Varren’s journey through the forest of Yibar lasted roughly another two hours. It’s not like he was covered in the dirt, grime and sweat he would have been in the real world, but the player felt like it. During the trek, he had only encountered another [b]Crowned Goliath[/b], which had rendered an uncommon drop; its horn. It would fetch a good price on the second floor, some merchant or blacksmith would want to use its resources to craft better items. If this was the real world, Yinyues would have to carry a horn half the size of his body, but thanks to the equipment system which most MMORPGs ran off of, it just appeared as a single item in his inventory. He had also poached some ordinary rabbits with his knife-throwing skills, which would hopefully serve as dinner the next day. He was cutting his way through the forest, when he spotted a clearing fifty meters ahead, which must have been his destination. Varren let out a sigh of relief as he jogged into the open space. Within it was a small wooden hut, but there wasn’t a single trace of a player inside of the shack. 

He sighed yet again as his screen found itself focusing on a being, attempting to hide itself behind some shrubs. [i]”Perhaps he’s just foraging whilst waiting for my arrival? He’s probably in a daze for something, I’ll call out to h-”[/i] To his dismay, his second theory was confirmed by a faint humming sound. It was a sword skill activating, perhaps the player was trying to be stealthy, but his plans were thwarted by Varren’s high awareness and perception levels. He grimaced as he readied his sword, moments before the figure bursted out of the shrubbery, lead by a dagger giving off a bright yellow light. Though, Yinyues wasn’t surprised by the skill, but its user. The player was only a mere kid, he estimated that he was roughly twelve or thirteen. It was a miracle the boy was able to survive so long in the death game. He was wearing a green cloak and had shortly trimmed black hair. Varren instantly saw the trajectory of the skill; it was a basic charging ability, but because of its user’s low level, he was unable to change the course of the blade. Yinyues easily sidestepped to the left, the boy was almost past him until he activated a skill of his own.

[b]«Flat Edge»[/b]

Varren’s estoc gave off a cyanic light, letting the skill guide him, he slammed the wider side of his sword into the boy, sending him flying a few meters. The skill was used to taunt monsters, or disable their guard before a [b]switch[/b] was activated. To other players, it simply stunned them and dealt only minor damage. At this point, the boy lay on the ground in a heap of tears and denial. Yinyues’ breath was moderate, as it wasn’t that hard of a task, but he felt a slight sense of guilt. [i]”Damn it Varren. Damn you and your good heart.”[/i] He thought to himself as he initiated a trade request with CoMa. The boy unknowingly accepted it, and received three uncooked rabbits. By the time he glanced up to thank the player, Varren was already gone.

[b]Later - Floor 2: Urbas[/b]

After trading the horn for a few spools of thread, he chose to make his way to a nearby inn. He glanced at his friends list and realized there were a few individuals residing in the same tavern. They were six levels lower than him, and they sometimes asked for Varren to help them out. As he entered the complex, they instantly greeted him, [b]”Oi! Varren, join us for a drink! We’re seeing how much ale FeliX can down before the effects make him pass out!”[/b] He facepalmed and let out a deep sigh, “My god, there are people trying to slee- wait, how many has FeliX downed so far?” He asked, cocking his head in slight interest. Two of the three looked at each other, whilst the third, FeliX, was chugging down a glass. [b]”I’d say… four so far?”[/b] The individual known as Baron answered with a shrug. This made Varren ponder his next move, though he decided upon his next action in a second, “Bartender. May I have a glass of coffee, along with a room?” The notification popped up on his display, he pressed the accept option and received the to room E-12. “Alright, it’s been a long day. Guess I might as well indulge myself in FeliX’s stupidity.” He joked as he sat down and wrapped his hands around the hot beverage, and took a sip of the bitter liquid. A grin of approval formed on his face, [b]”Say, Varren. Why do you wear such… real-world-ish clothing? I mean, we get to put on armor, and be knights! That’s amazing, a dream come true! Yet here you are, wearing an ordinary winter sweater, a scarf and cotton gloves.”[/b]

Varren thought about the query for a while, sipping from the glass, then turned to his friend, “Well, unlike you, I still have ties to the real world. I fight so I can advance. And I advance so I can get free of this game. Though there isn’t much awaiting me on the other side, there’s still the possibility to do new things.” FeliX sneered and leaned towards Varren, the stench of ale pouring from his mouth. [b]”Yeah, there are a lot of thing you can do. Like a wom-”[/b] Yinyues cut off the comment by shoving the man’s drink into his mouth, then heavily patted him on the back, “Just keep drinking, my senior. Just keep drinking.” Varren intended to go up to his room once this whole charade was over, but he monitored his friends, hoping they wouldn’t wake any of those who were residing upstairs.