《Lady Bunny》 Chapter 1 -

Chapter 1 - Sell and Restart x2

[/hr] Alan finally decided to sell his current avatar ''Lance'' for RR. It wasn''t because the avatar was bad or he lacked money. He just felt that he needed a change. At school, Alan was a model student, attentive during lessons, good grades, good at sports, leader of the student council and admired by his peers. Similarly, Lance was a lv113 Knight, with high honor, good gears, respected by both the players and NPCs in the city. Alan wanted a more exciting life, to do things he normally wouldn''t do. He didn''t want his online-life to be the same as his real one. He crave for changes, he wants to unleash his alter-ego. With that, he stone his heart. ***** Alan currently waits at the counter of a VR-Cafe, a social meeting place for gamers, where they pay hourly charges for VR gaming. The owner, Bob, is a well known game-item trader (Dark gamer). Bob had a good reputation, he wouldn''t offer discounts, but always gave a fair prices. ¡°How may I help you?¡± Bob asked ¡°I want to sell my RR avatar, Lv113 Knight called Lance¡± Alan replied ¡°Knight, not a common class, did you get bored being honorable?¡± Bob raised an eye ¡°Something like that...¡± ¡°Its your choice to sell, lets get down to business... Where is your avatar now in RR?¡± ¡°I am currently in Serabourg in Rosenheim.¡± ¡°That is good, You can only sell your Avatar in cities, I will meet you near the east gate.¡± ¡°Alright¡± Alan replied ¡°Remember to sell all your loot, I will only value your avatar and your gears, go use the capsule R4¡± Alan followed instructions and went to the capsule listed as R4, slipping inside, he entered RR. Inside RR, Alan first sold all his unwanted stuffs, then moved towards the east gate. The area around the gate was pretty desolated since it wasn''t developed yet. After reaching the gate, it didn''t take long to find Bob. The owner looked exactly the same in Real-Life, in addition, his name was visible and colored blue. A winged icon with words ''GM'' floats on his forehead. ¡°Bob, you are a GM?¡± ¡°Not really, this is a special avatar use for trading, commissioned by the maker.¡± Bob replied ¡°So what do I do now?¡± ¡°First, check how much gold you have, I assume you want them in addition to the sales¡± ¡°I have 148 gold 24 Silver¡± *Ding
Bob has requested a soul check on you Do you agree Yes | No
¡°Ummm... Yes!¡± With confirmation, His Status, Skills, Equipment and Inventory windows popped up in front of Lance (Alan). Bob most likely had the same windows shown as he was carefully reading the air in front of him. Sometimes items shown in his inventory or equipment window would blink indicating Bob checking on those. After some time, Bob finally said: ¡°Your Avatar isn''t bad, but not too good either, same goes to your gear. The cape and helmet are both really worthless, but you had a good sword. Overall, I will offer 2000 gold for this avatar.¡± ¡°Only 2000? I thought it is worth more, how about 2100 gold¡± Alan attempted to bargain ¡°2000 would be my offer, with your 148 gold and change, I would pay 2149 gold¡± ¡°Make it 2150 gold and we have a deal.¡± Alan didn''t bother to bargain much for 2 reasons. Firstly, he had no idea how much an avatar is worth, auction sites didn''t deal with avatar selling as it requires special permission. Next, he would had deleted anyway, any gain would be better then no gain... In fact, he was elated, the most Lance had at anytime was a pitiful 400 gold, 2000 is five times more. If you spot this narrative on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation. *Ding
Bob has requested a soul transfer on you. If you accept, you will lose your avatar permanently. Do you agree Yes | No
This was his last chance to withdraw. ¡°Yes!¡± was the reply without hesitation.
You have log out of Royal Road, Do you want to reconnect? Yes | No
***** ''Lance the knight'' was sold for 2000 gold, to be passed to Alan at a later date. Alan didn''t just creating a new avatar at the VR-Cafe to acquire his gold immediately because he wasn''t sure what he wanted to play as. This was also the reasons why Alan sold his account to Bob instead of auctioning it. For security reasons, Alan needed to visit the VR-Cafe again to claim his gold with his new avatar. After bidding farewell to Bob, Alan went home for a new start. ***** Back at home, instead of jumping straight into the capsule. Alan outlined his plan; He wanted excitement without being too serious. Mostly, he doesn''t want to retain his goody-two-shoes persona. After much thought, he decided to be a frivolous prankster. Logging back into RR, Alan named himself Loki and changed his appearance. (Author''s note: No Avatar-Creation dialog... as this is a failure, skip to chapter2 for that) Back in RR, looking around to the familiar scene with different eyes, Loki lost himself into doing stupid things he will never be caught dead with. First he went around flipping female''s skirts, both players and NPCs. He also made papers with words like ''kick me'' or ''I am an idiot'' and pasting them on the back of people wearing armor. He then made pitfalls and laugh at those who fell in. He made sure the pits are filled with mud, to enhance the effects. He even went into the library and rearrange the books in random order. Loki''s greatest prank was layering the bottom of the bowls in the tavern with animal waste. It was also a prank that cause his first death, an NPC guard affected was aggroed and killed him. From then on, Loki''s life went to hell; Irritated players started to ambush him. They didn''t kill him as they didn''t want a PKer mark, but they chopped off his legs and left him crawling. A druid who got mud-soaked before even followed him around, healed him so he could be crippled again. Usually NPCs would report such acts to the authorities, and soldiers would intervene. In Loki''s case, most of them turn a blind eye. Infamy, never underestimate its power. In addition, prices for everything was doubled or tripled for Loki, while quest rewards were penalized; This meant Loki couldn''t earn properly and had to starve. Currently he is dying from starvation. ***** Loki was a total failure of an avatar. Alan had no choice but to delete. He felt lucky, since he still had the gold from the sale of ''Lance''. Alan totter around his house, aimlessly wandering. He is looking for some divine innovation. The prankster was a failure, and it doesn''t suit him. He needed another idea. Pacing in his room, when he passed the poster of ''his sister in a bunny girl suit'', one of his photo edited masterpiece, he paused, looked back and smiled. Hopping into the capsule, he had decided something outrageous again.
[/hr] Back to Main Forward to Chapter 2 Chapter 2 -

Chapter 2 - Enter the Bunny

[/hr] - The scan on your iris and vein has determined that you do not have an avatar. Do you.. ¡°Yes!¡± - Select the name of... ¡°Bunny!¡± - Select your gender from male, fe... ¡°Female!¡± Royal Road has forty-nine races. You may.. ¡°Rabbit Girl!¡± - Werebeast race is not open to users yet, Please choose from the primary twenty-nine races ¡°Not open... doesn''t that mean they are out there somewhere...¡± After pondering a little, ¡°Human!¡± - You may alter your appearan... ¡°Control panel!¡± As this wasn''t the first time, Alan was comfortably configuring his new avatar. For the face, his features in feminine form wasn''t bad, with bigger eyes, lusher lips. Changed to blond hair, blue eyes, porcelain white skin and freckles removed, he felt the appearance pretty enough. For the body, Alan had watched enough porn to have his own ideal figure type. To him, anyone who claimed that boobs were ''the bigger the better'', were ignorant; Rather, having it smaller but proportional with the torso and waist will enhance beauty. Similarly waist, hips and leg length, needs to be in consistent to the body as a whole. Overall, Alan made something most males would drool upon. - Your account has been activated. Your stats and class shall be.. ¡°Pass!¡± - Select a city and kingdom... ¡°The Citadel of Serabourg, Rosenheim Kingdom!¡± - Welcome to Royal... ¡°Pass!¡± ***** *Flash With a flash of light, he appeared in the Citadel of Serabourg in Rosenheim Kingdom. ¡°I am back again... muahahahaha¡± Alan... no, Bunny laughed like a demon king. Being near the center of the plaza, this attracted many onlookers. Including the fact that Bunny looked hot, it attracted even more people. Instead of being meek and shying away, Bunny closed her eyes and started to massage her own chest, enjoying her new body. This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.¡°I got boobies, these feels so soft... so bouncy...¡± The passerby were curious of a girl engrossed with massaging her breast. The NPCs didn''t seem bothered, but the players were. ¡°Is she under some curse?¡± ¡°She was laughing maniacally earlier¡± ¡°I saw a beginner flash, so she may just be new.¡± ¡°Maybe she is overjoyed with her new assets.¡± ¡°I guess she must be really flat.¡± With the new sensation from both her hands and chest, Bunny unconsciously started moaning ¡°Ahhhh... Oooo... this feels nice... ahhh...¡± Girlfriends start dragging their boyfriends away using their ears. Merchants, who value money more, resume hawking their wares. Others (mostly girls) find such behavior unacceptable, left too. The only people still paying attention are the few guys gawking. Coming out of her self-induced happiness, finding a number of males drooling at her, Bunny yelled at them: ¡°These are my boobies, only I can touch them. Go make your own girl avatars.¡± ¡°Any guy can create a hot sexy body to fondle, the feeling from both the body and fingers, feels like the real thing... ahhh... ¡± Bunny continued, while tracing her exposed collar-bone with a finger. With that, she left the plaza. ¡°Any guy?¡± ¡°That hottie, is a guy?¡± ¡°I wonder, should I try it too, I am only lv20¡± The thoughts of her confused audience... priceless
[/hr] Back to Main Forward to Chapter 3 Chapter 3 - Exploiting Past ties -

Chapter 3 - Exploiting Past ties

Bunny is strolling leisurely strolling around the Citadel of Serabourg. This was also the place where Lance was knighted and Loki was destroyed, so she knew her way around. With her new body, she was tempted to become a dancer, but the experience with Loki told her to not make hasty decisions. The first place she needed visit was the Bard guild. In Serabourg, information is centered around Darwyn the Composer. Darwyn had the gift to create songs which boost fame; When making a song for an adventurer who killed a bobcat, he would attach lyrics which contain lines like ''ferocious great feline of orange and black''. Every adventurer wanted fame, that led to all noticeable events happening around the citadel, making their way to Darwyn. Since adventurers cluster there, the natives with troubles also requested Darwyn to help. Darwyn was the single most important NPC for normal questing in Citadel of Serabourg. However, the reason Bunny wanted to meet Darwyn was different. Uncommon among bards, Darwyn didn''t like strangers and acted rather cold towards them, however, when he accepted someone as a friend, he would be friendly and helpful. Lance was a good friend of Darwyn, added to Darwyn''s personality, Bunny wanted to know if she could capitalize on Lance''s influence. ¡°Greetings, Mr. Darwyn.¡± Bunny started ¡°Yes? Do I know you?¡± Darwyn replied raising one eye. ¡°Oh, this is our first meeting, but I have heard much about you from my brother Lance¡± ¡°Lance?¡± Darwyn started to closely examine Bunny''s features. ¡°Ah! Knight Lance, you two do look similar¡± Darwyn finally replied ¡°So, how may I help you?¡± ¡°Ummm... I am just visiting because my brother told me to pay you a visit when I am in Serabourg. He told me specifically to visit Mr. Darwyn because you are his benefactor and helped him in the past¡± ¡°Your brother is too polite, I was the one receiving help. I sometimes gather request from local natives and forward them to him, and he usually solve the request without wanting anything in return.¡± ¡°Yes, I have heard many stories from my brother, like the time where he killed a rampaging bear in the forest that is disrupting the woodcutters¡± ¡°Ah... that was one of them, he didn''t even contact the guild and just went to slay the beast after I mention it. He is the most honorable person I have known¡± In truth, Lance was farming honor points. When getting a quest from Darwyn to visit the forestry guild as a chain quest, he coxed Darwyn into giving him the details, then performing the quest without visiting the guild. The act was considered selfless to the NPCs. Although the monetary gain is lowered, Fame and Honor points were raised lots. Bunny ended up chatting much about Lance with Darwyn, ¡°By the way, Bunny, do you play the harp too?¡± Darwyn asked. ¡°Ummm.... My brother only taught me two songs¡± Bunny replied nervously ¡°Hahaha... he ONLY knows two songs.¡± Darwyn guffawed. Handing her a nice looking Harp, Bunny was forced to play. Without in-game skills to help her, it didn''t turn out very well. However, it was good enough for Darwyn. After pointing out some aspects on using the instrument to Bunny. *Ding
You have learned to use a Harp
You have learned the songs ''Courage'' and ''Serenity''
New stat: Charisma
A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.¡°Keep the harp, its the least I can do to help you¡± Darwyn said ¡°Thank you¡± Bunny replied happily A commotion suddenly started among the novice bard in the building. ¡°Did master Darwyn just give something away?¡± ¡°I had never seen Master Darwyn give anything away this whole month I spent here¡± ¡°That harp isn''t cheap, it cost at least 20gold¡± ¡°Who is that girl? Is she some high-class wandering bard?¡± ¡°Isn''t she still wearing her newbie outfit?¡± Using the commotion as an excuse, Bunny bade farewell and disappear into the city. Understanding that she can use ''her Brother'' to build up familiarity fast with the NPCs, she could go out of her way to accumulate skills not easily obtainable. In RR, there are 4 ways to obtain skills:
  1. Repeated actions. By doing an action multiple times, a player will soon gain the skills. Example: Hitting a scarecrow thousands of times with a sword would yield ''Sword Mastery'' -
  2. Learning from objects, skill-books or simply quest rewards. Self-explanatory -
  3. Learning it from a guild NPC or another Player. If a person satisfied the requirements, he/she could visit any guild house or sufficiently skilled player to learn the skill. Example: Anyone can visit any Tailor guild to learn ''Tailoring'', as long as they fulfilled the basic requirement of having ''Handicraft skill'' at Beginner Lv3 AND had the ability to sew a button. -
  4. Learning from a skilled NPC who likes you. This is similar to the above, but there will be no stats or skills requirements. Example: If a great chef taught someone cooking, the prerequisite of ''Handicraft skills'' will be nulled
Author''s Notes: Pt.4 is My guesswork on how Seoyong learned cooking without ''handicraft skills'' It is also reflected by how Weed learn ''Medical botany'' simply asking for it, unlike blacksmith or fishing Using the 4th method, Bunny readies herself to plunder knowledge from the unsuspecting Playing Harp, Sing, Dance, Blacksmith, Tailor, Jewel, Cook, Enchant, Artifice, Alchemy, Botany, Farm, Herd, Fish, Mine, Deforest Garden, Build, Sculpt, Paint, Identify, Repair, Bandage, Offense mastery, Magic As players without class could only get 10 skills, planning was required... decisions... decisions...
[/hr] Back to Main Forward to Chapter 4 Chapter 4 – Getting skills -

Chapter 4 ¨C Getting skills

[/hr] Bunny decided to totally exploit her benefits, but it would require extensive planing. Being without a class, she could at most gain 10 skills, and of these limited amount, it must include one or more offensive ones. At minimum, she would need a Weapon Mastery or a Spell to level up. ''Arrggg... those bard songs with ''Harp Playing'' took up 3 skills, only 7 left, I can''t stay classless'' Pacing around while thinking, a habit Alan displayed, Bunny suddenly felt something akin to ''Stepping on a Lego brick''. The pain wasn''t there but the psychological effects cause her to jump two steps backwards, knocking down several passerby. Ignoring the commotion she caused, Bunny bend forward and found the culprit: a piece of charcoal. Thinking it as divine intervention, Bunny took the charcoal piece and went to a nearby ''White board'' she knew of, oblivious to the surrounding. ¡°What a rude girl! Is she crazy?¡± ¡°Crazy or not, I don''t mind a cute girl purposely bumping into me... heh¡± ¡°She went forward and pick something up¡± ¡°Is it gold? Did she find money?¡± ¡°That''s possible but doesn''t explain why she jumped backwards¡± When people are bored, especially those who are confined, anything remotely exciting would pique their interest. The people Bunny disrupted, cautiously followed her at a safe distance. This led to more people joining in the crowd not knowing why. Bunny lead her entourage to a nearby building, the side of the building to be precise, an she started writing with her charcoal on the white flat wall. She first wrote the word ''Warrior'', cocked her head sidewards thinking, strike it out and replaced with ''Knight''. From there, she drew a few lines outwards, with words like ''Blacksmith'', ''Sword Mastery'', ''Shield Mastery'', ''Horse riding''... etc ***** Bunny was drawing out her thoughts, using the class Knight she was familiar with, she started drawing lines to skills a Knight would benefit from. From the each skill, more lines were drawn to others skills which would help, Blacksmith would extend to Enchanting and Mining, while horse-riding would point towards Animal Breeding and Saddle making. When she was done, a web of information about the Knight Class was presented. Continue on, she made webs of Warriors, Gladiators, Archer, Ranger, Thief, Cleric, Mages and any other classes she could think of. Somewhere along, when her charcoal was diminished, someone would hand her another piece, which she unconsciously took and continued with her work. When she almost filled up the entire wall, Bunny wrote down at the side, two skills all classes would relate to, and circled them to signify importance: ''Identify'' and ''Repair''. Taking a step backwards to see her work, she absently dropped the almost depleted charcoal she was holding. When an old man passed her another charcoal piece, Bunny turned to his direction and her jaw dropped. ¡°Ahh!!! Mr. Draco!!¡± she screamed. ¡°Is that reaction necessary?¡± the old man chuckled holding onto her hand before she could flee ¡°I... I just never expect the master of Intelligence Guild to be here.¡± Bunny muttered ¡°Why would that be? Ain''t you defacing the wall of my guild?¡± Draco replied smiling evilly ¡°Eh?¡± Bunny glanced around to find truth in Draco''s words. ¡°I am sorry, I will clean it up immediately¡± ¡°I would prefer if you don''t,¡± Draco said. ¡°There are too many people here, why don''t we continue our chat inside the guild¡± Before leading Bunny away, Draco erected a barrier to prevent the drawing from being damaged. The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings. Intelligence guild wasn''t a place to learn Magic or Int-Related skills. It simply gave counsel to users for choosing a class, depending on their stats and skills. Draco, the guild master was a friendly old man, who seemed kind to everyone. However, getting on his wrong side meant trouble, since Draco had been known to talk blisters into wrong doers. The last straw causing Loki''s deletion was also Draco. After being caught red-handed, Loki was given a 3 hours of lecturing with another 4 hours sermon about kindness after Loki logout and returned. This created an innate fear in Bunny for Draco. Within the guild, Draco started without preamble. ¡°So, what are you going to do with the graffiti?¡± He asked solemnly. ¡°I will remove them.¡± Bunny panicked. ¡°I will go wipe them off immediately.¡± ¡°Hohoho... I don''t think so...¡± Draco chuckled, dropping his solemn guise, ¡°Pardon me, it has been awhile since something interesting happened, so I can''t help teasing you.¡± Seeing Bunny totally confused, Draco continued: ¡°That diagram you drew outside, benefits us of the Intelligence guild, I invited you in here to reward you. If I am not mistaken, do you want to learn to identify items and repair things?¡± Bunny just nodded blankly *Ding
You have learned Item Identification
You have learned Repair
You have earned the title ¡®The Knowledgeable.¡¯
Fame has increased by 100. Intelligence has increased by 10 Wisdom has increased by 10 When talking to Natives, they will provide you with more information
Conflicted emotions, while happy with her luck at getting both ''Identify'' and ''Repair'' as well as a title and some fame, yet fearing Draco immensely. Bunny briefly gave thanks before fleeing from the unexpected situation. By now, outside the intelligence guild was swarming with players curious about both the wall diagrams as well as the creator. ***** Unknown to Bunny, someone put up a video of her drawing up the class charts, as well as images for each individual class. - Wow, this is more useful then the RR website - How did she know all these stuffs - Is the sound volume faulty? It felt like she is giving a lecture without the sound. - These are totally worth plagiarizing. - Isn''t she a beginner, look at her outfit - I started in Serabourg, that man handing her the charcoal is the Intelligence Guild Master - Who is she? On the web, people started calling her "Cute Professor" For better or worse, Bunny attained more Fame then she dreamed of.
[/hr] Back to Main Forward to Chapter 5 ----- Author''s notes: For those reading, you would have realized Day-1 in RR has yet to end, one more chapter to go Remaining time will speed up once the basics is covered. I had only plans till chapter 10, so... [th_0v.gif] Chapter 5 – The Secret of Rabbits -

Chapter 5 ¨C The Secret of Rabbits

[/hr] *Rumble That wasn''t the sound of thunder. It came from Bunny''s tummy. Munchies time! It has been 7 hours since Bunny had entered RR. The stomach never lies. While fleeing from the Intelligence Guild, Bunny felt the familiar sensation of hunger and thirst. Usually, one had to eat every 5 hours, since Bunny started with full satiety, she only felt hungry after 7 hours. Sadly, there wasn''t any cookies, only stale bread and tepid water from the canteen. Since she couldn''t do anything about the food, she at least wanted cool clean water from the fountain. Reaching the fountain, Bunny emptied and refilled her canteen, while taking out rye bread to eat. Looking at the sky while munching on a piece of stale bread, Bunny estimated there to be 3 more hours before sunset or dinner time. Dinner time, to Bunny, was an important time of the day. Slowly chewing her bread, Bunny was deciding what to do. She needed to meet the NPC Emma an hour before dinner, which gave her about 2 hours to waste. Looking around the plaza, it wasn''t difficult to differentiate most players from the NPCs. The players are usually dressed in leathers or plates befitting their class, while NPCs don either linen or their work clothes. There was also the all-too-obvious newbie outfits. What Bunny saw was a lack of fashion; No one dressed for appearances; Everyone seemed to values utility over style. ***** Bunny''s next destination is the Tailor guild, just like what her name implies, she decided to get a bunny girl costume; It would be good to be different. Although she had no money at the moment, she would be receiving more then 2000 gold soon. Making good use of her spare time, she decided to ask for prices first. The clerk working at the guild was a shy girl named Betty, who seemed to have lots of respect for Lance. It didn''t take long for Bunny to get acquainted and made friends. ¡°Can you make a bunny girl suit?¡± Bunny asked [th_117_.gif] ¡°Do you mean rabbit fur clothes? We can do that.¡± ¡°No, no, I meant those clothes that cover the front up till here, a V-shape cut here, then fishnet stockings extending from here to here, added a small fluffy tail here¡± Bunny replied pointing at the respective parts of her body while describing what she wanted The clerk blushed just thinking of how provocative an outfit would be, if it followed Bunny''s description. However, she decided that she had just misunderstood Bunny due to how upright the brother was. ¡°I don''t think we had such designs before¡± she stammered ¡°Hmm... can you custom-make one?¡± Bunny asked, with her familiarity, she didn''t expect rejection. ¡°Ummm... How about I teach you tailoring so you could make one yourself?¡± The clerk was hard-pressed, she didn''t want to disappoint Bunny, but more then that, she didn''t want to upset Lance by giving ''his sister'' something scandalous just because she misunderstood her request. The clerk took the only escape path, by teaching Bunny tailoring and letting her outfit herself. ¡°Do you want to learn Tailoring?¡± ¡°I guess it can''t be helped, I am not good at explaining¡± Oblivious to the clerk''s inner struggle *Ding
You have learned Tailoring
¡°After I make a prototype, can you can reproduce it at higher quality?¡± Bunny asked ¡°Sure.¡± The clerk replied with relieve, pleased that she escaped a difficult situation. After making small talks, Bunny received a needle and some threads before waving goodbye and continued her way, walking towards the armorer''s shop. She now had a way to get her outfit, whats left was the headband. Any girl would know to visit an accessories shop to buy a headband, sadly, Bunny wasn''t just ''any girl''. Her understanding of head wear somewhat equates a helmet used by warriors or knights. Entering the shop, she greeted the owner, a dwarf named ''Deft Hand'' ¡°Hello Mr Deft Hand¡± ¡°You are?¡± ¡°I am the sister of Lance, he told me that if I needed anything, this is the best shop to visit¡± ¡°Your brother sure knows his stuffs, what are you here for?¡± ¡°I am looking for a Bunny girl head-wear, those with ears pointing out¡± Bunny requested ¡°The rabbits here don''t have skulls big enough for helmets, you gonna grow one?¡± ¡°You misunderstood, I meant I just want a head-wear with rabbit ears¡± ¡°No misunderstanding missy, you want a head-wear right?¡± Deft Hand asked ¡°Uh-huh¡± Bunny nodded ¡°You want it to have rabbit ears, right?¡± Deft Hand asked again ¡°Yeah.¡± Bunny agreed again Stolen story; please report.¡°Then you have to grow a rabbit to the size you want¡± Deft Hand concluded. Bunny didn''t bother to clear the misunderstanding, as she became curious about what Deft Hand was saying. What did he meant by growing a rabbit? It felt very interesting. Since there were other customers in the armory, she used them to excuse herself and pretended to browse the merchandise. Glancing at the shoppers, she concluded that they didn''t notice what she had. Feeling safe, while waiting for others to leave, she started counting out how much Lance gear was worth. Average price for gears for lv100 is around 200-300g for the body, 50-75g for others like helmets, greaves and gauntlets. Lance wore 3 different types of body armor, which made the cost go higher. Weapons are calculated differently due to specs and stats. Overall, Lance''s weapon and gear total to over 1300 gold, even with a discounted selling price, it implied the avatar is worth less then 1000 gold. What a shocking discovery. :noei: While mopping over how something she had worked for over a month end up being so cheaply sold, Bunny noticed that she was the only customer left in the armorer''s shop. ¡°How do I grow a rabbit¡± Bunny asked, after picking herself up. ¡°You don''t know? Just grab a baby from the fields, let it gain experience and it will grow.¡± Seeing Bunny listening attentively, Deft Hand continued ¡°When a rabbit gain enough experience, it will evolve into a horn rabbit.¡± ¡°With even more experience, it will grow in size, they can grow really big¡± ¡°You will need a horn rabbit about a meter tall to yield a skull big enough for a helmet.¡± Bunny was shocked, one of the weakest creature, massively killed by beginners had a secret behind them; They can evolve if fed experience in addition to food, this was like the greatest finding since the start of RR. ¡°Do horn rabbits evolve further¡± Bunny muttered, barely suppressing her emotions. ¡°Nobody knows¡±, Deft Hand answered nonchalantly, ¡°Horn rabbit helmets can easily sell for over 1000 gold, so those rabbits never grow further from there¡± Just one rabbit, worth much more then Lance... Bunny is currently suffering from Shock + double Shock. :nopnop: It took some time for Bunny to regain her composure. ***** Emma, wasn''t a chef in some prestige restaurant or tavern, neither was she a good cook. Emma was just a simple chef of an orphanage ran by the Church of Freya. Bunny was set to learn cooking from her for various reason, Emma not rejecting anyone being one of them. To learn cooking, a newbie, would need to need to work or apprenticed at a Tavern or Restaurant. After a week of running errands, they would take a quest to cook up an acceptable meal, with the reward being the skill. It was a tedious process which not many would appreciate, but the monetary gains from errand quest are good. Chef Emma did things differently, she gave a quest first, then let successful candidates who gain the cooking skills, work their quota after. She mostly would exhibit her laziness by passing all the cooking work over. Some would be tempted to just ditch the hard work, but not many actually dared to provoke the power behind: Goddess Freya. There were many cases of Freya Priests with over 99% casting rate failed at healing or blessing such people. ¡°Emma! Are you cooking dinner yet?¡± Bunny almost shouted while running into the kitchen. She had spent too much time in shock, so she didn''t know if she was late. ¡°Oh my, Oh my, I am about to start preparing, do you want to help?¡± Emma replied cheerfully ¡°Yeah... I would... love too... but... no skill.¡± Bunny said while panting like a dog. ¡°Oh my, what an energetic girl we have here, would you like to learn cooking?¡± ¡°Yeah... please...¡± ¡°Then, why don''t you show me what you can do with those turnips and carrots¡± *Ding
Helping Emma the Chef
[/hr]The orphanage ''Shelter of the homeless'' is a subsidiary of the Church of Freya. Although food is plentiful, someone has to prepare and cook them to feed the orphans. Emma the Chef has ask you to help peel the turnips and carrots. Difficulty: F Reward: Cooking Skill
Taking a deep breath to regulate her breathing, Bunny replied with a ¡°Yes!¡± then proceed towards a basket of Turnips.
[/hr] Back to Main Forward to Chapter 6 Chapter 6 - Acquire the samples -

Chapter 6 ¨C Acquire the samples

[/hr] Alan got out of his capsule. Even after a long stressful day in RR, only 3 hours had passed. Taking time to stretch, Alan proceed to take care of his personal hygiene. After which he log onto the the Dark Gamer''s site to search for information. Although he didn''t consider himself a Dark Gamer, Alan was introduced to the site by a fellow RR player in school. Finding the wealth of information useful, Alan worked hard to raise his rank on the site. He had started out at lowest of rank ''D'', mostly as an errand runner for the higher ranks. He finally made his way to rank ''C'', with an interesting article named ''AIs are born gluttons''. The article covered how delicious food affect both NPCs and mobs. This gave rise to newbies carrying chunks of beef while hunting wolfs; For emergency escape, throw a slab of beef per wolf and they will be too busy eating to give chase. Dark Gamer site worked based on a contribution-point system. When you post something useful or provide services, points would be awarded, while reading information and putting up request would deduct points. Alan considered this system very fair as everyone would ''Give as much as they take''. Market prices of random items which seem useless to most was considered valuable information, therefore Alan would raise his contribution points by posting weekly (monthly in-game) price list of Serabourg. Being done with his update, Alan browse around the information list. Sadly, there were no information on Animal Taming or Breeder in RR. The only interesting topic he saw was a video titled ''Cute professor giving a silent lecture'' worth 1 contribution point. Two minute later, he regretted wasting the point and drooling at the back-view of the cute girl staring the show. Since the points are already spent, he just sit back and admired his own works of art, not the data created, but the heroine herself. ***** Looking at the time, Alan got dressed and left for the VR-Cafe to claim his gold. The two way trip didn''t take more then an hour. However, being on a Saturday, the place was crowded, Alan had to wait almost 30mins to complete his transaction. The process was simple, just meeting Bob''s GM avatar at a low populated area. He had received 2145 gold, 495 silver and 500 coppers, making a total of 2150 gold worth of game currency, courtesy from Bob for breaking into smaller denominations. Newbies using gold draws too much attention. ¡°You avatar will be sold next week, its appearance and name will be changed too. Just to let you know, the NPCs by then will think the avatar Lance is also an NPC, so your sisterly act will end. Better get the most out of it while you can.¡± Alan felt both relieved and depressed over Bob''s parting words. Relieved, because there wouldn''t be a chance of meeting his previous avatar online; Inability to rely on Lance anymore caused some discomfort. Back home, the time was 3:30pm, Alan had 30mins left before daybreak in RR. He spent this time visiting pet-owner websites, understanding how to raise and breed rabbits. His parents and sister is out of town, they will only be back on Monday morning, therefore Alan had all the time to play. ***** Serabourg, had 4 gates, the North and South gates are populated with rabbits, racoons and foxes, typical newbie hunting grounds. The Merchant''s Guild and Merchant''s Union were both build near the West gate, which led to Warehouses lining up the area. The East gate was the only lonely sight, where less notable people do their business. Appearing at the East Gate, Bunny made her way back to the plaza. Her plan was simple, buy live rabbits from other players, then drag them into the sewers to fight Rats. Stocking up on herbs and bandages was required, food was also necessary. She also bought a brush, a bottle of ink, many pieces of cloth and sewing designs. After reaching the South gate, Bunny first approach the guards. ¡°Hello¡± She greeted ¡°Young adventurer, you cannot exit the city yet¡± came the reply ¡°Oh, I am not going out, I just wanted to ask if live rabbits can be bought into the city.¡± ¡°Ah...Sorry, I thought you were another ignorant adventurer, any animal or beast can be bought into the city, as long as they are not hostile.¡± ¡°You mean, if I tame a goblin, I can bring it into the city too?¡± Bunny questioned ¡°Hahaha... thats a good one... Taming a goblin¡± one guard started laughing Indeed, you can do it, but everything it does, will be your responsibility. If the goblin breaks anything, you will have to pay for them.¡± the other guard replied seriously. ¡°What if I buy a rabbit from someone, and it ended up terrorizing the grocer?¡± Bunny continued. ¡°If you bought it, then the responsibility will lie on you.¡± the Guard confirmed. Thanking the guards, Bunny took a seat at the nearby bench and started her sewing practice. Failing 4 attempts to make a suit, she tore the failures and reworking them into a banner, which read:
Paying 1 silver per live rabbit
Stolen story; please report. After making 5 more failures, all vests, her first customer appeared. ¡°Are you buying this?¡± Asked a young lad, pointing towards a small concussed rabbit he was holding ¡°Ah, yes I am¡± Bunny replied, making sure the rabbit was alive before fishing out a silver piece. Bunny got her first experiment sample. She didn''t know why, but when she held the fainted rabbit, subconsciously she said ¡°Identify!¡± g
You failed to identify the item.
You failed to identify the item.
Small Rabbit (Level 2) A low level animal that is hunted for its fur and meat. This animal is 8 weeks old Status: Faint, Fear
¡°That''s interesting, I didn''t know animals can be identified¡± Bunny mused to herself Putting the rabbit back on the floor, she was approached by 3 more players, each with something to sell. With 4 of them, Bunny found out she made a miscalculation. She didn''t have a means to transport these animals. Taking down her banner quickly, Bunny remembered a chicken farmer who sold cages, he was located at the north-eastern side of town. She identified the 3 other rabbits too, which varies with size. Knowing more while training her identification skill was never bad.
Adolescent Rabbit (Level 3) A low level animal that is hunted for its fur and meat. This animal is 14 weeks old Status: Confuse, Fear
Grown Rabbit (Level 4) A low level animal that is hunted for its fur and meat. This animal is 20 weeks old Status: Faint, Fear
While thinking of a solution, someone approached her. ¡°Are you still buying live rabbits?¡± Asked a youthful voice. Looking up, Bunny saw a handsome youth dressed in green robe with a hood, typical druid outfit. He was holding a hunting knife with his left, with an extra-large rabbit tuck under his right arm. His face was familiar to Bunny... correction... it was Alan. This was the druid who went around healing while crippling Loki. First impression: A petty, grudge bearing man. Impressions aside, Bunny had to make use of the situation. ¡°Ummm... My shop is closed, but I can buy yours for 2 conditions.¡± Bunny started ¡°What conditions?¡± ¡°I forgot my cages, so I can only move two of them. I need you to help kill the rest¡± ¡°Last hit?¡± the druid asked, raising an eyebrow. The one doing the killing gets half the exp. ¡°No need, just a hit will be fine too. As a tailor, if I contributed, I can skin it for leather¡± ¡°Second condition?¡± He asked. ¡°I need to borrow your knife for skinning¡± Bunny replied hesitantly. Stealing borrowed items were common, so not many people are willing to pass their items to strangers. ¡°Alright, which ones to take care of?¡± The druid agreed without much thought. ¡°I am keeping the 2 biggest ones.¡± When Bunny finished speaking, the druid grabbed one of the rabbits by it hind leg and slit the throat. Sheathing the knife while putting a vial under the wound in a fluid motion, he collected the rabbit blood. When the rabbit became almost dried, he motioned Bunny to finish it off. The knife was passed over for salvaging the carcass and returned. This process was repeated 2 more times. Happy with his payment and blood, the druid bade farewell. Bunny decided to change her first impression to: ''A petty, grudge bearing, unfeeling, naive, bane of cute things''. Set back with a miscalculation, Bunny only lost time. The single piece of silver used could be compensated using the salvaged meat and fur. Using her Cooking and Tailoring skills, she could break even, assuming she stopped failing at tailoring. Bunny didn''t forget to identify her last sample, before tucking both rabbits under her arms, and making her way towards the chicken farmer.
Large Rabbit (Level 5) A low level animal that is hunted for its fur and meat. This animal is 24 weeks old Status: Fear
***** Alan got himself some useful information to post at the Dark Gamer''s Site. Levels of mobs are approximate, not exact. For rabbits, they are thought to be lv3, but he found out the bigger (older) ones are higher in level compared to the smaller ones.
[/hr] Back to Main Forward to Chapter 7 Chapter 7 - First Failure -

Chapter 7 ¨C First Failure and Lucky Hit

[/hr] Be it greed or stupidity, our dear heroine was currently struggling with her samples. Rabbits were considered small animals, but to a Level 1 player without strength boost, they weigh much. Also, remembering that she picked the two biggest ones, as well as, they were still alive and kicking, it wasn''t an easy task. ¡°Isn''t that the cute professor? What is she doing again?¡± ¡°Those rabbits seems to be still alive, is she doing some animal testing?¡± ¡°Lets follow her to find out¡± ¡°It has to be more interesting then loitering around since I can''t leave the city¡± ¡°This time, lets keep a distance, she likes to perform sudden actions¡± Unbeknownst to her, Bunny got an entourage following her again, albeit in a distance. ***** Taking short-cut through a small park, Bunny tripped on an exposed root. Crashing forward, she landed on her face. The rabbits she tucked under each arm we forced to head-butt the ground; They didn''t like that, turning aggro towards Bunny. If Alan went for size instead of proportions, he might have avoided this crisis.
You lost 7 Health Points (-7 Health)
You lost 9 Health Points (-9 Health)
You lost 8 Health Points (-8 Health)
Struggling from the gnawing rabbits, Bunny only managed to free herself after taking multiple hits. She pull some distance then lowering her center of gravity, using a crouching stance. After a few seconds looking at each of her enemies, Bunny launching herself towards the larger one, deftly grabbing its lower jaw with one hand, while circling the other hand around its neck, then twisted. Rabbit''s head turned unnaturally and fell paralyzed on the floor. Using the opening, the other rabbit bit Bunny''s forearm, slightly below her left elbow. The pain subsided quickly as Bunny felt the familiar sensation of ''Healing Hands''. Glancing around to see her ally, Bunny decided to use a drastic move; Pressing her right palm onto the rabbit''s head, she started spinning using the rabbit as a hammer (the athletic event, not the tool). Spinning at a constant pace, she moved towards a tree and smash the body into the tree-trunk. With both enemies taken care of, Bunny sat down dizzy. After recovering, Bunny, ignored the small crowd that formed, went over to a young female priest, her benefactor. Like a Knight facing a Lady, Bunny took her hand and kissed it, before saying: ¡°Thanks for the healing, I appreciate it very much¡± The reaction she got was off, the priest was blushing furiously, and uttered uneasily: ¡°Your clothes.¡± Looking at herself, Bunny found her newbie shirt in tatters, the struggle she just had, torn it badly; Her un-removable bra and trim tummy were exposed by the holey shirt. Instead of blushing and shying away, Bunny leaned forward, acting like kissing her cheek, she whispered: ¡°I''m going punish those onlookers but I need to salvage the carcass first, stay around and watch.¡± Turning to her audience, Bunny announced: ¡°Can anyone lend me a hunting knife or dagger.¡± One lecherous looking hunter stepped forward passing her a knife. With it, Bunny began to disassembling her prize, packing away the skin and meat. Standing up, Bunny approached the hunter, first returning the knife, then circling her arms around his neck, leaning her head forward until her mouth was right next to his ear. ¡°You are so my type, just hugging you make my d*** so hard I want to pump you right here, right now.¡± She whispered seductively, while moving her hands smoothly down his body, and gave his butt a tight squeeze before leaving the stunned man. Back at the center of attention, Bunny first unequipped her vest, showing off a nearly topless, but well proportioned body, then addressing everyone in a loud voice: This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author''s consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.¡°Hello everyone, thank you for gathering, I am the representative from a Gay Dating site. Our member count has declined recently, therefore we decided to use RR as a new platform. We are using these type of cute lithe bodies, so feel free to ravage us as long as you pay for the inn. We will require you to use the backdoor... if you know what I mean. Also, if you have Elvish, Loli or Melon fetish, we can accommodate to those request too... Since I am not allowed to advertise our website in speech, please approach me and add me as friend, I will PM you the details.¡± Most people in the crowd, which numbered more then 100, had jaws dropped. The priest who helped Bunny earlier was sighted behind the crowd, struggling not to break-down laughing. As logic dictated, nobody approached to register. Those who regain their composure quickly and quietly dispersed. Some girls loitered around tempted to ask about body sculpting techniques, but didn''t want to be associated with a Gay Dating site. Seeing the crowd has thinned, Bunny repaired her shirt and equipped it, she also repaired all her other gears. After taking out a needle, threads and all her leathers from her bag, she activated her skill ¡°Tailor Cloak¡±. Rather the risking failure by doing it manually, she rather rely on the skill to make a plain but successful product. The cloak design she bought indicated she needed all 5 pieces of leathers she own to make one. Bunny''s hand started moving automatically. In a few minutes, a very simply cloak was produced.
Greater Newbie Cloak Durability 20/20 Defense: 2 A simple cloak that came with a hood made by a beginner Tailor. Made from rabbit fur, it gives the user a warm fuzzy feeling. Restrictions: Level 1. Equip: Raises Health by 50.
It was a lucky hit. Bunny only wanted a hood to hide her face, as she didn''t want gay men contacting her. She didn''t expect to make anything with bonuses using her pathetic tailoring. The outcome made her extremely happy, overriding the disappointment of failing to gain rabbits. Humming a nameless tune, Bunny headed towards the Chicken Farm. Somewhere along the way, she slipped into an empty alleyway to equip her cloak, then continued onwards incognito. ***** Reaching the Farm, Bunny was greeted by an old man whom she wasn''t acquainted with. ¡°Hello young adventurer¡± The old man greeted ¡°Hi grandpa, I am Bunny, how may I address you?¡± Bunny replied politely while lowering her hood. ¡°You can call me Silva or grandpa Silva, and how may I help you?¡± ¡°I wanted to buy some cages.¡± ¡°That is rare. I can''t even remember when I last sold a cage, come this way.¡± The old man led Bunny to the shed in the farm, showing her different cages. ¡°There are weaved, wooden and iron ones. What are you intending to keep?¡± Silva asked ¡°I am thinking of keeping rabbits, breeding and growing them.¡± ¡°A rabbit farmer huh? Seldom see adventurers wanting to become producers¡± ¡°I am not one yet, it is more of a trial run. I will only commit if it worked out well.¡± an earnest reply. ¡°Well, I would recommend using iron cages, they are more expensive but last longer.¡± Accepting the recommendation, Bunny bought 2 iron cages which she estimated to hold up to 4-5 rabbit each. She bought a small cart as well, to move the cages more easily. Overall, Bunny had to spend around 5 gold, which she considered an investment. She also found out that Grandpa Silva sells lots of things including animal feed and vegetables, thus decided to make this farm her new ''Base of operations''. Securing the cages onto the cart after stocking up, Bunny started pushing her cart towards a closer destination, the North gate. Even when she fell before starting, she was once again set on her simple plan. i.e. Buying Rabbits and making them fight the Rats in the sewers.
[/hr] Back to Main Forward to Chapter 8 - Chapter 8 - Trial and Error -

Chapter 8 ¨C Trial and Error

[/hr] At the North gate, Bunny once again found herself a nearby bench, to be used as her ''stall''. Hanging up her banner, she continued on wasting cloth with her Tailoring. The reason for mass failures wasn''t bad dexterity, rather, it was mostly due to Bunny wanting to make something she didn''t exactly know how to produce: A bunny girl suit. To make clothes, a tailor has to cut the different pieces cloth into shapes, namely the front, back and sides with or without sleeves, then sewing the different sides together. Bunny had no problems with the process, but every time she reached the last seam which closed the specified shape cloth into an outfit, she would hold it against her body to test, then abandon it due to flaws. Mostly the problem lies in the flimsy chest area, falling outwards revealing everything it should cover. Just like previously, she failed 5 pieces before players approach her for trade. This time, she came prepared, and successfully bought 10 rabbits of various sizes. Taking down her banner, she pushed her full cart towards an abandoned building nearby. ***** The sewers, was an underground linkage, connected to every building in city, though the opening in most places weren''t big enough to allow human passage. The sewer was wide enough that two man can stand comfortably side by side. In the middle, a trench of flowing debris and waste flowed slowly. Using the information she obtained from the dark gamer site, Bunny dragged 3 of the rabbits she obtained into the sewer via an abandoned house. She didn''t bring all because this was for testing: She needed to know how well the rabbits would fair against rats. Although these creatures are similar in levels, rats had home-court advantage. First Test: Putting some greens and roots on a food plate, at a relatively clean location, she left the rabbits to feed, while searching for a lone rat. It didn''t take long to find one, and lure it back . Then the tragedy happened. While dodging attacks and circling with a rat chasing her around the rabbits, they pointedly ignored the on going action and continue feeding. It continued until Bunny lost half her health and was forced to kill the rat. ''These stupid rabbits have zero will to fight.'' was the verdict she gave. [th_zilla2.gif] Second test: Searching the abandoned house, Bunny found and moved a large crate beside the food plate. The rabbits are done with eating and just lazing around. This time, she made sure to force them to fight. Similarly, she went around finding another lone rat, then luring it back. This time, she climbed onto the crate, a place the rat cannot reach. After scratching the crate for some time, the rat changed its target. The result caused Bunny to froze at her location over a minute before composing herself to do follow-ups :shock: When the rat attacked a rabbit lazing around, it went for the throat. No status message appears, but Bunny was sure it was a critical hit as well as causing bleeding effect. The rabbit started to retaliate, but couldn''t shake the rat off. The other rabbits instead of helping just turn away and continue lazing around. So, one small rat killed 3 rabbits, without suffering any wounds. After killing the rat off, and salvaging all the corpses, including the rat, with her own hunting knife, Bunny thought: ''These stupid rabbits don''t even care about their own kind.'' :...noo: Third test: To make them fight, they must react as a team. Adding additional motivation would be a plus. ¡°Skill info¡±
Harp PlayingBeginner Lv 114%
Song: Courage Song: SerenityBeginner Lv 1 Beginner Lv 18% 8%
IdentifyBeginner Lv 244%
RepairBeginner Lv 122%
TailoringBeginner Lv192%
CookingBeginner Lv248%
¡°Skill Info, Songs¡±
Song: Serenity
Anyone who hear this song will be able to rest and relax ----- + 20% Health regeneration + 20% Mana regeneration Those who are inflict with sleep status or sleeping will fall into deeper sleep.
Song: Courage
While playing this song, your teammates will be infused with courage Support the creativity of authors by visiting Royal Road for this novel and more.----- + 10 Courage + 5 Strength + 5 Agility
With 3 more rabbits with her beside the crate, Bunny started by configuring her party functions. ¡°Party?¡± Bunny asked one of the rabbits ''Hmm... no responds...'' Digging into her bag, she took out a carrot and wave it in-front of the same rabbit.
Rabbit has agreed to your party request
¡°Muahahaha... food is the key¡± Bunny laughed heartily to herself. [th_0v.gif] Doing the same to the other two, Bunny then ran off to lure another lone rat. Upon returning and climbing up the large crate, she took out her Harp and started playing the song ''Courage'' ''The result isn''t too bad.'' Bunny thought while skinning the corpse, inciting fear in her team-mates Due to the attack style of rats, one of the rabbits died. Rats, when fighting small creatures of similar size, attacked the neck of their targets then cling on until the enemy died. It wasn''t something Bunny liked, sacrificing a rabbit per rat killed wasn''t efficient. She needed to think of a better way to proceed. Fourth test: Similar to the third, only using more rabbits. Bunny hoped that with more rabbits, they could overwhelm the rat faster. Sadly it doesn''t pay off. Due to the size of the animals, mostly only 3 or 4 can attack the rat while it sink its teeth into one. Trying 3 more times, she concluded this method not effective either. By now the living rabbits were inflicted with fear. Moral was low due to frequent death, lower even more due to Bunny salvaging the corpse; During the last fight, the rabbits even stopped attacking, leaving her to clean up. Seeing the results, Bunny murdered the remaining rabbits too, for their skin and meat. :gahh: ***** ¡°The four test didn''t yield the result I want, but I got a grasp of what the rabbits can do¡± Bunny said to herself while pushing her cart towards the central plaza. She needed to stock up on carrots for making teams while roaming around sorting her thoughts, as well as look for divine intervention. For those who had forgotten, Bunny when in deep thought, like to pace around, so she took a detour walking around the city. Along a street, which was usually empty, a group of people were crowding near the front door of some important person, because there were guards stationed there. ''Whats happening?'' Bunny thought.''Better go check it out.'' Upon reaching, Bunny peaked through the crowd and saw a young man sitting on the roadside craving wood, his completed products laid around him. Looking at the goods, Bunny noticed some small wooden swords and shield. This gave her an idea. ¡°Hi, can you make slightly bigger shields, about a feet tall.¡± Bunny asked. ¡°Yes, mam, But you have to pay extra for a customized version.¡± the young man replied ¡°How much is it?¡± ¡°Five silvers would do it.¡± ¡°I want 10 tower shield, can you do that.¡± Bunny asked, keeping her excitement intact. The sculptor''s eyes suddenly light up, nodded and started to select a piece of wood. ¡°Wait...¡± Bunny suddenly called out, ¡°Can you carve them using Elvenwood, and have the base a little thicker, so they can stand upright with little support. I will pay you 10 silvers each.¡± Elvenwood is the best type of timber available in shops, they are tough and durable. Also because of that, working on them was difficult. The cost of Elvenwood to make a 1-foot-high wooden shield would cost around 3 silver, Bunny added 2 more silver for workmanship. The sculptor''s eyes were practically glowing now. He took a piece of Elvenwood from his bag and started working on it. Skillfully moving hands danced around the block of wood and transformed it into a small tower shield, a lion head was emblazoned on the front. Seeing that, Bunny asked: ¡°Can you engrave a Rabbit instead for the rest?¡± The young man just nodded and continued with his work. Soon, 10 miniature sized tower shields were handed over to Bunny, in exchange for a 1 gold. Bunny happily put them into her bag and continued her way towards the plaza.
[/hr] Back to Main Forward to Chapter 9 Chapter 9 - Armed and Ready -

Chapter 9 ¨C Armed and Ready

[/hr] Upon reaching the plaza, Bunny happily headed towards the player owned stalls; she had little fame, so instead of relying on affections with NPCs, she thought of using her appearance and polite manners on players for discounts. With that decided, she took off her hooded cloak, revealing herself to the people around. Bunny''s high spirits were sent crashing. ¡°Go away, I don''t deal with your kind.¡± was the respond she got from the first stall. The second one was worse. ¡°I already got a wife and son, stay away from me,¡± the man whimpered while hiding behind his stall. Bunny''s happy face now looked like she had eaten something sour... very sour. ¡°Hahaha... you are one interesting lady.¡± was the greeting from the third, who overheard. ¡°Ain''t you afraid of my kind?¡± Bunny answered with a pout. Although it wasn''t immediate rejection, she was expecting a price hike. ¡°I usually would, but not towards a genuine, cute little girl¡± the merchant replied still smiling ¡°Anyone can be a cute little girl in RR¡±, Bunny retorted. ¡°Indeed...¡± the merchant maintained his happy deposition, ¡°But no fakes would declare she wants to punished the lewd while asking for audience.¡± ¡°Ah! You mean the priestess.¡± The merchant nodded, ¡°Yeah, that''s my niece, we didn''t get your name, but your show humored us lots, enough for me to give you a 10% discount¡± Thanking her lucky stars for such fortune, Bunny introduced herself ¡°My name is Bunny, currently trying to be a rabbit tamer¡± ¡°I am Thomas, a merchant, want to be friends?
Thomas has requested to register you as a friend. Will you accept?
Bunny nodded, ¡°Yes.¡±
Thomas has been registered as a friend.
¡°But a Rabbit tamer huh? I''ve seen lots of jobs, but that one isn''t something I know of.¡± ¡°I don''t even know it exist yet, I am just raising rabbits now.¡± ¡°Sounds interesting, if you have time, get Angel to help you¡± ¡°Angel? Your niece?¡± ¡°Yeah, we will be having dinner together, want join us?¡± ¡°I can''t, I will be at the orphanage during dinner time, I can join you later.¡± ¡°Alright, lets meet up at the Blue Rose tavern tonight.¡± ¡°OK,¡± with that Bunny left, and returned shortly to a laughing Thomas ¡°Thomas! I forgot I needed to buy some things¡± ¡°Hahaha... I was wondering, you just came to chat and left...¡± Thomas guffawed ¡°Cut that out, I am buying all your carrots and edible grass¡± The laughter abruptly turned into cough of surprise. ¡°I have 300 carrots at 20 coppers each, and 2000 edible grass at 2 coppers each, you want all?¡± ¡°I''ll take them... its... just nice, its 1 gold. As for the discount, I will take some cabbages.¡± Taking out all her rabbit meat, Bunny offered to exchange them for even more cabbages. Both felt that they had hit jackpot. Thomas found a large spender, who would improve his merchant skills, while Bunny got discounted prices even though the environment seems hostile. ***** Looking at the sky, Bunny estimated 5 more hours before she was needed at Emma''s. Equipping her cloak and hood, Bunny, along with her cart, proceed towards the the armorer''s shop, owned by Deft Hand. Her itinerary was updated after gaining the shields; She wanted to arm the rabbits, improving overall combat powers. The item Bunny thought of was the Poleyn, the knee guard of a knight''s plate-mail. She picked the design attached with a Cuisse (thigh armor). The Poleyn will become a helmet for the rabbits while the attached Cuisse would act as partial body armor. In addition, Bunny requested to solder a small spear at the back, thus improve the rabbits offensive powers. Deft Hand was amused with the order. He didn''t mind selling armor in pieces, and even offered to do alterations for free. Some blacksmiths would be unhappy about their wares being exploited, but Deft Hand was happy for the change of pace... Amusing customers were rare and Bunny was exceptionally entertaining. When the first custom product was ready, Bunny inspected, approved and ordered 9 more. While Deft Hand worked on the rest, she went off to the training hall. ¡°Honorable Instructor, may I buy some scarecrows?¡± Bunny greeted the Training Hall Instructor. ¡°Why would you need to buy them? You can just train here.¡± The Instructor queried. ¡°We are weak, we do not wish to sullen this place with our weakness. We want to train ourselves to be strong enough, then enter the training hall as people befitting the place.¡± As Bunny had expected, the instructor was impressed, so she followed up: ¡°We have only scrapped together 2 silver pieces, We hope to get at least 2 scarecrows¡± ¡°How many of you are training?¡± The instructor asked curiously ¡°There are 10 of us, but we are poor, so we cannot afford personal scarecrows¡± ¡°I like people who are determined, money is of no issue, take 10 scarecrows, I will give them for free¡± ¡°Thank you instructor, we will return when we are ready.¡± Bunny replied, hiding her true feelings. ***** Back at the abandoned house, Bunny was drilling the 10 rabbits she had just bought. They were all in armor, and hitting the scarecrows with their spears. In the start, the rabbits didn''t know what to do, pawing at their new armor, feeling irritated at the additional weight. Bunny took one of the rabbits, fling it forward, with its spear piercing through the scarecrow. Once it successfully detached, it was rewarded with a leaf of cabbage. Pointing to the spear then the scarecrow, the rabbit somewhat understood and speared the target again, earning it another leaf of cabbage. With that, Bunny proceed to the second rabbit and did the same. By the time she was finished with the second, the remaining rabbits were stabbing scarecrows then looking at her for approval. Those that did well were rewarded with a leaf of cabbage, while halfhearted attempts were ignored. One large rabbit impaled the scarecrow and end up, dangling by its spear, midair. Bunny helped it off as well as giving the reward of 1 carrot. This totally motivated the other rabbits into piercing the scarecrows with all their might. Bunny was left musing over the power of gluttony.
New Stat: Animism
New Skill: You have learned Animal Training Mastery You have gained 8 Leadership from acquiring this skill! You have gained 8 Animism from acquiring this skill! You have gained 6 Luck from acquiring this skill!
¡°Wow, what are these?¡± Bunny was surprised. ¡°Stat Info Animism¡±
Animism Due to your actions in treating animals as you treat members of your race, the affinity with animals is increased. It also adds to Leadership stats when you party with or command animals. You are prohibited from distributing stat bonus points to this stat.
Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. ¡°Skill Info Animal Trainer¡±
Animal Training Mastery Enables you to train animals by verbally giving instructions. You can party with twice as many animals.
¡°This skill seems good, the rabbits should obey better now¡± Bunny happily told herself. ¡°It also allows me to double the amount of animals in the party, I already can have twice as much rabbits as players in the party without penalty, this would make it four times as much.¡± ¡°Status Window¡±
Status Window
Name:BunnyAlignment:Neutral
Level:1Class:None
Title:The Knowledgeable
Fame:100
Health:150Mana:100
Strength:10Agility11
Intelligence:10+10Wisdom:10+10
Vitality:10Leadership:11
Luck:6Charisma:5
Animism:8
Attack:1Defense:1
* Intelligence and Wisdom +10 from title
¡°Hmmm... I seem to get 1 agility from luring the rats, and some leadership too. With the bonus from Leadership and Animism, on top of doubling the rabbits, I think I can invite that girl called Angel without penalty, if she is willing to scour the sewers with me.¡± Bunny thought. With a soft poke to her side, Bunny was suddenly aware of the 8 sets of eyes looking at her, she immediately turned her attention to the troops she was drilling, two were still struggling airborne with spears impaled into scarecrows, one was impatient enough to poke her while the others were staring greedily. Releasing the two from their turmoil, Bunny gave them a carrot each as celebration. She stopped the spearing activity, and made each of them hold up a small tower shield using their front paws. Once in position she told them: ¡°I am going out for a while, when I return, I will reward those still holding on, 2 carrots each.¡± Bunny left with her cart while the rabbits did their best to hold on. ***** When Bunny returned, she had 10 more suits of armor as well as 10 new rabbits. To her dismay, only 3 rabbits still held onto the shields. Keeping to her word, she gave out rewards accordingly, making some of the normally red eye rabbits turn green with envy. Mixing the rabbits, using the trained to lead the recruits, she continue with 10 doing spearing and 10 practicing shield bearing, switching practice every half hour. By the time she needed to visit Emma, all the rabbits were proficient in both skills. Putting a fair amount of edible grass on the floor she said to the rabbits ¡°I will be going off, stay in the house.¡± Bunny partied all of them, moved a crate to cover the door, then left. Being in the same party, in event any of the rabbits got killed, she would immediately know. ***** After helping Emma with her cooking, Bunny met up with Thomas at a tavern ¡°Hello¡± Bunny greeted ¡°About time you showed up, I thought you ain''t coming¡± Thomas replied nonchalantly ¡°I did promise I would come, so here I am.¡± ¡°Indeed... Here, let me introduce you to my niece, this is Angel.¡± Thomas happily introduced a bow wielding girl beside him, ¡°Angel, this is Bunny.¡± The last time they met, Bunny didn''t notice Angel''s attire, she only remembered the ''Healing Hands'' a priest skill. However, seeing her armed with a bow, made Bunny curious. ¡°Priestess with a bow? That is rare.¡± Bunny commented ¡°Ah! It isn''t as rare, she is an acolyte of Lu. Not one of those Freya pacifist.¡± Thomas answered for her. ¡°Anyway, nice to meet you¡± Bunny raised a hand towards the girl. She shook it and answered timidly, ¡°Nice to meet you too.¡± Sitting back and facing both of them, Bunny said. ¡°Thomas mostly would have a fine day trading, how about you Angel, any great adventures today?¡± ¡°She''s still confined, so she spent time at the church doing healing services¡± Thomas answered again. ¡°Thomas, she will need to speak up herself, you can''t protect her forever.¡± Bunny reprimanded Thomas playfully. She was actually slightly annoyed; Like any guy, Bunny wanted to talk to a cute girl, instead of her overly protective uncle. Thomas on the other hand mistook Bunny''s purpose, but agreed that Angel should be more independent. Angel had been an extra baggage forced upon him by his overly protective brother. If Bunny wanted the guardian role, he was more then happy to relinquish it. He simply just sat back and watch the girls talk. ¡°So, how did you become an acolyte of Lu, there isn''t any Temple of Lu here.¡± Bunny asked ¡°When I first started, I met with a visiting priest of Lu, who offered me the job, I was suppose to an apprentice to him, but since I leave the city, and he is needed for a mission. I am stuck here for a while.¡± ¡°Do you want to try hunting with me?¡± ¡°Hunting in the city?¡± ¡°Yeah, there are rats in the sewers. But I must warn you, sewers are stinky and smelly, while the rats looked really gross.¡± ¡°Hey, I am not that weak to turn from an opportunity of fun. It''ll be better then doing community service in the church all day long.¡± After more small talks, Bunny found that Angel wasn''t meek or shy. Angel only appeared that way to strangers. When they became more acquainted, she turned out to be rather talkative. Asking Thomas permission, Bunny was allowed to bring Angel for her sewer hunts.
[/hr] Back to Main Forward to Chapter 10 Chapter 10 - Into the sewers -

Chapter 10 ¨C Into the sewers

[/hr] Before going into the sewers, Bunny took out some rabbit skin and started sewing. ¡°Going into that smelly space without preparation will be fatal, the stink will stain your clothes and hair, it will take forever to clean them out.¡± was her argument . As a guy, Alan wouldn''t be bothered by simple smell, but being thoroughly ''educated'' by his sister, Alan knew of things only females would. He knew his sister would scream at going to somewhere smelly, therefore to make sure Angel would continue after their first sewer hunt, Alan went an extra mile. To the audience, Bunny had always been somewhat rough around the edges, but seeing her attentive to small details, they had mentally concluded Bunny to have a feminine side.
Your tailoring level has reached beginner 2 You can now you can use a soft cloth to sew clothes.
After completing the new cloak, Bunny lift it up and admire her workmanship.
Greater Newbie Cloak Durability 20/20 Defense: 2 A simple cloak that came with a hood made by a beginner Tailor. Made from rabbit fur, it gives the user a warm fuzzy feeling. Restrictions: Level 1. Equip: Raises Health by 50.
¡°Deja vu.¡± Bunny exclaimed. She then inspect the cloak she was currently wearing.
Greater Newbie Cloak Durability 16/20 Defense: 2 A simple cloak that came with a hood made by a beginner Tailor. Made from rabbit fur, it gives the user a warm fuzzy feeling. Restrictions: Level 1. Equip: Raises Health by 50.
Caught by Bunny''s complicated expression, Angel curiously asked: ¡°Is anything wrong?¡± ¡°Nothing, I just made a second overpowered cloak with my noobish Tailoring. It looks exactly like the first¡± Bunny replied while maintaining her stunned expression Thomas who had kept quiet all this time, requested to look at both cloaks. After checking them out, he gave out a hearty laugh. ¡°Hahaha... seems like you stumbled on the secret to making good clothes while having a low mastery.¡± ¡°What do you mean?¡± Bunny asked, still confused. ¡°It isn''t really a secret, but let me guess, you failed many pieces before doing either of these¡± Seeing Bunny nodding blankly, Thomas continued. ¡°In the early days, when not many know about the craft professions, people tried using high-tier materials without the required skill mastery. It causes lots of failures. However the RR system saved the effort they put into those failures, compound into the next successful piece.¡± ¡°Therefore the piece you made contains all the efforts you had put into those failures. Rabbit skin is a low-tier material, it gives at most 1 stat per piece used. The cloak takes up 5 skins, and there you have a HP bonus equivalent to 5 vitality¡± Bunny brightened up, understanding that she could make herself some obscenely strong newbie gear. then squinted at Thomas in suspicion. She wanted to know how Thomas knew such things, but decided it being pointless. Instead she asked: ¡°Why doesn''t everyone do that?¡± ¡°Simple reason, it''s not profitable.¡± came the simple direct answer. Bunny could understand the merchant''s words. Tailoring proficiency rise slower for failed products, and with the cost of all the cloth she wasted, she could buy better quality items. However, as long as Bunny kept failing at making her personal bunny suit, she would use this secret technique for some gains. Passing the newly made cloak to Angel, while donning her own, the girls made way to the abandon warehouses, where the rabbits waited. ***** In the sewers, two cloaked figures and 20 armed rabbits gathered. Bunny first aligned 10 rabbits into a neat row holding shields, with Angel and the remaining stationed behind. With the preparation done, she went off to lure rats. Coming back with 2 rats chasing, Bunny leaped over shield wall, leaving her pursuers charging into the wooden shields, causing two of the shield bearers tumbling from the impact. Angel reacted fast, by piercing a rat with an arrow, instantly ending its life. Three of the remaining rabbits reacted too, engaging the single rat left and killing it. With the first battle easily won, Bunny proceed to distribute rewards; She cut a single carrot and split it into 3 parts, awarding the 3 who fought and killed. Angel got a carrot too, she just bemusedly put into her bag. The two shield bearers were given leaves of cabbages. Seeing the effectiveness of armed critters, Bunny decided to lure more rats. From the second to fourth rounds, consisting of 4-6 rats each, they came and died quickly. By this time, the rabbits didn''t even bothered with shields anymore, they counter-charged the oncoming rats with great enthusiasm. To the rabbits, each rat equals to a carrot, shared among the attackers; They instinctively split into equal sized groups to engage. From here on, instead of luring, the group advanced forward clearing out the sewers of its inhabitants. The hunting speed was extremely fast. Gluttony should never be underestimated. When they met up with a lone rat, 20 charging rabbits went stampeding over a small rat, it was a sight to behold. To the rabbits, 1/20 of a carrot is worth the effort. Groups of up to 5 rats were instantly killed without resistance. Big groups of 10 or more rats gave more resistance, giving Angel chances to both shoot and heal. As Bunny''s carrot supply reached 200, she changed strategy. She team the rabbits up into squads of 4, the two middle ones will charge while the two at the side would flank. Rats would nimbly dodge the central charge, it was up to the flankers to intercept, while relying on the whole group to kill. Teams that coordinate well were rewarded, while those sloppy ones were given grass instead. With better coordination, Bunny''s requirements started rising. Originally, it was 1 carrot per rat, slowly it became 2 rats, then 5 rats, finally stopped at a carrot per 10 kills. All this while, edible grass were freely given for any hungry critters. However, comparing grass to carrots is like comparing stale bread to roasted meat; The rabbits rather stave to gain more fighting spirits then eat the grass. After a few hours of killing rats, Bunny got additional bonus:
Your Animal Training Mastery has reached beginner 2 Your commands will more likely to be obeyed even without incentives.
New Skill: You have learned Raid Commander Mastery
Raid Commander Mastery You are now able to create special party system:''Raid Group'' You can now assign ''Raid Leaders''. Raid Leaders can have their own party. All member in the Raid Leader''s party are considered to be in the same Raid Group. At current level, you can have 1 Raid Leader
With the new skill, Bunny changed her party into a raid group, assigned Angel as a Raid Leader, then put 8 rabbits under her. ¡°Did you just put me as a party leader¡± Angel asked curiously ¡°Yeah, you are the leader of 2 squads, 8 rabbits, but I am still the commander¡± Bunny replied cheerfully While Angel was rolling her eyes, Bunny shared her new skills info. ¡°Show Skill to Angel, Raid Commander Mastery¡± ¡°That skill looks unique¡± Angel replied after carefully reading the description ¡°Indeed... If I am not mistake, I can have 10 more rabbits into the fold¡± ¡°Hey, don''t imitate my uncle, its irritating¡± Angel cried ¡°Indeed... hahaha¡± The group continued onward, wiping out the local sewer residence. Due to the change in command systems, the rabbits now split up following the two girls instead of bunching around Bunny. Angel also adapt well to her new role directing the rabbits under her, while gaining bonus leadership stats. You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version. Another few more hours of hunting, the rabbits suddenly became more docile while rats less aggressive. This signified that night time has ended. In RR, during night time, monsters are more aggressive and stronger by half, they give more experience too. Losing sight of the time, the group had hunted throughout the night. Since Bunny was almost out of food, it was time to take a break, they returned to the abandon warehouse. ¡°That was a fun hunt, and I gain many levels, invite me again next time¡± Angel thanked ¡°It was mutually beneficial, and my rabbits leveled too¡± Bunny replied happily During the hunt, they had talked about lots of things. First thing they found out was they lived in the same times zone. They also found out they had similar concepts for friends online, following the code ''Give as much as you take; Take as much as you give'' Both knew of and disliked friendship abuses in games where people exploit others because ''they were friends''. ¡°Its late now, past 10pm in life, so I will finish up whatever I need then rest¡± ¡°Same here, Goodbye¡± ¡°Take care¡± With that, they parted ways. When Bunny was alone with the rabbits, she checked her gains ¡°Status Window¡±
Status Window
Name:BunnyAlignment:Neutral
Level:6Class:None
Title:The Knowledgeable
Fame:100
Health:300Mana:200
Strength:10Agility11
Intelligence:10+10Wisdom:10+10
Vitality:10Leadership:24
Luck:6Charisma:5
Animism:13
Attack:1Defense:1
Unassigned Points:25
* Intelligence and Wisdom +10 from title
¡°Leadership and Animism went up a good amount.¡± ¡°Skill info¡±
Harp PlayingBeginner Lv 131%
Song: CourageBeginner Lv 126%
Song: SerenityBeginner Lv 18%
IdentifyBeginner Lv 244%
RepairBeginner Lv 194%
TailoringBeginner Lv22%
CookingBeginner Lv313%
Animal Trainer MasteryBeginner Lv338%
Raid Commander MasteryBeginner Lv224%
¡°Skills are having good progress, but I have reached 9 already, only 1 slot left. I need a class soon.¡± ***** After locking the rabbits in the house and providing enough edible grass to last days, Bunny went into the center of city to look for information. Rabbit tamer didn''t sound like a bad choice, but she wanted to utilize her title, hopefully gain a rare or unique class. After asking around, Bunny found jobs like shepherds, chicken farmers, cattle ranchers, horse breeders, but no rabbit breeders/farmer/rancher/herder/whatever. Further probing shows that the current chicken farmer, Silva, being the best breeder in Serabourg. ¡°The best cattle rancher is Silva, the milk he produces are top quality¡± - Some Alchemist ¡°The No.1 Shepard is definitely Silva, the wool he produce are superior¡± - Some Tailor ¡°Eggs, I will only buy from Silva, big and fresh. None can match¡± - Some Chef ¡°The horses Silva raised are reserved for the royalties, they are the best¡± - Some Stable-hand The inconsistency reminded Bunny of Lance''s knighthood. To become a knight, Lance needed to apprentice under an old gentleman. There were 5 apprentices then, each picking different weapons; two-handed sword, sword-n-shield, mace, axe and dual-wield. During the graduation, most, including Lance were happy with their new class, but the axe using person accused their instructor. ¡°You are not a knight, what are you?¡± was what he said back then. As anyone can tell, he was denied Knighthood, in place, he undertook 3 more days of training and emerged a Crusader, an evolved version of a Knight. Chatting with the said player, he mentioned a discrepancy others didn''t notice, the old knight was proficient in all weapons... not something an NPC would have. Looking at the current situation, Silva had skills over several related professions, which wasn''t normal for an NPC. Bunny decided to take a gamble, trying for the rare class. ***** ¡°What are you?¡± Bunny asked seriously, looking at the jolly looking old man. Silva''s face started to change, all mirth were gone, replaced with a seriousness. He was also emitting an aura, screaming of danger. It took everything Bunny had to stop herself from fleeing immediately. Looking Bunny in the eye, he said: ¡°It has been years since anyone question about my class, but the last time someone question my race was centuries ago. Are you ready for the truth?¡± ¡°NO! I only want to know your class¡± Bunny cried ¡°Let me tell you.... wait... what did you say¡± Silva was somewhat stunned. ¡°I only want to know your job or class, because you are the only one who knows about rabbit breeding¡± Silva had now reduced from an omnipotent being to an old man lamenting his past regrets. He looked so pitiful that Bunny went up, placed a hand on his shoulder and comforted. ¡°I am just a classless newbie now, when I get stronger, I will listen to your request.¡± ¡°Sigh! Guess I got too excited over nothing... You want a special class for rearing rabbits?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Bunny nodded ¡°Then you will have to read the next 2 chapters¡±
[/hr] Back to Main Forward to Chapter 11 Author''s Notes: - Sorry for trolling more, didn''t manage to put Bunny''s Class in the next one. - Will put it in the next next one (Chapter 12) Chapter 11 - Dont die on me, R2 -

Chapter 11 ¨C Troubles in the sewers

[/hr] ¡°You want a special class for rearing rabbits?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Bunny nodded ¡°Then I will test you, wait here.¡± Shiva left Bunny, went into his shed, and returned with a kitten in his arms. ¡°This is a kitten, you must raise it to a Lv10 Housecat¡± Shiva instructed. ¡°Can''t it be a kitten at Lv10?¡± Bunny questioned. ¡°You don''t seem to understand, animals gain level when they grow¡± ¡°Whatever, so I just have to get the kitten to Lv10?¡± Due to mental fatigue, Bunny was grouchy. ¡°Yes.¡± Shiva confirmed.
Care taker of the Kitten You have to take care of the baby cat called Meow, until it reaches lv10. If well taken care of, animals will grow and level up without outside interference. Meow is currently 4 weeks old, and requires around 6 to 8 weeks of care. The completion of this quest will open a path to a special type of Breeder. Difficulty level: Unknown Quest Requirement: Failed if Meow died
¡°This should be easy¡±
You have accepted the quest.
¡°Any questions on how cats are raised?¡±Shiva asked ¡°None, but do you have more kittens, it would be lonely since there is only one kitten.¡± Thinking about it, Shiva passed Meow over to Bunny and went back to his shed. On his return, he was so shocked that he almost dropped the second kitten. Due to the hunting speed in the sewers, Bunny couldn''t skin all of rats as they died. To make efficient use of time, she kept the corpse in her bag, and skin them only while the rabbits were feeding. In fact, the rabbits used more time feeding then hunting, causing Bunny to increase the number of kills per carrot. As the party left the sewers after the last kill, Bunny had some corpse in her bag. In the time frame Shiva used to retrieve the second kitten, Bunny took out the rat corpses she had and started teaching Meow how to skin them. Cats eat mice, its normal enough, so Bunny taught Meow how to use its claws to carve open the rat from its belly, eating the inside while leaving a good pelt behind. Luckily the rats in RR didn''t had innards to clean. ¡°What in the world are you doing?¡± Shiva screamed. ¡°I am teaching Meow the correct way of eating, leaving the skin intact.¡± ¡°...¡± Shiva was speechless for various reasons.
  1. He had never expected Bunny to carry rat corpse around.
  2. He had never expected Meow to obediently follow orders
  3. Most importantly, it had happened within a few minutes.
Seeing the other kitten, Bunny took it from Silva and set it on the floor beside Meow, handed a rat corpse to it, the pointed at Meow deliciously eating. The new kitten learned fast and immediately mimic its counterpart. While stroking the fur of the second kitten, Bunny muttered. ¡°Identify¡±
Small Kitten named Nyaa (Level 1) A small baby of a spotted Tabby Cat. As its fur hasn''t been fully grown yet, the spots are not obvious, but this gives it extra cuteness. This animal is 4 weeks old. It has just been weaned.
Taking the leftover pelt, Bunny clean them up before packing them away, she then took out more rat meat and fed the kittens till they are full. Passing 50 units of rat meat to Silva, she said. ¡°I need to be away for about 30 hours, I will collect these two fur-balls later¡± Silva just nodded blankly, he hadn''t got over his shock. After leaving Silva, Bunny headed to orphanage. She wanted inform Emma she wouldn''t be around, and help with lunch if necessary. Other then raising her Cooking Proficiency, building familiarity with the orphans was important. Orphans make a good source of cheap unskilled labor, they could care for the rabbits or kittens whenever she went offline. They would also help if Bunny started her own Farm or Ranch. Bunny also needed to stock up on food. Checking that Thomas was still online, she PM her order. This time, she needed lots of carrots, more cabbages and less grass. While waiting for the merchant to reply, she did her best at peeling and cutting vegetables for Emma. ***** By the time Alan exit the capsule, it was almost 11pm. He had spent an additional 4 online hours getting ready. First thing on his mind was food. He had been playing for 7 hours straight and missed dinner. Immediately ransacking the fridge, Alan manage to secure 3 ham sandwiches, which he devoured without hesitation. With his tummy satisfied, Alan went to bed, setting his alarm to 6am before dozing off. Lying in the capsule, he was physically rested, but mentally exhausted. ***** Waking up to his alarm ringing, Alan got up. Unlike people his age, getting up was less difficult for him; especially when he would be playing. After taking care of his personal hygiene, Alan did some basic stretching then his daily workout. It consist of 10 sets of 10 pushups, 10 situps and 20 jumping jacks; not something great, but enough to keep him in shape. After a hearty breakfast, Alan went into RR. ***** It was late afternoon in RR, when Bunny logged in, the first thing she did was to check out on the rabbits. Inside the abandon house, the rabbits are all without armor and lazing around. There were ample amount of grass, so all seemed fine. Then something caught Bunny''s eyes. There were bloodstains on the floor, as well as a pair of newbie pants. ''Oh man... some idiot came and attack the rabbits, got killed by them.'' Bunny deduced. ''Did that idiot kill anything or steal the rabbit armor?'' ¡°Event Window¡±
Rabbit has mated with Rabbit Rabbit has mated with Rabbit Rabbit has mated with Rabbit...
¡°Arrrgggg! Why must the event window record such stuffs¡± Bunny complained Scrolling pass the long list of Rabbits mating, she finally found the combat information
A human kicked Rabbit Rabbit speared the human Rabbit speared the human Rabbit speared the human, Human died Rabbit mated with Rabbit Rabbit is now pregnant ...
After reading, Bunny took out a carrot, knocking the floor with it. ¡°Attention!, Gather here now!¡± The trained rabbits immediately assembled in front of Bunny in their respective squads, they also had their armor equipped. It seemed that rabbits had inventory spaces like players and stored their armor when lazing around. Looking at the rabbits, Bunny counted 20, and was relieved. ¡°All the pregnant ones, come forward.¡± Bunny commanded, which 2 large rabbits complied. Bunny identified all the rabbits and regrouped them according to levels. She also named all of them, R1 to R20, with the 12 males taking the front, while 8 females behind. The pregnant ones took the last 2 places.
Your Identify Skill has reached beginner 3
New Skill: You have learned Scan
Scan You are now able to read the names, health and levels of all allies in your party or raid group You are now able to read the names, health and levels of enemies up to 5 levels above
Bunny was both happy and sad by this. The ''Scan'' skill was mostly generated by identifying the rabbits multiple times, it helped in organizing troops, pulling the weak ones back. However, it took up her last skill slot. Testing her new skill ¡°Scan¡± Above each rabbit, their name, level and a red bar was shown. It was a useful skill. Regretfully, Bunny decided, ¡°Delete Skill the Song Serenity¡±
Skill Deleted: Song: Serenity
The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.Both Courage and Serenity were common bard songs which cost 20 silver each, she would be able to learn them again. The ability to learn new skills was more important to her. Keeping her emotions in check, Bunny needed to find a new place. The abandoned house had been discovered. Although the discoverer had been killed, there was the chance more players would visit. Losing the rabbit while offline would be a huge lost for Bunny. Giving each rabbit a carrot, she ordered them to remove their armor while getting onto her push cart. The two cages were only big enough for the females, so the males found random places to sit while munching on their food. Pushing the overweight cart, Bunny took a route less traveled, making her way towards the orphanage, she was threatening the rabbits with every step. ¡°The children at the orphanage are good kids, if you hurt them, I will personally make BBQ rabbits¡± Upon reaching, Bunny instructed the orphans about the rabbits. ¡°You can feel free to play with them, but don''t distress them, they are armed and dangerous¡± Showing the orphans the rabbits'' armor didn''t cause them fear, it made their eye glow with interest. Leaving the rabbits, Bunny went to retrieve the kittens, then helped Emma with dinner. The whole episode kept Bunny on her toes, luckily, nothing happened. ***** After dinner, Angel had logged in, so Bunny PM her about doing a night hunt, as well as a change of location. ¡°Alright, I will join you at orphanage, I got a surprise for you.¡± When Angel appeared, she was holding a cage. Within there were 5 baby squirrels. ¡°Where did you get these?¡± Bunny asked ¡°A friend of mine accidentally kill their mother, so I thought you want to raise them¡± ¡°I am a rab... never mind, I like squirrels too.¡± Bunny surrendered. ¡°I knew you would say that.¡± Angel beamed. With that, Bunny left to buy some squirrel food, nuts, as well as a few iron rings and a few small hunting knives. Using food, the squirrels and kittens were added to the raid group. With everything set, the group went into the sewers via another entrance, near the orphanage. While Angel led the group in the beginning, Bunny was busy sewing equipment for the new additions. Using iron rings, which were meant to be collars, she attached a small cape to it for additional protection. These were given to the squirrels and kittens. She made small backpacks too, to collect loot. The progress was simple, the rabbits would kill, the kittens and squirrels would collect. After every battle, the kittens and squirrels would scavenge the remains, the obvious difference was the kittens ate the meat while the squirrels trade them for nuts. 5 meat + fur per nut. Since squirrels didn''t have claws, they were giving hunting knives to cut with. It took some tries, but soon they mastered holding the knives with their mouth.
Your Raid Commander Mastery has reached beginner 4 You can now assign EXP distribution
¡°Hmm... that new¡± Bunny commented on her skill. Using her party options, she set it to ''Equal'' then fiddle around giving extra to herself, Angel, Meow and Nyaa. ¡°I am giving me, you, Meow and Nyaa 10% exp for each kill, the rest will be split among the rabbits.¡± ¡°Meow and Nyaa?¡± Angel questioned. ¡°Oh, those are the two kittens, I got a quest to raise them to Lv10.¡± ¡°Why not set them to full exp?¡± Angel asked ¡°10% is the most I can do at my current skill level, I am removing the exp from rabbits who reached lv10, so the whole group should be at the same level.¡± Bunny explained ¡°You could reduce my gains, I am here for the fun of hunting¡± ¡°I will, but not before you reach lv10, since killing things 5 levels lower yields little¡± With this small change, the group resume their hunt. The pace was faster then the previous runs due to having helpers doing clean-ups. Bunny was forced to carry a large carrot as a weapon, she knock the kittens when they start lazing around due to being happily fed. This forced them to learn how to salvage meat like the squirrels. There was one difference, unlike the rabbits whom eat everything given, the kittens and squirrels stash food into their mini backpacks. The kittens had good sensitivity, they discovered a path not registered on Bunny''s map. Following the path, the party found a downwards staircase. Reaching lower floor of the sewers, they were greeted by Dire Rats. Using scan, Bunny found them to range from Lv9 to Lv13. As with any dungeons, the further they proceed, the stronger the enemies. Attending to each rabbit individually, Bunny repaired their armor, checked their conditions before exploring this new area. By now, Angel as well as most rabbits had reached Lv10, while Bunny was 9, the kittens at 7, squirrels at 5. The new enemies gave good exp, so Bunny set Exp Distribution back to ''Equal''. With further exploring and fighting, they met with Rabid Rats, from Lv11 to Lv15. These rats were guarding the entrance to the next floor. Since the group had good exp from the current floor, they continued hunting Dire Rats instead of proceeding further. Then, things started getting interesting. When the kittens reached Lv10, they glowed and evolved into twin tailed cats, slightly larger then their kitten forms. Similarly, when the squirrels reached Lv10, they evolved with a small pouch on their stomach, since all 5 evolved at the same time, the hunting stopped while they started emptying their small backpacks then stuffing all their collected nuts into their tummy pouch. As for the rabbits, when the small rabbits reach Lv15, they evolved to have a pair of tiny horn on their forehead, sticking out right in front of their ears. None of the larger rabbits evolved. Bunny thought of a theory: When the animals are lv1, they evolved at Lv10. For animals at Lv2, evolution starts at Lv15. As for when those starting at Lv3 will evolve, she will find out soon. After more hunting, morning arrives. The rabbits became more docile while the rats no longer charge them recklessly. Moving the group into a secluded corner to rest, Bunny decided to use this lull to explore the lower floor. Using her Scan skill, Bunny found that the next floor was filled with not only Rabid Rats but Plague Rats too. The Plague rat she saw was Lv18, just in range for her at Lv13 to view using Scan. Throwing a pebble at the rat, she lure the plague rat up the stairs attempting a 1v1 fight. The rat wasn''t difficult to kill, but it was poisonous. Making her way back to the group, Angel used Healing Hand to sustain Bunny''s health but she didn''t have a spell to cure the poison. While Bunny was feeling relieved that they didn''t venture further, things got busy. A squirrel nibbling a nut near Bunny got poisoned, a rabbit lazing nearby got poisoned too. Grabbing onto the two poisoned animals, Bunny commanded the rest to stay, then rushed with Angel towards the entrance. They had not expected to meet enemies with poison, so neither had antidotes. If Bunny was the only one poisoned, they could slowly move back. But in the situation where anything near Bunny would also be poisoned, they couldn''t take it easy anymore. Angel was talking silently to the air while rushing, after some time she said: ¡°I got a druid friend who learned alchemy, she will meet us at the orphanage¡± Bunny nodded and led the way towards the exit. It only took a few minutes to reach the meeting point, a druid was standing there waiting. Upon seeing the group, he immediately took out 4 antidotes, and passed them to Bunny and Angel. The antidote worked on both humans and the squirrel, but the rabbit was still dying. ¡°What is this? Don''t die on me, R2¡± Bunny cried out, she didn''t want to lose a rabbit. ¡°Must be the ingredient, it consist of rabbit blood, so the rabbit didn''t react¡± the druid replied clamly ¡°Is there anything we can do?¡± Angel was slightly hysterical, her mana pool was dried and she had grown fond of the rabbits. ¡°I can do a Life-Link, so if it died, I can revive it.¡± The druid replied before casting the spell So, the poor rabbit died... and was revived. Lucky rabbit. Thanking the druid, Bunny then recognized him. He was the ''petty, grudge bearing, unfeeling, naive, bane of cute things'' she met earlier.
[/hr] Back to Main Forward to Chapter 12 Chapter 12 – New Classes -

Chapter 12 ¨C New Classes

[/hr] Alan believed that there were always Divine Hints lying around, improving his life. Whenever he was stuck with a problem, he would look for, and find these divine help. Just for RR, when he didn''t know what to play as, his photo-edited masterpiece gave him direction. Stepping on the piece charcoal net him a title, something most players only earn after reaching lv100 or higher. Exploring the options of gaining a bunny suit, he obtained information on Horned Rabbits. The accident causing his first fight, yielded Angel as a friend. Finding a sculptor making wooden weapons gave birth to the idea of arming the critters. And following the aspiration to become a breeder, unveil the mystery of the Chicken Farmer - Silva, who had lived for centuries. Alan felt that if he had ignored the hints, like not being friendly with Angel when she first helped him, he would end up with a mediocre life, missing out on the fun. ***** As fate decreed, the Druid, whom Bunny didn''t like, happened to be a friend of Angel. To continue her dislike would be to ignore a divine hint. Keeping that in mind, Bunny decided to wipe her impressions and start anew. Politely introducing herself ¡°Hello, I am Bunny, thanks for helping me with the poisoning.¡± ¡°Don''t think of it, his more then willing to help¡± Angel answered on behalf. ¡°Angel, you are acting like your over protective uncle, let him speak for himself¡± ¡°Hmph!¡± Angel snorted ¡°Oh... ummm... I''m Gene... ummm... nice to meet you.¡± the Druid called Gene replied meekly. After making acquaintance with Gene. There were 3 things on Bunny''s itinerary.
  1. She needed to get Angel some anti-poison skills
  2. She needed to get the animals out of the sewers
  3. Return the cats to Silva.
After discussion with the group, Bunny and Angel would proceed to the Church, while R2 and the squirrel would lead Gene to the other animals, bring them back to the orphanage. Being Life-Bound by Gene, R2 could communicate directly with Gene. Even when it had died recently, R2 didn''t forget about food, so Bunny, on Gene''s request, gave him some carrots and nuts to bring to the animals. Splitting up, on the way towards the Church, Angel grumbled ¡°This is a waste of time, Lu acolytes can''t learn Freya priest skills¡± ¡°For you, it may be impossible, but I am different¡± Bunny cheerfully replied ¡°Why? You got some special stats like persuasion or negotiation?¡± ¡°Neither, but I got a special title that makes NPC think I am smarter then what god gave me¡± ¡°Hahaha... I believe it only affects NPCs, I don''t feel you''re any smarter.¡± ¡°Whatever, just keep quiet while I work my magic¡± Bunny smiled mischievously. ***** At the spell seller of the Freya Church, Bunny was arguing with the clerk priest. ¡°Skills of Freya Priest are blessings bestowed by the Goddess, not everyone can use them¡± ¡°There must be a way for Lu acolytes¡± Bunny restored. ¡°There is, but you do not have the requisites¡± Before Bunny could counter-argue, a young boy entered and said: ¡°It is not for us to judge, we are only to provide the path, the goddess herself will judge.¡± ¡°Your holiness, may all be the will of the goddess.¡± The clerk suddenly became very polite. The boy looked at the two girls and addressed Bunny: ¡°The goddess grant me a vision, telling me to give her blessing to a faithful, are you the one?¡± ¡°Sorry, doing good is my nature, but being a priest isn''t my calling.¡± Bunny politely declined. ¡°Doing good and being a priest are indeed very different.¡± The boy solemnly agreed Looking at Angel, he continued: ¡°Are you the one, looking for Freya''s blessings?¡± ¡°Yes, I seek the blessings of Freya¡± Angel replied earnestly, as a priest, she felt the faith of the boy. ¡°Then I shall show you the path, would you walk the way?¡± At this statement, Angel''s face showed great surprise, as if reading invisible board in front of her, she took a full minute before replying: ¡°I do!¡± Angel became encased in a white glow ¡°I have shown you the door, you will have to walk in yourself,¡± Turning towards Bunny, the boy asked ¡°You will be helping your friend?¡± ¡°Yes!¡± Bunny nodded.
Gain Goddess Freya''s Favor You are to help the ''Godless Priest'' Angel to gain Goddess Freya''s Favor. The Goddess represents beauty and abundance. To satisfy the minimum, you would need to feed 100 orphans and work 20 hours of community service. Since this would be worked by two volunteers, the amount will be increased by half. Difficulty Level: Unknown Number of orphans to feed: 248 / 150 Number of hours of community service: 32 / 30
Angel, although an acolyte of Lu, had been diligently helping in the Church of Freya, her past contribution easily satisfy the need for community service. Bunny, on the other hand, worked her cooking skills at the orphanage. This coincidence allowed the pair to complete the quest instantly.
Quest complete! Gain Goddess Freya''s Favor The ''Godless Priest'' Angel had now gain the favor of Goddess Freya. She is now able to utilize all basic skill from the Church of Freya and Church of Lu. To utilize more skills from either churches, she would need to increase her amity with each Deity.
A brighter glow covered Angel''s body and by the time it faded, beside the Lu symbol on her priestess gown a Freya Symbol was etched. Her necklace which was also a Lu symbol had be changed to Freya''s. The Lu sign on her bow remained. Looking both the girls, the young boy nodded in approval and said: ¡°All according to the will of the goddess.¡± ¡°All according to the will of the goddess.¡± Bunny and Angel repeated. Incidentally, Bunny also acquired an additional bonus.
New Stat: Faith
***** Outside the church, Bunny could no longer suppress her curiosity asked: ¡°Is the ''Godless Priest'' hidden class good?¡± ¡°Yes, although its called ''Godless Priest'', it actually means I can gain skills from any church.¡± ¡°But I didn''t see you buy any Freya Priest spells?¡± ¡°All spells are already learned, I just need enough amity with the two deities to use them¡± ¡°You just hit jackpot as a priest, can you show me your status info?¡± After thinking for a while, Angel replied ¡°No!¡± ¡°Why are you so stingy...¡± Bunny grumbled. ¡°You are doing a class quest with those kittens, right? We will exchange status info later¡± ¡°Alright!¡± ***** Silva was working in his chicken farm, he liked the peace and quiet of the current life. His original profession was a farmer, and took up animal breeding out of respect to his deceased master. His peacefully life want recently disrupted by a young girl, who not only question his identity, but shown interest in becoming a breeder. This was the first time he met such an interesting person. Thinking about Bunny, Silva chuckled to himself. ¡°I wonder what that young Missy is doing now? Usually I would have given chicks which will grow up in 2 week. Kittens are more fussy and takes longer. She just took the kittens last evening, I wonder if she will come ask me for help with...¡± Silva caught a new bad habit, whenever dealing with Bunny, his jaws would drop whenever they meet. This time was no exception. While in self-thought, his jaws dropped due to 2 animals rushing towards him. Two small cats were proudly running towards him with both their heads and tails held high, each was wearing a small cape attached to iron collars. They were also carrying miniature sized backpacks, which seemed to be filled. When in range, they playfully pounced on Shiva''s legs then started rubbing their body against him, all the while displaying proudly their growth ¨C two tails per cat. Behind them was Bunny and her group... more like Bunny and her Army of animals. 3 humans, 20 armored rabbits and 5 squirrels in cape. On closer inspection, 3 of the rabbits had small twin horns sticking out of their heads in front of their ears. The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Closing the distance, Bunny greeting: ¡°Hello, Grandpa Silva, as per request, I got Meow and Nyaa to lv10¡± ¡°What magic did you use?¡± Silva replied gasping. ¡°No magic, just simple training and hunting, want to see what they can do?¡± Silva dumbly nodded. Taking the hint, Bunny took 2 rat corpse from her bag, tossed them towards the cats, whom deftly caught them mid-air then proceed to clean up the meat, leaving a simple rat-pelt. Bunny took out 2 more corpse and does the same. This time, instead of eating, the cats carefully carved the meat out and stored it inside their tiny packs. With all these done, they picked up the pelts and returned to Bunny. After the show, Silva had composed himself, he was done with being shock. Bunny ability was beyond his comprehension. Instead of accepting Bunny''s quest completion, he invited the trio into his house. Silva had noted their classes and Bunny''s potential, Before moving off, he took some apples and gave one to each of the rabbits and squirrels. Watching the animals ecstatically munching on the fruits, Bunny noted ''Seems like they like apples more then carrots or nuts.'' Inside the small farmhouse, Silva offered seats which the trio sat down with Bunny taking the middle. Facing them, Silva began talking. ¡°Bunny, you are blessed not only with talent, but also with good companions. A breeder with a druid and a priest, that is one great combination. Therefore I will tell you a story.¡± ¡°The civilization of the Versailles Continent dawned approximately one million and eight thousand years ago. Back then, Humans, Elves, Dwarves and Orcs lived together...¡± ¡°That''s the myth of the 4 races, everyone know about... *ouch*¡± Bunny''s interruption was cut short by Gene using his staff knocking her head. With such an incident, Bunny went into sulking mode, while Gene was shocked by his own actions and pondered deeply by himself. Angel was bemused and split her attention between the pair and Silva. Ignoring the youngsters, Silva continued: ¡°Aside from the Gods. their Divine Beasts and the Dragons, those were the only 4 sentient races in the world. Gnolls, Lizardmen, Avians, Lycans we see often now, do not yet exist. Through inter race breeding and mutation, Trolls, Gnomes, Hobbits, Half-elves, Gremlins, Goblins, Cyclops, Giants and many more were introduced. The world was simple until 10,000 years ago, when a great human breeder changed the whole world''s Eco system.¡± A video started playing for the trio. 3 humans gathered at the plains, a priest, a druid and a breeder, swearing a oath to make the world more interesting. Combining their power they started evolving the animals they encounter. They first started with the simplest animal: The Rats. Through evolution, the sewer rats became humanoid creatures called Kobolds, they migrated into caves and created their own society. Aligators and other reptilian beast became the race of Lizardmen, Birds of every kind turned into the various Avians and multiple types of sea creatures made up the merfolks. Further along, Dogs turned into Gnolls, Wolfs into Lycans, Bats into Vampires, Cattle into Minotaurs, Horses into Centaurs, Lions into Gryphons and Snakes into Lamias. Through their meddling, hundreds of new sentient species were created, some docile, some rebellious, some aloof while other aggressive. Regardless, the 3 treated each and every species equally, every firstborn was blessed to be immortal, looking after their kind. However, being humans, the trio had limited lifespans, after their lifespan ended, the various beast races split up. Some evolved further, while other devolved, some even went extinct. The video ended. Silva who was standing in front of the youngsters was no longer the jolly old man, but a young boy with silvery white hair, standing at 4 feet tall. He had a pair of rabbit ears as well as bucktooth. Three small horns stuck out from his head. ¡°My creators named me Silva for my silvery mane, but I am a failure of a guardian. My race had died out and reverted back into common rabbits, leaving me alone in this world. I had tried to mimic my creators to revive my race, but alas, I am not gifted; not in the last 8,000 years am I able to do what my creators had done in their short lifetime.¡± ¡°It had been my fleeting dream to see my race prospers once again, a dream I had given up upon... But seeing how talented you are... Do you think I will be able to see such a spectacle one more time?¡±
You have unlocked two hidden classes Phantasm Breeder / Animist Druid
Class Change! You can convert to a special class Phantasm Breeder. If you accept it, you can learn exclusive skills for the class that are withheld from the primary classes
¡°I don''t know what your previous race were like, but I will revive the rabbit race my way¡±
Change profession to Phantasm Breeder
New skill: Breeding Mastery With this skill, by touching the animals in your care, they will have higher fertility rates Wild animals are more likely to respond positively to you
New Skill: Nursing By touching animals, you are able to sooth their wounds and heal them. Nursing animals improves the affection for you as well as giving them fighting spirit and courage. 50% effectiveness on sentient beings.
New Skill: Growth spur/stall By you will, you can increase the rate at which animals you own grow. The reverse can also happen stalling their natural growth.
Phantasm Encyclopedia A illusionary book which stores information of all changes within animals you are rearing or breeding. You are able to phase the book into existence to review every change or evolution animals under your care had. Only available to Phantasm Breeders
Phantasm Calling Animals you had evolved will heed your call, regardless of where you are, they are able to blink to your location at the cost of half their health and mana. Only available to Phantasm Breeder
When Bunny was done, she looked around and saw Gene was also glowing from receiving a new class. She remembered it being Animist Druid or something, but didn''t know what it meant. Even though Gene just got a free ride, Bunny wasn''t jealous, because without him, she wasn''t sure of getting her current class. The inclusion of Gene allows their classes to mimic the trio in the video.
Quest complete! Care taker of the Kitten You have totally exceeded Silva expectations, instead of offering you the upgraded class of breeder, he has offering you and your companions the unique profession of his creators.
Level up Level up Level up
[/hr] Back to Main Forward to Chapter 13 Chapter 13 – 1,000 gold investment -

Chapter 13 ¨C 1,000 gold investment

[/hr] After Bunny had completed the quest and gain a hidden class, she looked around to find both her companions glowing. For Gene, he would had mostly took the accompanying hidden class called Animal Druid or something. Bunny didn''t mind Gene''s lucky gain, because without him, she wasn''t sure of getting the hidden classes. The inclusion of Gene allows their classes to mimic the trio in the video. What Bunny didn''t understand was Angel, so she asked: ¡°Hey Angel, why are you glowing too?¡± Angel was quiet, reading something invisible, when her glow subside, beside the Lu and Freya symbols on her gown, a new symbol was added. A circle over a design akin to a rabbit with a pot. The same symbol was also etched on the archery bracer she worn around her left wrist. Looking at her confused companions, she easily explained: ¡°I just made contact and got accepted by of the Goddess Tokki.¡± ¡°Tokki? Who is that? I have never heard of a god that name¡± Bunny questioned. ¡°Goddess Tokki is a minor god who governs over animals.¡± Gene supplied quietly. ¡°You are so luck...¡± the friend''s chatter was cut short. *Cough* Having the trio''s attention with his cough, Shiva continued. ¡°I do not know and will not interfere with how you do things, but I am glad as long as you can revive the rabbit race. It is not easy, rabbits needed to be evolved to tier-4 to obtain self-awareness. Will you really do it?¡±
Revival of the Sentient Rabbit Race There were once a sentient rabbit race, Shiva was the first as well as the last of them. The race had died out and rabbits were reverted into simple critters. Shiva will teach you all you need to know about breeding and evolving. You were to evolved the rabbits into sentient beings, and also help them create their own habitat. Difficulty Level: A
¡®A¡¯ rank difficulty! Quest at this level of difficulty was extremely rare, and the result usually affects the whole Versailles continent. It wasn''t unexpected, since Shiva who had lived for millenniums revealed his identity. But knowing and experiencing it was still different. Bunny didn''t think much and said: ¡°Since there was no time limit, I will give it a try.¡± ¡°Will put in all my effort.¡± Gene raised his fist in self encouragement. ¡°There''s nothing to lose¡± Angel nonchalantly agreed.
You have accepted the quest.
¡°I thank you for attempting to help me with my dream. Wait here, I have something that may be of use to you. ¡± Shiva went into his room, he returned with 3 items. He gave Angel a book: ¡°This is the Bible of Tokkin, it contains all information we have regarding the goddess. As well as basic cleric skills of the order.¡± Gene got a staff: ¡°This is the Staff of Tokkin, you should know that she is the Goddess of animals and non-sentient being. This is a druid staff which will boost you Animist abilities¡± Facing Bunny, Shiva gave her a hairband... no, it was a pair of earmuffs, with rabbit ears attached. ¡°This is an artifact of our race, it should help you. As no breeder can prospers without a farm or ranch., I also suggest you visit the land administrator to get a plot of land. Owning a house would cost over 10,000 gold, but owning a farm only cost a tenth. I will look after these animals until you have your own place.¡± ''Rabbit ears, got!'' Bunny thought to herself. ¡°Thanks, we will be doing some discussion about this, I will return to learn more about breeding¡± With that, the trio left the house. Outside, they checked their individual gains. ¡°Identify¡±
Ears of a Rabbit Artifact Durability 80/80. Defense 12 A pair of earmuffs created by an extinct race. It is imbued with a rabbit soul. The rabbit ears will detect sounds and transmit them through each earmuff, amplifying hearing sounds and range. It will also enhance detection of lifeforms nearby. Equip: +300% in hearing +500% in awareness Affinity with rabbit kind +20%.
Donning her new earmuffs, the world suddenly became very noisy. Bunny could now hear much better, she could grasps the locations of some insects hiding. She also sense Meow hiding in a bush nearby. Instinctively using her ''Scan'' ability, she can detect almost everything within 50m radius. ¡°HOW IS THE NEW HEADWEAR¡± Angel boomed
You have been stunned for 3 seconds by a loud noise
¡°Arrggg... Don''t shout,¡± Bunny grumbled while her ears were ringing ¡°I DIDN''T SHOUT¡± Angel boomed again ¡°UMMM... IT MUST BE NEW EARS¡± Gene followed up loudly
You have been stunned for 5 seconds by multiple loud noises
¡°Arrggg... Alright, alright, give me 10 seconds to recover, even Gene''s ''ummm...'' sounds too loud¡± Bunny plead. After recovering, Bunny shifted her earmuffs forward slightly so it didn''t cover her ears fully. This caused a drop in the bonuses, but at least she wouldn''t be stunned. Testing it by talking with her companions and using ''Scan'', Bunny decided on the optimum state where her ''Scan'' radius drops to 20m. ***** ¡°This is the moment of truth, lets show each other our status.¡± ¡°Ready?¡± ¡°Show status info to party members¡± x 3
Status Window
Name:BunnyAlignment:Good
Level:19Class:Phantasm Breeder
Title:The Knowledgeable
Fame:200
Health:990Mana:500
Strength:10+30Agility12+30
Intelligence:10+30+10Wisdom:11+30+10
Vitality:10+30Leadership:34+30
Luck:9+30Charisma:7+30
Animism:23+120Faith:5+30
Attack:10Defense:2
Unassigned Points:90
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  • All stats are added 30 points.
  • Animism stat is added extra 90 points.
  • Enables you to equip certain items specialized for the class.
  • Enables you to learn all gathering skills to the stage of a Master.
  • Enables you to learn all craft skills to the stage of Advance.
  • Enables you to learn secret skills based on your level in Breeder Mastery.
  • Increases Fame when evolving an animal above tier-3
  • Intelligence and Wisdom +10 from title
Status Window
Name:AngelAlignment:Good
Level:19Class:Godless Priestess
Title:The Polytheists
Fame:1100
Health:990Mana:720
Strength:10+20Agility12+20
Intelligence:47+20Wisdom:49+20+10
Vitality:20+20Leadership:9+20
Luck:3+20Faith:213+100+10
Animism:10+20Charism:10+100
Attack:23Defense:12
Unassigned Points:15
-
    This book''s true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
  • All stats are added 20 points.
  • Faith stat is added extra 80 points.
  • Charism stat is added extra 80 points.
  • Enables you to equip certain items specialized for the class.
  • Enables you to learn all priest skills regardless of Church
  • Massively Increases Fame and Faith when you gain favor from a new Deity
  • After gaining the favor of a Deity, you will automatically learn all related priest skills.
  • Higher rank skills can only be used with higher amity with the Deity.
  • Wisdom and Faith +10 from title
Status Window
Name:GeneAlignment:Neutral
Level:25Class:Animist Druid
Title:Bookworm
Fame:80
Health:1150Mana:1120
Strength:10+20Agility10+20
Intelligence:100+20Wisdom:102+20
Vitality:23+20Leadership:0+20
Luck:5+20Lore:13+50-(19)
Wilderness:23+50-(22)Animism:5+20
Attack:30Defense:10
Unassigned Points:10
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  • All stats are added 20 points.
  • Lore and Wilderness stat are added extra 20 points each.
  • Lore and Wilderness stat are reduced by 30% when in cities.
  • Lore and Wilderness stat are increased by 30% in the wilds
  • Enables you to equip certain items specialized for the class.
  • Enables you to learn all Druid skills regardless of factions
  • Enables you to learn secret skills based on your level in Druid Mastery.
  • Animist Druid in addition to skill mastery can Life-Link 100 more animal companions
¡°Hey, not fair, we only got +20 to stats, you got +30¡± Angel being the first to complain ¡°The one complaining has 2 of those +80 bonuses, your avatar is the broken one, which low level ever gets over 1000 fame, not to mention the insane Faith stats.¡± Bunny retorted ¡°I got acceptance for 3 deities, and favored by Freya, I deserved that much. Also Charism isn''t Charisma, it is more like Faith, which doesn''t mean as much compared to base stats.¡± Angel defended. ¡°Gene!, how in the world did you get such inflated Int and Wis. Are you lying about your level?¡± ¡°Umm... I read a lot of books...¡± Gene mumbled ¡°Gene got her capsule one month ago, but that is still...¡± Angel tried helping ¡°Wait!, Gene started 1 month ago, that''s 4 months game time, and he''s not even lv30?¡± Bunny spoke astonished. ¡°Normally, anyone including merchants would reach at least lv50 with that time¡± ¡°Umm... I stayed at the library... reading all these while...¡± ¡°...¡± Both Bunny and Angel became speechless, neither wanted to ask how many books he read. ¡°One last question. Gene, regarding the Life-Link, is it normal to gain 100 more?¡± ¡°Umm.. Life-Link is just opening communications with animals, with that I can talk with them. Umm.. with my Life-Link at Beginner Level 6, I can link up to 60 animals, they last about a day.¡± ¡°What about the skills which revives the dead?¡± ¡°The skill that saved R2 was ''Prevent Death'', it requires the animal to agree to temporary familiar contract, so I use Life-Link to ask him. Then... Ummm... that''s all...¡± Bunny thought to herself: ''I guess I still couldn''t be too careless, the animals will die if I am not careful.'' **** After much discussion, the party split up, promising to meet back at Silva''s farm later for another night sewer hunt. Each had their own itinerary for the day. Angel and Gene were both healers, learning the scan ability would greatly benefit them. Gene already got his ''identify'' skill by being an alchemist, so Angel needed to get hers. After separating, Bunny first went to register herself as a breeder, then obtained a license to own a ranch within the city. With instructions and recommendation from Silva, it wasn''t difficult, just expensive. Registration cost 1 gold, a small cost compared to a hectare of land, which lowered Bunny money by 1,000 gold. (A hectare of land is 100m by 100m) Bunny picked a plot near Silva''s, for easy transfer of animals. She deliberately chose her site to include an abandon house, which gave access to the sewers. That cost her an additional 100 gold, but it gave double bonus; she could now own a living area, as well as gain the ability to move her troops into their hunting grounds without attracting attention. When she reached her newly-owned land, Shiva was already waiting, with a pile of wood, near the roped-off area. He was back in his jolly old man appearance. ¡°As a breeder, you must make your first ranch yourself.¡± Initially, Bunny wanted to hire an architect, since Shiva insisted, she decided to do it herself. After learning the basics of lining up the fence, Bunny set off on the task to surround her land. Bunny knew she wasn''t up to a monumental tasks, so she divided her land into 8 sections, doing each one individually. She intended to started with the segment containing the house, which was a plot 30m by 40m. What Bunny needed to encircle was a house with a basket-ball-court sized garden. The house although abandoned, was in rather good conditions. It had a very straight forward layout; From the entrance, was the common room which was linked to 6 private rooms 3 at each side. Directly in front, was the kitchen. Each private room was equipped with a bed, a dresser and a chest. Within the kitchen, there was a locked door, leading to the sewers. It somewhat felt like the house''s personal dungeon. After viewing, Bunny started placing the fences following the instructions of Silva; Digging holes at intervals, erecting poles and hammering wood planks into the poles. After fencing up about 20 meters, Bunny went to Shiva''s farm and got the Rabbits and Squirrels to help. Since this would be their new home, the rabbits started digging warrens. The squirrels picked out two trees nearby and helped Bunny root them up, then transfer the trees into her land. Silva was kind enough to help replant seedlings into the holes. With the animals working, Bunny then went back to fencing. At mid-day, Bunny took a break, went to the orphanage to cook lunch as well as eat there. When she returned, she fed the animals grass and nuts. By now, the animals had completed their new homes and were sleeping or snoozing. Knowing about the night hunt, rabbits ate sparingly, while squirrels... well they just squirrel all the nuts away. All this while, Shiva was simply looking at the progress, not giving any help. Bunny mutter to herself ''Did he think he is the training instructor? Just looking and nothing else.'' With that thought, Bunny suddenly realized, there must be some reason why Shiva made her do all the construction alone. With renew vigor, she continued fencing. About four hours before night, she finished the task. Informing Shiva she was done for the day, Bunny logout to prepare for the night raid. ***** From his analog clock, Alan had marked 4 and 10 as mornings. As he was previously using a Knight, whenever he was in town, he would logout during the game nights because he couldn''t gain any Honor; How could he show his honorable side when there was no audience to watch. RR ran 4 times faster, so the hours were marked to remind him when he should return. He had added 12:30 and 6:30 as dinner time in-game, since he was now doing night raids instead. An extra 30mins which translate to 2 hours game time was added because he needed to help at the orphanage. Alan exit his capsule at around noon. He went to the fridge, took out a chunk on ham and some cheese, he started slicing them. Grabbing the bread, mustard and ketchup from the various shelves, he made enough sandwiches to include dinner and supper. All this while, Alan was meticulous about cleanliness. The worst thing that had happened to him was a diarrhea attack while leading a group dungeon crawling. With that experience, Alan understood the term ''More Haste, Less Speed''. After eating and washing up, he made sure all the extra sandwiches were well packed and stored before he returned into RR. The time read, 12:35. ***** Bunny reappeared at her newly-owned property, from there, she made her way to the orphanage. In addition to increasing her cooking proficiency while paying her debt, this time, she wanted to hire some cheap unskilled labor for her new ranch. By the time dinner was served, Bunny had got some names; Orphans who are interested in farming or herding. She didn''t approach them immediately as she would be around for another 2 days. The worst scenario would be hiring ill mannered brats who tried to mistreat the animals, but end up getting killed. The animals on Bunny''s ranch were more then meets the eye.
[/hr] Back to Main Forward to Chapter 14 Chapter 14 - From another Perspective -

Chapter 14 ¨C Story of an Assassin

[/hr]
Author''s notes: Wanted to try something different while progressing the story, hope you will like it
Scyth was a level 208 assassin in RR. He was a dark gamer, a special kind; Instead of selling game items or money, his income came from selling videos. The day he took the class of an assassin, he created a website call ''Double Ass Sin'' or DAS for short; a site where he uploaded videos of his killing runs, as well as the planing phase. For obvious reasons, he edited all videos to blur out his facial features and gears, leaving his trade-mark logo on both his left chest area as well as the back. The logo consist of two donkeys heads at the side facing the word ''Sin'' in the middle. The number of hits on his site earned him substantial income just from advertisers. DAS was deemed the best site for Assassin wannabes and trainees. As his popularity soared, media stations approached him with monetary lures for him to showcase his newest videos on TV before uploading onto his site. He didn''t accept any contracts, but just sold each new episode as he created them. As an assassin, not every venture was successful, and not every outcome great. To live up to his new fame, Scyth started doing his assassinations using fanciful methods. During his lower levels, he simply walked up to the target in a crowded plaza, hug his victim before viciously stabbing them, he would then run off with a glowing Pker''s mark. In the same video, he would elaborate on how he planed the kill and his escape path, including the days to he spent understanding the patrol routes of the guards. As his level grew, so did the strength of his targets. When dealing with player targets, he would stalk them when they were dungeon crawling, and strike when they showed openings. NPC targets were simpler, but requires more planing due to them always staying in towns or had guards. Previously, Scyth was able to solve any problems he met, but now, he reached a bottleneck. Due to the knowledge that he always worked alone, his contractors started to pick on that. Most request he could get, required picking up items in addition to killing.
Killing the lecherous oaf. Squire Lubrique is a well known womanize. A farmer, whose daughter had been stained by this man, offered you a reward to kill this man. Additional rewards will be given if you collected his signet ring. The Squire must die a horrible death, simply letting him die in his sleep cannot appease the contractor. Reward: 1000 gold Reward for the Signet Ring: 5,000 gold
Displacement of the Duke Count Cretin wanted the position of his boss. He would commission you to take the head of Duke Porion. However, he needed the Duke''s Seal to solidify his position. You need to kill the Duke in front of a crowd to prevent suspicion falling on the Count. Contact your contractor 2 days before any attempt. Reward: 2000 gold Reward while having the seal: 400,000 gold
Scyth didn''t mind the need to collect extra items, however, those request seemed ridiculous. They wanted the killing to be fancy, yet he needed to stay at the crime scene to ''collect loot'' while having the Pker mark. To him, these kind of quest should be given to a small army instead of a lone assassin. Scyth also felt that those quest contractors were mocking him. The killing rewards were minimum compared to the full commission. It was as if they were using the high additional rewards as a bluff to pay low fees. This was especially true for the Duke assassination quest. Feeling himself lacking, Scyth placed a sign: ''On Hiatus'' at his website, and went on a journey of self-rediscovery. While traveling around, acting as a caravan guards, Scyth reached Serabroug. Finding himself in the familiar city, he went to meet his merchant friend located in the city. ¡°Afternoon Ruddy, how is business?¡± Scyth greeted his friend at his stall ¡°Long time no see, I saw your site on hiatus, something wrong?¡± ¡°Its nothing, I just need a breather, say, anything good to buy here for selling in Brent?¡± ¡°Oh my, an assassin becoming a trader huh?¡± ¡°Haha... I am just traveling around, might as well earn some¡± ¡°You can try silk, bolts of silk cloth cost 40 silvers here, they can be sold at 70 there¡± ¡°Wow, that''s some profit....¡± Scyth''s reply was cut short by a squirrel climbing up the stall, looking at his friend. The squirrel was wearing an iron collar attached with a small cape. ¡°Sorry, give me a moment, I got a customer¡± Ruddy told Scyth, then turned towards the small animal ¡°What can I do for you today?¡± The squirrel dug into the pocket at its tummy and rummage around, finally pulling out 3 rat pelt. Each pelt was bigger then the small animal, but somehow fitted into its pocket. The squirrel then took out an acorn. Showing its fingers on its left paw, using it right, it bent one finger, leaving 3 sticking out, facing the merchant, it show the 3 fingers then pointed to the acorn. Ruddy nodded, took out 3 acorns from his stall and traded for the rat pelts. After the initial trade and keeping the 3 traded acorns, the squirrel rummage through its tummy pocket again. This time it brought out another rat pelt, much bigger and colored gray. Looking at the merchant, it displayed 3 fingers again. Ruddy shook his head and said, ¡°That is a dire rat pelt, but it ain''t worth that much¡± Ruddy then bought out 2 acorns and 3 sunflower seeds as counter offer. The squirrel thought for a moment, nodded, then proceed to take out 5 more gray pelts. Ruddy topped up his side and another trade was done. With traded items exchanged, the squirrel continued to loiter around looking greedily at the apples on display. ¡°You trade with squirrels?¡± Asked the amazed Scyth ¡°I trade with anything, as long as I don''t make losses. An acorn in a barter trade gave me as much proficiency as trading 100 gold with others. I think it is due to trading in their currency of acorns and seeds instead of coppers.¡± Scyth was only listening half-heartedly, he was fascinated by the squirrel, things that exit its pouch looked like deflated balloons, which inflated immediately when contact with air. He wanted to know if the squirrel could stuff bigger things into its pocket, he said while taking out his gold: ¡°Hey Ruddy, get me 20 bolts of those silk you mentioned, with an apple as discount¡± The merchant immediately complied. With his new goods, Scyth asked the squirrel: ¡°Little one, I will give you an apple if you can put this bolt of silk into your pouch.¡± The eyes of the squirrel immediately light up, then proceed to stuff bolts and bolts of silk into its pocket. When the silk touched the pocket, it deflating into thin paper which was then sucked in. In the blink of an eye, silk cloth that was 50 times the size of the squirrel disappeared, leaving both Ruddy and Scyth flabbergasted. It took a whole minute before Scyth recovered his wits. He then got back the bolts of silk and gave the prearranged reward. Needless to say, squirrels would squirrel away goods, so Scyth counted the silk before giving out the reward. The squirrel happily pocketed the apple and ran off. Having his interest piqued, Scyth decided to follow the small animal, his parting words to Ruddy: ¡°Keep those for me, I will be back shortly...¡± The squirrel arrived at a small ranched with crooked fences, and eased itself into one of the two trees and proceed to show off the apple to its kins. Splitting the fruit up, the 5 squirrels shared the spoils. The rough soil around the trees showed that they were recent replanted. Scyth arrived nearby. Instead of entering the ranch, he decided to stalk the area. ***** After waiting for 2 hours, the sky darkened into night. Scyth saw 3 people walking towards the ranch. From their attire, he deduced a female priestess, a male druid and a girl with rabbit ears draped in a cloak. From his position, he couldn''t hear properly but the girl seemed to gave some commands and animals gathered in front of the trio. Scyth could make out two cats, five squirrels and lots of rabbits. Soon, all went into the house. After waiting another 20mins with nothing happening, Scyth approached the house and slipped pass the fence.
You have entered another player''s ranch If caught, the owner has the right to kill you for trespassing. If you take anything, you will be marked as a thief
¡°Hmm... player owned property... from the size, this cost lots of gold¡± Scyth said to himself. In the past, he had wanted to own a property in Serabroug, but he would rather use the 10,000 gold on gears then waste it on buying a house. This house came with a large yard, which led Scyth to think the owner must be extremely rich. He slowly made his way to the building, finding both humans and animals missing, he sneaked in and explored. Following the tracks the rabbits made, he reached the kitchen and entered the sewers. ***** In the sewers, Scyth first saw some rats. Out of habit, he shot needles at them, not to kill, but to paralyze. He had a skill call ''Distraction'' which enables him to paralyze small animals and use them as distractions. To fully utilize this skill, he had a custom-made belt that could hold 2 of these small animals. Filling up his belt, Scyth heard the sound of fighting. Following the sound, Scyth managed to locate the group easily. To his amazement, he saw a clash of small animals vs rats. The humans were all wearing cloaks, as they just stood behind viewing the critters fight, occasionally, the unclassified girl gave commands. The battles didn''t take long as the rabbits seemed extremely proficient in killing rats. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Following stealthy behind the group, Scyth kept a safe distance of about 20m. Being downwind, he could somewhat make out the chants of the Priestess beyond the sound of fighting, as well as seeing their effects. ¡°The beauty of Freya... in their steps... By the power... Slow!¡± ¡°The abundance of... radiance to our... power of my faith... Mass Bless!¡± ¡°The fortune... vitality of our... growth in ... the power my... Mass Heal!¡± ''What? Mass Slow, Mass Bless and Mass Heal? Those are some seriously high class Priest skill'' Scyth thought to himself. He had estimated the Priest to be at least lv200, if not more. Also, the rabbits were all wearing armor, Scyth did not know if it they were physical or created by magic. The surprises he had was only a start, every time when he approached within 20m from the unclassified girl, she would turn and look at his direction as if she had spotted him. ''What kind of class can spot my Intermediate Stealth from that distance?'' He thought to himself, but decided to play it safe, increasing the distance from the group. The group proceed smoothly towards a staircase going downwards. At the stairway, the group stopped for a short break. While the animals were quietly feeding, Scyth eavesdropped on their conversation. - Priestess: ¡°This ''A'' rank quest is going take a long time¡± - Unclassified: ¡°You should be expecting that, so we must work hard while still in Serabroug¡± - Priestess ask the Druid: ¡°Are you bored? Since you are the highest level here¡± - Druid ¡°....¡± (too soft to heard) - Unclassified: ¡°For a while now, I keep getting the feeling someone is following¡± - Priestess: ¡°Why not do a check, you said you got something about echo¡± - Unclassified: ¡°Oh, I forgot about that, let me try¡± The only thing Scyth know about echo is the skill ''Echolocation''. It was used by a Giant Bat Boss creature he fought before. He never knew any class or race that could use it. Having preemptive advantage, Scyth immediately took out his cape and covered himself, while dropping a paralyzed rat. - Unclassified: ¡°Echolocation!¡± Scyth felt the familiar feeling of sound waves hitting his cape, from experience, this would reflect an image of irregular stone, instead of his body. Internally he shivered. ''What the hell kind of class can do Echolocation, only bats do that... wait... its night-time... bats... sense people... controlling animals... pretty looking...That girl is a vampire!!!'' According to the forums, vampires would only grant their racial trait to beautiful being of opposite gender. They must also be over lv250, otherwise the vampires would just toy with them. Scyth''s felt his hands turn cold. A level 200+ priestess, level 250+ vampire and... - Vampire: ¡°Hmm... I detect nothing suspicious, except a rat... Ouch! Hey! You are a priestess, you are suppose to heal, not damage me!¡± - Priestess: ¡°You deserve it, making me worry over nothing.¡± Without looking, thus missing the priestess beating the ''vampire'', the conversation made him concrete his conclusion. The trio suddenly felt very dangerous to him. ''She brought a druid to heal her, since the holy spells would hurt her'' He concluded. ''Wait... they said earlier, the druid is the highest level among them? If she is at least 250, how high is he? Also, aren''t they talking about taking some ''A'' rank quest earlier? It all make sense now, at such high levels, they can easily afford to buy the house with access to the sewers. Nobody will know about their secrets.'' Even knowing that, when discovered, he would definitely die, his curiosity won. Scyth decided that 1 level and some proficiencies were worth IF he uncovered some secrets, so he continued following the group, being much more cautious. Keeping a good distance of 25m, Scyth was now nervously tracking the trio with their group of animals. The group quickly cleared out the second floor of dire rats and went for the rabid and plague rats further inside. These poisonous rats were deadly but rendered harmless by the all powerful priestess. Scyth too, was infected with plague poison, but with his health level, the damage is negligible. He didn''t even take any antidote, since he wanted as many items in his inventory as possible, reducing the chance of dropping valuable stuffs, in the event he got discovered and died. After more dead rats, the group finally encounter the boss ¡°Rat King¡±. Without fighting themselves, the 3 extremely high leveled people directed the animals to attack in formation. With two healer, the battle ended without much issues. When the Rat King died, two of the rabbits started glowing while the vampire cheered. Vampire: ¡°Yippie! Lv3 rabbits evolved at Lv25... took us long enough. Those level 1 squirrels and cats only need Lv10 to evolve.¡± Priestess: ¡°You don''t need to...¡± Scyth had learned what he needed. Popping an antidote into his mouth, he silently left to safety. ***** Outside the sewers, Scyth started sweating profusely. He wasn''t hot, as all the sweat were cold. It had been a long time since he felt fear of this level, by getting out of the situation, he started appreciating the finer aspects of RR... like the cool night wind blowing at him. He felt he had profited greatly; Finding out a secret as well as getting out alive. Feeling the after effects of an adrenaline rush, Scyth was calm enough to start thinking on a plan to use his newly acquired information. Without the mind-controlling powers of a vampire, he could not make animal parties. The next best thing Scyth thought of, would be to force the critters to kill. The killing blow implied 50% of the total exp gain. With that in mind, Scyth went outside the gates into the newbie area, scouting at trees. Before anything, he needed to catch squirrels first. ***** Deep in the forest, the wolves wailed, it was a pitiful cry as Scyth brutally tortured them. Using his paralyzing needles, he immobilized wolves, then using a live squirrel as a weapon, he stabbed each wolf repeatedly using the protruding front teeth of the squirrel. After every kill, he would bandage his living weapon, restoring its health, while switching to another squirrel on the next wolf. Neither the killer nor killed were enjoying this salvage treatment. From his information, Scyth knew he needed Level 1 squirrels. Since he didn''t know how to differentiate them, he picked the smallest; assuming smaller equals lower level. Luckily he wasn''t wrong... or squirrel lovers would stop supporting Bunny. After over 200 wolves and some unfortunate bears. He finally got his 2 squirrels to evolve. Packing the two mentally abused critters into his belt pouches, he made his way towards the city. Scyth decided to stock up lots of silk cloth and get out of Serabroug as soon as possible. ***** Four game months later... A man in black, holding an overly large sword, jumped off the citadel''s roof with his legs tied. Scyth was doing a bungee jump. At the lowest point, stood Duke Porion, who was cleanly cut in two by the combine momentum of the fall as well as the power of the overly large sword, which dug itself deeply into the ground. While bouncing upwards after releasing the sword, Scyth threw a hook and landed on one of the window of the citadel. Cutting off the bungee ropes from his legs with his spare knife, he unlimbered his bow and started shooting at the Duke''s entourage, wounding many including Count Cretin. In the chaos, nobody noticed 2 squirrels picking loot then hiding into a nearby tree. After the assassin escaped, Count Cretin made a full body search on all the personals present, trying to locate the Duke Porion''s Seal. Sadly, it was no longer around. 2 game days later, the populous were all talking about it. In the Tullen Kingdom, Duke Porion was mysteriously assassinated while his subordinate, Count Cretin, suddenly declared bankrupt. ***** After airing of his newest exploits on KMC media, DAS site became popular again However, there was a minor change, the owner removed key points on his retrieval of the seal. In fact, he only revealed his killing method with its preparation methods and quest completion while handing the Duke''s Seal to his flabbergasted contractor. There was zero information on how he took the item during the chaos. He left a simple message along with the change: ¡°I took a long break to do self-reflection. In that time, I understand that people who grew while spoon-fed, will never amount to much. From now on, I will leave out part of my plans so you viewers can think of more creative solutions. During my travels, I met extremely strong player who are not even bothered with the Hall-of-Fame. They worked diligently in their own fields and attained more power then I have imagined possible. The greatest shock of my life have been watching a player Vampire exhibiting her skills. With them as my aim, I will improve myself so I can at least stand on par with them.¡± This message caused a storm to blow in the various forums, which rages for weeks. Scyth was tight-lipped with all information pertaining the quest as well as the vampire, causing even more turbulence. His new style also garner more visitors to DAS, even veteran Assassins joined in the discussion. Since the quest were all completed, there were lots of discussion and speculations on his undisclosed methods. As of what became of Scyth from here onward, that would be another story for another time.
[/hr] Back to Main Forward to Chapter 15 Chapter 15 – The Student Councils -

Chapter 15 ¨C The Student Councils

[/hr] With the addition of Gene into the team, Bunny got greedy. She decided to maximize the amount of troops she could muster. With default leadership, any player could lead a team of 5. Leading animals had half the requirement, so the party number doubled. Adding ''Animism'' stat, to the equation, Gene, who had zero experience leading any parties became a leader of 10 animals. Angel who had been doing night hunts as a ''Raid Leader'' could lead a party of 13 animals. The troops allocation assigned 4 rabbits per squad, so both Gene and Angels became ''Raid Leaders'' controlling 2 squads each. Their reminding numbers were filled up with the cats and squirrels. Bunny was the overall commander, adding both Gene''s and Angel''s parties into her ''Raid Group'' by assigning them as ''Raid Leaders'' using her ''Raid Commander'' skill. With her ''Animal Trainer'' skill, which halved again the Leadership and Animism requirements for animals, as well as her inflated stats, she could lead a whopping 24 more rabbits. For those who didn''t bothered to count, current number of rabbits can amount to 40! With only 20 rabbits originally, Bunny had requested Gene, the only one who could leave the city, to top-up the numbers. Given that younger rabbits evolved faster, Gene was tasked with finding the youngest possible. Gene didn''t disappoint, he had somehow found 6 level 1 rabbits, the smallest Bunny ever saw, as well as 14 default small ones at Level 2. With the addition, the sewer raid that followed were fast-paced and spectacular. During his first sewer raid, Gene proved that he didn''t just read in the library, he had a good understanding of strategy as well as troop management. The group then tried out various formation and fighting style on the weaker rats, which made the stronger dire rats seemed easy. Even the rabid rats, plague rats, as well as the ¡°Rat king¡± fell before the new formations. Gene had also suggested Bunny to try high pitch screeching. Making use of the bonus hearing from her new earmuffs, Bunny managed to create a new skill called ''Echolocation''. This was a useful skill to map out the area, especially good at finding paths hidden by the natural terrain. ***** Sunday Night, 11pm. Alan exit his capsule. He had been playing over for 10 hours again, missing dinner. While feeding himself sandwiches he made earlier, he recollected his thoughts. Unlike his previous avatars, Bunny had a huge gain right from the start. Ignoring the Unique Title, Skills to handle animals and Hidden Class, Bunny made good friends. Thinking about his new online friends brought a smile to Alan''s face: Angel was shy to strangers, but since he got to know her better, she was actually quite an extrovert. She didn''t like to be alone and always initialed conversations. She would always drag Bunny around, even in the sewers. From his'' perspective, she was rather pretty, friendly, looks out for people and easy to converse with. Compared to his sister, she was less fickle, sometimes stubborn, but willing to compromise. In short: extremely good girlfriend material. Gene on the other hand was extremely meek, always starting with an ''umm...'' on every sentence. Gene didn''t volunteered to start many conversations, and he seemed to be in deep thoughts most of the time. Initially, Alan didn''t like Gene due to accidents, but after knowing him better, Alan''s impression of him wasn''t bad. To him, Gene seemed like a younger sibling he never had, needing to look after and protect. Alan''s revery was suddenly broken by a discovery. The way Angel and Gene had interacted with each other. They were of different genders but often seen holding hands... more like Angel dragging Gene around... But they were acting too friendly. Alan didn''t react earlier because Angel had dragged Bunny around too, but Bunny in the game was a girl. Could they be boy/girl friends? Green with jealousy, Alan pitied himself, all 16 years of his life, he never had a girlfriend, and would not have one for the next 2 years. His crush didn''t want a relationship until college, so he had to wait. He wasn''t afraid she would be snatched away, because he was the only male in school she ever talked to. Shaking away his irritation, Alan went to bed. Attending school was never boring, as that was the place he could interact with his crush. ***** Monday morning came. While there are lots of people suffering from Monday blues, Alan was actually happy. Walking with a skip, he reached the high school he was attending. First place to be, the Student Council Room. The High school Alan attended had a pathetic policy regarding student leadership. The person with the highest combined test score would be named Student President, Second highest net the Vice President. The highest scorer for English would be the Secretary while the best in Maths filled the role of Treasurer. The reason Alan studied extremely hard was to keep his position as Vice President, so he could see his crush, Jeanne, who took the position of Secretary. Jeanne would always arrive 10 minutes before class and rest in the Student Council Room. Alan would arrive around the same time to spent a little quiet moment in her company. They almost never talk but Alan was happy simply being there. Jeanne was an extremely shy girl. She could hold short conversations with other girls but with any male, including teachers, she would start to stutter or stammer. Contrary to her speech, her ability in written language nets her the undisputed top rank for the subject. Due to their constant morning meetings, Jeanne could somehow talk to Alan normally... assuming that exchanging less then 10 words daily was considered ''Talk Normally''. The Student Council Room could only be accessed by its members. Those who earned their places, were rewarded with a quiet lounge shared by other members, they also had personal desk and lockers to keep their stuffs. The council was only in name, its members had neither direct power nor responsibilities. In the corner of the room sat a capsule, owned and used by a gaming addict called Student President. The President, named Luke, wasn''t normal. He played games all day and nobody ever saw him study, but somehow he always attained the highest combined test score. From what Alan heard, both his parents were Dark Gamers... In a way, his whole family''s income revolved around playing games. Since his inauguration into president, he even brought a capsule and started playing during school hours; This made many teachers happy, because he wouldn''t be in class to affect other students. Regardless of his notoriety with the adults, Luke was friendly with Alan. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. The topic Alan and Luke talk most about was RR. Luke had very in-depth knowledge of any game he played. When Alan started playing RR, Luke gave him many pointers, including an account to access the ''Dark Gamers Union''. When they talked about professions in RR, Luke always said this: ¡°Every profession are equal, a farmer can just as easily kill an enemy as a warrior. He just needed to know how to do it using his skills. You are limited only by your own preconception, if you think farmers can only grow vegetables.¡± Alan had always thought Luke was joking, but after looking at what Bunny achieved, he started to understand the meanings behind Luke''s wisdom. ***** It was lunch time and the cafeteria is crowded, Alan took refuge in the Student Council Room with his lunchbox, finding Luke just getting out of his Capsule. ¡°So, how is your new avatar?¡± Luke asked, while taking a thermos flask out of his bag. ¡°I unlocked a few hidden classes¡± Alan replied happily. ¡°Unlocked? A few? You sure?¡± Luke''s curiosity was piqued. Unlocking a hidden class meant Alan was the first to have it. Alan mentioned a few, which meant more then 1. ¡°Very sure, I made a few friends and got some really unique classes¡± ¡°That''s good, mind sharing the names?¡± Luke asked while uncapping his flask ¡°Then you must tell me your class too¡± Alan offered ¡°Alright!¡± Luke agreed, then started drinking milk from his flask ¡°Let''s see, Ungodly priest, Animist Druid and Phantasm Breeder¡± *Pfff* The reply Alan got was a splash of milk ejected from Luke''s mouth. ¡°Ewww! That''s dirty! What are you thinking?¡± Alan groaned. Looking to see Luke coughing while choking on the remaining milk he hadn''t spew out, he asked ¡°Is it that shocking?¡± Luke just dumbly nodded, causing more milk to escape his mouth dripping down his chin. It took Luke a few minutes to calm down as well as clean up. Finally becoming composed again, he said: ¡°I never expected you to play a breeder, what got into you?¡± ¡°Nothing, I just happened to find out some secrets and one thing led to another... weren''t you the one who always claimed all professions are equal?¡± Alan retorted. ¡°Yes, I said that, but I never expected you to do it. Also, what god did you pray to, it is some insane level of luck to get that super-rare class before even finishing your confinement.¡± ¡°Is it that rare? I thought lots of people unlock hidden professions as a newbie¡± ¡°No! What most people gain are simply upgraded professions, not the top tier super profession... sigh... Guess I have to tell you about my profession in order for you to understand¡± Luke sigh at his friend''s ignorance, then continued ¡°Farmer and Breeders are paired into what is called Producers... Just like Sculptors and Painters are paired as the Artist, Bard and Dancers as Performers... and so on... The upgraded profession, or what you called hidden class for Producers are ''All-Weather Farmer'' and ''All-Season breeder''. Those are not difficult to obtain. What you had, is one of the top tier hidden jobs of producers, namely ''Fantasy Farmer'' and ''Phantasm Breeder''. It took me 4 months and doing a B rank quest just to unlock ''Fantasy Farmer'' while you got yours in less then a week.¡± Looking to see that Alan was dumbstrucked and finally understanding his gain, Luke added ¡°But seriously, why would you go play a girl? I never thought you a pervert before¡± Snapping out immediately since his identity was found out Alan rebutted. ¡°How did you know that... Wait... how did you know I used the breeder when I named 3 classes¡± ¡°Well... you see... ermm... ah... Oh, I got connections, as a top tier farmer, I got wind of someone attaining the similar top tier production job, so I checked it out. I only know it was a girl who got the job... oh... erm... You also used to play knight, so I doubt you will play something support types like priest or druid, so I just guessed... then... you also admitted you are the breeder.¡± Luke answered uneasily. Luckily Alan was brain was full of his unique class to notice. ¡°Anyway, why did you play a female?¡± Luke questioned again changing the topic away. ¡°Oh, I wanted something different, goody-two-shoes doesn''t fit me¡± Alan replied ¡°Hahaha, that is our Alan, the unpredictable one¡± ¡°Ah! Shut it... since you know my identity, can you keep it a secret?¡± ¡°You know my business, I buy and sell information, but info on my friend will cost lots¡± Luke laughed ¡°Arrggg... you and your business... but I doubt anyone would pay you to know such things¡± ¡°I am not so sure...¡± Luke teased. While the two boys were bickering, a girl entered the room ¡°Am I intruding on you guys?¡± she asked while taking a seat at her personal desk. ¡°Not at all Lina, we were just finished¡± Luke answered nonchalantly, while Alan just sit quietly. He didn''t want more people to know his secret. Looking at the clock and finding lunch time almost over, he decided to return to class. ¡°Luke, remember what I said, don''t sell it¡± Alan was trying to be discreet. ¡°Alright, but I maintain my stand, and I doubt anyone will really pay for such info¡± Luke replied ¡°Hmpf¡± Alan snorted before leaving This exchange got the girl interested, after waiting for Alan to be out of earshot she asked ¡°So what is the big thing?¡± ¡°You remember the request you asked this morning?¡± Luke questioned her question. ¡°Yes?¡± ¡°He is your answer, Miss Angelina¡± Luke replied seriously ¡°Huh?¡± ¡°You remember what you told Jeanne last month when she got a capsule?¡± ¡°Yeah, and she is still embarrass about it¡± ¡°Well, our dear Alan is in the same situation ¡°WHAT!!!¡± ¡°Do you think it is fate?¡± ¡°...¡± The Treasurer of the Student Council, Angelina, was totally speechless. As someone who was the star of the mathematics department, someone who was used to logic and calculations. Something that was mathematically near-impossible, something with less then a billionth chance to happen, just happened.
[/hr] Back to Main Forward to Chapter 16 Chapter 16 – During the week -

Chapter 16 ¨C During the week

[/hr] ¡°Arrggg... What am I going to do now!¡± Angelina was stressed. She had skipped class, spent the last 20 minutes weighing her options, but had not arrived at any conclusion. Ever since she came upon information she didn''t want to know, she regretted being nosy. Looking at Luke grinning like an idiot, she took up a pen and threw at him. ¡°Why are you so happy about my misfortune, I shouldn''t have asked you to check.... ¡± Dodging the pen, Luke replied nonchalantly: ¡°You are over thinking things again. Just forget whatever you know and continue like before. Let things run on their course, you cannot fight against fate.¡± ¡°Wouldn''t that be unfair to Jeanne? She''s my best friend¡± Angelina complained ¡°But from the events unfolding, wouldn''t it feel like you are the mastermind behind the meeting? You suggested her avatar gender; You link her up with Alan''s avatar; Its all you.¡± Luke reminded. ¡°But...¡± Angelina''s retort was cut short by Luke''s explanation ¡°Lina, think from another perspective, those two liked each other, everyone except themselves know that. They represent the sweet-vanilla-romance to spice up boring school life. I call it fate that they manage to even meet in the game, so just sit back as a silent cupid.¡± Angelina grumbled, she didn''t like how Luke''s perspective, but she knew staying quiet would be the best solution. Luke''s logic was straight: There were too much coincidences involved, revealing everything now would cause gaps to her friendship with Jeanne as well as diminish the chance for the couple to be together. ***** For weekdays, Alan couldn''t spent as much time online. His daily schedule started with school, reaching home at 4pm, he would finish his homework and prepared for the next day. Being a top student wasn''t easy. Following that would be eating dinner and socializing with his family. Lastly, he would start playing RR from 8pm till 12am before going to sleep. The timing was partway between day and night in the game, so it included sewer hunts as well as time for other duties in the game, like cooking at the orphanage and trying to tailor a custom costume for his avatar. On days where he reached home early or had extra gaming time, the avatar Bunny would end up in the training hall striking scarecrows. The training hall was a place for players to improve their avatars without leveling. To graduate from the training hall, an avatar would need to hit scarecrows for about 500 game hours. This was a feat not many had accomplish, too many people gave up after a day or two. The only person Alan knew that completed the training was Luke, with the reward for completion being +40 to strength, agility and vitality, as well as a proof of completion. The reward would amount to approximately 25 more levels worth of stats, but the task itself was monstrous. Alan understood his own limitations, he was unable to do monotonous exercise continuously for such long periods. Instead of under taking a great task and failing, Alan did small parts which will finally add up to the same result; By spending 1-2 hour daily (4-8 hours game time) Alan decided to complete the training across a few months instead of doing everything in one try. Whenever he was free, he would spent time hitting; Whenever he felt stressed, he would vent at the scarecrows; Whenever he was down, beating straws would liven him up. The weapon of choice for Bunny was a bat; a meter long bat, mostly seen in baseball. It looks like a sword, swings like a sword, hits scarecrows like a sword, but does blunt damage instead. The reason for such weapon, Alan found ''Javelot'' a type of carrot that grew up very long. Simply said: A girl named Bunny, with Rabbit-Ears, leading a Platoon of Armored Rabbits, wanting to make a Bunny-girl Costume... wouldn''t an oversized carrot be her ideal weapon? ***** RR was a game that had high realism, so players could see, hear, smell, taste, and feel. However, realism wasn''t always the best option for games. As a game, total realism was put on hold. There were families playing, so there would also be underage children around. It was not appropriate to show spilled guts and splashing brain juice to the young. Gamey changes made things flow better. Animals were simply made of skin, flesh, bone and blood, no guts, no innards, no brain juice. There was no waste excretion too, or we would see weaker mobs chased by players soiling themselves, green fields turning brown with fecal, while dungeons would all reek of ammonia. Due to the above, for Tanning leather, things were simplified too. Instead of using foul smelling smashed up brains and livers cooked in water as tanning agents, the alchemist provide cheap solutions as replacements. ***** Bunny had invested much money on arming the animals, food for the rat hunts and over a thousand gold on her ranch. She needed a way to either make the rabbits and ranch self-sustaining or profit making. Killing the rabbits for their meat and pelts wasn''t feasible, as she needed them to grow further for the ''A'' rank quest. Rat fur was worth little, rat meat even less. The divine hint she got was from Gene, who had offered a potion that could tan leather. Rats, due to their environment, had a distinct sewer smell, so their pelts were worth much less. By tanning the rat pelts into leather, it removed the smell. Selling price increased many folds due to the low initial worth. Rather then hiring people for tanning, she taught the rabbits to do it. Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings. Ever since Bunny found out the squirrels were pilfering her rat pelts behind her back, she awarded each one with a knock on the head, courtesy from her new weapon. Bunny was not a tyrant, as she punished bad behavior, she also rewarded diligence and smarts. The ring leader was named ''Prize'' with the other 4 called ''Booty'', ''Loot'', ''Spoils'' and ''Haul''. The squirrels were made the ranch traders, allowing them to barter all the processed rat leather for food. They were given a 5% cut for the deals made, to buy themselves incentives like apples or pears occasionally. With all the above, the ranch started to have a good flowing system. Every night, the armed rabbits would decent into the sewers, plundering the underground inhabitants. In the morning, the corpse would be cleaned and pelts collected then processed. Evening time, the squirrels would take the processed leather to barter for food. Rat meat were stored aside for Bunny. Every time she logged in, Bunny would use her cooking skills to turn these into ''Cheap Meaty Meals'' and sell them in the plaza. Due to the low price, these were sold instantly. As cooked rats and cooked rabbits looked similar, and the food both tasted good and gave bonus vitality, nobody asked any questions. According to Gene, tails and teeth of the rats were valuable too. Rat-tails were useful alchemy materials, so those were traded for tanning solutions, while rat-teeth, used by enchanters were bulk sold for coins. Overall, the ranch was running well, churning out hundreds of rat leather, teeth and tails daily. Not truly great when compared to the large investment, but it was more then self-sustaining even when left alone; coppers and silvers were rolling in. ***** All this while, Bunny was leisurely building fences around her land. After hitting the last piece of wood into place, she got some status message
Please set the name of the created ranch.
¡°Under Construction¡± Bunny thought it sounded appropriate, the ranch was only an outline, she would need to make more upgrades before it was finalized. Just like making a webpage, you put ''under-construction'' as its title until you finished, then rename it something else.
You chose to name it ¡®Under Construction¡¯?
¡°Yes¡±
You made a New Ranch called ''Under Construction'' Effects: With Shepherding sub-skill from Breeder Mastery, you are able to miniaturize this ranch With Cattle Herding sub-skill from Breeder Mastery, you are able to keep low level monsters out Area within the Ranch would be considered your owned space. - Players entering without permission would be deemed hostile. - Ranch will be considered a dungeon to monsters, so they will not enter without reason. - You are allowed to kill hostiles within your land with no penalty Number of Ranches created: 1.
Breeder Mastery skill raised by 3 level. ¨C Fame increased by 120. ¨C Animism increased by 20. ¨C Charisma increased by 8.
New Skill: Mobile Ranch
Mobile Ranch You are now able to move your ranch anywhere you please. Using ''Keep Ranch'', you are able to miniaturize any ranch you build yourself Using ''Restore Ranch'' with a mini-ranch, you can restore it back to normal.
¡°Keep Ranch¡± Bunny uttered, testing out her new skill. Immediately, the whole ranch got warped like a whirlpool, becoming a small model at the middle. The warrens and trees disappered into the model, leaving rabbits and squirrels startling at the scene. The cats lazying on the root of the house were not affected as the house remained. With all eyes looking at her, Bunny tried to revert the process, picking up the ranch model, she uttered ¡°Restore Ranch¡± The model glowed, in front of Bunny, a blueprint paper appeared in form of opaque 3D image, looking at the layout from top view, she placed the ranch back into its original position, then place it down. Immediately, the ranch reappeared as if nothing happened, the rabbits and squirrels immediately went back into their homes, Meow just yawned lazily at the sight. The animals didn''t seem bothered, so the only one awed by this new skill was Bunny herself.
[/hr] Back to Main Forward to Chapter 17 Chapter 17 – Rise of the Army -

Chapter 17 ¨C Rise of the Army

[/hr] The 30 days of confinement ended, but Bunny, unlike other newbies, did not go out. Gene had some personal issues to attend to, so he wasn''t online, while Angel was busy somewhere. The group had postponed their adventure for another game month. Bunny had already experienced the world outside, therefore focused on doing upgrades. ''Under Construction'' went through many changes, Bunny had split her land into 2 equal portions. The first area contained the house, warrens and trees, as well as the tannery and a large field for further expansion. This was called the leather factory, which would permanently stay in Serabroug, a profit making industry which would run on itself. The second portion was created to harness the effect of her new skill ''Mobile Ranch''. Using this plot of land with various trials and errors, Bunny understood the skill would regarded any quadrangular area fenced up by her as a Ranch. Everything within that were created or moved into by the creator could be minimized into a model. To have a place where the animals could stay while roaming the continent was essential. Able to design it freely was even better. Bunny had made several shacks on this piece of land which nets her the skills ''Construction'' and ''Building Designing''. Shacks were cheap and easy to build, so she made more. She had also mobilized the animals for new home making; The squirrels were on lookout when she stole a few oak trees, while rabbits dug more burrows and made warrens. Overall, on the portable ranch there were 4 living quarters for the humans, a large barn for the animals in case it rains, an alchemy lab, a smithy, a carving room and a tannery. ***** Sometime, somehow, the number of cats increased. Nyaa happened to find some stray cats and brought them back. Bunny didn''t mind the extra animals, since some rabbits had already given birth, increasing their total number above what she can command. In fact, she now encourage her animals to bring others back, as long as the newcomers were willing to work for food. With the new ''invite your friend'' system, the number of animals in the farm steadily increased. Since Bunny did not specify what type of animals to bring back, she managed to obtain hedgehogs, minks and racoons. A monkey was ''rejected'' because it ended up fighting some rabbits over food, and died by multiple spear pokes... Not very smart to fight gluttons for food. With more animals, Bunny started to notice an inclination; The babies did not have preconceptions of what they are and learn from any adults near them; Baby rabbits at level 1, that spent time with the squirrels tend to become more crafty and thrifty, exhibited by carrying little bags and storing excess food. Those that spent more time with cats were more cunning and ferocious, excelling when fighting under the city. Those that stay around other rabbits became gluttonous and passive... Bunny suspect they would have higher fertility too. The inclination applied to all baby animals, as small raccoons started mimicking cats too. The newer animals were less popular adults as the little ones could sense the unwritten hierarchy. The original troops were all around level 25, at least 5 times stronger then the strongest newcomer. As they were easier to mold, Bunny prioritize evolution for the young. She also used ''Growth Stall'' on the young ones to keep their learning abilities up. Growth Spur was applied to adolescents so they could reach adulthood faster, thus able to reproduce. Regardless of age, all animals were to level up and work for food, only exceptions were pregnancy and death. There was another reason for the focus on Level 1s, according to her Phantasm Encyclopedia: All Level 1 animals evolved at Level 10, and the rabbits that evolved had three horns, just like Shiva; Other evolved rabbits only had two. One extra issue to note, Bunny tried rearing chickens too. If the chickens manage learn flight, having aerial coverage for scouting would be invaluable. According to the internet, Chickens were suppose to be exhibit intelligent behavior, but the chicks Bunny had seemed to disagree. Whatever taught to them would be forgotten in a few days, they sometimes couldn''t even remember their owner, Bunny, when she wasn''t around for more then 3 game days. Bunny felt that somehow, RR creator associated feathered races as ''bird-brains''. Giving them little value to evolve. The chicks soon turned into some delicious meal, sold along with the ''Cheap Meaty Meals'' that Bunny often sold. ***** For the newcomers, when Minks evolved, their fur turned pure white, while moving around outside the ranch, the color would change to match its surrounding like a chameleon. They were also water loving and Bunny tasked them to fish in a nearby river while not sewer crawling. Fish unlike pelts were direct food sources for the minks, racoons and cats. The cats were given new roles with fish as incentives. Instead of the pseudo guards that simply laze around all day. They were taught simple wood crafting, creating collars rings for any new animals. All animals seemed to fear fire, so none could smith, Bunny remembered her small wooden shields, decided that woodcraft would be the best alter-solution. This also prevented felines from scratching and destroying the wooden fences. Their instinctual clawing and scratching were put into good use. Raccoons evolved their hands, growing the all important thumbs, making their already dexterous hands even more deft. Bunny put the raccoons to work with the cats, attaching leather onto the collars turning them into small capes with the help of some sewing. Body harness were also made for animals without natural weapons like claw and teeth, wooden spears were attached to the harness giving them a means of attack. The equipments provided basic protection as well as differentiate Bunny''s animals from the wild ones. A rumor had flowed around Serabroug, animals with cape were deemed more dangerous then wolves and avoided by newbies. The hedgehogs gave Bunny the most headache. She only got two of them, both female adults. Unless she could obtain more, they wouldn simply die off. Initially, Bunny wanted to put them as tanks, but since they only numbered 2, they were not useful. There was also the problem of diet; Hedgehogs were mainly insectivores, although they could be sustained with berries and grass roots, they felt restless after meals. Hedgehog pelts worth quite a sum due to the natural spines which added both offense and defense... Basically, this was the reason for Bunny''s headache. ***** Watching her army grow, Bunny thought of improving them further. Hunting in the sewers could let them level quickly till level 20, then exp gained slowed down to a crawl. After reaching Level 25, the animals were basically item grinding without much improvements. They needed a higher level hunting ground. This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings. Outside of the city, Bunny scouted the areas. Wolves were obsolete as their levels compared to rabid rats. Further into the forest, Bears at Level 30s could become the next step but the forest were usually filled with adventurers. Bunny needed an exclusive hunting ground. While trolling around the area, toying with weak creatures there, Bunny saw a group of 40-50 soldiers riding back from their expedition led by a knight. From the direction they came from, Bunny assumed they were a punitive force retuning from the clean-up operation in the Lair of Litvart. Lance had been on such a quest before. Lair of Litvart was a low level dungeon consisting of Kobolds and Goblins. Kobolds were at 20s, while Goblins range in the 50s. During the expedition, the NPC soldiers would clean out the dungeon of its inhabitants, leaving less hunts for players. Since the expedition just finished, the dungeon should be relatively deserted. Thinking the meeting as another divine hint, Bunny decided to move her operations to the lair. Since Angel and Gene were not available, Bunny decided to explore the area first. Getting back into the city, Bunny bought a horse with a small carriage, which cost her over 75 gold. Commonly, horses were high-priced commodity that cost at least 100 gold. However, Bunny didn''t looked for well tame ones. She picked a rascal which the stable master wanted to be rid of, this way she spent less and gain some proficiency in her Animal Trainer Mastery and Nursing When a normal carrot didn''t work, Bunny used her oversized carrot bat. She had no qualms on beating disrespectful animals to near death, then healing them with her nursing skill. Doing such deeds in front of other animals instantly improved their servitude towards her. To the animals, their master, Bunny, was kind and always lavish with rewards. She did minimal punishments leading to some corruptions of pilfering stocks. Even those found were not heavily punished. The circumstances of the horse, which openly oppose her, drove away all their sense of safety, none wanted to be in the same situation, thus productivity for the ranch raised by 20%. After being ''re-educated'', the horse was attached to the carriage, ready to relocate Bunny and her specially picked troops. She brought along 20 metal armored rabbits, 2 squirrels, Meow and Nyaa. Not her full capacity to lead, but the what she could fit into the carriage. She had picked them from the original troops, the most combat worthy and highest leveled. ***** The trip took 5 hours, it would have been half a day on foot or 3 hours galloping alone. Reaching the Lair, Bunny first expanded the portable ranch near the entrance. Settling the horse into the ranch, she then led the troops into the dungeon. The horse had thought to escape, but decided again that idea. Dying would be simpler then sustaining another torturing session. Bunny had shown she could be a good owner by giving plenty of good hay and clean water as reward for the journey. The horse decided to stay longer before doing extreme actions. Making a little headway, Bunny spotted five kobolds that were camping around a bonfire, cooking something. Surprised by the sudden appearance of the troops, the kobolds sprang to their feet. ¡°Grakht!¡± ¡°Food had come! Lets eat them!¡± The kobolds were Level 20 midget-like monsters with the head of a dog, below four feet in height, armed with coarse wooden shields and bronze swords, they were worthy opponents for the mixed animal army. They thought the animals were food, so Bunny and her troops got a slight mental advantage. ¡°Kill! Kill!¡± ¡°Free food has arrived! Bless our great luck!¡± When the kobolds rushed out, the animals got tense. This was the first time all the animals faced non-rat opponents. Even with their diminutive height, they were much larger then the animals. The cats were especially uncomfortable with their dog like appearances. ¡°Rabbits! Counter the charge!¡± ¡°Cats! Prepare ambush!¡± Bunny calmly gave out orders. These were the same animals that she commanded when first fighting rats. Back then, they were weak even against the rats, and relied on formations to win. They still remembered the formations as well as their roles in combat. The rabbits quickly formed a linear formation and charged against the wave of kobolds with their spears. A couple of kobolds flung stones with slingshots, but the projectiles barely scratch the metal armors. Outnumbering the enemy 5 to 1, as well as out leveling them, the rabbits gained supremacy over the kobolds with little effort. Adding the disruption caused by sneaking cats, the kobolds fell into disarray and were quickly wiped out. Every time a kobold fell, a small piece of metal dropped on the ground, while their bodies vanished into gray smoke. Unlike rats which left bodies to salvage, the kobolds vanished leaving loot, which made the battles more game-like, compared to harvesting rat corpse. With new gain confidence, the troops marched further into the dungeon. With 20 armed rabbits, the group quickly disposed of small groups of kobolds, even when meeting 2 or 3 groups at the same time, the animals won with little wounds. Since this was a recon mission, Bunny led the troops to the second level without clearing the first. They met and destroyed stronger kobolds; The kobold rascals are level 23, and the relatively stronger kobold warriors nearing level 30, compared to untitled kobolds that were at level 20, they were stronger, but still easily dispatched by the army of animals, as they had numerical advantages. After much scouting and testing the strength of both her troops and various kobolds, Bunny deemed this a good grinding area, easy enough to handle. She got the troops together and retreated back. She would be back again, with not only a more scary army, but two raid leaders. ***** The trip back to the city was uneventful. Bunny''s mind was occupied with thoughts on how to make the ''Lair of Litvart'' her personal training ground. Having other players in the area would only complicate things. Bunny had thought of using the rabbits to kill off other players, making them think stronger monsters inhabited the caves. But that idea would be counter productive, it would just attract even higher levels to the place. If she did too big of a commotion, the information would reach the forums, luring even more spectators to the scene. ¡°How do I make other players avoid the area in a discreet way, without causing too much disturbance?¡± Bunny asked herself as the city comes into view. When Bunny returned to her ranch, she smiled... an evil evil smile... another divine hint she had received.
[/hr] Back to Main Forward to Chapter 18 Chapter 18 – Under Construction -

Chapter 18 ¨C Under Construction

[/hr] Atlas was a lone wolf, he had joined RR to improve his ability to socialize with people. Sadly, it did not turned out well; he wasn''t good at approaching strangers, much less talk to them. Atlas also had a straight personality, whenever he thought of things needed to be done, he would just do it. Instead of waiting at city gates for parties, he went straight into the fields to fight. This caused him to be alone all the time. Atlas was a warrior. After days of solo hunting Bears, he reached level 32. Thinking of a change in environment, he decided his next training area to be Lair of Litvart. The Lair was a popular place recommended by higher levels in the forum. Lair of Litvart was a low level dungeon consisting of Kobolds and Goblins. These were the first sentient monsters that players could fight. Fighting armed Kobolds gave a different ''feel'' compared to hunting wolves, even though both had dog-faces. For players who would eventually turn to PvP, getting used to fighting armored enemies was vital. ***** Reaching the Lair, Atlas found the place very different from pictures and videos he saw from the forums. The cave of the Lair was the same, but the area was surrounded by a wooden fence. In the middle of the fence was the entrance consisting of wooden swing gates below an arch. ''Under Construction'' was written on an arch. Entering the area, Atlas got a message:
You have entered ''Under construction''
Being curious, Atlas moved into the area, avoiding the shacks lined up at the far end, he also noticed some rabbits and a cat lazing around, but decided to ignore them. Observing the area, he found a target to move towards, something that looked like stall located right beside the cave entrance. There, he was greeted by a little girl no more then 12 years old. ¡°Hello adventurer, this place is under construction¡± She said ¡°What do you mean?¡± Atlas questioned ¡°Just what I said, this place is under construction, if you meant the cave, that is the Lair of Liavit. The owner said there will be changes in the cave, so I am here to inform everyone who wants to enter.¡± ¡°What kind of changes are there?¡± Atlas asked, slightly puzzled. ¡°The Lair is now filled with poisonous beings, the owner said there is nothing interesting inside, they are just smoking out bugs, so I am to tell people to leave, or enter at their own risk.¡± The little girl then pointed board behind her, listing to a price of goods she sold.
Liar of Litvart - Temporary stall
[/hr] Meaty Soup ¨C 50 coppers Minor Health Potion ¨C 5 silvers Minor Mana Potion ¨C 5 silvers Antidote ¨C 8 silvers Noisy Horn ¨C 10 silvers
¡°I sell antidotes, so if you want to enter, I can sell you some!¡± The girl cheerfully said. The price of food and potion were reasonable but the antidote cost 20x the price sold in towns. This made Atlas curious, there wasn''t suppose to be any poisonous monsters nearby. Unless what she said about the Lair was true. There was also an additional item of interest, the Noisy Horn. Unlike the other items, Noisy Horn was written in bigger, bold, colored words After selling the loot he gathered while hunting bears, Atlas bought a ''Meaty Soup'', and started eating. He had been on a diet of only rye bread for several days and welcomed a delicious meal. Finding the food worthy of its price, he bought more while asking: ¡°Give me 10 more of those Meaty Soup, but what is that Noisy Horn?¡± ¡°According to the owner, there are Treants 2 hours south of here, they are around Level 40. Treants like to hide themselves, so you will need this horn or something that produce loud noises to irritate them. You can try stabbing trees randomly to find them too.¡± ¡°Thanks for the information, I am Atlas, can we be friends?¡± Atlas asked. ¡°Sure! I am Annie, my twin sister Anna is sleeping in the shack over there. We will be running a shop in Serabroug when our mission here ends. Come buy things from us¡± Annie smiled happily. Atlas was in deep thought. He initially suspected the girl to be a player, preventing other players from entering the cave for reasons unknown. But she had proven to be an NPC because his friend-list had remained empty even after befriending her. Words of NPCs were more trustworthy then a player''s, so he believed her. Regardless of the warning, his curiosity of knowing what happened in the cave won over all thoughts. He had some antidotes from doing quest during his newbie days, and those became helpful now. He was glad he didn''t throw them away. Just as he wanted to step in, he almost bumped into someone exiting the cave.
You have been poisoned! Your life is decreasing continuously.
Atlas instinctively hopped backward 5 steps and examined the situation. 3 player just exit the cave, all had their faces darkened, indicating they were poisoned. From their outfit, Atlas deduced them to be a male Archer, a female Mage and a Priest. The Priest was periodically healing himself and his teammates to keep their health up. Looking at Atlas whose face was also darkened, the archer absently scratched his head. ¡°Ummm... sorry for getting you poisoned too¡± ¡°No worries, but what is down there poisoning everyone?¡± Atlas asked ¡°Plague rats¡± the Priest supplied ¡°Lots of them, and they give puny exp¡± the Mage added unhappily The group then spread out, standing at least 3 meters from each other, with the priest starting to use his ''Cure Poison'' Spell on them one by one. Atlas took a glimpse inside the cave while waiting for his turn. It was a greenish smoky environment, with small rats running around. All his senses were screaming not to venture further. After getting his poison cured by the priest, he sat down with the group for discussion. ¡°Plague rats are extremely troublesome, they are less then lv20 but poison everything they touch¡± ¡°You can get poisoned too, just by standing within 2 meters of someone infected¡± ¡°The plague poison is disgustingly irritating¡± ¡°I think the Poison Fumes are worse, they spread all over the place¡± ¡°There is no way to grind in this place now¡± ¡°Is this related to the place being under construction?¡± ¡°That is highly possible, everyone got that status message when they entered this place¡± ¡°There is the NPC girl too, selling antidotes at insane prices¡± ¡°I have never ever heard of RR doing updates like this¡± ¡°Neither do I, but this place is out of business, we need to hunt elsewhere¡± ¡°How about the Treants that NPC girl recommend?¡± Looking at Atlas, the archer asked ¡°Don''t mind me asking, you looked like a warrior, can you tank Treants?¡± ¡°I don''t know, never fought Treants before,I am currently over level 30, I got bored of soloing bears¡± ¡°Ah! If you can solo bears, you should do good, want to party?¡± asked the priest ¡°Sure! I''m Atlas, nice to meet you. ¡± Atlas ¡°I''m Adrian, she is Lindy and he is Joseph¡± the archer introduced the team ¡°Want to be friends?¡± Atlas was extremely happy, he finally made some friends and got into a party. The trio lack a tanker, so they welcomed him happily. As for their future adventures, that would be for another time. ***** The forums for beginners were in an uproar. Plenty of post were found talking about Lair of Litvart becoming a poison infested dungeon. - Could it be a quest? - Why don''t you go check it out - I don''t have much HP, but any high levels want to sort this out - High levels don''t have time to play in low level dungeons - NPCs don''t lie, so they there is nothing interesting in there - Are you sure NPC cannot lie? - NPCs can mislead like those sage using tricky words, but they don''t lie outright. The NPC girl said nothing is in there. - I will explain how it works, by the way, I have a doctorate in Logical Thinking. The AI program found some bugs, so it consolidate all the buggy codes together in a dungeon. They put annoying monsters to guard the cave in order to chase players away. The poison from plague rats and the poison mist can hardly kill anyone that could reach the place. Below the lair would most likely be corrupted data, so entering is not wise, you may even end up losing your character. The proof is them placing an NPC merchant at the entrance to redirect players to other hunting locations. Has anyone ever meet an NPCs that tell you information without familiarity? OR have anyone of you met NPCs randomly putting up a stall in front of a dungeon? - Dear sir, your logic amaze me! - I too agree with the above. ***** - Time rewind back to when Bunny flashed her evil evil smile. - To keep players away, there needed to be irritating monsters; Monsters that gave debuffs. Players like to fight straight forward battles; Something akin to street brawling, where one didn''t need to think, simply just hit the enemy and block/dodge their attack. With a healer present, they could even just focus on attacking, while their health constantly replenished Bears, Treants, Kobolds, Goblins... just to name a few, were simple ''attack to kill'' enemies. They didn''t cause irregular statues, they didn''t have unique attacks and their skills revolves around dealing more damage or simple bleeding that heals after each battle. Even the boss monsters just had improved speed and strength. These were monsters players like to hunt. Ghost, Banshee, Undead Priest, these monsters uses curses, which stayed after battles, they were avoided like plague. Sirens, Dryads, Lamia charm their enemies creating confusion, another set of monsters heavily avoid by players. Poisonous Snakes, Spiders and Scorpions, these garner little interest from players too. What Bunny had were Plague Rats found deep in the sewers. The ''plague'' effect scattered among the infected, causing whole parties to be easily poisoned. Even if the poison wasn''t deadly, the psychological effect of being poisoned would turn many people off. In addition, they gave pathetic exp, making them the BEST material to use for chasing other players away. But just throwing Plague rats at the entrance of the Lair would not dissuade other players from entering. They needed a reason to believe plague rats filled the area. This was where the name of the Ranch came into play. By using the options of the ranch, Bunny disable everything related to the display of ownership, simply showing the name ''Under Construction'' to any player who entered. If you encounter this tale on Amazon, note that it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. The plan was simple, creating an illusion of RR doing an upgrade on the dungeon. That way, introduction of plague rats into the dungeon would not seem suspicious. ¡°Will other player buy the story?¡± Bunny asked herself. ¡°Obviously Not!¡± This had nothing to do with other players wanting to find the truth. The real problem lies in each player having their own priority scales. If they accepted the illusion, they ended up losing a good hunting ground. On the other side, they would only need to spent a few hours up to a few days to explore the Lair to see through the bluff. Even if the event was real, players would still wander around the dungeon due to opportunity cost. To improve on the situation, Bunny needed not only to convince players, she also had to redirect their attention. If what the players would lose was a hunting ground, just provide an alternative place and they would disperse; ¡°Would you spent an extra day on rumors for a hunting ground when you are already told of another similar one nearby?¡± That should be the question players ask themselves. Lance used to hunt in this region, so he knew of a ''Treants Park'', a place where those moving trees reside. It wasn''t some big secret, but people seldom mention it; Treants were bad fighters, with easy to dodge attacks, a good sources of easy Exp, but for loot, they mostly drop wood, which was both bulky and cheap. Bunny decided to use this information as a diversion. The last step was to hire NPCs to greet other players and to give them the location of the ''Treant Park''. The NPCs would both intensify the bluff while reducing the motivation for players seeking truth. Players did not trust other players, but they believed the words of NPCs easily. Bunny used her familiarity with the orphanage to hire the Lair''s spokespeople. She had been eying the twin sisters Anna and Annie ever since her ranch expanded. As the ranch produced more things, Bunny had been tempted to hire one of the girls to handle a store specifically for selling her ranch produce. Both girls were not shy around strangers, could communicate well and most importantly they aspire to become merchants. Getting them to become spokespeople of the Lair was extremely easy when told they would take turns to look after a stall. Bunny also paid them well; 5 gold were given to the twins for 2 months of work with safety, living quarters and food covered. The girls had reveal they would start their own shop in Serabroug with the money earned, so Bunny promised them she would consign products from her ranch for them to sell. With all things thought out, Bunny asked herself again: ¡°Will other player buy this new story?¡± ***** Weekend came again quickly in the real world. Within the RR, another 28 days passed. Bunny and her friends arrived at the Lair of Litvart. The mobile ranch had be set up and the twins took their position a week earlier, with 10 rabbits and Meow for security reasons. Gene wasn''t idling around while Bunny made her ''exclusive'' plan. He got himself a Bear as an animal companion. The Bear had red fur and carried both him and Angel on their way to the Lair, leaving more space on Bunny''s carriage for food and necessities. According to Gene, the bear was a cub, as he was influenced by her picking the young ones for easier training. Bunny didn''t want to know how big an adult bear would be if the cub already stand at 2 meters tall, but she did use her ''Growth Stall'' on the animal by the request of Gene. First thing the trio needed to do was to ensure the Lair was empty of players. Annie had told Bunny no new players entered, and 2 groups left. Anna added that there was a lone adventurer who left with extremely sad eyes; He gave her the feeling his world was ending. Ignoring gossips, Bunny and co. started their search. Moving down floor by floor, the trio scouted the whole Lair and found themselves alone. They had avoided the worst case scenario of having players still wandering around the lair. Even though the trio and animals'' levels were much lower compared to goblins, Bunny and her troop of 60 animals had a large numerical advantages, good usage of formation and three healers. Killing the goblins took time, but they were able to move all over the Lair without much risk. Instead of screeching, Bunny started using her Harp playing as the source of sound for her skill Echolocation. It caused less stress on her throat while improving her musical skills. Moving around playing her harp while listening to feedback, Bunny found a hidden passageway at the deepest part of the lair. Within were pinky sized bugs instead of goblins, a good source of proteins for those interested. While the humans felt their skin crawl, the rabbits and squirrels happily feasted. 127 Plague rats were released near the entrance. They had be thoroughly ''trained'' to infect then escape, so they do not die easily. The rat''s level were kept low due to two reasons: Firstly, Bunny had no intention to evolve them, and secondly, they were disposable deterrent, giving as much trouble and give as little exp as possible. Boxes of bugs were transported daily from the depths to the rats as food, keeping their health and satiety level up. Evolved minks which seemed to be immune to plague poison were camped near the rats to help kill any kobolds that sometimes spawn near the entrance. The minks were given specific instructions to hide if players arrive, which they could easy do with their color changing coats. To stick to Bunny''s bluff, the cave needed to appear empty except the plague rats. Other then the twins, Bunny also hired another boy named Aaron with similar terms. Aaron aspired to be a teamster, so he was tasked to ferrying goods between the Lair to Bunny''s Ranch in the city. Food and other necessities was needed at the mobile ranch, while loot and food cooked were sent back for storage and sale. The carriage was replaced with a cart for goods transport, which also became a lazing place for Nyaa and 4 rabbits. Aaron was initially uncertain about the animals'' role, but was awed when they easily extinguished a pack of 6 wolves that ambushed the cart. To Bunny''s surprise, Angel learned the Blacksmith skill. Bunny had never heard of any priest swinging hammers in a forge... then again, priestesses focused on archery were just as rare. Loot dropped by the residents of Litvart consisted of iron pieces, some weak gears and coins. Since the loot was split evenly, Angel made her share consisting of mostly things she could melt and reforge. During lull times, she would take out her portable stove and melt them into ingots. Bunny felt that Angel would become the first pseudo paladin archer in the game... A priestess with triple layered heavy armor using a bow. ***** Three game days passed easily, with a small army running undisturbed around the Lair. Bunny and co. were leveling up at an incredible pace. Bunny gain proficiency in her skill Phantasm Calling by calling even more animals into the Lair. With each level, reduction of health and man of the summoned were lessened. A rabbit reported something interesting, using Gene''s Life-Link skill, the humans were able to hear the rabbit talk. It said in a small voice: ¡°Big monster in cave of the bugs¡± Not making much sense of the report, the trio went into the bug infested cave. The randomly crawling bugs were gone, so the trio decided to explore deeper into the cave. The cave had several forks, using Echolocation, Bunny found the design to be similar to hotel corridor, with rooms on each side. Instead of doors, there were splits in the cave, while rooms were replaced by dead-end tunnels guarded by something that gave a fuzzy respond. After tell her finding to her team, they proceed into one of ''rooms'' to see the monster. ¡°Ewww, gross looking worm¡± Angel exclaimed ¡°Do you really think worms grow that huge?¡± Bunny replied pointing at the monster ¡°It looks cute¡± Gene said, which made the other two look at him with funny expressions. What the trio found was a huge worm draped in carapace. It looked like an 2m long millipede without the legs and adding a wide mouth. The bugs that used to loiter around the area were all swarming around the worm like thousands of flies over dung. Looking at the trio, the huge worm spewed light green smoke which filled the area quickly.
You have been poisoned! Your life is decreasing continuously.
¡°Awww... poison again? Are we cursed with always meeting poison enemies?¡± Bunny grumbled *Sigh* Angel agreed with a sigh, then started chanting her Mass Cure spell Gene just switched his focus between the worm and Bunny. ¡°Gene! Don''t give me that puppy look, I don''t think I want to keep it as a pet.¡± Bunny grunted ¡°Hmph, you kept those rats, why not a worm too¡± Gene pouted, this was the first time he was assertive, but Bunny felt it was wrong on so many levels. ¡°Wait... I think Gene has a point.¡± Angel suddenly declared after much thought. Bunny caught on, and the trio slowly carried the worm up near the entrance of the Lair. At its new location, the worm started spewing poison fumes periodically causing the air around the area to have a light greenish tint. Luckily neither the worm, minks nor the plague rats mind sharing the area. They didn''t seem to poison each other, while the bugs that came along became munchies for the minks and rats. Bunny was studying her Phantasm Encyclopedia ¡°I thought those bugs grow into worms, but they are not related at all, they formed a closed ecosystem and parasite on each other. The bugs feed on mucus excreted by the worm while the worm eat them.¡± Looking up to see Gene trying to make an animal contract with the worm, Bunny sighed and interrupted. ¡°Gene, we need to carry two more worms up here, you want wait so you could get a bigger or smaller one?¡± ¡°Ok, I want a bigger one¡± Gene nodded and the trio went back deeper into the Lair to carry worms. It seemed that Gene was getting more accustomed to Bunny''s presence, so he stopped using ''Ummm'' in front of every sentence. Bunny didn''t mind Gene being more relax around her, but his taste in animal companions still made her shudder. Both the bear and worm.
[/hr] Back to Main Forward to Chapter 19 Chapter 19 – Soie Village -

Chapter 19 ¨C Soie Village

[/hr] Leveling fast, Bunny, her friends and the first batch of animals reached Level 60. For animals that experienced their first evolution at Lv10, they evolved again at Lv50. There was also a significant change in body mass; Once they had their new evolution, the animal''s bodies started expanding in size. From Lv50 to Lv60, most evolved animals now stood at half a meter, almost doubled their original small frames. Those that managed to evolved at Lv15 only managed their second evolution at Lv60, resulting in their size being miniature compared to their compatriots. Bunny did notice that the size gained did not give them more combat potential, like levels. For rabbits, they just started gaining more strength instead of agility. Other then size, the animals also had additional characteristics: The Minks grew poisonous fangs, which was somehow expected as they were immune to poison. The rabbits had their horns glowing, becoming magic horns instead of normal ones. The cats simply gain stronger, longer claws, which looked more like small scythes sticking out of their paws. No raccoons around, so that will have to wait. According to her Phantasm Encyclopedia, each step of evolution, brought them closer to sentience. From mindless animals into clever beings that rival humans. Starting from tier-0 which was simply animals who relied on instincts. Tier-1 would improve their intelligence, allowing them to learn better; The squirrels learn to trade, the cats became cunning, while rabbits started to work in groups. Tier-2 was reached when some of them reach Lv50. At this stage, they gain more understanding of their surrounding and could start thinking more deeply on matters. The squirrels started helping the twins doing merchant work. The rabbits became more aware of their armor and would automatically ask for repairs. Nothing much was noticed from the minks and cats but they had only recently evolved. According to the book, the animals would now increase in size according to their levels. They will keep increasing in size until their next evolution. Bunny didn''t know how big that would be. Remembering her first conversation with Deft Hand, these animals would surely grow pass a meter tall. The Phantasm Encyclopedia stated they would be able to start talking when they reached Tier-3, something Bunny would very much appreciate. At the moment, she would always need Gene with his Life-Link skill to receive any useful information from the animals. Bunny could command or give instructions easily with her Animal Trainer skill, but she couldn''t gain any feedback without Gene. Due to having lots of animals evolving, Bunny''s Breeding Mastery reached intermediate levels. Unlike other mastery skills, Breeding Mastery seems to gain proficiency passively whenever she gain more animals or when the animals evolved. With the skills at intermediate, Bunny could view how many animals she owned.
Breeding Mastery ¨C Intermediate Level 1 With this skill, by touching the animals in your care, they will have higher fertility rates Wild animals are more likely to respond positively to you Current Number of Animals you owned: Rabbits: 334 Cats: 58 Squirrels: 63 Racoons: 26 Minks: 27 Hedgehogs: 2
¡°Not bad, we got over 500 animals now¡± Bunny commented while reading the information. ¡°How did you know that?¡± Angel asked ¡°Breeding mastery reached Intermediate, so numbers of animals was shown¡± ¡°So how many of each do we have now?¡± Angel asked again ¡°334 rabbits, 58 cats, 63 squirrels, 26 racoons and 27 minks.¡± Bunny listed out ¡°Is my bear and worm on your list?¡± Gene asked ¡°No, they are your animal companions, not my farm animals¡± ¡°Are we going to have to level all of them?¡± Angel questioned ¡°I don''t think we need to, the higher levels can lead the lower one, just like the sewers¡± ¡°Alright then, I need to work on my Blacksmith skills¡± ¡°Remember to make some armor for the troops, there should be enough metals¡± ¡°OK!¡± With that, Angel went into the poison cloud, took out her portable furnace and started smelting. Gene stayed near her, taking out his alchemy kit and started working too. Staying for extended periods within the poison mist improved their poison resistance. Proficiency in healing improved when they healed themselves. Lastly, working while in non-optimal conditions creates and enhance the ''Concentration'' stat which was good for spell casters. Bunny led the animals out and swap a few with the guards. Some were told to return to Sera-Ranch, Bunny''s ranch in Serabroug, with the teamster Aaron on his next trip. Bunny then summoned another group of animals, giving priority to the younger ones. After healing them from their summoning sickness, she had the higher levels teach the newer ones basic tactics. She then directed the new group back into the dungeon for grinding, before joining Angel and Gene with her tailoring. ***** Anna and Annie had been making much progress on their temporary stall. Although they had started out simply selling what Bunny provided, they took a 100 gold loan from Bunny so they could buy loot from adventurers that visited. Only offering 80% of what could be obtained from selling the same things at Serabroug, they did not expect business to bloom. Traveling to Liar of Litvart from the Citadel of Serabroug took 12 hours of eastbound travel, it could be done in 3 hours on horseback but most people travel by foot. Linking the two was a dirt road. The destination of the dirt road, however, wasn''t the Lair, it continued eastwards to Soie Village, which was another 10 hours walk. The Lair simply sit almost in the middle between the two areas. If players hunting around the region required things like selling loot, restocking food or repairs, they would need to spend a day traveling. Many players used the twin''s stall to dispose of their loot and restock so they could continue hunting in the surrounding areas. The players felt the prices the stall offered was reasonable and welcomed, because they saved the time needed for going back to the city. Also, the twins worked day and night in shifts, so players did not have to wait till daylight to trade. Once every few days, Annie would hitch a ride on Aaron''s cart back to the city to trade. With this method, the twins made much money. Occasionally, Bunny and co would buy raw materials from the twins to process. Bunny would Cook, Angel transformed shells, ores and metals into Shield and Armors, while Gene made different kinds of potions. These were then placed in the twin''s shop to sell. Capitalizing on the success of the stall, Bunny made a trip back to the orphanage to hire more children. She got another aspiring teamster, a novice cook, a promising blacksmith, a upcoming woodworker and two maid wannabes. With the new children, Bunny build a small Tavern, a fletcher-house and a blacksmith near the Lair. The boy smith named Saul, due to inexperience, could only repair items and produce simple arrow tips. Linda, the woodworker, made quality arrows. The boy cook, Rice, and two maids, Beth and Brenda, tend the tavern. Business was good even if there were no alcohol since all the NPCs were underage. Bunny also bought another horse and cart for Derrick, the new teamster. The new horse only cost 25 gold, a quarter the price of other horses, Bunny felt it was something the stable master desperately wanted to be rid of. It obviously come with extreme attitude problems, which Bunny easily cured with several hours of beat... let''s just call it retraining. Since she was getting good gains in the proficiency of Animal Training, the ''training'' went on for much longer until the rise in proficiency started to stall. However, she couldn''t do anything about the new horse always farting. On hindsight, Liar of Litvart actually had very good geographical location as a rest stop. Although the Soie Village at the end of the dirt road had nothing to be proud of, the area around the lair proved to be excellent hunting ground for players. To the South of Litvart was the great forest, beginning with Treant park, where living trees around level 40 lived. Further into the forest, there are stronger animals like Black Bears at 50s, White Tigers at 60s, even Basilisks at 80s. There were multiple forest dungeons too, which consist of animals and plant monsters near 100. Basically this was good place for both solo and groups below 100. Fur or wood obtained as loot could be made into durable clothing or furniture by tailors or carpenters. To the North of Litvart, there was a huge lake, the lake-shore was swamped with Crustaceans. Crab warriors, Shrimp soldiers, Lobster knights, Scampi fighters, Crayfish raiders... They varied in levels from 50-100 and were scattered randomly, so unlucky lone players would meet monsters too high or low for them. Shells obtained from these monsters could be worked by craftsmen to become interesting looking shields and armors. Overall, another good place for those below 100, but limited to parties. With the success of the rest stop, Bunny renamed the ranch to ''Litvart Rest Stop''. She also build a shack over the entrance of the Lair covering it from casual views. With these changes, people started to associate Litvart as a Rest-Stop rather then some Monster Lair. Angel made a small shrine of the Goddess Tokki near the entrance of the Rest-Stop. It was just a small stone statue of the Goddess of small animals, surrounded by stone rabbits. This allowed the rabbits and cats that guarded the area to roam around without fear of stupid players attacking them; Even the dumbest person would know not to attack rabbits when a goddess statue included them with her. ***** Another week passed, and it was Saturday again, this equate to almost a month in RR. The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Upon logging in, Bunny was greeted by her aides, the five original squirrels she had; Named ''Prize'', ''Booty'', ''Loot'', ''Spoils'' and ''Haul''. All of them reached Lv60 and had evolved, improving their smarts allowing them to give overall reports on the happenings when she wasn''t around. Bunny had Gene made permanent Life-Links on these five animals with herself so she could telepathically communicate with them. Prize was in charged of ''Sera-Ranch'', focusing on leather production. Loot and Spoils handled ''Litvart Rest-Stop''. Booty and Haul each led a group of squirrels accompanying the two teamsters Bunny hired, They served as both protection and additional transport volume. From the reports, the younger animals had been diligently training themselves. They were eager to gain another evolution which they somewhat associate with their social standings. The older animals tend to be more fixed in their ways, and had less ambition on gaining levels. There were about 100 older animals that gave up on evolving, so they were assigned to breeding, rat hunting and leather production in Sera-Ranch. The younger ones where transported over to ''Litvart'' for leveling and training on more difficult roles of crafts like sewing, woodworking and even cooking. The racoons were the only ones that managed to gain a rare skill called shell-working which enable them to work with shell-loots Bunny obtained from players hunting Crustaceans. In addition to having a higher level, the equipment of the animals got upgraded too. Overall Bunny was pleased with the animal''s progress. ***** The contract with Annie and Anna had ended, but the twins wanted to continue working. They had rejected their pay as they made more from running the stall at Litvart. They even proposed to rent the stall from Bunny at 2 gold a month. Bunny rejected the offer ¡°You girls can use the stall as long as you want, if you continue to sell things we made¡± ¡°You sure you don''t want us to pay rent?¡± ¡°We know you are rich, but didn''t know you are a spendthrift¡± ¡°I''m not... I just want you girls to have a good start, merchant life is not always rosy. Save the money and use it to expand your business when you grow older, you will need some dowry too later on in life¡± Bunny replied, but maintained her stand, while giving Annie a cat smile causing her to blush. The other children also decided to continue working for Bunny. She was a good boss and took care of them; The food was good, living quarters were spacious with safety guaranteed. Although they were young, the children were hardworking and liked being independent. Once in a while, they would return to the city to visit the orphanage to brag about their new lives. While chatting with the Angel, Gene and the children, a status window pops up
Breeding Master has level up
Breeding Mastery ¨C Intermediate Level 2 With this skill, by touching the animals in your care, they will have higher fertility rates Wild animals are more likely to respond positively to you Current Number of Animals you owned: Rabbits: 353 Cats: 63 Squirrels: 67 Racoons: 33 Minks: 35 Chickens: 40
¡°What! When did I start owning chickens?¡± Bunny exclaimed while she read the info. ¡°Didn''t you experiment with some eggs before?¡± Angel supplied ¡°But... those became the fried chicken we ate the first time coming here¡± Bunny replied ¡°Then how did you get chickens again?¡± Gene looked interested. ¡°How many did you own now?¡± Angel asked trying to solve the puzzle ¡°I don''t know how, but now I owned 40 chickens.¡± ¡°Guess you need to go back to Serabroug to check¡± Gene suggested ¡°Yeah! You better check it out¡± Angel agreed ¡°Why only me?¡± Bunny pouted ¡°Because, we got other things to do¡± Angel commented nonchalantly. ¡°Arrrggg... I will just ignore the chickens, I can work on them later¡± The original plan for the current weekend was to travel east towards Soie Village. Angel who made the shrine of Goddess Tokki gain lots of amity from the goddess, so she wanted to try start a shrine or temple for the other deities. Soie Village was the nearest village, so the trio decided to just visit, and could possibly make a shrine. Which deity''s shrine to build would be determined by the conditions of the village. A farming village would benefit from Freya, while a village with lots of wild game around would benefit from Tokki. Lu would guard the village from harm if that was present. The current religion of the village must be taken into consideration too. ***** Reaching the village, the trio were greeted by a sorry state. Situated in the middle of abandoned plantations filled with weeds, the trio had arrived at a small, sparsely populated village. There were a total less then 100 houses, but most seemed damaged, making the area look like city slums. There were only children and old people around the village, as Bunny couldn¡¯t discern anything such as liveliness on their faces. Walking up to the biggest building, the trio were greeted with arguments between two person. ¡°We need to rescue those captured¡± A young voice shouted ¡°You will become needless sacrifice, we will wait for the soldiers to help¡± replied a voice of an elderly ¡°The kingdom soldiers will not return in a month, we cannot wait that long¡± ¡°But we must, there is no one to help us in our plight.¡± ¡°I will gather people to raid the bandits myself¡± With the conversation ended, a young teenager left house, bypassing the trio. ¡°What happened here¡± Bunny asked he elderly ¡°Our village was raided by the bandits and the adults here were all captured¡± ¡°Why would bandits capture villagers¡± Angel asked ¡°They found a mine recently and forced us to mine for them... We are in a sorry state now¡± ¡°Can we help you clear the bandits¡± Bunny proposed ¡°I will punished them in the name of the Deities¡± Angel supplied ¡°Your bravery are commendable but, there are over 500 of them... there are only 3 of you. It is best we just wait for the kingdom soldiers to come help us.¡± ¡°There are over 400 of us, so the odds are not as bad.¡± Bunny smiled at the numbers ¡°If you have such an army, will you really help us? We have nothing to give in return¡±
Quest: Save Soie Villager Soie Village was a peaceful and lively village, until the Kingdom''s Eastern Border was invaded by hideous monsters. When the kingdom soldiers were called to relieve the monster threats, the bandits took the opportunity and ransack the village. They had captured all the working adults and enslaved them in their fort in the Eastern lowlands. The village elder Garlen request of you to rescue the adults of the village. Difficulty: D Quest requirement: Rescue the captive villagers! Number of captives: 100 Must be completed within 30 days Quest Failure: The kingdom soldiers would return from their border missions in 30 day, After 30 days, Elder Garlen would request for their aid, failing this quest. Since Elder Garlen did not place much hope in your success, he will not fault you for failure or quitting
¡°We do deeds in the name of good, we do not need rewards.¡± Angel accepted the quest ¡°The fight itself is worth enough, let see how we will fair as an army¡± Bunny agreed Gene just nodded his head.
You have accepted the quest!
Walking out of the Elder''s place, the trio met with the boy who was arguing with the elder earlier. He had a ragtag group of children armed with pitchfork and spades. They numbered 25. ¡°I overheard your talk with the elder, will you help us destroy the bandits¡± The boy asked
Quest: Solve Soie Village''s Bandit problems Beyond the border of Rosenheim Kingdom was a wilderness of monsters. Walls were built, and troops were dispatched in order to keep out the monsters that annually invaded the motherland. Whenever there were monster invasions, the soldiers of the kingdom who patrol around for security of the villages and towns would be recalled to repel the invasions. Just as it was darkest below the lighthouse, Soie Village which was near the capital had be ransacked by local bandits whenever the soldiers were busy elsewhere. This had happened many times before. To put an end to the recurring problem, Rod, a youngster in the Soie Village requested you to help the village militia to clean out the bandit fort. Difficulty: D Quest requirement: Capture the Bandit Fort with the village militia
¡°Isn''t this the same as the one the elder offered?¡± Bunny wondered ¡°We do intend to wipe them out, but some others may have opted to just rescue¡± Angel answered ¡°Ummm... so do we just accept?¡± Gene asked, back with his ''ummm...'' due to the strangers around. ¡°Why not?¡± Bunny accept the quest.
You have accepted the quest!
[/hr] Back to Main Forward to Chapter 20 Chapter 20 – Kill the Bandits (Part 1) -

Chapter 20 ¨C War with the bandits

[/hr] After receiving two quest with the same objective, Bunny and co exited the village. Bunny suggested her battle plan: ¡°Let''s summon all the animals we have, then do a frontal charge. The bandits will make light of just 3 people and some random animals, when they attack with their guards down, we can show them our strength. It will cause confusion when they fight rabbits similar to their levels.¡± Confidently outlining her plans, Bunny earned a knock on the head from Gene''s staff, which sent her sulking in some imaginary corner. Gene had became friendly enough with Bunny that he would not hesitate to stop her from impulsive actions. Looking at the other two, Angel sighed. To Angel, Bunny had both originality and ingenuity, with plans that were bold and diverse. Her special animal training methods, creation of passive income and the great bluff on the Lair of Litvart... These were just examples of her unique ways of thinking. However, originality and ingenuity were terms only awarded to successful ventures. When things go bad, they were termed as unorthodoxy and eccentricity. It was a double edged sword. Bunny''s idiosyncrasy plan on gaining more hedgehogs by releasing the two she currently had ended with feeding the poor animals to larger predators, while her current battle plan screamed ''Crazy Idea''. Gene did not make unique plans, but he was level-headed. With a clear mind, he could foresee possible flaws in Bunny''s absurd plans and upgrade or avoid them accordingly. Even for the great bluff, Gene took extra effort to ''tutor'' the twins Annie and Anna into using terms like ''The owner said...'' in order to increase their credibility. She was also the one who misdirected people in the forums. The two made an amazing partnership with Bunny cooking up exotic ideas while Gene sharpening them into great strategies. They could had become a great couple if not for their laughable circumstances of switched gender avatars. ***** ¡°To win a battle, the most important aspect is information. From what village elder Garlen said, we only know there are 500 bandits and the bandit fort location. Factoring in the fact, for most D rank quest have 800 enemies instead 500, we can either assume a boss leader within the bandit fort, or bandits are extremely difficult opponents.¡± Gene calmly explained the situation ¡°Rushing in is no good, we would win, but death tolls will be high.¡± Angel agreed Bunny just continued sulking. ¡°We need to gather more information before planing. In wars, we need to know both our strength and the enemies'' power to win. Since today is Saturday, we can spend the day spying, collecting info then do strategic planing and preparation . We can launch an attack tomorrow morning. Everyone free tomorrow?¡± ¡°I have no previous appointments¡± Angel replied ¡°Me neither, so what do we do now?¡± Bunny asked, still rubbing her head. ¡°I''ll go scout with the minks, their camouflage cloaks are ideal for recon work. Bunny, get me 20 minks first, then prepare the army for war. We only need those above Level 50s and make sure they are well armed, we need to know of our power too. ¡°Alright!¡± Bunny answered ¡°Angel, can you go handle those children who think themselves militias? We will keep each other updated using PM.¡± ¡°Not a problem¡± After receiving instructions, Angel left for the village and Bunny summoned 20 of the 35 minks. Gene formed a temporary companion contract with them before setting out to scout. With the temporary contract, Gene gained the mink''s ''cloaking ability'' and could revive them if they accidentally got killed. With the others gone, Bunny communicated with her 5 squirrels aides, checking the status and levels of all the animals she owned, as well as the plague rats and worms. There were currently around 200 animals that were combat ready. Over 250 rabbits, 50 cats, 50 squirrels were above Level 50, but not all had acceptable gears meant for war. The racoons and cats were tasked to finish the remaining gears within 3 game days. There were a total of 100 worms, but only 42 were transportable, the rest were too large to carry. Rats population in the lair was just enough to sustain its presence. If Bunny need more, she would need to capture them directly from the sewers. When inquiring about the chickens, Bunny only got vague answers about them being ''cheap labor'' in Sera-Ranch. With her interest piqued, Bunny decided to make a trip back into the city. Getting onto her carriage, chauffeured by Derrick, she started her task to visit all her ranches for a more detailed update report. Bunny had another reason to return to the city, she had reached level 62, as well as gain the ''Concentration'' stat. With over 300 unassigned stat points, she needed to visit Magic Guilds within the city to know what spells she could learn. It was common knowledge a player could learn magic when their Intelligence raised above 300. Bunny needed information about magic before investing the points. ***** A game day passed, the trio gathered near Soie Village again. Gene and his team of minks had uncovered great information, thus the meeting. ¡°The bandits fort is more like a manor with its estate fenced up. Within the area, there are around 30 tents, and two guard towers, from the size, I estimate no more then 200 people inside. There are smaller camps scattered around the lowlands, where I think the remaining bandits camp.¡± Gene explained ¡°Are the villagers in that fort?¡± Angel asked ¡°No, the villagers are forced to do mining work in a nearby iron mine. There are around 100 bandits guarding the villagers. I suggest we rescue the villagers first.¡± ¡°I think we should sweep the smaller camps, cutting down their number is vital¡± Bunny suggested ¡°I want to sweep up the smaller camps as well, but securing the villagers is more important. If we sweep too many camps, they will become alert, even using the villagers as hostage, that would be bad.¡± Gene stated his stand. ¡°But if we rescue the villagers first, they camps may gather within the fort. Having 200 bandits in the fort is very different from having 400 there.¡± Bunny supported hers too. Angel pondered upon the situation. When plans were discussed, she seemed to always end up with the final say, supporting her decisions with cold logic and probabilities. She thought about various pros and cons with the two plans and finally made her deduction. ¡°Both sides are equally important, we will split into two groups. One will rescue the villagers while the other sweep the smaller camps. Bunny, give us a breakdown on number of active animals¡± ¡°There are 122 Twin-Horned Rabbits, 127 Tri-Horned Rabbits, 54 Cats, 42 Squirrels and 26 Minks for combat without weakening the security of the ranches. Twin-Horned are those that evolved at 60, so they can be disguised as critters for ambush, while Tri-Horned have grown too big.¡± ¡°The racoons are bad combatants, so I left them to do crafting and repairs. If both teamster transports are set to rest, we can squeeze out another 10 more squirrels. There are also 40 chickens that can become suicide-bombers.¡± Love this story? Find the genuine version on the author''s preferred platform and support their work! ¡°What?!?¡± Gene gasped ¡°Wait... What do you mean by the Chickens suicide bombers?¡± Angel asked ¡°When I was not around, the squirrel overlord in Sera-Farm bought some chicken eggs and hatched them. They lack any intelligence, but somehow made it to Level 15, by following the sewer raiding parties. I''m thinking of strapping Litvart worms on them and send them running into bandit camps.¡± ¡°No!¡± Gene rejected the idea. ¡°Hmm... how about you make some explosives or bombs instead, for the chickens to carry?¡± ¡°I think... I can... make sure not to touch my worms.¡± Gene compromised ¡°You ever think of rearing them normally, like egg laying hens?¡± Angel questioned ¡°Blame the luck of that squirrel overlord, 40 eggs become 40 roosters, no hens... what can I do?¡± Angel just shook her head... still she did not deny the chickens and set them as extreme measures. ***** Sunday, 7am. Rise and Shine! In RR, the time was just after the virtual sunset. A cloaked figure was scuttling along wild bushes beside a working mine; He was not very skilled in stealth but thanks to his color changing cloak, which blend with the shades, he was able to move undetected. Beside him were blurry figures, meaning he was not alone. Bright lanterns lit the mining area, showing tired faces of the miners. They looked undernourished and overworked but had not stop to rest. Groups of well-armed men directed the miners, they dressed in mismatched armor, and most held machetes or large knives in their hands. While making his way to the guards sleeping quarters, the cloaked figure mused at the situation. ''If these bandits were a little smarter or hardworking, they would be working the mines themselves. The bandit to worker ratio was extremely bad. 100 bandits to guard 100 miners, they would have no troubles if all 100 bandits worked instead.'' Pondering further, he retracted his first thought. If the bandits were smart or hardworking, they would not be bandits in the first place.. The sleeping quarters of the bandits near the mine, were 8 simple tents, big enough to accommodate 10 people each. Within each tent, slept 5-10 bandits. The cloak figure took out a few pills, a mixing bowl, 8 smaller bowls and two vials. He consumed the pills before emptying the contents of vials into the mixing bowl, and started mixing them. The mixture started to smoke and gave off a sweet smelling fragrance. Shaking away the drowsiness caused by the smoke, he scoped the content of the mixing bowl into the 8 smaller bowls, then placed one into each the sleeping tents. After counting two minutes for all the tents to be smoked, he directed his comrades to start working. To each sleeping man, the minks sunk their poisonous teeth. Within a minute, all the sleeping bandits were replaced by wisps of gray smoke. The group then stealthy moved away, not bothered with gathering loot. They continue towards the mine entrance, silently murdering any bandits they encountered, while gathering the villagers. Upon reaching their destination, a group of 25 children, escorted by a larger group of rabbits and squirrels, joined up. Villagers whom were liberated earlier, were crossed examined by the children, making sure no bandits had mixed in. Gene estimated there to be 100 bandits, of which 78 had be disposed. The remaining bandits, if any, were either hiding in the mines or disguised as the captured villagers. 20 Squirrels were sent around collecting loot while being alert of any extra bandits that would visit the mines. Sneaking time was over, the group would now move into the mines as an army on a rescue mission. Placing 20 children with 20 rabbits as guards at the entrance, Gene entered with the 20 mink, 20 rabbits and 5 children militias, summoning his oversized red bear cub as vanguard. ***** While Gene was busy rescuing the villagers, Bunny led a group of over 150 rabbits armed in their newest shell armor. Her motive was a simple forward attack at one of the smaller bandit camps. From information gathered while scouting, there were 5 camps with only 50-60 bandits in each. Rabbits were proficient in fighting with numerical advantages, while Bunny''s high leadership stat improved their overall coordination. The two bandit lookouts were the first sacrifices. Due to lack of light, they only saw hundreds of red eyes staring them down before getting stampeded. ¡°Arrrggg.... Demons!¡±, ¡°The Devils had come!¡± were their last words before fading into gray wisps. The bandit camp was in disarray, although alarm had been sound, panic, fear and terror caught the hearts of those within. No one could blame them; What they saw under the starlit sky were massive amounts of red glows from the enemies'' eyes. Dim light often reflected off the carapace of the exoskeletons on their bodies. The bandits had never saw such terrifying creatures before. With non-existent morale, the defending bandits were demolished without much effort. Those that escaped... tried to escape were killed off in the dark. While running away, some fell from arrows shot from the darkness. Others got slashed by daggers from various directions and quickly fell dead from the ambush. If they were calm, they would have noticed the paws attached to those ''daggers'' Bunny and Angel made sure to erase the whole bandit camp without leaving any survivor. If someone escaped, they may inform the other camps lowering the effects of the night raid. Using their Scan skill, locating any hidden or dying bandits was easy. ***** Once they had completely destroying the first camp, they followed the same procedure on the next. Angel would position her troops to surround their target before Bunny led the charge. While Angel''s troops were slaughtering those trying to escape, the squirrels would gather loot, while racoons did repair work. After charging into the fourth camp, that went down easily like before, Bunny received a PM from Gene while Angel was at work. - Is Angel busy? ¡°Yes, she is currently cleaning up the remains¡± - Have you girls killed everything? ¡°Not yet, we are finishing up on No.4, one more to go¡± Bunny replied - Don''t kill off the last one yet, wait for me to meet up, there are changes ¡°Alright, but we only had 6 hours before dawn, so you better hurry up¡± - I am sending the 20 squirrels as escorts for the villagers, bringing the rest to meet up now With the PM ended, Bunny sent the unharmed rabbits outwards to help deal with the cleaning up operation, while walking towards the direction Angel would had been.
[/hr] Back to Main Forward to Chapter 21 Chapter 21 – Kill the Bandits (Part 2) -

Chapter 21 ¨C Fight with the Demons

[/hr] The trio met up 4 hours before sunrise. Gene explained his reasoning ¡°The iron mine, the bandits owned, contains bloodstone. I almost mistook the red stones for iron ores.¡± ¡°Iron mine, Bloodstone mine, what is the difference?¡± Bunny wondered. ¡°Bloodstone? Isn''t that the materials for making healing potions and enchantments?¡± Angel asked ¡°Bloodstones are potent materials, good for adding health or blood attributes, but beyond that, it is also a delicacy for demons. From what the villagers said, the bandits have been piling the ores aside and carting the bloodstones somewhere. I believe, there is more to the bandits then simply terrorizing the villagers.¡± ¡°You may be right. The bandits we encounter so far were too stupid to plan, there could be a mastermind working behind the scenes.¡± Angel speculated. ¡°You suspect the bandit leader is a demon?¡± Bunny asked incredulous. ¡°I don''t want to go into conspiracy theories, but for safety sake, I want to capture some of those bandits for questioning. By asking about their boss we may gain some extra information before the boss fight.¡± Gene outlined his plan. Bunny and Angel nodded in agreement. ***** The plan for the last of the smaller bandit camp changed slightly. Bunny would still charge in normally, killing and causing panic and fear. Her role did not change as it was vital to frighten the bandits to ensure they didn''t fight back. Angel as usual would cover the surrounding dealing with escapees. The difference was Gene''s troops assisting Angel, and they focused on disabling instead of killing. Although leaving the enemy alive was much harder then just murdering them, with the additional troops Gene had, it wasn''t too difficult. By the end of the raid, Bunny and co had 18 bandits rounded and tied up. From beat... ''physically persuading'' the bandits to reveal their secrets, Bunny managed to level her Animal Training Mastery skill to intermediate.
Upgrade: Animal Training Mastery (Beginner Lv: 10 to Intermediate Lv: 1 ) Enables you to train animals by verbally giving instructions. You can party with four times as many animals Actions related to training will affect those around you. All Stats have risen by 5 points Fame has risen by 20 points Animism has risen by another 20 points New Skill: Pain Control
Pain Control You are able to set the amount of pain felt by your attack, while reducing damage done At Beginner Level.1: 50% Damage to achieve 200% pain *Does not work on other players*
Due to the intermediate level of Animal Training Mastery Every animal and NPC winced instinctively when Bunny physically correct a bandit for bad behavior. With her new skill Pain Control, it took almost no time for the captured to spill everything they knew, although the children militias were also cowering when Bunny looked at them. ¡°We had a spy planted by the previous boss in the army, whenever they leave, we will know, and we will go plunder all villages in the surrounding. It was easy money... ha ha ha... *ouch*¡± ¡°The previous boss was killed by the new guy, and he forced us to work in the mines, we don''t even know why he wanted those miserable gems. I stole some away but can at most sell for some coppers.¡± ¡°Nobody knows where the new boss comes from, he always stay in the manor with his wife¡± ¡°Those guarding are forced to sleep outside in tents. The house was reserved only for the boss.¡± ¡°We got news about the soldiers leaving recently, so we kidnap the villagers to do the work for us¡± ¡°The villagers don''t eat much and work really hard when beaten... *ouch*¡± From all they had gathered, the previous bandit leader had died, the new leader forced the bandits to work and collect bloodstones. There was a high chance the new leader was a demon. Kidnapping of villagers was just extras. Fighting a demon at night was not wise. ***** ¡°Every one of you will wish you are dead or regret the day you were born if you escape from here. I promise at least two full days of reeducation¡± Bunny smirked while she addressed the bandits, then turning towards the children, she continued while smiling. ¡°Every one includes you youngster too, so keep a tight watch.¡± The children militias stayed at the smaller bandit camp, keeping watch over the captured bandits. Bunny had explicitly made her point clear, causing all the NPCs to shudder. She still assigned 5 minks to secretly stay behind in the event, anything happened. To capture the fort, the trio made a simple plan First, while it was still dark, a rabbit warren was dug near the designated combat area. It took a short time for the rabbits to dig the warren with multiple exits 15-30m from the fort gate, the underground barracks was large enough for all of them to hide from view, yet easy enough to launch an attack from. The bigger Tri-Horned Rabbits hid within the burrows, ready to pounce upon their enemies. Twin-Horned rabbits were almost similar sized to normal ones, so they were scattered around the surface, disguised as normal critters. Angel was stationed in a trench with the Cats, slightly further from the rest, but ready to charge in times of crisis. Angel''s Holy power was their trump card against the possible demon boss. After Sunrise, Bunny and Gene, the decoys, walking leisurely, towards the fort entrance. Minks cloaked themselves nearby for support. Walking till they were about 20m from both Angel and the fort. Bunny shouted at the bandits: ¡°I, Bunny, am here to capture the fort, surrender now, and you will live!¡± The two had long been spotted by the bandits within the fort, and they had been ready. After listening to Bunny''s declaration, they just laughed. The fort door opened and half a dozen bandits appeared, charging towards the two. Seeing 6 bandits attacking, Gene summoned his Bear, the bandits hesitated slightly, but they continued to charge. They either underestimated the bear or were plainly stupid. The bear''s power was not something to joke about. It counter charged and pinned two bandits with its front paws while gnawing at the third. Bunny took on two causing screams with each of her hits while Gene easily handled the last one. It took less then a minute to handle the first wave. Not giving them a chance to rest, another two dozen bandits charged the couple. The red bear got its quota of 3 more bandits while the rest were ambushed by the minks. Not many died instantly, but all were poisoned, some crippled and easily overwhelmed when they panicked. After a small lull due to the Mink''s appearances, Bunny''s ear picked up massive movements from the fort. She signal her allies to get ready, and moved 2 meters away from Gene, in case of range attacks. She did not know what the enemy boss could do, so it was better safe then sorry. Over a hundred bandits sally out of the fort, charging at the Bunny''s group. Gene squatted down, placed his hands on the ground, casting Earthen Walls. Three small earth walls, each half a meter tall, were raised in between him and the charging bandits. While the bandits were slowed, Bunny commanded all the hidden rabbits nearby to attack, causing a melee between rabbits and bandits. The minks went into the fight as well, sneakily poisoning the enemies. The bandits were caught off-guard, and suffered much from attacks all around them. Their numbers dwindled fast, but two shadows sped pass the group and shot towards Bunny and Gene. Bunny was busy directing the animals, when she noticed a shadow speeding toward Gene. Before she could cry out to alarm her friend, he was pushed down. The thing that pushed him down was a woman with a bewitching face, displaying a lewd look, Gene''s face was buried between her voluptuous chest. His struggle seemed minimal, maybe he was enjoying the sensation. The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement. Bunny rushed over, raising her bat, but before she could swing it down, a hand caught her wrist while another circled her waist. Holding her tight, he assailant hugged her face-to-face. With natural beauty surpassing even popular movie stars, a flawless face was a mixed of nobility and dignity. Bunny felt her heart skipped a beat when stared at by his crimson eyes. In a soft voice he said: ¡°Now now, my lady Bunny, would you leave your world and stay by my side?¡±
You have been charmed by an Incubus You have lose control over your body until he charm is released or disrupted
¡°Let me seal our love with a kiss...¡± As his mouth inched closer to hers, Bunny''s mind was racing, while her body rejected moving. ''Darn, stupid AI, am I going to lose my first kiss to a man? NO!!!!'' Right as their lips were almost together, the Incubus suffered a hit on his head by a club... no it was a staff. The impact caused him to fly a few meters away. Finally obtaining her freedom, Bunny first felt extremely relieved. Looking at her savior, Gene, she suddenly felt he looked much better, more handsome, more charming... he extrude an aura of dependable and trustworthiness, she felt she would melt into his arms... Shaking the random thoughts out of her head, she started to remember how that demon almost stole something important from her. A feeling of disgust started swirling within her, it raged further when Bunny touched her lips, she imagined that they had been brushed by something gross. Picking herself up, Bunny spat randomly *Ptui*, then wiped her mouth with her sleeves. Forget manners, for the storm within her had surpassed her normal logical thoughts, Bunny proceeded towards the incubus will only one motive: Revenge. *Bish* *Bash* *Swish* *Swash* *Pik* *Piak* Bunny''s damage was considered low, it became lower with her Pain Control, reduced even more against an Incubus who took less damage from females. Each hit on the incubus caused ridiculously low damage, however, the pain inflicted was high, extremely high as Bunny only attacked places where it hurts, focusing mostly on the face. Using both her carrot bat as well as her free hand, she kept up her beatings fueled by her internal rage. After an hour of beating, Bunny felt her stamina drained, taking a break, she took out some pre-cooked meal and started eating while sitting on the Incubus still withering in pain. The bandits who witnessed her actions were all kneeling down begging to have a swift death. The animals watch with pity at the poor thing acting as their master temporary seat. Angel seemed to have finished off the other enemy so Bunny decided to continue right after the quick snack. The Incubus had tried to resist, but he was stunned by the pain and his limbs were locked. With Bunny taking a break, he concentrated all his willpower and tried to Charm Bunny again. Sadly, regardless of how pretty his face was originally, it lost all its charm when his eyes were bruised, nose broken, teeth missing and lips swollen. There was nothing he could do but resign to his fate; to scream his soul out when Bunny returned to her work. Glaring at Angel, Bunny ''requested'' some stamina replenishment before continuing with her task of killing the Incubus. It took four hours before the Incubus faded in his death throes. In the mean time, Gene had brought the children militias and captured bandits. They had all given small prayers that none of the bandits even attempted escaping. With the Incubus''s death, he left two items. The cloak was almost broken due to Bunny''s attack but the pair of gloves was in good condition.
Cloak of the Incubus Durability: 3/40 Defense: 12 A luxurious coat used by a cunning and charming Incubus. The cloak had absorbed its previous owners'' attribute. It will make any male, with proper dressing sense, look more appealing to females of any species. Restrictions: Level 70 Intelligence 50 Male only Equipped: Raises Charm by 30 Raises Intelligence by 20
Sadistic Gloves of a Demon Durability: 31/40 Defense: 9 An item filled with the essence of a demon. With the help of sadism, the wearer would become much stronger and last much longer, giving them suitable powers to torture their enemy. The demonic attribute may be harmful to the wearer, but the pleasure exceeds the risk. Restrictions: Level 50 Strength 50 Equipped: Raises Strength by 20 Raise Endurance by 40 Lowers Health by -200
The female who had attacked Gene was a succubus, she also dropped an item.
Garter-Stockings of the Succubus Durability: 33/40 Defense: 12 A sexy Garter-Stockings used by a cunning and charming Succubus. Any female wearing this revealing piece and knows how to exhibit its potential will garner the attention of all the males around her. Restrictions: Level 70 Intelligence 50 Female only Equipped: Raises Charm by 30 Raises Intelligence by 20
Dividing the loot evenly, Bunny requested for the sexy stockings, which gained her some weird looks from her friends. Gene claimed the cloak due to gender restrictions. Although Angel stand to lose since all the items didn''t fit her priestess class, she accepted the gloves which was easiest to sell. ¡°Stockings ¨C got.¡± Bunny murmured happily to herself, not wanting her friends to hear. With the enemies removed, the trio strolled towards the empty fort, while Gene updated Bunny on their fight. According to Gene, the succubus which had tackle him, causing him to be charmed. Angel shot a holy bolt at each of the demons. The one targeting the incubus was shrugged off without concern, but the succubus reeled from the impact when the bolt hit her. Using the time he was free, Gene rescued Bunny knowing how it felt being Charmed. He also tried to exchange opponents with her, but Bunny went into her trance. The Succubus was quickly finished off with Angel''s holy powers. However, the same power did not seemed to work on the Incubus due to his unique racial trait and her gender. Since he couldn''t attack the Incubus efficiently when Bunny was bashing it continuously, Gene just locked both his arms and legs with Earth Magic, then turned to help the animals The demons were Level 80 monsters, usually not that difficult to destroy. But when a Succubus and an Incubus worked together, they became formidable foes due to their gender charm skills and racial bonus. If Angel was not previously hidden and got attacked by the Incubus, they would have lost. Seeing that she had lots of status messages ignored, Bunny started looking at them. Other then the small damage she was dealing, there was only one item of interest.
New stat: Endurance: You¡¯re likely to use less stamina from an action. You are prohibited from distributing any bonus points to this stat
[/hr] Back to Main Forward to Chapter 22 Chapter 22 - Lord of the Manor - Chapter 22 ¨C Lord of the Manor
After entering Fort that looked like a Manor House, Rod, the youngster who had given them the quest to capture the fort, stepped forward and bowed deeply towards the trio. In a respectful tone, he said: ¡°You are heroes to the village. We were no longer plagued by bandits because of you.¡±
Quest Complete: Solve Soie Village''s Bandit problems Soie Village have always been plagued by bandits around the area. Whenever the solders were called to defend the borders, the bandits will raid the village, causing much damage. You have successfully help Rod, a youngster you have met in the Soie Village, clean out the bandit fort. Bandits will no longer be a threat to the peaceful lives of the villagers. Level up Level up Level up
After waiting a little while for the trio to finish looking at their quest completion, he continued: ¡°Did you know about the current state of the area is chaotic? Other then the bandits, all the villages around this region were also plagued by random monster attacks. The villagers'' lives are currently in a mess.¡± ¡°Well, that made sense¡± Bunny replied, thinking this could be a chain quest ¡°The reason for the villagers'' misfortune is because this area doesn¡¯t have a protector! If leaders like you people with a substantial army can protect them, they will be at ease and have less worries. Please! Can one of you become the Lord of the Manor and guide them!¡±
Proposal to become Lord of Manor of Galitzid Prairie, Rosenheim Kingdom. Galitzid Prairie currently does not have a Protector. Rod has offered the position of ''Lord of Manor'', to one of the three heroes of the Soie Village. The position comes with a the title of Baronet. Baronets, while holders of hereditary titles, are not peers and do not confer nobility. There are 4 location of commerce in the demesne - Litvart Rest Stop (Specialties: Cooked food and Shell Armor, Ranch Owner: Bunny) - Soie Village (Specialties: Silk and Velvet, Village Elder: Garlen) - Vinrouge Village (Specialties: Grapes and Wine, Village Elder: Dio) - Cuivre Village (Specialties: Copper and Brass, Village Chief: Gulmat) Accepting the position will grant you both the Position and Title: Baronetess of Galitzid Prairie. With the position, you will be able to persuade the different location of commerce in your demesne to undertake your protection. You are able to tax the produce and trade for the areas under your charge. You can also invest and upgrade where you see fit. As a non-peerage subject to the King of Rosenheim Kingdom, you will need to offer 30 troops as levy to the Kingdom, or pay the hiring cost 30 men (Hiring cost is 1 gold per soldier). You will also need to pay for the salary of the men for 5 years (Soldier''s monthly wages is 30 silvers). Once payment is made, the kingdom would legalize your rule as the Baronetess of Galitzid Prairie. Do you accept?
Bunny looked at her friends, both of them had similar offers. Turning to Rod, Bunny said: ¡°Give us some time to discuss over the issue, I want to check out the location first¡± ***** The so-called Fort, was just as Gene had described: a Manor House with fenced up estates. The total land area in the Fort was about a hectare, the same size as the ranch Bunny had in Serabroug. The Manor House took up almost half the space. The building was a single rectangular block when viewed from outside. Walking in from the entrance situated at the northern side of the building, the trio encountered a great hall, large enough to gather over 100 people. It had a grand stairway up the second and third levels. At the corners of the great hall, corridors led to various small empty rooms. Proceeding to the second floor, it had similar structures of corridors leading from the central area. Bunny counted 12 ''bedrooms'' on the second floor, with each room being spacious and wide. In the only room that was furnished, which Bunny assumed belonged to the demonic couple, the trio looted random items of no importance. Reaching the third floor, it was split into East and West sides; two huge empty rooms at each side of the main hall. Each of these huge rooms had two chimneys, which did not make sense to Bunny. After exploring, the trio sat down in the Western side to discuss the ownership of the area. Angel started the talk with a question: ¡°Anyone find it weird that a common village boy can confer a title or land deed?¡± ¡°Maybe he is some royalty or noble in disguise?¡± Gene supplied ¡°It''s just a game, don''t dwell too much on it. We already have an ''A''-Rank quest, it is not wise to dig too deeply and gain another high-rank quest, our quest slots will be extremely limited¡± Bunny replied ¡°But... what if Rod is an agent and wants to use us in some political struggle?¡± Gene asked ¡°Then we can just reject his pleads later. This and that are different matters¡± Bunny said ¡°Hmmm... that''s true. We only need to calculate our current gains. Just to remember Rod as a link to somewhere will be good enough. If that quest is related and we have not trigger it, that means we are still lacking. If we forcefully start it now, things will turn sour.¡± Angel agreed ¡°Alright, we ignore Rod for the moment, so who wants to be the new Lord?¡± Bunny asked Angel shrugged and shook her head: ¡°I am offered to create an abbey, it will end up becoming church property depending on which church I offer the abbey to. Economically speaking, I don''t think I should hold this place.¡± ¡°As a druid, I need to be in the wilderness. Taking the position will give me a permanent ''in-town'' debuff. I don''t want that. But I can help administer the area.¡± Gene rejected the position too. ¡°Since we are in this together, I will take the name, but we will share this position. The Kingdom needed Levy, shall we just sent those bandits we captured?¡± Bunny asked ¡°OK!¡± Her two friends nodded in agreement ¡°As for running this place, we all put in effort and split the benefits equally?¡± Bunny proposed, to which her friends nodded again. With their discussion done, Angel looked at the surrounding and sighed: ¡°It''s a pity that there is no lair or dungeon nearby, so the animals we station here will just spent time idling. The taxes obtain should cover their food, but they will not grow fast¡± ¡°How about we make this manor-house into our personal Lair... You know... by raising some monsters inside, and have the animals kill them off periodically? Orcs seem to reproduce fast enough, from a newborn to a capable fighter, they only need a week... How about we go capture some orcs, let them breed inside this huge building, then reduce their numbers once in a while by having the animals killing them as training.¡± Bunny suggested after picking up Angel''s comments. ¡°Not very practical, we need to feed the Orcs too if we want them to breed.¡± Angel replied ¡°Orcs will eat anything, and we always have spare rat meat from Sera-Ranch¡± ¡°Then, where are we to capture those initial Orcs?¡± ¡°Ummm... Actually, we can make a demon Lair¡± Gene suggested hesitantly ¡°Huh?¡± Bunny was astonished by his suggestion. ¡°What do you mean?¡± Angel asked ¡°Well... There are lots of bloodstones around, more if we keep up the mining operations. We can summon low tiered demons as long as we have the bloodstones. The previous king of Sur Kingdom did something similar. It was written in a book called ''Stupidity of the various Kings'' found in the library.¡± ¡°From the title of the book, I think something bad happened¡± Angel queried suspiciously ¡°The King wanted to make an army of demons, he ended up with a demonic apocalypse¡± Gene nodded. ¡°But we are not making an army, and we will kill them constantly¡± Bunny added. ¡°It all sound nice and good, but can either of you do the summoning?¡± Angel asked, still skeptical. ¡°Ummm... I got the skill needed, but I have never tried it before.¡± Gene confessed meekly ¡°You got such a powerful skill and you never use it?¡± Bunny asked incredulously. ¡°For summoning of the demons, all we need is open a portal to the demon realm, then use bloodstones to lure them here. The book ''Basic Demon Behaviors'' states that demons for some reason loved bloodstones which is not available in their realm, so when they sense the stones across the portal, they will rush over.¡± ¡°Where did you learn such summoning skills? Isn''t that exclusive for Warlocks or Dark Mages?¡± ¡°Well... It is not exactly a summoning skill. There is a book called ''Portal'' located in the library, it explained about how to make portals to different realms. I find it interesting, so I copy all the various magic circles. After drawing all the magic circles at least once on paper, I gain the skill ''Realm Portal'' but it leads to nowhere. I gained access to Demon and Vampire realm after reading up books like ''Demonology'' and ''Origins of Vampire''. The size of the magic circle will determine the level of things that can pass through.¡± While Gene explained, Bunny and Angel were looking at him flabbergasted. It was then that they remembered Gene had stayed in the library for a whole month... 4 game months just reading books... not to mention his weird fetish... liking for unusual ''monsters''. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website. After more thinking Angel decided: ¡°Alright, this plan sounds good enough. Bunny, you will take ownership of the Manor, I will help Gene test that portal spell, if all goes well, this will be our new lair.¡± ¡°We should first claim the villages in the area before summoning the demons.¡± ¡°I agree, there is the quest from Village Soie too.¡± ***** Back outside the Manor, Bunny approached Rod and accepted the title.
You have become the temporary Baronetess of Galitzid Prairie. Litvart Rest Stop has joined under your protection Fame has risen by 20 points
Quest: Become the Baronetess of Galitzid Prairie To become a non-peerage subject to the King of Rosenheim Kingdom, you will need to offer 30 troops as levy to the Kingdom, or pay the hiring cost 30 men. You will also need to pay for the salary of the men for 5 years You will receive documents as proof of your claim. You need to pass these documents and the amount stipulated to the government agency, Department of Land affairs, in Serabroug to finalize your title. Difficulty: E Quest requirement: - 30 men as levy to the kingdom OR 30 gold - 5 years of salary for the men ( normally at 54 gold : 30 silver per month per soldier) You must accept this quest
You have accepted the quest
Other then receiving the temporary title from Rod, Bunny also got a stack of documents along with a quest to deliver them to the officials when she reached Serabroug. This quest was to finalize her position as the Baronetess. Bunny wanted to peek at the contents, but the documents were wax sealed. The trio had captured a total of 16 bandits from the fight with the Incubus and Succubus. ''Captured'' was not the correct word to use, as the bandits were requesting for swift deaths after watching Bunny handled the Incubus. Adding the 18 from the previous encounter, that made a total of 34 prisoners. More then enough to be sent to the Kingdom as Levy. When asked, 33 of the 34 were very desperate to join the army. Bunny had told them they would only be paid 20 silvers instead of 30 silvers monthly, but all 33 ex-bandits were persistent. Their actions raised question-marks on Bunny''s head, but she decided it didn''t matter, since she saved some gold from their reduced salary. Angel just shook her head at the commotion; She knew the ''soldiers-to-be'' saw Bunny as some sort of devil-incarnated and wanted to be as far from her as possible. Bunny''s way of killing the Incubus had etched itself as nightmares for them. The last ex-bandit wanted to become a full-time miner. When asked, the man, named Erik, said he was only 16. He had a build large for his age; Bulky, beefy but not too smart looking. Erik claimed he had enough of killing and wanted a more peaceful life. If he had to slave away, he preferred the mines over another job which required killing and looting. Bunny liked Erik''s simple nature, so she assigned Erik to teach the rabbits about the basics of mining. Rabbits were born diggers, Bunny thought it wouldn''t take long for them to become good miners. Erik was surprised when he was given a salary of 20 silvers a month, the typical wage for a laborer, instead of just food and water as a slave. As a side note, compared to the ex-bandits, the orphans hired by Bunny were paid lavishly, about 1 gold per person per month. Although they were all beginners in their trade, due to the location they worked at, they were paid salaries of advance journeymen. The orphans had high familiarity with Bunny and were hardworking in whatever they do. Bunny thought the expenditure as an investment for the future. While Bunny was busy with the ex-bandits, the squirrels rearranged the loot they had collected from the expedition. Iron Ores and Bloodstones were neatly piled up near the Manor house while money and valuables were given to Angel, to be distributed between the trio. The remaining loot to be sold were consolidated by 5 squirrels that would accompany Bunny into the village. The rest went with the rabbits to carry ores and stones out of the mine. Due to the sheer number of workers, they were split into 3 shifts, ensuring all would have enough rest. The cats lazing around, were set as guards. Even when they looked lazy and usually did nothing, they were ideal guards, because they didn''t need shifts; Cats sleep and did guard duty at the same time. Bunny didn''t know why, but the cats just seemed good at sleeping on their jobs. ***** The way to Soie Village was uneventful but necessary.
Quest Complete! Save Soie Villager The working adults that have been enslaved by the Bandits have now returned unharmed. The village elder Garlen is very shocked by your ability to dispose the bandits within a few days. He has initially doubt your words when you claimed you have over 400 troops. Now he entrust you with the safety of his village. Level up Level up
Soie Village has joined under your protection Fame has risen by 20 points
From the village, the trio split up, Bunny led the ''soldiers-to-be'' towards Serabroug to validate her new position. Angel and Gene were going to the other two villages in Bunny''s new demesne, checking out the village conditions and possibly adding them under Bunny''s protection. Gene brought the Minks along as additional ''firepower'' since they would be combing the outskirts to understand the monster types in the surrounding areas Bunny made a forced march with the ''soldiers-to-be'' towards Litvart. Without breaks or rest, the group reached their destination in 5 hours, almost half the time needed compared to normal travel. Since the sun had set, Bunny gave them a few hours rest, while cooking up stamina replenishing food. Her target was to reach Serabroug just before sunrise, making the best use of time. When offered food cooked by Bunny, they at first gingerly took it, but lost all their composure after tasting. Each stuffed themselves with twice or trice the amount they would normally eat. Although Bunny''s cooking skills were only at Beginner Lv8, but compared to dirt-like food the bandits had always eaten, her grilled kebab and meat stew felt like heavenly fruits and spiritual nectar. Rice, the boy cook hired to run the tavern, watched in awe as he saw over 30 rough looking men wolf down his employer''s food while showing blissful faces. His respect for Bunny and Cooking both escalated because he had always thought the two items ''Rat meat kebab'' and ''Mouse tail soup'' on the menu were jokes left by Bunny. It was just after midnight, being rested, Bunny and the group set off again towards their target. Unlike players, NPCs usually need to sleep at night, but having been bandits, the men were able to keep up with Bunny''s unreasonable demands. As all of them were between Lv50-60, wolves and bears in the region were not even considered a threat. The group reached Serabroug right before sunrise, just as Bunny planned. Leading the men towards the central area, the destination of the group was the ''Department of Land affairs''. Having over 30 rough men cramp into the small office of the representative was quite a sight, given the representative was a petite sized female. Handing over the relevant documents to the pale-faced representative, it did not take long for her to process the information, collect money and direct a runner to the barracks. Someone who looked like an officer came shortly to lead the ''recruits'' over to the military barracks. The officer looked over the ''recruits'', with a slightly perplexed expression before leading them away. Lv50-60 recruits were not unheard of, but extremely rare. Bunny had noticed the representative looked even more pale after reading the documents she presented. It may be related to how a boy in a small village could confer her a title. The trio had discussed on this issue and decided it was good to just keep the knowledge, so Bunny did not dwell on it. With all procedures done, Bunny received a status window accompanied by cheerful music.
You have become the Baronetess of Galitzid Prairie. The title Baronetess of Galitzid Prairie is now available. With the ranking title, natives of the world will call you ''Lady Bunny'' Fame has increased by 700. Charisma has increased by 30. Leadership has increased by 20.
Quest complete: Becoming the Baronetess
Back to Main Forward to Chapter 23 Chapter 23 – Busy day in Serabroug - Chapter 23 ¨C Busy day in Serabroug
¡°That wasn''t too hard... One item down, whats next?¡± Bunny asked herself after obtaining her new title. Looking around, she noticed 3 burly men trying fruitlessly to hide from her view. Since she only needed to submit 30 men to the army, they were the left-overs. Bunny had single them out because she noticed callus on their hands. Bandits in general were lazy people, they would not swing their swords until their skin blistered or form callus; Bunny thought these 3 people had other professions beside banditry. After leading them back to her private ranch, Bunny started to question them: ¡°Hey you!¡± She pointed at them ¡°Give me your names and previous professions¡± All 3 of them just looked at her fearfully without answering. Thinking they needed some motivation Bunny simply took out her carrot stick which yield immediate results... Just showing the stick allowed Bunny to know them as Clark, Kent and Bruce. For Clark, Kent and Bruce, their previous jobs were Farmer, Woodcutter and Candle Maker respectively. They were all from different parts of Brent Kingdom and were forced into army. They learned the basics of fighting while in service. When their platoon was wiped out during a skirmish with Rosenheim Kingdom, they acted as corpses to stay alive, then ran away after. They couldn''t find decent jobs as they were ex-soldiers from another kingdom, neither could they return home, so they ended up as bandits. Most landlords would not hire them because of their status, but Bunny had no qualms about it. Their strength could overpower any normal civilian, but Bunny''s animals were stronger. So, she offered them jobs in the ranch, which they agreed skeptically. With all agreements done, Bunny handled them to the overlord of Sera-Ranch, the squirrel called ''Prize''. There were 3 reasons for hiring the ex-bandits. Firstly, she didn''t want to just randomly kill them. These men had skills which would benefit her ranch. Clark, the farmer could both gather and grow food which the ranch animals need, while Kent, the woodcutter could supply timber for the cats to practice woodworking. Timber could also be processed into wooden planks, ready to be used when Bunny decides to make another Ranch. Bruce the candle maker was an oddity. When told that Bunny had a tannery which dealt with rat leather, Bruce was slightly perked but not too motivated. However, when he saw the size of the tannery which made 150 rat hides daily, he became totally delighted. Reason for his mood swings was the scale. Tallow Candles made with animal fats was a long process, if the amount produced was low, lots of time will be wasted on waiting; Producing a ton of tallow wax took approximately twice the time to just make a kilogram. The second reason for hiring the ex-bandits was their looks and strength. According to the reports by the Squirrel Overlord, there were already over 20 dead newbies who either trespass or ''attempted theft of animals'' from the seemingly empty ranch. Having some large burly men around would be a good deterrent for more senseless deaths. They could either verbally or physically persuade trespassers out of the ranch without incurring more seeds of revenge. Also, they were strong, much stronger then normal civilians. They could gather materials without fear of attack. Gathering plants, cutting wood and harvesting beewax even in Bear or Wolf-infested forests would be like a walk in the park to them. The last reason wasn''t planned, but happened on coincidence. Bunny took it as a ''Divine Hint'' and applied the use. It happened when Bruce was trying to tell the rabbit tanners about keeping the excess animal fats, a by-product of tanning usually thrown away. They couldn''t communicate so Bunny had to be the translator. All animals spoke the same language, so they could communicate well with each other, but things became difficult when dealing with humans. Thinking on the matter, Bunny decided to create animal translators with Gene''s help for smoother operations. With animal-human translators, bargaining with player merchants would no longer be limited to hand signals and made possible with NPC traders. With Gene''s Life-Link skill, creating translators would be easy. ***** With the ex-bandits taken care of, Bunny went to the rumored chickens. Prize led the way proudly displaying his new innovation. Normally chickens have a 6:4 ratio of hens to roosters, meaning there should be more hens then roosters, having all 40 chicks becoming roosters was beyond anything natural. The chicken coop was made from an old wild-west-type wagon, those with canvass covering the top forming semi-circular arcs. The front of the wagon was pressed against the house sealing it leaving the back of the wagon as the only opening into the coop. A small slope made of wooden planks bridge the opening with the ground. Within the wagon was both hot and humid, but the chicks seemed to like such environments. On top of each chick''s head was a red arrow shaped comb. Taking a few chick out of their coop, she placed them on the ground while observing them. Every arrow-shaped comb was directed towards the same direction. Finding it amusing, Bunny started tilting the chicks'' heads and moving them around, the arrows remained pointing towards the wagon. ¡°Hahaha... these chickens have combs that acted as compass¡± Bunny laughed at the discovery. The combs which were usually an idicator of a chicken''s gender changed its meaning due to evolution. The chicks were still of mixed gender, but due to their new ''talent'' all ended up with combs. Finding a relieve that she didn''t break some world-record, Bunny told Prize to continue rearing them as well as train their levels. On hindsight, the chicks obtaining a sense of direction wasn''t anything special. Birds had been known to be migratory, just that domesticated chickens lost their original powers. Depending on what these chicks could do when they gain more evolution, Bunny would decide on their uses later... Currently, they were still regarded as suicide explosive carriers during extreme times. ***** With her ranch taken care of, Bunny''s last itinerary in Serabroug was to get her magic skill. The reason she didn''t get it previously was because she was overwhelmed by the amount of magic classes and skills. After doing some research and thinking, she was now ready to learn new skills. Similar to warriors who focused on one weapon type, spell-casters needed to focus on one element to bring out that element''s mastery. The choice of element was simple for Bunny through elimination: Gene, being a druid, was proficient in Water and Earth magic. Angel as a priestess took Holy magic while eliminating Dark because they conflicted when used together. The animals instinctively fear Fire... so there was only Air magic left. Luckily Air magic consist of both Lightning and Wind, which increased the spells Bunny could learn. Due to having no monetary issues, Bunny also bought simple spells of other elements like Firebolt, Iceball, EarthBullet and Darkhands Laughing at her new collection of skills, Bunny exclaimed ¡°Status Window!, Skill Info!¡±
Status Window
Name:BunnyAlignment:Good
Level:79Class:Phantasm Breeder
Title:The Knowledgeable
Fame:1080
Health:2940Mana:3400
Strength:27+30Agility28+30
Intelligence:300+30+10Wisdom:22+30+10
Vitality:100+30Leadership:218+30
Luck:11+30Charisma:23+30
Animism:87+120Faith:5+30
Endurance:11+30
Attack:100Defense:85
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  • All stats are added 30 points.
  • Animism stat is added extra 90 points.
  • Enables you to equip certain items specialized for the class.
  • Enables you to learn all gathering skills to the stage of a Master.
  • Enables you to learn all craft skills to the stage of Advance.
  • Enables you to learn secret skills based on your level in Breeder Mastery.
  • Increases Fame when evolving an animal above tier-3
  • Intelligence and Wisdom +10 from title
Harp PlayingBeginner Lv 731%
Song: CourageBeginner Lv 126%
Identify (Scan)Intermediate Lv 744%
RepairBeginner Lv 494%
TailoringBeginner Lv 72%
CookingIntermediate Lv 313%
Animal Trainer MasteryIntermediate Lv 338%
Raid Commander MasteryBeginner Lv 924%
EcholocationBeginner Lv 612%
Building DesignBeginner Lv 327%
Wind BlastBeginner Lv 10%
Wind ArmorBeginner Lv 10%
Lightning SparkBeginner Lv 10%
Fire BoltBeginner Lv 10%
Ice BallBeginner Lv 10%
Rock BulletBeginner Lv 10%
Dark HandsBeginner Lv 10%
Pleased with her progress thus far, Bunny logged out. She had been online for over 40 game hours, so she needed a break for food and hygiene. ***** Climbing out of his capsule, Alan stretched his stiff body while he recap the events that happened. Going online at 7am, fighting bandits, capture some bandits, fighting incubus, obtain the manor house, gain a title, complete the quest, bring the captured to the city, become a baronet, tidy the ranch, sort out the chickens, learn magic... ¡°Wow... I did lots today!¡± Alan exclaimed to himself. The call of nature stopped his other thoughts and hurried him to the toilet. Alan wasn''t fatigued, but he needed to show himself to his family. He knew how bad things would become if they labeled him as a game addict, so he suppressed his urge to return into the capsule. Feeling slightly hungry, he went to the kitchen to find grubs, but found his mother preparing dinner. After greeting her, and showing himself to his dad, he went back into his room to check up the forums while eating some chocolates. While reading, he started thinking about Gene. In the beginning, due to his meek nature, Alan treated him like a younger brother he didn''t have, looking out and watching over him. As he become more acquainted, Gene started to become someone who was stronger then he looked. The war with the bandits were mostly Gene''s planning, and things may turn bad if he did not detect the bloodstones. It was not easy to admire someone without feeling jealous; Alan felt very jealous of Gene, not in the bad way, just talents he never had. Unlike Angel and himself, Gene had not conceptualize any ideas, but he expanded on Bunny''s and Angel''s suggestion and constructed great strategies. He felt attracted to Gene... for his intellect. Shaking his head over stupid thoughts, Alan went to the dining room for dinner with his family. After dinner and some small talks, Alan went back into the capsule. ***** When Bunny was back, she got a few status reports.
Vinrouge Village has joined under your protection Fame has risen by 20 points
Cuivre Village has joined under your protection Fame has risen by 20 points
While wondering about the messages, Bunny got a PM from Gene - Bunny! you back? ¡°Yes... I went off to eat dinner, have you eaten yours?¡± - I have an early dinner, anyway, can you get another teamster and 2 stall keepers? ¡°Why do you need them? Isn''t Annie and Anna enough?¡± - Angel and I made some plans on gaining passive income, we need those two ¡°Then why do you want to hire more?¡± - Those are for Litvart, we are not closing that stall there are we? ¡°No way! that stall makes like 200 gold weekly¡± - That''s why we need 2 more stall keepers, find the sharper ones so they don''t leak about the cave ¡°Alright, so 2 stall keepers and a teamster with a wagon¡± - Yes, I will update you on the progress, where are you heading now? ¡°I want to visit Soie Village, the village elder told me there is a master Tailor there¡± - Ah... I heard the rumor too, but that person is a player, not NPC ¡°I know that, but I want to learn some tailoring tips from her, since she specialize in silk and velvet¡± - So, you coming over with the teamster? ¡°I think I will buy another horse for fast travel... Oh, I need you to make some more Life-Links¡± - Which animals do you want to link to? ¡°Not me, I hired the 3 extra ex-bandits, I want them to translate animal to human¡± - Oh... Ok... That''s a nice one, I never thought of using the skill that way. ¡°So what are you people doing while I am away?¡± - I will update you on our progress..... While chatting in PM, Bunny hurried towards the orphanage to hire another teamster and two more stall keepers. As the virtual sky started to darken, Bunny estimated she only had another hour before nightfall. To hire orphans, visit the stable master for another horse and the carpenter for a wagon. So many things, so little time. Angel and Gene had cooked up a grand scheme on the trade route around the new territory. From what Gene explained, Bunny understood that they could monopolize the trade route from her new area rather then letting other merchants benefit. Since there were 3 villages in her new land with different produce, there was very little risk. Just as night fell, Bunny left Serabroug with on a small wagon attached to two horses. With her, were 3 new orphans who were too excited to sleep. Kara and Zor were the new stall keepers, they would be learning the ropes from the twins on shop management. El was the new teamster, unlike the other two, he would have to start ferrying goods without much training. Bunny borrowed 3 cats from the Sera-Ranch as temporary guards for the new transport. Since it was night, without fail, wolves had attacked and became target practice for Bunny''s new spells. The wolves also served to improve confidence of her new employees on their safety, although that was not necessary due to the bragging of children she already hired. Dropping off the 3 new employees at Litvart, Bunny continue towards Soie Village on the additional horse she bought. As Angel wasn''t online, she PM Gene and end up chatting with him; Gene was rather bored cleaning the surrounding region of monsters, so he did not mind the call. Talking about random things, they managed to hold a 4-hour long conversation till Bunny arrived at her destination. As the time in the real world approached midnight, the two grudgingly said goodbye. They enjoyed each others company, even if it was voice only, but both had school the next day.
Back to Main Forward to Chapter 24 Chapter 24 – Bunny Battle Suit - Chapter 24 ¨C Bunny Battle Suit
Passive Income, simply put, was to earn without being directly involved. These types of Income would continue even when the player wasn''t around. Things like hunting, gathering or crafting were considered Active Income; If one did not participate in those actions, one would not gain anything. Consignment into stalls were also considered Active Income because one would need to create items for sale. When Bunny automate her Sera-Ranch, it became a Passive source of income. Regardless if she was online or not, the ranch would still function. The animals would hunt the sewers daily for rats. The hides obtained would be processed by rabbits into leather, which were traded for animal food. Rat Teeth extracted would be bartered for Tanning potions while the Meat and Tails were transported to Litvart, being cooked and sold for coins. Bunny visited the ranch weekly (once every game month), to simply collect the coins, giving her monetary income which she didn''t need to work for. With the new addition of a Farmer, a Woodcutter and a Candle Maker, the value passively gained improved to about 20 gold per collection after paying salary. Angel and Gene were impressed with this feat. With Passive Income as their motive, Angel thought of earning while monopolizing the village trade while Gene filled the idea with necessary arrangements. The combined effort created the grand scheme Gene told Bunny about. They would create a Central Market, located near the manor-house, that would buy up all produce from the surrounding villages, then resell those at the city for a margin. It normally took two or three days for the villagers to transport their wares to Serabroug directly. Compared to half a day travel to the Manor-House, the distance had an absolute advantage. Brass was rather heavy to transport while Wine couldn''t be moved fast, as too much shaking would cause their value to deteriorate. Silk didn''t have special conditions for delivering, but due to their cost, losing one shipment led to large losses. Unlike normal merchants, with ample use of squirrels and their large pockets, the Central Market could transport large quantities of items without fear of shaking, weight or being robbed. Since all produce were considered specialties, their selling price was comparable 80% of what Serabroug offered. In short, all 3 villages were delighted with this new Central Market and were happy to use it In addition, the goods would flow both ways. Whatever the villagers needed, the Central Market would buy from the city and transport it back. Although these goods would be sold at cost, they included produce from Sera-Ranch, like meat, leather, candles and wood.
Fief of Galitzid Prairie A fief in the Eastern part of Kingdom of Rosenheim. Due to its proximity to the Serabroug, Capital of the Kingdom, the villages in the demesne cannot grow beyond the size of towns. In the past, this area has been part of the responsibility of the capital city Serabroug, but city soldiers have not done well in protecting the people of this land. The lack of protection has caused the area to be plagued by bandits and monster attacks. With the destruction of the Bandit Fort and restoration of the Lord of Manor, the villages in the surrounding have new hope for a peaceful future.
Military1Economy260
Culture60Technology172
Religion35Security83
There is currently only 1 soldier. Village militias are in-charged of the order in their own village. Villagers feel that external threats have become non-existent. Monsters that used to attack once every few days no longer do so. The woods nearby had be clean of dangerous monsters and animals. Pools of blood are sometimes seen staining the outskirts of the villages but nothing attacked the villages. The residents are happy with their safety. The region is currently prospering. Although there is a 10% tax, the Baronetess has set up a Central Market near the Manor-House. Anything that is produced locally can be sold at the station for 80% of the price stated in Serabroug. The residents can also order any product they need from the city at cost price. Most of the residents are happy with the wholesale innovation as they no longer need cart their produce to the city to sell, while getting a good price. The local population believe in the Church of Freya, Church of Lu and Temple of Tokki as their primary religion. Shrines of the 3 Deities can be found in all the villages. In the future, this mixed of faith will likely continue. Specialties: - Copper Ingot, Brass Goods, Raisin, Red Wine, Silk, Shell Armor - Total Territory Population: 7863 - Monthly tax income: 171 gold
***** Bunny and friends only meet up during weekends for hunts or plannings. During the weekdays, due to time constrains, they would be busy with their own stuffs. The guarding of the villages had be set to autopilot, with rabbits and cats doing daily patrols, so the trio had time to themselves. Gene was busy testing out his Portal skill to make the Manor-House into an artificial Dungeon. He was able to summon small imps which were below level 50, and now expanding the magic circles to test out higher level demons. The Portal could be placed in various regions of the Demon Realm, so Gene tried to locate an area with ''easy to kill'' demons around Lv80, avoiding the tricky ones that could ''Parasite'' or ''Charm''. Angel made herself useful at the villages. In Vinrouge Village, the idea of selling grapes directly was discarded. The fruits were perishables and too much care was needed to transport them. Instead, for the excess grapes that were not made into wine, they were dried into raisins. Raisins were small, highly nutritious and easily transported, considered high grade, good tasting ''Rye Bread'' used to fill up satiety during prolong excursions. For Cuivre village, Copper/Brass produced by them had high malleability which made them poor choices for making weapons. With calculations, she found that Copper sold as Ingots earn more then wasting time processing them. The smiths in the village should focus on Brass. Angel had negotiated with the village chief, Gulmat, to stop making useless weapons and focus on creating more lucrative items like Brass utensils and tableware. As the village earned more money, they would pay more tax. The Central Market which earned a fixed percentage would generate more income too. Helping the village would produce a Win-Win situation. While others were busy, Bunny was stalking in Soie Village for the mysterious Seamstress called Yukino. She spent her online time improving her Tailoring skills at the silk broker, while waiting for the seamstress to visit. Although Bunny knew that Yukino had her own tailoring workshop, she resolved to wait at the silk seller instead. ***** After a few days of waiting, Bunny finally met Yukino. Approaching her, Bunny greeted: ¡°Hello, are you Yukino the seamstress?¡± ¡°Nn?¡± ¡°My name is Bunny, I would like to learn some tailoring from you¡± ¡°I''m not the tailor NPC, go learn in the city.¡± ¡°You misunderstood, I have Tailoring at lv7, I just want to learn tips from better tailors¡± ¡°No!¡± Yukino shook her head after Yukino looked at Bunny''s outfit ¡°Why not?¡± ¡°You lack taste!¡± was the reply Yukino had flawless white skin and long, rich black hair that fell past her slim bodyline, tied into a loose ponytail with a ribbon near her hip. She wore the uniform of a Miko, a white robe called a hakui, with cords on the cuffs and split-open at both her shoulders and upper arm. Over her shirt was a red pleated hakama, which was tied high above her waist with a prominent bow at the front. Compared to the almost generic outfit that Bunny was wearing, the difference was like heaven and earth. Bunny''s only redeeming gear was the rabbit earmuffs, however, she wasn''t easily dissuaded. ¡°I know I lack taste, therefore I want to learn¡± Bunny exclaimed ¡°What do you want to make?¡± Taking out her Garter-Stockings of the Succubus and a choker she made that looked like a bow-tie, then pointing to her earmuffs, Bunny said: The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.¡°I want to make a playboy Bunny outfit, I already got the head, leggings and neck¡± ¡°Sigh..., no taste, also no class...¡± Yukino gave her honest opinion ¡°What?¡± ¡°No decent girl will want that kind of wear, you are either a guy in RL or extremely stupid¡± ¡°Ah!?¡± ¡°Don''t worry, I will help you, I don''t think I will ever get another such request, could be fun¡± ¡°Oh... ok... then?¡± ¡°Let me ask you, do you think a female body is best when naked?¡± Yukino asked ¡°No, covering some parts and leaving them to imagination would be better¡± ¡°How about the body? Why is your avatar¡¯s chest so small? You like them small?¡± ¡°No way! Size is not everything, the shape and balance with the body is more important¡± ¡°Not bad... No taste, No class, but understand Moe¡± ¡°...¡± Talking to a ''Master'', Bunny was rendered speechless. She didn''t know if she should be depress from the criticism or happy she was accepted. Also, when did Moe enter the scene? Yukino then walked Bunny back into her Tailor workshop while explaining about fashion. There were several concepts that Bunny never thought of, like visual impact, fake exposure, figure highlighting... etc. ¡°A woman''s body is not to simply display, you need to hide parts to enhance a viewer''s imagination. Remember, sensual and seductive is different from lewd and slutty. Taking a Miko''s outfit, that has been unchanged for over 500 years, why is it still more popular then your low-cut bunny suit?¡± Looking at Yukino''s outfit, Bunny understood some of the things she said. Her Miko garb had cord along the cuff, giving an impression of conservative, the body being seal up, but the split-open at her shoulders and upper arm that revealed a little skin, was just like the lid of the Pandora box being slightly lifted, allowing imagination to run. Compared to simply wearing a tank top with exposed shoulders, the outfit made Yukino much more alluring. Similarly for the bottom half, the hakama which was fixed upwards, the ribbon knot was positioned such that people could ogle at her chest without being vulgar. The loose hakama although seem to hide, but actually made the slender waist more pronounce. ¡°A Miko grab covered much, making the wearer safe and confident while having subtle effects on the viewer... comparatively, revealing outfit will just draw stares and make the wearer uncomfortable... I understand why you said I have no class when I suggested that piece. Revealing more is not always better.¡± ¡°Not bad, not bad... you learn fast, so lets make something appropriate... now Strip!¡± Within the enclosed space of Yukino''s workshop, Bunny undressed. Yukino had been stirring some unknown mixture in a large jar, when she deemed it ready, she placed long strips of silk cloth in. Each piece was about 2m long and 20cm wide. After more mixing, she fished the silk cloth out and wrap them around Bunny''s body. ¡°Brrrr.... cccold cold...¡± Bunny stuttered when the wet silk pasted on her body ¡°Unlike normal tailoring, in RR, you don''t need to care about zips or buttons, so I am making a full body hugging suit by gluing the material onto you... It is uncomfortable, but the end product will be top-tiered, so just bear with it.¡± After her explanation, she continued to fish out more strips of silk, warping around Bunny''s body. From the chest downwards, the strips were lined up into a fixed pattern, tightly hugging the curvature of her body like bandages around a mummy. The circling stopped at her hips right before the body split into legs. With the initial process done, Yukino then adjusted the wet silk wrapping into the shape of the typical Playboy Bunny-Girl outfit, with a depression between her beast to enhance the curves while pushing extra cloth behind her downwards until it exposed the whole back till the waist. With the shape in placed, Yukino told Bunny to stand near a fireplace, letting the wet silk dry on her setting their shapes. While Bunny was forced to stand straight to prevent wrinkles on her new wear, Yukino started working on other pieces. She made a sleeveless vest that looked like a waiter''s suit with a large opening on the front and nothing at the back. A pleated skirt was also done before she told Bunny to get naked again. Unlike removing a shirt normally, using ''unequip'', buttons and zips were indeed not needed. Even if the item was stuck to her body like a corset, it came off immediately. Yukino took the harden silk body and dried it further using some fire magic. When it became stiffed, she applied some lotion onto the interior, making it soft against the skin. Another lotion was applied to the exterior to relieving the silk from the stiff bonds. Together with the vest and skirt she made, she handled them to Bunny and told her to wear them all together. After equipping and wearing all the pieces along with the Rabbit Earmuffs and Garter-Stockings, Bunny looked at herself in the full length mirror. She was extremely please with the result. Stats aside, the design was unique, covering the body decently while emitting an aura of sensuality. Yukino beside her thought the same, but decided to add something extra for enhancement. Taking out some leather and more silk cloth, Yukino made a pair of simply fluffy cuffs and passed them to Bunny. Wearing those cuffs decorated her uncovered arms giving them a different feel, which made Bunny somewhat falling for her own beauty... Taking all the pieces she made, Yukino merged them as a single outfit then asked Bunny: ¡°What do you want to call this new outfit?¡± ¡°Huh?¡± Bunny replied puzzled ¡°I can name the item, or do you still want it as ''Sexy Playboy Bunny Suit''?¡± ¡°No way! It is now much more... lets call it ''Bunny Battle Suit''¡± ¡°Must you call it a Bunny suit?¡± Yukino frowned ¡°Ah... my name is Bunny, so I think it is appropriate... heh...¡± ¡°I guess... it can''t be helped¡±
Bunny Battle Suit Unique item Outfit Type: Shirt, Bottom, Belt Durability: 200/200. Defense: 120 An outfit made of high grade Silk cloth. The material was handled in a unique way with the amazing talent of a master tailor. Silk cloth were known to lack defense but this deficiency was overcame by the unique production process, without tarnishing the lush beauty enhancement features and comfort of the Silk Cloth Requirements: Female Only Level 80 Strength: 30 Dexterity: 30 Effects: Damage from arrows reduced by 80%. Blunt weapons cannot inflict a critical hit on you. Opposite Genders have 20% stats deduction against you Charisma increased by 100 Charm increased by 100 Agility increased by 30 Others: This item is customized for player ''Bunny'', Anyone else wearing this will have effects cut by 80%
Extremely happy with her new looks of her outfit and the obscene stats that came along, Bunny paid for the service. Top quality silk was paid in materials while the others and workmanship cost a whopping 255 gold. It took almost 5 hours for Yukino to produce the outfit, which she charged 50g per hour of work... the price of a Master Tailor. ¡°Thanks for the outfit, I will recommend my friends to visit¡± Bunny happily said ¡°Only if they want interesting things, I don''t do normal clothes.¡± Yukino replied blandly ¡°Don''t worry, they are exceptional¡± Bunny smiled while thinking about her friends ¡°By all means... But I only do personalized outfits and each will be one-of-a-kind¡± ''As expected of a Master Artisan'', was what Bunny thought. She felt like she hit Jackpot finding a master tailor hiding from the masses. Sometimes, there were players who prefer to focus on their works without wanting fame, but they were not easy to find. To personalize the dress, Bunny needed to miserably withstand cold silk on her body for 3 whole hours. Although she felt it was all worth it, secretly, she started thinking: ''I will not be the only one to experience this torture of cold silk... muahahaha...'' Spoiler : Bunny Battle suit is model after KuroUsagi from Mondaiji (Problem Child) My description will mostly not reach the standards of describing this outfit, so I placed the original :-/
Back to Main Forward to Chapter 25 Chapter 25 – Subterranean Mushroom Garden - Chapter 25 ¨C Subterranean Mushroom Garden
The Fief of Galitzid Prairie, consisted of 3 villages surrounding a Manor-house. Each village was about half day walk from the central, with Soie on the West, Cuivre to the south and Vinrouge to the East. According to the villagers, there used to be a village in the north, but everyone there migrated due to bandit activities. Area in the fief was mainly grasslands, which could become fertile soil suitable for agriculture. Wild animals were plentiful but didn''t pose as threats to the locals. Average levels of beast and monsters in the region was below 40. To the native peasants, this area would be comparable to Eden. For players who mostly cared about levels, their journey Eastwards from Serabroug ended at Litvart, where the highest level monsters resided. Two weeks had passed after Bunny became Baronetess which meant the villages experienced 2 game months without bandit harassment. The peaceful region had progressed nicely; Due to proximity to the capital, there was limited immigration, but safety and abundant fertile lands did lure a good amount of natives to the area. The locals whom did not move even under bandit threats lacked reasons to leave. Overall, the total population increased but not drastically. The average income of the residents had almost doubled too. Majority of the income gain was from reduction of transport cost; Shipments and funds that used to be lost to bandits or monsters were now entering their pockets. The villagers also spent less time traveling and more time on their craft, increasing their overall productivity. Angel''s innovations on improving types of goods played an important role as well. ***** On Saturday morning, the trio met again at the Manor-house. It was their usual weekly habit of meeting up before they spend that long duration together. This week was Bunny''s turn to host the session. Bunny cleared her throat to start the discussion, unused to chairing a meeting: ¡°Our region, Galitzid, is currently going good and monthly tax reached 250g. Nothing unexpected happened, except the animals found a dungeon somewhere near the north. We can go explore it when we are done here. That dungeon should be good, so I will mostly make a second Litvart.¡± Ignoring her two friends with cat-smiles on their faces, Bunny directed at Angel ¡°Let''s proceed with matters to discuss. Angel, how is the central market and brass work¡± Taking the cue, Angel started ¡°The central market is working out very well. I estimate we have made more then 600g just this game month, adding to the 317g last month, we total to around 1000 gold. But we will only be seeing the money later. I spent all the profit on stocking up Brass Cutlery and Kitchen Utensils¡± ¡°Are you sure stocking and selling these will work?¡± Gene queried ¡°Yes it will. I have sold one batch to a famous restaurant in Serabroug with over 1000% yield. I don''t expect others to reach that price, but we will be looking at profit margin of at least 500-600%. Even in the worst case scenario, we will only fall back to the accepted orders, which is around 150% margin, it is impossible to fail due to the pre-orders.¡± ¡°So... using layman terms, you already sold some to restaurants in Serabroug at 10 times the buying price and you intend to sell the rest at 5 times the price?¡± Bunny asked ¡°Correction! I am talking about profit margin: I sold that first batch at 11 times the price, and they are very happy about it. Just for your information, each batch is only 100 sets of cutlery, and good restaurants will need 3 or 4 batches each. Brass has this yellowish shine that looked comparable to gold on small tools, so the restaurant that uses them ended up with more customers.¡± ¡°Even with addition customer, how can they be happy when with such high price?¡± Bunny questioned ¡°Why not? Nobody else in the whole RR made brass cutlery, meaning I have a monopoly over this item. I am selling a concept, an idea, not just the raw materials and processing fees. Just like your rabbits, will you sell them for 50 gold each? You bought them at 1 silver and the cost of feeding them don''t amount to even 10 gold, so will you accept the offer of 5 times the price.¡± ¡°I see...¡± Bunny nodded understanding. ¡°Wouldn''t the people in Cuivre Village get angry over you exploiting them?¡± Gene wondered ¡°Nope, I asked them before starting and they were too meek to even try. Currently, they are under my employment in making brass cutlery and utensils.¡± ¡°You hired the whole village?¡± Gene asked incredulously ¡°No way I could do that. Cuivre village originally produce copper and brass weapons, which do not sell for much, I only got the brass smiths to switch production from weapons to things I want. The populous also include miners and food producers, I only hired about a quarter of the village using the income of the central market.¡± Looking at the 2 flabbergasted faces of her friends, Angel cheerfully claimed: ¡°Don''t worry about the details, just be happy that we invested about 1000g and expect to get at least 5000g back from this venture. Not to mention the overall price of brass will mostly double for a while.¡± After recovering, Bunny continued the meeting by directing a question to Gene: ¡°Ok... we will leave the market to Angel... Gene, how is our personal Demon Lair coming along?¡± ¡°Not too good! I have the portal opened, but there isn''t enough lure for the demons to come¡± ¡°Are there not enough bloodstones?¡± Angel asked ¡°Those are fine, but higher level Demons are more cautious, so bloodstones mostly lure the low level ones first... Regardless of the portal size, it will always attract lots of low level imps, with very few minor demons. The large number of imps will consume all the bloodstones before the bigger ones take bait. Killing only imps will give little for our level.¡± ¡°That means the efficiency is very low.¡± Angel supplied ¡°Hmm... must the magic circles for the portals be drawn on the floor?¡± Bunny asked ¡°Well, I don''t know, not tried it yet... why do you ask?¡± Gene questioned the question. Bunny thought a little then answered ¡°If we have a portal on the ceiling, then hang bags of bloodstones nearby but out of reach. The imps that come first will not be able to consume them. We will end up with lots of imps but the bigger ones will come after. Our bloodstone stock doesn''t diminish unless something breaks the bags.¡± ¡°Expected from Evil Bunny, baiting demons while not even giving them the bait¡± Angel summarized ¡°Hey! I''m not evil¡± Bunny pouted ¡°Says the one who tricked me into some crazy costume maker''s place¡± Angel rebutted ¡°Crazy or not doesn''t matter, you got something good in the end... no?¡± ¡°The quality is good, but the process... eek... 3 hours in cold wet silk cloth¡± ¡°Alright, lets get back on topic!¡± Gene exclaimed before he continued. ¡°I am not too sure about drawing a magic circle on the ceiling, but I will try that... so where should I draw it?¡± ¡°Hmm... how about above the central hall, so the imps drop 3 floors down...¡± Angel suggested ¡°Hahaha, Evil Bunny agrees with Evil Angel...¡± The two continued to shoot words at each other for another 10 mins. ¡°*Sigh* Lets stop acting like kids... Angel, can you refine the bloodstones?¡± Gene sighed while asking ¡°Yes, so you want bigger, higher purity or both?¡± Angel questioned ¡°Higher purity will do as the demon only sense the bloodstone''s purity , but a bigger one can be better secured with ropes. Just don''t invest too much time into making them¡± ¡°Alright, I will get it done ASAP¡± Angel confirmed her orders Having issues of the Demon Lair settled, Bunny concluded the meeting: ¡°Now the boring stuff is over, lets head over to the dungeon and kill some things¡± ***** Meow and Nyaa, the two cats that first joined Bunny, had reached lv100. They had the highest level within in group that surpassed even Bunny and co, who were at 80s. Unlike other cats, Meow and Nyaa were given to her by Shiva and they showed themselves different by exhibiting more intelligence and cunning. The two could read the enemies'' powers and relate it to their own. Of all her animals, Bunny only trusted these two for individual activity. They were the part of the group assigned to patrolling Bunny''s demesne and also the ones that located the dungeon. Since dungeon was found on a Tuesday, the trio couldn''t immediately explore it. Bunny gave these two cats permission to scout the dungeon first. For the last 10 game days, these cats hunted within and gained over 20 levels each. They would be acting as guides for the trio. From their second evolution, all animals had been growing in size. For the current Meow and Nyaa, the length from head to the base of their tail exceeded 2 meters; they could be call tigers if not for their twin tails and fuzzy fur patterns. Unlike normally, where they moved with stealth, this day, they sprinted across the grasslands along with a huge red bear carrying Angel and Gene. Behind them, Bunny rode a horse accompanied by a dozen smaller cats. ***** Reaching the dungeon, Bunny alighted from her ride while Angel and Gene got down from his bear-companion. The 12 other cats that came along were also impressive looking, with size of leopards but furs of house cats. For a distance which would have taken half a day to walk, the group reached in less then 2 hours, this feat made them proudly raised their dual tails. Summoning 4 squirrels and 12 rabbits, Bunny got ready for exploration by completing the team. The rabbits and squirrels were similar to their feline counterparts, bigger then normal, reaching more then a meter tall while standing upright. Unlike cats, rabbits and squirrels excel in short distance burst, therefore cannot undertake long distance running. Bunny could summon the cats too, but they had volunteered to run instead. From their state after long distance sprinting, they proved to be competent without being winded. ¡°So this is the dungeon those cats found?¡± Angel spoke as she looked unimpressed at the entrance. The so-called entrance was just a hole of 2m diameter and 4m deep, located in the middle of tall grass patches; It looked much like a pitfall trap with the surface removed or a poorly dug well. Without foreknowledge, most people would either not notice the hole or regarded it as a simple pit. Just as the cats had mentioned, the entrance was not easily found. Upon closer inspection, there was an opening on the Northern side within the pit. A small tunnel of 1m wide, just enough for a person to crawl through, camouflaged by the shadows. On the south wall, planks of wood were driven into the wall creating footholds to enter or exit the pit. Meow took the initiative and jumped into the pit, landed smoothly then crawled into the opening. Bunny, Angel and Gene donned their cloaks before they mimicked the action. The animals followed after with Nyaa taking rear guard. As with all underground tunnels, the place was dark, Bunny could only follow the glowing pair of eyes in front of her. Meow was respectful enough to look backwards while guiding the group. After 20 minutes of slow crawling in a downward sloping tunnel, the group reached a rather large cave. It was about 10m in diameter and dimly lit with bluish glowing stones stuck on the walls.
New Dungeon: You are the first to discover Subterranean Mushroom Garden Benefits:Fame increased by 200 (+200 FAME). Double experience and 2x normal item drop rate for 1 week. The first monster killed will drop the best quality item it can drop.
¡°Not bad, we are actually the first to discover this place¡± Bunny commented ¡°First? Didn''t Meow and Nyaa hunt here for the last few days?¡± Angel inquired ¡°I guess NPCs don''t count, we are the first players¡± Gene supplied ¡°Look at the name of this place... how lazy can the developers be¡± Angel grumbled ¡°But it''s easy to understand, better then Litvart which doesn''t say anything¡± Bunny replied ¡°The history of Litvart dates back to...¡± ¡°Don''t start a lesson here. Lets just start! There are mushrooms waiting to be cut¡± From their previous hunt, Meow and Nyaa had explored this place and notified the trio about the type of monsters around, when the trio first met a walking fungi, none were surprised. The natives of the underground cavern were called Myconids or simply known as Fungus-men. Love this novel? Read it on Royal Road to ensure the author gets credit. Myconids resembled humanoid creatures with a ''mushroom hat''. The primary physical characteristics that distinguished Myconids from normal giant toadstools were the limbs; The lower half of their bodies were split in half to form two legs while number of arms depended on the space from just below its ¡°cap¡± to the middle section. Small Myconids half a meter tall had only a pair of arms while the really large ones with height over 3m grew up to 5 pairs. Their flesh were bloated and spongy and looked kind of greyish brown under dim blue light. Their ''caps'' had more variety in color, which seemed to signify their types and strength. Yellow and Brown ones where around 90s with Red ones nearing 100. According to Meow, there were purple ones too, but those looked really poisonous so the cats avoided them. Other then the initial tunnel, the rest of the area had 5m high ceiling, so the group moved steadily forward, with the humans delighted they would not end up with hunched backs. Upon meeting the first enemies, Bunny sent the experienced ones to fight. Meow and Nyaa displayed their agility play by cutting the humanoid toadstool down quickly and efficiently using their claws. The others watched from the side and tried to decipher the weakness of these monsters. After the first Myconid died, it didn''t drop anything, which prompted a question from Angel: ¡°I remember reading about first monster killed will drop the best quality item it can drop¡± ¡°Yeah, I think I read that too when we are notified being first players here¡± Bunny agreed ¡°They can''t drop nothing, their caps and spores are good alchemy items¡± Gene wondered ¡°Don''t tell me... Bunny, check party status NOW!!!¡± Angel commanded ¡°Huh? What? Wait...¡± Bunny hesitated slightly before checking the information then said: ¡°Ah! Only 3 of us are in the party at the moment, I forgot to add the animals... that means...¡± ¡°Yes, we can beat the system. Change of plans, we''ll not party and let the animals hunt until we reach the boss room... we will need more animals too to fight the boss¡± Angel commented with a grin. With new findings, Bunny summoned 30 more animals. There were changes from the original plan, instead of leisurely hunting the Myconids and building up level slowly, the team would now rush deep into the dungeon to visit the boss room, leaving the killing of mobs purely to the animals. Myconids were sensitive to vibrations. Sound was also a form of vibration. When a raid team of over 60 units moved around the mushroom dungeon, they made lots of noise therefore attracted many mobs. Bunny''s Echolocation added fuel to fire, luring even more fungus-men to them. By the time the raid team found the stairway downwards to the next floor, the group had almost cleaned up the whole place. The progress was slow, but as the animals fought more, they gained more levels which meant becoming bigger and stronger. On top of that, they also learn more efficient ways of killing the fungus-men. Myconids had tough caps which were resilient to cuts and scratches, but vulnerable to impact. Their bodies were the opposite, the sponge-like skins could absorb impact from blunt damage, but easily shredded by claws and jabbed with spears. There were some close moments during the rush, an example would be the first meeting with a ''purple-cap''. Angel almost instinctively used her Mass Cure when the monster released a large cloud of purple gas. Luckily, Gene who was beside her, broke her incantation midway by covering her mouth with his hand. The second level of the dungeon was similar to the first, just having bigger fungi and higher density of poisonous ones. Although the bigger monsters had more hands which improved their offensive ability, they were bigger targets to claws and spears of the animals. Similarly, poisonous ones were equally decimated like normal ones, only costing some antidotes. These bigger Myconids gave more exp too as they were about 10 levels higher then the shorter ones. Without much trouble, the group continued pushing deeper. Upon finding the stairway to the third level, Bunny halt the progress for a rest. The trio were still fresh as all they did was a leisure walk in the cave with an occasional spell or two, but the animals were starting to lose concentration from over 10 hours of constant hunting. Inversely proportional to their state, the animals had gain many levels, while the trio remained the same as when they entered. During the break, Bunny decided to invigorate the animals with specially cooked food. For the vegetarians, she made Apple pie with large servings of peach sauce, while the meat lovers got grilled kebab. With Intermediate cooking, Bunny was able to bring out flavors of her dishes that satisfied both animals and humans. Gene made used of the lull by practicing alchemy. With the poison obtained as loot from killing ''purple-caps'', he mixed those with other ingredients he carried and created vaccines for the poison. Unlike antidotes, vaccines would make the animals immune to the specific poison for a period of time. With vaccines, the animals no longer need antidotes when mowing down those ''purple-caps''. With nothing to do, Angel spent her time examining their light source; The bluish stones that gave off dim lights. She chipped off a few pieces from the walls and identified them to be Glowing Lapis, but no other information was found. As they no longer glow after being mined, Angel did not gather many as retain the lighting. ***** After 6 hours of rest, most of the animals had napped shortly and recovered from their fatigue. Bunny and friends had also done their ''logout break'' to take care of real-life necessities like food and hygiene. With vaccine, food and potions ready, the group descended into the third floor. There was little difference between floor 2 and 3, with the exception of green-cap Fungus-men. Bunny called them ''poppers'' as they had puffy bodies that would make loud popping sounds when wounded. Myconids, being sensitive to sound, would rush to the popping sound and try to overwhelm their enemies. For a normal group, these poppers were extremely troublesome as they could pull more monsters then the team could handle. However, for Bunny''s army, that was already moving noisily and attracting all nearby monsters, poppers were slain without care. After spending another 2 hours hunting the third floor, Bunny located the boss room. There wasn''t a sign on the door, but with her Echolocation skill, Bunny detected an extremely huge toadstool. Standing over 6 meters in height, its outline looked like a centipede with over 10 pairs of arms sticking out of its torso. The room where the boss resided was spacious enough for all the animals to fight in, so Bunny intended to have all of them participate. However, other then the boss, there were around 20 Myconids of various types and sizes in there too. The smaller Myconids could be easily destroyed, but they could spoil her plans. After some thoughts, Bunny smiled her evil smile, then signal for Angel and Gene to discuss her plan. The group gathered at the first intersection outside the boss room, Bunny and the animals were a few meters into the left corridor while Angel, Gene and his Bear-companion hid on the right side. When all were in position, the cats started singing. With Meows, Chirrs, Hisses and Growls the cats became a messy choir that produced terrible noise. This noise did attract the attention of those within the boss room. Disturbed by the singing feline, all the Myconids along with the boss rushed towards the animals. Angel shot arrows only at the Boss redirecting it towards her. With the Bear-companion tanking the boss, Angel and Gene lure it back into its room, leaving the other mobs to Bunny. Facing around 20 attacking Myconids, over 50 animals sally forth and counter-charge them. It didn''t take long before all the fungus-men turned into gray wisps. With the minions removed, Bunny immediately invited all the animals into her raid group, randomly assigning 10 animals to each of her raid leader. Not wasting time, Bunny and the animals were running towards the boss while she distributed the party. She also started casting Wind Armor on the animals. Both Angel and Gene were focusing on healing the Bear. There was a huge level difference between it and the Myconid Boss, and keeping it alive took most of their concentration. They were only stalling for time. Occasionally, Gene would use Earth magic to disrupt the Boss''s movement giving them some breathing space. After a few minutes of struggling, which felt like hours, Bunny appeared with reinforcements. Over 50 animals started charging the boss taking aggro away. On cue, Gene unsummoned the bear and started buffing the animals with Angel. Freya''s Mass Blessing, Freya''s Ethereal Armor, Tokkin''s Grace, Tokkin''s Sphere of Safety, Lu''s Might, Lu''s Sunbond... Angel drained a large portion of her mana on many spells, including many new ones she just obtain from making shrines in the villages. Alpha Authority, Bark Skin, Giant Strength, Ancestral Mask, Primal Rage, Dryad''s Grove, ... Gene as a druid didn''t lose out in the buffing department against a priest. In fact, he could easily out-buff any other priest besides Angel. With both her teammates focusing on heals and buffs, Bunny started attacking the Boss with various spells. Even though she initially focused on air element, Bunny had learned a wide variety of different magic, so she was slinging different types of basic elemental spells. Fire, Flame, Water, Ice, Wind, Lightning, Earth, Poison... a kaleidoscope of colors emitted from her hands towards the face of the boss. She had specifically targeted the head to avoid friendly fire, but was lucky scoring critical hits as the face turned out to be one of the boss''s weak spot. After 20 minutes of focused attack, the huge Myconid Boss finally collapsed onto the ground, dropping several items. All the fighters including the trio were spent and laid down at their position resting. Gene and Angel unceremoniously just dropped onto the floor suffering from headaches due to extensive mana usage. Unlike fighting normal mobs, during the boss-fight, they drove their concentration to the limit; a simple careless mistake would cost lives. The squirrels which were not fighting started cleaning up the scene. The giant corpse was cut into pieces and stored. Before looking at the loot, Bunny checked her notifications:
New Skill: Air Mastery
New Skill: Fire Mastery
New Skill: Water Mastery
New Skill: Earth Mastery
New Skill: Natural Elemental Mastery Fire, Air, Water, Earth Masteries have combined to form Natural Elemental Mastery Increases Magic Power with any Natural Element (+10% MATK) Increases Casting Speed with any Natural Element (+3% CAST SPD)
Level up x 8
Grinning at herself for both obtaining magic mastery and gaining 8 levels, Bunny went over to help Gene and Angel up. Even thought they had finished the stressful job of killing, they still needed to do mundane work like checking the loot. The boss had dropped 6 items and they trio were interested in what ''Best Quality Item meant.
Back to Main Forward to Chapter 26 Chapter 26 – Going Deeper - Chapter 26 ¨C Going Deeper
Items from the Myconid King were 2 gears, 2 rings, 1 bag of spores and a doll. Stats and Distribution of these items were as follow:
Fungus covered Wooden Platemail Outfit Type: Plate Mail Vest Durability: 232/250. Defense: 50 A quality wooden plate mail infested with mushrooms and toadstools which grew onto the outer side of the wood. Incidentally, the fungi do not deteriorate the wood but instead strengthen it, repairing the structure as long as there are water around. When the fungi growing on the mail are damaged, they will excrete mucus with healing properties, healing both themselves as well as the wearer. Requirements: Level 120 Strength: 100 Agility: 50 Effects: Agility Reduces by 30 Strength Increases by 40 Vitality Increases by 60 Restores 1% of your maximum health every 5 seconds Others: Armor restores 10 durability every hour when moist Armor is automatically unequipped when durability drops below 100
Fungus covered Wooden Plate mail was an excellent piece of armor, the defense was extremely high, the durability of gear was self-regenerating and the wearer got healed with a % gain. In a way, this could be considered a major jackpot except it came with side effects. When Bunny tried wearing it, the armor started leaking goo-like substance. The yucky fluid did restore some health every few seconds, but the disgusting feeling it had on the skin was unbearable. It not only drenched her, but started over-flowing onto the floor making a small puddle where she stood. Upon looking at Bunny covered in slime, neither of the other 2 wanted to wear it. In the end, the armor went to Gene''s bear-companion. The yellowish brown armor didn''t go too well with its red fur, but the bear seemed to like it. Its huge size coupled with thick red fur, helped absorbed the mucus and it didn''t mind soaking in such. To the bear, the fluid felt like health potion, able to quickly regenerate its huge health pool. In some way, the bear seems more ''player-like'' then the trio, since they couldn''t prioritize usability over looks or discomfort. For those who were wondering why Bunny could wear an item that''s way passed her level, it was part of the RR system. Unlike normal games played on computers, where items couldn''t be equipped unless their requirements were reached, in VR, the player could simply wear these items manually. For balancing, the item''s stats were lowered drastically.
Living hairpin Outfit Type: Hat Durability: 90/90. Defense: 12 A cluster of 4 purplish mushroom of varied height, bound to the same base. The roots of the mushrooms are bendable to become clips and the item can be used as an cute looking purple hairpin. Without disturbing the base, the mushroom caps can be harvested at the cost of durability. Although it look poisonous, the mushrooms called the Amethyst Deceiver (Laccaria Amethystea), is not only edible, but very delicious. Requirements: Level 120 Effects: Intelligence Increases by 24 Wisdom Increases by 24 Vitality Increases by 12 Others: Item restores 10 durability every hour when moist Item is automatically unequipped when durability drops below 50 The fungi can be snipped off, at the cost of 10 durability and 25% effect each
This hairpin went to Angel. Instead of looking like a clown by planting purple mushrooms centrally on her head, Angel placed the hairpin slightly to the right, clipping it above her ear. Her aesthetic sense actually made it look good on her as the hairpin went well with her new stylish purple silk toga. From afar, it looked like flowers instead of a cluster of shrooms.
Red Mushroom Signet Ring Outfit Type: Ring Durability: 50/50. Defense: 8 A simple signet ring embossed with the symbol of a Mushroom. The base of the engraving was colored red. Requirements: Level 110 Effects: Strength Increases by 20Green Mushroom Signet Ring Outfit Type: Ring Durability: 50/50. Defense: 8 A simple signet ring embossed with the symbol of a Mushroom. The base of the engraving was colored green. Requirements: Level 110 Effects: Vitality Increases by 20
The pair of rings went to Bunny, because those were the only ones left. Even though she got more items then her friends, the distribution was slightly unfair, so the Bag of spores also went to her. Spores were seeds of fungi, therefore she was also the best person to hold them. Bunny''s Breeder class allowed her to learn skills of a farmer till master levels, so if she learned farming, she could plant those spores and grow something. From the stats of the various items, the rings would be considered common drops compared to the Platemail or Hairpin. Since the Subterranean Mushroom Garden became another of her personal dungeons, the Myconid Boss would be farmed. Bunny and friends expected to gather many more of those rings, so she had the shorter end of the stick this time.
Doll of an Ancient Type: Quest Item Durability: Indestructible A doll of a squirrel-human hybrid that was known to exist long long long time ago. They had went extinct since a long long time. The doll was preserved in top condition in an indestructible container of unknown origins. Quest Difficulty: C Requirements: Find the location to place the doll
The last item was a doll. A life-size doll of a squirrel were-beast, which knelt down in a praying position. It was more like a statue encased in a transparent egg shaped container with no ways to open. The oval container, with height of 1.5m, was like a tumbler; when pushed over, it wobbles for a few moments while it seeks the upright orientation. Bunny played with it like a large roly-poly toy, spinning it and knocking it in various directions. Whenever it upright itself, the doll within moved. It only moved its head and neck, where it would always end up looking at the only opening in the Boss room. Finding a similarity with the chickens in Sera-Ranch, Bunny decided to try following its vision. Picking up the doll and its casing, which was both bulky and heavy, Bunny carried it out of the cave and placed it at the intersection they had used earlier to split the Boss from its minions. Angel and Gene were pretty freaked out by the creepiness of the doll''s self-moving head, so they just followed Bunny silently. After it righted itself, the doll automatically started turning it head, facing the leftward path. By this time, her friends had understood her actions and gave Bunny free rein to deal with the doll. Neither was enthusiastic enough to take the job from her, due to the spooky nature. Inside, they both knew it was just a game, but knowing and experiencing it was different. They did help by casting some strength enhancement buffs on Bunny. Letting the other animals rest, the tiro went with only Meow and Nyaa as escorts. After an hour of following directions given by the statue and killing stray Myconids on their way, they finally found a pit. It was located at the end of a dark tunnel that didn''t have any glowing stones, making the pit not easily seen. Using Echolocation, Bunny understood that the pit was 5m drop with no footholds. It extended further into a wide space. The pit could be easily entered, but getting out would be problematic, so rather then venturing forward without preparation, the trio decided to level up first before exploring further. Reaching the destination was a C rank quest with no time limit, so they suspected that the pit led to another dungeon; it would be either extremely big or much higher level compared to the Mushroom Farm. They also expect a boss at their destination. ***** Being the first to find a new dungeon gave 7 days worth of double exp and loot. The trio found the dungeon on a Saturday morning, so the double event would last through all weekend, ending past midnight. To make full use of the bonus, the trio had became temporary gaming addicts, spending all their waking hours online with little breaks for food. Starting on the first floor, the trio fought simple fungus-men, with levels between 90-100. When the whole level had been wiped and the area mapped, they proceeded downwards. Second floor had bigger walking mushrooms with levels between 100-115. The new addition of the poisonous ''purple-cap'' held the highest levels. The next floor was a little tougher, infested with more Myconids of levels between 110-125. ''Purple-cap'' now share the highest level with ''green-caps''. You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author. Cleaning up and mapping out the whole dungeon took more then 40 hours game time. Adding 16 more hours to the first rapid run for boss killing, the trio had spent over 56 hours leveling up. In RL terms, they had played for more then 14 hours. Being students, as reluctant as they were, they needed to sleep early, so the group arranged to meet up at 7am the next day.
You are the first to map out Subterranean Mushroom Garden B1 Fame increased by 50
You are the first to map out Subterranean Mushroom Garden B2 Fame increased by 50
You are the first to map out Subterranean Mushroom Garden B3 Fame increased by 50
Just for the whole of Saturday, they went from 80s to pass 110 with some bonus fame. The animals were in-game natives, therefore they couldn''t keep up with the players. Bunny solved the issue easily by summoning more animals. With 3 groups of 60 animals each, Angel made up a rotation plan which allowed the animals lots of rest, while not slowing down the hunting speed of the team. ***** After a good night sleep, the trio assemble again in front of the pit. Before they start with their further exploration, Bunny summoned a special squad prepared by Prize, the squirrel overlord of Sera-Farm. There were 2 reasons for this special squad. The first reason was bringing supplies to the hunting grounds. The new-comers brought along food and materials needed by the hunting group. Food included dried meat for the carnivores and fruits for the herbivores. They also brought along ropes and planks of wood to be used at the pit. The other reason was to set up a transportation system, carting the loot from the dungeon to the Manor-House. The amount obtained, from the long hours of hunting as well as the bonus of double loot drop, had way surpassed the volume the 10 initial squirrel could carry. All the loot had already been gathered together near the entrance, waiting to be transported and sold for money. The new-comers'' job was to ferry these stuffs to their destination. With the ropes, Gene lowered himself down and went exploring alone in the new extension. There were no light sources beyond the pit so Gene''s Nightvision became vital for information gathering. The trio wanted to know the enemies they would face before proceeding. Angel used her Flare spell to provide lighting above the pit, to be used as a beacon for the exploring Gene. While waiting for his return, the rabbits were given digging duty. Rather then jumping into a 5m deep pit, Bunny decided to dig the soil nearby making a gentle slope instead. Before they started working, Gene came rushing back then running up the wall using his Wall Running spell. It was a self-cast spell only usable by himself. ¡°Slug! VERY big one, size of a car¡± was what he exclaimed before the said being appeared. Gene was technically not wrong, the width of the slug was the size of a car, but he didn''t include the length. The politically correct term to describe the size of that slug would be ''stretched limousine''. Having one car width and several car length, the slug moved very fast considering it was suppose to be a gastropod. Using her Scan ability, Bunny was unable to determine the slug''s level, meaning it was at least 30 levels higher then her 112. The situation didn''t look good, after a short hesitation, Bunny ordered all to retreat backwards, moving the battlefield to a wider and more well lit area. It took every point of her Leadership Stats to maintain order because most animals, like her, were partly stunned by the huge monster. After everyone had moved away, Bunny took a glance at the pit, desperately hoping that the depth of the pit would be enough to stop the slug. Sadly, to her disappointment, she saw the huge slug easily slithered up the 5m height and was now moving towards her. Even if it was a fast moving slug, its speed was still slower then a running human, so Bunny easily outran it while throwing various spells in its face. The animal formation was simple enough, Gene''s Bear-companion took the lead with the rabbits behind. The Cats and Minks hid at the side, preparing to flank. Gene and Angel were behind the rabbits, busy casting all their buffs, while Bunny just ran all over the place shooting spells. Either Bunny''s spells were weak or the slug had very high magic resistance, all it took was a swipe from the bear''s claw and the slug started focusing on it. The slug''s antennas were swung around like a pair of wreaking ball, creating craters on both the floors and walls. Although the bear was big, it was nimble enough to dodge them; The rabbits were quicker, so they had even less trouble With the slug''s attention gathered to its front, the Minks and Cats started tearing at its side. Surprisingly, it had very little resistance to cuts, so the slug took huge damage from its flanks. As a defense mechanism, the slime covering its body changed from slippery to sticky and had a foul odor. Bunny already felt like vomiting while staying near the smell, so she did not fault the animals who stopped using their teeth and focused only on their claws. As the new type of slime thickened, it started to inhibit the attacking animals, just as force was reduced while underwater, the mucus slowed down the claw attacks, lowering their damage. Worried that the battle would drag too long, Bunny started complaining about slugs having too much resistance and no weaknesses... then she remembered the key ingredient to killing slugs. Moving away from the battle, she started digging into her bag. Pouring salt on wounds would make one cry. Pour salt on slugs would make them cry too. Ever wondered, what would happen when you pour salt on an open wound of a slug? If that was not enough, how about adding grounded pepper, chilli powder and Tabasco Sauce to the mix. As a cook with money and no space limitation, Bunny kept lots of spices and seasonings for her cooking. Never had she thought she would be using them in combat. Ever hear a Slug roar? Neither had Bunny, Angel or Gene... That is until Bunny started spraying her mixture of spice and seasonings onto the monstrous slug. It let out such a desperate sound without vocal cords that it looked even more pitiful. Bunny had expected it to rage and go berserk, but the opposite happened. The slug was overloaded with pain and fell into paralysis. Finishing it off became extremely easy. The greatest weapon against slugs was salt. Before doing anything else, Bunny contacted ''Prize'' in Sera-Ranch, ordering it to buy a squirrel-load of salt immediately and contact her when done. Angel was also busy on PM with her uncle who was a merchant. Similarly, she ordered unlimited quantity of salt until the price reached 20% higher then market rate. Gene went to identify the corpse then informed the two busy buyers that the slug was level 180. He had saw lots of them in the lower sections, but luckily, slugs usually move alone, so they could be tackled one by one. Slugs were sensitive to smell, so when Gene went close, it immediately detected him and started chasing. This sense could be made use of, luring them up to the well-lit areas. With the animals resting and buying orders sent, the trio reviewed their impression of the last fight. Removing all the elements of surprise, the slug was actually easy to deal with. The trio had to admit they were disorientated by its large size, high level and seemingly powerful attacks and defense. During the last battle, Gene''s bear-companion had taken a full hit from the wreaking ball antenna, losing only 25% health. The bear was naked as it couldn''t wear its new armor yet. Therefore, mathematically speaking, all the rabbits could take at least 3 hits without dying due to their strong armors. In event that they got stunned from a critical hit, the squirrels could drag them away quickly. As in the last battle, none of them even took a direct hit, so being critically hit was regarded as ''just in case'' As for the damage dealers, there were far too few of them. With only 7 minks and cats on each side, the amount of damage was already substantial, but the large body of the slug could easily allow double or triple the amount animals to attack concurrently. Rabbits should also join the flanking as their piercing spears would be less affected by the sticky mucus. With their discussion done, a new battle formation was created. The animals took some time getting used to it. By then, the salt Bunny ordered had arrived. She summoned the squirrel that was loaded with only bags of salt. With preparations done, they went back to slug hunting.
Back to Main Forward to Chapter 27 Chapter 27 – Salt vs Slugs - Chapter 27 ¨C Salt vs Slugs
While Bunny and Angel were ordering massive amount of salt, Gene opted the more ''common sense'' approach. Logging out briefly, he returned shortly with online information on why slugs fear salt; why wreak your brains or depend on old-wife''s tales when there were plenty of accurate information on the net. After returning, Gene narrated his findings: ¡°The slug contains a lot of water, which is essential for its survival. Applying salt draws that water out of the slug by a process called osmosis, and the creature then dies of dehydration. Amount of salt needed is relative to its size, so if not enough water is withdrawn from the slug, it only shrink and not die.¡± ¡°So... any idea how much salt we need per slug?¡± Angel asked ¡°There are no such information on the net, but sudden dehydration can lead to seizure and comatose¡± ¡°Hmmm, then we can just try pouring enough to stun them instead¡± Armed with knowledge and salt, the trio lured another slug and tested the effectiveness of the white crystalline. To actually kill a giant slug by just dumping salt, it took a whole mountain load of it. To be more efficient, about 10 kg of salt was needed to immobilize that huge thing then slaying it using the direct damage. In monetary terms, they would be throwing 2 gold for each Slug. Although easily killed, slug loot yields little worth; There was negligible profits from the things they drop, even their giant corpse, that contained over 3 tons of meat after salting, were worth little. Before slugs die, they always end up covering themselves with horrid smelling goo, which easily soak into their spongy meat. Just think of a tasty steak, then imagine it being soaked in bile for a week before you attempt to cook it... If not for the taste and smell, these were quality ingredients, high in nutrients. Bunny, who had been selling rat meat during her newbie days, had no qualms on keeping the massive amount of slug meat. If she could disguise rat meat, she could repackage slug meat too. Escargot, or snail meat was more texture then taste, with enough spice, Bunny was confident of converting them into high class cuisine. Laughing inside, these foul smelling flesh of gastropods could be converted into ''fake'' braised abalone. Abalone are edible snails that lived in water (marine gastropod molluscs). Abalone have long been a valuable food source for humans in every area of the world where a species is abundant. The meat of this mollusc is considered a delicacy in certain parts of Latin America (especially Chile), France, New Zealand, Southeast Asia, and East Asia (especially in China, Vietnam, Japan, and Korea). Since salting didn''t seem profitable until she actually made the recipe, Bunny tried a different method. The only weapons these monstrosities had were their feelers, which they swung around like wreaking balls. Since the feelers were made from the same type of material as the body, Bunny tried to simply cut them off. By disarming the slugs, they became extra large punching bags. The plan went well, using cats as ''tanks'' instead of rabbits. The felines managed to claw those feelers off after some tries. While the group ''hammered'' the disabled slug, it produced two more feelers and wounded many, luckily the only thing that died was the slug. These gastropods had 2 pairs of ''feelers'', a pair for sight and another pair for smell. Luckily, the trio did not have to pay any price to learn such knowledge. Giant Slug hunting had proceeded well after using the ideal method of killing. But their sheer size and huge health pools still required effort and time. Each slug took approximately 20 minutes to kill, which included the time taken to lure them and cut off their feelers. To the trio, killing slugs had become a chore; it wasn''t really fun just hitting a non-retaliating entity for tens of hours, they just kept at it for the high exp it gave and optimizing the double exp event. It was also excellent time to grind offensive mastery for weapons and spells. The trio also gain some stats after a few hours of the constant workout. To raise the speed of slaughtering slugs, Bunny summoned even more animals. As the slugs were both big and disabled, even the lower levels could help with destroying the punching bags. After more then 30 hours of mundane work, they trio were exhausted from slugs extermination. The levels of the trio rose to 140s with Gene having the least gain due to sharing exp with his animal companions. It was easily rectified by Bunny changing the exp-sharing option of the raid group. The animals also managed to reach between 100-130, lower then the trio because they were working in shifts. With the slug population dropped, the trio ventured into the darkness. The lower floor was an extremely large area unlike the cavernous location where the myconids lived. Due to limited sight, the trio could only see the vast empty subterranean space with no walls in view. There were lots of stalagmites and stalactites scattered in the area, with some forming limestone pillars. Cave slugs didn''t react much to light, so they lit their way by attaching torches onto either the pillars or the protruding stakes, making a temporary lit path as they passed. Slug meat weren''t delicious food, but with a little alchemy potion, they became good fuel substitutes used in the torches. Thin layer of salt was lined along the path of light to prevent randomly roaming slugs from cutting off their path of escape. The exploring didn''t last long. After covering a few hundred meters following the sight of the doll and slaying some huge slugs they encountered along the way, the trio came upon a situation. There was a cavity, the size of half a football field, which dipped sharply about 3m from the uneven floor. Within the sinkage were over 30 huge slugs wriggling and stacking among themselves. They were the same size compared to those the trio had slaughtered. They tried to avoid the area, but sadly, the doll''s vision was directed into the pit. ¡°This looked bad¡± Bunny commented ¡°Indeed... Not going to be easy removing all of them¡± Angel agreed ¡°Do you think we can lure them one by one?¡± Gene asked ¡°Don''t think so... ¡± ¡°The method we use earlier will not work, any new ideas¡± Angel asked ¡°I think we have to resort to salting again¡± Gene replied ¡°Salting? How do we do it?¡± Bunny asked ¡°The landscape is to our advantage, we are on higher grounds.¡± ¡°This will be expensive¡± Angel grumbled The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.¡°I can provide poison artillery if you don''t mind me destroying the meat¡± ¡°Poison artillery?¡± Bunny questioned ¡°My class,Animist Druid, has many companion alternating skills like Animal Armament and Animal Accessories. Let me show off a little¡± With a grin, Gene showed a bracelet he worn on his wrist. The classy looking accessories looked slightly familiar; it was 3cm thick, consisting of a single row of segmented scales overlapping in a clockwise direction. The aligned pieces looked like a part of a scale mail. ¡°Does this look good?¡± He asked ¡°It looked classy and kind-of appealing¡± Bunny answered ¡°And you showed me some stupid disgusted face when I first said it was cute.¡± Gene complained at Bunny who showed a troubled looking face. She didn''t know what he meant. Removing his scalemail bracelet and setting it on the floor, the item returned to its original form: It was an oversized worm over 3m tall, looking like an oversized millipede without legs; The Litvart worm Gene took as an animal companion. Looking as the classy bracelet turned into a disgusting worm boss, Bunny was very surprised by the change. A quick Scan told her, it was the ''Queen'', which spew poison sludge instead of simple mist. Casting another spell, the worm started morphing into a cannon. The upper portion did not change much, it just straightened itself, with the worm''s maw becoming the cannon mouth, but the bottom turned into a stand, which anchored the worm stably onto the ground. Eyeing the bio-turret, Bunny couldn''t stop herself from asking: ¡°Does that mean your bear can also morph?¡± ¡°Ehhh... You rode a horse here, so you wouldn''t know, I made the bear into a jeep, running on legs instead of wheels. It came with 2 seats which makes riding it easier.¡± Gene replied off-handedly while beaming at the flabbergast girl with Rabbit-Ears. Angel brought the attention of the duo back on track. With Gene''s ''cannon'' ready, Bunny ordered the animals to start piling the salt near the edge, indirectly increasing the depth of the depression by creating a salt wall on the ledge. An area of 5m width below where they stood was also covered with a layer of salt to destroy incoming slugs. With preparation done, Gene fired off his poison sludge into the middle of the cluster of slugs. The cannon shot a blob of viscose fluid which splashed onto the center of the cluster. The greenish semi-liquid which were splattered over a large amount of slugs started affecting them; The toxican not only poisoned the huge beasts, it also causing goo and slime to fizzle at the slug skin it touched. Bunny couldn''t tell if it those substance worked like salt or were they simply acidic and dissolving the skin of the enemy. As long as it worked, she didn''t really care about the workings. As the Slugs were lured towards them, the army at the ledge got ready. The first 5 slugs got trapped and melted by the salt layer, others slugs then used their bodies to continue charging forward. As if on cue, the animal army started shoveling salt from above... shoveling, not sprinkling due to the sheer amount. Since the slugs were near, Gene''s bio-cannon stopped launching blobs but instead started spraying like a garden hose, raining onto the advancing slugs with toxin If we cut out all the drama, it was a simple battle of the 3 meter height difference between the location of Bunny''s army and the slugs. The slugs were trying to reach the ridge to be on even terrain while the animal army were trying their best to repel the slugs'' effort. If more then 3 giant slugs managed to achieve their objectives, the animals would lose their ground advantage and be forced to retreat. Luckily for the animals, the slugs after salting deflated like balloons, refusing to create a stairway of monster corpse. Adding more luck, when one of the stupider slugs swung its weapon against the cliff, it actually helped the army above by causing an avalanche of salt to pour over. There was only ONE slug that almost made it to the top, but it was blown backwards with a point-blank shot from the cannon. Overall, the battle was very chaotic, but finally it settled down when the last monsters fizzled into gooey puddles with grotesque smell. Thinking better of moving into what looked like a cesspool filled with salt, toxic goo, poisonous slime and venomous mucus, the trio decided to allowed ''nature'' to ''decompose'' the remains. ***** After 10 minutes of waiting, the area was ''magically'' cleaned, with the gore disappearing into white wisp. Continuing their way, directed by the doll, the trio located their finishing point as a white structure in the center of the depression. It looked like a white marble block acting as an altar, standing at a meter-tall and 2-meters in other dimensions. Finding a circular indentation in the middle of the block, Bunny placed the doll onto the altar. The base of the container holding the doll fitted perfectly, as if completing a puzzle. The combined pieces now resembled a squirrel humanoid, knelt in a praying position, above a square marble table. Then it started glowing. Sucking up the glow from the altar, the container surrounding the doll, scintillate with a bluish light, before fading away. Fire of life then infused into the dead eyes of the doll. Slowly, it regain conscious and looked around in half-daze mode. Seeing the humans, it directed its attention to them and started speaking: ¡°Greetings, Androg is busy at the moment, so this chapter ends here in a cliff-hanger. But fear not, it will be updated... *grin* ¡±
Author''s Notes: In the beginning when I started writing Lady Bunny, it was intended to be only 15 chapters long and finished within 1 month. Somehow it became much longer and I found myself not having the time to update as frequently as I wanted. I will continue the story, but at a slower pace, so bear with me. Nov till Jan are busy months for me, so don''t expect anything. As the saying goes: ''No expectation = No disappointment''
Back to Main Continue to Chapter 28 Chapter 28 – Information, Information, Information - Chapter 28 ¨C Information, Information, Information
Sucking up the glow from the altar, the container surrounding the doll, scintillate with a bluish light, before fading away. Fire of life then infused into the dead eyes of the doll. Slowly, it regain conscious and looked around in half-daze mode. Seeing the humans, it directed its attention to them and started speaking: ¡°Why am I here... Oh... I remember...¡± then it started crying. ¡°Let me guess, you are the first and last squirrel beastmen who lost all your tribesmen¡± Bunny asked. She was mentally exhausted from long hours of killing both Fungi and Slugs, so manners seemed lacking. ¡°No, my tribe is well and good... I just happen to lose about 100 years worth of experiment... Now I have to start over... from nothing again...¡± the squirrel answered with uneven tone, sounding like she just work up. ¡°I''m Angel, nice to meet you, is there anything we can help you with?¡± Angel was also mentally tired but she was gentler. Bunny may have forgotten, but Angel remembered they were still on the quest. Judging from the NPC''s reaction, it could be a chain quest. ¡°Ah... sorry... I am Snow... first of the Squirrel-men... although I am a women... The squirrels are doing well... so you don''t have to worry about us... We just hide from others... making personal habitats like this one.¡± ¡°Nice to meet you, did your creator name you after your coat?¡± Bunny asked out of nowhere, while looking at the squirrel''s snow-white fur. ¡°Oh? You guess correctly... now that I observe more closely... you three smell like my creators... Are you perchance the current generation''s Phantasm Breeder?¡± Looking at Bunny nodding, Snow continued: ¡°Ah... let me see... there is Zenon, then Fluffy, the next one is... Aha! I got it... this generation should be Silva''s turn, so how is that old bucktooth doing? I guess he gave you people some ridiculous task without explaining much.¡± ¡°Silva is fine, still staying at Serabroug as a farmer. We are given the task to revive his extinct rabbit race, so far, doing trial and error, we only managed to raise them slightly.¡± Angel replied pointing towards some meter-tall rabbits nearby. Looking at the rabbits and noticing the other animals, Snow broke into a smile and rush forward hugging Angel while say: ¡°Ah... You people are pretty diligent... not only rabbits, you have cats and minks too... even squirrels... Seeing them after being in isolation... for so long makes me so happy... even if they are very distant kins and not of my caste... I am still so happy I want to kiss you.¡± ¡°Ummm... Can I ask you what are you doing deep underground?¡± Gene asked meekly. Back to his unsure self due to presence of a stranger. He did improved considering he actually initiated to talk ¡°Haha... you have a shy Druid... for the first time in many centuries... Most of those Animistic Druids were rude... I am starting to like you all more...¡± Snow changed her target and started hugging Gene. ***** After some chaotic times filled with merry-go-round hugs, the squirrel-women started to explain things that Silva didn''t. To put things simply without the additional skinship and drama, Snow gave the trio a general direction to proceed. Starting off: This dungeon was an artificial habitat Snow created. As with the name of the dungeon, it was a mushroom farm, although those ''mushrooms'' walk around. Just having a single race would not last long, so Snow introduced another element, the slugs. Slugs feed on mushrooms, so they eat the Fungi-men, in return, after they die, slug corpse become good nourishment for the Myconids. With these two depending on each other, they formed a micro enclosed eco-system. Why did she take the trouble to make a system instead of just farming the Myconids as food? The reason was simple, beast people need to fight; They need exp to ''grow up''. Without exp, offspring of the evolved animals would start to devolve. The process wasn''t immediate, so it takes a few generations to observe. The rabbit race went extinct purely because they were peaceful herbivorous that avoided fighting. With their young growing up without Exp, after 3 generations they moved down a tier... another 5 generations later, they lost their sentience. In a total of 18 generations, the tribe reverted to normal rabbits again. It was sad fate. Checking on her ''A''-Rank quest again, Bunny called up the quest window.
Revival of the Sentient Rabbit Race There were once a sentient rabbit race, Shiva was the first as well as the last of them. The race had died out and rabbits were reverted into simple critters. Shiva will teach you all you need to know about breeding and evolving. You were to evolved the rabbits into sentient beings, and also help them create their own habitat. Difficulty Level: A
Indeed, the quest did required her to give the rabbits suitable living condition. If Bunny wanted to complete the ''A'' rank quest, she would not only need to help the animals reach high-tier evolution, she must also help them found a habitat with suitable opponents. As to why Snow''s experiment went bad, when she first introduced both species, they were peaceful with each other due to having a stronger common enemy, that was Snow herself. With her high levels, she could easily wipe out all the monsters, but that would basically ruin her efforts. With mental struggles, she finally decided to just encase herself in a shield and eliminated herself as a threat. With their common enemy missing, the two races started fighting among themselves. The Myconids won the first round and gained Snow within her magic shell as a trophy. The slugs won next, which drove the myconids back to their upper caves. This marked the start of the small inter-racial war of the mushroom farm. Being dragged away from her source of magic, which was the Altar - made of mana-stone, Snow lacked the power to free herself from her self-imposed prison. Being held by the Myconid Spore King, there was little she could do except to wait for the Slugs'' victory. Alas, even when the slugs won, they didn''t bother to take her back... Being an immortal, Snow stayed immobile for a hundred years until Bunny found her. For lesser beings, they would have gone crazy over the isolation, but for someone who lived for millenniums, it just felt like a boring day with nothing to do. As thanks for saving her, Snow gave the trio more information with regards to their ''A''-Rank quest. First and foremost was the levels needed for evolution. Since Bunny already knew of the procedure up till Tier-2, Snow started from after. Given that most of her animals were Lv1 when they first started, things were easy to explain. To reach Tier-3, the animals needed be Lv130 and have a catalyst. Without evolving, they would reach their level cap of 150. Snow also gave Bunny a very complex looking mathematically formula that could determined the levels needed by animals that did not start from level 1. The equation was automatically entered into her Phantasm Encyclopedia. Doing some simple maths, Bunny derived that Lv2 rabbits would need to be Lv155 to evolve. As for the catalyst, it must be rich in Mana. Meat of ''High Mana Monsters'', Mana stones, Mithril... it could be anything as long as it contained lots of Mana. Beyond Tier-3, the simple animals would need be able to harness magic. In order for their bodies to adapt and create a ''mana core'', they needed to consume items that had plenty of mana to trigger the evolution. To enable the trio to be better able to find valid catalysts, Snow taught them the skill Color Sight.
New Skill: Color Sight Enables the user to differentiate mana density using colors. Color ranks are: Green, Teal, Cyan, Azure, Blue, Indigo, Magenta, Violet, Red. At beginner levels, you can only see Green, Blue and Red With higher levels, more colors will be available, being able to differentiate more thoroughly
¡°Catalyst must be at least be Azure when viewed with Mana-Sight, but since your skill-levels are too low, take those that look Blue.¡± That was what Snow said. After learning the skill, another window open in front of Bunny.
You have successfully place the doll onto the Altar made of Mana-stone. Within is the first-born of the squirrel beast race. Reward: - Skill:Color Sight - Information on Beast-Race.
You have level up You have level up
Getting the animals to Tier-4 was also taught to them by Snow, but that information would be for later. The trio, at the moment, needed to cross the hurdle of getting the animals into Tier-3 first. As spoiler, Snow just told the trio that Tier-4 required the animals to be at 275 or higher... with the option to Tier5 if they manage to get those animals to reached 400. Snow then happily relegate the farm to the trio, partially as thanks, but mostly because she was bored staying underground for so long. She also said that the Subterranean Farm wasn''t suitable for rabbits because the animals tend to be lethargic underground... Their natural instincts when hiding in barrows. Saying that she would visit Shiva in Serabroug, Snow left after more skinship and drama. Although there wasn''t any continuation to the quest, the trio were happy that the ''C'' rank quest was quickly completed. They felt lucky because their opponent were Giant Slugs. Even though Slugs looked disgusting and produce foul smelling goo, they were easily killed with the glaring weaknesses of salt. If they had faced other Lv180 monsters, it would have taken them at least another week (1 month in game) before they could push forward. Maybe adding two more weeks before they could clean the area around the Altar. Spending such a long time, some of the animals could have reached their limit and stagnate in levels which would lead to Bunny panicking over her animals. All in all, the trio thanked their lucky stars. Checking the time, it was already Sunday night near bedtime, so they decided to rest and relax. Moving back into the Fungi Caverns, as it was safer there, the trio said their good-byes. Bunny gave the roaming animals instructions to continue leveling before she log-off. ***** Monday came after a good night sleep. As usually, Alan met with Jeanne in the morning, lounging in the Student-Council Room. She had become more open to him. Jeanne seemed to have undergone some intensive change during the weekend because the amount of dialogue between them improved significantly from a few random sentences to a 15 minutes of small talk and idle chatter. Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation. For once, Alan was the one stuttering instead of Jeanne. He was very happy about the quality time spent with his crush, with little to no thoughts about the change. Maybe it was him being overjoyed , but contrary to his more observant self, he did not find her acute improvement quizzical. Jeanne did improve over time, as she first started only able to mutter a few words before going silent. It improved over the weeks and she could then converse a few sentences. The change over the weekend was extremely huge, just without Alan noticing. After Alan had his weekday dose of Jeanne, school went as per normal until lunchtime. Alan was waiting for this hour as it was the only time Luke would exit his capsule and free to talk. Luke was not only the Student-Council President, he was also one of the TOP dark-gamers in the world. For RR, the data Luke had at his fingertips were far beyond what the ''Dark-Gamer Union'' could provide, and that was already much more advance then surfing the Internet. Alan was actively seeking Luke on this day for ''Business''. Luke traded in game news and dossiers, which meant that if Alan wanted specific details, Luke was the one to turn to. Since Bunny''s success as a Breeder, Alan had a good amount of information that were worth much, for these he could trade with Luke for intelligences he needed. Knowing that his army of Rabbits would reach a level-bottleneck, Alan wanted details on how to overcome this ordeal. Things that contained mana, like Mithril and Mana-stones, were extremely expensive. The amount needed to evolve a hundred animals could make Bunny virtually bankrupt... and Bunny had over 500 of them ... Turning to the last option, Alan wanted to know about meat with high mama-content. If he could farm monsters for those special meat, it would solve the problem about monetary cost as well as enable future animals to evolve without care. The basis of the ''A''-Rank quest was, after all, not only to have the animals reached sentience, but to have those sentient animals become self-sustaining. ¡°Hey Luke!¡± Alan greeted, when his target emerged from his gaming device. ¡°Yo Alan! You waiting for me?¡± Luke asked ¡°I want to trade some information¡± Alan started ignoring small talks ¡°What kind?¡± ¡°I want to know about magic beast... those with meat containing mana¡± Luke pondered a little before replying: ¡°I am not too sure about this, but if you are looking for monster meat that can help you gain stats, those are really rare. Also, eating most of those will raise your infamy, change your alignment or give unwanted permanent status like ''hated by some race''¡± ¡°Care to give some examples?¡± Alan asked ¡°Lets see... the simplest will be wild fairies. They are magical beings, they can be considered embodiment of mana, I know of people who feed on their corpse and gain some stats... but there are drawbacks. Fairies are ''good'', killing them is like killing players, it will net you the murderer''s mark as well as infamy.¡± ¡°What about evil fairies?¡± Alan inquired ¡°Well... you can try those, but being evil means their mana is tainted. If you eat those, it will boost some stats, but your alignment will slowly shift towards evil. Personally, I think having an evil alignment is worse then just infamy as alignment shift is much more difficult then gaining or losing infamy.¡± ¡°Any others that have little or no side effects?¡± ¡°You see, when a beast is infused with mana, they are considered ''magical beings'' by the general AI in RR. Killing them will be treated like killing player. Of course killing the evil ones will be like killing evil players, so those will have no detrimental effects... The problem is eating their meat... Evil beings mostly have tainted mana, and those will affect alignments. The only exception to this rule is undead, non-humanoid demons and dragon-kins¡± ¡°Non-humanoid Demons? I thought all demons are humanoid, like Imps, Satyr, Demon Spawns, Succubus, Nephilims, Fomorian, Rakshasa, Wendigo... etc..¡± Alan started counting the different types of Demons he knew. ¡°Hmmm... did you know about that 3-headed dog that guards hell''s gates?¡± Luke asked ¡°Cerberus?¡± ¡°Yes, or to be more precise, Hell-Hounds... Cerberus is just the name of a great Hell-Hound, also they are actually denizens of the Demon Realm, not hell... There really isn''t a Hell in RR, at least it is not discovered yet. In the Demon Realm, there are not only Hell-Hounds, there are also other Hell-this and Hell-that... ¡± ¡°Wait! You mean to say that those Hell-whatever are all from the Demon realm instead of Hell? What the hell... Why are they not called Demonic-something instead? Hell is too misleading a prefix! Also, are there actually Hell-Rabbits or Hell-Raccoons?¡± ¡°There are... Hell-Hares are at the top of their food-chain...¡± Luke answered seriously ¡°Huh??¡± ¡°Demon realm is somewhat different from the common one, they have very different ecosystem and what we deem ''weak'' are actually the stronger types of monsters there. Demon spawns and Imps... the humanoids there are actually the bottom feeders, wild predators as usual are the middle class with rabbits, deers and rats taking the top.¡± ¡°Are you serious? Is this hearsay or are they facts?¡± Alan asked incredulously ¡°Very sure, I am currently in the Demon Realm doing a quest for the Hell-Huemul, a deer type demonic beast, their chief, Zenon, is an immortal that lived for thousands of years. They are at the top of the food-chain and each warrior is at least level 300.¡± ¡°What??? What level are you to actually meet such a race?¡± ¡°Me? I am currently 338¡± ¡°How? Isn''t the highest level only 270? I read on the net some weeks... maybe a month ago... someone named Bart or something posting a video about being the highest level in the game.¡± ¡°Hahaha... and you believe whatever you see or read on the net... I will put it simply, that guy is the highest level known to the public, we Dark-Gamers live in the shadows, unless it is money related, we will not reveal our levels or skills, not even the weaker ones. There used to be 6 others with similar level to me, sadly two of them quit...¡± ¡°You kidding me right?¡± Alan tried to verify what he heard ¡°Nope, I can meet up with you to prove it, that is if you even reach the Demon Realm... hahaha¡± ¡°I hold you to your words... My team will go to the Demon Realm and you will be our tour-guide.¡± ¡°Hahaha, how will you do that?¡± Luke laugh off the thought. ¡°Oh! one of my teammates learned the ''portal'' skill, and we tried to lure Demons over to make our own demonic dungeon... sadly it mostly only lured the imps. If we level that skill high enough, I believe he can make a path there, so you better...¡± Raising a serving tray taken from the canteen, Alan managed to block the flying viscous fluids aimed at him. Luke usually took a game-break during lunch-time to replenish nutriment, and if Alan spoke with him, he would talk while eating. From previous experience, Alan knew Luke would spew thing at him whenever he heard things he wasn''t prepared for. When Alan told Luke his newly acquired class, Luke sprayed milk. For Litvart personal dungeon, it was hot chocolate. Plum Tea came when his avatar ''Bunny'' became ''Lady of the Manor''. With previous experience of being dirtied, this time Alan came prepared, using a shield borrowed from the cafeteria, he managed to block the shower of Coffee. Watching Luke coughing after expulsion of caffeine-filled liquid, Alan thought he looked like the Livart Queen Worm after spewing poison. However, he kept his mouth shut until his friend recovered, as he still needed information from Luke. ¡°You! How lucky are you going to get before you are happy!¡± Luke slurred after regaining his voice. ¡°Hey, its not me this time, the portal is discovered by a team-mate.¡± Alan rebutted. ¡°Still... never mind... Let''s get back on track... ¡± Clearing his throat, Luke continued: ¡°If you can get into the Demon Realm, just be careful, the realm itself is heavily infested with monsters, they are mostly weak, between 40-80. But there are roaming big ones around 200 running randomly. Its a big jump, so don''t get complacent when you make massive killings¡± ¡°Are those big ones good enough to be considered mana-intense?¡± ¡°Eating the meat of those will give permanent MP gain, I think the limit is only 100MP. Another thing to note, everything in the demon realm is considered poisonous if you eat them, that means you will need lots of antidotes... Anyway, your priestess should have no problems curing your team.¡± As the saying goes: Talking about a person would make him/her appear. Angelina the Treasurer knocked and entered the Student-Council Room. ¡°Hi Lina¡± Luke greeted her nonchalantly, while Alan just nodded in her direction. ¡°You just lost the right to call me Lina, you can call me Angel instead.¡± the girl said to Luke. ¡°Why? Because I didn''t support your action during the DG meeting?¡± Luke asked while acting hurt. ¡°Yes!¡± She replied bluntly. Picking up something from her desk, she the left leaving some final words: ¡°Lina is reserved for those close to me, so you will call me Angie, Angel or Angelina, call me Lina again and I will turn your life into hell... UNDERSTAND?¡± Alan had been quiet during the exchange because he wasn''t very comfortable around the girl. For reasons he himself didn''t know, he found communicating with her... difficult. He brushed it off as just a difference in personality or simply not knowing each other enough. Luke just sigh at the leaving girl and grumbled: ¡°Ah... that girl, using her name to differentiate people...¡± ¡°Are all girls like that?¡± Alan asked ¡°Depends, not all have names that can be split... I know a Crystalbella who does something similar. Then again, there are names like Jeanne which cannot be split, so you have to ask her yourself to find out.¡± The boys continued small-talks about beings they would spend the rest of their lives trying to understand. ***** As Lunch-Break ended, Alan ''Bought'' Knowledge on the Demon Realm for the ''Price'' of Evolution of Poisonous Mink with Camouflage Ability. The way Luke traded was based on Trust: Alan had told Luke about some of his ''Secrets'', and Luke pasted a value on each. Whenever Alan needed wisdom, Luke would take one of his ''Secrets'' and make it his own... Meaning he could then sell that ''exchanged'' information.
Back to Main Continue to Chapter 29 Chapter 29 - Dear Diary - Chapter 29 ¨C Dear Dairy
Author''s Notes: This FF has a Romance Tag. It''s Christmas, so a super saccharin imbue chapter of Vanilla Love... Hopefully it turns out sweet instead of sour or salty... There is no plot progress in this chapter, so don''t get your hopes up.
Date: XX / XX / XXXX Dear Diary, Nice to meet you. This is the first time I am writing a diary, so I am not sure if I am doing it right... I am a Sophomore at XXX high school and my school life is pretty boring. I am told by Dr. Henderson yesterday, to start writing a diary. He says that writing will help me overcome my shyness toward strangers. By writing about my own life, I can learn more about myself, build self-confidence and overcome my flaw. I have never thought shyness as a flaw until now. Being unable to communicate with people is indeed a big problem. Lina, my best friend, is very supportive of this... but I guess she just wants to read embarrassing things I write about myself. I will definitely keep you away from her as much as possible.
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Date: XX / XX / XXXX Dear Dairy, Today, I manage to see him again, the person who make me want to better myself. His name is Alan. I still don''t know why I am attracted to him, as there are people more handsome and there are people more athletic... It somehow just happen... This started a few weeks ago when I was reading fiction books in the library. As per my habit of glazing around imagining the stories in my mind, I saw him doing some written assignment a few tables away. Curiously looking at him for less then a second, he looked up suddenly and smile at me. Unlike something he displayed to others, this smile made my heart skipped a beat and I felt my face becoming warm. Since then, every where I went, I could instinctively locate him in the crowd... and every time I looked at him, he would take less then a second to look back, then giving me that special smile of his... After the same situation happened many times, our roles somewhat switched. I would turn away from whatever I was doing, for no apparent reasons, to see him looking at me. In respond, I gave him my brightest smile. It made him blush slightly... On hindsight, I mostly had given him the same respond... now I really want to dig a hole and hide... Nowadays, I am no longer awkward meeting his smile or giving him one. I yearn for the time when I can actually master up the courage to walk up to him... to talk... I don''t know what we will chat about, but I want to at least be able to talk normally.
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Date: XX / XX / XXXX Dear Diary, Today is the day I become a High School Junior. Due to my good results in English Language and Literature, I am offered a seat in the student''s council. I try to reject the position but Ms. Davis says it is just an honorable position with no strings attached... I hope everything will work out well. I don''t think my meek nature will be suitable for a leadership position. Luckily, Lina is with me, taking the role of Treasurer. If not for her, I don''t think I will accept the post even if they force me to.
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Date: XX / XX / XXXX Dear Diary, Today is the first day I take office as Student Council''s Secretary. Just as Ms. Davis has said, there is nothing to do or be responsible for, just a room for members to spend their free time... I immediately load my new desk with books I want to read during future lunches and free time. All is great except one small problem... Alan is the Vice-President. I have not expected to see him there and end up being shocked... Luckily, he hasn''t notice... His grades are good, mostly around top 20 school-wide, but not excellent. I have never expected him to top the cohort and earn that place. Anyway, my heart isn''t ready for this, so I bow to him before escaping the room. There are many pros and cons with him being in the same room. Feeling flustered, I consult with Lina and even explain our gazes and smiles... she just tell me I am in ''heat''... what a rude girl... I think it is best to avoid the area for a while.
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Date: XX / XX / XXXX Dear Diary, Today is a good day. I have thought it will be extremely bad when I find out I left the books needed for today''s lessons in the Student Council room during my escape the day before. As I reach the room early in the morning, 15 minutes before lesson time, I find Alan sitting at his desk. He greet me and I managed to squeeze out a ¡°Hello¡± without stuttering. For others, saying simple words is something easy, but for me, it is almost a miracle... Although, I want to try some small talks, I think better to not push my luck too far... Alan knows of my condition so he silently return to his work while I take out a book to read... I can''t concentrate on the text and end up counting my rapidly increasing heartbeat. Overall, we manage to spent some quiet time together, which makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Contrary to my happiness, Lina has the face of the demon. She doesn''t want to tell me the reason, but she mention something about ¡°parent''s feuds should not be passed to their children¡±. I don''t want to press her for reasons, as she will tell me when she feel that she is ready. The only problem I have with Lina''s tantrum, is the VR machine, what she called a ''gaming capsule'', being placed in my care. This capsule thing has the size of a bed and takes up a good portion of my room. I don''t know much about gaming, but my mum says the equipment is very expensive.
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Date: XX / XX / XXXX Dear Diary Today, my private morning time with Alan is disrupted by the Student Council President called Luke. From rumors, nobody has ever seen Luke study, but he always top the grades... Some sort of a Genius... He is even exempted from most classes... Anyway, the disturbance Luke cause, is bringing a large machine into the Student Council Room. It is a capsule that looked just like the one I am holding for Lina. I don''t mind if Luke just bring unusual items to school, but what irritates me is Alan''s attention become directed at that thing! Usually, Alan will only spent the mornings quietly with me, so I am slightly jealous about not being the only one having his attention... What is wrong with me, being jealous over a machine... I eavesdrop on their conversation and find out that Alan recently start playing some game called RR which use the capsule. Luke, who has played it for longer, is giving him advices. They talk about being a knight, killing monsters, saving villagers... just like those fantasy novels I love. Even by just listening to their conversation, I become somewhat interested... I ask Lina about RR... She replies with a ¡°it is a fantasy world too difficult to describe in words...''¡± What kind of explanation is that? Lina then gives me a temporary account with a week of free access. Using the capsule I am still holding for her, I am told to play the game, in order to understand what this RR really is.
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Date: XX / XX / XXXX Dear Diary Another day with my daily dosage of Alan. Our routine returned even after Luke''s interruption the day before. My worst fear: Alan ignoring me for game discussions with Luke, did not materialize... Lucky! I also have my first experience in RR today, I only have ONE word: Amazing! It''s like being reborn into a fantasy world with a medieval setting. In there, I get to see Knights in shinning armor, though they aren''t very handsome as depict in novels. I also get to see magic... Lina is correct, the experience is not something that can be described in mere words I spend a whole day reading up history of the lands, they are as interesting as fantasy novels. The best thing about the game is time, even after spending so much time reading, when I exit the capsule, only a 2 hours has passed... I can''t imagine how many books I can read just for the 1 week free access.
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Date: XX / XX / XXXX Dear Diary I have made an important decision today, I am going to play RR. The 7-day free-trial pass quickly and during that time, I have covered half the contents of the library. The library I visit is actually rather small, since I start in a Castle rather then a city; Nekan Castle in the Kingdom of Dale. From what I read, I locate lots of incomplete stories, as if the fables are waiting for someone to finish what the heroes within have started. Finding them somewhat anti-climatic, I grumble to Lina about the cliffhangers. Instead of being bored, listening to my complains, Lina instead ask me to list down some of those deficient tales. I don''t want to brag, but I have good memories. Writing down incomplete stories I read just a few days ago is really easy for me. Lina then sent a few emails, make a few phone calls and finally inquire if I am willing to sell those information for a thousand dollars each... I must say I am extremely embarrassed with the size of my mouth when she flash a mirror showing my reflection. Lina explain that what I have reproduce is a quest for the game... A High Ranking quest to be precise... There is a network of gamers who pay for information similar to what I have just written. With the 8 open-ended stories I have recounted, I suddenly have funds to pay for over a year worth of RR subscription... If I sell the 14 other stories I found, I will have enough to buy myself a personal gaming capsule. Since I already have her unit, I try to coerce Lina to trade hers for a new one. I don''t like strangers in my room, even if they are just workers installing or removing a device. Sadly, Lina refuse... and she also refuse to remove her unit from my room... saying she is currently having a cold-war with her parents... The parents of the boy Lina fancy and Lina''s parents... they have some old family grudge that prevents her to meet him... sounds like Romeo and Juliet... very complicated... better stay out of it... Anyway, things turn out good because after trying to order my unit, the game company says they are out of stock; I will only receive my personal unit a month later... So I will keep using Lina''s device until my own arrives. Convincing mum to let me buy the game takes longer, but at least she agree to my terms, not like Lina... Since I have somewhat finish reading most of the books I am interested, in Nekan Castle Library, I intend to start again somewhere with a bigger and better library. Lina suggest Citadel of Serabourg, Rosenheim... It is the new frontier city so the contents in the library will be rich, information gain can also be sold at a higher price. Lina then cheekily suggest I switch genders in the game. Her argument is that I am trying to overcome my shyness, so by becoming male, I am force to talk with other males... She also mention that I may have an alter-ego that is totally extrovert and it is restricted by the feminine rules I grow up with... I think she just wants to watch me make a fool of myself... Since RR is only a game, gender is only for appearance, it doesn''t matter much since I intend to spent most of my time doing my favorite activity... reading... Also, if chaos breaks loose, I can still delete and recreate... With such line of thoughts, I accept Lina ''Dare'' and make a male male Avatar called Gene. My friends call me Jean instead of Jeanne, and Gene sounds similar, I pick this name so I don''t get confuse over people calling me.
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Date: XX / XX / XXXX Dear Diary It has been 5 days since I start playing RR. Life still move at the same pace, just with a daily dosage of Alan, I am happy... the difference from before is I am now spending 2 hours daily in the game called RR. Within RR, I am facing a crisis. Playing the game is very unlike having a temporary account. The avatar needs food. Being hungry makes me edgy and requires twice the amount of concentration to just read... I even gain a stat for the excessive mental strain. I can somewhat understand why there are so few scholars in ancient times, they mostly cannot withstand hunger. Anyone who says Hunger drives Creativity doesn''t know what they are talking about. Hunger for knowledge is very different from Hunger for food... Staying hungry for too long isn''t wise either... Yesterday, I just died because of it... That means I am forced out of the game for 24 hours. Today, I need to do something about satiation. There is the option to buy game money using cash, but that seems like increasing my monthly game subscription cost... I don''t like it... Lina suggest I learn money making crafts or take jobs. A scribe can earn some by copying works while a librarian is a job that can gain me some coins. Thinking back on Ms.Davis lesson, I think I want to do something related to Chemistry. The way she teaches the subject makes me very interested. Although I don''t score well in Chemistry, I am intrigued by the way chemicals combine to form new ones. Telling Lina about what I have thought of, she advice me to check out on Alchemy and Potion making. Gene, my avatar in RR, after reading all about potion making, has now learn the skill Apothecary. Trying to explain the difference between Apothecary and Alchemy to a gamer is a waste of time... to them, both are potion makers... That is what I learn when telling Lina about the skill. Unlike Alchemy which requires specific formulas, Apothecary can mix and match, replace and substitute, creating variations. For example: - In Alchemy, to make a greater healing potion, an Alchemist needs red herbs, spring water and troll blood. Very specific formula and it can''t be changed. - Apothecary on the other hand can substitute spring water to fountain water, troll blood to pig blood. The outcome will be weaker, but it is still better then a minor healing potion. Lucky me as I find a butcher willing to give me the blood of the cattle he is slaughtering. Along with the red herbs I gather near the library, I mix them into potions beside the fountain, the water source for new players. My first try ends in a bloody mess... literally... staining a small area in blood... but on consecutive tries, they work out well. Putting the potion into my drinking canteen, I got my first potion for sale. Talking to NPCs is not much easier then talking to humans, but they are more patient and tolerate my inability to talk. Selling the product is rather easy as I don''t bargain, the stall keeper is skeptical at first, but gives me pointers after she understand my plight. The first thing I learn from the kind lady stall keeper is that putting potions in anything other then glass reduces its effectiveness. I end up using part of my first profits to buy some glass vials for my later creations.
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Date: XX / XX / XXXX Dear Diary Sunny day, bright and warm. Alan still look cool and dashing, but it seem to be only to my eyes. Others just look at him as a cheerful, smart student that is good at sports... Not that I mind, I don''t want competitors as I am yet to be able to talk to him normally yet... My limit is now monosyllables as replies to his questions. It is great day today, Lina finally want to cart her capsule home. Her gamer self cannot stand my constant boosting of my game success. I have earn myself a small fortune both in and outside the game, by selling information and vials of potions respectively. I don''t intent to tell her I have only been reading and making potions all this time... she will scream at me for being only lv9 after a full month of playing... Better find a party and level up before meeting with her. As the workers from the game company install my new capsule, they then cart Lina''s unit back to her place. Due to the high subscription cost and the device itself, price of moving those game-capsules somewhat becomes insignificant. Maybe it is due to my bank account swelling many times larger then previously, I think I need to relearn the value of money. Agreeing to meet during the weekend, I spend much time trying to gain more levels... But there must be a stupid stupid moron to hinder my progress. This idiotic player goes around digging pit traps and filling them with mud. He doesn''t try to stay incognito, rather, he laughs at people who falls for his pranks. I end up falling into not one, but two of those. He makes me so angry I camp cripple him... Not actually killing, but rather, I just break his legs, force him crawl around, healing him when his health goes low... since he likes to create misfortune, I put all the misfortune he created back into him. Unauthorized usage: this tale is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings. With that stupid, idiotic moron, I waste most of my online time today, unable to level up. There are 4 more days till meeting with Lina, so this put a small dent in my mood.... but not enough to turn me away from being cheerful...
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Date: XX / XX / XXXX Dear Diary Weekend... a little lonely because I don''t get to see Alan... but today I get to see Lina in the game. Lina has started playing a few days ago. I use some excuses so I can try gain some levels before meeting her, therefore, today will be our first meeting in the game. To help with my leveling speed, I have taken the Druid class days ago. No players want to party with a classless person, not to mention someone extremely quiet. But being a silent druid is very much like role-playing, so people approach and party me without any need to talk. Knowing that I provide potions in addition to using healing spells, I have become a rather popular silent druid standing at the southern gate. It feels a little strange, but Lina''s father actually sent his brother to watch over her... how protective can a father be? Or maybe how much feud can those two families have?? I think I better not concern myself with weird business... I can lend her a ear, but I don''t want to get involved. However, if Juliet wants to die for her Romeo, I will stop her... I think I am over-thinking things again... Anyway, I have Lina on friend-list by sharing contact with Uncle Thomas... I have been friends with Lina since young, so Uncle Thomas is someone I can talk with. He plays RR too, working as a merchant. Since he is also in Serabroug, he happily buys my potions in bulk. With hunting, I am able to collect rabbit blood easily, so I am making Potions and Antidotes using those. Lina contact me somewhere during the early morning (game time) asking for antidotes. Curious of why she need them when she cannot even leave the city due to newbie protection, I agree to meet her near the orphanage called ''Shelter of the homeless''... There is only one orphanage in this city, so it isn''t hard to locate. Meeting Lina, she is with another girl, someone I feel I know, yet cannot put my finger to... and there is an emergency. Both of the girls, a rabbit and a squirrel are all poisoned. After helping them out of their situation, I am introduced to this bright and bubbly girl who calls herself Bunny. Lina then send me on an errant to retrieve a whole lot of animals while she visit the church with this new entity. With many things happening, I somehow end up with a special Druid class, Animistic Druid. To put things simply, Druids are something like a Priest, but they adore Nature instead of Gods. Druids mostly have skills related to plants as their targets of worship are usually Great Oak Trees. Animistic Druid on the other hand, is slightly different, they deify animals instead of plants. Oh, I have not mention yet, Lina is actually short for Angelina. As for her game name, she uses Angel as a handle. How I envy her to have dual names for dual purpose... I have to call her Angel in game, Lina in school... while she only need to call me Jean or Gene which sounds the same regardless. Anyway, after lots of Drama which I don''t want to list out, our group, consisting of Bunny, Angel and me, are given a special high rank quest. It is about raising simple rabbits into the Sentient Rabbit-Humanoid race. Suddenly, I feel very excited, not the normal kind, but the extremely type. Unlike all the tales of fantasy I have read, this time, I will be part of the great adventure... Not just reading, but actually being involved.
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Date: XX / XX / XXXX Dear Diary A week has pass, since my meeting with Lina and Bunny. The three of us are now on a great quest... a slow one that is. I am not into fighting, so being delegated to observe a small party of animals fighting in my place fits me better, even if I am not leadership material. Standing behind my little army, I just have to make sure they are healthy and well... rather easy job I must say. Following Bunny''s example, I also try to learn more about strategies. Placement of troops and giving instructions to squads instead of individuals. This also spur an interest into war-related books I usually skip. Being exposed to warfare, even if it is mini-scalar, I can now better relate to how those commanders feel when moving their army as if those are their limbs. The whole topic about being a strategist is very interesting. After reading many books about them, I can now appreciate why Great Generals garner so much attention and love from the people. With tactics, a small group of soldiers can win over enemies many times their number, sometimes even without casualties. It may sound as simple as making use of landscapes and natural obstacle, but theories and practices are very different things. From the ''War of Rodents'', our rabbits against sewer rats, I have tried to put a number of theories into actual situations, but results are rather bleak. Our side have not lost anything but the majority of my theories backfire and increase the difficulty instead of making things easier... I need more training on be a strategist.
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Date: XX / XX / XXXX Dear Diary My ability to talk with Alan has improved. Today I am able to complete a sentence without stuttering. His smile tempted me to talk more, but I rather run with a small win then to lose everything by pushing forward too much. Seeing me beaming, Alan give me a thumbs-up at my effort, that really accelerate my already fast-beating heart. Today is really exciting, other then my improvement with Alan, there preparation for events in RR. Tomorrow, my group will be taking over a famous dungeon: Lair of Livart. Unlike what others are doing, just raiding, collecting loot and leaving, Bunny has thought up a plan to keep this dungeon as our personal property. Bunny is a Breeder... a special type that can build ranches anywhere and everywhere. She intend to circle the Lair and trick other players into thinking the game-company is doing maintenance, thus leaving this place for our own personal use. Lina and I help iron out some of the flaws in this bold plan. This use of deceit and propaganda via NPCs and game forums, it is not something I can come up with. I am not a gamer, but from books I read, I know this is not something a Hero will do... However, from non-conventional tales, it feels totally like what a Chaotic-Good Protagonist will try in order to achieve his or her objectives. As we are doing a high rank quest, we will need a private training ground, this fits the picture perfectly... I read enough to know that being honorable is a thin line away from being stupid, so I like our setting much more. Being unscrupulous when achieving our aims while keeping a good heart to help people if we can... Lina laugh at my revelation because she has already expected my responds. She explains that in games, a successful gamer is one who being seen as selfless while being selfish... Her logic makes me think about how deep gamers are becoming...
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Date: XX / XX / XXXX Dear Diary The conquest of the Liar of Litvart is a success. The general public have no idea we have claimed such a popular dungeon to ourselves. Asking Uncle Thomas to check with the nobles, Lina has confirmed that even the officials in the city think the Lair has been cleared and destroyed. While exploring the Lair, our little group find some worm looking monsters that are hidden deep within. When I first see these worms, I accidentally blurt out ''Cute''. It is not that I like worms or millipedes, but due to a skill my avatar have, I can see how it will look as an accessory. The Class my avatar has is Animistic Druid. It comes with a unique skill called Animal Accessories. Whenever I see an new creature that is tamable, it can visualize it as an accessory. Instead of a worm monster that everyone else sees, what I visualize using my skill, is a classy looking bracelet, 2cm thick, consisting of a single row of segmented scales overlapping in a clockwise direction, with the aligned pieces looked like a part of a scale mail. That is the target of my comments, but sadly I just get suspicious looks from Bunny and Lina. While on the topic of my skill: Animal Accessories. The first Animal Companion I have, is a Great Red Bear. It is actually a bear-cub orphan I find while looking for a suitable companion in the forest. After viewing it, I know it can become an scarlet cape, with a small teddy-bear head acting as a hasp between my collar-bones. Finding the design irresistible, I have taken the bear-cub in as both a pet and a companion. I also look at the Rabbits, Cats, Squirrels and Minks we are raising, but none make good accessories. Rabbits become hairbands with protruding ears... similar to what Bunny has, while Cats and Squirrels are both belts that come either a random swinging tail or a fluffy bush. All scream too much of ''cosplay'' which I am not interested in. Minks are avoided for a different reason, they become mufflers and it look too much like a dead corpse I have to wear around my neck... I guess I am influenced too much by videos on animal cruelty...
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Dear Diary Today as I enter the Student''s Council room, it is rare that Luke isn''t around, his capsule lies empty. Unlike normally where he sits calmly at his desk, today Alan looks shifty. Moving towards the door, he locks it then say: ¡°Finally we are alone, no Luke around¡± Advancing towards me and pulling me into a passionate kiss. I moaned against his lips, his hands slipping up to cup both sides of my face. Pulling me into a deeper kiss, his tongue swirling around mine, exploring my mouth. I felt his hardening manhood pressed against my lower stomach as he bent over me slightly kissing me even harder. Alan walked me slowly backwards until my butt was touching my desk. I opened my eyes and tried pulling away from him. Looking around, I could see the windows covered giving us all the privacy we need... Having no more worries, I allow him to lifted me up onto my desk, flipping my skirt up as he did so; Shaking my hips seductively, I gave him an inviting smile before laying back, spread out for his enjoyment. Stupid Stupid Lina!!!
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Date: XX / XX / XXXX Dear Diary Sorry for having no updates, I lost you for a while, but luckily Lina finds you before others... then again, I think it is not so lucky since she is the one. I now have one entry of weird writings. There are lots of updates so I will be brief. First, my progress with Alan is still smooth sailing, we can now able to exchange simple sentences... more like I can now say more. It isn''t too far from when we can chat normally. I look forward to the time when we can both enjoy ourselves telling each other jokes and little things about ourselves. For RR, lots of things happened. First and foremost, we have a huge battle more then a week ago. It was a fight between 500 animals against 500 bandits. As we have 3 heroes, myself included, they have 2 Boss-Monsters, namely a Succubus and an Incubus. The battle is orchestrated by me, after reading many books on strategies and testing many theories out during dungeon raids, I have become proficient in planing of battles. During the war against bandits, my teammates place the job of a strategist on my shoulders. Without failing them, I have grasped victory rather easily. It is also in this battle that I see another side of the active, funny, bubbly girl Bunny. Having her kiss stolen by the Incubus, she went crazy and tortured that being to death... I sympathize with her as I can relate... If someone other then Alan takes my first kiss, I will surely go crazy too... With the winning of the battle, our group is given a chance to govern over an area that consist of 3 villages. As a Druid, my skills are related to the wilderness, so I relinquish my chance. Lina also reject the post due to her religious status as she is playing a Priestess. Bunny has the job but we will be splitting the responsibility and revenue equally. Talking about revenue, Bunny has astound me previously for being able to gain coins without actually working. Even Angel, a self-proclaim great gamer, is awed by the unorthodox method of income. Bunny explains them as ''Passive Income'', which I look up on and read many related books upon. By making both her ranches autonomous and self-running, she only need to collect the profits at regular intervals. With ''Passive Income'' in mind, Lina and I start working out a plan to live off the newly acquired region. With much brain-storming, we produce the concept of a central market. By making a market that is accessible to the locals, we can become middleman on every produce of the village nearby. If successful, we will be earning double tax, with happy residence instead of angry ones. Oh, with regards to the manor we obtain along with the lands, the three of us agree to try making our own personal Demon Lair. I happen to know of the skill Portal that can open a gateway to other realms. With this skill, I am able to allow creatures from other realms to visit our manor house... then killing them for exp.
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Date: XX / XX / XXXX Dear Diary Cleaning up my room today since today is a Friday, I locate a photo album of myself when I am younger. From a toddlers till just last year, all my precious memories are file into this Album. Looking at a photo of myself crying, it brings me back to the time... The event happened when I first enter High school. During the school orientation, one of the seniors approach me and declared his fell for me at first sight. Being as meek as I am, I just shouted a NO! into his face before dashing off. I didn''t think I would be confessed to, since I could easily point out many girls cuter or prettier then me... even Lina looks better. This senior was actually a jerk. Being rejected, he spread rumors of me, shadowing his rejection as some great fault of mine. People started avoiding me as if I represented plague and death. If not for Lina, I would had quit school or transfer elsewhere. Lina countered his rumors with half-truths, feeding the rumor-mill that my family forbade me having a relationship until I start college. Using my shyness and unwillingness to talk to any male, her reasoning overwhelm the other side... Thinking back, it became fond memories instead of fearful anticipation... Rather glad Lina actually snap a picture of my ugly crying face as a memento... The event also reminds me of Alan. I remember him writing a letter to me, saying that he will wait until we are in college... Thinking the rumors true, he has patiently waited since, helping me slowly overcome my shyness. I don''t have the courage to tell him those are only rumors because I want to only be by his side when we can talk like lovers... currently, it is still one sided, as I sometimes still stutter unconsciously due to nervousness. With my progress, I believe we can even forward the date, starting a beautiful tale between us before leaving high-school. Time may be short, but I believe it is on my side, as I grow more fond of him with every passing day... I think he feels the same too. In RR, nothing much happens, with me struggling on doing tests on opening a portal to the demon realm. The pathway itself isn''t a problem, the bloodstones use as lure are working as intended too. The delay is from me being only able to lure weak imps. Bunny will be hosting a meeting tomorrow to update ourselves on the current events. I think I can get some different perspective from her unique ways of thinking. Lina is also busy this whole week working on the different villages we oversee. She seems to be influenced by Bunny and concoct some devious plans... something about monopolizing the cutlery market... I will hear from her tomorrow. Talking about Bunny, I find her to be slightly similar to my Alan. The way the frown, their smiles, their laughter, things that make them wince... very similar... But unlike Alan, I can talk fluently with Bunny... Maybe because she is a girl? Maybe because we spend more time together? Anyway, Dr. Henderson has taught me a trick today. It is to imagine people to be someone I am close to. Just like how Dr. Henderson looks and acts similar to Uncle Thomas, I am more comfortable in his presence then other doctors. Thinking about it, I have been doing so unknowingly... Even for Ms. Davis who teaches Chemistry, I have not yet stutter while talking to her because they way she carries herself reminds me of my mother. Using this little trick, I think I am going to overlap Bunny onto Alan. If I can talk with Alan as I am with Bunny, maybe I can improve more.
Back to Main Thanks for Supporting Bunny all through Vol.1... See you in Vol.2... Volume 2 Chapter 1 Volume 2 Chapter 1 – Adventures of HH (Book 1) - Volume 2 Chapter 1 ¨C Adventures of HH (Book 1)
Past life... I don''t remember anything from my past life... but I do know I have one because I have knowledge that cannot be obtained otherwise. Since I don''t know who or what I am previously, I discard the idea to speculate... it will be a waste of time, since there is no way to verify... Regardless, I start out this life with as an interesting animal: A bunny at an unknown place. Born a normal hare with a pure coat of reddish brown fur, my outer appearance is similar to every other hare in the area. Our breed has pure color coats, with slight variation of brownness. An hour after being born, me and my siblings are already exploring our home. While they are improving their vocabulary on things around us, I am studying the environment where our nest is located at. Different from our distant cousins, the rabbits, hares are bigger, stronger and precocial. Rabbits are born blind and hairless, so they improvise by sheltering in barrows and warrens. Hares generally stay in nests create from piling grass because we are born cover in fur and able to see, ''escape-ready'' shortly after birth. My species may be physically better then our rabbit cousins, but they seem to be smarter when comparing the places we live in. Although I have abundance of knowledge, it doesn''t help overcome my bunny instincts to simply feed and mate... Yes, that is what hares do: we feed, we mate and be merry until we end up in some carnivorous mouth. If you are thinking our lives as pitiful, think again... In my youth, I have over 200 partners and I spent most of my time procreating with them... 15-20 times a day... At last count when my great great great great great great grandson (8 generations) is born, I have 5803 children, 85891 grandchildren and over a million descendants carrying my genes... less then 0.01% are alive though, but that doesn''t matter... I can tell you, a Hare''s life is short term paradise... ever wondered why only lucky people get harem? Anyway, let me start with the location of the nest I use to live in. It is placed at the border between a forest and a mountain. A clearing about 50m wide between the foot of a mountain and a dense forest. The space stretches along the base of the mountain for about 600m. That place is very dangerous: From the forest, the lowest level beast are the Dread Wolves at 389. The lowest level monsters of the mountainside are Mountain Trolls at 414. You may be guessing how we, the hares, survive with levels below 10... Our continuity relies on the special circumstances of our nests. We are located right between 2 great guardians that protect us from both the beasts of the forest and monster of the mountains. Things that feed on those high level creatures on a daily basis. They are called Dragons. The forest in the direction where the sun rises, is ruled by Delporra, the Green Dragon of Nature. Anything within 10m from the forest is under its jurisdiction, so by staying near the forest, we are immune to the aggressive creatures that occasionally drops by from the mountain. Every once in a while some stupid trolls will chase us pass the boundary, just to be decimated by the patron of the forest. The mountain on the other side, belongs to Garkanodi, the Yellow Dragon of the Earth. Similarly, it has claimed anything from the foot of the mountain and beyond as its territory. The Yellow Dragon has some major hate towards forest dwellers. There is once where I witness a Lv473 Cockatrice, that is over 8m tall, gets torn into pieces smaller then my paws. Anything that that enters the mountain from our lands without the Garkanodi''s permission, suffers similar fate. As insignificant creatures, we seem to be outside the radar of both Dragons. We simply run around the borders taking shelter on either side against the other. When Wolves, Basilisk, Centaurs or anything that threatened us emerge from the forest, we will run towards the mountain. And if Trolls, Sasquatch and denizens from the mountain comes to visit, we will shelter near the forest. By staying in between the two, cover the 20m distance means escaping our predator; running is something hares excel in. That begets the question... What if both sides appear at the same time? Well, let me ask a question first... When you are out hunting for food, will you chase after an undernourished grasshopper or will you rather fight it out with a boar? The answer is obvious! The two sides will try to kill each other instead of chasing us. Hares are at most bite-size to the monsters of either sides, we have little to offer in terms of food volume. Since running is very important, those with well developed legs become the Alphas. Hares don''t really have the concept of Alphas, but those athletic males do invite long queues of females hungry for their genes. That seems to be how the doe brain is wired, wanting the best genetics for their offspring. I am not one who likes being an Alpha, because Alphas tend to trade their seeds for food, which means they cannot turn away the ugly hags. Doesn''t their actions mimic gigolos prostituting themselves? This has nothing to do with sour grapes. Although I don''t have strong legs or powerful leaps, I have my fair share of hussies buzzing around me. Unlike those sprinters, my specialty is digging. Being able to dig a meter-deep hole within 20 seconds, I am always able to hide away before the monsters comes into assault range. Due to my inborn knowledge, I understand that hiding is better then running. Even if it is not hare-like, more rabbit-like, as long as I keep my chances of fatality to zero, anything is fine. When running, there is still a chance to be wounded or dead, but hiding is 100% survival. None of the monsters on either side can dig faster then me, so I just have to dig deeper if anything ever tries to follow. At first, I only focus on saving myself. As time passes, I start loitering around cute looking females. The sassy Doe-s that snort or sneer at the Alphas are also the luscious and pretty ones. Their pride originates from their well tone and proportional bodies. By staying around them, when danger presents itself, the two of us will be snuggling cozily into the barrow I have dug. With the smell of ''Death'' lingering in the air, we will be doing actions that promote ''Life''. The stark contrast does much to enhance the experience, in fact it is addicting. As life is, there are insensitive creeps that stick their noses into my lovely time... literally! Too many times, my happy sessions gets disrupted either by a wolf muzzle or bear snout, sometimes there are peeping Sasquatch or spying Trolls. To handle these irritating interruptions, I usually feed the sensitive nose or brittle eyes with a bunny kick. Very effective means to gain attraction points with minimum danger. Impressing many, I become the only buck with a drove of faithful monogamy mates... With my winning formula, my harem grows rapidly and I father many leverets. My children follow my examples and their live expectancy becomes much higher then the average. To prevent too much inbreeding, I sent my kids to mix with other caste. With this, my family starts to become the dominant faction of the hares living in the area. Time is the greatest enemy of all living things, by the time I am 5 years old, my old bones can no longer keep up with my libido. Grudgingly, I disassemble my harem and focus my remaining days mastering the art of digging. By constantly moving the earth, I have gained the Dig skill during my youth. For the whole duration of my life, I have created so many warrens that the skill goes from Beginner to Intermediate and now stands at Advance Lv9. My last wish is to have Dig skill reach Master-rank before my time expires. Then, the event where the turning point of my life happens. For reasons unknown to me at that time, Delporra and Garkanodi decides to duel. From their stance against each other, they are going to fight until only one is alive. How do I know all these? The duel ground the Dragons choose happens to be directly above where I am spending my last days... Right outside the sole entrance of the barrow where I live and work on mastering my digging skill. Being 6m under ground does not feel safe at all. The destructive power of two raging Dragons is nothing to joke about. On their first clash, I already have a bad feeling, causing me to burrow further into the earth. It is solely due to this instinct that I am still alive now, because after I displace myself another 2m downwards, everything between me and the ground level disappears with a swipe of Garkanodi''s tail. Can you imagine? Looking up to see the sky when you are 8 meters underground... tons of earth are tossed away just from collateral damage... It is impossible to stay uninjured when assault by such raw strength. When the Yellow Dragon of the Earth flip the land without care, it also flip huge chunks my fur, causing major tears and minor scratches all over my body. Under extreme pain, I am overwhelmed and lost consciousness. I don''t know how long I have blacked-out, but I finally regain some sense of self when a huge blast happens nearby. With ringing ears and ceaseless pain on every inch of my body, I follow my animal instincts and dive into a hole in front of me. Without thinking, I rush and continue forward until I reach the end of the cavern. It isn''t really deep, slightly less then 2m, which I feel totally inadequate as a safe haven. Checking the walls, they don''t look like anything I have dug before. Ignoring any logic, I pick a random side and start pawing. There isn''t much progress, the material of the wall is just too sturdy, I cannot even create anything more then a tiny dent. While cursing, the whole cavern shakes and tremble, causing me to be flung around like a rag-doll. Like an earthquake that starts suddenly, it stops just as sudden. Grabbing this lull, I look back at the dent I have made earlier. In this Life/Death situation, I cannot think of any other alternatives, so I continue digging. My paws are all bloody and I have lost all the nails of my front paws. My body, which is already covered in tears and scratches, start to accumulate even more of them; I don''t think I can even find an inch of my fur that is left untouched. But that does not matter, as I mindlessly continue digging. It is not a fruitless endeavor as the dent deepens into the tough material. As replacement for my missing nails, I even use my teeth to further my quest.
Dig skill has level up to Advance Level 10 Skill is change to Dig Master Level You can now pry into any substance or material
A life saving message appears, with renew vigor, I pin-point every bit of my being and break pass the solid wall that has cost me my nails. Pushing into the unknown, I find myself in some translucent slimy fluid. The hole I enter from seal itself rapidly, meaning I am now cut off from the outside... I am also safe from the fight between those gigantic reptiles... Before getting my bearing, the tremors starts again, this time, it goes on for much longer. While rolling around as if gravity no longer exist, I bump around within the fluid. It is better here compared to the previous cavern because the viscose liquid slows down my movement. At least I now feel like a fish in a whirlpool instead of some rag in a crazy mutt''s mouth. While rolling around some of my wounds tear further, the intense pain force me to scream. This effectively allows the fluid around me to replace what little air my lungs have been holding on to.
You have replace large amount of your blood with Dragon Cerebrospinal fluid Your racial status is updated to ''Hare Variant ¨C Dragon Infusion'' You gain the ability to use mana You gain the ability to see your status window You gain the ability to assign points manually after leveling up You gain Dragon skill Absorption You gain Dragon skill Self-Sustenance You have lifted all restricted to evolution. +50 to Strength, Agility, Intelligence and Wisdom
New Skill: Absorption (Dragon Skill) This is a skill for new Dragons. With this skill, you will be able to absorb Materials, Elements and Energy. By gathering the types of your choice, it will change your affinity and turn you into the respective Hare (Dragon) variant. Your Fur (Scales) will change color according to what you have absorbed. Example: By collecting only Fire elements, you will become a Fire Hare (Dragon) with Red Fur (Scales). Gathering both Fire and Earth elements, you will become a Magma Hare (Dragon) with Reddish-Brown Fur (Scales). You can also absorb metal or wood to become a Metallic Hare (Dragon) or Ligneous Hare (Dragon) with Metallic Silver and Grainy Brown Fur (Scales) respectively Skill cannot be leveled. Skill will be remove when you have successfully change your affinity and become a Variant.
New Skill: Self-Sustenance (Dragon skill) This skill allows the caster to covert mana into necessary sustenance like Air, Food, Water and Rest. Using this skill, hunger, thirst, suffocation and fatigue can be ignored by replacing the need with Mana.
After seeing the floating panel appear, my mind becomes clearer and calmer. I am also able to stabilize myself in the viscose fluid due to enhanced physical. My need to breath is negated by a small drain to my newly obtain mana. Exiting from panic-mode, I now observe my surroundings. I am stuck in a dome shape area with a huge object taking most of the space. That thing looks like an oversize walnut kernel with fluffy texture. Electric pulses can be seen traversing the surface of that huge walnut. The sight is something to behold and nothing I have seen before. After staring at it for a long time, I finally manage to add 2 and 2 giving me the answer I have forgotten to find. With newly enhance intelligence, I am finally able to use the vast knowledge I am born with. From information of past events, I know that I am currently standing within the head of one of the Dragons. The ''hole'' I enter from must be its ear, then digging pass the membrane, I now beside the Dragon''s brain. Garkanodi''s brain to be precise, because it is impossible to mistake an opening on emerald colored wall as somewhere safe.Delporra''s scale color is too glaring not to notice. Dragons are almost unkillable as they are covered in scales that are both magic resistant and highly resilient to physical damage. They pretty much reign over the food pyramid... Hares are on the other side, almost rock bottom, born as a means to convert flora into edible substance for carnivores. If a hare ever kills a Dragon, it will definitely become some historical event. Due to unusual circumstances, I am given a chance to become a legend. Before doing anything drastic, I remind myself that there is still a monstrous fight outside. If I squash the brain in front of me, that will make the other Dragon win. What are the chances it will not tear the head open and kill me? Even if it ignores me, the Dragon corpse will lure high level monsters for a feast, those things can easily kill me too. I need a plan, rushing in for a few minutes of glory is not worth it. Survival comes first. Unauthorized use: this story is on Amazon without permission from the author. Report any sightings. Thinking deeply, while my location continue to shake, sometimes violently, sometimes less so. The background noise of crashes, screeches and roars are filter out subconsciously. Basically, the only way for me to survive is for Garkanodi to kill Delporra. As it bask in its win, I will smash its brain into pieces, becoming the overall victor. The objective is simple, but there is the remaining problem of how can I improve Garkanodi''s chances of winning? From within the head, I can judge from the violence of the quakes to determine if the side I am rooting for is attacking or being plummeted. From the vibrations, I imagine them to be boxers in a ring, hitting each other. When receiving a strike on the head, ''my room'' jerks and the brain shakes. Sadly, but Garkanodi''s brain seems to be shaking very often... then an idea blooms. Since Dragon scales are almost immune to magic, the two of them must be fighting out physically. In a pure physical fight, if I can make Garkanodi berserk, his chances of winning will rise. Even if he becomes mentally unsound or lose multiple limbs, it matters little because he will die soon after. Putting the thought into action, I move towards the brain with an evil grin. The frontal lobe located at the front of the brain is associated with reasoning, planning, parts of speech, movement, emotions, and problem solving. Locating the parts that are related to reasoning, I use my newly acquire skill Absorption to siphon that part of the brain. Lucky for me, the skill does not need me to be physically touching the object I am sucking I choose to use that skill because I don''t have confidence in physically removing those brain cells, especially when the whole area shakes erratically without a fix pattern. If I accidentally damage parts that deal with movement, planning or problem solving, my plan will actually backfire. I want my ''Host'' to win. The result is what I have expected. There are much less of those sudden jerks, signifying Garkanodi is taking less hits on its face. My location has also become relatively calmer, allowing me to further examine the huge brain, finding more ways to enhance the Dragon I am rooting for. I cannot tell you how I know about frontal lobes, cerebrum or cortex. These are knowledge I have since birth, most likely residue from my past life... Maybe I am a Brain Surgeon then? Or maybe a mad scientist? Anyway, those don''t matter. The fight outside continues, with me doing slight alteration with Absorption. I have removed parts that are related to pain stimulus and speech, as well as destroy all emotions except pride and rage. From within I have turn my host into a mindless, mute, rampaging berserker who feels no pain. I have left its Dragon Pride alone, so I can get some signal when he wins the duel. I also clean up the memory storage, which gives an interesting side effect: I gain the life story of the Dragon and all its knowledge becomes mine. Watching the important moments of its life, I finally understand why they start fighting after being peaceful for so long. Delporra and Garkanodi wants to kill each other since a long long time ago. My ancestors, the first hares of this region, are bought here to function as a timer. By the will of the Dragon King, their final bout will only happen when there is no longer any hares in the region. With me turning the Hares into ''burrowers'', these two have mistaken our absence as extinction, so they move along to duke it out. Either by the whimsical hands of Fate or simply dumb coincidence, as the fight occurs when we are still around, these two are doom to a pathetic ending, a hare (me) reaping benefits over their battle. While dreaming of future glory, I notice the electric pulses of the brain becoming weaker. With lesser brain activity, it shows that the duel has ended. Using Absorption, I digested most of the remaining brain cells of Garkanodi. I left the part that governs organ function working because I remember something about Dragon-Heart... Anyway, with most of its brain ''eaten'' a panel pop-up with a lovely *Ding*
You have slain Garkanodi, the Yellow Dragon of the Earth. For killing a Dragon, - You gain +100 to all stats - You gain the title True Dragon Slayer - You gain 200 fame (nobody believes that a Hare can kill a Dragon) As the first small animal to slay a Dragon - You gain Max affinity to all Hares and Hare-Variants - You gain high affinity to all Leporidae - You gain some affinity to all small animals For Wounding a Mythical Monster over 900 levels higher then you - You gain the title Beyond Suicidal - You gain a new stat: Insanity - Insanity stat +300 For Killing a Mythical Monster over 900 levels higher then you - You gain the title What is Fear? - You gain a new stat: Fearlessness - Fearlessness stat +200 - Insanity stat +200 - Exp gain from the kill +10,000% You have level up x 497
New Title: True Dragon Slayer Title gain from slaying a True Dragon. Not Wyvern, Not Drake, Not Wyrm, Not Draconian, Not Hydra, Not Imoogi, Not Dragon-kin This title proves that you have slain a Pure-Breed Dragon. Any being that sees you for the first time will stare at you in awe. - Able to deliver first strike if you attack - Able to retreat away while they are awestricken
By gaining 497 levels, my total levels has exceeded 500... Woohoo!...Big profits!... then a new panel appears blocking my vision
You have exceeded the levels needed for evolution to Tier1 You have exceeded the levels needed for evolution to Tier2 You have exceeded the levels needed for evolution to Tier3 You have exceeded the levels needed for evolution to Tier4 Do you want to Evolve? Yes / No
''Yes'' is my answer. This is a no-brainer (no pun intended) The panel is replaced by another
Evolution to Tier1: Gain special ability. Hare will gain springs on their legs Evolution to Tier2: Gain Volume and Mass, You will grow to 2m tall Evolution to Tier3: Gain Language ability and able to learn/cast spells Evolution to Tier4: Gain Sentience, Gain Transformation skill
My body starts to glow. The first thing I notice is my wounds, they close up and my new coat of reddish gray fur regenerates leaving no scars. Next is my limbs, they become slightly longer and pack more muscles. Following, my body expands proportionally like a balloon, by the time it stops, I am still myself, just many times bigger. On the mental level, I become more aware of myself and find a deeper meaning to life then simply eating and mating. No longer feeling like the old hare I am... vigor and strength of youth comes back to me as I return to a young adult at the prime of my life. In addition, I gain some magic. Feeling the space within the skull becoming more constricting due to my larger size, I dig my way out of the Dragon''s head. With my Master-rank Dig, I break thru the skull and emerge from the crest of its head. My heart flutter slightly as I breath in fresh air. Something I have taken for granted, something I miss only when I am without. Wriggling my nose, I take my time smelling the sweet scent of the familiar air before looking at the surroundings. There, I see Delporra lying unconscious around 20 meters away, with its emerald scales tainted orange by both blood and the lighting of the sunset. From the slight rise and fall of its chest, I know that the brainless Garkanodi have not dealt the final blow. To end the threat in totality, I will have to do it myself. Climbing deftly downwards, I reach the ground and hop towards the fallen Dragon With my new enhance speed, I cover the distance quickly and start working. The ear is too small for my new body, so I go for the left eye. Lifting the eyelid using my paws, Absorption skill empty the socket and I worm my way inside. Dragons are almost impenetrable from the outside, so I have to end its life from within. Same thing with Garkanodi, I clean up Delporra brain, leaving only the most basic functions of brains.
You have slain Delporra, Green Dragon of Nature. For killing another Dragon, - You gain +80 to all stats - Your title has change to True Dragons Slayer to signifying killing more then 1 Dragon - You gain +200 fame (nobody believes that a Hare can kill a Dragon, not to mention two) As a small animal that slays 2 Dragons - You are already at max affinity to all Hares and Hare-Variant - You gain max affinity to all Leporidae - You gain high affinity to all small animals - You gain the title Legendary Small Animal For Killing a Mythical Monster over 400 levels higher then you - Fearlessness stat +100 - Insanity stat +100 - Exp gain from the kill +5,000% You have level up x 154
You have exceeded the levels needed for evolution to Tier5 Evolve to Tier5: Gain Immortality: You will no longer age but can be killed nonetheless
Ooh la la... another 154 levels and so many bonus... Not to mention the delicious life story and knowledge of Delporra. The best part! I am now Ageless, able to live forever when I am counting my last days just hours earlier. It is a good day today. Then, the horror strikes... I don''t want to be alone... even for the days of supposedly solitude to master my skill, hussies and tarts will visit me occasionally for a swing. With my new size, I am deprived of my most basic entertainment... also, I am now a unique breed of hare, with no companions at all... I will soon lose my pride of having the most children as I cannot produce more... Putting both paws over my head, crying at my pitiful state, two information float up from my sea of knowledge... If I cannot devolve, why don''t I evolve the others into something like me? The first information I recover is about the Dragon remains. By consuming Dragon innards, the mana within will be infuse into the eater. This way, I am able to turn a portion of my previous species into special Hare-Variants like me. The next information that surface is about levels and evolution. I gain my new size from evolving, so if I make the other hares evolve, they too will grow to my size, that will remove many problems. Putting thoughts into action, I move homewards leaving the two brain-dead giant lizards lying where they are. While hopping forward, I remember things about the Dragon-Heart. ----- To be continue in Book 2 ----- **** Closing the book titled , Bunny plopped onto the table and sighed. ¡°Are you serious! I can''t believe that this sort of books will contain the hidden skills to open portals to the Demon Realm? It reads too much like some Reincarnation Fan Fiction.¡± She complained The trio: Bunny, Angel and Gene were currently at Serabroug Scholastic Library. Their next destination was the Demon Realm, to harvest meat with mana content for the evolutions of the animals. Gene had been the sole person doing experiments, Bunny and Angel were trying to learn the necessary skills so they could help. Learning the ''Portal'' skill was easily done, with clear concise instructions from Gene, they had both gain the skill by drawing duplicates of Magic Circles within the manual. The next part was the tedious one, where they had to read volumes of information to gain access to the various realms. Unlike skill manuals, these were written works in other forms... like Fiction Novels, Documentaries, Periodicals... Bunny couldn''t help but grumble as she was not accustom to reading fiction novels while playing RR. Thanks to Gene with his ''Gold-Membership'' to the Library, the trio were given a private room. With no one else around, Bunny could openly voice her complains without fear of eavesdropper. ¡°You just finish the first book, the ability will only be granted after the third one, though the series has 5 volumes so far... To be more precise, you already have the Portal skill, that book only gives a destination¡± Gene replied offhandedly while flipping another wall of text he was reading ¡°If you think some Adventure Novel is bad, do you want to switch with me?¡± Angel questioned unhappily, while showing her book titled . ¡°This Documentary is suppose to have hints to Vampire Realm, but it is extremely boring... If Gene have not proven its authenticity, I will not even try to read pass the content-page¡± ¡°You girls have to read both of them either way... and they are actually quite interesting, so don''t make those faces... Also, I think I found a new gateway to FairyLand¡± Gene reprimanded the girls while happily telling of his new findings. He had just finished a pile of Periodicals, which number more then 20 magazines. His action threw despair onto his friends'' faces. ¡°Somehow, even if it is some fiction, it contain true information that is related to breeding¡±. Bunny commented after she noticed her Phantasm Encyclopedia glowing. The phantom book generated by her class-skill had the ability to siphon out the Truths from Trash and record them accordingly, but it only worked with information related to her rare Breeder Class. ¡°It may be Fiction to you, but most things written here are news, histories, autobiographies or journals from the people in this world¡± Angel threw the last statement before the trio went back digging into their respective books.
Back to Main Forward to Volume 2 - Chapter 2 Volume 2 Chapter 2 – Preparations and Powerup - Volume 2 Chapter 2 ¨C Preparations and Powerup
After the escapade with the Slugs and Mushrooms, loaded with new knowledge, the trio got busy. The information that was kindly provided by Snow, the first-born of the Sentient Squirrels. She was now staying with Silva, the first-born of the Sentient Rabbits... who was also their A-Rank quest giver. It could be due to the nature of the game, as after the trio had gotten the high difficulty quest, they met with more Ancients then other gamers could never ever dream of meeting. Bunny had informed her friends about the potency of Demonic Meat, that could be plundered from the Demon Realm. Since the two had no better suggestions, the trio decided to venture into the unknown. There, they were going to meet with yet another Ancient: Zenon the first-born of the Sentient Deers, a great being that resided deep within the uncharted territory. To break into the demonic territory, the first thing was for Bunny and Angel to generate the ''Gateway to Hell''. If they were to just lure Demons into the Manor House, Gene having the skill would have been sufficient. Since they were going over, it was necessary for all 3 to have the skill. In times of emergency, having more people with the skill could bring about better plans and strategies into play. Spending the next weekend swotting for knowledge, Bunny and Angel were both competent enough to gain the required skill and abilities without much trouble. In addition to Demon Realm, the trio also gain access to ''Land of the Vampires'', ''World Tree: Yggdrasil'' and ''Celestial Palace'' albeit lots of complains from the two who did not love reading as much. Following that, the trio went back to the Manor House to raise their skill proficiency. Opening a portal to the Demon Realm was very easy. By drawing the correct Magic Circle of sufficient size onto a surface and infusing mana into it using the Portal spell, a gateway would open in the middle of the Magic Circle. Depending on the type of Circle drawn, it could be single or dual ways. The size of the circles would determine the max level that could pass through. Gene, being the more proficient one, inscribed Magic Circles of different sizes in various rooms of the Manor House by carving them into the stone floors. Circles drawn by chalk or ink would deteriorate with time and usage, but by engraving, they would become more permanent and stayed valid for longer. This was done so Bunny and Angel could level their ''Portal'' skills more efficiently. The different size circles were for different levels of the skill. From past experiments, Gene had grasped the estimated size that each level of ''Portal'' could use at maximum. Angel mentioned that practicing with the largest possible circle helped the skill level faster, so they kept working on biggest circle their skills could manage, opening gateways to various realms without actually entering.
Portal Skill has level up to Lv5 Maximum level that can pass through your portal raise to Lv250
After 3 game days of constant practice, Bunny finally got her skill to the required level. Angel completed the mundane task earlier because she had the Meditation skill to restore her mana, while Bunny needed to wait for hers to regenerate naturally. Not wasting the wait time, Bunny mimic the Zen Monks she saw on television, during each lull and obtained the Meditation skill too. Sadly it by the time she got the skill, there wasn''t much progress to speed up anymore. With the keys to the unknown obtained, the trio did not rush onward. From Bunny''s information source, they would be plundering Lv200 Demons for their flesh, so having higher levels and greater skill proficiencies were required. The default animals would have their levels cap at 150 or 175, so the trio needed to make up the difference in strength. They had agreed to take another game month of intensive training as preparation for demon slaying. Angel had already left after completing her Portal skill leveling. She had some personal agenda. Besides training, she also had a business to run. Her Brass Cutlery Monopoly had received responds better then expected. Due to the investment, Bunny found her pockets weighted heavily with addition gold... 7,000 extra glimmering gold coins. The returns for the investment was over 600%, which meant the money the trio pooled together from Tax and Tariffs had turned 6 fold... Bunny had top up her share to 1,000g as she liked round figures, the value made her 6,000g as returns, totally 7,000 in all... Gene had also added token sums while Angel herself invested some obscene amount into the venture. To prevent jealousy from rearing its ugly head, Bunny didn''t think about how much her friends actually made. Gene left even earlier, right after he was done drawing diagrams for the girls. As an Animist Druid, instead of obtaining powers from some great oak tree like other what normal druids usually did, his strength associates not with the floras but the faunas. With most of his skills based around his animals, he could get stronger with more companions. Gene''s Companion Mastery allowed him to help up to 4 animal companions, so he was off on a journey to find 2 more... Bunny was rather worried because Gene seemed to prioritize the cuteness of his companions as Accessories rather then combat efficiency or feasibility. The Bear and Worm turned out fine, but she shudder at the thought of him finding other ''unique'' ones. ***** With the first hurdle passed, Bunny''s next itinerary was to increase her damage potential. As a Breeder, Bunny had to rely on her animals for combat. Fighting Slugs exposed her fatal flaw: She could add almost no additional firepower to the battle. Even with multiple spells of various elements, her overall damage output was extremely low compared to her level. Back in the Serabroug Library, Bunny scoured various catalogs for information on increasing her spell damage. Due to her high stats and low proficiencies, Bunny could throw low level fireballs for hours without much mana issues. She was searching for a way to increase damage of each fireball cast by infusing more mana per shot. In other games, there were always ways to channel additional mana into spells making them more powerful, RR should not be an exception. After wasting one game hour on fruitless search, Bunny approached the librarian for help. She had not done so earlier because a player was taking the library shift; Bunny could easily differentiate players from NPCs by their attire. Most players wore either beginner clothes or things related to their classes, while NPCs like the pretty girl stationed at the counter wore linen tunics. There were 2 reasons for approaching an NPC. Firstly, they know more: The payment to work at the library could only attract newbies, so asking them about advance stuffs was totally pointless. Next was the title Bunny had, it only worked on NPCs. ((For those who had forgotten, Bunny had the title ''The Knowledgeable'' which caused NPCs to give more information when specific questions were asked.)) ¡°Excuse me, can I get some help on locating a book?¡± Bunny asked politely ¡°How may I help you?¡± The NPC librarian replied as courteously ¡°May I know where are the books on making spells more powerful? I can''t remember the exact term¡± ¡°Hmmm... I am not sure which you want... but from what you describe, I think you are referring to either of the 2 categories: Mana Empowering and Elemental Mix¡± ¡°Yes! Yes! That''s the name. Mana Empowering¡± Bunny acted like an Oscar winner acknowledging something she had no idea about. ¡°Can you kindly bring me the books-s-swiftly, please?¡± Slurring on the word s-s-swiftly, Bunny disguised her ignorance of it either being a book or a collection of many. The librarian did not notice anything amiss and went off to consolidate the order as she was paid to do. Bunny need to keep up her image, once a particular NPC knew of her ignorance, it would stop providing the benefit of doubt. The librarian came back with 4 books on the topic, which Bunny happily took to an empty table, sat down and started reading. ***** Flazzard was an aspiring newbie Mage who recently started playing RR with the ideal of getting double proficient of Fire and Ice magics. It was common sense that Fire and Ice were polar opposites, which supposedly made them incompatible. Flazzard was a physicist in RL, he knew of many ways where Fire and Ice magic would actually help each other, if they followed RL examples. When something was placed in ice then fired up into high temperatures, it undergoes a process called Thermal Shock, which could cause fractures even in the toughest structures. Thermal Shock also applied to hot items suddenly cooled, with Tsar Bell being the best example. The biggest bell in the world, made of over 200 tons of bronze, simply cracked and broke when baked by wood-fed fire then splashed with water. The avatar name: Flazzard could be explained as the combination of Flame and Blizzard, which would signify his source of power if one day he became famous... Gaining fame was not easy, especially with dual focus. Most spell casters were purist, specialized in only one branch of magic. Follow 2 branches of elements meant he had to spend twice as much time to become just as good. For efficiency, he trained on his Fire spells first. With only Fire Magic, Flazzard would do trials by teaming up with fellow mages. Finding other magicians with Water Affinity, he would test his theories out. From his experiments, he found that timing was the key. Dousing a fire too quickly would mitigate damage, while doing it too late would mimic applying balms to burns. His actions irritated many but when they did work, the result was beyond astounding. Fighting a bear at Lv43, Flazzard got his teammate to freeze the creature, then threw a fireball at the correct timing. The result totally destroyed the animal to the astonishment of his teammates. Bears that usually took more then a dozens of spells to kill, died with 2 ice spears and 1 fireball. After the gaining his 80th level, Flazzard returned to Serabroug for resupply and equipment upgrade. Within staff maker¡¯s workshop he waited in line after a girl wearing a extremely loud outfit. Having Rabbit ears as headgear with a classy one piece that comes with choker, cuffs and garters. Like every other man, he stood back and enjoy the sight of the pretty female in sensual clothing until his attention was grabbed by the unique materials she produced for creation of her new staff. Most magician staffs were made of wood, on rare occasions there would be silver or mithril. What the girl produced was a huge carrot... Flazzard guesstimate that unique root to be about 2m length and 15 cm in diameter. Following that, the girl produced a bloodstone the size of a goose egg... even if bloodstone could be melted and reforged, having such a size was rare. The NPC staff maker was surprised by the odd materials, but after some talks with the girl, he agreed to create a staff from the weird items. Two more huge carrots were passed over the counter before the rabbit-girl left the shop. Flazzard could hardly take his eyes off her due to her uncommon request, but was called back from his daze by the staff maker taking his orders. After purchasing a stocked staff, Flazzard proceed to market to resupply. His last stop in town would be the mage guild, to learn Ice related spells. Knowing that after purchasing the spells, he would become agitated wanting to test them, who wouldn''t be excited when given a new toy. He chose to restock before letting his emotions go wild. Mages in general were not very rich, Flazzard''s basic fire skills had reached intermediate ranks due to creative usage, so he intended to start training for other spells. Between Greater-Fire and Basic-Ice, Flazzard had many mental struggles... in the end, getting another beginner spell-set won, due solely to his name. In RR spell systems, ice belonged to water-series, so that was the new spell-set he aimed for. ¡°...Come on! I am just asking for a 10% discount, it''s not like I am robbing you or anything¡± A crisp androgynous voice reached him as he entered the Mage Guild. There, he saw the same girl, in her unique Rabbit-outfit, doing intensive negotiation with the guild clerk. ¡°I told you, we only give discounts when you buy a set, not individually¡± The clerk was unrelenting. Flazzard guesstimate the old clerk to be in his 60s or late 50s, but his vigor showed otherwise, bargaining with the rabbit-girl like street hawkers over the prices, as he continued. ¡°If you buy a set, then I don''t mind giving you the discount that is rightfully yours, but what you are purchasing is individual spells from random elements. How am I going to answer to the guild if they question me about it?¡± ¡°This is just like bulk buying, I am getting 16 different spells, isn''t that enough for a discount? When I bulk buy potions, they gave me a discount of 25%, why is there nothing like that here. I am not even asking for that much, just a tiny 10%. Can''t you even do that?¡± the girl said before stuffing something into her mouth and start chewing If you stumble upon this tale on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it. ¡°No can do, rules are rules, don''t make me say it again. Unlike potions that you will keep drinking like a fish since you don''t even have decent armor, spells are a one-time event. Will you even learn the spell again after you have done it... Even if you want to, you can''t¡± The clerk retorted while mimicking the rabbit-girl''s actions. ¡°Hmph! Are you sure those are rules... or are you simply just incompetent at doing calculations... If you are, I can count for you... I know old people are only good at simple addition, calculating a discount will be tough on those brains going senile.¡± The rabbit-girl snorted then went into personal attacks. ¡°Ha! This youngling think she is so smart. It''s just some coppers, if you have trouble filling this small little difference in price, don''t even bother about getting the higher rank spells, they will cause you to bankrupt. The cheapest intermediate spell cost gold... you know what gold is? maybe you have not even seen a gold coin before¡± The clerk sneered back. ¡°Its not about money, I don''t really care about those few coppers, I am talking principles here. I don''t want to break my rule of not getting a discount when I am doing bulk purchase. Are you some Con artist at work? Swindling 1 copper or 1 gold, what''s the difference, fraud is fraud...¡± Just hearing the conversation, anyone would imagine two red-faced hagglers at each others throat, but seeing the exchange was a different experience. When Flazzard entered the guild house, the sight could only be described as bizarre. What he saw was the 2 persons involved sitting at the counter sharing a plate of shrimp kebab, while throwing insults at each other. Due to the distance from any large bodies of water, the price of shrimps was expansive in Serabroug. The dish they were sharing easily exceed 2 gold... yet those two were arguing, like their lives depended on it, over a discount that was worth at most 20 silver, a tenth of what they were eating. Not to mention they were doing it between mouthfuls, which caused long speeches by one party while the other was chewing. ¡°Hello there! What can I do for you?¡± Noticing his presence, the clerk turned to greet him amiably. ¡°No, its alright, I will wait for the outcome if I can get the same discount¡± Flazzard answered Turning back to the girl the clerk asked: ¡°Do you have anything more to say, I got a new customer¡± ¡°You go tend to him first while I prepare ammo to bargain for 9%, since you are not budging on 10.¡± The girl nonchalantly replied while feeding herself another BBQ shrimp. The clerk looked at them flabbergasted... then he broke into laughter. ¡°Hahaha... it has been so long since anyone can best me in a haggle... Missy, you win... I will give you a 10% discount on all sales, no thanks to the shrimp kebabs... You can proudly tell everyone that you have bested the Hard-Headed Jonathan from the Mage Guild.¡± Turning towards Flazzard, Jonathan continued: ¡°But the offer is only for the missy, you get none of it!¡± ¡°What if I buy a spell set, you mentioned shaving a tenth off if someone buys a set¡± Flazzard asked Jonathan the clerk wore a strange facial expression when facing Flazzard... something between squinting, grinning and scowling... then he relented ¡°Alright, you win too, so which set will you buy?¡±
New title: The Opportunist By appearing at the right place at the right time, you bump into situations that you can capitalize on. Not missing out on the opportunity, you gain something that cannot be considered rightfully yours as you have not put in the required effort. +10 Wisdom +10 Luck Chance to meet more opportunities when title is equipped
After purchasing all 6 beginner water spells with an unexpected discount, Flazzard also obtained his first title. Happy with the windfall, Flazzard considered the rabbit-girl to be his lucky star and waited for her to finish her purchase. He was yet again surprised by what she bought: 16 beginner spell which were spread across all elements. After the girl had done her shopping, Flazzard introduced himself and learned her name as ''Bunny''... somewhat expected due to her outfit... then they both made their way towards the Skill Testing Ground. Where else would one go after learning new spells? ***** Mausoleum of the Unknown This small dungeon was also term as ''Skills Testing Ground'' due to the mud golems that reside within. Mud Golems were Level 50 monsters with huge chunks of health and defense that were comparable to lv200 monsters elsewhere. Balancing out their superb tanking powers, they had slow, predictable and rather weak attacks that made them easy targets to practice new skills or spells. Being called ''advance version of Basic Training hall'', the mud golems gave little exp and drop nearly nothing. None of the guilds wanted to claim this dungeon as efficiency on leveling here was worse then fighting bears in the open forest. Another reason was the proximity to Serabroug. It was so close to the capital, that high level players often came to practice their newly acquired skill on the golems. No amount of guards could stop a lv200+ player from steamrolling over them and proceeding into the Lv50 dungeon. Lv200 was the minimum for class upgrade, and many would gain bonus skills and spells from the advancement. Bunny and Flazzard arrived at the mausoleum within half an hour of traveling. Without wasting time they set off to test their newly acquired spells. After flinging normal spells for a while, they went into more personalized disciplines. Flazzard started his solo Antipodal Fracturing, his self-named way of destroying things by using Thermal Shock. He would first try to heat them up then douse them in cool water, followed by freezing them before sending fireballs. Due to his intermediate Fire skill, the heating up was faster then the cooling effect of his Beginner Ice skills. This led to much more success by freezing first, it also came with a positive side effect of slowing the enemy down from the cold. Bunny on the other hand played with her newly acquired knowledgeable on Mana Empowering. Following instructions from the books she had read in the library, Bunny was able to channel up to about twice as much mana per spell. The limit was due to her low Wisdom stat. By improving the stat, she would be able to channel more for even greater firepower. Watching each other practice, the duo decided to trade secrets. Flazzard gained much from Mana Empowering. By lowering the cost of icicles, he threw a larger quantity of them, effectively cooling his target by a greater degree. Investing more mana into the fireball, it packed a higher temperature. By making the thermal difference much greater, the result caused a more destructive shock. Bunny didn''t lose out. Not only did she learned the Antipodal Fracturing, using that as the base, she enhanced other spells she had. Throwing a Fireball pass a Windwall effectively increased the size and power of the basic fire spell. Drenching enemies with water increased effectiveness of lightning spells, making them AOE. Watching Bunny, Flazzard was thrown into deep thought. He wasn''t seduced by her beauty, nor was he bewitched by the charming ways she fought... he was enchanted by the variety of ways she worked the spells. He knew that his Antipodal Fracturing was far stronger then any intermediate spells, even more powerful then some of the advance ones. Here, right in front of him, the girl made several more of those overpowered spell within the few hours they trained. Being tempted, Flazzard instinctively wanted to follow Bunny on her path of becoming multi-elemental... But he stopped himself before falling deeper. To each their own, even if the new path offered enigmatic power with sophisticated basic spells, Flazzard would want to follow his own destiny. He had an ideal and he would not allow the lure to override his goal. When he reached Advance-Rank for both Fire and Ice, he would prove that the most powerful skill in the whole game was his Antipodal Bomb a mixture of the highest rank spells that was purchasable from the mage guild: Flame Destruction which would detonate like an atomic bomb, shattering everything encased in ice by Piercing Blizzard... the real source of his name: Fla...zzard Just like all other gamers, Flazzard had kept a trump card he would never shared. It relied on Mpemba effect which enabled him freeze things that contained water at a much faster rate. Unlike the Antipodal skills, the game AI recognized the phenomenon and turned it into a skill called Flash Freeze to signify its greatness and power. This trump card was kept in secret until desperate need arose or when he decided to claim himself as the greatest elemental wizard in RR. ***** After training for a game day, Bunny waved goodbye to her new friend. She had learned from this friend about combination effects of different spells. Relating back to her fight against the giant slugs, she now understood why her damage was beyond pathetic. Originally, with her low skill proficiencies and mastery, her spell damage was already low, she decreased them further by carelessly overlapping without thought and caused the spells to hinder each other. Due to her previous ignorance, she had unwittingly used Water Gun to extinguish the Flame Pillar, stone debris from Rock Bullets weakening the Wind Blades and using Fire to cleanse the Dark Curses. By changing her spell rotation, she could already improve her damage output by half. Adding a better weapon, greater spell repository and channeling mana to enhance each individual spells, Bunny believed she could double or triple her damage to the slugs. Thinking about the new weapon, Bunny start her journey towards Serabroug. She had requested the staff maker to create a unique staff using carrot and refined bloodstone. The bloodstone was processed by Angel using her smelting techniques, it cost lots of raw ores but it should turn out to be a great investment as refined bloodstone was known to be a good magic catalyst. As for the carrot. She had Silva grow for her a special species of carrot which she used as batons. To the outside world, Silva was an Ace Breeder, the best in Serabroug, but inside, his actual profession was a agriculturist. Genetic engineering of plants was his forte with carrots being his specialty because Silva was a rabbit. The carrot batons Bunny used, although raw and unprocessed, had durability comparable to maces made of steel. The staff maker was shocked by the stuffs she provided, but using her unique title, she coaxed him into creating the unique type of starves. As precaution, she even threw in extra carrots although she was sure that woodworking did help with carrot carving. She had seen a Fruit-Art contest held within RR and the top 3 were woodworker, the result strengthen her belief. Reaching Serabroug, Bunny immediately went to the staff maker. As with her expectation, the staff came out well. It was an elegantly carved carrot as long as her baton, which was 1.5m in length. A goose egg sized bloodstone was etched at the top. Lacquer coated the length of the staff enhancing the orange shine of the root. It was indeed a masterpiece from visual point of view. Looking closer, Bunny check the stats to see if the quality matched its beauty.
The First Carrot Staff Durability 75/75. Damage X~X. M.Damage: X The first staff to be made from a carrot. Although the carrot is as tough as wood, it is essentially a food item, so durability drops slightly. The creativity of using food materials to make a weapon is unheard of thus this staff gives its user extra Wisdom and Intelligence for the innovation. Restrictions: Level: 150 Strength: 20 Intelligence: 200 Wisdom: 100 Effects: +30 Charisma +55 Intelligence +55 Wisdom +20% Spell accuracy +70% to all healing skills
Happy with the staff, Bunny packed it away, payed the staff maker lavishly with tips and was on her way to her ranch. After doing logistics for Sera-Ranch, Livart Rest-Stop and her Manor House, she would be spending the rest of her time leveling up with the animals killing slugs. She had gained enough information to power up, what''s left was the training itself to improve her level and proficiencies.
Back to Main Forward to Volume 2 - Chapter 3 Volume 2 Chapter 3 – Tourism - Volume 2 Chapter 3 ¨C Tourism
Author''s Notes: Was away, now back... Got another chapter awaiting PR, will post tomorrow or day after Debbie had no interest in games. She had always thought playing games were a waste of valuable time and money. The only reason she was playing RR was due to her job. Being one of the co-owners of the Tour-Agency, Exotic Vacations, her partner pioneered a new type of holiday package: Relaxing in Virtual Reality. Reluctantly, Debbie was coaxed into trying out the game. In her first experience with the new virtual reality game, she was mesmerized by the scenery and awed by the potential for tourism. Only by trying the game out personally could she understand why everyone else in the agency was positive with the pioneering project. Since RR was an extension to her job and she had little to no interest in the game contents, Debbie took the class of a Stable Master. Originally, the idea was to own a carriage to cart the tourist around, however, Debbie thought that being able to offer horse riding as an alternative way of transport would improve sales. As their office was located in a heavily urbanized environment, offering their clientele chances of riding animals was a great innovation. Stable Master class was a unique class that allowed the player to create stables. Mounts or Rides stored within any stable could be withdrawn from any other stable owned by the same Stable Master. This was the reason Debbie took the class; As her agency opened up more areas for tourism, she could transport the same animals instantly to various kingdoms within the game instead of buying new ones for each and every location. Saddle was another skill that came with her Stable Master class, that could make any tamed monsters into rides by attaching a saddle onto it. For obvious reasons, the rides needed to have sufficient size and strength. Forcing a dog to carry a human three times heavier then itself was not possible. Saddling an orc, troll or other bipedal monsters was not feasible either. Another drawback of this skill was the need to buy animals or monsters from NPCs or Players. Within the game, Debbie started out in the frontier city of Serabroug, Rosenheim Kingdom. Her choice of the frontier city was due to the cost of rides. In central region of RR, the levels of players were high, coupled with the need to travel distances for unowned dungeons, drove the prices of horses and ponies up. In Serabroug, the average level of players was lower, with plenty of free hunting spots, there was little need for distance travel, reducing the prices of mountable animals. An average horse in Serabroug cost 100 gold with young gallopers reaching as high as 500. Since she would be buying horses used for tourism, Debbie could not rely on the cheapest dying mares or the obnoxious colts. Thus, she was prepared to pay 300+ gold per animal. Compared to Central Cities, the price was halved, but still, it was an expensive investiture. Since there was high potential and little risk, Debbie believed that profits would flow in later. To have her plan working, her first objective was to obtain gold. Instead of grinding like other players within the game, Debbie had taken the option of buying game money from the net. After paying cash earlier, she was to meet someone named Bob at the Eastern gate of the city she started in. The location was picked due to its low traffic flow because there was little activity towards the eastern side of Serabroug. The transaction was done smoothly and her pockets were weighted down with 50,000 gold. After Bob had disappeared after passing her the game currency, Debbie was left standing alone with the NPC guards of the Eastern gate. Before she moved off, Debbie noticed small dust clouds forming at the horizon. Knowing that the dust clouds could only be formed by a something traveling fast across the plains, she pondered over what was heading her way. ¡°I wonder who or what is coming this way?¡± Debbie asked nobody in particular. ¡°Oh, that must be Baronetess Bunny coming from her region¡± One of the NPCs responded to her query ¡°Baronetess Bunny? Is she with an entourage? The amount of dust stirred seems too much for just a horse. But the speed she is traveling looks a little too fast for a group¡± ¡°Aye, Lady Bunny is always doing absurd things¡± the other NPC guard replied ¡°She is most likely riding the cat ''Meow''... hahaha... a huge cat that is...¡± the first guard chipped in. ¡°Large cat?¡± Debbie muttered... With her interest piqued, she moved away from the main road, stood behind one of the guards and watch as the rumored Baronetess arrived. After a few moments, a girl with rabbit ears dressed in a cute costume came riding on a giant cat. It wasn''t really riding as she sat without saddle with both her knees together at the left side of the cat while leaning her body forward laying on the feline''s back. The cat was also not normal, even though it looked like a tabby, it was bigger then a tiger, with a body length of nearly 3m long and shoulder height of over 1.5m tall. After dashing pass the gates, the cat braked to a stop leaving 4 indented lines of earth with its paws. The girl alighted promptly then pointed her orange-colored staff towards the disfigured floor. Within moments, the marks were gone, leaving a smooth pavement as if nothing had happened before. ¡°I am going to the Library, do whatever you want, but don''t cause any trouble¡± she told the cat. ¡°Ok... ok... don''t nag... I''ll visit Silva then go laze at the ranch¡± the cat replied ¡°Alright, see you in the ranch later, update Prize about the market prices for me¡± Watching the exchange, Debbie was stunned and missed her opportunity to introduce herself. At first, she was just curious about having a cat as a ride, but when she saw the size of said-cat, she was a little overwhelmed. Furthermore, when the cat spoke, she jaws dropped, causing her to miss the chance to speak out. By the time she gathered her thoughts, the girl was gone. Not willing to let such a possible holiday-attraction escape, she turned to the NPC guards for information on the rabbit-girl as the guards seemed to know about her. Forgetting that they were NPCs, Debbie conversed with them as per normal. ¡°Is that the baronetess you people mentioned?¡± She asked the guards ¡°Yup, that''s her, the troublesome one, Lady Bunny of Galitzid Prairie¡± ¡°Monsters are not allowed in the city, but she skillfully avoid the trouble by raising a city cat¡± ¡°You mean that big tabby is a city cat??¡± Debbie asked incredulously ¡°Aye, something like that... She is some sort of a breeder and her ranch is in the city¡± ¡°Yeah... due to that cat being a local, it can enter and exit the city without a license or under restrain... not to mention her throwing her Baronet Rank around when our Guard Captain questioned her motives.¡± ¡°Other then the cat, does she have any other strange animals?¡± Debbie''s curiosity heightened. ¡°The Lady has lots of giant cats, thought only Meow and Nyaa recently start talking¡± ¡°My relative that lives in the East once mentioned that she has giant rabbits at least 2m tall soldiering the area... There are also rumors of giant chickens running around... I can''t say for sure if those are fact or fiction, but rumors of the East is plentiful.¡± ¡°Now that you mention giant animals, there are also rumors on big sized racoons working at the site of the old Lair of Livart. Great old times when we go hunting kobolds and goblins there¡± ¡°Ahhh... good old times... I still remember when I was just out of boot camp...¡± While the two guards at the Eastern gate were reminiscing about their past glory, Debbie was in deep thought. She had just caught a glimpse of something that was extremely favorable to her agency. It could be a wild goose chase, but it was better to verify the validity of the rumors then to let such an opportunity slip by. With a change of plans, she ignored her original goal of buying horses and journey out of the city eastward. Unlike normal players, who had to stay in the city for the first game-month, Debbie was using a Tourism Account with special rights. As a tourist, the avatar was created with a decent level of 50, came with a class, acceptable gear and no newbie protection. The avatar also had anti-theft and no death penalties. To not upset the game balance, Tourist could not participate in events or wars and they could not craft anything. They could gain neither proficiencies, experience points nor fame which made them static. This special type of account was created when her company negotiated with RR game developers to use the game for sightseeing. The developers happily made such accounts as a means to promote the game further, but they offered no means of directly buying game currencies as artificially injecting money into the game would break the balance. They did point Debbie to the Dark gamers. Walking eastwards was not a very smart choice for Debbie. The distance between Serabroug and Bunny''s region was 6 hours by horse or over 25 hours on foot. Even the closest place, Livart Rest-stop was at the midpoint of 3 hours away on horseback. In addition, she was leaving with her pouch full of gold, a newbie error that had caused grief of many who bought game-money using cash. There were a few greedy players who had spied on Debbie while she was collecting her gold from the well-known gold seller. They initially had the intention to swindle the gold out of her using deceit, but since she exited the city right after, they decided to kill her for her funds. After 15 minutes of strolling, Debbie was ambushed by a team of 3 rapacious players. ¡°Halt!, Leave your money here and we will left you off¡± ¡°You can either do it peacefully or we can kill you and loot your corpse¡± ¡°From your attire, you are not even Lv70, so don''t resist, for we are all between 100 and 120.¡± The last bandit player who spoke got hit on his head by his comrades ¡°Shut it idiot, don''t tell her our levels or she may want revenge¡± ¡°Erm... Sorry miss... just imagine you didn''t hear that last part¡± ¡°There is no point playing bandits, I''m a Tourist, you wouldn''t get anything for it¡± Debbie explained ¡°What is that? Tourist? Some special class?¡± ¡°Don''t lie to us, we saw you obtain lots of gold from Bob the gold-seller ¡± ¡°Players drop a percent of funds they carry, so give us 1000g or we will kill you¡± ¡°Just buzz off, you can''t rob a tourist¡± Debbie told the Bandit trio before attempting to leave Without a doubt, poor Debbie died and turned into a wisp of white particles. Sadly for the PKers, the only thing they got was the red make of a Player-Killer. Due to the special type of account Debbie was using, she dropped neither gold nor gear. She did not even have to wait 24-hours, as she respawned minutes later back in Serabroug town square. Recovering from her death, Debbie was rather shocked that there were users playing as bandits. As someone who did not play much games, she could not understand how those players could do things that were so morally wrong. After the initial surprise, she calmed down and smiled at event. She had been lucky on two counts: First, the bandits targeted her partly due to her own stupidity, she had ventured out of the city with people knowing she carried large amount of gold. It simply meant that if tourist were common knowledge, they would not be targeted. Also, the ambush happened while on trial, with the experience, she had options to either deter or remove such threats during the ''real'' event. If the attack happened when she was leading other tourist, the consequences would be dire. On further thoughts, Debbie found her actions to be rather rash. She had not bothered to check the distance to her destination, by just blindly following the road, she would have died to random monsters or even starvation. Even if she made it to her destination, the owner, Baronetess Bunny, was not there to negotiate. The bandits actually saved her valuable time. Giggling at her fortune, even in its twisted form, Debbie decided to do some research before trying another journey. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. Next stop, checking out the prices and supplies of Horse and Ponies. Not knowing where exactly do they sell those animals, Debbie made her way towards the Army Stables. Who else would know such information other then another Stable Master. With a notebook she bought from the general stall, Debbie had recorded all the information she needed within the city. The prices of good food, fine accommodation, places of interest, beautiful sightseeing spots and various little things a tour-guild would need to know. There was also the prices of Horses, Ponies, Elephants, Camels and several other beast she could Saddle. The best part for Debbie was testing out the quality of the food. The dishes made in RR was on par with High-Class restaurants, and the best thing, she could eat 50 servings of different variety of food without the worries of calories. Half working and Half having fun, she passed the game day fruitfully and logout for 2 hours bypassing the lonely game night. ***** After she logged back into RR when the game morning arrived, Debbie approached the Carriage Depot looking for a way to the East. From the drivers there, she found out that there was free carriage service to Livart Rest-Stop, courtesy of the owner. The problem was, there was no carriage traveling further east. The only ones going there were wagons, so if she wanted to visit the area, she need to hitch a bumpy ride with the haulage. Thinking she had nothing to lose, Debbie got directions from the teamsters to find the wagons going to Galitzid Prairie. Following the given route, she reached a ranch located in the northeastern side of Serabroug. There she met with things that could only be termed as bizarre For starters, there was a wagon preparing to depart. Running up to the wagon, she found the driver to be a young boy around 14 in age, much too young to be a teamster, yet he was driving the horse drawn cart. Within the wagon, there were bags of salt and 5 large squirrels, each a meter tall. Inspecting the animals almost gave Debbie a heart attack. With her class Stable Master, Debbie was able to know the levels of tame animals, even if they were not hers, the squirrels were all lv150. Asking the boy for a ride to Galitzid Prairie yielded a confused look on the youth. Instead of answering, he alighted from the wagon and entered the ranch to ask permission. Feeling that her persuasion skills would be useful, Debbie tagged along with the teenager. There she was started again. From outside, the Ranch looked normal with a farmer tending crops and random animals lazing around, but within, was a sweat shop of rabbits and raccoons tanning leather and making candles... and all of them stronger then her puny Lv50. The most surprising issue was the overseer of the ranch. It was not the farmer tending crops... nor the candle maker distilling animal fats... it was a talking squirrel who barked orders at the working crew. After hearing from the teenager and seeing that Debbie had entered the ranch, it started talking to her. ¡°Why do you want to visit the East, the owner doesn''t like random guest¡± the squirrel asked ¡°I have a proposition to make to Lady Bunny, the Baronetess of Galitzid Prairie¡± Debbie replied The squirrel raised an eyebrow then demanded: ¡°Speak of your proposal¡± ¡°I want to form a business contract, but I need to know if Giant Chickens are real¡± ¡°What if they are?¡± ¡°I want to loan them for my tour-agency, we will pay accordingly.¡± The squirrel turned away from the female and continued to ''talk'' but no sound came from its mouth. From the little things that Debbie knew about RR, she guessed it was using ''private conversation'' with someone. After its silent discussion, the squirrel finally turned back to Debbie and said: ¡°I can''t make the decisions, so you will need to ride with Aaron there to the manor house. The ride on the wagon will be bumpy because we have not expected visitors. Do not be alarm when the escorts arrive.¡± With its closing statement, the squirrel went back barking orders while Aaron, the underaged teamster, led Debbie back to the wagon. After she sat comfortably with the squirrels, the horse-driven cart set off towards her destination. Once it left Serabroug through the East Gate, the escorts arrived. A pair of cats, each as large as a jaguar, ran alongside the wagon, they were both lv150 too which made this convoy too well protected. Ignorance was not always a bad thing. Normally for other gamers, they would be shocked by the workings within the Ranch. Those who knew of game mechanics would understand the impossibility of such a sight. Debbie was lacking in game knowledge, after seeing a cat talk, she just assumed herself as Alice in Wonderland, therefore her behavior in front of the talking squirrel turned out positive and gained her audience with the ''owner'' Also, normal players would think twice... maybe even a few more times, before hitching a ride with a crowd of high leveled creatures... they were not even humanoids... Even though each of them could easily end her life, Debbie thought nothing of them and just went with the flow... ¡°I wonder how deep this rabbit hole goes¡± was her thoughts. ***** After hours of traveling and a sore butt, Debbie finally arrived at her destination. The area had a tranquil feel, but not worthy enough to be a scenic spot. A girl dressed in purple priestly garb was waiting for her outside the Manor-House. To the left of the priestess, were 10 giant chickens, each bigger then an ostrich and standing 2m tall. Their shape were proportional to farm chickens, which made their 1 meter width intimidating. ¡°Hi, My name is Angel.¡± The girl greeted ¡°Hi, I am Debbie from , a tour-agency which had just obtained rights to have create vacation spots in RR.¡± ¡°From what I heard, you have a proposal for the Baronetess?¡± ¡°Ah Yes... But first, can I try to saddle a chicken for testing?¡± ¡°Saddle?¡± ¡°I have the class called Stable Master, and I can saddle tamed beast and make them into rides.¡± ¡°Oh? What a unique class that is, feel free to try it.¡± Given permission, Debbie did not waste any time. She proceeded to put a saddle on one of the Giant Chickens. With the harness done, she then attempted to ride it. Angel stood at the side silently observing while ordering the Giant Chicken to obey Debbie. After running a few laps around the Manor-House, Debbie was satisfied with her test. Riding the Chicken back to Angel, she alighted then directed the walking bird back to its flock. Pulling Angel away so they were out of listening range of all the animals, she spoke: ¡°Erm... I don''t know how to say this, but is it possible to buy those Giant Chickens from you?¡± ¡°From what you just did, you want to make them into mounts?¡± ¡°Yes, they are beyond my expectation. If the tourist comes into RR and ride them around, the experience would be excellent and unique, they will...¡± - Angel then endured listening to Debbie prattled about tourism, safety and chocobos. - ¡°... and so, following that popular game in the previous era, we will name them chocobo instead of chickens.¡± ¡°So you want to buy those as rides for your Tourist¡± Angel Summarized. ¡°Yes!¡± ¡°One more question, why did you drag me away from the animals for discussion?¡± ¡°Heh... I don''t know... its just that I have seen so many talking animals, I don''t know if they can understand me or will they get angry over treating them as goods.¡± ¡°Oh... don''t worry, the chickens are stupid... bird-brains... Anyway, you are lucky as chickens are one of the animals we are willing to sell, others like squirrels, racoons and cats are not for sale. I believe you had seen them talk, so you are right in your assumption when dealing with those intelligent ones... Since I am willing to Sell¡± ¡°And I am willing to Buy¡± Debbie happily caught on ¡°Lets get down to the finer details...¡± ***** On an Evening of an undetermined later date: A group of Chocobo riders were traveling in the outskirts of Serabroug. They had just finished visiting the twin moon lake, a scenic area where the calm surface of the lake reflected the full moon, drawing a serene picture. It was an awe-inspiring sight. Taking the fast running avian, the group was currently returning to Serabroug where they would stock up on food for exploration on the next day. Under the bright ambient glow of scattered moonlight, a female garbed in a fancy cloak led the riders on their way back to the city. She differs from the others as she was instead riding a huge rodent. Although she kept claiming that the white rodent with brown patches was a hamster, members of the group teased her calling it a giant rat. While the merry group was traveling noisily, the leading female suddenly held up her hand and addressed the others seriously. ¡°A group of 40 players has been sighted around 500m from here and they are moving towards us. There is a chance they are bandits. Estimated time to interaction is 10 minutes.¡± ¡°Wow, they are relentless¡± ¡°Didn''t we meet one such group on our way to the lake?¡± ¡°But isn''t such encounter fun, spice up the vacation by much¡± For a group of slightly over 20 members, the possibility of being ambushed by bandits did not rain on their mood, instead, they were pretty happy about the meeting. Seeing that they were more then enthusiastic, the leader asked: ¡°Are we going to charge through like what we did in the morning or do you people want more action?¡± ¡°Action Action¡± ¡°Where is all the fun where we only escape¡± ¡°Massacre them, there is nothing to lose.¡± Debbie could only sigh. The so-called vacation had taken a twist in its meaning. Although she was the leader of the tour group, she still had to cater to their whims as they were customers. From sixteen year old teenage girls to sixty years old grandpas, everyone seemed to be out for blood. On their first encounter with bandits, the group was frightened and followed orders to just ride the chocobos to safety. However, once they saw the stampeding power of the avian runners, half the group turned back to stomp on the downed attackers. The rest did not take long to join with trashing their would-be assaulter. Tourist were not able to initiate attack on other players, but using ''self-defense'' against banditry, they had every rights to kill. From there, things went downhill. The group would purposely show off their gold in town and loudly proclaim they will be bring even more back at their return times. They aggravated the greed of other users tricking them to attack the group. Just like the current scenario, Player Bandits would try to rob these tourist just to be stampeded by the chocobos. On her side, there was no losses. When a tourist dies, he or she would just respawn at the starting area. If the animals were slaughtered, as they were mounts, they would simply respawn in the stables after some time. The bandits would gain nothing, but somehow they kept coming. Giving instructions to the tourist group on where to meet for dinner after gaming, Debbie sighed again before she hit the ''logout'' button. Ever since the start of this new Virtual Tourism, Debbie got a side job: Chocobo Stable Master. Players ranging from Newbies to Veteran Guilds would approached her to buy Chocobos. The running birds had proven to be better then horses in both appearance and usability; There was even a Guild that renamed themselves as . Even if the price of Chocobos were extremely high at 1500 gold per bird, they were always sold out, and each new batch took about a game month to produce. Sadly, even though Debbie was also selling Giant Hamsters as an alternative mount, nobody was interested. Due to their size, the hamsters lost their normally cute fuzzy looks and were claimed by the customers as ''Bears with the wrong face'' or ''Giant Rats with the wrong color coat''
Back to Main Forward to Volume 2 - Chapter 4 Volume 2 Chapter 4 – Marshal, CFOO, Spymaster - Volume 2 Chapter 4 ¨C Marshal, CFOO, Spymaster
Weeks flew by quickly, which meant many game months had passed. Rather then just two simple weeks as determined by the trio earlier, the appointed time to raid the Demon Realm was pushed back due to an event in RL. The school the trio went to, made some adjustments in its curriculum: to have a more target orientated study pattern. Instead of homework, the school opted for more testes and exams, which took place once every two months instead of bi-annually at once per semester. The change was in its trial phase, but some over enthusiastic parents from the PTA had suggested the shuffling of the seats within the student-council, using the results of the trial examinations. Alan, the person behind the avatar Bunny, would rather die then being ousted from the Stu-Co. With the unfortunate turn of events, Bunny was cut from the team of Realm Explorers. As for Angel and Gene, who were also from the same school, neither wanted to risk their positions. This led to the inevitable delay. Angel was stumped by the dense couple. Their school was the only one implementing such a change but the doltish duo did not even suspect anything. Bunny was openly grumbling over how her school was being unfair with Gene joining her protest because his school did likewise. ¡°This is so very obvious... yet... they can''t even notice... We are in the same country, same timezone... We have schools implementing the same strange changes at the same time... Do they not wonder at the possibility that we actually go to the same educational institute? I am not even hoping for them to realize the identity of each other¡± Angel could only protest internally. Although they were studying for the newly implemented testes, the trio did continue to game... just not as active as they wanted to be. During the study period, Bunny leveled steadily up to 182 by killing tens of thousands of giant slugs, over a hundred Myconid Spore Kings and uncountable fungi-men. The grinding also filled all her fingers with petty rings gain from the Spore King. Other then levels, she had also improved her offensive capacity by mixing spells and having good offensive magic rotations. Her greatest spell was Ignis Gigantea which was created by channeling Fireball and feeding it excessive amount of air using Gust. The power would be comparable to Rain of Fire, one of the first spells a ranked-up Wizard could produce. Contrary to expectation, Bunny was not able to become an all-time OP spells-caster. With mixed spells like Antipodal Fracturing and Ignis Gigantea, her magic damage went well above other spell casters of her level. However, while others would gain more power with a job change at lv200, Bunny had nothing to look forward to. She could only be OP until other magicians upgraded their jobs to higher tiers. The hurdle between a class specialized in Magic and her Breeder class could not be bypassed that easily. On a brighter note, due to the ingenious ways of using spells, skill proficiencies went into up at a very fast pace. All her spells reached Intermediate Ranks while Elemental Mastery proficiency broke into Advance Rank giving her a great skill: Dual Cast. Being able to throw magic at a faster pace, Bunny could create even more powerful mixed-effect spells. ***** Angelina the controller behind Priestess Angel, was less affected by the change in school curriculum. Mathematics was about practice, as long as she had grasped the fundamentals, test or exams at any time was fine. Also, unlike Alan, she only needed to focus on the results of her mathematics exams and not all the subjects. Taking the role of regent, Angel governed the villages and ranches in the absence of Bunny. Other then money matter, since she was already in charge of the tax and commerce, Angel also took care of animal rotations making sure the combatants reached their level limit. As a veteran gamer, seeing their personal dungeons under-utilize did not sit well with her, so Angel started another animal gathering session. Collecting many strays from Serabroug and its surrounding areas, she expanded the number to animals well past a thousand. Angel also used their joint funds to buy mana-filled items and mana-stones to evolve the key animals of their army. These included but not limited to more prominent animals like the Prize, Shillings, Meow and Nyaa. The trio had met up during one of the Sundays to see how the ''catalyst'' affected the next tier evolution. Using rabbits R1 to R20 as test subjects, they were fed magic-gear, mana-stone, fairies corpse, demon-spawn meat and even mithril. The result was a let down. Even though the animals gained the ability to talk and use magic, their personalities and elemental affinities were predetermined by their upbringing. The catalyst had almost no effect to their evolution. After evolving, Meow and Nyaa grew slightly bigger again due to more leveling. They were already one size larger then other cats, mostly due to pedigree or breed, and with the advancement, they now bigger then ponies. Meow became Bunny''s personal mount while Nyaa went to Angel. Gene was left out because he already had his bear for long distance travel. Prize, the Squirrel Overlord of Sera-Farm and Shillings the Racoon Foreman of Litvart Rest-stop, went back to their post. They both had become more efficient leaders as they were now able to communicate with both animals and humans. The 20 evolved rabbits were assigned permanent residence in Slug Land, using the Giant Monster to better their new found magic skills. Most of the rabbits only had a single elemental affinity with 8 Earth, 5 Water, 4 Air and 2 Fire. Only one had dual affinities of both Earth and Water. Unlike players who needed to either learn from spell books or taught by another, the rabbits gained innate spells which they channel through their horns. Back in Sera-Ranch, Angel was not able to procure new animals as quickly as she wanted. To keep the the dungeons occupied, she took the 40 chickens which had been neglected by Bunny for leveling. The grounded birds lead by evolved rabbits quickly leveled till their limit. Angle had initially wanted them as an additional strike force, but things happened and plans were changed. Approached by a representative of Exotic Vacations a tour-agency that pioneered vacations into the virtual world. The Agency bought those oversized chickens and repackage them as Chocobos. Priced at 1,000 gold per ''almost discarded animal'', the 40,000 gold offer was difficult to reject. Debbie, the representative of the tour-agency, also had the unique skill Saddle which allowed her to change any tamed animal into a mount. This skill intrigued Angel into forming a more lasting trading relationship. Debbie was given the distributor rights to sell unique mounts, while Angel stayed behind the scenes providing the supplies. Sworn to secrecy, Debbie could advertise about those giant animals but was not to disclose where she obtained them from. One was a dark-gamer with vast knowledge of game-trading and the other was experienced in real world buying and selling; The unlikely duo joined forces into a beautiful partnership, vacuuming money from the game into their purses. From the Animal-Recruitment in Serabroug, the variety of animals increased. Skunks, Geckos, Frogs, Hamsters and Boars entered the fray. Due to their size when they maxed their levels, Angel even listed most of them as possible mounts... though she was not sure if anyone wanted to ride a skunk or a frog. There was also the elusive hedgehog, which she, once again, managed to find few of. Luckily unlike the previous time, there was at least one of each gender. The last addition to the animal army by Angel were three dozens of pigeons. Angel noticed pigeon eggs on sale at the egg-monger when she was buying a cartload of chicken eggs to produce more Chocobos. It took less then a split-second for Angel to decide on buying them. With the pigeons, their animal army finally obtained its much needed aerial support. Outside of the army, Angel gained an Odd Pelican, many thanks to a quest Gene did, and turned it into her personal pet. As a ranged damage dealer, the Pelican served her well by retrieving loot from the distant using its stretchable beak. ***** Jeannie the one behind the avatar, Gene the Animistic Druid, had a different type of problem compared to her schoolmates. She was basically an addict to fiction stories, therefore due to over-reading, she sometimes mixed up various information. Her scores dropped when she first mistook Alexander III of Macedon for Geihar Von Arpen... or the time when she mixed King Duncan in Macbeth up with King Theodarren of Rosenheim. However, those belong to History and Literature which were not related to her Language scores, which floated alone at the top. Language score was not something that could be improved in a short time, neither was it something that would deteriorate quickly. Due to the nature of this particular subject, most students would focus on and cram on other courses, which led to a little competition for Jeannie''s position in the Student council. The increased in the amount of testes were offset by the removal of homework, so Jeannie had little changes in her gaming time. With Angel running the Ranches and Baronetcy, Gene had little else to do. Instead of burying himself in the Library, which would cause fiction or in-game history to overflow into revision, Gene toured the country in search of beautiful accessories... Animal companions which would help in making him more powerful as well as looked cute in their accessory form. The simplest way to chance upon rare animals was doing a repeatable quest given by Silva. The ancient rabbit-man kept track of almost all the animals that had naturally evolved near him. ''Near'' was a relative term as Silva''s range had a 500 kilometers radius, spanning more then the Kingdom of Rosenheim. Silva would give quest to people he trusted, to approach these evolved beings, so as to keep them healthy and away from danger. Adventurers had the tendency to hunt for and slaughter rare animals. Gene''s first animal companion, the red bear cub was yield from one of these quest. Meow and Nyaa, that were given to Bunny during her trial for the breeder class, were also descendents of an evolved wildcat Silva secretly owned. Gene had been doing the quest repeatedly to find suitable species as his new companions. So far, Gene came in contact many weird looking creatures like a bobcat clad in a fiery coat, a pelican with canine teeth on its beak, a weasel with a sickle as its tail, a mongoose that had invisibility, a snake with heads on both ends, a yellow rat with zig-zag tail, a turtle using a metallic shell and even a pollywog holding a sword. Only the turtle was collected as an animal companion, while the pelican followed Angel as a pet. Silva''s quests were different from the normal ''grab and return'' types, as they required the quester to ask the target if it was willing to leave. In event the target decided to stay at its habitat or move elsewhere, the related quest was still considered successful. This led to scenarios of successful quest even when the target joined up with Gene or his companions; Just like what the pelican and turtle did. Others either did not capture Gene''s interest or wanted a stable life in its original habitat or at Silva''s place. The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation. While traveling around, Gene had also been thinking of his in-game situation: Looking at his teammates gaining power while he remained pacing at the spot, Gene thought hard on his own possibilities. Finding new animal companions would, no doubt, improve his own combat potential, but was that enough? The trio were initially blessed with hidden classes that were, by default, stronger then the normal ones. But both Bunny and Angel had transcend their initial classes and synergized their improvements making them beyond comparison. Even if they had much higher gaming experience, his pride would not allow Gene to simply watch them leave him behind. Bunny was a breeder, but she was not restricted by her class and improved herself by learning magic. By doing so, she not only gained combat abilities, using the multicolored spells, she could better direct the animal army created by her original class. Ancient warfare, consisted of throwing armies towards each other and the side that slaughtered their opponents wins. The only tactics to speak of were the prearrangement of soldier and the timing to release catapults, cavalries or some other surprise elements. More prominent historical generals made used of Trumpets and Drum that could be heard above the sound of battles to allow adjustments to their troops, giving them more wins. Bunny was also able to perform such adjustments during the melee by using different spells. Although things were still on theory, Bunny had been training with the animals to allow them get used to such. Multiple Ice-spears barraged into enemy lines would indicate all out offense, while a massive fireball signified mass retreat. A lightning bolt on specific location, would signal the animals near it, to focus onto that area or target, whereas a earthen walls suggested avoidance... there were many other strategic usage of spells which exhibited the potential of Bunny''s magus subclass. Angel also had good synergy between her Priestess class and Archery. With her healing taking up most of her mana, she could use the lull between heals to contribute to dealing damage. By also taking the skill of a blacksmith and generous use of the Ammo Refill spell she had, her quiver only needed small amounts of really powerful arrows, which replenishes itself automatically with magic. Initially, Angel only thought of using the Priestly Buffs from her original Church of Lu. With the self-blessed bonuses, she was able to temporarily strengthen herself to be as strong as any ranger. But given her special class which called upon powers of not one, not two, but three religious faction, she was effectively stronger then any other archers of her level. Thinking deeply, Gene started to question himself. What was he?, What was his Strength, his Weakness, his Uniqueness. Reliving his time on RR, Gene tried to find an answer to a riddle only he could solve. Was he a stealthy type? The time spent with the minks on scouting was intense and interesting. He found much joy when infiltrating into the bandit camps, silently disposing the enemies without them even knowing. His nature was shy and his actions meek, being away from the sights of others made him feel at ease... But he wanted change. Picking the opposite gender and spending time with strangers in the game was all because he no longer wanted to be alone. He wanted to share, wanted to talk, wanted to break out of his self-imposed shell... No! The stealthy types was in reverse to his goal. Then what was his goal?? ...Alan!... Being side-tracked, Gene pushed the mental image of the male student out of his mind. That image was important, but it had little to do with solving his current issues... But when idle thoughts entered a focused mind, it would not simply go away. Little things about Alan started appear: His always neat attire, his expressive face, his unorthodox means to solve problems, his unusual sense of humor... ¡°Why does these information that are not wanted now, crowding my mind!!¡± Gene grumbled. *Ding* As if struck by a hammer, Gene suddenly found the answer he was looking for. Information! That was the key word. The meaning of his strength. As Gene was not a gamer, he was mostly behind Bunny and Angel in terms of unique thought. However, after being provided simple ideas, he could draft them into sophisticated plans. He was not some genius planner, rather, what he did was recreating scenes he had read before. Reading was one of the things Gene liked very much. Having read over hundreds of thousands of books on a large variety of topics enabled him to have a very broad diversity of plans. Steps to setting up their Central Market was knowledge from a book call Age of Colonization which describe the early settlements and colonies of various European counties. Strategies used during various war encounters originates from Sun Tze''s Art of War. Even the portal skill that led the trio trying to explore the Demon Realm was the result of his reading. Information was a important... but timely information was even more valuable. As from the book Hidden behind the King, it had described that all great organizations would need someone collecting and organizing information. Apart from past knowledge, one needed to keep up with the present. Gene knew that what he had was only the former, what he needed was to obtain the latter. To become a more valuable member, gaining combat potential was not the only way. What his team had overlooked was an information network that would allow them to know the happenings around them. The baronetcy was part of a the Rosenheim kingdom, but none of the trio knew anything about the political climate of the kingdom. In event there was a succession crisis or civil war, they could lose their lands without even knowing why. Gene finally found a role that would fit himself nicely. Bunny was the Marshal, the commanding general of their army of animals. Angel was the CFOO, chief financial and operating officer, dealing with trades and taxes. Gene would take the undeclared role of a Spy-Master, by creating their own information network. This would be more then beneficial... It was almost crucial if they were to climb to greatness. The animal companion he needed for his spy network was also decided. He had already met up with the creature long ago right after meeting Bunny. He had not made any contract with the creature then because it was considered an extremely weak species. A lowly Lv23 animal he had led the beginner rabbits to kill many times during his newbie days. The lowest leveled boss monster in the whole game, that was able to control minions to do its bidding. It was the Rat King. Mice and Rats were found everywhere, in the fields, on the roads, in villages and towns, even within cities and castles. The rodents obey the Rat King just as citizens obey the King. By increasing the Rat-King''s level and ability, it would also increases the sphere of influence the Rat King had. Using their personal dungeons, Gene could easily level this new companion, thus gaining masses of spying mice and rats. Putting thoughts into action, Gene set off to Sera-farm to use its sewer access. Obtaining the Rat-King was easy with a cake of cheese. Leveling it up to 170 took time, but was not difficult with the help of the evolved Rabbits. With a level that was never achieved by any other Rat-Kings, the animal companion named Don was able to Mind-Link with almost every mice within the kingdom. The skill Mind-Link allowed Don to remotely share the senses of mice and rats within its domain. It could also issue orders, but limited to simple ones like ''go here'', ''move there'' or ''follow that''. Given a personal room in the Manor-House, an endless supply of cheese and a clean fountain of flowing water, Don took its job like a Boss, spying in accordance to Gene''s wishes. Even if the mice, at ground zero, could not understand human language, Don was able to do so with the Linguist skill it had obtained under specific instructions of its Master. The greatest hurdle Gene had, when creating the spy-network, was teaching Don about human behavior. As a non-sentient animal, Don had difficulties understanding motives other then Eat, Sleep and Reproduce. With the patient coaching of Gene, it was finally able to remove meaningless gossips from valuable tidbits. Just as Gene suspected, the current King of Rosenheim, Theodarren, was on his last legs. Sadly, even in his condition, he had not designated a heir between his two sons, creating a chance for civil war due to succession rights. There were two men at the center of a power game: Duke Kanus and Count Albrook. Of the two, Duke Kanus, who was in charge of the military affairs, was more powerful and he supported Archduke Winston, the first son of the dying King. This meant much as their Baronetcy was granted by the other Prince. From the findings obtained while teaching Don about human thoughts, Gene had uncovered the identity of Rod, the youngster who conferred Bunny the Baronetcy. He was actually the other son of the Old King Theodarren. Rod''s actual titled name was His Highness Prince Rodimus of Rosenheim. From the rashness Rod had exhibited in Soie Village, Gene was worried about the youngster doing something stupid. Made sure that Don would keep an eye on Duke Kanus, Count Albrook and the two Princes, Gene went off to meet up with his teammates. He needed to update them on his new findings. Just like the time he uncovered the Demonic activities within the bandit camps, this time, he too was able to provide forewarning to the possible upcoming crisis. ***** Bunny and Angel were both gamers. They easily prioritized their personal gains and gaming satisfaction above loyalty towards some data or pixels. Being informed by Gene on the possible civil war. They decided to take an extended vacation in the Demon Realm. Their original goal was to simply farm Lv200 demon spawns near the portal, in a safe manner, avoiding traveling too deeply into the unknown. However, their adventure would now extend to combing the realm like an extremely large unexplored dungeon. With Don linked to Gene, they would know of any major event happening in the Kingdom, but they would not be reachable unless they wanted to be. Duke Kanus and Archduke Winston had almost the whole military might of the kingdom within their grasp, which the trio had no intention of a headlong collision with. Their planned absences would simply prevent Prince Rodimus from having any stupid thoughts of starting a civil war. Missing from the event would also signify their neutrality to whoever succeed the throne.
Back to Main Forward to Volume 2 - Chapter 4 Volume 2 Chapter 5 – Rabbit Kingdom (End) - Volume 2 Chapter 5 ¨C End
This day marked the 178th Day which Bunny went into the demon realm with her friends. The almost 6 months of RL time equates to almost two years passed within the game. While the trio experienced an adventure that was only known to themselves, time, however flowed smoothly, with many changes happening in the Continent of Versailles and the world. One of the most important changes, was the building of a Pyramid. As the old king got weaker, he ordered a sculptor to create a tomb worthy of himself. The sculptor, being a player, made a copy of the pyramid. Beside the tomb, he carved a sphinx with the head of the old king. With a tomb ready, old King Theodarren passed away a happy king. Outside of the game, RR had finally reached a milestone of 2 years old. Instead of having a decline in player population, the game had continuous growth, gathering more and more players from all over the world, enjoying the virtual environment. Unicorn Corp, the company behind RR hosted a major event to celebrate the game''s second birthday. During the single day event, each VR capsules would only cost half its normal price. In addition, every second capsule bought would receive an additional 30% discount. ***** Miya and Maya were twins. After hearing about the success of the game RR, they had been saving to play the game. RR had a game subscription of 300 dollars monthly, it was expensive, but still affordable by most gamers. The hurdle which delayed many joining the game was the price of the game device capsule, which cost over $10,000. The twins got lucky when Unicorn Corp decided to do a 1 day mega-sale. With over $9,000 they had saved up, they managed to buy 2 units instead of 1, even having enough to fund the game for a few months. ¡°Yeah! After 1 year of scrimping and saving, we finally can play RR¡± Miya exclaimed ¡°What''s more, we get a pair of capsule at lower then the price of one¡± Maya giggled happily ¡°You forgot to include the few months worth of subscription that comes along¡± ¡°I am so happy, was worried that, Miya being an addict, will hog the game if we share the device¡± ¡°Says the other addict...¡± Miya pouted ¡°Anyway, now we have a unit each, no more fighting and lets start somewhere together¡± ¡°Sure thing, we going the same formation?¡± ¡°Yes. I will Tank and you DPS behind... I will become a knight, like Joan of Arc¡± Maya said dreamily ¡°Hahaha... silly girl... Joan would be considered a paladin instead of knight, she''s a Catholic Saint¡± ¡°Knight, Paladin, whats the difference, I really like those metal armors... Anyway, what about you?¡± ¡°Most likely archery, either Ranger or Bowmen depends on what the elves have¡± Miya replied sagely. ¡°Oh my, elf-fanatic at work here...¡± Maya teased ¡°Don''t you think being human is too common?¡± ¡°What about Orcs, the newest race available¡± Maya asked ¡°So, you want to be Joanchiw of Arcibarr tribe¡± Miya teased ¡°No way!... anyway where should be start at?¡± Maya turned the topic away ¡°Serabroug! At least the forums claim it to be the best place for beginners.¡± ***** On the next day, after having their gaming device delivered and connected, the twins were ready to venture into virtual reality using their respective capsules. Miya being the younger by 12 minutes, was forced to sent the delivery people out. When she returned to the gaming room, Maya was already waiting, both girls had decided to dive together. Inside her capsule, Miya''s sight was blocked out, leaving darkness around her. Then a screen appeared before her. - The scan on your iris and vein has determined that you do not have an avatar. Do you.. ¡°Yes!¡± - Select the name of... ¡°TwinkleBell!¡± The twins always used the specific game ID. Maya would be JingleBell while Miya took TwinkleBell. Both had forgotten why they liked such weird nicknames, but they were both happy with those, so neither proposed for a change. - Select your gender from male, fe... ¡°Female!¡± - Royal Road has forty-nine races. You may select your race from the primary thirty-one ¡°El... *Ding* ¡± Before Miya could select her race, there was a loud *Ding* followed by a system message
A player had just unlocked a new race The Werebeast race (Variant: Rabbit) has been unlocked by the player: Bunny First 20 players choosing this race will get get bonus fame and obtain a random racial skills that are normally only unlocked at later levels. Appearance: WereRabbit have long ears, short fluffy tails, and a pairs of sharp incisors (front teeth). Racial difference: - WereRabbits can Hop: Using their powerful hind legs, hopping is faster the running. - WereRabbits have ''Sense Danger'', a skill which allowed them to detect enemies by scent and sound - WereRabbits have limited classes to choose from. - WereRabbits have 20% more Agility, but 20% less Wisdom.
¡°What!... First 20 players get bonus?? Then I want to be a WereRabbit¡± - Were-beast, Rabbit Variant selected. - As the first player to choose this race, you start with +200 fame and the skill Transform - You may alter your appearance in game. Please state the changes Miya looked as a 3D model of herself as part rabbit presented in front of her. Other then her normal appearance, she was decorated with rabbit-ears and buckteeth. At her back, right at the bottom of her avatar''s spine, was a fluffy tail which stuck out of her default newbie pants. As with all females of the human species, Miya made an effort to change her avatar into something more adorable, clearing freckles, adding dimples, slightly increasing cup size while trimming the waist. Miya was confident with her looks and figure, so the total change was less then 10%, making her recognizable if she attended offline meets. - Your account has been activated. Your stats and class shall be determined by your actions in the game - There is only one starting location for Were-beast, Rabbit Variant: Hell Hare Hills, Demon Realm - Welcome to Royal Road *Flash* As light dissipated from her surrounding, Miya found herself in the center of a plaza. Fresh water gushed in a small fountain right beside her, making splashing noises. As her senses got normalized with her surroundings, Miya could only gasp. ¡°This is¡­¡± The girl was swayed by the sight and sound of countless avatars, consisting of werebeast and animals. All humanoids around her had animal features while giant animals mixed among the crowd without standing out. Some distance away at a grocer stall, a 2m tall Mink holding a basket of fruits was bargaining with a 1.6m half-raccoon hawker. There were also a pair of cats racing down the street, each was 3m from head to base of their tail. The most bizarre of all was a group of 6 bunny-eared humanoids dressed as guards, patrolling the area. Each was riding a rabbit that was as big as a horse, all of them, including their mounts, were armed in full plate, except the armor was made of something that did not shine like metal. ¡°Is this wonderland?¡± The sight was strange, yet enchanting. Miya was first astonished by the realism of computer graphics, then she was shocked by the inhabitants of the village. She had visited many online resource sites and seen many in-game videos and pictures, which prepared her for the realist environment, but none of those prepared her for the talking animals. ¡°Unbelievable!¡± Miya was taken out of trance by a word spoken beside her. Turning to face the person who uttered that word, she saw a mirror image of herself: Maya. Her elder twin had also chosen the same race, starting at the same place. The lure of having a bonus was too great for her to miss out. Both sisters had done minimal changes to their avatar, if not observed closely, most people would mistake them for each other. For people seeing them for the first time, finding their difference was next to impossible. Recovered from their initial shock, twins started to chatter. ¡°What happened to Joan of Arc¡± Miya couldn''t help herself, but teased her sister ¡°Isn''t this like... a thousand times cooler? Ain''t you here too¡± Maya rebutted ¡°True... but what about becoming a knight, this race has limited professions¡± ¡°I don''t know, but look at those rabbit riders... I want to be like them...¡± ¡°Ohhh... someone going to ride a Rabbit instead of a Horse...¡± Miya jested ¡°What about you? I see no archers here¡± Maya questioned ¡°Oh? Lets go find out, then we can decide what to choose later¡± ¡°If you say so...¡± As light columns started pouring downwards around the twins, signifying more players joining as their unique race, the two girls decided to explore their new home called Hell Hare Hills. The twins were the first two players who had chosen this new race, with no information from any sources, they decided to spent time finding things out themselves. The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident. Their first stop for information was the Intelligence Guild. This was the place where NPCs would help players determine their classes. The twins approached the Intelligence Guild first to solidify their understanding of the classes available to them. ***** Walking out of the Intelligence Guild, the twins wore different expressions. One was smiling while the other was glum. Unlike what was expected, Maya was the one with the gloomy look. She was told that there wasn''t a Knight class. The heavily armored Were-Rabbits she saw earlier were Defenders, and what they were riding were other Defenders changed into their rabbit forms using racial skill. To obtain a ride, she would need to be paired. Furthermore, her partner needed to have the racial skill Transform, so he or she could turn into a mount. Her best option was her sister, but Miya would not agree to play the game as a mount. Miya on the other hand, had a big smile plastered across her face. Although there was no archery at Rabbit-Land, the instead had Gunners: a profession that was not available to every other race. Skills of a Gunner was almost the same as an Archer with long range damage capability. As Miya wanted a less played race/class, it was an extremely attractive option for her. ¡°Arrrggg... where am I to find a partner?¡± Maya groaned ¡°Why don''t you find a boyfriend, I don''t think any partner will do, since you will be riding him¡± ¡°Bleh!¡± Maya stuck her tongue at her sister. ¡°I don''t want a boyfriend just for playing this game¡± ¡°Then you will have to forsake the mount... or maybe you can buy a Horse when we leave this place¡± ¡°Boo! How about Miya becomes my mount?¡± Maya was desperate ¡°How about you let me ride you instead?¡± Miya countered ¡°Arrggg... this is so very stupid!¡± Maya complained ¡°Hahaha... Let''s go to the Gunner range and check out my class first¡± Laughing, Miya led the way **** *Piak* *Piak* *Piak* Although they were called Gunners, people of the class were not using gunpowder. Instead, they relied on the seed dispersal effect of selected plant pods. Loading flora pods into the specially crafted guns, they shot out seeds which acted as bullets. Best thing, they were not noisy with bangs, rather, the sound was minimum, with the loudest being similar to stepping on a twig. Plants disperse their seed via 4 main methods: Wind, Water, Animals and Ballochory. Ballochory is a method in which the fruits or pods of the plant stored up energy, then hurl its seed explosively outwards. One example is the Witch Hazel, which has fruits that drys up after ripening, bending its pod like an arrow. When the dried pod reaches its peak of maturity, it releases the twin seeds within like a bow releasing an arrow, hurling them for an average of 10m distance. Another example is the Himalayan Balsam, different from the above, it bend its pods without drying and it scatters a cluster of seeds in various direction up to 7m. ***** Looking at the twins from afar, were 2 people: A girl dressed pretty loudly while wearing earmuffs that looked like Bunny-ears and a boy dressed in plain tunic. She was hugging him from behind, with her hand around his waist, resting her chin on his shoulder. Both of them watched as new players started appearing in this little village they had created ¡°Dear, you sure you don''t regret the decision?¡± The boy asked the girl. ¡°What''s done cannot be undone.¡± the girl replied nonchalantly ¡°But... ¡± ¡°Shush! Don''t worry about the petty things¡± the girl said while pressing a finger on the boy''s lips. ¡°I am happy as long as I am with you¡± ¡°Me too...¡± he replied lowering his eyes, with a tint of red on his face. While they were creating a rosy atmosphere around themselves, 2 other people approached them. From their dress code, they consisted of a Priestess and a male Gardener. ¡°Oh my... you people getting lovey dovey while ignoring responsibilities huh?¡± the Gardener claimed ¡°Luke! Just let them be, they took a really long time to be together¡± the Priestess chided the Gardener. ¡°What responsibilities?¡± the girl asked, looking at the approaching pair. ¡°Didn''t we just pass the ownership to Helios making him the King of H3¡± ¡°It is called Hell Hare Hill, not H3¡± The Priestess corrected the name ¡°Also, we are not free of this place yet. Helios may be the new ruler, but someone has to teach him about civilization and evolution, else the animals will end up living in barrows again.¡± ¡°Angel is right, Helios may be a dragon slaying hare, but he is a hare nonetheless. Did you not see the quality of living those Hell Hares have before we come?¡± the Gardener called Luke added ¡°But, I know nuts about building infrastructure or ruling a country¡± the girl complained ¡°Alan, my brother... don''t shrug responsibility¡± Luke countered and called the girl Alan. ¡°You still have to lead the animals as War-Leader Bunny, otherwise how can the young ones evolve?¡± ¡°Jeannie! You too¡± Angel pointed at the boy in plain clothing. ¡°Me?¡± the boy named Jeannie replied timidly. ¡°You will have to set up a spy network similar to that of Sera-Farm¡± Angel continued ¡°Just because you are in love doesn''t mean you can slack off, work work work¡± ¡°You... You slave drivers...¡± the girl called Alan rebutted ¡°Ha! Slow as ever... took you such a long time to discover Jeannie''s identity... even longer to know I am going to work both of you like a slaves for making me suffer.¡± Angel exclaimed. ¡°What did we do?¡± Alan and Jeannie replied together ¡°Alan as Bunny, not finding out can be understood, but Jeannie is Gene, isn''t that a dead give-away with such similar name, not to mention Angel being nearby¡± Luke pointed out. ¡°Alright, I am dense... But when did Angel find out?¡± Alan surrendered ¡°First day after meeting you.¡± An answer that shut Alan up for a while. ¡°What? Lina! Why did you not tell me about it¡± Jeannie complained at Angel who was Angelina ¡°What can I say? the boy you like is a cross dresser?¡± Angel replied nonchalantly ¡°I waited almost a year for that numbskull to find out, dropping hints everywhere¡± ¡°Humph! I guess you are right... but I am not happy.¡± ¡°Not happy that your love is with you?¡± Angel teased, while Jeannie went into quiet mode, blushing *Crash* While Angel and Luke were cornering the two lovers, something flew in the sky towards the group. Landing near them with a loud crash, a gray hare wearing a small crown between its ears emerged from the crater created by his landing. ¡°Supplies!¡± the gray hare exclaimed towards 4 expressionless faces. ¡°Helios, the joke is not funny.¡± Luke exclaimed ¡°What joke? I am serious here!¡± Helios answered, while morphing into humanoid form ¡°I need supplies for making something called a guard tower, so I am here to pick you up¡± Helios had morphed into a youth with rabbit ears, standing at about 1.7m tall, with a lean body build. After stretching slightly to get used to his new form, Helios grabbed Luke with his hands, haul him over his shoulders before leaping away, with the Gardener screaming. After Helios kidnapped Luke, Angel commented with a laugh: ¡°Ah... Luke has fear of height... he may have it cured by Helios... hahaha...¡± ¡°Does Helios not have any common sense? I mean he is the Dragon Slaying Hare that left his legacy as a novel in the library... shouldn''t he be like... more human?¡± Alan questioned ¡°I guess we still need to help Helios, his really a hare though and through¡± Jeannie commented ¡°I am going back first, you two can enjoy your lovely moment a little while longer. We are having a meeting 1 hour later at the castle... Don''t be late.¡± Angel left after saying With the third wheels gone, Alan went and hug Jeannie from behind again, resuming their watch over the town of were-beast and evolved animals. This was the result of their 1 year effort. This had memories of them with each other without knowing. Creating the race and making it playable, it was an achievement Bunny (Alan) accomplished. But it was nothing compared to being together with the person his heart ached for. Even if their genders were switched, it mattered little to the two. To find Love in RL. To find Love in game. To find both directed to the same person. What more could one ask for?
The End
Thank you for reading Rather then waiting for the story to stale, I guess ending it here will be better. It had been an interesting time for me writing this, hopefully its the same for you reading it. If time permits: I may write the few chapters I planned for Demon Realm Or I may be writing another piece instead... But that is assuming I have the time needed to write...