Chapter 4
THE NEXT DAY, I went to the Comprehensive Guild’s main building to accept my first adventurers’s quest. The bulletin board inside displayed a wide variety of E-rank quests available, including collecting herbs and minerals, eliminating magical beasts attracted by the labyrinth’s magic, and various escort missions for merchants—both within the Fortress City of Balga and to other cities or villages. I needed to choose carefully, as I had to earn two years’ worth of taxes in the next three months. But first, I needed to start earning my living expenses. What funds I had were nearly wiped out after yesterday’s spree.
Upon reviewing the reward amounts and completion conditions, I found that the gathering quests posed the least amount of direct danger and wouldn’t require ammunition consumption. Since I had no means to increase my Crystal Points yet, earning money without reducing my Crystal Points was preferable. The only catch was that the required amount of collected stuff suggested that I would need a tool bag. The reward amount was based on how much I gathered, and the amount I could gather with a handheld bag wouldn’t earn much.
I was then drawn to elimination quests. They offered higher rewards and required less of a time commitment. I chose the glass wolf elimination quest, which involved the black wolves that attacked me when I arrived in Balga. The location was near the eastern labyrinth, and the proof of elimination was their fangs. I would need to provide at least five of them, but I could earn additional rewards for more. The completion reward was ten silver coins, plus one silver coin for each additional fang, and fifteen guild points.
Once I decided this was the quest for me, I went to the reception with the quest form and my guild card to complete the acceptance process. The mature receptionist processed the request efficiently and sent me off with best wishes. Leaving the guild, I headed to the carriage station to catch a patrol carriage. Carriages departed from Balga early in the morning until early afternoon, to areas near various labyrinths. Since my map of Balga was still incomplete, and I didn’t know the location of the eastern labyrinth, I decided to use my remaining funds for cab fare.
The patrol carriage was a large and very bumpy covered wagon. After about an hour, it stopped on the road outside of the forest containing the eastern labyrinth.
“This is as far east as we go,” the driver informed me.
“Thank you. The labyrinth is in that forest?” I asked.
“Yep, the Wolf Fang Labyrinth is right in there. You can reach it by following the path.”
I paid the driver with my last Orl. I set out toward the eastern forest to begin my journey.
While following the path that led into the forest, I activated the TSS. I selected the MP5A4 as my primary weapon, along with three spare magazines. This summoned a supply box. I could have done this back in my room, but I didn’t want the gun’s silhouette to attract unwanted attention. It would be safer to summon the weapons at the last possible moment in order to avoid unnecessary scrutiny or discussion.
“The adventurers in town wore coats that concealed their weapons. I should do the same,” I muttered to myself while switching the gun’s safety to three-round burst. I entered the forest and continued up the path towards the labyrinth.
I searched for glass wolves for about thirty minutes before the sound sensor picked up their familiar trot. It was them, all right—two, to be exact. Although they weren’t visible on the map yet, I could definitely hear them.
In FPS games, distinguishing various enemies’ sounds from natural environmental sounds was an essential system-external technique. Mastering it helped you progress from beginner to advanced levels. Recognizing moving footsteps, voices, the small metallic sounds from someone reloading, and instantly judging direction, distance, and movement speed all created the advantageous situations that made FPS games so thrilling.
Just as I relied on listening for the wolves’ sounds, they relied on their sense of smell. They were likely on high alert and cautiously surveying their surroundings. While I minimized my noise, I also needed to be mindful of the wind direction. This was my first hunt, and I couldn’t gauge how much of my scent would travel and be detected. For now, I focused on taking the rear.
The wolves weren’t running, but walking, and I decided to circle around and launch a surprise attack. Two points indicating the wolves appeared on the map. The VMB’s map displayed points within a maximum range of one hundred and sixty yards, but the sound sensor could pick up sounds from distances of three hundred to five hundred yards. This range was determined by independent player investigations, as the official distance was never disclosed. In FPS games, easily identifying enemy locations could undermine the game’s competitive nature, so the map display range was balanced at this distance.
There they were. Two black, dog-like creatures five feet long. They were exactly like the beasts I defeated a few days ago—glass wolves. I knelt about three hundred feet away, aimed the MP5A4 at the nearest one, and pulled the trigger.
The three bullets fired and struck the first glass wolf near its hind leg, making it collapse.
I confirmed the hit and aimed at the second wolf. He had been startled by the gunfire and his fallen companion, taking a slight step back to scan its surroundings.
Our eyes met. I didn’t want to risk damaging the proof of elimination with a headshot, so I aimed lower at the base of the neck. I pulled the trigger.
Did I get it?
He fell backwards from the bullets’ impact. I maintained my shooting stance while approaching the motionless glass wolves. They no longer appeared as points in my goggles.
I kept an eye on the map and an ear out for surrounding sounds. Gunfire was quite loud, and it could open you up to an attack by other beasts if you let your guard down.
After confirming the two glass wolves defeats, I extracted their fangs for the proof of elimination.
Is it okay to take the largest, most noticeable fang? How should I extract it? Do I pull it?
Grasping the largest fang of the glass wolf lying with its mouth open, I pulled it out with little resistance. I placed it in my waist-bag. I did the same with the other wolf, successfully collecting two fangs.
“So far, so good.”
I continued hunting for the next three hours. I didn’t even stop for lunch, thanks to my ability to occasional chew on some jerky. The time displayed on my goggles indicated it was nearing 3 p.m. I wasn’t sure of the carriage’s return schedule, so I decided to walk back to the city before sunset. I had hunted and ambushed six wolves, successfully taking them down with preemptive strikes.