The next day, Yamamoto woke before dawn, his internal clock pulling him from sleep as best it could, while the sky was still dark. For a moment, he lay there in the darkness, listening to the quiet sounds of the inn, barely hearing anything as everyone appeared too still be asleep. In fact, the fact that he could desire to wake up this early and actually wake up was a miracle in on itself, for someone whose body clock was messed up from years of improper sleeping schedule.
Not taking the chance to rest a little bit more, lest he fell back asleep, he sat up. He had work to do.
Moving quietly, he made his way downstairs. One of the beauty of having an inventory was the fact that he could keep his things safely inside without worry, besides, there was no water to take his bath or brush, so there was little readying to be done.
Because of the hour, when he reached downstairs, the common room was empty, and the fire had been reduced to glowing embers. Even Grom wasn't up yet—too early even for an innkeeper, at least, of a small Inn in a small town.
Yamamoto slipped out into the pre-dawn darkness of Salt Fish Town through the window after finding the door to be locked.
Everywhere was empty and like a ghost town, with only a couple of early risers going about their business. There were fishermen mostly, all heading towards the docks to prepare for their business. Everyone he passed by couldn't help by take a second and even a third or forth glance at him because of his tall figure.
(A/N: Bro low-key out here moving like prime enderman)
Yamamoto moved with purpose, headed towards a specific location. He had to be there before the time passed, or else he would have to wait until the next day.
The real goal today wasn't just wandering, it was preparation for something much bigger: a hidden dungeon.
"The Lost Abandoned Den."
Even thinking the name brought back memories. In the game, it had been one of those secret dungeons that the community had discovered through obsessive exploration. A cave system infested with giant rats, and with a simple clear condition: kill them all. You couldn't leave once you entered until every last rat was dead.
The rewards made it worth the risk: a Mystery Chest, a guaranteed Rare-grade equipment piece, and five free mastery points.
Five mastery points… That alone was worth almost any risk, especially at these early stages.
But of course, there's always a catch, the dungeon was brutal for low-level players. The giant rats averaged level 4 to 6, which didn't sound too bad on paper, but when you factored in their number and mechanics, it became a problem.
They had high agility, faster than most players at that level could handle, their defense was surprisingly good for such low-level monsters, with thick hides that resisted slashing damage, their attack power was relatively low, but their bites inflicted a poison effect that would cause you to lose 3 HP per second for several seconds after each bite… and most importantly, they attacked in swarms.
A Swordsman's strength was in one-on-one combat—precise strikes, quick reactions, and technical skill, mostly. Against a horde of fast-moving, poisonous rats that attacked from all angles? That was a death sentence.
Unless you prepared properly, of course. And who else but someone who used to be a player?
The strategy was simple. Yamamoto had even attempted this very dungeon himself using one of his burner accounts that was still low leveled, after hearing about it and watching a few clear videos. The key was area-of-effect damage and crowd control, two things opposing the core fundamentals of his class. Naturally, this meant he needed items to help with that. Two specific items in fact, Fire Bombs, and Sticky Bombs.
Fire bombs exploded on impact, creating a burst of flames that dealt continuous area-of-effect damage to everything caught in the blast. Perfect for thinning out groups of low level enemies.
Sticky bombs on the other hand exploded into a mass of adhesive substance that rooted all targets within range, preventing them from moving for several seconds, perfect for controlling the swarm while he picked them off.
The problem was getting these items in a place like Salt Fish Town. The town didn't have proper item shops that sold combat consumables. In the game players would run such trades, but there were no players now. He could have searched for them to buy while he was in Millhaven, but circumstances and the comfort of knowing another method deterred him.
That other way was his purpose this morning, a hidden quest chain that if completed correctly would reward exactly what he needed, and that quest chain started early in the morning, at the south fence leading toward the forest.
Yamamoto reached the location just as the sky was beginning to lighten, yet not quite dawn, but close. The fence was simple, constructed with waist-high wood that marked the unofficial boundary between town and wilderness. Beyond it, the forest loomed, dark and uninviting.
Once he got there, he positioned himself near the fence and waited.
Minutes passed by, and the sky grew lighter, shifting from black to deep blue to pale gray. Yamamoto's legs began to ache from standing still, but he persevered. He even thought of hitting a few tens of push ups, but he forgo the plan. Who would exercise when they can add stat points? (A/N: I know what you're thinking, don't jinx it)
After waiting all that while, finally, he saw an elderly man, maybe seventy years old, walking slowly toward the fence with a slight limp. He wore simple farmer's clothes and carried an empty wicker basket.
Yamamoto approached carefully, not wanting to startle the old man. "Good morning, sir. You're out early." He said.
The old man looked up, surprised to see Yamamoto, as though he had been looking at the ground the entire time, since it would be impossible to miss such a figure. His weathered face creased into a cautious smile. "Aye, early indeed. And you're a tall one, aren't you? Don't see many folks your height around here." He said, snickering like an old man, perhaps too old for his age.
Yamamoto laughed also, lightly, "Can I help you with something?" he asked, keeping his tone polite and genuinely helpful. "You look like you're heading somewhere specific."
The old man's expression shifted—surprise, then something like relief. "Help? Well, I suppose... You see, my wife, she's been asking for mushrooms. Special kind that only grows in the forest, just past the tree line. I used to pick them myself when I was younger, but these old bones..." He patted his leg with a rueful chuckle. "The walk there and back takes it out of me these days."
Almost immediately, a translucent quest window appeared in Yamamoto's vision:
…
[QUEST RECEIVED: A Simple Request]
Elder Thomas needs mushrooms for his wife. Collect the mushrooms from the forest and deliver them to his home.
Difficulty: Easy
Reward: None
Failure Penalty: None
Accept? [Yes] [No]
…
No reward was listed, but that was expected—the real rewards came later.
Without hesitation, Yamamoto selected Yes.