Chapter 48 - Main Quest

Point Blank messaged him while he was on his way back to Snow Pine City.

"I saw your video," she said. "That was impressive. You’re a better Ranger than I am."

Arthur chuckled as he read it.

"It’s all my items, no skill involved. At least not when dealing with those losers. How’s the leveling going? Level 11 already?"

The level was displayed on the friends tab. Arthur had noticed it while replying to her messages.

"Wonderful! My damage is higher than ever."

"What were you doing in the beginner village?"

She sounded like a jealous girlfriend who wanted to know everywhere Arthur had been.

"Meeting up with a player to form a new contract. I just got the Swordsman class."

"Really? And who’s the lucky player?"

"Shadow Cloak’s brother."

"What? She has a brother?"

Apparently nobody knew about her brother. Arthur wasn’t the only one who was surprised.

"I had the same reaction. What are you up to?"

"Just leveling with Suzy and Tower. Why?"

"Wanna come with me to the elven village? It’s hidden in the forest. A secret place."

Arthur didn’t invite her just because he wanted the company of a hot woman. He also wanted to kill a Field Boss, and he needed another player to unlock the area where it spawned.

Of course, having a gorgeous woman by his side was a huge bonus, especially with the two of them alone in the forest...

"Sounds interesting. Just the two of us? Don’t we need a healer?"

Usually, players did. Nobody had enough money to buy an infinite supply of HP items this early in the game, and potions had a cooldown as well. A healer was essential, not just for the heals themselves but for the buffs too.

"No need. Trust me."

Arthur kept walking as he messaged her. After that last message, it took a few minutes for Point Blank to answer.

’She’s probably thinking it over, or talking with Suzy and Tower.’

Eventually, the reply came.

"Let’s go. Where do I meet you?"

"At the city gate."

Arthur messaged Point Blank again before he reached the city. She would get there first.

"Go to my shop and get some potions for us. Just tell them I’ll pay later. Get some food as well. I already have a tent, so don’t worry about that."

When he reached the gate, Point Blank was already there, and she had grabbed everything he’d asked for.

"Must be nice having a shop," she said, dragging her feet. "Maybe you could get me some discounts, I don’t know... Free potions, perhaps..."

Arthur stared into her blue eyes for a few seconds, enjoying the view of her beautiful face, then said, "Never. I’m no bank."

"..."

Point Blank thought they would leave the city, but Arthur went in again. She followed along, frowning, lots of questions in her mind.

"We need a horse, so I’ll have to ask the mayor for one. And leaving through the other gate is faster. The elven settlement is in that direction."

Mayor Ray probably wouldn’t give Point Blank a horse if she asked him, so Arthur didn’t even mention it. It was better to just show up and ask in person.

The city was crowded with both players and NPCs. It was the middle of the afternoon, so everyone was up to something, working, selling stuff on the streets. The players were chatting away, all excited to be in the city.

"We should go on a fishing trip, bros," a player said to his group. "What do you say?"

"Are you sure? I mean, we’ll lose precious time that we could spend leveling up."

"The fuck, bro? Do you really think you can reach the top levels? Of what? Look at the monsters in the rankings. Just enjoy playing the game. You’re not a professional."

"You might be right, but I do want to get strong enough to play with Cinder one day... Ah, fuck it. Let’s go fishing, then. Should we travel north, where there’s no snow right now?"

Arthur passed by the group of players and overheard their conversation. He decided to go speak with them.

When that player saw his nickname, he almost fainted like a fanboy or some shit. Arthur burst out laughing when his teammates had to pick him up before he fell to the ground.

"We could go on a fishing trip later," Arthur said, "but you’re right. It’s best not to do it in the snow. There’s no snow in the north, plus it has beautiful lakes. You guys should keep leveling up, and we can fish there in the future."

"Really? Would you go fishing with us, Cinder? We’re mere mortals."

Arthur slapped the guy on the back. "I’m a mortal too, bro. Let me add you. But please, only message me if it’s important. I hate the notification sound."

"Of course," the player said, nodding nonstop. His hands were shaking as he added Arthur to his friend list.

After they left that group of players, Point Blank said, "Are you really going on a fishing trip with them in the future?"

Up to that point, she had seen Arthur as a player who wouldn’t waste time doing that sort of thing. Someone who wanted to just grow stronger, increase his level as fast as he could.

Well, that wasn’t really his goal. It was just a consequence of being too strong. Arthur wanted to enjoy his time in the game, do all sorts of side activities, and get enough money for his family.

A fishing trip sounded quite fun, honestly. It would be a good way to level up his fishing profession.

In fact, he needed to level up all the professions at that point. Arthur was still wondering how he would keep up with his levels while doing all that.

"Of course I’ll go on a fishing trip. Why not? Look, the mayor."

Mayor Ray was in the city plaza talking with the players. He had set up a meeting there to address them and get everything straight.

He didn’t want anyone causing trouble inside the city. While he was talking, Arthur just showed up in the plaza and shouted, "Rayyyyy, I need a horse."

Everyone turned to see who had the guts to scream like that. When they saw who it was, no one said a word.

Arthur walked over to Ray, who was standing on a raised wooden platform so that all the players listening to his speech could see him.

He waved at everyone once he was up there.

"What’s up, everyone," Arthur said.

Ray leaned forward and whispered in his ear. "You didn’t have to scream like that. Couldn’t you just wait for my speech?"

Arthur whispered back.

"It’s urgent, Uncle Ray. I really need a faster means of transportation. Walking won’t do it."

"...Uncle Ray? I won’t even bother complaining about this uncle shit. Where do you want to go anyway?"

"The elven settlement. I wish to learn more about crafting. Elven armor and weapons are pretty decent."

The players were watching them whisper to each other on the platform.

"How does Cinder have so much authority in this place? Like, what did he do?"

"I heard that beautiful lady with him is the mayor’s daughter. Maybe they’re engaged?"

"What? Are you sure?"

Ray heard that shit and stared at the players gossiping about it. When they felt his gaze on them, they stopped talking immediately.

"I actually need to send a letter to those elves. Perfect timing, kid. Wait for my speech, and I’ll get you the horse and the letter."

[New Quest Acquired]

[Quest Rank: A]

That was a pretty good quest.

Ray sped up his speech, wasting no time after Arthur told him he wanted to leave and that it was urgent.

The players in the plaza left once the speech was over to do their own thing. Arthur, Ray, and Point Blank went inside the shop’s office to talk, as it was close by.

It was so rare to see Ray in the shop that the employees were shocked, all bowing and praising him. Ray just smiled, nodded, and went to the office.

"I have an important letter that must be delivered to the elven leader," Ray said, his tone serious. "You can’t lose this letter or let it fall into the wrong hands. Do you understand? I’m trusting you with something really important."

[Quest updated to Main Quest]

[This is a chain main quest]

’A main quest!’

Main Quests were quests that changed something in the world permanently. Also, they didn’t have just one objective but multiple. They were one of the best types of quests for getting incredible rewards. Pretty rare to get one, so Arthur was pleased to have that luck.

"I won’t fail."

"Good. Wait for me at the back gate. I’ll get the letter and your horse."

Ray’s gaze fell on Point Blank for a moment.

"Will she go with you? Can you trust her?"

"Yeah, she’s a friend."

He was silent for a moment.

"Alright. Meet me there."