I was back at the cafe in Anka. It turned into our 'hang-out spot' before we knew it. like before I was sitting at the booth in the far corner of the cafe waiting for Maico.

*Ding ding*

I heard the familiar chime of the doorbell, I glanced at the entrance. Maico was there as he instinctively walked to the booth we frequented.

“What’s up?” He greeted me

“It’s only been a day I wasn’t expecting to hear from you for at least 3 days.”

“Haha, you underestimate me” he said as he winked

We both sat down and began to drink our boba as I cut straight to the point.

“So what were you able to get?”

“Not much, since there isn't a good indicator of what’s a good market price for RO items. But here take a look”

[Ca1tSith has requested a transaction]

[Accept/Decline]

I accepted his transaction request and a menu with 10 slots to trade items and [Lan] appeared.

One by one he listed the items.

[Tuxedo Pants]

[Tuxedo Jacket]

[Tuxedo Tie]

[2 Cat dolls]

[100 blessing resurrection tickets]

“Oh!”

These were incredibly good items. To get a costume bonus 2 pieces were needed, that would be the pants and shirt. But occasionally an extra piece appeared was added. Usually it would be a cape but in this case, it was a tie.

But the items I was most interested in were the 2 Cat Dolls. These dolls were premium items that were coveted by everyone in RO. They were, for the most part, aesthetic pets. There were a few pets that were stronger but these cats were far from weak. Because of their small size, they were very agile and hard to target and would rarely take damage. Not only that, the breed and appearance of the cats were random so no 2 players had the same cat. There was even a player with a sphynx!

The blessing resurrection tickets are items used to resurrect pets. They will come in handy. I was beginning to worry whether I would lose them permanently after they died.

“What do you think?” Maico said with a clear smile on his face

“These are great!”

Clothing and rare premium pets have no level restrictions. I have nothing to complain about.

“Haha, I’m glad you like them, the cats weren’t easy to get. I told the seller pets were non-combative here. After that the blessing tickets were easy.”

For many players, this was the unfortunate truth. In MARE pets can only follow you around, pick up items and look pretty. Their combat capabilities were zero. But that wasn’t the case for me, I could use any pet to fight.

[Cannot proceed with trade inventory is full]

“Looks like you don’t have any space”

“Oh that’s right, I need a bag”

after fighting all those monsters there wasn't any space for me to store items with only one bag.

“You should have said so earlier”

Maico pulled out a brown bag and put the items in the bag before tossing it to me.

“Here you go”

There is a reason he didn’t simply hand me the items in the first place. It was because we didn't want to take chances on players spying on us. It was something we learned from playing RO and other MMOs for so long. The less information other players know about us the better.

“Try on the Tuxedo!”

Maico was urging me to put on the costume. I went into my menu and equipped the tuxedo through the system. My clothes glowed blue for a second before they disappeared. The tuxedo replaced them perfectly fitting to my body.

“Ohh! Nice!, you just need swirly eyebrows and a cigarette haha”

I smirked at my brother’s comments but he was right. I did look a lot like that chef except for my skin was a pale light blue and my hair wasn’t blonde.

I looked at the stats bonus of each piece

[Tuxedo Jacket]

All skills +4

Intelligence +20

Agility +20

[Tuxedo Pants]

All Skills +4

Intelligence +20

Agility +20

[Tuxedo Tie]

All skills +2

Intelligence +20

Luck +20

“What? It has luck?”

The tie gave me Luck. In RO luck was extremely rare. The stat bonuses the costume pieces were always random but luck was especially scarce. You could even say you need a lot of luck to get Luck. I was still unsure whether that only applied for manufacturing in MARE. I would eventually find out.

“I tried to get you an Intelligence set to make your magic stronger. But I couldn’t find one that also had mind as the secondary stat bonus. But I found this one with Agility and Luck, so now you’ll have to be a fast mage with a lot of luck Hahaha.”

100 was the absolute maximum luck a player could get. no one was ever able to reach anything close to that limit and most players remained at 10.

Other than stats, this set gives a +10 on all skills. I pulled up my skill menu but unfortunately, my MARE skills remained the same.

My RO skills, on the other hand, are a different story.

[Capture skill][2/30][15/110]

[Summoning skill][0/30][13/110]

[Sword skill][1/30][12/110]

“My MARE skills didn’t go up with the skill bonus”

“I thought as much, it would be too ridiculous if all your skills instantly maxed out.”

That made sense. No matter how you look at it there is a limited amount of skill points you can invest. Gaining +10 points would max out all my MARE skills as soon as I learned them which is absurd.

“Yeah, I guess you're right”

I wanted my unique traits to make me an absolute beast. But I knew I was asking for a bit much.

“Why don’t you use the dolls and see what you get?”

I took out the cat dolls from the bag. I didn’t have enough space for more summons so I got rid of the 2 golems.

[Would you like to use Cat doll?]

[yes/no]

I didn’t think too much on it, whatever cat I get it doesn’t matter since I like cats.

I clicked yes and a cat appeared on the table.

*Meow*

It was a ragdoll! A long-haired cat with white fur and blue eyes. The ears, nose, and tail were an autumn orange color. Its face and back also had a light tint of the autumn orange color, but for the most part, this cat was white.

“Wow!”

My brother was surprised as he was leaning forward from his chair staring closely at the cat, he too, loved cats.

“I love ragdolls! You got a really cute one too, congrats!”

“Thanks”

I have never heard or seen anyone get a ragdoll in RO before. It was even suspected you couldn’t summon one, this was quite surprising. I also had to admit the cat was very majestic looking.

“Have a name in mind?”

I only had to think about it for a second before answering “Yeah, I do”

As soon as I laid eyes on him a name popped in my head.

“Snow”

Its fur made me think of winter and the snow that would submerge my hometown in white as far as the eye could see. It was a very appropriate name.

*Meow*

Snow walked over to me and started to rub his head against my arm.

“Seems like he likes you”

“Yeah haha”

I pet snow's head for a few seconds before pulling out the next cat doll.

[Would you like to use Cat doll?]

[yes/no]

*Meow*

“Oh?”

Maico and I were both a bit surprised by the cat that appeared in front of us.

It was another ragdoll, but this time the colors were a bit different and its fur also seemed to be puffier. Its chest and underbelly, as well as its paws, were white. But its ears were black with some black vertical stripes on his face as well. His entire back all the way up to his tail were different shades of grey. He was a beautiful cat as well.

“Another ragdoll!? I’ve never even heard of anyone having a ragdoll before, you're quite lucky it seems”

‘Luck’. Could it have anything to do with the extra luck I gained from my [Tuxedo Tie]? It was too early to draw conclusions, but it definitely felt that way.

“Do you have a name for this one?”

“Ugh… yeah, I just thought of one”

Why my simple naming sense, I chose the first thing that came to mind.

“Gris”

*Meow*

I couldn’t tell if Gris liked its name or not as he only sat there and meowed.

That was until he took a look at Snow that was currently rubbing his head on my stomach as he sat on my lap.

*Hiss*

Gris’ back made an arc shape and his fur stood on end as he hissed. One glance at Snow and he went into attack mode. Meanwhile, Snow didn’t seem to catch on to Gris’ hostility as he kept purring and rubbing his head on my chest.

“Aww fuck…”

I thought Gris would lunge at Snow at any moment and scratch me in the process.

“Hahaha looks like you are going to have a few problems on your hands hahaha”

Maico couldn’t stop laughing as I could feel the gazes of the people in the cafe fall on us.

“Ah, excuse me, sir, there are no pets allowed in the cafe”

I inadvertently gained the attention of the cafe staff as they informed me of their no pet policy.

“Ahh yes, I’m so sorry I’ll put them away.”

I unsummoned both cats before I got myself in a hairy situation.

“Well, that was close...”

“Haha, I think you’re going to have fun with those two”

With this, I had 2 cats and 5 wolves. I couldn’t wait to see how strong my pets would be in the future.

“That’s all I have for ya at the moment, I’ll keep looking for other items that can be of use”

“Thanks, I appreciate you doing this for me these items are already a tremendous help.”

I half expected to get low-quality items, but what my brother gave me were rare-premium items.

"No problem bro, I'm here to help."

We both got up to say our usual goodbyes.

"By the way, when are you going to reach the Mid-Tier region? That’s when all the fun begins you know. This is pretty much the tutorial, nothing exciting happens in initium.”

“I’ll try to get there as soon as possible, I was just testing out the game but now I'm confident I can keep moving forward.”

“Good! I can’t wait to see you there.”

Right before Maico walked away from me he stopped and turned his head.

“Oh! one more thing. Giovanni says he is also waiting for you at Nova. That’s where we have our shop set up. He says there are a few things he wants to show you.”

In RO Maico was always in the know about the game in a social aspect. He knew exactly who our enemies were. Their alt characters and even when they secretly plotted against us. He had an extensive network of spies and allies. But with the current flood of new RO players, even he wouldn’t be able to keep track of everyone.

But Giovanni was different. He didn’t care too much about that, what he wanted to know was everything having to do with PvP or PK. He was more of a battle maniac, and instead of learning about people he learned more about the game’s mechanics. By understanding the mechanics of a game he is able to stand above all other players.

“Giovanni wants to teach me how to PvP doesn't he?”

“Probably” Maico said as he shrugged his shoulders

“That might be a good idea since I ran into Iano and his goons the other day”

“What?!” Maico stood there with his eyes wide open for a moment as he continued to ask questions. “Where?”

“It was out in the Moorlands, he was with Nosferatu and R4mbo”

“…..”

I could see him clench his fists.

“What did he say?”

“He accused me of hacking when he saw my pets.”

“Ha!... That's the only thing he knows how to say. What a hypocrite.”

It is still the beginning of the game but I know the day we have to face our old enemies is getting closer.

“What do you plan to do?” I asked Maico as he was in thought

“For now, nothing much. I’ll let Giovanni know that Iano is going to be in Nova soon. And when they do make it there, we'll be ready.”

Maico had a big grin on his face as he said those last words.

“Alright, well when you do let me know. I would love to be a part of that. Meanwhile, I’m going to head to the next town”

"Don't worry, you won't miss it"

We stepped outside the cafe and said goodbye once again and we both headed our separate ways.

-----------------

I stepped outside of Anka for the last time, I wouldn’t be coming back anytime soon.

I pulled up the cats’ stats windows as well as my own.

[GhostDKing] lvl 14

[HP- 880] (+5%)

[MP- 450] (+5%)

Strength - 33 (+15)

Dexterity - 37 (+15)

Agility - 79 (+15)(+40)

Intelligence - 161 (+15) (+60)

Mind/Wisdom - 38 (+15)

Constitution/Vitality - 33 (+15)

*Luck - 30 (+20)

Available points: 5

-------------------------

GhostDKing’s Pet [Snow] lvl 1

Strength - 20

Dexterity - 20

Agility - 20

Intelligence - 20

Vitality- 20

----------------

GhostDKing’s Pet [Gris] lvl 1

Strength - 20

Dexterity - 20

Agility - 20

Intelligence - 20

Vitality- 20

----------------

The tuxedo set had a 3/3 piece effect that added +15 to all stats and +5% to HP and MP. My stats had taken a huge leap. I put my extra 5 points into intelligence like usual.

My cats, Snow and Gris also have high lvl 1 stats. Not to mention I also have 5 wolves.

I had an enormous sense of confidence I didn’t feel like I would lose to anyone who was the same level as me.

I walked through the Moorlands as my pets destroyed any monster in my path. I received a few system messages That were mostly about Snow and Gris leveling up. Monster corpses were scattered everywhere I went.

I continued to walk for a few minutes until I finally reached my destination.

This place was my first hunting ground in MARE. I was back at the golems' territory.

“It wouldn’t feel right if I left without meeting you at least once right?”

I began to walk directly to the giant boulder resting at the center. I didn’t even bother throwing rocks or aggroing the small golems and walked right past them. The golems collapsed to the ground before they even managed to rise to their feet. Lo, Bo, Ro, Jo, Luna, and even Snow and Gris were turning the golems into rubble with their sharp claws. I kept my eye on the huge boulder at the center and stopped at a 5m distance.

“.....”

I stood there for a few seconds as my pets demolished any golem that tried to approach me.

“So... are you going to show yourself?”

I began to doubt my intuition. Was this actually a field boss? Or was I just talking to an actual boulder? I started to feel embarrassed at the thought that I have been talking to an ordinary boulder.

“Oh boy… Well, this is kind of awkward... Good thing no one is here to see this”

As I put my hand on the back of my head in shame and was about to walk away, the ground shook.

“Oh!”

I regained my posture and looked at the giant boulder that was lifting itself off the ground. A giant golem appeared in front of me. It appeared to be around 10m tall.

“Wow, you're big”

The golem slowly raised its hand towards the sky and slammed it to the ground where I was standing. I easily evaded the attack and was already behind the golem. Normally I wouldn’t act so carefree but I was confident in my abilities. My agility had more than doubled. The golem appeared to be standing still and I could effortlessly avoid any attack it threw at me.

I still had my short sword which was on the verge of breaking. I stepped back and cast fear. The golem seemed unaffected by the status debuff but I could see the curse damage.

I cast Cursed Arrow. when my magic made contact the impact was so strong that giant chunks of the golem came flying off. I was certain that with 4 or 5 more hits from cursed arrow the golem would fall. But I didn’t come here to defeat it that easily.

I ran in-between its legs and in the blink of an eye, I had covered a 10-meter distance. I got directly underneath the golem as I drew my short sword and slashed at its left leg. I could tell my proficiency with blades increased proportionately to my sword skill. As soon as the sword made contact with the golem the sword shattered to pieces. Like my sword, the golem's leg also shattered as it fell to one knee.

“That should enough”

I stepped away from the golem as I ordered my pets to finish it off.

[You have leveled up]

[Snow has leveled up]

[Gris has leveled up]

[Luna has leveled up].....

I received a myriad of system messages. It seems field bosses are worth quite a bit. I looked for loot that the golem might have dropped. Unfortunately, there were mostly pebbles and rocks. Until I found something that caught my attention.

[Defense up II]

It was a card.

‘Is this an enchantment?’

I did know of cards that could affix a property or some sort of ability onto equipment. Was this it? I put the card in my inventory and continued to search for anything else.

‘ That's everything.’

I don't know how strong a field boss is supposed to be but this was much too easy. I didn’t want to get too self-confident because of what happened with the wolves. But with this, I knew there was nothing more for me in this area.

I began walking north as my pets followed.

My next destination, a city by the name of 'Aethra'.