Chapter 3

【Newborn Ranger】: Your Ranger Badge effect is increased by 1%.

This was the effect of the title, which for Marvin, could only be described as better than nothing. After all, when he first became a Thief, he completed his initiation task perfectly and earned the title of 【Genius Criminal】.

【Genius Criminal】: All your Thief primary skills +10.

This terrifying title, along with the agility trait 【Wall Walker】, made Marvin different from other Thieves in the early stages of his career, allowing him to progress smoothly. The lack of offensive power in the early stages of a Thief was also somewhat compensated for.

It's important to know that in the game "Fenar Continent," Thieves are very lacking in killing power in the early stages. They are more often defined as explorers in an adventure party, experts in disarming traps in dungeons, masters at opening treasure chests, and sneaky attackers in melee combat. If it weren't for the advanced class of Thief, the Assassin, having a terrifying burst of damage, many players who love Thieves might have given up long ago.

Except for a few exceptional cases like Marvin, most Thieves in the early stages can only serve as experience fodder in a team. Occasionally opening a treasure chest or disarming a trap doesn't provide much help. Many other classes can replace the role of a Thief in the early stages, such as Rangers and Druids.

This is precisely why, in this life, Marvin gritted his teeth and gave up his beloved Thief class. While the Thief's stealing and lock-picking abilities could earn him some money, his immediate priority was to enhance his combat power, especially in direct combat. In this regard, the Ranger, known as the "all-rounder," was indeed more suitable.

Moreover, one of the development paths of the Ranger is very similar to that of the Thief, eventually leading to the advanced class of 【Master of the Night】.

Each person can only wear one title at a time. With no other choice, Marvin naturally chose to wear the title of Newborn Ranger.

...

After submitting the "recommendation letter" to the Ranger Guild, Marvin also received a Junior Ranger Badge. Generally, Junior Rangers have three badges to choose from: the Wolf Badge, the Eagle Badge, and the Deer Badge. Each badge has different effects:

【Wolf Badge】: Tame Beast +5

【Eagle Badge】: Long-Distance Vision +3

【Deer Badge】: Hide +9

The effects of the three badges directly enhance the Ranger's primary skills. With his extensive experience, Marvin quickly made his decision.

The Ranger's 【Hide】 skill is very powerful. In the wild, if you have over 100 points in Hide, it is almost equivalent to the effect of a 2nd-level Assassin's 【Greater Stealth】. While Tame Beast and Long-Distance Vision are also very practical skills, they are not as important as Hide.

For a Ranger, Hide is as important as Stealth is for a Thief.

At the same time, after successfully becoming a Ranger, his health points increased by 11, and he gained one free attribute point and 96 initial primary skill points. His class bar also changed to:

【Adventure Class: Level 1 Ranger (0/50)】

Without hesitation, he invested the precious free attribute point into Agility. The most important attributes for a Ranger are Agility and Intelligence. The former gives them nimble movements, while the latter grants them the ability to cast spells. For Marvin's path, Agility is more important than Intelligence.

Free attribute points are very valuable. Besides the one provided at the start of the class, you only gain one free attribute point for every two levels you advance.

The 96 primary skill points were quickly spent, and soon his primary skills included:

Hide 41 (+9), Stealth 20, Recon 35

Rangers can use weapons like knives and bows, which is one of the hidden abilities of this class.

Thus, Marvin's character attributes became:

Name: Marvin

Race: Human/?

Attributes: Strength 11, Agility 17, Constitution 9, Intelligence 14, Perception 14, Charisma 13 (+1)

Class: Noble 3 (150/200)

Adventure Class: Level 1 Ranger (0/50)

Title: Newborn Ranger

Health Points: 37/37

Experience Points: 40 (Noble) [Unallocated]

Skill Points: 0

Attribute Points: 0

Class Skills

— Noble (Baron): Dignity 25, Management 31, Observation 16, Negotiation 19, Accounting 28, Horsemanship 30

— Ranger: Hide 41 (+9), Stealth 20, Recon 35

Equipment

— Deer Badge

...

"Finally, I have a combat class." After leaving the Ranger Guild, Marvin excitedly felt the active power in his body.

He felt energized. The success of forging the "recommendation letter" gave him a glimmer of hope, showing that his experience was still very helpful. After all, among all the classes, only the Ranger class is initiated through a recommendation letter from a High Ranger. Other classes have no room for cheating. Marvin observed the actions of the homeless man to determine that he was once a High Ranger, and then used golden rum to manipulate him. This series of actions was not his own creation but the real-life experience of a Ranger friend from his previous life.

That guy was a legendary figure. When ordinary players were still struggling with 2nd-level class advancement tasks, he had already boldly challenged the 3rd-level class of 【Forest Guardian】. It was from him that Marvin learned about the loophole in the Ranger class. Recommendation letters can be forged, as long as you get a High Ranger's badge.

The Ranger Guild only recognizes the recommendation letter, not the person, which gave Marvin the opportunity to take a shortcut.

The success of becoming a Ranger also meant that his experience could be put to good use. Although he was not familiar with Riverbank City, a quick search in his memory revealed several ways to make money and quickly enhance his strength—of course, if it were his original birthplace, the more northeastern 【Gem Bay】, he would be even more at ease.

He still had 30 silver coins in his pocket. After buying a plain curved sword from a blacksmith in the commercial district, his remaining wealth was spent.

The plain curved sword had poor attributes, providing only 2-5 attack power. It was barely sufficient for self-defense, but killing monsters would be quite challenging.

Now, Marvin urgently needed to enhance his strength, and of course, his wealth. He hadn't forgotten his mission. Sister Anna was waiting for him at the Wild Horse Inn. This half-elf lady, who was nominally his housekeeper, had accompanied him from childhood and was a very important person in his heart.

A person worth protecting with his life.

When they entered Riverbank City, after Marvin lost his income, it was Anna who went to work for that mean uncle every day to earn a meager salary. Without Anna, Marvin would have been robbed and killed by the thugs long ago.

In a sense, Anna had always been taking care of Marvin.

Now, it was time for a change.

Taking advantage of the city gates not being closed, Marvin fastened the curved sword to his waist and quickly left the city.

...

The wilderness of Fenar Continent is a very dangerous place. Apart from the main roads between city-states, any area can be home to deadly monsters—technically, even the main roads, which are regularly cleared by the authorities, can still have terrifying man-eating creatures. For Marvin, a mere Level 1 Ranger, encountering a troll or even a group of goblins would be a serious challenge.

However, near large cities, it is relatively safer due to the daily patrols by guards.

Besides, Marvin wasn't leaving the city to kill monsters and level up; he was going to make money.

Outside Riverbank City, there is a large river called the Pine River. Forty miles downstream, the Pine River takes a turn, forming a branch called the White River. Marvin's territory, White River Valley, is located in the White River basin.

The Pine River stretches for thousands of miles and becomes very calm and wide at Riverbank City, forming vast riverbanks.

The yellow soil from the upstream Gordon Plateau is washed down, forming silt, making the land here very fertile.

Occasionally, a small crab called the Blue Fire Crab appears on the Pine River riverbank. Blue Fire Crabs are a delicacy, and for wizards, the crab roe of this creature can enhance mental power to a certain extent. Therefore, the price of these crabs in the Riverbank City market has always been very high. If Marvin's memory serves him right, a single Blue Fire Crab can cost over 20 silver coins.

So, he left the city in the middle of the night to catch crabs.

Of course, the high value of Blue Fire Crabs means that there are always people catching crabs on the Pine River riverbank, but their methods are very inefficient. They can only wait for the crabs to appear or search blindly. Even after a whole day, they might not find a single Blue Fire Crab. These creatures are so small that they are easily overlooked, especially at night.

Therefore, the Pine River riverbank at night is still sparsely populated.

This suited Marvin's plans. He knew a technique for catching Blue Fire Crabs that must be done at night.

It was best if no one disturbed him.

He quickly arrived at his destination.

But at that moment, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him!

"Someone is following me?"

Marvin's heart sank. He had committed such a major mistake!

He was no longer the all-powerful Master of the Night. His Perception was only a pitiful 14, slightly better than an ordinary person, just enough to be sharp-eyed and keen-eared.

His successful initiation as a Ranger had made him a bit complacent, and he had failed to notice if anyone was hiding behind him!

A figure appeared quietly. He was not tall, holding a dagger, and looking at Marvin mockingly.

This was a Thief!

【Recon (35) skill activated...】

【Checking relevant conditions...】

【Recon successful!】

Marvin immediately saw the basic information of the Thief:

Level 5 Commoner / Level 3 Thief, Health Points 42.

"Sir, it's not a good habit to leave the city alone," the Thief laughed. "Though you have a knife, do you really think it can protect you?"

"Being killed by our Akron Gang is an honor for a useless noble."

At that moment, several more shadows approached from the nearby road.

Marvin gritted his teeth: "Damn, they have backup!?"

"Akron Gang? I have no grudges with these people, why do they want to kill me?"

But now was clearly not the time to think. He suddenly sprinted without warning, heading for the small forest by the riverbank!

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