Time passed quickly as Lokan locked himself in the training grounds, relentlessly beating the scarecrow. One day, two days, three days, four days… … Ten days flew by in an instant.
'Time flies.'
Not only had the strategy for 'Take Care of the Squirrels!' become widely known, but players who had already reached level 10 and escaped Pocket City began to appear. Thanks to growing word-of-mouth, the number of new users increased. However, because the game company designed Pocket City as separate instanced zones—like channels—there were no issues with overcrowding or player-killing.
Pocket City itself functioned like an instanced dungeon; players weren't gathered in one shared space but in separate, parallel instances. Therefore, even those who started together often couldn't meet within Pocket City. Each individual had to overcome its challenges alone to move on to the main continent.
Still, a few players gained renown across all Pocket City instances: those who showed incredible adaptability from the start and raced ahead, and one person who had remained stationary for a full ten days.
It was Lokan.
Except for a handful of late-starting players with no information who got stuck, Lokan was the only one still beating the scarecrow in the now nearly deserted training grounds. People looked at him, mocked him, and pointed fingers, but he never stopped. Even when someone complained directly, he ignored them. After all, causing a disturbance in this safe zone would result in being dragged away by the guards.
During this time, his base stats increased steadily and evenly.
[Strength has been increased by 1.]
[Strength, Dexterity, Stamina, and Vitality have reached their maximum possible increase at this training ground. You can no longer increase your stats here.]
[Unbelievable achievement! We applaud your efforts in persistently tormenting the Scarecrow without knowing how to give up.]
[You have acquired the title 'Indomitable Perseverance'.]
[Awesome achievement! It is no exaggeration to call you the village champion, who can easily break a scarecrow in under a minute.]
[Acquired the title 'Neighborhood Strongman']
[Indomitable Perseverance] [Unique]
You, who overcome the impossible through sheer hard work! Your challenges are endless.
[Hold Effect]
Experience required to level up is reduced by 10%.
[Neighborhood Strongman] [Rare]
You easily break scarecrows, cementing your reputation as the strongest in the village.
[Hold Effect]
Strength +5
Finally, he had maxed out the stats achievable at the basic training ground. It wasn't as blissful as one might think; he was still only Level 5, having gained no experience from the scarecrows, but he could now destroy one in under a minute. Others assumed he had leveled up from the training, but Lokan had not allocated any of his earned stat points. Investing those points would have made it harder to raise the corresponding base stats further through training.
Thanks to this discipline, Lokan finally acquired the title he was aiming for. While it didn't have a "First" bonus, its effect was tremendous. The 'Indomitable Perseverance' title reduced the experience required to level up by a whopping 10%. In his previous life, players who obtained this title much later stood out significantly, causing a brief "training ground syndrome" years after The Lord's release. That player had been buried at a middling level because he started too late to turn pro, but Lokan had admired his rapid growth and similar fighting style, and they had occasionally partied together. It was from him that Lokan had learned this secret—just before the man quit the game, nagged into retirement by his wife.
But there was still one more secret to leverage.
"I want to use the advanced training ground."
Now that he had gained all he could from the basic grounds, Lokan presented the Advanced Training Ground Ticket to the NPC who had been constantly watching him. Without this ticket from the unknown box, he would have had to spend three more days beating scarecrows and then complete a series of quests to gain access. The ticket saved him significant effort.
"Follow me."
The NPC seemed bewildered by Lokan's sudden production of the ticket but soon regained his composure and led him to a hidden, secret training ground as programmed.
"Now that you have this, you know the rules. Once you leave here, your access is finished."
A brief cutscene played, showing his character boarding a merchant's wagon and leaving Pocket City. With that, he said goodbye to the starter zone and embarked on the true beginning of the main game.