Arrays of colors blended together and spewed out of the monster's dead body, like a fountain spring that had just erupted. Golden coins, items of various rarities, and several miscellaneous pieces could be seen splattered across the battlefield. I could only fall back in awe and gasp at the number of drops the boss had.

"Holy shit, we did it!" Ace yelled with his hands both held high. He was exasperated, dropping his greatsword and hurtling towards me to give me a helping hand. He was the first one to react to the spectacle, his triumphant voice notifying all of the other groups of what happened.

The other teams around me were in complete silence, still confused about what had just happened. Hammer was twitching his eyebrows, while Apoc had a deeply unsatisfied look on his face. After a few murmurs and whispers shuffled from around, the area erupted into loud cheering.

"I guess so," I chuckled, heaving a huge sigh of relief. I really thought that I was gonna die there. 

"Are you guys all good?" Yoona said, appearing quickly beside us. "Congrats on the last hit, Winter!" She gave me a quick wink and a thumbs-up sign.

"Thanks for the help," I replied to Yoona, returning the thumbs up. "Couldn't have done it without you."

"Hehe, no problem." Yoona curtsied, giving a content smile.

Looking around, the cheering didn't stop. If anything, it got even louder. Everyone from every party was cheering vociferously. Some were clapping their hands vigorously and others were whistling intently. You would think they would've learned that large noises would attract the rest of the mobs, but I think they didn't care at this point.

"What's the plan on the drops?" White asked, quickly rejoining us, "We gonna roll for them?"

"All class-specific drops can go to their respective class." Yoon said, "And I think the rest we can roll for them." 

"Sound good to me." Ace agreed.

"Likewise." I nodded my head.

"Alright then," White replied.

Rolling for drops essentially meant letting a random number generator decide who gets to keep the drops. For example, if there was an item that I wanted, I would roll a number from 1-100, the higher the number, the more likely I would get it. If I had the highest number out of the remaining members that rolled, then that would mean I would keep the drops. Heading towards the boss and quickly hovering over the menu, I could choose to collect all of the items at once.

"Should we roll these items then?" I asked the group, displaying them the items in my inventory.

Large amounts of items collected into my inventory. Going through each and everyone, most of them were self-explanatory. The items that had class restrictions were the Sharptooth Weapons and Wolf Skin Breastplate, but items such as the Sharptooth Necklace, the Silver Ring, and the Wolf Skin Shoes and Cape were completely free for the taking. 

"Let's distribute the other drops first," White replied, "I really just want the Sharptooth Daggers. You guys can roll for the rest. I gotta head out and grind levels soon anyways." 

"How did you get to level ten so early, anyhow?" Yoona asked, shaking her head.

"It's a secret," White replied, giving a small grin. 

 "Come on!" Yoona exclaimed, "You can tell us."

White only gave a shrug in response which left Yoona feeling dissatisfied.

"At least add us as friends?" Yoona asked, dejected.

"That's something I can do," White replied, nodding.

After distributing the items towards the members, there were only a few items left to roll. I was lucky enough to roll a high number and get the Epic item; the Sharptooth Necklace. I also received the Wolf Skin Breastplate, which was a pretty good upgrade to the current breastplate I was wearing. I also obtained the Sharptooth Sword by default.

Spoiler

✩✩✩✩✩ ✩✩✩✩✩ Wolfskin Breastplate (Common Item) ✧✧
	Not Soulbound	W. Attack Increase
	Crafted by: None	+ 37
	Required Level: Five (5)
	Required Strength: Twenty (20)	Required Luck: None
	Required Dexterity: None	Required Intelligence: None
Class Requirements: Warrior
Category: Top	Description:
Strength: +5	A warm and cozy Breastplate, made with the skin of Grey Wolves. Good for any cold weather that life might bring you.
Dexterity: 0
Intelligence: 0
Luck: 0	Primary Enchantment Effects:	None
Defense: 38-42
Jump: 0	Secondary Enchantment Effects:	None
Speed: 0
Number of Upgrades Available:	Seven (7) Upgrades are currently available. It can be enhanced up to Ten Stars.
Bonus Potential:	None equipped. It can be applied up to Two Bonus Potential.
Socket Attributes:	None. Socket attributed can be applied with Vicious Hammer.

✩✩✩✩✩ ✩✩✩✩✩ Wolfskin Boots (Common Item) ✧✧
	Not Soulbound	W. Attack Increase
	Crafted by: None.	+ 26
	Required Level: Five (5)
	Required Strength: Ten (10)	Required Luck: None
	Required Dexterity: None	Required Intelligence: None
Class Requirements: None
Category: Shoes	Description:
Strength: +3	A pair of well-knit boots, made with the skin of Grey Wolves. Good for any cold weather that life might bring you.
Dexterity: +1
Intelligence: 0
Luck: 0	Primary Enchantment Effects:	None
Defense: 14-17
Jump: 0	Secondary Enchantment Effects:	None
Speed: 0
Number of Upgrades Available:	Seven (7) Upgrades are currently available. It can be enhanced up to Ten Stars.
Bonus Potential:	None equipped. It can be applied up to Two Bonus Potential.
Socket Attributes:	None. Socket attributed can be applied with Vicious Hammer.

✩✩✩✩✩ ✩✩✩✩✩ Sharptooth Sword (Rare Item) ✧✧
	Not Soulbound	W. Attack Increase
	Crafted by: None.	+ 150
	Required Level: Seven (7)
	Required Strength: Thirty (30)	Required Luck: None
	Required Dexterity: None	Required Intelligence: None
Class Requirements: Warrior
Category: One-Handed Sword	Description:
Strength: +10	A finely crafted sword using the sharp teeth of a giant Grey Wolf. It boasts offensive capabilities, even being denser than rough steel.
Dexterity: +0
Intelligence: 0
Luck: 0	Primary Enchantment Effects:	None
Defense: 0
Jump: 0	Secondary Enchantment Effects:	None
Speed: 0
Number of Upgrades Available:	Seven (7) Upgrades are currently available. It can be enhanced up to Ten Stars.
Bonus Potential:	None equipped. It can be applied up to Two Bonus Potential.
Socket Attributes:	None. Socket attributed can be applied with Vicious Hammer.

★★✩✩✩ ✩✩✩✩✩ Sharptooth Necklace +2 (Epic Item) ✧✧
	Not Soulbound	W. Attack Increase
	Crafted by: None.	+ 112
	Required Level: Seven (7)
	Required Strength: None	Required Luck: None
	Required Dexterity: None	Required Intelligence: None
Class Requirements: None
Category: Necklace	Description:
Strength: +7 (5+2)	A necklace containing the skulls of the dead wolf cubs that the original owner killed. Some say their spirits are trapped in the necklace, forever haunting the wearer.
Dexterity: +7 (5+2)
Intelligence:+7 (5+2)
Luck:+7 (5+2)	Primary Enchantment Effects:	Your attacks have a 5% chance to inflict bleed.
Defense: 5-10
Jump: +5	Secondary Enchantment Effects:	None
Speed: +5
Number of Upgrades Available:	Seven (7) Upgrades are currently available. It can be enhanced up to Ten Stars.
Bonus Potential:	None equipped. It can be applied up to Two Bonus Potential.
Socket Attributes:	None. Socket attributed can be applied with Vicious Hammer.

[collapse]

I quickly got a friend request notification from White, which I readily accepted. It seemed like he sent one to all three of us. The system notified me that White had appeared on my friend's list, and with that; White said some words in Korean to Yoona which gave her a good chuckle, and he quickly left off.

Ace got the Wolf Skin Cape and one of the Wolf Skin Boots while Yoona was left with the other one. She also was able to get the Silver Ring, which was a ring that increased her Intelligence stat. Even though it wasn't for the Arcana class specifically, she was the one best suited for it.

"Alright, thanks for the party." White said, "I'll catch you guys around." 

"What he say?" Ace asked.

"Not anything important," Yoona replied, sticking her tongue out.

While Yoona and Ace were having their conversation, I got greeted by a familiar face. It was Hammer, walking towards me from far away. His team was behind him, probably coming up to the boss to collect the drops. He gave a quick glance at me, and I knew he wanted to share some words. I walked towards him steadily.

"Congrats on the kill, brother," Hammer said, extending a handshake.

"It was because of everyone else's effort," I replied.

"Don't be so humble!" Hammer exclaimed, "That was some good planning, my friend."

"Ah, thank you?" 

"What do you say, you add me to your friend list? I could use a good Knight to talk to in a while."

"That doesn't sound half bad," I replied, "Sure." 

"We'll keep in touch. Have a good one." Hammer approved.

After sending me a friend request, he gives me a wave of his hand and starts regrouping with his buddies. I do the same, glancing back at Ace and Yoona. They were both having a good time, talking about their parse numbers and how the boss fight went. I couldn't help give a smile at the sight, because it reminded me of my time in the past.

"What's the plan now?" I wave to them.

"We finish the quests, I think," Yoona replied.

Oh right, our quests! I was completely caught up on the boss fight, that it took me a moment to realize that we still had quests needed to be completed. Completing these quests would be able to get us closer to the main storyline, and we were so close to being finished regardless. 

"We have a lot of Grey Wolf furs already, so we just need to collect apples," I said.

"So, I guess we backtrack and get the apples then!" Yoona exclaimed.

Backtracking wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Since the players had all gotten their loot, most of the groups had dispersed off to several areas, and they quickly took care of the mobs in the way. This gave us a clear path back towards our original farming spot, and we were quickly able to collect items for the quest. 

During the way, Ace made some jokes about how he never thought fetching for apples would bring him more relief. To be honest, I couldn't blame him. I was also pretty worn out from the boss fight. Picking apples was probably the best thing that I could be doing right now. After a few minutes, we were making steady progress in finishing the quest.

"Everyone done with their quests?" Yoona asked, reaching for her last apple.

"Yup, I finished a while ago." I replied, "I'm just helping Ace."

"Yea, send me that trade!" Ace said.

Quickly sending him a trading request, I gave him the remaining of my apples. He willingly accepted them, and in return gave me fifty silver coins extra. I explained that he didn't need to repay me for helping him for the apples, but he said that it was for the shield that I bought, so I couldn't really say no.

"Sweet, are we good to head back then?" Yoona asked.

After confirming everyone was indeed finished with all of the quests, we quickly head back to town. Maneuvering across the winding path, we managed to avoid mobs and get back into the Ashur Woods Trail. Along the way, however, I was greeted by several players. I was confused about why they approaching me at first, but then I quickly realized why.

"Hey, congrats on the kill." A random person said. He was currently fighting mobs with his group but somehow spent the time to spark up a conversation and talk to me. 

"Yea, congrats bro." Another person chimed in. He also stopped what he was doing to talk to me. It seemed like that kill notification attracted a lot of players towards our group. Some wanted to know my opinion on my class, others sent me friend requests, and some switched their conversations to Ace and Yoona.

I guess it couldn't be helped. This really showed the impact of getting the last hit on the boss. I would have to keep this in mind in the future. As the commotion rose, several other players started bombarding the scene. It was up to the point where almost everyone in the area wanted to get a good look at my gear, stats, and ask me questions upon questions. What an absolute mess!

"Hey, what spec did you use for that fight?"

"Do you think Knights are good?"

"Add me as friends mate, we can talk later!"

"Bro, what's that necklace you have?"

The crowd was getting louder and louder, and some mobs got attracted as a result. I was used to things like this, so I tried to answer as many questions as possible. I couldn't say the same for Ace and Yoona though, because it seemed like they were getting more... annoyed. I got a private notification from Yoona after a few minutes.

"Yoona: Do you want to change channels?"

"Winter: That's probably for the best."

"Yoona: How about Channel 42, then?"

"Winter: That sounds fine."

Since area notifications only displayed on only one channel, changing to a different instance of the map would mean that players in different channels wouldn't be able to recognize us. At least, if the word hadn't gotten around to other channels as well. Players couldn't also see what channel you were on unless you add them as a friend, so it would be better for us to change channels instead of just running away to avoid them.

After a few taps, I was able to change channels pretty quickly. It was the same with Ace and Yoona because they popped up out of nowhere on this different channel, and the growing mob had quickly vanished and was replaced with more dispersed-out players.

"That was a close one!" Yoona exclaimed, "I thought I was gonna suffocate!" 

"Same!" Ace returned, "I don't know how you deal with these players, man!"

"You get used to it." 

"Let's get to town before we get found again." Yoona shivered.

"Good idea." Ace said.

Quickly heading into town which I found out was called Trost, we managed to turn in our quests and get our rewards. Heading towards each of the NPC's was a pain, considering that the town had gotten more jam-packed from last time even though we were on a different channel. You would think that the game developers would introduce more channels on the first day of launch, but it seems like they didn't plan on having this many players.

It also didn't help that the game wasn't region-locked, meaning that players from East Asia could just join the North American servers. Even though the game was currently only released in America, it didn't stop players from overseas making an account and joining the game, even if the latency was quite high.

Speaking of high latency, how does that even work in a VRMMO game?

"You close to leveling up?" Ace asked me.

"I am, actually," I replied. Killing the field boss earlier shot my experience bar to eighty-three percent, and the quests gave me enough to get to ninety-two. I only needed eight more percent until I hit level eight, so I was making good progress.

"So what's the plan now?" I asked the team, "Is this party still a go for more quests?"

"I have to work morning shift in an hour." Ace replied, "So I log off soon."

"I'm heading back to sleep. My sleep schedule is weird because a certain someone woke me up super early." She said, glaring at Ace.

Ace could only pretend he hadn't heard her.

"Oh, I see. Maybe later then?" I inquired.

"Yea, that sounds good to me," Yoona replied.

"Sound good to me too."

It seems like both Ace and Yoona have things to do. I've already committed myself to level as fast as possible, so there was no point turning back now. Plus, I have no doubts that they would be able to catch up fairly quickly. These players were really good in terms of skill level, so clearing content wasn't going to be hard for them.

"Alright then, I'll catch you guys later then!" I gave them a quick wave.

"No problem, man. Have a good one!" Ace replied, logging off moments after.

"I guess that's my cue to go as well." Yoona bowed slightly, "I'll catch you later, Winter."

With both Ace and Yoona logging off, I pondered what my next course of action was. I knew that I wanted to level as quickly as possible, but I also wanted to explore the other things the game had to offer me. My initial plan was to check out the Town Market, along with learning some professions along the way. There was also a Training Hall in the town, so I could also look to improve my combat skills there.

In the end, I decided to start investing in a profession. There was an area in town where I could talk to instructors to get started in a profession, so I decided to head quickly over to that district. The district was close to the Town Market, so I could take a detour on my way there.

Unlike your class, there are plenty of professions to learn, and you aren't restricted to just one. Professions range from foraging and mining, all the way to crafting and potion-making. Probably anything you could think of could become a profession. Some professions are better than others, however. Acrobatics, for example, would improve your agility, thus making your movements faster. 

There are four main core profession types and many different sub-professions you can learn on the offhand. Gathering, Crafting, Building, Enchanting are the main four which can only be learned through an instructor, but there are many categories within each. I wanted to start off with gathering, which in part would let me get started into mining.

The professions can be categorized into two life cycles.

• Mining gives items to use in Smithing. Smithing gives yield increase items for Ranching. Ranching gives items to use in Handicrafts. Handicrafts give yield increase items for Mining.
• Foraging gives items to use in Alchemy. Alchemy gives yield increase items for Farming. Farming gives items to use in Cooking. Cooking gives yield increase items for Foraging.

Walking towards the district, it was a commercial and craftsman area. Plenty of small-time potion vendors and medium-sized stores were placed all around, and in the center was a large area sort of like a training station. It had NPC's with swords and spears fighting target dummies, with an instructor teaching them. I was greeted by a buff bald man. He wasn't completely bald, because he still had a stubble of hair on his head. Noticing me approaching, he gave me some quick pointers on how the professions worked.

"Welcome sonny." He said, "You need anything?"

"I want to learn how to use professions." 

"Ah, another young new spirit looking to learn the ways of professions!" He exclaimed, "Very well, follow me."

The bald man gestured towards another instructor. He whispered something close to his ear and gave him a swift pat on the back. The other instructor nodded quickly, shook his hand, and started to cover his position for him.

"Come." He gestured towards me, inviting me to tag along with him.  

Walking through the divided streets and cobblestone floor, I arrive at his workstation. It was really just a large shed, with several items such as weapon racks, anvils, and a small smelting station just outside. He motioned towards me to head inside, and I couldn't deny him.

Inside the station, several items could be seen splattered across the room. Magical crystals of various colors laid across the messy tables and small contraptions could be seen hanging on the walls. That, and along with swords and spears on weapon racks at the edge of the shed made it look really disorganized.

"Don't mind the space." He said, fumbling across several paper scrolls, "What did you say your name was?"

"Winter, nice to meet you," I said.

"Yes, yes." He said, peering over and under his tables, seemingly looking for something. 

"What's your name?" I ask him.

"Robert." He replied, "But you can call me Rob."

"What are you looking for?" I question him, tilting my head.

"Ah, there it is!" He shot up, banging his head at the bottom of the table. I couldn't help but give a slight chortle.

"Shit!" He exclaimed, his hands rubbing the top of his head.

What he got out was a small parcel, black in color with an intricate red seal made out of wax that was stamped on the front. It stood out from the rest of the items in the shed, because of it's dark and vigorous colors. Quickly handing the parcel to me, I accept it and promptly put it in my inventory.

"This is a certificate confirming that you are indeed my pupil. You can show this to any instructor in any town, and you will be able to use any of the resources provided."

"Oh, thank you."

"No problem, sonny." He got closer to me, "Are you familiar with how professions work?"

"Just a bit."

"Very well then, I shall explain." He directed his hands towards a chalkboard in his shed, "I got this neat board to show you the works."

"...Ah.." I chuckled nervously, "Alright then."

"So, as you know. There are four main professions and many different side-professions." He said, pointing at the board, "The four main ones are Smithing, Ranching, Handicrafts, and Mining. Any side professions you find or are able to invest in will fall into one of these categories. For example, if you want to learn ring-crafting, then it will fall into Handicrafts."

"Is there a benefit to learning a lot of professions?"

"Of course!" He exclaimed, "The more professions you learn, the more you are suited for certain quests. I know a couple of my friends only allow people who have a particular amount of professions to start certain quests."

Ah, I get it. There must be some quests that require you to learn professions to start. This is usually done in most RPG games, but the fact that you can learn almost anything is quite intriguing to me.

"So, are there like levels to professions then?" 

"Yes, each profession has levels to them. The more levels you obtain of a certain profession, the easier it is to perform it. If you're a Miner, then getting a higher mining level will allow you mine more expensive ore, or let you use up less durability for your pickaxe. If you're a Smith, then increasing smithing will allow you to use fewer materials for crafts."

"Is there a max level for professions?"

"Yes, it's five-hundred. Although it will take you quite some time to get there."

"Wow, that's high!" I exclaimed, "For every profession available!?"

"That's correct, sonny." He replied, nodding, "Now you see how much hard work professions require."

How does anyone expect you to farm five-hundred levels of professions? 

"So, how do you get started exactly?"

"There should be four instructors." Robert replied, "Just show them your certification, and they will teach you the core professions. Once you learn the core professions, then it will unlock all side-profession within that category."

"Alright, sounds good." I responded, "Thanks, once again."

"No problem, sonny." He said while looking around at his shed, "Maybe I should really clean this place up..."

"I will leave you to that, then." I smiled, quickly leaving.

At first, I wanted to head over and talk with the remaining instructors, but I wasn't in a rush to be learning professions. I just wanted to get a feel for them. It would probably be best for me to revisit them in the future, so quickly leaving the district, I head my way over the Market to check out some of the items.

I had gotten a sufficient amount of currency fighting the field boss, so I wanted to see if there was something I can potentially buy or stock up on. While heading over, I had reminded myself that I needed to private message White. I wanted to ask him about a certain something.

"Winter: Hey, White. You there?"

After a few seconds of nothing, he responds with a fast message.

"White: Yea, give me a second. I'm closing up this deal."

"Winter: No prob. Just hmu whenever you're done."

"White: kk."

The marketplace wasn't too hard to find. It was the most crowded in the area, and potentially the largest. Droves of people flocked in and out of the entrance, and several vendors from all races set up their own stalls. Some of them were even actual players, who managed to set up and sell various items such as mob drops and potions. 

How was that even possible?

My only guess was that they managed to learn potion-crafting because they were selling the potions a bit lower price than the one in NPC stores. The length's people would go to get money sometimes baffled me. I guess it wasn't completely out of the ordinary, considering the scope of the game.

Shifting through each of the shops and stores, I look around for anything that might be worthwhile. The bustling sound of people talking drowned out my thoughts, and I could overhear several conversations while stirring through the surroundings. Usually, in most games, there would be mountains of text that surrounded your vision, so it was nice to see that there was very little of that here.

"How much for those pelts?" 

"Can't you give me a discount?"

"What are you, trying to scam me!?"

Several voices blended together, but there was one that I could make out quite clearly. Or rather, there was a certain person that stood out from the rest of the crowd. It was a lady, clad from head to toe in dark brown and black. Everything from her hair to her clothes was quite dark. It was an Arcana, and her outfit was that of a witch-like caster. The thing that stood out the most was her glowing bright ocherous earrings. She had a mysterious air around her, and she was studying an item. 

I could make out a small conversation, so I peered closer to see what it was about.

"I'm sorry miss, I just can't sell it to you for that price." The vendor said.

"You offered this price to me earlier, did you not?" She replied, perplexed.

"Yes, but I was offered by another client at a higher price." 

"But was I not the first to approach you about the offer, no?" She said, narrowing her eyes. You could tell she was slowly getting perturbed about the situation.

"Yes, but things change." The vendor replied nervously, "You know how it is! I'm just trying to make money."

"I don't see why you can't sell it at the previous price. It is still a lot of currency, yes?"

"Yes, but this item is very contested." He replied, "I know you messaged me about the item a while back, but I've also gotten other buyers that have offered me a higher price."

"Ah...very well" She sighed, "How much are you willing to charge?"

"It's...uh...going to be thirty silvers more." 

"So one hundred thirty silvers?" She narrowed her eyes even further.

"Ah...yes." 

"Are you sure someone was willing to buy for this price?"

"Yes, im certain."

"Can I ask the name of the other buyers?"

"That's...confidential." The vendor said, shuffling his fingers.

"You really are trying to piss me off, no?" She furrowed her eyebrows, clearly getting irritated.

"I'm being serious though!" The vendor exclaimed, "Take it or leave it."

After being told about the new price, she slumped back a bit to think about the offer. I thought it would be a good time to walk up and peer at exactly what she was looking to buy.

It was a necklace. Not just any necklace, but it was a rare one. Any item displayed on the vendor shop is color-coded by rarity, along with a menu that would pop up showing you it's stats. Blue means rare, so it must've been a necklace that was worth its price.

"What does the necklace do, anyway?" I walked up, asking the vendor.

"Are you interested in buying?" The vendor suddenly turned to me, probably relieved he had someone else to talk to other than her.

"Im just loo-" I couldn't finish my sentence as I saw a pair of eyes peering intensely at me.

"Yes, he is just merely looking." She said, raising an eyebrow "Yes?"  

"Ah...yes." I chuckle nervously, "If it's all right with you, I mean, I can pay those extra silver."

Her irritated demeanor turned into a slight look of surprise and intrigue.

"But, what's in it for you?" She lightly tilted her head.

"You seem to really want it." I responded, "And, plus. I don't really have anything to buy right now."

"So, it is a favor then?"

"Erm, I guess." I reply, "But you don't have to pay it back or anything! It's on me."

I wanted to get on good terms with all players because you never know who is going to be who in the future. It's always nice to try to make friends, especially on populated servers. Plus, it didn't cost me much, it was only thirty silver.  

"No, it's alright." She said, "I will accept your offer, but I shall repay the favor in the future."

"It's alright, you don't have to." I reply to her, "Really."

"May I ask your name?" She said.

"It's Winter." 

"Ah, that's a nice name. Mine is Iyana."

"That's a nice name as well."

"Thank you." She replied, "I shall add you later if you need anything from me in the future."

"Oh." I said, surprised, "Alright, then." I really didn't think that she would be the one to add me first.

After trading her the currency, she turned to the vendor to finish the trade. She quickly bought the necklace from the vendor, and I managed to get a closer look at it as well, realizing why she wanted it so much.

The item had a unique ability. Unique abilities are modifiers to an item that only has a rare chance of being applied. That item was probably one of a kind, and even though there are probably items of the same ID in the world, that particular one had a interesting ability. 

"You like it?" She inquired, letting me see the stats.

"Yea, it's nice. It's good for mages." 

The item had a unique ability that let you gain extra passive mana regen when in combat. It was pretty good for her class specifically, because of how much Arcana used mana in fights. The stats were also pretty good for the level requirement, which was level seven. 

"Well. I shall see you. Nice meeting you." She said, tipping her hat off to me.

"Likewise." 

I didn't buy much from the marketplace. Sure, there were plenty of good items, some of them were even of the epic variety, but I didn't have that many coins to spend. A part of me wanted to just splurge on everything, but I quickly turned down my urges.

I had some player vendors also recognized the Sharptooth Necklace I was wearing and asked how much I was willing to sell it for. I had to turn them down in the end because the item had good stats, and Knights really needed all the damage and defense that they could get.

What I did end up stocking up on more potions because the more the merrier, and it would be better for me to be prepared for grinding a lot of mobs instead of having to restock all the time. I also managed to buy some beginner strength potions, which, they do what the name suggests; give you an extra bit of strength stat.

In the end, I had only twenty-four silver coins left, which wasn't all too bad, but I could've definitely have saved up more coins. I gave a slight sigh because there was nothing that could be done. I would just have to grind more mobs in the future to compensate.

Leaving the marketplace, my next destination was probably the Training Hall. I wanted to understand a bit more about combat, so that was a good place to start. Along the way, I got a notification from a familiar person.

"White: Done. You need anything?"

"Winter: Yea, you got a few minutes?"

"White: Depends on what it is."

"Winter: 1v1?"

"White: Uhh, sure."

"White: ^__^"

Wintertime

Wow, have I finally returned and started writing again? Yes! You might ask, "What the fuck took you so long?" I've been busy, what can I say. A lot of good job opportunities regarding professional gaming, along with a much-needed summer vacation. Well, I'm back, and here to probably stay. 

Enjoy the chapter everyone, and thanks for your continued support.