"Good day, Cyndral!" I said.
"Hello, adventurer! How may I help you?"
"I'm here to turn in the quests I have accepted, and also I'd completed a quest regarding Goblin Campleaders as well."
"Very well done, young ranger! You are the first one in Carpa that had completed such a hard quest! May I see the documents?"
I handed him the piece of parchment I looted.
"Mm, yes, everything seems to be in order. Congratulations, adventurer! Here's your promised reward for all three quests you've completed!"
With a surge of light, I advanced to level 6. I had about 800 experience from the 2500 needed for it, and with the 3200 I have just got, I was already halfway to level 7 now. Not to mention, I more than doubled my silver count.
Adventurer's XP was another XP bar that looked like I had to fill up to reach higher ranking within the association.
Also it looked like timed quests did in fact give increased rewards. Other than exp and money, I also received potions, and a cooking recipe.
I will definitely try to look into that later, I thought. As I have experienced with Sheila's pie, various foods gave various bonuses to players, so cooking was a skill not to be ignored. I doubt whatever I make will be as tasty as that was, though.
I thanked the man for the rewards and headed towards the marketplace. It seemed like there were even more people there than before. Players were browsing wares and partaking in events, merchants were still setting up new stalls and everyone was having a good time.
From the looks of it, most players integrated very well into this world; they were talking to NPCs as if they were real people, not just game assets, and to be fair, with the amazing AI the creators had put together, it wasn't much of a reach to say they were absolutely human-like.
After I put my new stat points into strength, I opened my status window to check how far I've come.
It was all coming together nicely.
I leveled up so fast that I almost forgot about the thing I was most excited about: My new, level 5 skill!
I opened up my skill book and checked my newly unlocked attack.
It was an AoE skill that had a lower cooldown compared to Piercing Shot. It's damage was nothing to scoff at, and the fact that it caused Burn and could even spread made it an incredible skill for grinding mobs. The mana cost was a bit concerning, but for now there was nothing I could do about it.
As I was looking around, most of the players were still wearing their beginner equipment, but I spotted quite a few items that were definitely spoils of war.
I saw that Sheila's stand was quite a success, with both players and NPCs lining up to try her delicacies, but most of the other food stalls were pretty much full as well. From a quick lookaround, there were around 200 players present on the festival, which meant that the majority was still out there, fighting, or had already logged out.
During my time in the forest I had eaten the bread and drank the water I had, so I decided to grab a meal for myself. I would have loved to get another cake from Sheila, but the queue was obnoxiously long, so I bought a stew with some delicious bread from one of the other stalls. The meal cost 7 silver coins, but it was worth every penny.
"Attention! The horse race will start soon! This is your last chance to join the fun and bet on one of the four candidates!" A villager was standing next to the riding field, shouting so that everyone could hear. Players and residents alike were lining up to place their bids, chatting and overall having a ton of fun.
Player levels were not public unless you were in a party with them, but based on the equipment one could roughly guess it later in the game. However this early most people were still wearing their beginner items so there was no telling if someone was level five or level one. I could see a couple fancier items here and there, but it seemed like most people were enjoying the festival for a long time and hadn't had the time to go out and explore just yet.
I decided to try my luck with the horse race. I still had 64 silver coins left, and with a bit of luck I could increase my wealth even further. I placed 20 silver coins on one of the contestants called Pippa.
From the looks of it, all four racers were travelers or local residents, as players didn't have the skill to ride horses just yet. Two men and two women were getting ready next to their mounts.
The tallest man, Brennar rode a grey steed called Ironmane, and both the horse and the rider were the biggest of their respective bunches.
The other man was old, but sturdy: his name was Gerrit, and I overheard two locals talking about how he was the blacksmith before his apprentice took on his legacy. His horse, Chestnut was not much smaller than Ironmane, but it looked older than any of the other three. This however also meant that their experience might give them an edge in the race.
A red haired beauty called Lyla was the third contestant, riding Honeyhoof, a mare with golden fur. She was said to be the most experienced rider and the favourite to win the race. She worked at the bakery, but from her posture and confidence I would have guessed she was the village huntress or something.
The last contestant was Pippa. She was small and in her forties. She looked a bit fragile, but there was something in her eyes that instantly convinced me to bet on her.
She had the same, determined eyes as the ones I saw in the mirror every time I had a major tournament before me. Her horse, Windskip also looked like she was made for pure speed.
The crowd gathered along the track, cheering as the riders lined up at the starting gate. I stood near the edge, watching closely as the announcer raised a bright flag.
"Riders ready!"
A hush fell over the crowd.
"Set... go!"
The flag dropped, and the horses surged forward in a blur of movement. Windskip shot ahead, her lean form darting across the dirt track like a shadow. Honeyhoof was close behind.
Chestnut and Ironmane were slower at first, but they were trailed with steady determination. If the track was longer, any of those two should beat the two smaller horses, I thought.
As the horses rounded the first bend, Honeyhoof surged forward, pulling neck-and-neck with Windskip. Lyla leaned into the sprint, her hair streaming behind her as the two women fought for dominance.
Meanwhile, Gerrit urged Chestnut forward, the horse barreling past Ironmane with sheer brute force. The crowd gasped as Chestnut began closing the gap on the leaders.
After a while the riders entered the final stretch, the crowd's cheers reaching a new level.
Windskip and Honeyhoof were still in the lead, but Chestnut was closing in fast, his thundering hooves shaking the ground. Brennar, though far behind, shouted words of encouragement to Ironmane, who stubbornly refused to give up.
"Let's go, Pippa!" I shouted, caught up in the excitement.
In the final moments, Windskip surged forward with a burst of speed, pulling ahead of Honeyhoof and Chestnut.
Lyla whipped her reins desperately, but it was no use. Windskip crossed the finish line a full length ahead of her competitors, the crowd erupting into cheers.
I let out a laugh. The race wasn't long, but it had filled me with so much anticipation I hadn't felt in a long time. It was different than fighting out in the woods; this was the adrenaline of... gambling.
I collected my winnings at the booth, my coin pouch heavier than before. I turned back to watch the villagers congratulate Pippa, the woman laughing as she dismounted Windskip.
As I was wondering what to do next I looked around. The Spring Festival in Carpa was bustling with activity.
I found myself wandering through the chaos, the weight of my pack a constant reminder of the resources I'd been hoarding.
A banner caught my eye: "Leatherworking Station – Craft Your Own Gear!"
It wasn't flashy or crowded, just a small tent with a handful of players and NPCs working diligently at their stations. The smell of leather mixed with the scent of fresh spring air as I approached.
"Care to try your hand at leatherworking?" A man greeted me. He was a giant with arms that looked like he could wrestle a bear. His apron was covered in scuffs and stains, a sign of experience. "We've got tools, recipes, and enough space for anyone willing to learn."
I opened my inventory.
It's time to put these to good use, I thought.
The NPC led me to an open station; a sturdy wooden table stacked with tools: knives, awls, needles and thread. A large tanning rack loomed nearby, with a barrel of water for softening hides.
"Got some hides? Let's see what you're working with," he said, leaning over my shoulder as I spread out my inventory on the table.
"Mostly boar and wolf hides" I replied, pulling out the stacks. "Some rough, some good quality. And these."
I placed the Exquisite Boar Hides gently on top. Even I had to admire their sheen. "I was saving these for something special."
His eyes lit up. "Oh, you've been hunting, haven't you? These are fine materials. Let's start with the rough stuff. Get your hands dirty before tackling the good hides."
I nodded, rolling up my sleeves. "Let's do it."
The process was tedious at first, but there was a rhythm to it.
I started with the Rough Boar Hides, soaking them in the barrel of water and scraping away the excess parts and fur with my goblin knife. The work was a bit messy, but much cleaner than it would have been in real life. I found it oddly satisfying.
"You've got a steady hand," the artisan said, nodding approvingly. "Now stretch them on the rack, nice and tight."
I did as instructed, pulling the hides taut on the wooden frame. My interface lit up with a progress bar:
Tanning: 30%... 60%... 100%.
I repeated the process with the rough boar hides until there was none left. Sometimes it failed, but I almost always succeeded, losing only 3 hides from the 17 I had. For every 2 successfully tanned hides I got a piece of leather.
I also unlocked the Leatherworking hidden skill, and had already had 2 points in them.
I decided to tan all of my remaining hides. When I finished doing all of them, my Leatherworking had increased to 5. It grew much faster than skinning&processing did, although the process was harder to getting used to as well.
It was a slow but steady process.
"Let's turn those into something useful," the artisan said, handing me a set of patterns. "Start with some basic gear. Here are three recipes."
"Are you giving these away for free?" I asked.
"Of course not!" he laughed. "Normally these recipes sell for 30 silver coins each, but you can buy them for 15 coins during this practice. I offered them to you because you have enough materials to make all three of them. Otherwise I can show you how to make Leather Bracers for free, if all you want is to practice the art of leatherworking."
The three recipes were for a leather breastplate, a cloak and boots. I wasn't sure if the man saw these were items I was missing, or if it was coincidence, but I couldn't have been happier. I happily paid the 45 coins to the man, hoping he wasn't actually scamming me.
"As I said, you have enough materials to make all three of them."
He was showing me the process of armor crafting as he was talking to me. Soon enough I grasped the technique and decided to try it on my own. I decided to make the boots first.
I followed the prompts, cutting the leather into strips and punching holes for stitching. My movements were awkward at first, but I quickly fell into a rhythm. As I was finishing up the details, the system chimed:
Item Created: