Preparations

The Virident Forest was an expansive map, spanning between three towns and surrounding the Ruins of Rajni City.

It was said that in the past, the three routes leading to Rajni City were prosperous trade routes. However, after Rajni City fell to ruins, they were occupied by vicious monsters which the Elves called the Three Ferocities.

The Sun Blight Spider Arachnos. 

The Cursed Moon Owl Nocturna. 

The Skeletal Stag Ironhoof.

These were the Three Ferocities of the Virident Forest.

Every single one of them was a genuine Tier 1 Elite Boss, much more powerful than Vormi. The Three Ferocities had occupied the three roads leading to the Ruined City of Rajni with their minions and made it their home.

Their presence had prevented any Elven Adventurer from setting foot into the Ruins of Rajni for the past 20 years. Such was their might and fear amongst the Elven Population.

So, it was only natural that there were many unclaimed quests related to these Ferocities in the Quest Branch of the Elven Military Tree.

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Spider Menace (C)

Kill 30 Red Venom Spiders serving the Sun Blight Spider Arachnos

Reward: 30 FCP

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Spreading Shadows (B-)

Kill 15 Shadow Seamstresses in the Arachnos' harem.

Reward: 75 FCP

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Bright Sky (A)

Kill one of the Three Ferocities, Sun Blight Spider Arachnos.

Reward: 200 FCP

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The Faction Contribution Point (FCP) was a currency commonly used to exchange for goods in a Town or a City's warehouse. These goods varied from mass-produced low-grade equipment, rare materials, and designs, to strategic items like Guild Recognition Edict and Building blueprints.

Players could also exchange 500 FCPs for 1 Military Merit which was worth nearly 5 Gold at the moment.

Yet, killing just the two types of monsters under Arachnos were enough to net Samar 105 FCPs. The bounty for the Boss was even crazier. 200 FCPs!

It made Samar wonder about how high the risk of entering the nest was.

Having to enter the nest of such a fearsome boss, Samar needed to make some preparations. The very first being learning new skills!

After greeting Instructor Dhron, Samar walked into the Library of the Ranger Hall.

The last time Samar had entered, he had felt like a pauper in a luxury brand store. It was still the same except Samar could afford a few of the skills this time.

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Multishot (Tier 0) (Passive)

~ Shoots two arrows at a time.

Price: 15 Silver or 1 Merit.

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Multishot (Tier 1) (Passive)

~ Shoots three arrows at a time.

Price: 30 Silver or 1 Merit

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Rapid Shot (Tier 1)

~ Allows shooting multiple arrows in a short time span

Price: 30 Silver or 1 Merit

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Power Shot (Tier 1)

~ A full draw shot that deals higher damage when the target is closer.

Price: 40 Silver or 1 Merit

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Capture (Tier 1)

~ Allows the Ranger to capture a cub or a hatchling of a monster.

Price: 25 Silver or 1 Merit

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The above four were Samar's first choice of skills, coming to a total of 1 Gold and 40 Silver.

Multishot was an active skill that enabled an Archer to shoot more arrows at the same time with slightly reduced accuracy and damage.

However, just like the Dual Wielding ability of Weapon Specialists, its mechanics could also be learned, allowing a player to shoot more arrows even with other skills like Rapid Shot.

If he wanted to learn Multishot, Samar had to start with its lowest tier, which was Tier 0, and then upgrade it to Tier 1. This cost him 10 Silver more but the price was worth the value.

Multishot was important because the mechanics of this skill, along with the mechanics of Rapid Shot, formed the basis for many of the AoE skills of the Ranger Class like Arrow Rain and Blitzing Barrage. So, it was obvious why he had to buy both of them.

Power Shot was his most powerful skill but it was only Tier 0. Even if it was working well against lower-level opponents, Samar had to keep upgrading it so that it would stay relevant as his trump card.

Ranger class was not only about skillful archery but also using animal companions to boost its effectiveness. The skill 'Capture' was quintessential to gaining these animal companions who would fight by his side. 

Hence, Samar bought it as well.

Instructor Dhron had promised Samar a waiver on the entry fee of 1 Gold if he spent 3 Gold in one visit. Not wanting to waste his good intentions, Samar began to browse the other skillbooks to bring the total up to 3 Gold.

The very first book Samar found was another one of the essentials for the Ranger Class.

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Trap Expert (Tier less) (Passive)

~ Increases the success rate of Traps.

Price: 60 Silver or 1 Merit

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Most of the Players could use Pet Capturing Traps and other hunting traps but only the Elven Rangers could learn the skill Trap Expert to double a trap's effectiveness and efficiency of capturing a beast.

It paired well with the other skill he had chosen, Capture. So, Samar added it to his list.

Next he thought about the gaps in his skillset. 

He had plenty of single-target combat skills but was severely lacking in the AoE skill department. Hence, Samar decided to purchase either one of them from his remaining budget and bolster his repertoire.

The Ranger searched through the library and found that most of the AoE skills there were Tier 2 and higher. Each of them seemed tempting but neither could he learn them nor could he afford them.

Despite being disappointed time and time again, he did not believe that there wasn't a single AoE skill in this library that suited his criteria. 

His hope was not unjustified. After going through numerous shelves and scouring the library, Samar finally found a rare Tier 1 AoE skill suitable for himself.

—-

Exploding Arrow (Tier 1)

~ Hits the target and explodes, dealing splash damage to surrounding enemies.

Price: 1 Gold 35 Silver or 2 Merits

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Its price tag made Samar suck in a deep breath but he was determined to get it. After combing through the library, this was the only AoE skill he could afford and use at this stage!

Samar added it to his purchase list and realized that he had already purchased Skillbooks worth 3 Gold and 35 Silver. This amount had already reached his budget for the skills and even exceeded a little.

Exiting the Library, Samar paid for the Skillbooks. He saw Instructor Dhron's eyes gleaming as he pocketed the gold and silver coins.

The old instructor looked at Samar with a bright smile and said, "Your next visit will cost you an entrance fee of 30 Gold. I'll waive it off if you make purchases worth 150 Gold."

The greedy glint in the Instructor's eyes spooked him out, and Samar realized that this guy was charging the entrance fee arbitrarily!

Anyway, Samar had already bought the Tier upgrades for all of his existing Archery skills and even added two new skills on this visit. He had all the skills he could need for now.

So, Samar merely smiled at him and left for his next destination.

A few minutes later, Samar entered Herim's Miscellaneous Store. Today he was not here to browse arrows but to purchase some Pet Capturing Traps.

These devices were not just useful in capturing pets but they were also used to store them.

Moreover, unlike the pets in the fixed Pet Space of a player, Pet Trapping devices were transferrable to other players. If Samar wanted to implement his plan of catching Shadow Weavers for a quick buck, he could only do so by using this device.

Each of the Pet Capturing Traps cost Samar 50 Coppers and Samar bought 2 dozen of them. Even if he only captured one Shadow Weaver and sold it, he would make a small profit.

Samar also picked a few other items that would prove useful against Arachnos and went to the counter. Herim looked at the items and announced the total, "36 Silvers."

The Ranger reluctantly paid him the last few silver coins in his bag and put the items in the inventory. Done with his preparations, Samar set off for the Virident Forest once again.