Chapter 23 - The Start of The Journey

"Goblin Slayer story quest, need a healer, party level 25!" shouted one player.

"Sacred River's Guardian needs a healer and a tanker, party level 40!" yelled another.

In the bustling downtown plaza of the Deadbay City, players scoured the area for additional members to join their parties. The plaza was filled with merchants and shops at every corner. It was a nostalgic sight for Broken, as he had started his journey in Immortal Legacy from this very city.

Deadbay, a small city near the sea, was quite popular among novice players due to its peaceful environment. The surrounding monsters were of low level, and the city was close to the major port city of the Dissidia Kingdom. It was an ideal place for transit and a little escape.

Broken ran with relief, glad to be free from the dreaded 'Player Killer Curse.' Now that he was in this small city, he felt liberated and ready to start anew. His face was bright with joy as he stopped by the side of the road, feeling a great sense of accomplishment.

"Look, there's a Priest over there," one of the players pointed at Broken.

"Don't let that Priest go! We need him," another said earnestly.

"Hey, there's a healer! Secure him quickly!" urged another.

"That Priest is mine; he will be at my party!" another player shouted.

A group of players quickly rushed toward Broken, eager to recruit a healer for their party.

"Grab him! Don't let the other group get him," one of them shouted.

The demand for healers in Immortal Legacy was high, often leading to healers demanding extra payment or resources to join a party. This made the situation even more challenging for other players.

Moreover, playing as a healer in a game like this didn't appeal to most players, as they preferred casting powerful magic spells with wide-range damage or fighting on the frontline with a melee weapon to have more fun.

Broken, still recovering from his earlier run, suddenly felt something strange happening. He turned his head and, to his surprise, saw dozens of people running towards him.

"They're not running towards me, are they?" he thought, but as they drew closer, it became clear that those players were, in fact, heading his way.

"Damn, can you guys give me a break!" Broken pleaded, bewildered.

He had no idea what had happened, and he couldn't make sense of why they were trying to chase him. All he could think of now was to run, to get as far away as possible. He didn't feel safe anymore.

Broken attempted to flee, repeatedly utilizing his Dash ability linked to his boots. When he reached the border of the plaza, he swiftly made a quick turn to hide and summoned Polly, then quickly mounted her so he could escape from those foolish players.

"Let's go, Polly!" he shouted. "Run as fast as you can!"

Polly took Broken dashing to the edge of town, right on the shore, where there weren't many people around. He threw himself down on the sand, still trying to figure out why those people had been madly trying to catch him.

"They want you to join their party, Master," Polly said when she had changed back to her small form. The fox sat up and stared at Broken, tilting her head.

"Really?" Broken answered slowly, trying to think. "Is it because of these Priest's clothes? Sigh!" he hissed, then thought of visiting the nearest merchant for some more normal clothes he could pull off.

"Alright!" he proclaimed, his face displaying decisive determination. "I think it's time to put an end to this foolishness and continue with my plan. I'm sure I can become stronger and reap plenty of rewards from this game," he declared.

Polly nodded slowly, her tranquil gaze fixed on Broken.

Broken opened his list of skills and carefully studied the five passive skills that had been bestowed upon him by the Goddess Akidia.

"Bountiful Harvest, Adaptive Equipment, Quality Enhancement, Domain Boundless Access, and Quest Advancement," he muttered, listing them all off.

He then began to explain each skill, "Bountiful Harvest will be useful for fighting monsters, Adaptive Equipment will make me stronger by allowing me to equip weapons and armor far beyond my level, Quality Enhancement will help with production, Domain Boundless Access will allow me to enter dungeons far beyond my level, and Quest Advancement will give me better rewards for the quests I accept."

He paused for a moment before continuing, "I can only use Bountiful Harvest if I'm strong enough to hunt the monsters I want without worrying about dying. To become strong, I need better armor and weapons. Then I can attempt high-level dungeons with confidence that my strength will be up to the challenge. Additionally, I'll receive many rewards when I complete quests, so I think the best course of action for me right now is to use the Quality Enhancement skill to gain more resources and tools, which will help me become even stronger in the early stages." He outlined his plans for the near future.

"Production class!" Broken declared firmly, looking at Polly with a smile. "I need to take a production class in this early phase, Polly, so that I can produce what I need and take advantage of the upgrade bonuses from the skills I have."

Polly nodded slowly, listening to Broken's words. After a moment, she asked, "Have you decided what kind of production class you want at this early stage, Master?"

"Blacksmith, Tailor, Farmer, Carpenter, Jeweler, Alchemist," he confidently said, nodding his head. "There are many and varied production classes in this game, and for some reason, I'm particularly interested in the Blacksmith class at the outset. I can make use of the products I create and also sell them for further profit."

Broken quickly got back to his feet and headed to the merchant near the shore. He chose some basic clothing being sold by various vendors and donned a pair of brown cloth pants and a bright white t-shirt.

"That'll be 10 silver," said the merchant.

"Are you kidding me?" Broken scoffed. "Why do I have to pay so much for these?"

"If you don't want it, feel free to buy it from someone else," the merchant replied.

"What about 1 silver? I'm just a newbie in this game. Don't push me too hard."

"Alright then, 2 silver."

"Deal," Broken said, handing over the coins.

With a sense of optimism that no more misunderstandings would cause him any further trouble, Broken walked away. He searched for the nearest smithy, hoping to get a quest from the blacksmith NPC there and acquire the Blacksmith class.

As he approached a small wooden building, he muttered softly, "Hm... this area is clearly meant for beginners."

Broken waited a while, trying to peek inside the smithy whose door was half open. After a few moments, someone emerged who was barely as tall as his chest. He took a step back in surprise when the figure stepped out: a stocky, muscular man.

"A dwarf in a place like this?" he muttered under his breath.

"What do you want?" the dwarf said to him.

"Let me—"

"No! Go away!" the dwarf exclaimed, slamming the door shut and disappearing back into the smithy.

Broken stood there, stunned. "Great," he muttered to himself, "If I want to learn Blacksmithing, it only makes sense to study with a Dwarf," he thought to himself. "And lucky for me, there happens to be a Dwarf Blacksmith in this town. I'll definitely secure my spot for the Blacksmith Class from him!"