With a plan in place, the cloud of anxiety over Kael lifted. When his food arrived, he devoured the entire two-person portion, cleaning every plate.
At 8 AM the next morning, the third day since the game's launch, Kael finished a quick breakfast and logged back in. The population of Stonehaven had noticeably swelled. The safe zone was a cacophony of commerce.
"WTB Hedgehog Quills, 10 Silver a stack!"
"Buying all Porcupine Hides, 2 Silver each!"
"Looking for level 10-13 caster staves or schematics!"
While mobs around Stonehaven didn't drop gear, many local NPCs offered quests that rewarded crafting blueprints. As a result, players with tradeskills like tailoring and blacksmithing were desperate for raw materials. But since very few players could actually survive in the surrounding zones, the materials were exceedingly rare and expensive.
After more than ten hours of grinding, Kael’s inventory was completely stuffed with these very resources, but he hadn't had a moment to spare to sell them. He could vendor them to an NPC, of course, but that would mean accepting a price three or four times lower than what players were willing to pay.
Just then, a flash of white light appeared beside him as a lanky player logged in. When Kael saw the player’s ID, his eyes widened in pleasant surprise. He immediately walked over.
"Hey, Elon!"
The player, whose handle was BuysPlanets4Fun, was taken aback. He'd just logged in and someone was already greeting him by name. He looked Kael over, noting the hidden ID, and was sure he'd never met the man.
"Have you heard my story?" Elon asked, a little confused.
Kael grinned. "Your name tells a story in itself."
Hearing praise for his chosen handle, Elon's face lit up with an infectious enthusiasm. "You know about the visionary from half a century ago? He's my idol! My goal," he declared, puffing out his chest, "is to build the ultimate player marketplace. To make trade frictionless for everyone!"
Kael nodded. The scrawny kid in front of him looked comical, but Kael knew that in ten years, he would actually achieve that monumental goal.
"I have a large batch of materials to sell, but I don't have the time," Kael said, getting to the point. "How about you sell them for me?"
Elon lifted his chin, affecting an air of professional pride. "That depends on the quality of your goods. I don't deal in junk."
Kael didn't waste words. He opened a trade window and dumped the entire haul from the previous day into it.
Elon casually glanced at the contents, and his eyes grew wider with each passing second.
"So many stacks of hedgehog quills... not bad."
"Whoa, you have porcupine hides too? And they're all quality 5 or higher?"
"Holy crap, where did you get this many Fox Tails?!"
Staring at nearly a hundred stacks of high-quality materials, Elon was rendered speechless. "Uh, boss," he stammered, "I can't afford the security deposit for all this."
Typically, consigning goods to a merchant required a 20% collateral payment. Kael's haul would sell for at least forty or fifty Gold, meaning Elon would have to front a minimum of eight Gold coins. He'd busted his ass all day yesterday just to make one. Where was he supposed to get eight?
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Kael shook his head. "No deposit needed. I trust you. Pay me after you sell everything. Take a 20% commission for your trouble."
With that, Kael hit ‘confirm.’
Elon was stunned. Did I just get scouted by a whale?
"Shouldn't we... draw up a contract or something?" he asked weakly.
Kael waved a hand dismissively. "No need. I'm busy. We'll be working together again in the future."
He sent a friend request and walked away, leaving Elon staring blankly at the mountain of new inventory. When the friend request popped up, his jaw dropped.
[Dawnbreaker has sent you a friend request.]
"Oh. My. God. It's him."
The small detour had cost him ten minutes. After restocking on mana potions, Kael left town again. At level 17, the mobs near Stonehaven were useless to him.
He ran for over ten minutes, arriving at a vast, sandy expanse known as the Arid Wastes. The area was populated with level 16-20 creatures: Silver Foxes, Wasteland Wolves, and Scorpions. The EXP they gave was significantly higher, over five hundred per kill.
The catch was the environment itself. The sandy terrain gave the native creatures a speed boost while simultaneously slowing players by 15%.
Kael's speed was 9, while the mobs here clocked in at 6. The gap was dangerously close. He would have to kite with extreme care; one wrong move and the horde would be on top of him.
Focusing his mind, Kael began the grueling process. Just like before, he used his movement to aggro and group up large packs of mobs before obliterating them with Phantom Barrage. But these monsters had higher health and defense, and Kael's gear hadn't been upgraded. It now took eight or nine volleys to clear a single pull.
All in all, his efficiency was about the same as the day before, netting him around 800,000 EXP per hour.
As he grinded, Kael kept one eye glued to the system announcements, silently praying. Don't let anyone kill Cole. Just hold on.
It was just after 4 PM when he finally dinged. Level 18.
Dragging his exhausted body back to Stonehaven, Kael didn't pause for a second. He teleported to starter village 9999, ran full-tilt to the guard hall, and went straight for Captain Edward.
"Captain," he said.
"Dawnbreaker," Edward acknowledged. "What can I do for you?"
Kael produced his last remaining Bounty Writ. "I wish to place a bounty on the player known as Ashveil."
"The player Ashveil is already on the wanted list," Edward stated. "Are you requesting to issue a second bounty?"
"Yes. I am."
A second later, a server-wide announcement boomed across the world.
[System Announcement: ATTENTION ALL PLAYERS]
The bounty on the wanted criminal [Ashveil] has been increased.
The player who delivers the final blow will now be rewarded with TWO full level-ups and will have a 95% chance to loot TWO pieces of equipment from the target.
Additional rewards may be claimed at any Guardhouse.
Time Remaining on Bounty: 72 Hours.
The reaction was instantaneous and explosive.
"HOLY SHIT, YOU CAN STACK BOUNTIES?!"
"TWO LEVELS! TWO FUCKING LEVELS! THE TEMPTATION IS INSANE!"
"Chill, dude, remember Ashveil has a whole army of lackeys in village 9999."
"Who cares? Are his goons more than the rest of us combined?"
"Wait, I see him! He's coming out of the dungeon!"
"BLOCK THE ENTRANCE! DON'T LET THEM GET BACK IN!"
"DUDE, I HEARD ASHVEIL HAS TWO EPIC-QUALITY ITEMS! THE BOUNTY SAYS THEY'RE ALMOST A GUARANTEED DROP IF YOU KILL HIM!"
"SCREW IT, I'M IN!"
Watching the world chat erupt into a frenzy, Kael didn't waste another second, sprinting towards The Abandoned Mine.
But the starter village was now an absolute madhouse. The streets were choked with players all rushing in the same direction. Kael was stuck in the middle of the stampede.
"Excuse me! Let me through, please!" he yelled, frantically shoving his way forward. The thought of Cole's precarious situation made his stomach clench. Don't die, Cole! You belong to me!
He monitored the world chat as he ran.
"WTF, Ashveil's crew is no joke. I got vaporized in one hit."
"Damn it, they have more than one party! Two more squads just came out of the dungeon to help him!"
"EVERYONE, PUSH TOGETHER! CHARGE!"
"Keep it up, they're starting to buckle!"
"HAHA, GOT ONE OF THEIR HEALERS!"
"I just ganked a rogue!"
"He's trying to get to the dungeon entrance NPC! Block him!"
"Wait, he's breaking through my side! Holy sh— AAGH..."
"DON'T PANIC! HE'S CORNERED! GET HIM! FOR THE EPICS, BOYS!"
Kael’s heart sank with every message he read. Did I just do all the work just for someone else to steal the prize?
After a grueling twenty minutes of fighting through the crowd, he finally caught sight of the mine. But the entrance was completely obscured by a sea of players, a chaotic swarm of flashing abilities and shouting. He couldn't see a thing.
Then, a single voice roared above the din, galvanizing the entire mob.
"HE'S ALMOST DEAD!"
The crowd surged forward like a tidal wave.
