'I did it.'
The duel with the Orc Fighter. The seemingly impossible task was finally accomplished by Lokan.
Had he not obtained the Orc Battle-Axe from the duel with the Orc Warrior, or if Berserk had been just a few seconds shorter, it would have been Lokan who fell. But in the end, he was the one left standing.
'If you win, you're the best.'
The red tint faded from Lokan's eyes as a white glow enveloped him, the power of leveling up restoring his health, mana, and cleansing all status ailments. However, it did not erase the impending aftereffects of Berserk. He staggered from the sudden wave of weakness, but no one looked down on him or attacked. He had proven his worth as a warrior.
[Impossible Achievement! You defeated an Orc Fighter at Level 1 alone. Your deed will be remembered as a legend.]
[You have acquired the title 'Caught an Orc Fighter at Level 1'.]
[You are the first to acquire this title.]
[Awesome achievement! You have proved your honor to the orc warriors.]
[The title 'Honorary Orc Warrior' has been acquired.]
[You are the first to acquire this title.]
[The 'Warrior's Honor' quest has been completed.]
[Title and experience will be paid in bulk.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up.]
[You have leveled up… … .]
[First][Caught an Orc Fighter at Level 1][Legend]
You hunted an Orc Fighter alone at Level 1.
You are the first to win this title.
[Hold Effect]
- Strength +30
– Stamina +30
- Vitality +20
– 30% increase in attack power when fighting an opponent stronger than yourself.
- Increases critical strike chance by 10% when fighting an opponent stronger than you.
[First] [Honorary Orc Warrior] [Rare]
You have proven your honor to the orc warriors, and you deserve their respect.
You are the first to win this title.
[Hold Effect]
– The faction penalty is lifted only for the Cton Orc Camp.
- Cton Orc Camp's reputation has been changed to [Trust].
– You can no longer acquire experience points by hunting orcs belonging to the Cton Orc Camp.
– All orc NPCs will not initiate attacks.
Another Legendary-level title! And even a Rare-level title he never anticipated!
'What…'
Lokan clenched his fists in victory, then his excitement turned to panic. The Rare-level title, 'Honorary Orc Warrior', was problematic. The clause stating he could no longer gain EXP from hunting orcs drastically altered his plans, as he had intended to use the Orc Camp as his main hunting ground.
"It's great to get a Legendary title, but this is… … ."
In exchange for a [Trust] relationship with the orcs—normally impossible due to racial factions—he was barred from farming them for experience. He had to abandon his plan of dueling orc warriors one by one.
"I can't help it."
It was regrettable, but unavoidable. There were other ways to level up. Lokan accepted this fact and immediately began brainstorming how to leverage this new title.
'Wait, could that be possible now?'
An idea sparked in his mind, based on knowledge only he currently possessed in *The Lord*. It seemed like a very interesting opportunity.
"Chwiik, may the spirit of the warrior be with you."
The Orc Warriors' farewells snapped Lokan from his thoughts. Even after killing their chieftain, their attitude toward him remained respectful.
"May the soul of the warrior be with you."
Lokan returned the formal greeting. Some might ridicule this as role-playing, but Lokan knew better. It was difficult to succeed in *The Lord* by treating it as just a game. One had to think of it as another reality and act accordingly to unlock its deeper truths. Those who dismissed NPCs often struggled to reach the top.
As soon as the Berserk aftereffects subsided, Lokan left the Orc Camp. He had new ideas, but with his plan revised, there were preparations to make. He needed to level up a bit more and secure certain things before it was too late.
* * *
After returning to Cton, Lokan checked his status window first.
"Wow, impressive."
[Race] Human [Gender] Male
[Level] 19 [Class] Berserker
[Owned Titles] Natural Fighter, Natural Fighter (First), Descendant of David, One in Seventeen, Nothing is Impossible!, Caught an Orc Fighter at Level 1, Honorary Orc Warrior
[Health] 1,110/1,110 [Mana] 150/150
[Hunger] 0 [Thirst] 0 [Status] Normal
[Strength] 162 [Agility] 63 [Stamina] 141
[Vitality] 116 [Intellect] 15 [Wisdom] 12
[Weight/Total Weight] 89/300
[Availability] 90
Lokan had jumped 18 levels from defeating the Orc Fighter. If he had stayed and killed all the Orc Warriors, reaching level 30 would have been easy. The thought made him nauseous with regret, but it was unavoidable.
'Well, one or two battles like this are enough.'
In fact, this was more than enough. This was *The Lord*, infamous for its grueling leveling curve. While it was difficult because players weren't accustomed to fighting monsters at their own level, the fact that reaching level 30 was considered a significant achievement made Lokan's leap to level 19 in a single fight astonishing. But Lokan wasn't overly impressed. For him, early levels were something he could achieve anytime. Sticking to his planned sequence was more important.
"Let's see, I'm level 19 now… … That was close."
The quest he intended to undertake immediately after getting the 'Caught an Orc Warrior at Level 1' title had a level restriction: it had to be under level 20. He had almost missed his chance by challenging the Orc Fighter, but fortunately, he hadn't exceeded the limit. Relieved, Lokan went to a guard post in the city and accepted a quest.
[Sewage Cleaning][Quest]
Recently, the sewers of Cton have been infested with rats. Hunt the sewer rats and bring back their tails as proof for a reward.
– Time limit: None
- Success condition: Obtain Sewer Rat Tails!
- Reward: 2 Copper per Sewer Rat Tail
'The reward is a joke.'
The compensation was absurd, and Sewer Rats were not weak. Their large incisors were sharp enough to kill players up to level 5, and the sewers were infested with groups of twenty or more. The thought of twenty low-level monsters swarming was daunting; even if each dealt only 1 damage, that was 20 HP gone instantly. The problem was they attacked repeatedly and dealt more than 1 damage. Even players over level 10 could meet their end here.
'Few can handle the Contaminated Rats now.'
Moreover, the Contaminated Rats found deeper in the sewers were notorious for inflicting poison damage. For good reason, the recommended level for the Cton Sewers was 15+. The stench was so foul that without paying for an 'Equipment Wash', it would linger for days. Considering the meager reward, the quest was famously considered a developer's trap, attempted only by the curious at the very beginning.
Lokan accepted this quest for one simple reason: it was the key to triggering a crucial scenario quest later. While not strictly mandatory, skipping it meant completing ten other tedious and painful quests to reach the same point.
'But the smell… … No, I can't help it.'
There were also other secret reasons known only to him. Resigned, Lokan prepared to enter.
"Alright, let's go."
Entry into the Cton Sewers had two conditions: accepting the Sewage Cleaning quest and being level 20 or lower. Exceeding level 20 barred entry, even if the quest was already accepted. Therefore, Lokan had to prepare everything beforehand.
First, he sold the miscellaneous loot ('japtem') from the Orc Warrior and Orc Fighter: the Orc Battle-Axe and a pair of normal-grade boots from the Fighter.
'I wish the Orc Fighter had dropped something better… … .'
He could have worn the boots, but due to the level limit, their defense and stats were halved. He wore them solely to protect against the sewer filth. The sale netted him a substantial sum.
[Retained Amount: 5 Silver 23 Copper]
With this, he could have paid off his debts quickly, but now was the time for investment.
'It's better to get a secondary job in advance.'
Lokan went to a butcher shop, bought a slaughtering knife for 10 Copper, and learned the secondary job 'Butcher'. The Butcher skill, 'Slaughter', allowed him to harvest hides and by-products from beast-type monsters. While not highly profitable early on, it provided useful materials and extra income. Lokan chose Butcher as one of the three secondary jobs he could learn.
'It's a loss not to get things like Troll's Blood or Wyvern Skin later.'
Production jobs like Blacksmith and Bow Craft required being a main class, but gathering skills like Butcher could be secondary jobs. He filled another secondary slot with 'First Aid'. This skill restored HP using 'Bandage' items. It was difficult to use in combat but essential as a cheap alternative to potions during rest.
'It's not a well-known secondary job yet.'
This was due to two major problems: the difficulty of supplying bandages and their insignificant healing amount. But Lokan knew the solutions. He bought fabric and scissors from a clothier. By using the scissors on the fabric, he could mass-produce bandages—about fifty per fabric—making them very cost-effective. The healing amount would improve with proficiency. For a boost, bandages could be soaked in potions beforehand; while it seemed wasteful, one potion could soak many bandages, making it efficient. At higher proficiency, First Aid could even cure some poisons.
[Holding amount: 3 Copper]
"Whew, shall we go now?"
Lokan, having spent almost all his money on supplies and bandages, steeled his nerves and entered the Cton Sewers. His stats were now high enough that a Sewer Rat's teeth might not even pierce his skin. But overcoming the dreadful smell required immense determination.