Ethan realized that the friend search feature was working just fine. Michelle had been able to meet her friends because Ethan searched for them.
Maybe he could get the same result if he searched for Ashley, Gordon, or maybe Rick. He just had to do the same thing he did with Helena.
He opened the friend search feature and typed in their usernames. He didn't miss a single letter—the usernames were exactly as Ethan remembered.
[Player found]
[AshleyLeon123 (Lv. 78)] [Send friend request?]
[MagisterDao (Lv. 85)] [Send friend request?]
[JohnRick01 (Lv. 84)] [Send friend request?]
Ethan smiled, feeling so happy when he saw the three usernames of his friends again. Without thinking twice, he immediately sent them friend requests.
I'm sure they'll accept my friend request right away.
He felt confident that Ashley, Gordon, and Rick would quickly accept his request.
Ten minutes passed, but there was no response. Ethan didn't worry—he figured they just needed time to check his profile.
After thirty minutes, still nothing. Ethan began to feel uneasy.
Could it be that they've forgotten about me? It's been years since my death, after all.
An hour went by with no reply. Ethan sighed and closed his friend panel.
Maybe they're resting tonight. I should just wait until tomorrow.
Since the northern city was full of high-level players, Ethan was worried that his PK status might trigger their anger, which could put his life in danger.
To the south, there were three cities, one of them being Ascardan. The other two were Estelle and Nile.
Both of those cities were different from Ascardan, filled with players above level 10 and offering far more facilities than Ascardan, the Novice's City.
Still, the Red Notice punishment applied not only in Ascardan but also in Estelle and Nile. Ethan feared that if he went there, his life would be even more at risk.
Because of this, Ethan had no choice but to wander alone, resting and looking for food. Michelle was no longer traveling with him—she had gone safely with her own friends.
Now, Ethan was truly on his own, relying only on the great power he carried.
Until the PK Flag and Red Name were gone, he would have to stay outside and survive. Wide open fields weren't the best places to seek cover.
I should head into the western forest. Hopefully, I can find a cave to live in for a month until the PK Flag disappears.
Riding on his camel mount, Ethan moved westward from the northern side of Ascardan City, searching for a safe place.
At the same time, he still had to finish the Talent Quest he had received. The system required Ethan to kill 100 monsters above level 10 in seven days.
That meant he had to kill around 14 to 15 monsters each day in order to reach 100 by the seventh day.
The longer he waited, the longer it would take to gain the passive skill.
If I can manage to kill 20 monsters per day, I could finish the mission in five days.
The level of his three skills had already risen sharply. It felt a little disappointing that his ability only allowed him to kill about 20 monsters a day.
Ethan decided to check the situation first. If he had the strength to kill more monsters, he wouldn't hesitate to do it. But he also had to be careful with his MP potions.
As his skills leveled up, the MP cost grew higher. If he didn't keep some reserves, it could put him in real danger.
He stopped once he reached the western forest, filled with thick trees on the slopes of a hill.
From what he remembered, this forest was home to many high-level monsters. The Blood Dire Wolf he had seen before had been around this area, so it was possible he might run into it again.
He dismissed his mount and stepped into the forest. As far as he could see, there wasn't a cave anywhere nearby.
Instead, he found an old, mossy, run-down hut. It wasn't very big, but it looked good enough to use as a place to rest for the night.
Whatever happened, tonight Ethan had to rest and warm himself by a fire.
The door creaked open. Inside, the hut was dusty, but there were a few simple pieces of furniture that Ethan could use.
He also noticed a fireplace with a few charred logs left inside. The cold night air was a bit hard—he had to go get some firewood.
For three hours, he wandered the forest carefully, keeping an eye on any monster movement, until he finally managed to collect enough wood.
He returned, lit the fireplace, and the room grew warm as the cold air disappeared.
Too much has happened tonight. I need to rest.
***
The next morning.
Old hut in the western forest.
Ethan woke up early and prepared breakfast by roasting marlin meat he had caught earlier. The good thing about the inventory was that food was never spoiled—it was like having a portable fridge.
Today, maybe the other players in the city already know about the Red Notice. I need to be careful.
His plan for today was to hunt monsters above level 10, no matter the type.
He aimed for 40 monsters, but if his MP potions ran out, he would do as much as he could.
At the same time, he kept opening the friends feature, checking again and again if his friends had accepted his requests. None of them had.
I didn't use my old username because it was already taken. And I'm not even sure they'd accept my request anyway, considering I'm supposed to be dead to them.
The only way, it seemed, was to go to Maverald and meet the Lionark Party.
No… by now they must have already turned their party into a Guild.
Ethan rose from his seat on the wooden chair, picked up his Flamefang sword, and stepped outside the hut.
He didn't see a single player hunting monsters here. The forest was filled with strong creatures, and most players didn't want to risk dying.
For them, it was safer to fight weaker monsters below their level. But the truth was that the EXP was totally different.
He glanced upward, thinking there was a good chance of finding high-level monsters in the hills above.
Ethan followed the narrow trail, jumped over rocks, and finally reached a wide clearing on the western hill.
The moment he spotted monsters wandering there with red circles under their feet, Ethan quickly hid. These were aggressive monsters.
"Twin-Fang Viper!"
Twin-Fang Vipers—beast-type monsters at level 12 with aggressive behavior.
They moved fast and could spit acid that corroded even metal. A tough enemy for any player without AoE skills. Luckily, Ethan had one.
He gripped his sword tightly, then swung it to the side, unleashing a slash of crimson lightning.
The strike was so fast the vipers couldn't dodge in time, and several of them were injured.
Their HP bars appeared in front of Ethan's eyes, showing that his first skill wasn't enough to kill them instantly.
[Twin-Fang Viper (Lv. 12) || HP: 205/700]
The damage came purely from physical strikes, not including the bleed effect of 15 HP per second for seven seconds.
By Ethan's calculation, the vipers would have around 100 HP left after the bleed finished.
But more and more vipers crawled out from the forest, surrounding him from every side.
Ethan narrowed his eyes, sword raised, standing ready. There were 20 vipers in total. If he could kill them all, the rewards would be great.
Time to test my strength.