“The sun is high above the mountain, unimpeded by any clouds, showering its light on the Great Herald Stone—ah, speaking in the third person sounds odd,” I said, scratching the bottom of my tusk, a habit I picked up from the other Mardukryons. I sometimes did talk in the third person, but only in my head.

However, I was inside Mother Core Online, exploring the virtual reality world of Hierakon. I was, technically, already inside my head. But narrating the progress of my awesomeness was unbecoming of me. Should I hire someone to do it?

“Would in-game Contracts cover—wait, is that what I am looking for?”

A plump monster sat beside a blue plant that looked like celery but was thrice its real-world size.

"Excuse me, kind sir. Is this a Rapdom plant? Rap-dom. Rrrap…dom.” That word sounded funny in my growling demonic Mardukryon voice.

The [Lvl. 10 Blue Crobel] that only came up to my knee didn't answer me. It rubbed its tiny palms together, probably feeling cold.

I needed to collect twenty stalks of Rapdom. Healer Gula had tasked me to collect ingredients for her healing salves; I had been neglecting her quest for several days. Better late than never.

This location was conveniently marked on the [Tattered Map] that Chief Nogras gave me. Going through the eastern gate of Kurghal Village, I traveled past the Snowy Swinelings area and into the home of the Crobels—little chubby monkeys with thick fur that came in various colors.

The peculiar blue celery was highlighted by a subtle golden light, indicating that it was the quest item I was looking for.

Standing near the plant triggered the [Harvest] option to appear. It was similar to the mechanic of collecting stones for my sling. This way, I didn't need to bend down to pull them out of the ground.

[ Obtained: 1 Rapdom Stalk ]

After I picked the first stalk, the golden outline faded. It was up to me to find the rest.

This wasn't a challenge because my surroundings were littered with Rapdom and other plants tended by Crobels. Apparently, I was stealing the food they were growing.

I recalled that Luds, the annoying clown who pranked me into attacking Mirdabons, was also farming plants, likely for his potions. He was on his way to harvest them when I first encountered his group. And if I wasn't mistaken, he had mentioned that Wharton, one of his party mates, was farming mushrooms in the tunnels.

Somewhere down the line, I expected I'd also need to engage in some industry to earn Artas. It'd be highly inconvenient if realism was implemented and players had to actually till the soil, plant the seeds, and harvest the plants.

Curiosity got the better of me, and I wanted to test if the manual way was possible. Bending my front legs first, followed by my hind legs, I lowered myself to the ground. The Crowbels nearby chattered, agitated by my movements. They scrambled away and hid in the bushes.

I bent my heavy upper body down, using one hand on the ground as support to steady myself, and reached for the base of the Rapdom plant. It easily came out of the earth as I pulled it.

[ Obtained: 1 Rapdom Stalk ]

“I see, that’s also possible. I'm not sure what I expected to happen.” I willed the Rapdom to go into my inventory. It instantly disappeared from my hand.

In a way, it was satisfying to physically do the harvesting as with eating and drinking meal buffs, but it also took time. Furthermore, gathering plants as a Mardukryon with our bull centaur body was cumbersome. Perhaps I'd be more inclined to do manual labor in Mother Core Online if I had a human form.

“Eighteen more stalks to go. I apologize in advance, Crobels.”

Two days had passed since my party emerged victorious over the level fifty-eight boss of the Silent Plaza—Zoar Elab, the Living Statue. Level sixty-two, if one counted its true and final form as the Hermit Vinereaver.

Our party took a break from training in fighting boss monsters because Megan and Nitana were going away on a planned vacation. Since we didn't have team practice for a few days, Kezo decided he'd focus on farming Artas to support our party. And by our party, he mainly meant me.

I took this time to complete my Contract with Chimichangaroo, gathering two thousand pieces of [Swineling Fur] for the release of two million Artas in payment.

As I had predicted, Chimi didn't commission me for further work. He was upfront that he preferred [Patch of Fur] from Mirdabons, which I could no longer efficiently farm due to the level gap penalty. The craftable robe requiring it gave him the most Gli to level his Dreamweaver Ocadule. It'd take some time for him to burn through his supply of [Swineling Fur] as he'd only use it when he was forced to weave inferior cloaks if he was low on [Patch of Fur].

Chimi did tell me to message him when I'd unlock an area of the tunnels where a particular rock was found that, when processed, would yield special pigments for textile dyeing.

Collecting, farming, mining, and other gathering mechanics weren't affected by the level gap penalty. After all, it didn't involve killing monsters to obtain items. Everything else equal, a level one hundred player and a level one player would find the same rarity of ore in the same area and gather the exact amount after mining it.

But if someone had Mining skills from an Open-Compatibility Accessory Data Module, an Ocadule, they’d be able to gather more ores.  

I non-committedly told him I'd think about it. With eleven million Artas to my name and plenty of other items I could sell, I didn’t have an immediate need for money. I was half of the mind that I perhaps should choose a crafting Ocadule for myself and work on it instead of others.

The Great Herald Stone should be bettering himself, not be hired for the betterment of someone else! 

Soon enough, I gathered the twenty [Rapdom Stalks] that the quest required. The other ingredient Healer Gula tasked me to find was fifteen [Luminescent Borples]. I couldn't begin to guess what they were supposed to be from their name. All I knew was that they were found in the tunnels, and they were probably glowing.

I hadn't entered the caverns behind Kurghal Village and was interested in having the chance to explore them. But I didn't head there just yet.

Perusing my quest log for other materials requested by other NPCs and counterchecking them with the [Tattered Map], I found that I had two more collectibles nearby.

"Six Ice-Veined Fish for the head chef," I read. "And ten pieces of Crimson Rock Ore for the apprentice blacksmith."

The small pond home of the Ice-Veined Fish was at the furthest edge of the Crobel area. The quarry where the rocks were located was further up ahead from that point, so I headed to catch some fish.

The Crobels stopped tending their plants as I galloped past them, fearfully looking at me as if suspecting I'd steal more of their food.

"No need to be wary, little monkeys," I told them, "I'm already satisfied with your involuntary tribute in my honor. I have other quests to do.”

With no other Contracts from Chimi, two paths were before me:

The first was to continue farming low-level mobs. Then I’d sell their loot at the auction, taking advantage of their high prices because the high-leveled Mardukryon players didn’t want to bother farming them. And second, forego the potential income in favor of leveling for the Great Hunt, which was scheduled to start in about a week and a half.

To help me decide, I approached Kezodilla with my dilemma.

I wasn't asking for his advice, as he might’ve assumed. Instead, I wanted to check if he was willing to...subsidize—wait, was that the correct term? Outright 'pay' sounded like I was begging.

Let's go with 'subsidize'. If Kezo would 'subsidize' my lost income, I’d happily choose option two.

I didn't directly ask for Artas; Herald Stone never begged for anything. People should be honored that they were helping me in my endeavors, for my success was the success of everyone.

However, I did emphasize what I'd sacrifice by leveling fast. I also reminded him of the costs of the Ocadule Shards and gear I bought for my Totem Juggling build. Lastly, I delivered a dramatic spiel about how I could accomplish much more for our party if my level wasn't low and I had more money.

Alas, I could only focus on one!

Unless...

Kezo, being Mr. Teamwork, with cooperation and unity coursing through his veins, unsurprisingly extended his help. He committed to giving me the amount of Artas I'd have otherwise earned so that I could concentrate on leveling up as fast as possible.

We shook hands on it, and I told him, "I'm going to do my best for our party."

Which went without saying, as Herald Stone always did his best in everything. I was the best in breathing, digesting food, drinking water, and so much more—no one was challenging my claim to these, and so they stood.

Taking on a serious tact, I started my promise by talking to every NPC in Kurghal Village. I channeled the completionist spirit of Mason, my friend from my old gaming days, and filled my quest log with everything I could find.

I also consulted Mardukryon guides on the internet about leveling; they were old, but they weren't outdated because there had been little progress on the Mardukryon main lore quest line.

I had read that a Mardukryon player aiming for a support build—hence, would have difficulties killing monsters—could quickly reach level twenty by doing non-combat quests given by village NPCs. Beyond that, it'd get harder as some quests required days to complete or would need several prerequisites. The advice was to level with parties, if possible, past level twenty.

And thus, I was going to finish all the easy quests and then leech from my party mates the rest of the way. The level gap penalty wouldn't come into play if they were killing monsters at my level.

---

 

"Let me get this straight," I said to the Mardukryon named Mangi. "I need a fishing rod to catch the fish here?"

The two of us were in the middle of the frozen pond, standing on the ice. Pond or lake? Herald Stone was no expert on bodies of water. Mangi was an NPC fishing at a hole he broke through the thick layer of ice. He was supposed to teach me about the basics of fishing.

"That you do, youngling," Mangi replied, waving his fishing rod that appeared to be carved out of a massive bone. "How else are you going to fish?"

"Can I just buy the one you're using?" I said. "Or how about I rent it?"

Mangi laughed out loud. "Younglings these days are too eager to try new things without careful preparation. You need to build your foundation first. And for fishing, you need to have a connection with your rod."

"That’s what she said,” I muttered, channeling Mason’s immature jokes. “Mangi, sir…I don't think that's a requirement for fishing. And which rod are we talking about?"

"My first task for you, youngling, is to find the materials to make your own rod."

"Sure, if you say so. What do I need to gather?"

[ Quest: A Simple Fishing Rod ]

To make a suitable rod for fishing, gather five (5) [Golden Willow Bark Strip] for the line and a sturdy [Golden Willow Branch] for the rod.

 “And another quest,” I groaned.