Arthur's eyebrow twitched as he listened to the old man's reason. "Special?"
The old man nodded vigorously, his gaze darting nervously toward Neko. "Yes, very special," he insisted. "That companion of yours... you're no ordinary adventurer. And, well, I do have a problem that needs solving."
Hearing the old man's words, Arthur's expression remained neutral, but inside, a smile crept into his thoughts.
'Neko is something else,' he mused. 'I just got a hidden mission by hanging out with her. This old guy probably thinks Neko will help me achieve something amazing for him, hehe.'
Arthur glanced at the indifferent cat lazing on his shoulder.
'If only he knew the truth,' he thought, suppressing an inward chuckle.
'She's just a lazy ass cat who barely moves unless it's to sunbathe or dodge my attempts to pet her.'
Arthur kept his face serious, arms crossed and his tone flat. "Alright then," he said, nodding at the old man. "Tell me what this is about."
The old man nodded eagerly, clearly relieved that Arthur was finally listening to him without interrupting. "Of course, of course! Let me explain…"
Inside, he chuckled to himself.
'Let's see what kind of mission this is going to be. Thanks for the reputation boost, Neko—even if you're as useful as a rock most of the time.' He suppressed a grin, focusing on the old man's explanation.
[Ding! You have triggered the A-Level hidden village #420 quest: Help John Kill the silver serpent that killed his young daughter. Reward: Rare Skill book, 5 Gold Coins.]
[Would you like to accept the hidden quest?]
"Yes," Arthur muttered.
[Ding! You have Accepted the A-Level hidden village #420 quest: Help John Kill the silver serpent that killed his young daughter. Quest duration: Four days. Reward: Rare Skill book & 5 Gold Coins. Failure: You will lose -50 reputation points in the village, and most villagers will despise you.]
'Although I'm not sure about the consequences of losing reputation this early on, I can not miss out on the rare skill book. Even if it's a terrible skill book, I will still be able to sell it for tens of gold coins...maybe even hundreds, hehe.'
"Alright, so how do you want me to prove that I killed it for you? Is there anything in particular you are looking for?" Arthur asked because he wasn't sure how quests worked.
John's face darkened, his tone filled with a murderous intent. "Bring me its fangs," he said, his hatred almost materialising. "That serpent has lived far too long."
Arthur nodded, his expression serious. "Understood."
After exchanging a few more words, Arthur said his goodbyes, leaving John behind.
As Arthur walked toward the forest, the details of John's quest ran through his mind like a film on 2x speed.
'This is going to be tough,' he thought, his steps calm but his mind restless.
'A level 10 elite boss... That's no joke. If it were just a regular boss, it might have been manageable with enough strategy. But elite bosses are a different beast entirely, even though I killed my current summon Sunless which was an epic boss, that was solely because of Neko. Otherwise, I would've been dead long ago. Sunless was also only level 5, whereas this serpent is level 10.'
He glanced at Neko, lounging on his shoulder, her eyes half-closed in her usual persona of indifference.
He sighed internally.
'It would've been a lot easier if this lazy cat actually helped in combat. But no, she's too busy pretending she's royalty.'
Arthur shook his head and refocused on what he could control.
'Still, this mission isn't impossible. If I can reach level 5 soon, I'll unlock the ability to summon two more beasts. With Sunless and two new summons, I might actually stand a chance. The trick is levelling up fast enough.'
'My Shadow Monarch class should also grant me some pretty powerful skills when I reach level 5, so that will also help out a lot. Level 5 will also give my other summons skills if my guess isn't wrong.'
As he planned his next moves, his thoughts were abruptly interrupted by a sharp ding in his ears.
[Global Announcement: Player Demon has successfully killed the first pseudo-elite boss!]
[Global Announcement: Player Demon has...]
[Global Announcement: ...]
Arthur came to an abrupt stop, his eyes narrowing as he processed the announcement. His brows furrowed deeply, and a frown crept onto his face.
"Already?" he muttered, his tone laced with disbelief. He rubbed his chin thoughtfully, the implications of the announcement sinking in.
'The first pseudo-elite boss, and this early into the game? These players are no joke. I wonder why the system didn't announce that I killed an epic boss when I was in that secret realm, was it because the secret realm was more important than the epic-grade boss? or was it something else?'
After thinking about it for a while, he decided that he wouldn't get any answers anytime soon. So he forgot about the issue and decided to level up, his steps quickened as he thought about the gap between himself and the other players.
'I can't afford to fall behind. If I don't level up faster, I'll be left in the dust. I'm sure the other players have already hit level 5.'
Arthur approached the gates of the village, nodding briefly to the NPC guards who stood watch.
The forest loomed ahead, its dense trees and shadowed paths inviting him back into its dangerous embrace.
He adjusted the dagger strapped to his side and took a deep breath.
'This isn't just about levelling up anymore. I need to prove myself, not only for the thrill of it. But for Charlotte's sake. Every gold coin, every rare item, every skill point I earn in this game puts me closer to giving her the life she deserves.'
The gate creaked slightly as Arthur stepped through, the sounds of the village fading behind him.
The forest awaited, and with it, the challenges that would either break him—or make him stronger.
[You have left the safe zone, you can now be attacked by monsters.]
[Players cannot attack each other yet.]
[Attacking another player will result in major penalties. Be warned!]