Theo happily read through the quest description, only closing it after having gone through it two more times and being sure that he hadn't missed anything. A somewhat silly grin had made its way onto his face.

His first quest! And it was such an easy one to boot!

Of course, as someone who wanted to do nothing more than create clothing, Theo was already pretty proficient in all three prerequisites the store owner, Gustav, had mentioned. So, he quickly opened his menu and took a look inside, only to find the skills section of his menu to be completely empty.

"..."

...Seemed like he would need to start over from the beginning...

Well, it didn't matter, it wasn't like he disliked either of the skills he needed to raise, actually, he was looking forward to using them again after being unable to for a long time. It was just a shame he couldn't use his prior experience to complete the quest a bit earlier and reap more rewards...

Theo closed the menu with a short sigh and started walking, thinking about which things he would need to gather and where he would need to drop by to get them in this semi-medieval world without supermarkets

First, he should probably gather some wool and knitting needles, he felt like these things would be the easiest to obtain in this starting village, which meant his next destination would either be a carpenter or merchant selling fabrics or at least he felt like those would be the two most likely candidates to have what he needed.

So, with his next steps decided, Theo determinedly maneuvered around the standing villagers and casually dodged the carriage driving down the road, entering the closest carpeting shop he could barely identify by the plaque hanging outside.

Once more a small bell announced Theo's entrance and a muscular, middle-aged man with an impressive beard quickly came to the counter to greet his new customer.

"Welcome, what can I-...what do you want?", it was almost impressive how quickly the carpenter changed his tone.

"Hello! I wanted to ask, whether you have some knitting needles in store and how much they cost?", Theo asked while moving towards the wooden counter behind which the other man stood, passing by the various pieces of wooden furniture and utensils on display.

"No, we don't have any knitting needles," the tall carpenter explained brashly, leaving no room for doubts as he looked at Theo with slight annoyance in his gaze.

"Oh, uh, and how much would it cost to commission some?", Theo asked, trying his best to stay confident and keep up the eye contact with the tall man before him.

In turn, the carpenter eyed him for a moment as well, finally opening his mouth, one eyebrow raised.

"30 copper coins."

Theo froze hearing this price, unable to contain his shock he unconsciously exclaimed.

"30 copper coins?!"

Unfazed by his opposite's sudden shout, the carpenter only rolled his eyes in response, his voice and expression even more annoyed than before, any respect he might have had for Theo thrown out of the window.

"Yes, 30, not a coin more not a coin less, also, if you plan on buying some wool as well, you better get used to such prices, Franz's wares are even more expensive than mine," with that the man turned around with a huff and left Theo standing at the counter, feeling slightly embarrassed but much more shocked than anything else.

30 copper coins! The average new player earned 4 copper coins a day! And one of the coins would be needed to buy supplies so as to not die of hunger while adventuring! Just how long would it take him to obtain both the needles and wool necessary to fulfill his quest if the wool was even more expensive?!

Turns out the conditions of his quest had been too good to be true after all!

Still shocked, Theo left the carpentry shop, messy thoughts swirling through his mind.

What should he do? Gathering all that money, even if he saved every last penny he could spare after turning Level 5 and he started completing mercenary quests, would still take him weeks, if not months in real life! And even then he would still need to raise his skill levels to the quest requirements...

Feeling discouraged just thinking about it, Theo started calculating his total living expenses, hoping for some opportunity to cut costs.

Wool was a must, but maybe he could forego rations by cooking himself? Although he did hear of other players giving themselves severe food poisoning and horrible debuffs before, and he didn't have the slightest idea how to light a fire without a lighter... maybe he could try surviving on wild berries and plants? Also, didn't he receive a dagger earlier? He could try to carve some of the necessary tools himself!

...

He let out a deep sigh, his plans on becoming a tailor would have to wait a bit longer it seems.

Downcast, Theo made his way out of the town and towards the hunting grounds where many other players were still vigorously hunting monsters. He should at least try to raise his level first, although there was no real money to be made only hunting the starter monsters and selling their drops, they still should just about give enough Exp to help him get to Level 5...

Some distance from the town gate and the rather busy gravel road, Theo finally heard the first grating death rattle of a Feral Chicken and he hurriedly pulled out the dagger from his inventory, readying himself.

Unfortunately, the few monsters he encountered on his way were already being hunted by one or more players, so he had to move on. He also missed his opportunity to claim a monster for his own several times, still too timid to actually compete with another player for prey. In the end, he had no choice but to move to the edge of the plain, farther away from the main group of players and uncomfortably close to the local forest, a higher-level hunting ground that posed a lot more than a big threat to a fresh player like himself.

Or at least the internet forums had told him as such.

So, feeling slightly nervous, Theo began scanning his surroundings, taking special care to check the lush bushes at the edge of the forest for any hints of brown fur or feathers.

It was then that for the very first time since entering Arleus a few hours ago, he really locked eyes with a monster.

A Rabid Hare, hidden between a few shrubs, staring at him with its stark yellow eyes.

Like this, face to face with a beast the size of a pitbull and seeing its sharp teeth that were so unlike its real-life counterpart, dripping with strings of salvia, Theo's heart trembled and he gripped his dagger tighter, getting in what he imagined a fighting stance would be.

The thin hare also carefully observed Theo in return, clearly sensing his intentions and snarling in response, baring its teeth even further, getting in a pouncing position, before not even a full second later jumping forward, crossing the 4-meter distance between it and Theo in the blink of an eye thanks to its strong hindlegs.

Startled, Theo took a step back and raised his right hand with the dagger, attempting to defend against the hare's attack, but there was no way the tiny blade of the dagger was enough to block the monster. Instead, this move only left Theo almost completely defenseless when the monster inevitably jumped up to his arm and sunk its claws into the fabric of his shirt. Screaming, Theo flung his arm around, desperately trying to shake off the hare that was snapping its sharp teeth loudly in its attempts to bite his face.

Still screaming and stumbling backward, leaning his head back as far away from the hare as he could, Theo used his free hand to grab the brown fur of the monster and pull on it as hard as he was able to, but the monster didn't budge, instead only digging its claws even deeper into his arm before turning its head and biting down on the hand pulling its fur.

Crying out in pain and surprise, Theo immediately let go of the hair in his fist, but when he realized that the hare wouldn't do the same and just continued tightening its jaws around his hand, he flailed his arms around even more desperately and chaotically. Finally, with the monster's fangs still embedded deep in his flesh, Theo was able to free his right hand with the dagger before hacking down on the hare's neck and head.

Once, twice, thrice,... he only stopped swinging his dagger when the Rapid Hare's jaws loosened and it fell to the ground, turning into particles of light and a small pile of rabbit meat.

'Defeated Rabid Hare Lv.3, rewarded 56 Exp. Character Level 2 reached!'

Gasping for air, Theo stared at the tiny package of rabbit meat on the ground with wide eyes, his heart was beating wildly in his chest and he felt like he was about to pass out from all the adrenaline in his body.

But only one question rang in his mind.

How was this a game suitable for all ages???