Chapter 5 Forums notice

“Stay quiet,” Blue whispered, crouching low beneath the canopy of ancient pines. “Wandering or making noise will alert the beasts.”

Frost nodded beside her, his excitement still visible even in stealth. They moved carefully along the mossy edge of the forest, where the trees thinned and beams of sunlight filtered through the branches like strands of spun gold. Leaves rustled gently overhead. Somewhere nearby, a distant player shouted in panic—followed by the faint echo of their death.

Frost shuddered and drew closer to Blue, now far more wary of what might be lurking unseen.

When he saw her stoop to gather a strange herb, he frowned. “But… why are you picking up herbs that don’t even match the quest?”

Blue chuckled softly. She held out the herb she’d just collected.

As Frost took it, a system message popped up:

> 📜 You have discovered an unknown herb. Knowledge registered.

“Whoa,” he breathed.

“That’s Wheat-sling Herb,” Blue explained. “Very common. You can spot it by its yellow stem and wispy green petals.”

The moment she finished speaking, a faint pulse shimmered in the air. Within a ten-meter radius, all similar herbs began to glow—just slightly—making them easier to spot in the underbrush.

“Cool!” Frost grinned. The combination of hearing the name and holding it had triggered the herb’s detection radius in his interface.

And so they continued—Blue passing her knowledge to him, one herb at a time. Each new identification expanded his awareness. When he’d discovered ten unique herbs, another message flashed:

> 🌿 Herbalism Proficiency increased to Level 2 – Novice Explorer.

> 🎖 Special Effect Unlocked: Keen Eye – Detect all known herbs within 50 meters.

What Frost didn’t know was that Blue’s own detection radius was already 500 meters, thanks to years of accumulated knowledge. He knew the basics of ten herbs—while she knew everything about them at an expert level.

That difference mattered.

And she hadn’t even shown him half of what she knew.

With fifteen minutes left on the quest timer, their inventories were full—far more than the required amounts.

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Back in the village, Blue let Frost be the one to hand in the quest.

Shy but proud, he stepped up to the NPC and held out the neatly stacked bundles. “We did it... Here, look.”

Mr. Hubert squinted, then beamed. “Splendid! You youngsters sure do learn fast. I can tell you’ve already studied more than just the basics.”

Two notifications popped up:

> ✅ Quest Complete!

> Reward: 30% XP to all stats. 3 silver coins. Increased Likeness with Master Alchemist John Hubert.

> 🌟 Hidden Quest Unlocked – Impressed Mr. Hubert.

The old man leaned forward, rubbing his hands together.

“With all these rare herbs, I can finally continue my research. But I’ve never seen two younglings pick up herbalism so quickly. I want to ask one more favor.”

His eyes gleamed beneath bushy brows.

“If you can bring me ten Glimmering Frost Herbs, I’ll pay you handsomely—and give you some of my personal concoctions. Do you accept?”

Blue accepted without hesitation, noting the 24-hour timer. She also marveled at the NPC’s hidden title: Master Alchemist.

If she could raise her Likeness above 50%, she’d gain access to a unique NPC of power—one most players wouldn’t realize was important until months into the game. Master Alchemists were considered high nobles, honored guests in the courts of town lords. Their potions were rare commodities, capable of transforming entire regions.

Even the title reveal was likely part of the hidden quest reward.

She turned to Frost with a smile.

“You take two silver,” she said, slipping one into her pouch. “Let’s get better gear. Maybe even check the market.”

The village square was alive—and loud. Both players and NPCs milled about in every direction. A few NPCs played cheerful tunes on simple flutes and lutes, their faces lit with programmed joy, but the players were another story entirely.

Confusion and frustration clung to them like dust.

A few sat on crates or by stone steps, scrolling through menus. Others paced around NPCs, trying to trigger quests that weren’t there. Arguments broke out across the square.

> “I talked to him ten times! He still won’t give me a quest!”

>

> “This thing says it takes coins—what coins?! I don’t have any!”

>

> “Does anyone know where to sell this weird rock? I think it’s magic!”

Off to the side, a player stood atop a wooden crate shouting,

“Forming a hunting party—pros only! We’ve got a tank from a top guild in a previous game!”

Frost took it all in, wide-eyed. Everyone looked broke. Tired. Underequipped. Aimless.

But he wasn’t.

He walked a little taller. His coin pouch was heavier than most players’ entire inventories.

Blue had explained it to him earlier:

> 1 silver = 1,000 bronze

> 1,000 silver = 1 gold

Frost looked around, connecting prices to that value. A piece of candy cost 5 bronze. A cheap meal? 150 bronze.

With a giddy grin, he and his mother bought candy and compared flavors as they strolled through the square, choosing favorites like kids at a fair. At one point, Frost locked eyes with a nearby player who gaped at the sight of him eating.

“They must’ve found money!” the player shouted.

Frost chuckled.

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“Let’s get your defenses up,” Blue said. “Mages and assassins have low HP. Start with a chestpiece.”

“How come we have lower HP?” he asked.

Blue, pretending not to know, shrugged.

“I noticed it while choosing my class. Maybe it’s because we have stronger skills in other areas.”

They stopped at a gear stall. A decent chestpiece ranged from 300 to 500 bronze. They settled on leather armor for 300. After that, she guided him to a seller offering poison vials—400 bronze for five uses. He bought two packs.

“This might help you get the drop on monsters,” Blue said. “An instant kill will go a long way when your health is low.”

He nodded eagerly.

“Hold on to what’s left,” she added. “Smart players keep a stash.”

With gear, poison, candy, and about 900 bronze still in hand, Frost was already ahead—because of her.

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Just then, his interface pinged.

Frost lit up. “It’s Charlie!”

He’d synced his phone to his Thirian account, and now his friends had spotted his gamer tag going online. He answered instantly, glowing with excitement.

“Yeah! I’m in Rosewilder. You guys are in the next town over? No way!”

The voices on the other end were hyped. Charlie and Orlando were in Frentire Town, one of the five starter cities. They hadn’t known Josh had the game.

> “You should come over!” one of them said. “We’re trying to find quests and already dying out here.”

Frost looked at his mom, unsure.

She smiled. “Go. I’ll walk you to the carriages. You deserve this.”

He nodded and told his friends he’d be there soon.

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They walked together to the travel hub—after asking an NPC for directions. It was a rough wooden station near the town gates. Several carriages lined up in the mud, their drivers yawning while NPCs hopped in and out, arms full of baskets and sacks.

A sign above the hub read:

> Inter-Village Travel Hub – Fares Start at 40 Bronze

Blue paid for both of them—80 total—and they climbed aboard.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

There were no fast-travel buttons. No teleport scrolls. Just a ten-minute ride through dirt roads and countryside as the landscape scrolled by in lightly sped-up time—rolling hills, slow-turning windmills, and scattered wildlife dotting the road.

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When they arrived in Frentire, she walked Frost to the town square.

His friends were already there, waving and jumping up and down.

> “Josh!”

>

> “Dude, that’s really you?!”

>

> “Is it weird? Like, actually walking?”

Frost grinned. “It’s awesome. And guess what—I made silver.” He held up his pouch.

They gasped and dragged him toward the market, already chattering about what to buy.

Blue stayed back, watching.

He was happy.

And she would keep it that way.

She turned toward the road again, her mind already focused on the hidden quest: the Glimmering Frost Herb.

It wasn’t just about XP or rewards. This quest—if it turned out to be a chain—could fund and empower the Robin Arrows for the operations she had planned.

And with Frost now walking among friends, her mission could truly begin.

Meanwhile, in Frentire, Fireblade eyed her 21-person team.

With the five quests Jen had provided, they'd already earned 20 silver, and everyone had gained at least one level.

Now, following another tip from Jen, they’d pooled their coin to buy poison vials and chestpieces for the squishier classes. They split into two hunting groups—each assigned to target Horned Boars roaming the muddy outskirts of town.

On Jen’s advice, they’d also picked up a mission from the Adventurers’ Guild—one of several town-wide problems linked to the local noble, Lord Heinrich. Completing any of these quests would increase Likeness with the lord, unlocking the recommendation required to leave the starter town and reach the major cities of Thirian.

Every player would eventually need to complete one of these quests to progress. This wasn’t a hidden chain—just the next major step in the core storyline.

The catch? Most teams weren’t ready.

Without good gear or smart tactics, players tackling the boar threat were getting wiped. And that’s where Robin Arrow stood apart: prepared, coordinated, and already ahead of the curve.

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“Boss,” said Happy Riddler, grinning, “our beta source is gold. My contact in a big guild says their beta gave them a similar tip—to hit one of the monster attacks outside town—but they didn’t prep like we did. They didn’t know about the coin quests first. Went in blind.”

“Oh?” Fireblade asked, raising an eyebrow.

Happy Riddler nodded. “They tried to swarm a group of boars, but when more than ten players dogpiled one monster, its stats scaled. Turned into a mini-boss. They got wiped. Barely managed to kill two before full party KO.”

Fireblade folded her arms, considering.

“So even with a beta, it depends on how they played. Our source actually thinks ahead. That’s rare.”

Happy Riddler beamed under the praise. “Good find, huh?”

He ran a hand through his blond hair, eyes shining. She came to mind—the woman he called their lucky goddess.

Fireblade didn’t answer, but the more she learned about Jen, the more intrigued she became.

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The teams moved out, slipping past rustling wheat fields and low fences.

They flanked a cluster of Horned Boars—hulking things, tusks thick as daggers, their hooves churning the mud with every stomp. Foam gathered at the corners of their mouths.

Fireblade led the assault.

With a sharp cry, she lunged, both swords glowing faintly from the poison coating. Her first blade scraped harmlessly off the boar’s thick horn. It countered with a violent tail swipe, nearly catching her ribs—but she twisted mid-step and brought her second blade down, steel crashing against hide with a jarring thunk.

The impact knocked her back three steps, boots skidding through the mud.

A second boar charged from the side—but Gronk, their shield warrior, stepped in with perfect timing. He slammed his reinforced buckler into the beast’s snout with a grunt, halting its momentum.

“NOW!” Gronk barked.

A mage behind him raised her staff.

Crack—a jolt of ice struck the boar’s flank, staggering it.

Arrows followed, hissing through the air as the rangers fired from their perches. Each shot carried poison. The dazed effect triggered immediately—both boars slowed, their hooves dragging, their eyes glassy.

Then the berserkers and duelists closed in.

Axes. Swords. Daggers. Every strike extended the poison’s effect, chaining the stun. The monsters couldn’t recover.

“Keep your angles!” Fireblade shouted. “Don’t clump—don’t trigger the stat spike!”

The battle was coordinated chaos. Rangers rotated lookout duty, keeping watch for kill-stealers or wandering mobs. Melee units cycled in and out, careful not to draw too much aggro. Every few kills, poison had to be reapplied, costing precious seconds.

But it worked.

Boar after boar fell.

Steam rose from blood-soaked mud as the last of the herd collapsed, groaning. System messages pinged across their screens:

> ✅ Monster Defeated – Horned Boar (Standard)

> 🏹 XP Gained

> ⚔️ Robin Arrow Achievement Unlocked – “First to Slay a Horde”

Level-ups triggered for most of the group—many reaching Level 3, with rangers close behind.

“Do we publish the achievement?” Poison Fang asked, breathless and beaming.

Fireblade hesitated, then shook her head.

“No. Not yet. If word gets out, we’ll have every guild sniffing at our trail.”

They hit “Decline” on the prompt to publish to the Hall of Fame. Only a handful of teams had claimed firsts—and those were either reckless, rich, or arrogant.

Robin Arrow wasn’t ready to defend their loot yet.

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By hour four, they stood outside Frentire Manor.

Fireblade stepped forward and addressed the imposing NPC—Lord Heinrich, a thick-bearded noble in deep blue robes.

“Sir, we read at the Adventurers’ Guild that your town is plagued by horned boars,” she said. “May I know if we can be of service?”

The man smiled broadly. “You’ve seen my quest—splendid. Kill ten of the beasts and bring me their horns so I might judge your skill.”

Fireblade handed over the proof.

The system flashed a bright, blaring Quest Completed! message across her screen—but she skipped the details, eyes locked on the NPC.

Lord Heinrich nodded.

“Wonderful! You’re strong indeed. These are fine trophies. I’d like to entrust you with a task—a real one.”

He leaned in, his voice lowering.

> “A carriage under my seal is headed for Falkenhide, the nearest major city. Escort it safely, and I’ll grant you a letter of recommendation. With it, you and your team will gain basic citizen access to Falkenhide and be allowed to formally register—your journey to conquer Thirian can truly begin.”

>

> “Do you accept?”

Fireblade grinned.

“I do.”

A new quest appeared. She accepted it instantly. When she checked the rewards, her eyes widened—a full gold coin, a chunk of XP, and a time limit of four hours.

They’d already hit Level 3 from the boars—but this quest would push them to 4.

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“Where to, boss?” asked Poison Fang, her eyes practically glowing.

“We’ve got four hours to escort that cart,” Fireblade replied. “First, we sell the boar parts to the guild, buy better weapons, and make sure we’re fully stocked.”

The team cheered, spirits high as they marched back toward the village.

But they weren’t alone.

The teams of Robin Arrow moved out, energized and armed, slipping through the streets with practiced ease. They passed unnoticed by most of the crowd—but not all.

A lone ranger perched behind a fence nearby, hidden in tall grass. She watched with narrowed eyes as the party moved confidently from the manor back to the market.

She opened her interface and typed quickly to her guild’s squad leader.

> 💬 A group just left the manor. Something happened.

The reply came back almost instantly.

> 💬 Dismiss them. We sent someone earlier—he didn’t get anything. That NPC doesn’t give quests.

The ranger hesitated, then typed again.

> 💬 But sir… they looked happy. And they were all grouped up. I couldn’t hear what was said, but it sounded good.

A long pause.

> 💬 Fine. Follow them. Report back.

> 💬 Roger.

She closed her interface and slid off the fence, keeping low in the grass. This group wasn’t just lucky.

They knew something.

And she was going to find out what.

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The ranger from Earth Splitter watched in growing disbelief.

The group of twenty-something players had just bought gear—a lot of it. Weapons, armor, poison, consumables. And to this point, no one—not even top guilds—had scraped together a single silver, let alone multiple.

She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.

Her eyes narrowed as the strange group made their way toward the Adventurers’ Guild, where they spoke briefly with the clerk. He handed over a token—not a standard quest item. Something important.

She relayed every move to her superiors in real time.

By the time the Earth Splitter officers arrived at the rendezvous point, they were all watching from a safe distance. Cloaked. Hidden among the background clutter of wandering players.

“That’s them,” the ranger whispered, pointing. “The ones I’ve been tracking.”

The group of 21 was now boarding a massive, ornate carriage, unlike anything anyone else had seen. Its frame was reinforced with runed metal, and the doors bore the unmistakable crest of Lord Heinrich’s manor—a noble seal reserved only for official city-bound missions.

“What the hell…” one scout muttered, adjusting their lens.

Earth Splitter had already scouted this route.

Their last report claimed that travel was only possible between the five starter towns—and even then it cost 40 bronze per person. That was the hard cap of progress.

Now, they stood frozen, watching.

The carriage lurched forward.

Its enchanted wheels glowed with faint white light as the NPC driver snapped the reins. Within seconds, the vehicle surged ahead—far too fast for normal players to pursue.

Still, a few scouts gave chase anyway—sprinting, shouting, stumbling through the dust.

They fell behind within moments.

“They’re gone,” the Earth Splitter commander said flatly.

His jaw tightened as the team around him stared in stunned silence.

“I want to know everything about that group,” he growled. “Who’s backing them? What corporation owns them? What’s the price to buy whatever data they’re using?”

He turned toward the ranger who’d first spotted them.

“You’re absolutely certain? They went from the manor, to the market, to the guild, and then left town?”

“I’m sure, sir,” she said. “They moved like they had a plan. Like they already knew the sequence.”

The commander’s eyes darkened. His fingers twitched toward his interface.

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He opened the Global Forum and began typing quickly:

> 🛑 LOOKING FOR INTEL – PAYS WELL 🛑

> A player group has already left Frentire on a manor-marked carriage.

> Will pay for verified information on what quest chain or mechanic triggered this.

> First come, first served. DM for reward.

The post went live.

And the ripple was immediate.

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💬 GLOBAL FORUM COMMENTS:

@CritLock69:

> wait what do u mean carriage?? im still trying to find a damn fishing rod

@SweetSorrow:

> That NPC legit told me “come back when you’re not broke.”

> I didn’t know the game had class-based financial trauma.

@MidnightSnax:

> bet they’re testers or rich kids or both

> I hope their wheels fall off and the horses eat them

@FlameMage420:

> New conspiracy just dropped:

> “Manor Cart” is just an elaborate flex by a dev’s alt account. Prove me wrong.

@BoarSlayerReal:

> I killed 11 boars and all I got was trampled. Game is rigged.

@BlueBlooded:

> @BoarSlayerReal lol shut up.

> If you really killed 11 boars, you’d be on the damn manor cart with them.

> You probably swung once, got gored, and logged off to write fanfic about it. 💀

@TacticianTom:

> Hey @OP, what’s the reward? Asking for a “friend” who definitely didn’t accidentally stab the mayor last night.

@ThirianInsider (Verified):

> I’ve seen footage. The carriage is real. It’s quest-bound. Those guys knew exactly what to do.

@SaltedWound:

> No way this is organic. This has corp-backed written all over it.

@MiniMog:

> If I find out one more person got to walk out of a starter town before me, I’m uninstalling.

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Payouts were offered. Higher rewards promised. Threads splintered into copycats, reposts, and desperate theorycrafting.

Guild leaders posted bounties, some offering coin, others offering exclusive contracts to anyone who could replicate the sequence.

The panic wasn’t just about progress anymore.

This was about who got out first.

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The race had begun.

And whoever uncovered the method first…

might become the second guild to leave the starter towns.