Chapter 4: Black Rose

"Did he really just do that?" Katherine questioned as she replayed the scene once again. A big screen displayed how Liu Ye killed a Level 5 Adult Wolf with just his bare hands.

The programmers stood behind her in silence. None of them expected to discover such an exploit mere seconds after the game was launched.

They should have thought of it!

The whole purpose of the game was to master Elements and use them in battle as a mage. What if more people decided to ignore it and simply use their real-life martial arts to fight the monsters?

"What are you waiting for?" Katherine asked as she paused the video and glanced at the speechless programmers. "Get to your computers and hot-fix it now. We can't have people cheat the system. Change the required strength to use physical attacks. Make it possible but hard which will force people to use their Elements."

Although she didn't raise her voice, her tone was stern, sounding as if she was scolding them.

"Yes! Right away!"

The programmers nodded eagerly and rushed to their computers immediately.

Katherine glanced at Liu Ye on the screen and added one more order to the staff.

"Also, monitor this person for me and report any unusual activity. Something tells me this is not the last time he will surprise us."

———

While the programmers worked on the quick fix, Liu Ye already found another exploit he could abuse, completely unaware of the problems he was causing.

Thud!

-0

A red number appeared above his head as Liu Ye dropped straight down from a three-story building. Even though the fall would normally break his legs, Liu Ye didn't feel any pain or receive any damage thanks to the Newbie Village protection.

The quests were scattered all over the map, and jumping from building to building seemed to be the fastest way to collect them all. It only took him five minutes to fill his Quest Tab and reach the General Store.

"Welcome, Adventurer! How can we help you?"

Liu Ye was greeted at the entrance but he only responded with a nod as the adjusting hall immediately piqued his interest.

[Self-service zone]

The modern aspect was a perfect solution for players who valued their time. One could either approach the ladies by the counter or use the self-service zone with tens of shopping cabins.

The moment Liu Ye entered one of the single pods with a comfortable seat, the doors closed on their own and a screen popped up in the air.

[Name: Grind God]

[Coins: 6 gold]

His profile opened with a list of all available items. Besides the consumables like potions and food, Liu Ye could also buy various sets of outfits.

[Nine-hexed Leather Set]

[Bonus Stats: 20 Max Health Points, 5 Physical Defence]

[Requirements: Lvl. 1]

[Cost: 1 gold]

———

[Aurora Dress]

[Bonus Stats: 15 Max Health Points]

[Requirements: Lvl. 1]

[Cost: 1 gold]

Obviously, none of them could even compare with his own set and their costs were simply outrageous. Many newbies and casual players would still buy them though while only a handful, mostly those with professional experience, would wait.

[Marketplace - Unlock at Level 10]

Guessing by the name of the hidden tab, it would be a Marketplace purely controlled by the Player's supply and demand. One could definitely get a good deal if they were lucky or skilled in trading.

[Small Mana Potion x100]

[Description: Regenerates 100 MP in 20 seconds.]

Liu Ye didn't hesitate and spent a full 1 gold on a stack of 100 small potions which cost him 1 silver each. He had a whole day of grinding ahead of him so he was sure he would need to restock later.

Mana Potions were all Liu Ye visited the store for, so he didn't waste any more time.

"Huh?"

Just as Liu Ye left the pod, he noticed a change in the NPC's expression. Sure enough, a female player walked into the store right after.

"Welcome, Adventurer! How can we help you?" the ladies behind the counter greeted her happily but the newcomer focused her gaze at Liu Ye instead.

[Black Rose - Lvl. 3]

Liu Ye didn't expect to meet any players so soon but seeing her outfit and black bandana covering her face, it was obvious she had defeated the Adult Wolf as well. She was basically a female version of him with the only difference being her dark blue hair.

"It seems the rewards are the same," Black Rose commented as she gave him a lookover. "I wonder, how did you beat it so fast?"

Beep, beep.

Before Liu Ye could respond, his arm vibrated as a red dot appeared in his notification tab. Black Rose also reacted so it wasn't just him. They both looked down and saw a game update.

[Game Patch: The basic Physical Damage to enemies will now be decreased from 1 to 0 if your Physical Power is lower than the enemy's Physical Defense.]

The update was short but one didn't need a college degree to know it was targeted at the two of them.

"The developers didn't seem to like the way we battled," Black Rose commented casually but Liu Ye only shrugged.

He didn't care much since that wasn't his style from the start. His Grinding Mage was much more efficient when it came to farming experience.

"Good luck," Liu Ye called out and directly left, no longer paying her attention.

Liu Ye thought he had more time to spare, but a competitor had quickly shown up. With how the achievement system worked, it was quite possible the first person to leave the Newbie Village would receive good rewards as well. Both of them would be competing for that title.

[Avatar - Act I]

[You entered Avatar Online, stepping on a path to become the Avatar. It all starts with the grind!]

[Quest Clear Conditions: Reach level 10.]

[Clear Reward: Key to a Dungeon.]

Reading the Main Quest of the game, Liu Ye needed to be Level 10 to leave the Newbie Village. His goal wasn't far away. He was sure he could finish it within one day.

Liu Ye ran as he checked his statistics, utilizing the quick access screen on his arm. Having two unused skill points after his recent level up, Liu Ye quickly split them between Intelligence and Dexterity. He put more value into his movements and the ability to dodge attacks compared to his damage.

[Name: Grind God]

[Level: 3] [SP: 0]

[Exp: 0/400]

[HP: 130/130] [HP Regen: 1]

[MP: 40/40] [MP Regen: 1]

[Strength: 1]

[Intelligence: 4]

[Vitality: 1]

[Dexterity: 7]

[Wisdom: 1]

[Luck: 1]

[Physical Power: 10]

[Elemental Power: 25]

[Physical Defense: 20]

[Elemental Defense: 0]

[Elements: Water - 0%]

[Arts: Waterbending]

[Abilities: None]

His stats looked clean but Liu Ye had yet to pick his first ability. Too bad, just as he took a peek at his Elemental Tree, he spotted sudden movement ahead of him.

[Arthur the Trader (NPC) - Lvl. 10]

A lone middle-aged man in tattered robe rushed through the main gate while looking around with a distressed expression. When his eyes locked onto Liu Ye, he brightened with joy and rushed to his side.

"Young hero! I am so glad I met you! Please, I need your help!" Arthur called out in relief as he breathed in gasps. "I got attacked by bandits and they stole all my goods! Please, you need to help me get my revenge and recover my belongings! I will pay you handsomely!"

Ding!

Before Liu Ye could reply, a virtual screen with the Quest details appeared in front of him.

[Arthur's Revenge]

[Arthur was robbed and requested your help. Don't disappoint him!]

[Difficulty: B]

[Quest Clear Conditions: Kill all the Bandits and recover Arthur's goods within one hour.]

[Clear Reward: 1 gold and one treasure from Arthur's Collection.]

[Quest Failure: -2 Levels]

[Would you like to accept the quest?]

Liu Ye's eyes widened when he saw the Quest details. Weren't the rewards a little too low compared to the punishment for the failure?

Not only would he have to change his plans when it came to leveling but if by any chance he failed, his goal of being the first to enter the mainland would be ruined. The only positive thing was the potential treasure which could turn out to be overpowered.

There was no way the developers would create a trap quest so soon in the game, right?

"I will do it."

Just as he was thinking of accepting the quest, he heard Black Rose's voice behind him and his quest screen disappeared.

"Oh! Thank you, lady!" Arthur called out excitedly as he approached her instead.

Liu Ye wasn't even mad, finding this experience informative. Who knew one could steal the quest from others by convincing the NPC? It meant the NPC was an AI instead of having preprogrammed answers.

Arthur stopped in front of Black Rose and a new quest screen appeared in front of her. She didn't even look at it and instead locked her gaze on Liu Ye.

"I was trying to be nice but you simply ignored me. I am taking this quest as my little revenge," Black Rose explained as she accepted it, closing the virtual screen.

She seemed to expect some sort of response but Liu Ye only shrugged as he continued to run towards the gate.

"Good luck!"