Watching the world chat buzz with excitement, Kael didn't join in, nor did he immediately set out to hunt Cole.
Beep-beep-beep.
A message came in from his friends list. It was Hazel.
Hazel: That Ashveil guy got a Bounty Writ put on him. Was that you?
Kael kept his reply brief.
Dawnbreaker: Yes.
Hazel: I knew it! You're amazing!
Kael smiled but didn't reply, closing the message window.
Following the dim glow of the village streetlamps, he made his way back to Jack's hut. The couple, unable to sleep after the commotion outside their window, were inside whispering to each other. Kael knocked and entered.
"Dawnbreaker!" they asked in unison. "What happened to the thief?"
Kael gave them a reassuring nod. "He's been caught. I've already handed him over to the guardhouse."
Their faces lit up with relief. "Really? That's wonderful! Who was it?"
"It was the acolyte, Haelan," Kael told them.
"It was him!" Rose gasped. "I knew he was suspicious! The other day when you were fishing, he—"
"Ahem!" Jack cut his wife off with a sharp cough.
Kael sighed inwardly. If they're going to be this paranoid, then I won't feel bad about what I'm about to do.
His expression suddenly turned grave, and he lowered his voice to a conspiratorial whisper. "Haelan confessed. He said he knows you have a priceless treasure in this house. He called it a Lumina Shard. He's already told the Blackwind Brotherhood about it. If he didn't bring it to them, they would send their own people to collect it."
"What?!" Jack and Rose cried out in unison. "The Blackwind Brotherhood?"
Kael nodded, his face grim. "Captain Edward confirmed it. Haelan is one of them."
The name was too much for Rose. Her eyes rolled back in her head, and she fainted dead away.
"Honey! Wake up! What's wrong?" Jack cried, trying to revive her.
After a few frantic moments, Rose's eyes fluttered open. The first thing she did was grab Kael's arm, her grip desperate. "What are we going to do? The bandits from the Blackwind Brotherhood are cold-blooded killers! They murdered the last guard captain! Dawnbreaker, you have to save us!"
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Kael maintained his serious demeanor. "I have an idea, but I'm not sure you'll agree to it."
"Tell us, please!" the couple urged.
Kael delivered the line he had prepared. "Give the Lumina Shard to me. I'll carry it on my person. That way, everyone will know I have it, and the Blackwind Brotherhood will come after me, not you."
They both nodded vigorously. "An excellent plan."
Jack hurried into the bedroom and returned a moment later with a small wooden box. He opened the lid, and the humble cottage was instantly flooded with a brilliant light, as bright as noonday.
Now that's a quality item, Kael thought, impressed.
But with the treasure in his hands, Jack hesitated again. "I was hoping to sell this… to buy a new fishing boat…"
Kael knew what he wanted. He pulled out 10 silver coins and offered them to the fisherman. "Consider this a down payment. I'm buying it from you."
Jack looked at the coins, still reluctant. "This… this is too little…"
A flash of annoyance crossed Kael's face.
He withdrew the coins and made a show of turning away. "Fine, then. Keep your Lumina Shard." He started for the door.
Rose scrambled to block his path. She whirled on her husband, her voice shrill. "All you think about is money! We're about to lose our lives, and you're still thinking about money!"
That finally did it. Jack reluctantly handed the Lumina Shard to Kael. The moment it touched his hand, system notifications appeared.
[System: You have completed the quest [Catch the Thief]. You have received Lumina Shard.]
[System: Lucky Bonus triggered! Your reward has been upgraded to Heart of the Ocean!]
[Lumina Shard]
Illumination Range: 30 yards
...
[Heart of the Ocean]
Illumination Range: 40 yards
Mode Switch: Tidal Glow / Night Vision
Mode Switch Cooldown: 1 hour
The Heart of the Ocean!
Kael was ecstatic. Tidal Glow lit up a 40-yard radius, perfect for group play, while Night Vision granted only the user 40 yards of sight, making it ideal for a solo player like himself. He remembered that in his past life, he had spent a staggering 30 million dollars to buy a Heart of the Ocean. Two years later, when he found a replacement and auctioned it off, it sold for an astronomical 100 million.
Kael said his goodbyes to Jack and Rose and walked out onto the street. The village torches and lamps were more numerous here than in the forest, but the night still felt oppressively dark. He opened his inventory, equipped the Heart of the Ocean in one of his trinket slots, and activated Tidal Glow mode.
His surroundings were instantly bathed in daylight.
Passersby stopped in their tracks, staring in astonishment.
"Holy shit, did that guy swallow a lightbulb?"
"No way, dude. A million lightbulbs wouldn't be that bright."
"Does the general store sell anything besides candles and torches?"
"Nope, I checked every shop in the starting village. There are no other lighting items for sale."
"Look at his ID… it's Dawnbreaker."
"Dawnbreaker? Who's that? Is he famous?"
"You don't know Dawnbreaker? He's the guy who got that legendary weapon from a hidden quest!"
"WTF, for real?"
"Yeah, man, it's true! He's the same guy from the announcement this afternoon who killed 10 people by himself!"
"A 1v10! So that was him too!"
"Of course! I heard he took on a hundred people, killed ten of them like it was nothing, and then just vanished. A true master."
"I was there! I saw it happen! If the others hadn't run away faster, he would've wiped them all!"
Listening to the crowd's stories grow more and more absurd, Kael could only shake his head. Some people would say anything to make themselves sound important. If he'd actually been attacked by a hundred players, he'd have been a corpse in seconds.
Ignoring the growing crowd, Kael walked to the safe zone, sent a quick message to Hazel, and logged off.
