The grass crunched softly under Zack's boots as he approached the lone grey boar grazing near a patch of wildflowers. Its small red nameplate floated above its head.
[Grey Boar – Lv.2 | HP: 70/70].
He opened his inventory, scanning through the list of beginner weapons.
Starter Equipment: Wooden Staff, Iron Dagger, Rusted Sword, Spear, Mace, Small Shield.
Each had modest stats, nothing special. Apparently the official info of game has disclosed only four ranks of gear for now: Common, Uncommon, Rare and Epic.
Uncommon equipment usually came with a minor passive effect that slightly boosted stats, while Rare gear carried an active skill that could be triggered in battle.
Epic items, on the other hand, possessed both—a significant stat buff and a powerful skill.
He let out a small smirk. "Guess they really want you to experiment."
He scrolled to the dagger and equipped it. The moment he did, a faint gleaming passed over his hand, reforming as a small iron dagger, balanced, sharp enough for a beginner.
Weapon Equipped: Iron Dagger (Attack Power: 7–12)
Strength: +3
"Let's test that."
He lunged forward, his movement fluid thanks to the capsule's sensory sync. The dagger flashed and the boar grunted in pain as -18 floated above its head.
Grey Boar HP: 52/70
The boar turned, snorting loudly. Its eyes burned red as it charged, tusks glinting.
He didn't dodge. Instead, he raised his arm slightly, taking the hit intentionally.
[Damage Received: -35 HP]
[Zack HP: 65/100]
He somewhat winced. The sensation felt startlingly real, a muted impact in his abdomen, followed by a lingering ache that mimicked pain without actually hurting him in real life.
"Good hitbox tracking," he muttered, impressed.
He lifted his left hand. A faint golden circle spun around his palm as he whispered, "Heal."
Mana -10
HP Restored: +40
HP: 100/100
A wave of light flowed through his body, soothing the bruised sensation instantly. He blinked, momentarily thrown off by how real the healing felt, warmth spreading through his chest like sunlight.
"Huh. That's… kind of relaxing," he admitted.
He almost believed it was going to be straightforward. Until—
The boar's eyes flashed crimson. It let out a guttural roar, its fur bristling and its body expanding slightly, veins glowing faintly red.
[Grey Boar (Enraged)]
Attack Power +50% for 10 seconds
The air rippled around it, a faint distortion of heat and bloodlust.
Zack blinked. "An enrage mechanic… at level two?"
He tried to move but wasn't fast enough, the boar struck first, it's charge caught him square in the side, sending a shock through his body.
Critical Hit! Damage: -58 HP
HP: 42/100
He stumbled back, teeth gritted as the impact rattled through him.
"Damn…" he whispered, regaining his balance. "Being a priest class feels so fragile."
Losing to a boar. The idea alone made him pause. Rin would never let him forget it.
The endless jabs played through his thoughts before they even happened. Zack exhaled slowly still, his eyes narrowed, not in panic but calculation.
He casted Heal again, restoring +40 HP and rolled aside just in time to dodge another charge. The boar's tusks gouged the ground where he'd stood a heartbeat before.
He continued to maneuver around the creature, striking and dodging, being mindful not to get caught by the boar's rush. He sprinted forward, attacking as its charge animation began to slow down. 19… 17… each number slicing through the boar's HP bar.
Before long, the boar's furious glow began to fade. Its assaults became slower, more awkward and easier to predict. A slight smile crept onto Zack's face as he maintained his steady breathing, "Not difficult unless you stand still."
With one last slash, the dagger pierced through its side.
Grey Boar defeated.
EXP +25
Copper Coins +9
Boar Hide x1 obtained.
The creature dissolved into golden light, breaking apart into fragments that drifted through the air.
Zack straightened, brushing dust off his robes. "So it can still be solo'ed… even by a Priest."
He sheathed the dagger, glancing toward the notification tab—
[Skill Proficiency Increased: Heal +0.2%]
Immortal Conflict's didn't classify skills by rarity. Instead, proficiency determined everything.
Zack opened his status panel. A translucent screen floated in front of him, organized:
Stats:
HP: 100 / 100
MP: 50 / 50
Attack Power: 17–22
Strength: 3
Agility: N/A
Defense: N/A
Equipment: a small grid showing his equipped gear and bonuses.
Now, standing in the field, he glanced toward the forest, where the shadows of monsters shifted between the trees.
A small, confident grin tugged at his lips. Beyond the safety of Gaia stretched the dark frontier of the unexplored map— vast, waiting and entirely unclaimed.
He turned toward the horizon, toward that black, uncharted expanse… and began walking.
The warm light of late afternoon fell across the grassy plains outside Gaia. The field was lively with low-level players, scattered groups hunting grey boars, wolves and monkeys.
Zack glanced at his experience bar.
EXP: 25 / 1000
He frowned slightly, running the numbers in his head. "A thousand EXP… that's roughly forty mobs at twenty-five each."
He quickly came to a conclusion, he needed to level up and acquire new skills.
Skills in the game were divided into Two categories:
General and Class-Specific
For example— a Mage couldn't cast Heal, even though both are magic class, it was exclusive to Priests only. Whereas a priest cannot use mage class specific skills like Meteor Strike etc.
Grinding solo as a Priest, he realized, was clearly inefficient in the early game.
He scanned the surroundings for higher-yield prey or potential party members. That's when he noticed a duo fighting not far away —
A fighter and a mage moving with surprising coordination for beginners.
The fighter, a burly man wielding a large sword — had the username [Obi The Limit-Breaker] floating above his head. His partner, a girl with bright crimson robes and a staff glowing blue, was [Point And Shoot].
They were battling wild monkeys, quick and agile mobs around level 2–3. The mage's spell burst through the air like a streak of light, while Obi's sword cleaved through with heavy strikes.
Zack watched quietly from a distance. Their teamwork was good, not perfect but their coordination got the job done.
He smirked slightly. "A fighter tanking, a mage nuking… and a Priest healing Standard MMO team composition."
He approached slowly. The pair noticed him immediately both turning defensively. Obi shifted his sword to guard stance, while Point and Shoot raised her staff, sparks flickering around it.
"Oh? PKer?" Obi said, half-grinning. "Finally, some thrill?"
"Bring it, then," Point added eagerly.
Zack blinked once. "…"
He hesitated for a moment before finally saying, "I just want to join your party."
Their smiles froze. A few seconds passed before Obi burst into laughter. "Oh. Uh— that's… unexpected."
Point sighed. "We were ready to duel for content."
Zack shrugged lightly. "Sorry to disappoint."
Obi opened the party interface and sent an invite.
[Party Invitation: Obi The Shield-Breaker]
Members: Obi The Shield-Breaker (Fighter), Point and Shoot (Mage)
He accepted.
You joined the party.
Party Leader: Obi The Shield-Breaker
"Name's Obi," the fighter said, sheathing his sword briefly. "And that's Point.
"Zack" he replied simply.
"So, what class are you?" Point asked, glancing at him curiously.
"Priest" he replied.
Point tilted her head, a teasing smile forming, "You plan to heal people… she smirked, eyeing the dagger… or putting that dagger to use?" seeing the dagger in my hands she asked.
"Both" Zack answered, as if it were obvious.
Obi laughed again. "Alright then, let's see what we can do with a priest in our party. We're about to pull a few mobs."
They moved further into the field where three mobs roamed close together — a Wild Boar (Lv.4) and two Monkeys (Lv.3).
"Let's go" Obi said, rushing ahead to draw their attention. The mobs reacted instantly, snarling, screeching, and charging toward him.
The fighter swung his sword, sparks flying as his blade cleaved through a monkey.
Skill Activated: Fast Strike
Damage: 31! 27!
Zack watched the numbers pop up: higher damage than him, about what he'd expected.
Next, the mage raised her staff, a bright rune circle forming before her.
Skill: Magic Arrow
Damage: 39!
The wild boar stumbled back under the magic impact.
Zack nodded to himself. He then noticed Obi taking minor consistent hits. Still, the fighter's health dropped slowly compared to how Zack fared earlier.
"His defense stat's higher than mine" Zack made a note, while casting Heal to support him. A soft golden glow enveloped Obi, restoring his HP.
The fighter grinned mid-swing. "Half strength, half agility," he replied. "Balance between hitting hard and dodging."
The mage laughed. "I went full intelligence. Damage over everything!"
"Classic glass cannon" Zack commented.
"Hey! I can dodge too!"
"Sure" Obi teased. "You dodged that monkey's rock with your face earlier."
Point glared at him. Zack only smiled in return. The wind rustled through the grass and faint cries of monsters echoed from the woods.
The three continued fighting, the rhythm forming naturally with Obi drawing aggro, Point blasting from the back, Zack supporting them with his Heal skill.
Within minutes, the ground was littered with fading golden light as defeated mobs dissolved.
EXP gained: +150
Current EXP: 175 / 1000
It wasn't huge… but even so, it was miles ahead of grinding alone.