A/N
Update 1 chap a day and publish starts anywhere between 10 AM to 12 Midnight ^^ HKNG Time
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CHEERS! ^^
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"COVENANT."
Silvia rolled the letters on the tip of her tongue. She looked over at the twin moons peeking above the orange sky.
It was going to be dark soon, and Pamela was still nowhere to be seen.
Silvia was inside Euclid Village and was waiting for Pamela, who was still setting up her pod. They were supposed to meet early on, but Pamela got delayed, and Silvia couldn't wait for her friend and played the game without her.
However, Silvia didn't have the heart to leave her friend behind and decided to just finish all the quests in Euclid village and wait for her after.
Anyway, when Pamela arrives in Euclid village, she'll help her with her quests, and they could grind together in Euclid Forest after that.
Silvia has already spoken to all NPCs inside Euclid Village and finished all available quests, but there was still no sign of her best friend.
She knew of the time difference between the game and the real world, and there was nothing she could do but wait. She was also worried about Pamela because she read in the game's limited guide that players were distributed across hundreds of newbie villages.
If Pamela happened to be in another newbie village, Silvia would just go to her using the [Teleportation/Save Crystal] stationed at each entrance of a village, town, city, and dungeons.
These crystals would automatically teleport you to places that you have already visited. As long as you entered a place first, it would be available as a choice when you touched the crystal at every entrance of a place.
However, the hundreds of Newbie Villages were accessible in the list of choices in the teleportation/save crystal even if you hadn't entered the place.
It was to make sure that players could play together with their friends at the start of the game even if they were transported to other villages.
There was no point in playing if they weren't together enjoying the game.
It was true that COVENANT was a unique and exciting game. A fantasy world came out of a dream. But after doing errand quests after guests, Silvia was already bored. She really wanted to venture outside of the newbie village and into the great unknown.
The only thing that was hindering her was her best friend, Pamela, who was still nowhere to be seen.
Shifting one foot to another, Silvia clicked her tongue in annoyance when she started attracting unwanted attention. The only thing keeping the group of guys from approaching her was her intimidating glares.
She cursed the game for not having the option to change her appearance.
Though she was grateful, she was gifted with godly looks and physiques, but it was a bother most of the time.
She had already forgotten how many times her face got her into trouble.
Was there some kind of an item that could hide her appearance? Silvia thought to herself.
Silvia decided to wait for Pamela in an area that was secluded and had lesser players.
Thank the heavens that there weren't many players yet, and Silvia didn't have to worry about the crowd.
However, she was bored.
Not even five minutes that, she was standing and waiting for Pamela, and she was already bored.
Silvia was not used to just standing and waiting. She needed to do something, or she'd feel every tick of the clock.
Silvia released a large breath into the sky and decided to grind in the forest. It was dark, and not many players were adventuring outside at this time, but what else would she do?
Stand here and wait?
Silvia shook her head and marched towards Euclid forest.
She entered the forest and began to grind with whatever beast she saw, making sure that she didn't go too deep inside so she could return to the village as soon as Pamela arrived.
<CONGRATULATIONS on defeating Horned Rabbit x1
REWARDS:
❶ 5 EXP
❷ 10 Gil
❸ Rabbit's foot x1 >
<CONGRATULATIONS on defeating Crazed Wolf x1
REWARDS:
❶ 7 EXP
❷ 15 Gil
❸ Wolf's fang x1 >
Notifications popped on Silvia's screen when she defeated beast after beast. She didn't care, though, since the rewards were so poor it hurt her eyes.
It would take forever for all her ATP to reach two digits at this rate.
Silvia went still and wiped off the sweat from her face. This game was too realistic that she felt like everything was real. She even felt like logging out and taking a long hot bath.
She took a moment to breathe and looked at her player status.
‖ S T A TU S ‖
Name: Silvia
Age: 19
Race: Human
Class: Fencer
Subclass: Duelist
Eye Color: Blue
Hair Color: Gold
Attributes:
HP: 70
MP: 40
STR: 12
DEF: 7
MDF: 5
INT: 4
AGI: 7
LCK: 4
Skills:
❶ Stab LV.1
Spells:
❶ Heal LV.1
Life Skills
Cooking: Beginner
Fishing: Beginner
Foraging: Beginner
EXP: 70
Money: 120 Gils
Items:
❶ Newbie Garbs (Equip)
❷ Beginner's Rapier (Equip)
❸ Protection Ring (Equip)
❹ ARCADIA's map
❺ Health Potions x7
❻ Rabbits Foot x3
❼ Wolf's Fangs x2
‖ E N D ‖
Silvia sighed.
She was here for hours, but her ATP didn't even reach two digits. And Silvia knew why. The amount of EXP in the Newbie Village was so minuscule to non-existent, and the amount of EXP to level their ATP was huge.
It didn't add up.
The only time that she received an enormous EXP was attaining first blood on the quest [Herbs Gathering], and she poured it to her STR, and it only went up by that much.
She thought that grinding the forest would rake her tons of EXP, but it turned out that the EXP lessened, the more she accumulated EXP and raised her ATP. Some beasts didn't even provide any more EXP rewards.
Accumulating EXP and not distributing it to her ATP to maintain it low so she could rake EXP when defeating beasts also didn't work. The system even calculated the accumulated EXP in her [Home Screen] when giving rewards.
Silvia didn't have time to waste on lower-level beasts anymore. In the [World Chat], she read that some players encountered a group of beasts that were impossible to defeat in this early game.
Silvia thought that would surely rake her enough EXP to level all her ATP into two digits.
Silvia picked her thumb. Was her ATP enough to solo this group of monsters, though?
". . ."
After consideration, the only way for her to be ahead of the others was to take risks.
And besides, she wasn't used to just staying in her comfort zone.
"Let's do this." Silvia's eyes shone, and excitement racked her veins for the second time.
The first time was when she entered COVENANT, and she almost forgot how it was to be excited once more.
The real-life was dull to her because she could get whatever she wanted and could do many things if she set her mind to it. Being number one was effortless to her, and this got her bored.
A good thing that this game came at the perfect time.
Silvia's eyes glowed, and her tongue wiped her bottom lips. "Don't disappoint me."
She went into the area where the players said they had spotted a group of Horned Rabbits.
She would test the waters first since Horned Rabbits were the weakest beasts in Euclid Forest.
She didn't have to go far because the group of rabbits was located under the giant tree at the center of a wide clearing of patches of grass.
Silvia made some mental preparations in her mind. Her ATP could take care of every single one of them before, and she was confident that she could win even if there were four of them now.
She was confident in her skill with the sword since she was practicing fencing in real life. She also knew self-defense.
A Fencer was the perfect class for her. The skill [Stab] inflicted [True Damage] and had a high chance of critical attack if she pierced her weapon against her opponent's weakness.
It was also the reason why she was ahead of the others in the game. While others squirmed and were still getting used to the battle system, Silvia felt right at home.
Silvia readied her weapon.
At the sight of the approaching woman, the peaceful bunnies, who were minding their own business of eating grass and collecting food, all turned hostile and immediately circled Silvia.
Silvia drew her weapon and was about to use her skill when all four Horned Rabbits attacked her all at once, and she was completely caught off guard.
–10
–17 Critical Hit!
–10
–15 Critical Hit!
Silvia was surprised that the Horned Rabbits were faster than the normal ones. Bigger too. They were about knee in height, and their large bucktooth was sharper than it appeared.
What's more, two of the rabbits managed to circle her and attacked her on the back, landing Critical Hits in return.
Silvia immediately took a step back, creating distance between the rabbits and her. She was about to consume her potions when the Horned Rabbits attacked again.
–10
–9
–9
–7
Silvia was stunned and didn't expect that she wouldn't even get the chance to attack before her HP bar quickly flashed red and emptied.
<You have DIED!>
And when she came too, she was nothing but a wisp on top of her body that was laying on the hard cold ground, which felt strange to her.
There was a notification on her screen saying that she had to pay the death penalty with ATP since her EXP was insufficient.
The notification wouldn't leave her screen, and there was no exit. She had no choice but to pay the death penalty.
Gritting her teeth, Silvia paid –5 ATP points from her MP, STR, INT, a total of 500 EXP that she should have otherwise gotten as a reward if she defeated the Horned Rabbits.
After which, her body burst into particles, and Silvia found herself back at the entrance of Euclid Village near the Teleportation/Save Crystal.
Silvia's heart was heavy. Those were 5 ATP points!
5!
Such a minuscule number, but it had a great impact on the game!
Her advantage over the others was now reduced, and she couldn't sleep knowing that she had lost 5 of her hard-earned ATP.
But despite her frustration, there was a hint of a smile on Silvia's lips.
It was her fault for underestimating the Horned Rabbits.
This time, she wouldn't make the same mistake twice.
She lacked the information about the group of Horned Rabbits, and the [World Chat] didn't provide any information either except that they were strong or a lot of players were killed when they attempted to kill those beasts. After they suffered tremendous ATP loss, they thoroughly gave up on the group of horned rabbits after just a single try.
But Silvia was different. The more she suffered defeat, the more motivated she'd become.
She wouldn't stop until she got what she wanted.
And her eyes were locked on those group of Horned Rabbits.
Through her parent's money, Silvia acquired information about the game. Not much but sill useful than the limited information and guide the developers posted on their website.
There was supposed to be an item that would let her see the stats of the beasts and monsters she encountered.
Due to her confidence, she made the mistake of not checking the information of her foes. A newbie mistake that could have been prevented if she hadn't underestimated her enemy.
It won't happen again. Silvia thought.
She went to the shop and bought [Monocle x1].
In the real world, Silvia didn't have to check the prices of what she bought. But in here, she made a twice-over encased that her Gil got depleted without her knowing.
She wasn't used to it, but it felt nice for once.
The challenge was always welcomed. Silvia thought to herself before she went back to where the group of Horned Rabbits was.
Silvia didn't know what happened back there and why she died before she had the chance to attack, but she was determined to find out, even at the cost of another death and EXP penalty.
Sacrifices had to be made for her advancement.
At this moment, all Silvia thought was defeating the group of Horned Rabbits and nothing else. Even Pamela was left out of her mind.
Silvia approached the rabbits with careful steps though the beasts heard her footstep, and loud screeching noises escaped from their wide mouths.
They surrounded Silvia once more, and the four beasts attacked her from all sides the moment Silvia pressed <ENGAGED>. This time, Silvia was ready and anticipated their attacks.
She jumped to the side and avoided a [Bite] from the Rabbits' mouths.
Miss!
Miss!
Miss!
Miss!
Silvia smiled at the words flashing in her view. As long as she knew the pattern of their attacks, she could easily avoid them with her AGI.
However, her smile fell right off her face when the rabbits thumped their bigfoot against the ground in a blink and easily jumped towards her with their bucktooth on wide display.
Since Silvia was still in the air, she couldn't avoid the rabbits' attacks, and her HP flashed red in alarm.
–19 Critical Hit!
–15 Critical Hit!
–17 Critical Hit!
–16 Critical Hit!
When the rabbits all paused for a second, Silvia used her [Monocle] instead of attacking them.
[Used Monocle x1
Remaining number of Monocle: 0]
‖ H O R D E S O F
H O R N E D R A B B I T S ‖
Location: Euclid Forest
Description:
❶ A family of Horned Rabbits living in Euclid Forest.
❷ Do not engage if ATPs are below two digits.
‖ A T T R I B U T E ‖
HP: 75
MP: 20
STRG: 7
DEF: 6
MDF: 5
INT: 5
AGL: 10
LCK: 12
‖ S K I L L ‖
Passive Skill:
❶ Rabbit's LCK
–– 100% chance of double attack when the enemy's AGI and LCK are lower.
Active Skill:
❶ Rabbit's Screech Lv. 2
–– MP –20
–– 50% chance of calling for reinforcement
‖ W E A K N E S S ‖
❶ Fire
‖ E N D ‖
Silvia was surprised because the group of Horned Rabbits had different skills than the individual rabbits running rampant in the forest. She thought that they were the same. That was why she was confident that she could kill them even if most of her ATP's were in the single digit.
What's more, their ATPs were high!
So high!
Higher than her, that Silvia was even thinking of giving up.
Silvia shook her head.
NO!
She would not give up until this group of midgets were nothing but rabbit meats and feet.
Such horrid and savage thoughts for someone so beautiful, but Silvia didn't care for the Rabbits were now going to attack her.
Silvia closed her eyes, bracing for impact, and before she knew it, a notification appeared on her screen.
<You have DIED!>
<Penalty 600 EXP>
<Insufficient EXP>
<Proceed to pay 6 ATP for lack of EXP>
<PROCEED>
". . ."
Silvia blinked. It was 500 before but now a 600 EXP penalty?
How?
Why?
WHAT?!
Silvia forced herself to calm down and thought things through.
The system was calculating the penalties based on the amount of EXP she gets from defeating her enemy. And the amount of EXP she gets from killing her enemy was based on her ATP and the amount of time for her to defeat her foes.
Then that meant . . .
It was because her ATP was reduced by five a while ago that was why her amount of EXP, should she had defeated the group of Horned Rabbits, was increased to 600 EXP.
Damn!
Then that meant that the more she was killed, the higher the EXP reduction!
Silvia began to panic now. 600 EXP was no joke! She would definitely feel the burn of it.
Her ATP was surely going to suffer from this second loss. Her advantage over the other players would be null as well.
Calm down.
Silvia repeated the mantra over her head.
It also meant that if she defeated the Hordes of Horned Rabbits, she could get back most of her lost ATP points.
Silvia took a large intake of air and planned her next move. She needed to increase her AGI to 10, so the group of Horned Rabbits' skills wouldn't work against her, and they couldn't perform double attacks.
And with her fighting experience, she could avoid most of their attacks and finish them one by one.
Silvia nodded to herself. What she needed was to grind until she had 300 EXP. And by then . . .
Silvia's wisp form locked on the group of Horne Rabbits who resumed their daily lives of eating grass and collecting food. Their innocent eyes looked happy and content.
Silvia didn't know why but she was pissed looking at them.
She would surely kill those rabbits even if it were the last thing she did!
Paying for the death penalty, Silvia once again found herself inside the entrance of Euclid Village.
Instead of wallowing in her frustration and annoyance, Silvia marched towards the forest once more and grind like her life depended on it.
She totally forgot about her best friend Pamela at this point.
Some players were also doing their daily grind. Upon seeing the beautiful lady marching with dark mist shrouding her entire aura, eyes glinting dangerously, everyone gave way almost immediately.
Their fantasy of saving a damsel in distress and showing off to attract her vanished in thin air like the Crazed Wolf she slew with her sword in a single strike.
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