Chapter 7

【Hunting Grounds and Players】

Nord World was also a term used to refer to the entire Nord Kingdom. 'Midgard' was the capital of the kingdom and the most active metropolis in the game, serving as the starting city for players.

As a result, the surrounding areas naturally had to be low-level hunting grounds. Players could move directly through the field, but generally, it was more convenient to use the central gate for instant travel.

"Wow, can we really pass through this?"

"Don't worry. It's just a simple teleportation gate like in a game. I've experimented with it dozens of times, so don't be scared."

Lidian was staring at the mirror shimmering with blue mist, feeling a sudden fear. With a sigh from Hern, someone naturally leaned into the mirror. A low hum sounded, and the person's body disappeared completely.

A system window floated above the mirror called the "gate." Lidian, who had been looking at it with distrust, took a deep breath, closed her eyes tightly, and charged forward.

She felt nothing but a tickling breeze all over her body. When she opened her eyes in surprise, the city she had been in moments ago was gone, replaced by a completely green forest entrance.

"Wow..."

"See? It's nothing to worry about. When you go to the village, you just need to cross the mirror too."

Hern, who had just passed through the gate, smiled. Lidian, nodding, quickly scanned the surroundings. The waiting area for the hunting ground was recreated just as it was in the game.

A central open space spread out, with an NPC that looked like a doll setting up a stall. System windows indicating level restrictions were clearly visible at the ends of the paths leading in all four directions.

"There are so many people."

Lidian was right. The waiting area was more crowded than expected. Players of all classes were out of curiosity, trying to adapt to the new world.

Thinking back to the game, it was an absurd sight. Not only were people walking around in the low-level zone, which was usually deserted, but most of them were mid-level players or higher. Lidian couldn't help but laugh.

Probably everyone was thinking the same thing. It's scary, so they must have gathered in this place where the level is significantly lower according to the system.

"It's been three weeks already. Most people have somewhat regained their composure, and staying idle won't solve anything. Plus, to survive here, we need gold. We need to learn how to fight. Some quick learners are already flying around. It seems the better athletes move better."

Hern pointed at the players. The faces of players with particularly good physiques and muscles were shining with confidence.

"Also, getting hit by low-level monsters isn't as painful as you might think. As mentioned earlier, the higher your defense, the lower the pain value. However, many people still dislike the pain..."

"Really? That's a relief. If people get used to combat, hunting ground issues will arise later."

"That's true, but in the current situation, that's not a problem to worry about. And if such issues arise, the top players will mediate, I think."

"Maybe. Who knows? They might even take over... Oh, but are you planning to rush in blindly?"

"Huh? No way. I'm an archer, so I can't tank. I'm not confident enough. Even if our guild leader is a high-level healer, I don't think I can handle it. We should find a suitable tank and form a party."

Lidian nodded and carefully examined the status windows of the people in the waiting area. Meanwhile, Hern opened the system window and browsed the party list.

You're so smart. Lidian muttered to herself, scratching her cheek in embarrassment. She thought she had gotten used to it, but the system window always seemed to have new, surprising features, making her feel like an old person.

"Hey."

Player Information

Name: Uraegui / Guild: Starlight

Level: 67 / Class: Guardian / Sub-Class: None

HP: 6550 / MP: 550

The one who approached shyly was a large man, a Guardian.

Hern's expression brightened at the appearance of the tank he was looking for.

"By any chance, do you need a tank?"

"Oh, we just happen to need one. But it's our first time in the field, and I'm only level 43, so is that okay? The C area is mostly empty, so we'll go there. If anything happens, we'll use a return scroll."

"Sure. I just want to get used to taking hits... and since we have a high-level healer, I don't think we'll die..."

Uraegui scratched the back of his head, not matching his large build, and smiled innocently.

Lidian seemed to like him. She was a bit burdened by the responsibility of being a healer, but not too much.

Hern, who was cheering, quickly formed a party.

A system window appeared with a notification sound. Due to the party, red and blue HP and MP bars floated above their heads.

Ah, so we can cast spells while looking at those? Lidian quickly understood and manipulated the system window to take out her weapon from the inventory. The weapon for the Saint class was a small scythe about the length of her forearm.

Lidian's 'Prayer of the Priest—Faith' was a relatively simple unique-grade weapon with a low acquisition difficulty. It was a mass-produced item, but its spell support performance was good, making it a favorite among newly high-level Saints.

Hern also equipped her dedicated weapon, a bow, and Uraegui took out his shield.

"Shall we go, then?"

Hern smiled bravely and nodded. Lidian and Uraegui, a bit tense, followed her.

The boss monster, Pukin, was a large, white bird that looked fierce but was mocked as a pigeon by players in the game. A two-person party could relatively easily handle it, making it a non-threatening monster.

At least, in the game.

"The boss has probably already been killed. It appears every five hours, and it seems to have been taken care of quickly."

"Probably by the top players from combat guilds. I heard that some high-level players are forming parties with beginners and helping them kill the boss, teaching them combat techniques. They announced it in the guild castle, so if you're interested, you can check it out in the village later."

Uraegui answered, recalling the information. Lidian, who already knew this, smiled with interest. It was surprising to see the top players, who used to be so competitive and hostile, now being so kind.

Most of them were old-timers, and they had little patience for beginners. Helping new players was something only a few, like Lidian, did. Thus, this symbiotic situation was quite novel.

"Did they clear the regular monsters while killing the boss? It's so empty."

"Well, it's better than the constant noise."

As Hern answered with a frown, the grass on the opposite side rustled.

The view and sounds were real, and the animal's growl was chillingly realistic, freezing everyone in place.

Soon, the lowest-level monster, 'Pukin's Chick,' appeared from the grass.

Lidian, facing the ostrich-like monster, broke out in a cold sweat.

In the game, it was just a cute, flying graphic. But seeing the thoroughly realistic monster made her legs tremble. Moreover, if the chick is ostrich-sized, how big is the adult?

Hern and Uraegui had the same thought.

"Wow, its eyes look like they're out of focus. It's drooling. It looks like a blackened version of the ostriches I saw at the farm."

"I'll try to block it."

Uraegui, swallowing hard, stood in front of the monster with a tense face. The low-level monster didn't attack first, just staring at Lidian's group.

Uraegui approached with a determined face and hit the monster's head with his shield, making a 'thud' sound. The overly cautious aggro attempt made Hern and Lidian a bit confused.

Before they could comment, the previously calm monster let out a scream and flapped its wings. Uraegui's scream echoed, and Lidian recalled a video of an ostrich's rampage she had seen on XTube.

Unable to fly, it kicked and pecked with all its might, just like a real ostrich.

Uraegui's HP barely decreased. However, the pecks seemed to hurt quite a bit, as he cried out in pain. Lidian laughed helplessly.

'Is a level 20 monster too low-level?'

Still, she couldn't just stand there and started casting spells in case of any unexpected situations.

"God's Protection, Sacred Grace... Light of Protection."

These three spells were the most commonly used area buffs.

God's Protection increased the target's defense, Sacred Grace increased the maximum HP, and Light of Protection created a shield that blocked a certain amount of damage.

Uraegui, who had been taking hits for a while, seemed surprised when the monster's attacks became less threatening and his body glowed green from Lidian's buffs.

The spells of the Saint class, which were primarily healers, mostly involved HP recovery, defense increase, damage reduction, and stat and movement speed boosts. They were the ideal partners for tanks.

Meanwhile, Hern calmly drew her bow without any signs of panic.

The Archer class, which was a dealer, was known for its critical hits and strong attacks. Her hit rate was somewhat adjusted due to her class, so all Hern had to do was follow her Archer's passive skill, 'Hunter's Eye,' and draw the bow.

In Nord World, the attacks of physical classes were called 'skills,' which was a unique feature of the game. Conversely, the buffs and attacks of magic classes like Lidian, bards, elemental summoners, and mages were called 'spells.'

'Please, hit it in one shot!'

Hern, praying, aimed at the red dot on the chick's head and drew the bow. She planned to start with a basic attack.

The arrow flew and accurately pierced the monster's head. The sudden arrow through the head made Uraegui jump in surprise.

It wasn't clear if it was a critical hit or if the attack was strong enough to kill it in one shot, but the monster fell with an exclamation mark above its head and disintegrated into black dust.

"Wow, it's just like a game. The experience and items seem to be automatically distributed. A system message appeared!"

Hern looked at the ground, which showed no trace of the monster, and muttered in amazement.

"It's a bit anticlimactic because it's a low-level area. But once we get used to it, we can regularly hunt here. Well, if there were no death penalties, we could just rush in..."

"True. We don't know what will happen in the future. Since the only way to earn gold is through hunting, how about we slowly challenge higher levels if Mr. Uraegui is okay with it?"

Uraegui, who had been staring at them, finally noticed their guild names, which he hadn't seen due to his tension. They seemed familiar, and he scratched his cheek enviously.

He was a member of a large social guild, but with many factions and political battles, he lacked the confidence to join in. He could only watch from a distance.

Seeing them go out to hunt together made him envious...

"Mr. Uraegui, if you don't have any plans, how about you move with us for a while?"

Uraegui, who had been standing there blankly, was startled by Lidian's offer.

After a three-second silence, his face turned bright red as he understood her words, feeling as if his inner thoughts had been exposed.

"Ah... Really, is that okay...?"

To his shy question, Lidian smiled.

"We're only two, and having a high-level Guardian like Mr. Uraegui would be reassuring."

Thus, a three-person fixed party was formed.

Lidian and the two others circled the area a few more times. After dealing with all the monsters except the boss and determining that they weren't a significant threat, they decided to gradually increase the difficulty.

Leaving 'Pukin's Nest,' they moved to the 'Elsia Hills,' a level 30 hunting ground, where the battle was not bad.

The monsters' levels were appropriate, and Lidian used the full recovery spell 'Hand of the Goddess' to take on her role as a healer.

However, it still felt a bit easy. So, they moved to the 'Border Forest,' a level 40 hunting ground, but...

Despite the familiar patterns from the game, the party struggled to adapt.

"Ah, ah! This skill isn't working!"