider them an investment in your future."

‘Oh, yeah, I never told them about the apprenticeship.’ Kashi accepted the coins with a slightly guilty heart. "Again, I thank you for your help." After a short chat, Kashi prepared to leave.

Serti called out as Kashi walked to the door. "Ah, one more thing. A short while after you returned to your world, a Summoned wisben took over the training ground. She's been going non-stop like you, though she returns to the other world to rest instead of sleeping on the floor. Would you like to meet her?"

Kashi considered it then shook his head. "I do not wish to distract her. If she is planning on doing the same thing I did, every second counts."

"Okay, then. See you when you return," Serti said. Yugo waved wildly behind him, and Bert even managed a short wave.

"Thank you very much for your guidance." Kashi bowed then left the practice room.

"Will he be okay?" Yugo muttered, worried.

"If you do not watch it, that monster will surpass you soon," Bert answered and returned to sleep.

Meanwhile, inside the training room, a female wisben shot arrow after arrow at the target. She hated the bow, and till now, never used it in the virtual world. But as she fired another perfect shot, sweat glistening on her tired arms, she recalled the boy who had suddenly gone missing.

Somehow, she knew the bow was the only way she would find him.

Thwack!

Another perfect shot, fired from a stance so graceful, it had earned her medals.

She hated the name 'Archery Princess' more than anything...