"This is a Rapdom?" I asked the plump monster sitting beside a blue plant that looked like celery but was thrice its real-world size. The [Lvl. 10 Blue Crobel] didn't answer me. It rubbed its tiny palms together while observing me gathering the ingredients needed by Healer Gula for her healing salves. "Twenty stalks of Rapdom," I read the quest information.

Finding the Rapdom plants was easy enough. Expectedly so, given this was a beginner task.

Its location was conveniently marked on the [Tattered Map] that Chief Nogras gave me. Going through the eastern gate of Kurghal Village, I traveled past the Snowy Swinelings area and into the home of the Crobels—little chubby monkeys that came in various colors—to reach this place.

When I first came across the Rapdom plant, it was highlighted by a subtle golden light, indicating that it was the quest item I was looking for. After I picked the first stalk, the golden outline disappeared. It was up to me to find the rest.

This wasn't an actual challenge because my surrounding was littered with Rapdom and other plants tended by Crobels. Apparently, I was stealing the food they were growing.

Standing near the plant triggered a 'Harvest' option to appear. It was similar to the mechanic of collecting stones for my sling. This way, I didn't need to bend down to pull them out of the ground.

[ Obtained: 1 Rapdom Stalk ]

I recalled that Luds was also farming plants, likely for his potions. He was on his way to harvest them when I first encountered his group. And if I wasn't mistaken, he had mentioned that Wharton was farming mushrooms in the tunnels.

Somewhere down the line, I expected that I'd also need to engage in some kind of industry to earn Artas. It'd be extremely inconvenient if realism was implemented and players had to actually till the soil, plant the seeds, and manually harvest the plants.

However, curiosity got the better of me and I wanted to test something. Bending my hind legs first, followed by my front legs, I lowered myself to a sitting position. The Crowbels nearby chattered, showing their agitation at my movements, before scrambling away and hiding.

I bent my heavy upper body down, using one hand on the ground as support to steady myself, and reached for the base of the Rapdom plant. It easily came out of the ground as I pulled it.

[ Obtained: 1 Rapdom Stalk ]

"I'm not sure what I expected to happen," I said as I willed the Rapdom to go into my inventory. It instantly disappeared from my hand.

In a way, it was satisfying to physically do the harvesting as with actually eating and drinking meal buffs, but it also took time. Furthermore, it was cumbersome to gather plants with a Mardukryon body. Perhaps, if I had a human form, I'd be more inclined to do manual labor in Mother Core Online.

Two days had passed since my party emerged victorious over Zoar Elab after a successful implementation of my ultimate-brained Totem Juggling strategy.

We took a break from our training in fighting boss monsters because Megan and Nitana were going away on a planned vacation. Since we didn't have team practice for a few days, Kezo decided he'd focus on farming Artas to support our party—and by our party, he mainly meant me.

I took this time to complete my Contract with Chimichangaroo, gathering two thousand pieces of [Swineling Fur] for the release of two million Artas in payment.

As I had predicted, Chimi didn't commission me for further work—he had no immediate need for any loot I could provide. He was upfront that he preferred [Mirdabon Fur], which I could no longer efficiently farm due to the level gap penalty, because the craftable robe requiring it gave him the most Gli to level his Dreamweaver Ocadule. It'd take some time for him to burn through the supply of [Swineling Fur] I gave him since he'd only use it when he was forced to weave inferior cloaks if ever he’d run out of [Mirdabon Fur].

Chimi did tell me to message him when I'd unlock an area of the tunnels where a certain rock was found that, when processed, would yield special pigments for textile dyeing.

Collecting, farming, mining, and other gathering mechanics weren't affected by the level gap penalty. After all, it didn't involve killing monsters to obtain items. Everything else equal, a level one hundred player and a level one player would find the same rarity of ore in the same area and gather the same amount after mining it. What could influence Mining were skills from certain Ocadules and the Sense attribute.

But even if a player's level wasn't an issue for gathering the pigment Chimi wanted, no one was doing it because they had better and more Artas-efficient things to do with their time. The supply problem that was caused by the lack of new Mardukryon players extended to the raw materials for crafting activities.

If someone did collect the pigment, they'd only gather enough for their own use and not to sell as a business. This was what Chimi and other Weavers had been doing. Essentially, he wanted to Contract me to do an 'undesirable' job, which was how the real world worked, by paying me well, which was not always how the real world worked.

I non-committedly told him I'd think about it--I'd need to first research the Ocadules related to it and my possible profits to see if it was worth my time. Eventually, I'd need to pick a gathering and crafting Ocadule, and I wanted to make the perfect choice for the Great Herald Stone.

Soon enough, I gathered the twenty [Rapdom Stalks] that the quest required. The other ingredient Healer Gula tasked me to find was [Luminescent Borples]—fifteen of them. I couldn't even begin to guess what they were supposed to be from their name. All I knew was that they were found in the tunnels.

I hadn't entered the caverns behind Kurghal Village, only visited the entrance, and was interested to have the chance to explore them. But I didn't head there just yet.

Perusing my quest log for other materials I needed to gather for various NPCs and counterchecking them with the [Tattered Map], I found that I had two more collectibles nearby.

"Six Ice-Veined Fish for the Mardukryon chef," I read. "And ten pieces of Crimson Rock Ore for the blacksmith."

The small pond that was the home of the Ice-Veined Fish was at the furthest edge of the Crobel area. The quarry where the rocks were located was further up ahead from that point, and so I headed to catch some fish.

The Crobels stopped tending their plants as I galloped past them, fearfully looking at me as if suspecting that I'd steal more of their food.

"No need to be wary, little monkeys," I told them, "I'm already satisfied with your involuntary tribute in my honor."

With no further Contracts from Chimi, two paths were before me: continue farming low-level mobs and selling their in-demand loot either at the auction or finding another dedicated buyer like Chimi, or forego the potential income in favor of leveling for the Great Hunt.

To help me decide, I approached Kezodilla with my dilemma.

I wasn't asking for his advice, as he probably assumed. I wanted to see if he was willing to...subsidize—wait, was that the right term? Outright 'pay' sounded like I was begging. Let's go with 'subsidize'.

My preferred option was number two—power-leveling in preparation for the Great Hunt—but I'd only go for it if Kezo would 'subsidize' my lost income. There, that sounded more teamwork-oriented and not like was a one-way mooching scheme. Technically, it was, because I'd still be leveling anyway whether there was a Great Hunt or not.

Of course, I didn't expressly and directly ask for Artas. Herald Stone never begged for anything. People should be honored that they were helping me in my endeavors, for my success was the success of humanity!

I did make sure to recount to Kezo what I'd be foregoing by leveling fast for our party. I also reminded him of the costs of the Ocadule Shards and gear I bought for the Totem Juggling strategy, and the money that he, Megan, and Nitana gave me wasn't enough to cover them. Lastly, I delivered a dramatic spiel about how I could accomplish so much more for our party if my level wasn't low and I had more resources.

Alas, I could only focus on one!

Either I could level up or I could focus on farming low-level mobs for expensive loots. It was impossible to progress in both aspects at once.

Unless...

Kezo, being Mr. Teamwork, with cooperation and unity coursing through his veins, unsurprisingly extended his help. He committed to giving me the amount of Artas I'd have otherwise earned so that I could level up as fast as I could, and that was why he was farming now.

We shook hands on it and I told him, "I'm going to do my best for our party."

Which went without saying as Herald Stone always did his best in everything. I was the best in breathing, digesting food, drinking water, and so much more—no one was challenging my claim to these, and so they stood.

Taking on a serious tact, I did start with my promise by talking to every NPC in Kurghal Village. I channeled Mason's completionist spirit and filled my quest log with every quest I could find. Then I'd aim to complete multiple quests at the same time.

I also consulted Mardukryon guides online about leveling—they were old, but they weren't outdated because there had been little progress on the Mardukryon main lore quest line.

I had read that a Mardukryon player aiming for a support build--hence, would have difficulties killing monsters--could quickly reach level twenty by doing non-combat quests given by village NPCs. Beyond that, it'd get harder as some quests required days to complete or would need several prerequisites. The advice was to level with parties if possible past level twenty.

And thus, my aim, for now, was to finish all the easy quests and then leech from my party mates the rest of the way. The level gap wouldn't come into play if they were killing monsters at my level.

"Let me get this straight," I said to the Mardukryon named Mangi. "I need a fishing rod to catch the fish here?"

The two of us were in the middle of the frozen pond—or lake? Herald Stone was no expert on bodies of water—standing on top of the ice. Mangi was an NPC who was fishing at a hole he broke through the thick layer of ice. I supposed he was supposed to teach me about the basics of fishing.

"That you do, youngling," Mangi replied, waving his own fishing rod that appeared to be carved out of a massive bone. "How else are you going to fish?"

"Can I just buy the one you're using?" I said. "Although that might be too expensive for me. How about I rent it?"

Mangi laughed out loud. "Younglings these days are too eager to try new things without careful preparation. You need to build your foundation first. And for fishing, you need to have a connection with your rod."

"I don't think that's a requirement for fishing. And which rod are we talking about?"

"My first task for you, youngling, is to find the materials to make your own rod."

I sighed. "Sure, if that's needed. What do I need to gather?"

[ Quest: A Simple Fishing Rod ]

To make a suitable rod for fishing, gather five (5) [Golden Willow Bark Strip] for the line and a sturdy [Golden Willow Branch] for the rod.