"Ren, why are we staying in this newbie village again?" Leonel said and [Parried] another Crazed Wolf heading their way while Ren cast [Fire] to finish them off.
Ren and Leonel have been grinding in Newbie Villages nonstop for four days, which meant four hours in real-time.
As Ren expected, having a tank in the team made things a lot easier. Ren mused to himself.
[ACQUIRED!
❶ Wolf's Fang x1
❷ 5 gil ]
Ren was surprised that Leonel was very good at following orders. His decision-making skills and awareness were lacking, but Ren covered him for that. All he got to do was follow his lead and everything went smoothly for them.
"Damn. We don't even earn EXP anymore from the beasts here." Leonel sat on the ground and grumbled, "It was exciting at first, but after four days of grinding and doing the same thing in this newbie forest, it got boring really fast."
Leonel looked over at Ren. "Others are already setting off to other towns and dungeons and doing quests and racking firstbloods while we're stuck here."
Ren raised a brow. "Since when did you care about firstblood and quests? I thought, as long as you can play as a Dwarf, you're all good?"
Leonel looked to the side, lips puckering. "Well . . . if we're going to play this game, then at least we might as well aim for firstbloods, right?"
Ren almost choked from his saliva. Since when did Leonel became competitive?
"Good things come to those who wait," Ren said instead and turned to his heels to get back to the village.
Leonel shot to his feet and went after Ren. "Remind me again why we're still in the newbie village?"
Leonel wasn't really interested in the answer as he placed both arms over his back. He just wanted something to talk about so he wouldn't get bored.
Ren slightly shook his head. He had already forgotten how many times Leonel asked him the same question, and he answered with the same answer.
Ren should have known that information only stayed in Leonel's mind for only a second. It was his mistake for explaining with great enthusiasm every time he asked.
"It's because I don't have a subclass yet, and within the span of five days after the game's opening, a traveling merchant would appear in Newbie villages offering rare classes. They will then appear at random after that. If you miss this chance, you only have one in a million to reencounter them again. This is the only sure way to have that rare class this early in the game without undergoing time-consuming, strenuous quests," summarized Ren with a serious expression and added.
"This is my only chance to have the Arcanist subclass now." The earlier Ren became an Arcanist, the better since he could immediately level his list of spells and skills.
"Heeeh . . ." Leonel flung a booger from his nose and flicked it to the side before he snickered.
Ren looked at his best friend and said seriously, "It's not too late, you know. You can still change your race and acquire rare class."
Leonel shook his head and waved his hand. "Not a chance. If I can't be small in this game, then there's no point in me playing it."
He then stared at Ren with a puppy smile on his face. Tail wagging if he had any. "As expected of our encyclopedia. You certainly know a lot about this game."
Ren's eyes looked dead to the side and lied in a bored tone. "This information is available on the net if you're patient enough to search."
It was a half-lie. Others who have money purchased guides from beta testers. But of course, the majority still didn't know about this information.
Leonel stifled a laugh, eyes turning crescent. "That's impossible. I don't have the patience to research. I hate spoilers, and I'll just forget it in a matter of minutes."
Why do you look so proud? Ren thought and sighed.
In a way, Ren was thankful that Leonel was simple-minded. Everything he said, Leonel took it without a shred of doubt.
Ren didn't know if it was a good or bad thing.
Back in the village, Ren wanted to go back to the Inn and past another day. He was too tired to have his hope crushed again and again with the traveling merchant's none appearance.
Tomorrow was the last day. They would surely come without a doubt. Ren thought.
Ren could go to other villages and towns or form a group to enter dungeons like the majority did and go back to the newbie village to check if the merchant had arrived.
Ren's perfectionist streak wouldn't let him rest. Once something lodged in his mind, he had to see it through—and right now, acquiring the Arcanist subclass was his top priority. Everything else could wait.
The traveling merchant was another matter. They only lingered in the newbie village for four short hours before vanishing, and Ren wasn't about to risk missing them.
That was why he returned to the newbie villages every four hours, dragging Leonel along. If it were up to him alone, Ren wouldn't mind waiting in the village for five straight days until the merchant appeared.
But Leonel? The guy couldn't stand still for even a minute. So, Ren had no choice but to keep him entertained with grinding in between.
It was like taking care of a child. Ren mused to himself. There was a hint of a smile on his lips, though. He was thankful that Leonel was going along with him without complaints.
Leonel's tap on his shoulder halted Ren from going in the Inn's direction.
"What's that? That looks new," said Leonel as he pointed towards the direction of the small square.
By now, the newbie village was nearly empty. Four days had already passed since the game's launch, and most players had long since moved on. In real-time, it was still early morning—many were likely still fast asleep, snoring away and blissfully unaware of COVENANT's grand opening.
The early birds, on the other hand, had already ventured beyond the village gates, eager to explore the wider world of ARCADIA.
A horse-drawn wagon with the words Classless Merchants painted along its wooden sides stood out like a sore thumb in the nearly empty square. A lively little Fairy zipped around in circles, trying to draw customers to their wares, while a grumpy-looking gnome lounged on the driver's seat. A glowing crystal dangled from the peculiar necklace on his chest as he propped his head up with one hand, chewing lazily on a stalk of wheat, his bored expression saying it all.
Ren's eyes shone at the sight of them, and he immediately pulled Leonel along with him.
"It's finally here." Ren went over to inspect the wagon with Leonel in tow.
"Hello there, adventurers! Something catches your fancy?" the fairy said. Her little body twinkled here and there, and there was a cute smile on her face.
"Whoa! Ren, look! A real fairy!" Leonel pointed wide-eyed while the fairy giggled at Leonel's silly face.
Leonel skipped forward and pointed excitedly at the gnome, giving him an exaggerated once-over from head to toe. His grin stretched wide, beard wobbling as he burst out, "Ren! Look! A real gnome! They really have pointy ears, a big nose—and they're green and ugly as hell!"
Hairtoe's slit eyes narrowed into daggers at Leonel. He snorted, voice dripping with disdain."I don't want to hear the word ugly from a dwarf with a glued-on beard."
[Your relationship level with Hairtoe dropped from Strangers to Ruffian!]