Chapter 2 – The Hunter
Current Stats
Level 12
Kae Loredom
Foxian Trainee
HP: 247/247
MP: 68/68
STR: 25
INT: 17
DEX: 9
VIT: 7
LUK: 6
NEXT LEVEL 2260/17553
Weapon - Short sword STR+3 [Slime Core], [].
Helmet – Egg shell VIT+1
-
I've killed King Blue quite a few times. His mobs aren't giving me nearly enough EXP to level anymore. Usually, the normal player would be out of Onyx Forest by at most level 7. Being level 12, one could see how the struggle began. But thanks to my constant killing of King Blue, I've earned lots of a certain item that's low level but strong for my current level as well.
"You horrible Foxian beast!"
"Shut up already."
I poke him again with my short sword, causing him to explode in a blaze of blue slime glory. Being [Sentient] went from annoying to just plain funny. I'm sure the goddess given up on him a long time ago as she hasn't appeared since we made our declaration to kill one another.
"What the?!"
There was a bright shine in the middle of the loot. When I gazed over to it, an icon popped up and my heart nearly leaped from my throat.
[Blue King's Core]
"Fallen Angel Core drops do exist!"
I reached for it, but an eagle swooped in and took it in its mouth. It soared through the sky. At the top of the tree, the eagle perched on a girl's arm. She had short black-haired wearing the second ascension Hunter's outfit.
"I can't believe I got one!"
The looting hunter held the [Blue King's Core] in her hands, admiring my hard work. She had green gloves, a jacket that stopped short at her stomach and short brown pants and boots.
I always liked the female hunter aesthetic but that was the last thing on my mind. I felt cheated as I approached her.
Level 36
Layla Valmort
Hunter (Ascension 2)
HP: 1265/1265
MP: 156/176
STR: 9
INT: 20
DEX: 40
VIT: 14
LUK: 30
"Oh, this is nice! It's about time I get one! I should equip it right now! Maybe on my helmet?"
Layla danced on the branches above. I'm sure on her screen she was just spinning her character but being part of this world, she was super lively as I approached.
"Hey, that's looting! Clearly that was my core! I can report you for that!"
I called out the thief, but she rubbed her nose and pushed out her tongue to me.
"I've been farming that guy for weeks! I deserve it."
"But you weren't here when I stepped in and worked my butt off! Just because it dropped while you were sleeping, doesn't mean you can steal it from others!"
The Hunter jumped off the branch and landed in front of me. That cocky smile only made my tail whoosh back and forth with irritation. She circled around me, teasing me with that core I worked so hard for.
"Level 12? Hm, you wanna pvp for it, newbie?"
The hunter grinned, trying to intimidate me. She sounded like a school bully, but I wasn't going to be pushed around.
"Sure, I'll beat you for it."
No hesitation, I selected her, agreeing to a pvp duel. Even with my level 1 weapon and egg shell headgear, I was confident in my ability to beat this looter.
"Wow, you think you can win again someone over double your level? You really are a novice at this game."
She agreed and I jumped back, avoiding her [Rapid Arrows] strike. A single target skill that all low-ranked Hunters spammed in pvp.
I haven't messed with my skill tree much yet. Nor did I have any skills that could attack from afar either. But I was still confident I was going to win this match. I mean, I had to. If I was killed here, I wouldn't respawn like Layla could, being a normal player in the game.
[Falcon Raid]
That annoying bird dived at me, stopping me in place. A daze skill that helped Hunters keep their target in place.
[Rapid Arrows]
A hail of arrows nearly hit me, but I broke out from the daze and dodged. Another annoyingly effective combo for Hunters to use. But thankfully, I've dealt with my fair share of better players in pvp to dodge it successfully.
"Oh, that was close."
I murmured.
"You sure you don't want to give up? You lose EXP and I'll be able to loot you if you die!"
Layla taunted while shooting arrows my way.
I opened my inventory and hot buttoned the item I got from my grinds. Killing Blue King over 30 times gave me an advantage. There was an over 98% drop item called [Ice Spear Spell Scroll]. Sometimes, he'd drop more than one of per fight too.
It basically cast that spell without having the ability to do it myself. Having over 45 of them in my inventory by now, that would be my trump card.
[Ice Spear Spell Scroll]
The spell instantly cast on the hunter, dealing a flat -200HP per pop.
"Huh?"
I spammed the spell rapidly until the hunter laid on the ground, defeated. The best thing about scrolls in this game, it didn't matter what your INT or DEX was, the scroll itself was an instant cast and dealt a flat rate damage.
Level 36
Layla Valmort
Hunter (Ascension 2)
HP: 0 /1265
MP: 56/176
Hunter's had inherently low HP and their magic defense wasn't great either. Mages were very effective against them. So, knowing I had so many magic attacks on me, yeah, it was going to be an easy match regardless of our level difference.
"I'll take this back!"
I robbed her of the core she stole from me.
Kae won [Blue King's Core] from Layla.
"How did you win?"
She protested, still in her defeated state.
"Because I know how to play the game. That's how."
I also took her helmet as another gift. It didn't have anything good on it and was super mediocre, but the number of core slots was the max, 4. It would be good for a buffer of junk cores that I could play around with.
Kae won [Wooden Helmet [][][][] ] from Layla.
I equipped it, gaining VIT+4. I could put some cheap stat cores on this helmet for the boost until I get something better.
Kae Loredom
HP: 290/290
VIT: 16
"Come on, stop taking things from me!"
Layla whined.
"You made the mistake of dueling me. I'm just taking what's rightfully mine and extra for my troubles."
There were other things I could have grabbed but I spared her and let her come back alive with 1HP. It was time to leave Onyx Forest. It was fun doing what the novices used to do but I have to get going if I want to kill the goddess.
"You should learn your lesson. That's bannable if you steal someone else's loot like that. And it's just mean to other players."
I crossed my arms and shook my head like a disappointed mother to her child.
"We shouldn't be mean to each other like that. It makes the game less fun. I hope you learned your lesson, Layla."
With a wave to the defeated hunter, I tried to walk away.
"Hold up! Are you a vet player on a new account?"
Layla ran up to me as she shoved potions in her mouth, healing herself to max.
"Huh? Well, something like that. My old account got hacked by an unruly goddess, Rexia, and I'm trying to murder her and become a god."
She looked at me as if I had twelve heads and no tail. It made me hold my tail tight. I even showed it to her to make sure she saw how fluffy it was.
"What a strange back story for your character. You're weird, Kae."
My ear twitched and I gave it a scratch. Yet another tick brought on from being a foxian.
"I'm not weird, I'm telling the truth. You're weird if you don't believe me."
Again, I trekked my way through the forest and Layla hovered around me.
"I just started playing this game a few weeks ago. Sorry about being a jerk! Ah, you want to be friends? I don't have any yet…"
Just a minute ago she was trying to steal my stuff. But thinking about it more, she is fairly new to the game. So, I put that aside, I would be no better if I was mean to her.
"No worries, I forgive you, Layla. And sure, let's be friends then."
I reached out my hand and Layla did the same. Our hands connected and with a shake, the friendship animation was complete.
Kae became friends with Layla.
A short jingle played. One I probably haven't heard for a year or more.
Layla did seem very green to the game. And I was a vet, not a jerk. It wouldn't hurt to have more people on my journey to kill Rexia too. I wasn't sure if I could even switch into different accounts yet.
"Ah, now that I think about it, do you have a merchant account, Layla?"
I might have been more crippled than I initially thought. Making different classes was a huge must for Keostar Online. Especially having a merchant to make money with.
"I do have a trader character. But he's super weak and I only use him for shop set up."
In order to sell to other players, one needs a merchant character to set up a shop with. Thankfully, you don't need to keep the game playing for that merchant to sell things. It's easy to just set up and let things sell but after 48 hours, the shop will end, and you'll have to reset it up.
Being stuck as this one character though, I won't be able to set up shop unless I become a merchant and sit there, doing nothing for 48 hours.
Rexia is more wicked than I thought!
"Due to circumstances of being trapped in Keostar, I won't be able to select another character and set up shop."
I groaned, just realizing how limited I was with being stuck in Kae's foxian body.
"How about we both sell the BK core, and you get 20% of the sell? And I'll mentor you on how to build your hunter too, Layla?"
I suggested.
"Well, it was your BK core in the end. I guess it's better than you reporting me for trying to steal the dang thing anyway. I still get cash from it too."
Layla ruffled her short black hair. She looked a tad embarrassed by the entire thing.
"I don't get your situation, but I can use my merchant for both of us. And yeah, that would be cool if you can help me build my hunter too."
She paused for a minute then looked back at me.
"How can you trust me that I won't just take the core though on my other account?"
I shrugged.
"I can't. I have to put my faith in you and others if I want to accomplish my goal to kill Rexia. So please, don't betray my trust. I would be sad."
I cradled my tail in my arms. Probably this was a new soothing gesture I've developed by being a foxian. As it whooshed around in my arms, Layla rubbed the back of her head again. That might have been her tick as a human.
Humans are weird in this game.
"You really are a weirdo, hehe. But I won't steal it, I promise. I have a lot to learn about this game, being beat by a level 12 novice character is embarrassing."
We both laughed. This was refreshing. Thinking about my last year on Keostar Online, I didn't speak much to people around the server.
"Hey Kae, how much does a [Blue King's Core] go for on the market?"
Layla asked a good question as we made our way out of the Onyx Forest together.
The [Blue King's Core] would sell for around 16 million gold. We could probably up charge it to 19 million though because it's a good core for pvp guild wars against mages and witches.
"I say, 19 million gold."
Layla lunged back. It actually wasn't as much as she thought though. Most powerful gear on this game go for well over 400 million.
"We're going to be rich!"
Layla jumped around and so did I. I figured I join into her excitement. For new players like us, we might as well be rich.
"So, how long have you been playing Keostar Online, Kae?"
"For ten years, pretty much every day since the servers came up."
"Really?! Yeah, this game came up ten years ago. So, you were a day one player?"
I nodded.
"Yep. And I've lost it all. But strangely, I don't feel too bad about it."
The last year of this game wasn't much fun. Maybe that's why I don't feel as bad about not having it anymore?
"Ten years of hard work? I would kill myself if I lost that account."
Layla sighed and scratched her cheek.
"I can't kill myself. If I do, I really die."
Again, Layla looked at me like I was some strange creature caressing her tail like it was a fat cat.
"You really like to roleplay in this game. I guess I'm being rude in breaking your RP, aren't I?"
I shrugged as we continued on, getting closer to the major city of the game.
It would be a hassle to explain what happened. I actually don't know how I got trapped within this game or what Rexia did to put me here. But I wasn't going to dwell on it either. After ten years, I never played a foxian so, at least this challenge will be new and dare I say fun.
"Restoria, the swordsman city, should be coming up. The entry is the best place to sell goods since pretty much everyone and their father has to pass through."
I explained even though I'm sure Layla knew that by this point in her gameplay. But the vet in me wanted to guide her.
There were players all around, chatting, trading, buying, selling. It was a castle town with a few main guilds. Restoria was always one of my favorite cities to just relax in when I first started playing.
"Okay, I'll go log into my trader. I'll be right back."
Layla warped away.
It was strange seeing it from this point of view. Actually, seeing everything from the point of view as a regular person was bizarre. There was no screen in front of me.
The world looked as realistic as if I was walking around in the real world. But I've known Keostar so well, it felt right to see things this way.
As if Keostar was always a real world for me to enter and explore. Maybe I've always been keeping my distance from this game too?
I looked up at the sky to see the beautiful clouds roll across the world above. Getting away from the bustle of the city for a moment, I stepped back outside.
The grassland, trees, lakes and flowers were so vibrant, I held the urge to roll around in them. The corner of my lips curled and a sensation I long though I've forgotten until recently warmed my chest.
"I'll roll around in the grass later. Yeah, I really want to roll in the grass."
I promised myself.
If I was going to be trapped here, I might as well enjoy everything it could offer. Satisfied, I made my way back into Restoria.
"Hm, I wonder if Rexia had ever played this death game with other players before. And why did she choose me?"
I pondered while walking in place, making sure I get that AGI up eventually.
This game had grandfathered stats, small things that you can do to make your stats build up past the limit. Walking so much will eventually raise my AGI by 1 point. So, walking in place, as strange as it looked, would eventually give me a point. To keep grinding, even while not grinding, I was going to do it!
"I'm back, Kae!"
Level 13
Sheen Belkon
Trader (Ascension 1)
HP: 786/786
MP: 56/56
STR: 23
INT: 3
DEX: 6
VIT: 32
LUK: 15
A male merchant approached me. He had short blue hair and a very baggy white shirt and brown pants. The staple looks for a low-class merchant, the trader role. I assumed it was Layla. Sheen sat down in the crowd of merchants and set up shop.
"Okay, make sure you set up the shop to 48 hours. For the hash tags, do, [KB, 19mil, FS]."
I suggested. Sheen looked at me at tad confused.
"King Blue, 19mil, flash sell."
I added.
"Why flash sell???"
"You see, players can't see the time limit that a merchant's shop is about to stop. It was a feature they planned to add but the developers got lazy…"
It still irked me when I saw that update way back in version 1.1. I was excited to see a time limit on the merchant screen because sometimes I'd be shopping and then a player merchant just up and close because their 48-hour limit was up.
["Anyway Sheen, FS gives it a sense of FOMO, fear of missing out. Maybe you set it to 48 hours? Maybe you set it to 2 hours? Players don't know and won't chance it and just buy what you're selling.]
I explained in private messaging, trying to avoid other players calling me a scumbag. But even if I was a scumbag, I was a good player.
"I see, I see."
Sheen did as I told him and set up the shop just how I said.
"Here, have the BK core and these as well for extra money you can get."
I gave her the rest of my [Ice Spear Spell Scroll.] I wasn't going to use them anymore.
"Sell them at 3000G. You can have the extra money too."
"Cool. Thanks for helping me, Kae. It means a lot."
The merchant shop popped up and I checked it. Everything looked good. The bait was set.
"Alright, click [Sell away from game] and log back in Layla. I'll see you back here."
Sheen did just that. His merchant grayed out, signaling the game system taking over the shop and Layla appeared on her hunter.
Layla has logged in.
"As we wait for that to sell, have you completed the swordsman quest, Layla?"
"No, I'm a hunter, Kae."
"Well, you can still do the entire quest, receive the badge, but not become a swordsman. It has good items inside and gives you a piece with four core slots that's great for beginners."
I clarified, with a finger in the air.
"If you have time today, Layla, could you help me complete it?"
"Do you plan to become a swordsman, Kae?"
"Maybe? Becoming a grand swordsman could be the right way to kill Rexia. But I wish to open up all my class options and decide which class is best to kill a god with."
Layla giggled.
"I like you, Kae. You're just too fun. Sure, I'll RP with you. Let's kill Rexia together then!"
"Really? Hm, maybe it will take more than just me to kill a goddess."
The thought of making a group again warmed my chest. That or my warm fluffy tail did as I squeezed it. Either way, I was smiling.
"Yeah. Don't worry, I'll shoot an arrow right through Rexia's heart for you!"
Layla put her fist in the air with a cheer.
"It will get dangerous from here on out, Layla. But don't worry, you can respawn if you die. I'm the only one who is in any grave danger."
I promised and she laughed. Layla reached out her hand again to me. In the crowd of Restoria, we shook hands as I successfully recruited my first friend to my goddess murdering team.