---Logan's POV---
Garble nodded in agreement beside me.
"The production put in a lot of effort. There's no way they'd make such a rookie mistake. I suspect they already have a complete and mature system for skill design."
"Maybe in the end, having more skills won't necessarily be better. Quality might matter more than quantity."
I watched as ProGamer_Daddy looked a bit dizzy trying to follow along. "So, does this mean we don't need to level up?"
"Who said that?" I quickly refuted. "Quality doesn't mean only having one skill. Playing a MOBA at least requires three active skills and one passive skill!"
"The first skill is basically like a beginner's gift, something you can complete in a day. It's normal for progress to slow down after that."
Garble continued where I left off, "But we can't slow down. In fact, we need to level up to Level 5 as quickly as possible. Only then will we have enough time to nurture our skills!"
So... better get started on the quests ASAP!
We found Edgar near the large tree at the gate, preparing to leave the town.
It seemed as though he had anticipated what quest we were going to take. Without saying much, he stuffed eight or nine Thornleaf Blades into our arms, gave a rough estimate of when we should return, and told us to report to Viktor for quest settlement when we came back.
Then, he hurried off.
I watched as ProGamer_Daddy's gaze stayed on his retreating figure until it disappeared into the dense forest.
Edgar had moved so fast, we didn't even have a chance to say anything in response.
"This game's NPCs are really busy. It genuinely feels like everyone's working together to rebuild the city!" ProGamer_Daddy commented.
"That's where the game's dedication shines through," Garble replied calmly. "Even though there aren't many NPCs in the game right now, the sense of immersion and urgency in rebuilding hasn't diminished. This is what makes it work!"
The Thornleaf Blades were very sharp and not exactly light. I watched as Garble dropped the blades to the ground first and called us to pick two each. The rest could be left there for now—after all, it was just the three of us in this game.
No one would take them.
Currently, our stamina wasn't even close to Edgar's, who could effortlessly carry a pile of things everywhere.
Speaking of him, I felt a bit emotional. "If it weren't for the promotional trailer, I wouldn't have noticed how badass Edgar is—especially that sword he always carries!"
Though his sword looked impressive, even just the exposed sheath and hilt spoke to its exquisite design. The first time I saw him, I kept eyeing the sword at his hip. But I didn't think much of it. After all, it's normal for a knight to carry a sword.
But a sword that glowed like a lightsaber and can even create duplicates? That was not normal!
I couldn't help but click my tongue. "Is this the legendary 'hidden noble' trope?"
"More like a wounded buff," Garble said while picking through the Thornleaf Blade. "His name has the 'seriously injured' tag in front of it. Usually, that means his strength is significantly reduced."
ProGamer_Daddy sighed as he weighed the leaves in his hands. "Honestly, both of our faction's NPCs are injured. Someone who didn't know better might think we're running a shelter for the old, weak, and sick!"
I thought about the countdown timer I saw above Viktor's ID earlier and spoke hesitantly. "By the way, did the countdown above Viktor's head drop by several days compared to yesterday?"
ProGamer_Daddy looked up suddenly, startled. "Seriously? It really dropped? When I saw it earlier, I thought I must have remembered it wrong!"
Garble frowned slightly. "Did something happen in the game while we were offline?"
I found this fascinating. "The server keeps running even when players are offline? Damn, the developers must be burning money!"
"Burning money is one thing," ProGamer_Daddy said worriedly, "but what if Viktor ends up dying while we're offline?"
I could tell he was worried about losing our faction leader—a unique NPC. If the program glitched and he somehow killed himself, the game's beta test might end prematurely!
I shook my head. "It's not that bad. As long as he stays still, the countdown should go up."
"At worst, we can coordinate and make sure there's always someone online to keep an eye on him and stop him from doing anything crazy!"
"I'm a gaming blogger, so I have a lot of free time."
"I can help too," Garble quickly added.
ProGamer_Daddy looked at us in shock. "No way! Am I the only one here working an 8h/d job?"
"You work 8 hours a day?" I asked suspiciously. "Your login hours don't match someone working 40h a week at all."
I watched as his guilty eyes darted around.
"Ahem, I've taken some leave these past few days. Plus, I still have unused annual leave, so I decided to use it all!"
As he spoke, he tossed the Thornleaf Blade aside, growing more enthusiastic.
"You've seen how much money this game is burning. No one knows how long it'll last, so of course, I need to play it to the fullest!"
I was momentarily speechless.
Then I remembered the gifts he had sent me as a streamer and understood. It's probably because his job was something his dad forced him to take. His full-time salary might not even be as much as his pocket money for tipping streamers.
No wonder he seemed so carefree.
While chatting idly, we didn't continue heading toward the outskirts of Honeyvale Town. Instead, we focused on cutting down all the nearby timber.
Thanks to the "Build-A-House" event, we didn't have to worry much about the size of the timber. Once the wood was processed into planks for settlement, the experience points wouldn't be any less.
Cutting trees, hauling logs, splitting wood, peeling bark... The whole morning passed just like that.
"Whew!"
I heard ProGamer_Daddy take a deep breath and blow hard at the wood in front of him. Sawdust flew everywhere.
Looking at the row of cylindrical logs with bright orange-yellow cores in front of him, he leaned on the Thornleaf Blade to take a break and muttered to himself. "That should do it, right?"
To be fair, it felt strange to use random plants as tools, but the Thornleaf Blades were really useful!
They perfectly demonstrated what it means to have maxed-out attack power—you can do anything with them.
Not only could they chop trees and fight monsters, but they could also be used as carving tools to process wood. And if they wore out, it didn't even hurt to toss them.
Having finished processing my share of wood, I walked over to inspect his work. I nodded in satisfaction.
"Not bad! Next, we just need to leave them out to dry for a couple of days. Fresh wood can't be used to build houses right away; otherwise, it'll shrink and deform because of the excess moisture. The last game I played said so—it should be roughly the same here."
ProGamer_Daddy wiped the sweat off his forehead and sighed. "Never thought I'd be learning hardcore house-building in a game."
"Feel like your collection of useless knowledge just grew?" I teased.
Not far away, I saw Garble dragging back a pile of logs. They were tied together with vines, which he had modified slightly to roll the logs along the ground. The round logs rolled forward a bit after losing tension, bumping into each other.
He removed the vines that were tying them together. "This is the last batch."
"Alright! Great work!" I looked up at the sun and called out, "Let's all take a break!"
I pulled out three sweetfruits and tossed them to Garble, who caught them deftly. ProGamer_Daddy received a few as well, but he frowned deeply at the sweetfruit in his hands.
"We're eating this again? I feel like I'm going to get cavities!"
"For now, it's the only food we've got. And at 1 magicoin apiece," I said helplessly, taking a bite of my half of the sweetfruit. It crunched, and the taste wasn't too bad.
"If we want to improve our meals, we'll need to go out hunting," I suggested while chewing thoughtfully.
"Or we could see if any traveling merchants happen to pass by."
Garble shook his head in disapproval and replied, "Based on the backstory, this forest is almost deserted by humans. Waiting for a traveling merchant could take forever."
"It was just a suggestion," I shrugged, trying to keep things practical.
"My fireball is basically useless, ProGamer_Daddy is our healer, and you're the only one with any combat ability. But your role is an assassin, and we don't have a tank. So going out hunting will have to wait."
"Huh?" ProGamer_Daddy looked disappointed. "Nooo—!"
I patted him on the shoulder, keeping my tone comforting. "Just hang in there for now."
With a pained expression, he swallowed the rest of the sweetfruit in his hand.
Luckily, the feeling of fullness came quickly; two were enough to fill him up. He took a sip of water to wash away the cloying sweetness in his mouth but still looked unsatisfied in his heart.
"I'll go ask Viktor later. I remember we had meat the first night here."
"Yeah, it was that worm that almost ate us," Garble interjected, a hint of amusement in his voice.
"What?!" ProGamer_Daddy's pupils dilated in shock.
I nodded, remembering the incident clearly. "When I went to exchange for food, that's exactly what Viktor told me."
ProGamer_Daddy's face turned green at the memory of the red-scaled worm towering over him, its mouth full of sharp teeth wide open.
The recollection seemed to hit him particularly hard.
"Nope, I need a moment!"
He clutched his mouth and hurried to the bushes to retch, the sound making me wince slightly.
Watching his miserable state, I let out a mock laugh. "Can't handle it, huh?"
Although my own reaction wasn't much calmer when I first learned about it, that didn't stop me from finding some amusement in someone else's discomfort. After all... eating worms—especially a giant, mutated one—was gross, even if it was just game data.
Garble noticed my gloating and explained, "Worms aren't that bad. NPCs handle them to ensure there aren't any parasites. Plus, because of their mucus, they even have a bit of natural saltiness. They're actually a rare savory ingredient."
My smile froze instantly. "... Thanks, but please stop talking."
If this continued, I might end up throwing up too, despite my usually strong stomach.
At that moment, a terrified and trembling shout came from the distance. "W-w-w-what the hell!"
We instantly looked up, alert and ready for action.
A massive creature the size of a truck was slowly approaching the village gate. Every step it took made the ground tremble beneath our feet, sending shivers up my spine.
The monster's appearance was horrifying—like a rotting zombie fused with countless humanoid flesh tumors, its skin covered in pustules that seemed to pulse with an unnatural life of their own.
My nerves tightened instantly.
Supporting myself with one hand, I scrambled to my feet. "Where did this boss-level monster come from?!"
Compared to this monstrosity, the worm we fought two days ago seemed like a cute chibi mascot!
"Let's move!" Garble grabbed a Thornleaf Blade and crouched, creeping toward the giant tree near the village gate.
I took a deep breath, trying to steady my nerves. "We haven't even left the starter village, and the monsters keep getting crazier!"
I followed his lead, both of us crouching low to avoid detection.
We hid behind the giant tree, the monster's nauseating stench making it seem as though it was right beside us, forcing me to fight back a wave of nausea.
I covered my nose and mouth, trying to filter out the worst of the smell. "What now?"
"With its size, I don't think we can handle it. Should we go find Viktor?" ProGamer_Daddy whispered nervously, his voice shaking slightly.
Garble's expression was serious: "Let's watch for now."
The next second, his pupils widened in shock.
"Wait, it's not a monster—it's Edgar!"
As we looked closer, we noticed a small figure at the base of the gigantic creature, and my heart nearly stopped.
Edgar!
The massive creature wasn't moving on its own; it was being carried by him!
Realizing it was an ally, we came out from behind the tree. However, the creature he was carrying was so enormous that even greeting him felt impossible without getting too close. We could only exchange nods and follow him, maintaining a respectful distance.
Still covering my nose against the overwhelming stench, I asked, "Is this one of the magical beasts from the storyline?"
ProGamer_Daddy nodded grimly. "Even in death, it's still emitting such a strong mental attack—it's definitely a monster!"
He clearly couldn't believe anything that looked like this could possibly belong to a normal ecosystem. I had to agree with him there.
"Are all the monsters here oversized?" Garble muttered with a trace of concern in his eyes.
The last monster, the red-scaled worm, was so bloated it resembled a decade-old tree. This one was even worse—a massive, grotesque creature clearly built to dominate by sheer size alone.
I grimaced. "If every monster is like this, solo players might as well give up trying to leave the starter village. You'd need at least three people to even think about surviving!"
ProGamer_Daddy shuddered in fear. "Do you guys remember? In the intro, weren't we supposed to survive a tide?"
One monster was already like this.
A whole tide of them? That was insane!
"Not quite," a calm voice interjected. It was Viktor, who had appeared beside us at some point.
"This is a Two-Headed Howling Wolf, one of the largest magical beasts on the outskirts of the Great Oak Forest," he explained.
"It's also a wolf king, so it looks even bigger than usual. Ordinary magical beasts aren't as terrifying. Some are even smaller than rabbits."
ProGamer_Daddy jumped in fright, startled by the sudden appearance of the undead being. "Viktor?! When did you get here?"
"You walked near the church," Viktor replied calmly. "Why are you looking at me like that? I'm undead, not a ghost."
"A wolf?" My jaw dropped in disbelief. "This lump of flesh is a wolf?!"
Taking a closer look, I finally spotted two vaguely wolf-like heads among the mass of flesh and pustules. They were located at opposite ends of the body.
The features on the heads were distorted and compressed, making them hard to recognize at first glance. Sharp teeth jutted out from their mouths, dripping with a mixture of saliva and blood that made my skin crawl.
I compared my size to one of the heads and shuddered involuntarily. The head alone was bigger than my entire body!
Garble swallowed nervously beside me. "Does it... have a pack?"