"You keep talking, and I'll kick you out of the squad." John said, getting a little annoyed.
"No, no, I'll shut up." Aurora jumped a little and made a "zip it" motion with her hand.
But she didn't last three minutes. She couldn't help herself.
Aurora: "John, are you tired? Want to take a break?"
"No. Just shut up." John said with a bad attitude.
"Okay. John, do you want me to distract the werewolves for you? I can run fast."
She spoke again.
John didn't even bother to answer. He focused on the werewolves.
At that point, he could kill a werewolf with two hits. His physical damage had gone up to 366 points.
"Aurora, your damage must have gone up. Do you have some cool ability? Tell me, I swear I won't tell anyone."
Aurora noticed the change in his damage and asked, full of curiosity.
"Don't say that. I just leveled up." John said, already regretting bringing this little girl along.
Aurora made a face. She clearly didn't believe him.
She was experienced. She already guessed that John's high physical damage was from a talent.
Divine Gift was his biggest secret. He wouldn't tell anyone.
This world was way more dangerous than he thought. If his Divine Gift talent was exposed, it would bring a lot of strong players after him.
Even the invading monsters would try to kill players with potential.
"Such a tightwad." Aurora muttered in frustration. She also knew this might be John's biggest secret. She stopped asking.
John didn't respond. He kept killing werewolves.
…
[Beep. You've been online for 8 hours straight. Please take a break.]
At that moment, a message flashed up.
John realized it had already been eight hours.
He checked his level. It had gone up to level 8. All the extra points from leveling up went into Constitution. His HP was now 360, and his physical damage amplification had gone up to 485.
He couldn't one-shot the werewolves yet, but he was close.
He looked at Aurora's level. She was already at level 7. He didn't need three days. He could take her to level 10 tomorrow.
"Aurora, I have something to do. I'll take you up tomorrow." he said.
"Already?" Aurora looked a little sad. "Then we'll log on at 8 a.m. tomorrow."
"No problem. Let's go back to the newbie village." John nodded and headed back.
He could log off in the wild without worrying about danger, but Aurora was too weak. If she logged in and got surrounded by werewolves, she'd be dead for sure.
Plus, he hadn't killed any Karlove Academy players yet.
The two stopped hunting werewolves and went back to the newbie village.
On the way, John only met three groups from Karlove Academy. He felt something was off.
"John, I heard someone is watching you. Every time you log on, the Karlove Academy students avoid you. They only come online after you log off." Aurora explained, seeing his confusion.
Killing Karlove Academy players wasn't a secret anymore. Everyone in the newbie village knew about it.
"Is that so? They're really sneaky!" John sighed. It looked like he'd have to spread out his online time in the future. He couldn't let them have an easy time leveling up.
"Okay, see you tomorrow."
The two returned to the newbie village. John said a quick greeting and logged off. He still had something important to do today.
"Umm..." Aurora sighed softly, her eyes full of sadness. She also logged off.
…
A moment later, John came back to reality. It was already after three in the afternoon.
He stretched his stiff body, had a quick bite to eat, grabbed his login crystal, and left the house.
The threat from Mell this morning was still a problem. He had to take real-world precautions. The only way was to hire a mercenary through the mercenary guild.
Mercenaries were players who had merged their in-game power with real life but couldn't find proper jobs. They joined guilds for extra income.
Hiring a mercenary cost at least 3 gold coins a month, and the job couldn't be too dangerous.
John had just gotten ten gold coins. That was enough to hire one.
He quickly arrived at the only mercenary guild in Karlove: Steel Shield Mercenary Guild.
John pushed the door open. It was quiet inside. A middle-aged man was dozing at the counter.
"Kid, are you here to hire a mercenary or join the guild?" The man woke up, yawned, and asked coldly.
John said, "I'm here to hire a mercenary."
The man pointed to a notice board and said, "Pick one yourself. When you're done, tell me."
John looked at the board. It listed each mercenary's level, class, and hiring price. From the cheapest 3 gold coins a month to the most expensive 100 gold coins a month. Of course, the strength varied a lot.
The cheapest ones were 1st-tier mercenaries under 30 levels.
John didn't care about the mercenary's strength. He just needed someone to watch over him when he was sleeping or not playing. Someone who could warn him if there was danger.
"But they're all in teams." he said, looking at the cheapest one. All of them were groups of three or more. The cheapest option was 9 gold coins a month.
"Boss, is there a single mercenary? I just need one." John said to the middle-aged man.
"No." the man said impatiently. "Mercenaries work in teams. That keeps them safe and lets them take turns resting. They don't fall behind in the game. Minimum is a group of three."
"Boss, my situation is special. I just need them to watch over me when I'm playing or resting. One person is enough. They won't interfere with their own game time." John explained. He really didn't want to spend 9 gold coins.
The man was about to refuse, but then he thought of something and said, "A single mercenary for just watching is possible, but you'll have to talk to her yourself. She's not part of our guild."
The man said, picking up the Telepathic Stone, and said a few words. Then he turned to John and said, "Wait a moment. She'll be here soon."
"Okay, thanks." John said, and sat down in a corner.
Not long after, hoofbeats sounded at the door. The door opened, and a woman in leather armor, carrying a long spear, walked in. She was tall, with a beautiful figure.
"A woman?" John was surprised.
She took off her helmet, and her long, soft black hair fell down. She had a delicate face, a high nose, and bright, clear eyes. Her presence was unmistakably elegant.
"Who's looking for a mercenary?" she asked, her eyes scanning the room before locking onto John.
"Professor Isolde?"
John stood up and greeted her quickly.
He recognized her. She was a teacher in his first year at the academy, and she had been kind to him back then.
But later, he heard that the bald dean had tried to hit on her, and she had beaten him up. After that, she got expelled...
"John, is that you?" Isolde was surprised. "You're looking for a mercenary?"
John nodded, then added, "Teacher, you probably aren't the right fit. I need someone for close protection."
"What do you mean, not the right fit? It's not like you need someone to sleep with." Isolde shot back, annoyed.
John opened his mouth but had nothing to say.
Isolde continued, "I heard about what you did in the game. It was great. Too bad I left the newbie village. Otherwise, I'd have loved to join you in making a mess. Is that why someone is after you?"
Once a player reached level 10, they couldn't return to the newbie village anymore.
John nodded, not hiding anything.
"Hmph, those hypocrites really don't learn." Isolde said angrily. "Don't worry, I'll take the job. I have a danger sensing talent. It lets me feel danger within 100 meters. It even works in the game. And for you, I'll give you a friend's price-two gold coins a month."
John was tempted. Isolde's talent was perfect.
But he hesitated a bit. "Teacher, it's a bit inconvenient. My place is too small. And you know, we're a man and a woman..."
"Enough." Isolde cut him off impatiently. "We're just in an employer-employee relationship. Don't worry so much. Are you scared your girlfriend will get jealous? I'll explain to her. And stop calling me 'teacher,' I was expelled a long time ago."
John sighed and couldn't say much. He said, "Okay, Isolde. Also, I broke up with Anna."
"Really?" Isolde's eyes lit up, and a hint of happiness flashed in them. "Then this is even easier. Let's go check out your place first."