“I'm back with the bark strips and branch,” I reported to Mangi. Collecting the materials didn't take too long; it was truly an introductory quest. And I didn't mind it even if it seemed too menial. Exploring the icescape of this virtual mountain, plus the nostalgia this sort of quest brought made it enjoyable.

“You're already back, youngling?” Mangi said as he pulled out a wriggling redfish with crystal-like scales from his fishing hole. "That was fast.”

“You should've seen me collect it from a tree less than a minute from here,” I dryly replied, knowing that NPCs only answered within their intended scripts. Only one NPC so far appeared to have the capacity to hold an actual conversation, even breaking the 'fourth wall' so to speak, with a human player—the golden Dalkanus.

“A splendid job! I knew you could do it.”

“Splendid? I'd call it spectacular. Good on you that you never doubted me, Herald Stone, to be able to collect bark from a tree."

[ Quest Completed: A Simple Fishing Rod! ]

[ Increased: Player Level to 14! ]

[ Increased: Molten Corium Level to 2 ]

"Level fourteen already?" I mused. The hundreds of Snowy Swinelings I killed for Chimi powered me through level thirteen and this quest from Mangi pushed me to level up.

Lvl. 2 Molten Corium: Ancestral Flames thread through the skin of Aritu practitioners, granting them (+22% Fire Resistance) and (+6% Fire Resistance Cap). Being of such untold purity, the Ancestral Flames also warp (11% of all incoming non-Fire damage) and convert them to the Fire Element.

The second skill of my Aritu Form Ocadule from Mehubanarath had also leveled up.

It wasn't that much of an improvement, but its small increments at each level would eventually result in huge benefits someday. The part where it converted non-Fire damage into the Fire Element was especially powerful since it was a final reduction of the damage I'd receive, essentially using my massive Fire Resistance to partially protect me from other Elements.

The Mardukryon NPC taught me how to fashion a simple fishing rod from the items I had gathered—that was another quest with Experience and Gli as rewards. Then he set me off to find bait for the line, which was yet another quest.

“Glowing worms? How about a piece of Swineling?” I said, holding up a small slab of meat I took from my inventory. “I have plenty of these we can hold a barbecue party for all the fish in this pond. We could tie this to the end of the line and see if they'll bite."

“The fish you seek only has a taste for the glowing worms," explained Mangi.

"The place where those worms live is near the tree I've been to," I said, examining the [Tattered Map].

"Excellent observation skills, youngling! You've spotted them while collecting the materials for your fishing rod. Off you go."

"You could've told me to also collect them while I was there," I grumbled as I trotted away.

Thankfully, Mangi asked no more of me after I returned with the bait.

He taught me how to fish—I didn't know if this was also how it worked in real life, having no experience in fishing myself—and I finally completed my quest with a bunch of other kinds of fish to spare. I had taken up the request of the Mardukryon chef back at Kurghal Village to collect ingredients for him not only for Experience and Gli but also to establish a connection that I might eventually obtain a Cooking Ocadule. I needed to find a good use for the piles and piles of Swineling meat in my inventory.

Next, I proceeded to collect the Crimson Rock Ore required by the village blacksmith. I hoped I didn't need a pickaxe or some other tool to gather it.

"So...I need a pickaxe to get the ores out of this rock?" I was at a small quarry surrounded by boulders threaded with veins of shining red minerals. Several Mardukryon NPCs were laboring away, chipping at the rocks to collect the ores. They piled the materials they collected high on a cart which they pulled presumably back to the village.

"That you do, youngling," said the NPC, leaning on his pickaxe. It was interesting to see that their tools had handles longer than in real life, compensating for a Mardukryon's height that surpasses a human's. "How else can you extract the ore if you're not equipped for the job? This is an important lesson for you."

"Can I use my spear to get it out?" I tried stabbing at the red minerals with the weapon that Chief Nogras gifted to me.

[ Notice: Use the right equipment to complete this action. ]

[ Notice: Use the right equipment to complete this action. ]

"You don't need to repeat it," I said, waving away the pesky notifications.

"If you don't use the right tool for the job," the NPC lectured me, "you won't be able to finish your task."

"What do I need to make a pickaxe?" I asked with a sigh, already anticipating what he'd ask of me. Quests wasting my time at their finest. "Or can I buy one from the village?"

"Fret not, youngling, for I can lend you one of those." He pointed at a few pickaxes leaning against their cart.

"You will?" I said in surprise. "Bless your digital soul. Herald Stone will not forget your—"

"In return, I have a favor to ask of you—"

"Fuck," I groaned. "I knew it."

"You see, youngling, I am looking for a gift for my sister."

"What the hell? This isn't remotely connected to collecting ores." But then again, that was par for the course for RPG quests.

"She will come of age after the passing of a moon," he continued. "I require a fitting present for the occasion. Can you help me find an ornate necklace that she might fancy?"

"Back to the village, it is," I said, reading the quest that popped up, telling me to ask around the merchant stalls. This was starting to become tedious that I considered finding a place where I could AFK level while I read through my emails. But I decided to stick with it, expecting that the rewards, especially the Experience, would increase the further I progress the quest chains.

[ Quest Completed: Fishing for Ingredients ]

"A job well done, youngling," said the NPC owner of a small restaurant a few houses down the Hunter-Warrior's Lodge. "These fish are as fresh as can be."

"They'll be surely fresh because I kept them in my inventory," I said. "The Swineling meat never spoils in my inventory, so there might be sufficient refrigeration there," I added, pointing out an amusing observation more to myself as the NPC would certainly ignore it.

A sort of stasis storage was more plausible rather than refrigeration. Or it could be that everything placed in a player's inventory was in a time lock. I hadn't come across the in-universe lore explanation for my inventory. I bet it was the sci-fi technology of the Dalkanus. My mind wandered about the mechanics of an inventory as the chef told me he needed more ingredients that he forgot to tell me earlier.

"Will you bring me what I'm looking for?" the NPC asked after enumerating the vegetables I needed to gather. "I need to have them ready before the Hunter-Warriors come for their midday meal."

"This is going to be so much faster," I said, "if you complete everything that you—"

“Herald Stone!” someone called out to me, followed by hooves trotting over. I couldn't quite put a face on the vaguely familiar voice, but the distinct clinking of beads told me who it was.

I turned around to see SpartanDonkey approaching me. Strings of massive beads, each the size of his fist and adorned with glowing runes, wrapped around his bare-chested body. His signature giant scroll was attached to his back, and he carried many regular-sized ones secured with chains and locks by his flanks.

He raised his hand in greeting. "SpartanDonkey of the Expeditionary Legion, at your service," he said, the exact same opening line he used when we first met after Mehubanarath allowed me to enter Kurghal Village. "I hope you haven't forgotten me yet, friend."

Friend? Well, I did add to him my friends' list—reluctantly at that. I was wondering when he'd come around to bother me. "Of course, not," I said. I didn't speak any further, waiting for him to reveal his intentions in talking to me.

Was he going to entice me to become a Contractor for his guild? Or was he going to try to needle information out of me about my quest with Mehubanarath?

"I thought that you might have because you haven't contacted me for help."

"I didn't want to bother you," I said. “I’m sure you’re busy with many other matters.”

"Busy at times, yes. But you know that I'm always happy to help others, especially new players like you," he said, patting my shoulder. "And you know that I want our small community to grow...or stop it from getting smaller." He mournfully shook his head as if the burden of Mardukryon players quitting was on him.

"I'll be sure to ask you if I come across a difficult problem," I evasively responded. I noted his use of the phrase 'you know' as he asserted things about himself. It was a tactic I had seen others use but hadn't personally employed. People should know the Great Herald Stone, so it went without saying.

“How are you finding the village so far?”

I find the village by using the map, I wanted to sarcastically answer. Instead, I replied, "I'm enjoying my experience here. The people are friendly. Actually, I've joined Kezodilla's party, and they've been quite helpful to me so far." I intentionally gave that information as an indirect answer to why I didn't approach him for help.

"I've heard of that," he said. "I'm glad that you found a party, man. Kezo is very reliable and friendly to boot. Megan and Nitana too."

"They did give me a few million Artas and equipment to help me along," I said, subtly hinting at my price if SpartanDonkey wanted something from me. "Yes, my character's growing fast thanks to them."

"For sure, for sure," he said. He paused for a moment, regarding me while probably thinking about what my party had given to me in comparison to the measly fifty thousand Artas he offered to me before. Then he continued, "And I've also heard that you guys are practicing for the Great Hunt. You even brought down the Living Statue if the rumors are true. Pretty impressive for four people to do with no tank." He didn't directly ask me, but it was obvious from his tone that he wanted me to confirm it.

He must've heard that from Luds, I thought. Everything suddenly clicked—I knew what SpartanDonkey wanted from me.

Kezo had told me that he made up a lie about a tank player joining us to defeat Zoar Elab to get Luds off his back. My hunch was that Luds couldn't help himself from poking his nose in our party's business and searched for this mysterious player among the Mardukryon community.

Naturally, he'd come up with nothing. Perhaps unsure if people were hiding that they helped our party or that no one actually did, he came to SpartanDonkey, information central of this mountain, for help.

"Yes, we beat Zoar Elab," I said. SpartanDonkey mentioned that we did it with four people. He could be fishing for information, but I had a feeling he already knew that Kezo lied to Luds.

"If it's fine with you," he said, "can you share with me how you did it without a tank party member? I could give you compensation to make it worth your time."