"What?! You said you got the title of ( One Gifted) ? Is that it? Are you playing a joke on us? Besides '(The One to Watch)' and '(New Genius)', I've never heard of anyone passing the test getting any other title."
Somchai shouted angrily. He felt like he was being humiliated for the second time. While Somchai was considering whether to retaliate,
Ploy intervened and said:
"That's right, Nawa. Besides those two titles, I've never heard of anyone passing the test getting any other title. If there were any, the exam supervisors would have told us."
"I don't know about that. But the title I got is '(One Gifted)', not '(New Genius)'," Nawa said to Ploy in a calm tone.
He completely ignored Somchai's furious outburst, as if the other's words were just insignificant.
"Hmph… You dare ignore Somchai like that? You must think you're so great, huh?"
The only reason he beat me just now was because I underestimated him. If we were fighting for real, I'd have him down in less than a minute..."
Somchai tightened his grip on the hammer, intending to attack Nawa to get revenge, but Natee walked over and patted him on the shoulder, saying:
"Calm down, friend. That's for sure. If we were fighting for real, this guy wouldn't beat you. But right now, I'm interested in that title he mentioned."
"Natee, you believe his nonsense?" Somchai asked.
"Have you forgotten about Adam White?" Natee said calmly, but his gaze was fixed on Nawa thoughtfully.
"You mean Adam White, the American player who reached the level of the first Super Player in the world?" Somchai exclaimed.
Natee nodded before turning to speak to Nawa:
"Adam White is considered a legend among players."
"There are rumors that he's had a unique nickname since taking the player test. If you really have that nickname, can you show it to us?"
"I can't," Nawa replied calmly.
"Why not?" Natee asked, narrowing his eyes slightly as he scrutinized Nawa.
The main benefit of a nickname is the various advantages granted by the system. This might include discounts on services or access to special system functions.
The AI system of the player's device determines which nickname a player should receive; even high-ranking officials of The One Association cannot interfere.
Of course, these are confidential player secrets. If the owner of the nickname doesn't reveal it, no one else will know.
Of course, if a player wants to reveal their nickname, they can do so through the identity display function, but they must pay a fee to the system.
The fee depends on the nickname received; a common nickname that many players have will cost less.
The service fee is usually only a few copper coins, such as for titles like (The One Who Forgot to Return to the World), given to players who have been in The Oneness for over a year, or (The Traveler), given to players who have traveled over 10,000 kilometers.
However, for titles that are rare, like (New Genius), which Natee and his friends received, the service fee is as high as 5 silver coins. The reason for such a high fee is to consider the benefits players receive.
Titles help others recognize a player's outstanding skills and experience, which is crucial for networking, securing sponsorships, or even joining a guild.
But Nawa didn't think that way. The title ( One Gifted ) that Nawa received cost a staggering 12 gold coins, or more than 10 million baht! Nawa suspected it must be some kind of bug, perhaps related to his brain function meter showing 100%.
"I have no reason to tell you guys," Nawa said with a calm expression.
The reason he chose to answer this way was because Nawa assessed that if he told the truth, not only would the other party not believe him, but if the matter escalated to the point where the association had to investigate, it could take a long time.
For Nawa right now, every minute was money.
"Grrr… How dare you joke with us like that?" Somchai gritted his teeth, about to lunge at Nawa, but Natee blocked him with his hand and spoke in a harsh tone.
"Do you want a fight with us?"
Nawa didn't answer. He remained standing still, showing no fear of the other party.
The atmosphere that seemed ready for a fight at any moment dissipated when Natee decided to put his sword into his dimensional storage before speaking in a harsh voice.
"We're leaving." After saying that, Natee turned his back and walked away immediately. Somchai, still annoyed, chose to follow Natee.
Finally, only Ploy remained. It seemed she believed Nawa's words. Ploy didn't even ask why Nawa didn't reveal his ( One Gifted ) alias. The truth in the player world… Asking to see someone's stats or title is a form of bullying.
While there's no law against it, most people consider it impolite.
"I apologize on behalf of my friends for their rudeness. They're actually very good people," Ploy said, bowing her head in apology to Nawa.
"It's alright. You don't need to worry about it. But we should go after our friends. They might get angry with us too. They might even kick you out of the party," Nawa said casually, as if talking to a close relative.
He himself didn't understand why he felt such a strong connection with this young woman.
"They would never dare get angry with me! Didn't you see the clothes I'm wearing?" Ploy said, widening her eyes adorably.
"Oh right, you're a healer, aren't you?" Nawa replied with a slight smile.
It's well-known that the rarest and most important class in a team isn't the tank or the mages, but the healer. No matter how displeased they are, they wouldn't dare fire a single healer.
Ploy tried to persuade Nava to team up with her again, but Nava refused—at least not now. Right now, let alone teaming up, just Nava showing up might cause trouble again.
Finally, Ploy gave up and simply added Nava to her friend list, which Nava accepted.
In the player equipment system, there's a Community function for sending messages in The Oneness. The condition is that both parties must be friends on each other's friend lists first.
After being added as friends, Ploy invited Nava into the city, which Nava didn't refuse; he had planned to explore the city anyway. But when they reached the city gates, Nava had to part ways with Ploy.
Because entering the city required paying a toll of 50 copper coins, or about 5,000 baht in this world. While it seemed a bit expensive, it was something most players would consider.
This amount of money isn't impossible to pay, but for Nawa right now, let alone 50 copper coins, he wouldn't even want to pay 5 copper coins.
Ploy frowned, staring at Nawa before asking,
"Don't tell me the reason you didn't reveal your alias earlier is because you don't have the money to pay the system?"
Nawa just smiled shyly, neither confirming nor denying.
Just as Ploy was about to ask further, a soldier approached Nawa, speaking in a harsh tone,
"If you don't have the money to pay the gate fee, how about you do me a job instead?"
"What kind of job?" Nawa asked curiously.
Almost immediately after the guard finished explaining, a "ding" sound rang in Nawa's head, and a system window popped up.
(Quest, Level E: Hunt 10 wild rabbits)
(Details: The guards at the Matterhorn city gate have been on duty for a long time and need the horns of 10 wild rabbits to make a tonic.) You must hunt 10 wild rabbits to complete the quest.
(Reward: Matthehorn City Gate Fee)
(Reputation points to be gained upon completion: 1)
(Accept) (Cancel)
"Hey, let me tell you something. E-level quests from NPCs aren't worth accepting," Ploi said, as a quest also popped up in her system window.
"Why?" Nawa asked, puzzled.
"Because the reward is too small and not worth it. It's much better to go hunting ourselves. Besides, The Oneness isn't a real game.
Even though the system's predictions are accurate, there's no guarantee that people in The Oneness won't break their promises.
If you're going to accept a quest, it should at least be a D-level quest or higher, because even if they break their promise, the system will still give you reputation points," Ploi replied proudly.
Nawa was slightly surprised, because his system window said that if he completed the quest, he would get 1 reputation point.
Soon, Nawa realized that… He holds the title of ( One Gifted )which increases his reputation points by 25% for completing missions. This might be the reason he gained so much reputation from an E-level mission.
Initially, Nava didn't see much benefit in reputation points, as they couldn't be bought or sold for money; they could only be used to pay for system services.
But upon entering The Oneness, Nava's opinion changed immediately. System services were essential, and they were very expensive. One reputation point, though seemingly small, was worth approximately 100 copper coins when exchanged for system services.
"I think I'll try this mission," Nava said. He'd needed information about the monsters in the area anyway, and since the soldiers already knew, there was no reason to refuse.
"Hmph…" Ploi sighed before continuing in a more irritated tone.
"You don't know, do you? A player's mana requires energy crystals to regenerate, and it takes several hours to absorb.
You're a mage; after using your power a couple of times, your mana will be depleted. If you don't plan your hunt well, you could end up losing."
"Thanks for your concern, but I want to try this quest," Nava replied confidently.
"You're so stubborn. How about this, if you change your mind, you can find me at the hotel in town. I should be in town for several more days." After saying that, Ploi snorted and disappeared into the city.
Seeing that, Nava not only wasn't angry, but he smiled and shook his head. In his heart, he thought of a 14-year-old girl he had taken care of five years ago.
That little girl was Ploi's younger sister. Not only did they have the same name, but their spoiled personalities were exactly alike.
Nawa set off for the grassland near the city gate. Following the guard's directions, after walking for about an hour, he came to a vast grassland.
He saw a large white deer grazing, and several small pink pigs nearby. It didn't seem like there were any dangerous monsters around.
Soon, Nawa encountered a one-horned wild rabbit. It looked like a rabbit from his world, but twice the size, and it had small antlers on its head. It scurried around the grassland, popping in and out of the wide open area.
"Ding!"The system sounded in his head, and a message window immediately popped up.
(One-horned Wild Rabbit [Common]: Quest Objective. Requires 10.)
(Pay 2 copper coins to purchase additional information.)
(Accept) (Cancel)
Nawa looked at the system window and shook his head. Everything in The Oneness was really all about money. Even information on common-level monsters cost a fee.
Although Nawa was curious about what the additional information the system would provide, he ultimately chose to close the system window. He wanted to save his money for when it was truly necessary.
Nawa decided to analyze this monster with his own eyes. After observing for a while, Nawa concluded that as long as he was careful of the sharp horns on its head, it shouldn't be too dangerous.
As long as he could catch the rabbit, killing it wouldn't be too difficult. He could simply use his iron gauntlet to smash its head or break its neck.
With that thought, Nava started running. But the one-horned rabbits were very fast. Even though Nava was faster, he couldn't catch them because they would escape into underground burrows.
Going down into the burrows seemed too dangerous. Although they were large enough for a person to enter, they were too cramped to defend himself. The rabbits' speed combined with the sharp horns on their heads made them no target for underestimation.
Nawa thought the only way to hunt these rabbits was to deal with them before they escaped into the underground burrows, and to avoid getting too close.
This meant using ranged weapons like bows or crossbows. But the cheapest bow Nava had ever seen for sale in the The One's Association shop cost more than 1 silver coin, not including the arrows.
"Hmph…" Nawa sighed deeply, muttering to himself. Catching ten wild rabbits in exchange for 50 bronze coins might not be worth it after all.