"How are they so fast?" Brookie asked.

It didn't take him and Dharr long to lose the mystery player.

"A movement speed item, I guess? I can't believe it..."

With over a twofold difference in speed between the two parties, it was natural that they'd separate eventually.

"Let's keep going," Brookie said. He still had a job to do, and something told him this mystery player could be a clue.

However, Dharr wasn't so enthusiastic.

"With that movement speed, they could be anywhere by now. Let's just grind a bit more then go back to check out the auction."

"Hm..."

"You're still considering chasing them? Let me tell you it's hopeless to try to find someone that's *that* much faster."

Brooks could act as a bona fide bounty hunter in the real world, but he wasn't sure if his skills would translate into the game. Regardless, he didn't want to completely give up.

"How about this. We'll grind wild mobs, but you'll follow my lead," he suggested.

"Sure, but remember that we've got an hour, and you need to plan for the return trip, too."

"Of course."

With that, the two continued grinding for XP, cash and loot. But after following the mystery player's path for only a minute, something odd arose.

"Aren't there... a lot less monsters here?" Brookie asked. Nothing else had changed, but the density of mobs continued to shrink despite moving into supposedly more dangerous territory.

"Yeah. There could be something else here, so keep your guard up," Dharr said. "Maybe like a strong monster or something."

"Makes sense. Let's keep going, then."

What was it? Before long, they had their answer.

"What's that?"

Ahead of them, the grass had darkened into a strange black-and-purple combination.

"I... don't know."

"What? Didn't you say you made it to like level 25 or something in the beta? You should know everything around here."

"Well I clearly don't," Dharr grunted. "If I did, that anti-appraisal item would have been mine."

If even the beta player Dharr hadn't seen this, that meant it was completely new territory. Brookie's adventurous side fluttered with excitement.

"Right... Let's go take a look?" Brookie asked.

"... Just a look. We don't know how dangerous it is."

...

"Whoa..."

"This is..."

In the dark grass in front of them, the flora were all dead. Or were they? Flower petals were brown and the grass was blackened. Yet, upon closer inspection, they appeared to be properly nourished. The petals were soft and the grass was lush. With the purple atmosphere peeking out in the distance, it was as if they were looking into another world.

"Nah, Brooks, I'm drawing the line here. You can go in there by yourself, Mr. Tough Guy."

"Come on. We're discovering something for the first time. Doesn't the prospect of this excite you?"

"How can it not terrify you? We don't know what's gonna happen in there."

"Say that last part again."

"Uh... We don't know what's gonna happen in there?"

"That's *exactly* why I want to find out."

Dharr wanted to rebut by saying fear of the unknown was completely reasonable, but Brookie was already striding towards the anomaly.

With a sigh, Dharr tagged along behind him.

 

---

 

*>System message: New biome discovered - Traveling Corrupted Land.*

*>You are the first player to discover this biome! Dispensing rewards:*

*>+1 Silverium*

 

*Oh?*

As soon as Jisha stepped onto the darkened grass, the system gifted her this message. 1 Silverium, though worse than peanuts in the late game, was a ludicrous amount of money for the current Fae Sol.

Since 1 Silverium = 100 Bronzium and 1 Bronzium = 100 Copper, she essentially gained 10,000 Copper.

*Honestly, I'm surprised it's not more.*

Synergy incentivized exploration, and the system would give exploration-related rewards quite often. Traveling Corrupted Land was not a common biome, and it was extremely unlikely for it to show up where it did. Hence, the reward was fair.

*I forgot about biome discovery rewards. They were so rare in the end game...*

Jisha was going to take everything she could get in this game, including more discovery rewards... and the Boss of this Corrupted Land. At the center of every Traveling Corrupted Land, there would be a boss monster that was the source of the corrupting miasma. If she could find and defeat it, the system would reward her handsomely.

*Gotta stay careful, though.*

There was no telling what would happen especially since the black phoenix practically led her here.

*-1*

*Looks like it's started.*

After entering this biome, Fae Sol was exposed to miasma that was dangerous to normal players. Unlike most poison gases, which could only be ingested by breathing, miasma negatively impacted a body just by touching it.

*This could be bad...*

Though this was a low-level Corrupted Land, Jisha's level was still too low tackle this place for most players. Even she might have to abandon ship if things went south.

Her time limit in this place was 20 minutes, and that was *with* the Cinnamon Buns. Without them, it was only around 10. This time limit didn't account for additional damage taken, either.

Natural regeneration was practically nonexistent right now, so there was no point factoring that in.

*-1*

After a couple of minutes of running, Jisha encountered her first mob in this land. 

 

*>Name: Corrupted Air [Rare]*

*>Level: 5* 

 

It was a massive purple gas cloud that hung in the air, blocking her path forward.

Though it was called Corrupted Air, in reality, this cloud comprised thousands of floating small organisms. These organisms thrived on the miasma of the area making them dangerous to the touch. Jisha would need a stronger area-of-effect attack to be able to wipe them out; it was impossible to do significant damage with pellets slightly smaller than her palm.

*Tch...*

It was an unkillable mob for her right now, but that wasn't why it was annoying. Since this Corrupted Air coated a wide area, it practically turned the area into a maze. There was no current method to clear it out, and walking through it was suicide. The only choice was to detour around them.

*-1*

*There better be a way out of here...*

She glanced at her map - her current area was a scrambled mess. Maps recorded the places it had traveled plus a snapshot of the terrain at that time. But since this was an early-game map, it didn't support multiple dimensions.

In other words, her map was currently useless.

*Great.*

Memorizing her path was a bit annoying, but it wouldn't give her too much trouble here. The real issue would be if there was no route to the center - it would make this trip worthless. 

 

*>HP: 104/114* 

 

At this point, the miasma chipped away 10 HP. Her regeneration items, the Cinnamon Buns, healed precisely this much.

*Time to eat!*

Was this cursed land a blessing in disguise? It was the perfect excuse to stuff herself with sweets...

So she ate 1 Cinnamon Bun...

2...

3...

*And... Finally!*

After losing a total of 30 HP to the miasma, Jisha found herself on the other side of the Corrupted Air. The grass was a more vivid shade of purple - she was approaching the center.

She continued forwards, and now there was nothing in the way.

*-1*

No more mobs appeared, but the miasma's effects intensified.

*-1*

The grass was now almost a translucent purple.

*-1*

The damage-over-time's severity kept ramping up.

Finally, in the distance, through the wilted trees and dead leaves, Jisha caught a glimpse of the Biome Boss.

 

*>Name: Corrupted Tamaskan Devil [Biome Boss]* 

*>Level: 11*

*HP: 2,300* 

 

*Yep, it's strong alright.*

If it was an ordinary level 11 monster, Jisha would have been able to kill it in a few seconds. However, this was not a level 11 common mob, but a level 11 Biome Boss. Despite being described by the same number, the two were not on the same playing field.

*Yeah, this definitely isn't early-game material.*

If a new player were to see this, they would experience quite the shock. This dog-like creature was not at all like the overly-cutesy mobs the game had presented thus far.

This dog was much bigger than an ordinary one. Even while standing on all fours, it was a bit taller than the current Fae Sol. It was limping, its fur was wretched, and it was covered in bald spots of peeling skin. A portion of its jaws was torn clean off too, exposing its sharp teeth for the world to see.

*It was probably cute in the past. That sucks.*

Under ordinary circumstances, Jisha could easily solo this boss. However, she was on a time crunch. With now 5 of her Cinnamon Buns consumed, she had to make a quick decision on whether to fight or flee. Considering the boss' large HP pool, it was no walk in the park.

However, if she *could* kill it in time, she would be completely safe - she was guaranteed to level up at least once and receive a full heal. Plus, killing the boss would cleanse the surrounding corruption, so the exit route was stress-free.

*The Nightwalker... is a no-go for now.*

The Night Walk ability would instantly remove all the difficulty of this mission, but it should only be used as a last resort. There was still time, albeit only a little bit, to brainstorm a more efficient method.

The Tamaskan was currently 100 metron away. After observing its movements for only a few moments, its weakness was evident.

*Oh... It's blind.*

It was relying on its nose far more than an ordinary dog would, so being spotted in the traditional sense was less of a worry. But its sense of smell extended to an unknown range. What was a good way of closing in without alerting it?

Shooting from afar would take too long. Though Jisha was capable of landing 100-metron shots with a slingshot, it took a lot of time to line up those shots. Firing from closer was simply easier, plus she could divert more of her focus to speed rather than accuracy.

So what was the plan? It was blind, so it relied on its nose. So maybe...

*Haha. This might actually work.*

This was a bit risky, so she would have to flee immediately if it failed. Maintaining a distance of 100 metron from the Tamaskan, Jisha navigated to a spot where she had an open line of sight. Now, nothing was in the way.

Jisha withdrew her ultimate weapon from her inventory: the Cinnamon Bun.

Its sweet scent made her mouth water... but she couldn't eat it...

*Ugh... I'm definitely buying lots more next time I see them for sale!*

She crushed the massive Cinnamon Bun into a tiny ball - it was soft enough to not crumble. She then equipped the Golden Slingshot and loaded the Cinnamon Bun as if it were a projectile.

*I can't believe this works.*

The Cinnamon Bun wasn't directly categorized as a projectile weapon by Synergy, yet for some reason, it didn't matter.

Jisha pulled back on the slingshot, aimed at the Tamaskan, and released.

*Goodnight, *sweet* prince...*

By some absurd logic, the slingshot had no difficulty firing.

After arcing through the air, the Cinnamon Bun landed right next to the nose of the dog sniffing the ground.

*Huh, I missed.*

It was already extremely difficult to land a 100-metron shot with a slingshot, much less with a Cinnamon Bun as a pellet. This didn't matter, though, as striking the Tamaskan wasn't necessary.

It was suddenly assaulted with a strong scent at point blank - an olfactory flashbang... of deliciousness? Unable to resist the sugar, it gave the source of the scent a tentative lick. After a pause, it quickly devoured the whole thing.

*It really likes them, huh? Let's send in another one!*

While the Tamaskan's nose was filled with cinnamon-y goodness, Jisha advanced 20 metron. She quickly loaded and fired another Cinnamon Bun.

This time, she didn't miss, but no damage was dealt. The dog happily devoured the second sweet treat. Little by little, Jisha fired more Cinnamon Buns and stealthily approached the Tamaskan. After using all of her Cinnamon Buns (ammo), she was right behind the dog, yet it still hadn't reacted to her presence.

*It should have noticed me by now, but I guess those Cinnamon Buns are just that good?*

The sugary sweetness wasn't the only reason Jisha had decided on Cinnamon Buns as a weapon, however.

*Please work...*

She tentatively waited for the dog to finish its meal.

"..."

The Tamaskan licked its lips and slowly turned to face her.

*Come on...*

It lazily sauntered towards her. There was no rush. It was only a single player that was lower-leveled than it was, and its full stomach only made it lazier.

*...*

It was now close enough to swipe its paws at her. Jisha prepared to withdraw, but the Tamaskan suddenly keeled over.

*Yes! Now!*

She quickly ran onto its back and started firing pellets at its head from practically pointblank.

*-104*

*-104*

*-104*

...

*This is hilariously stupid, but it's actually working.*

The Cinnamon Buns were the MVPs through and through. Cinnamon wasn't fatally toxic to dogs, but overconsumption would undoubtedly leave them with stomach problems. As if on cue, the Tamaskan vomited. Its movements were sluggish, and Jisha was easily able to maintain her position atop the monster.

*Don't they do this in the Far West? It's pretty fun, actually.*

As if she were one of those bull riders with the large hats, she maintained her balance while slugging the creature to death with furious pointblank shots.

...

After 22 shots, the Tamaskan helplessly toppled over, exploding into white. Jisha took no damage from the boss itself, but she accumulated a sizeable chunk of damage from the miasma. If she were forced to leave the same way she entered, she would have undoubtedly bitten the dust. However, all was well now. 

 

*>System message: Level up!*

*>System message: Level up!*

*Level: 9 -> 11 (+2)* 

 

*>Name: Fae Sol*

*>Class: Slingshot*

*Level: 11*

*>HP: 118*

*>MP: 118*

*>AD: 62 (12 + 50)*

*>AP: 59*

*>AS: 0.5 (1 - 0.5)*

*>AR: 0*

*>MR: 0* 

 

A single level-up was enough to full-heal her, much less two level-ups. She had soloed a Biome Boss that was two levels higher than herself. Though it was only a dumb level 11 monster, Jisha was proud of her equally dumb but functional tactic.

When the white light cleared, one small item rested on the ground.

*This better be good.*

*>Name: Shard of Corruption*

*That's it?*

Shards were valuable, but she'd expected something a bit more...

As a low-leveled Tier 0 being, she couldn't properly judge the phoenix's strength, but it was clear that it was many Tiers above her current self. Something of that level only gifted her one shard? 

 

*>System message: You have liberated a Corrupted Land.*

*>+10 Karma*

*>System message: Calculating First Kill Bonus...*

*>+1 Shard of True Essence* 

 

*Or rather, two shards...*

Shards often had attributes and could only do a very limited amount of things. However, Shards of True Essence were basically all-attribute shards. It was undoubtedly valuable, but...

*Whatever, there's no point complaining.*

As the system messages popped up, the purple grass slowly turned green where the Corrupted Tamaskan had died. The circle of green expanded slowly, and as it did, the terrain teemed with new life. It was truly a sight to behold.

However, Jisha paid no attention to this. Another hidden stat had caught her attention.

*Karma, huh...*

This genuine hidden stat represented one's "alignment". Positive Karma was usually related to "good" beings, and negative Karma was usually related to "evil" beings. Being good-aligned was alright, but there was a small problem with it. If one was good-aligned, they would be punished for killing players. This wasn't a worry for evil-aligned players.

Jisha was still unsure which direction she wanted to take in this new life. It was best to remain neutral until making concrete plans. In her previous life, she had been good-aligned. It served as a PvP deterrent in the wild; two good-aligned players were discouraged from fighting each other. It was only a problem if a good-aligned player came across an evil-aligned one. Only then would conflict be almost inevitable.

The color of the player's name above their head represented their alignment. If it was some shade of green or white, they were good-aligned. If it was yellow, orange, red, or black, they leaned towards evil.

Conveniently, though, Jisha had Shahar's Nightwalker. It wasn't possible for players or NPCs to glean her alignment at a glance.

There were many pros and cons to both sides, so the definite decision would have to wait for another time.

For now, she headed back towards Covan Village - there was an auction to crash.