Making Preparations

On their journey to the Fanged Forest, Kieran raised some questions with Sithik and the others. Although their starting skill was truly inferior, it wasn't so bad that they were unteachable.

Not to mention, the fact that they were drawn into conflict created by his actions made Kieran consider the future. 'Though I'm aware of what players will become true powerhouses, that doesn't exactly help my situation. Being aware of them and successfully attracting them are two different feats.'

Unfortunately, even though he was against placing his trust in people, Kieran understood that some matters in the future couldn't be handled alone. There was a lot of content within Zenith Online that required a large party to participate.

Thus, even if Kieran's personal strength reached unimaginable heights, he still required at least a tight-knit circle of people that he could call upon. Naturally, Altair was a high contender on his list due to skill alone.

Moreover, after learning of the personality of Altair's younger self, Kieran's intentions were further solidified. 

"I know we skimmed across this topic within the dungeon earlier on. But now that we have a First Blood and a Zone-wide feat under our belt, what do you all intend to accomplish in the future? Where do you all see yourself?" Kieran suddenly asked.

The first to react to his question was Sithik, "I was never one to consider the future if I'm being honest, but I think it shouldn't be too bad."

"If money is your motivator, a good source of income would be choosing tradeskills that can be used to harvest," Kieran suggested.

However, this suggestion made Sithik grimace.

"Come on now! Do you know why I chose to be a Priest? Because it's admittedly the least amount of physical work! Do you think I joined this game to do manual labor? Hell no!" He exclaimed.

"Hehe," Cygnus giggled softly while listening to Sithik's heated response. His response fell well within her expectations of him, but she couldn't help but giggle.

Meanwhile, Aspaira spoke up, "Erm, if I'm being honest, I was on the fence about becoming an Alchemist, but I feel like I should stop being so skeptical and go for it once the opportunity arises."

"An Alchemist?" Kieran commented, turning toward Aspaira. "That's not a bad decision, but it'll take ample work—repetitive failures and grueling research."

"Erm, if I'm being honest, I'm familiar with the things you just mentioned. But I can't help but be interested after gathering some information on the forums. It seems very useful and profitable," Aspaira answered.

Due to his surprise, Kieran gave Aspaira a look that sought further clarification.

"Ah. My day job is a pharmaceutical engineer. So failure and research are nothing new to me. Besides, the thought of unearthing new alchemic recipes is somewhat enticing."

Once Aspaira revealed her career path, everyone immediately turned toward her in utter disbelief.

"No way! I can't believe someone like you has that type of job." Altair shook his head.

He couldn't believe that Aspaira possessed the temperament required for a professional career in the broad medical field.

"What are you trying to say?!" Aspaira pursed her lips, seemingly offended by Altair's comment. "Is it that hard to believe that I hold a doctorate degree?"

"Simply put… yes. You lack a certain je ne sais quoi generally attributed to doctors and such," Altair said after trying to put his thoughts into words. 

"That's like… so rude!" Aspaira exclaimed with a disgruntled pout. Once she began pouting, Aspaira no longer spoke on the subject.

Nevertheless, Kieran cut through the silent atmosphere with a proposal. "I have a few scrolls that could be helpful in replacing the funds you have lost. However, if replacing your lost funds isn't alluring, you could just ignore my statement."

"Does it require work?" Sithik questioned with narrowed eyes, skeptically analyzing Kieran.

"Naturally," Kieran admitted. "Nothing is given for free. You'll have to at least put in a minimum amount of effort to reap adequate results. Again, I'm not forcing you. It's for you to decide."

Before answering, Sithik looked around as if he was looking for suggestions, but everyone else shrugged. It was up to him to decide for himself.

"Ugh, okay! Fine! Just make sure it's not too damned hard, will ya?" Sithik exclaimed, while grabbing the tradeskill scroll from Kieran's palm. After learning it, Sithik found out it was the Harvesting tradeskill.

"Whenever the chance arises, put the tradeskill to great use."

The Fanged Forest was filled with places to harvest, so it was an excellent place to train the Harvest tradeskill during its lower levels. Aside from Sithik, Cygnus, and Altair similarly picked up the Harvest tradeskill.

…

A few hours later…

Kieran and the others reached the area of the Fanged Forest that spawned Lv.8 to Lv.12 beast-type monsters, but it was far from enough. Because of this, it wasn't an ideal location for Kieran to farm EXP and return them to their proper levels.

Thus, Kieran only stopped moving once he neared the forest's core regions.

The wolves present in this area were incomparable to the ones Kieran faced off against to complete his quest. They were on par with Shadow Wolves in terms of size but lacked the presence of an attribute.

In exchange for this lack of attributes, Kieran could tell their attributes were more robust. They were incomparable to the ones from both. Not only was their size close to the Shadow Wolves found in the dungeon, but they appeared more robust.

「Lv.14 Giant Wolf (Elite)

Beast Type

Health: 2,600/2,600 (100%) 」

'Time to test out the effects of everything,' Kieran thought. 

Within a second, Kieran brandished his Novice Greatsword and activated Warrior's Aura whilst dashing toward the nearest Giant Wolf. The moment he entered battle, his expression became callous and his gaze cold.

Whoosh!

The Giant Wolf unhesitatingly pounced toward Kieran, but before it could land a swipe, Kieran ducked and sidestepped simultaneously, executing a powerful forward rush when his foot contacted the ground. 

"Charge!"

-500 «Stunned»

Once he stunned the Giant Wolf, Kieran backpedaled and jumped. Once in position, he spun and lashed out his greatsword, aiming a terrifying blow at the center of the wolf's back. 

"Savage Break!"

-947

〈Battle Alert: The «Giant Wolf's» DEF has been reduced by 25%〉.

After receiving the alert, Kieran unleashed a diagonal Force Slash, discharging a surge of condensed pressure.

Whoosh! Bang!

-1,845! 〈«Critical Hit»

'It has become much more fluid after resting. Though it has its drawbacks, my H-COS activating could also be seen as a true gift in combat,' Kieran thought.

An effortless and seamless execution of a Lv.14 Elite Monster. Although Kieran was a few levels higher than the monster, it didn't detract from his ability to slay an Elite Monster alone.

Most players couldn't boast of this feat due to their lack of attributes.

〈System: You have gained 1,100 EXP.〉

Even if he unleashed a critical hit, his average damage was already remarkably high.

"Animal abuse," Altair commented with a slight chuckle. He then turned to the next Giant Wolf with a fervent gleam in his eyes.

Kieran's effortless execution of the Giant Wolf spurred Altair's competitive spirit. Since he had similarly reached a high level after Kieran lent him the Medallion of Growth, Altair wanted to test how his output and skill compared to Kieran's.

Altair immediately activated Swift Steps and brandished his Quicksilver Daggers with remarkable precision. As Kieran watched Altair in action, his eyes narrowed.

'His AGI…' Kieran thought to himself. 'Though it's evident he activated a skill, I can't overlook how fast a Thief can become. Still, in terms of combat experience, he's not yet my rival as of now.'

Once the Swift Steps wore off, while Altair continued to unleash whirlwind-like movements, he suffered many close calls against the Giant Wolf. 

It was truly a formidable opponent for players with an Intermediate Class, even a player of Altair's mechanical skill. Nevertheless, Altair emerged victorious against the Giant Wolf nearly five minutes later.

〈System: You have gained 1,100 EXP.〉

After watching Altair fight against the Giant Wolf, a wicked gleam surfaced in Kieran's eyes. 'I know exactly what I'll do to those fools. It's only been a day, but creating another source of income wouldn't hurt at all.'

Such an event should undoubtedly garner a large buzz, especially since his last stream, which players continued to rave about on Zenith Online's official forums. 

Of course, though he was excited and somewhat impatient, Kieran couldn't simply rush his actions. He had to be cunning and meticulous for everything to fall into place like a well-mapped domino pattern. 

The element of surprise was his main advantage given his extremely limited forces.

Therefore, Kieran only etched out the plan mentally for the time being.

While slowly venturing toward the place where the Field Boss was rumored to be sighted, Kieran and his team continued to steamroll many Giant Wolves.