He spun around, bow raised. Standing by the riverbank was the young girl with pigtails. He recognized her from the group he’d passed earlier—she was the one who had been staring at him.

  Seeing his aggressive stance, the girl raised her hands. "My ID is Hazel! I don’t mean any harm. It’s just... I think you’re special, and I was hoping we could party up to grind. I’m a Protection Warrior. I can tank for you."

  Kael studied her, suspicion unabated. "Why do you think I’m special, and how did you find me? This place is hidden; ordinary people wouldn't know the entrance."

  "I finished a hidden quest in the Starter Village and got a rare reward," Hazel explained. "It’s called the [Orb of Scrutiny]. It lets me inspect the gear of players my level or lower."

  Kael nodded slowly. He knew of the orb but was surprised someone had acquired one so early.

  Hazel continued, "I was shocked when I inspected your bow. I realized you aren’t a rookie. You’re the player from the server announcement—the one who got the Legendary equipment."

  Kael had just been wishing for a tank, and now one had conveniently appeared. Still, he didn’t lower his bow. He glanced behind her. "Where are your friends?"

  Hazel scuffed her foot on the ground. "I know your bow is a huge secret, so I didn’t tell them anything. I split up with them and came on my own. I saw you heading toward the river, but then I lost sight of you. I guessed you must have swum through the cave... so I did too." She patted her chest, exhaling sharply. "I almost drowned in there..."

  Hearing she had kept his secret, Kael relaxed slightly. He did need a meat shield. He lowered the Whisperwind.

  "What are your defense and HP? Do you have any skills?"

  "I’m level 4," Hazel said proudly. "I’m running a 1:4 Strength-Constitution split. Here, look."

  A link to her character sheet popped up on his interface. Kael opened it.

  Player: Hazel

  Level: 4

  HP: 649

  MP: 40

  Strength: 18

  Constitution: 32

  Agility: 4

  Intelligence: 4

  Spirit: 4

  Physical Attack: 31

  Physical Defense: 24

  Luck: 1

  Class Passive:

  [Tenacity]: Reduces incoming physical damage by 10%.

  A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

  Active Skill:

  [Shield Bash]: Strikes a target for damage equal to your armor value and generates a large amount of threat.

  Seeing her stats, Kael nodded. With that much health and defense, she could easily tank six or seven of these beasts at once. With her holding aggro, he wouldn't waste more arrows or meat.

  He sent her a party invitation.

  The moment she joined, Hazel pulled two bundles of arrows from her inventory. "I have two small quivers here. Do you need them?"

  Kael’s eyes lit up. He accepted them. With Hazel in the party, he could finally unleash his full damage potential.

  Without another word, he fired an arrow straight into the middle of the herd.

  -273

  Six enraged Gray Bulls and Water Buffalo broke from the pack and charged.

  Hazel stared, jaw slack, stunned by the massive damage number.

  "Don't zone out! Hold aggro!" Kael shouted.

  "Oh—right!" She shook herself and charged forward, bashing the nearest beasts with her shield.

  -5

  -8

  -11

  ...

  Her damage was pitiful, but enough to generate threat on the mobs Kael hadn't hit yet. As Kael’s second arrow dropped the first Gray Bull, he barked another order.

  "Grab the arrows from the corpse for me."

  "Roger that!" Hazel replied, scrambling to obey.

  Working as a team, they earned about 80 EXP per kill. The three bundles of arrows allowed Kael to kill 95 cattle, netting over 7,600 experience points. They also looted more than 190 pieces of Quality-5 beef.

  "Wow, that was so fast! I’m already level 7!" Hazel exclaimed. "My old party members are still stuck at level 5. Right now, the area around the village is crawling with players. It’s impossible to get a clean pull with everyone fighting over mobs."

  Kael offered a small smile. "This spot will be discovered soon enough. When that happens, there won’t be enough mobs here for us either."

  "Oh..." Hazel’s face fell.

  Kael was sorting his inventory, planning his next move, when he looked up to see Hazel staring at him with pleading eyes.

  "I... I saved up 500 dollars for my family’s Christmas presents," she began hesitantly. "Could you... maybe tell me about that hidden quest? I can pay you the 500 dollars as a reward..."

  Kael knew exactly what she was asking. Normally, he would just part ways with a random player. But he recalled his plans for the next zone, and a reliable tank was essential. Trading this quest information for a useful asset seemed like a good deal.

  He made his decision. "You really want to know where I got this weapon, don't you?"

  "Mhm!" Hazel nodded vigorously.

  "I don’t want your money," Kael said. "But for the next month, you have to be on call. When I need you, you show up immediately."

  "Um... okay. I can do that."

  Kael checked the in-game clock. It was 5:00 PM. Time was tight, but sufficient.

  "Alright, here’s the process. First, go back to the village and find the blacksmith, Garrick."

  "The Blacksmith has a quest?" Hazel asked. "I’ve walked past there a bunch of times. He just seems to be baking a cake, and he never has an exclamation mark over his head."

  "Exclamation marks are for normal quests," Kael explained. "Hidden quests don’t advertise. When you talk to him, he’ll ask if you can help him get honey. Do not agree to that. Instead, offer to help him make the cake. The recipe is simple; if you don't know how, just look up a guide online beforehand."

  "Okay, and then...?" Hazel asked, already taking notes.

  "Once the cake is done, Garrick will ask you to deliver it to Mara. When she receives the cake, she’ll offer you a reward. Do not take it. After you refuse, she will give you a letter. Bring that letter back to Garrick to complete the hidden quest. After that, Garrick will give you the final reward—you should get an Epic-tier weapon."

  Hazel reviewed her notes, then looked up, satisfied. "I’ve got it all down. Anything else?"

  Kael pointed to the sun low in the sky and grinned. "You’d better hurry. It’ll be dark in an hour. If you miss it today, you’ll have to wait until next year to do this hidden quest."

  "What!?" Hazel panicked. "I have to go right now!"

  She unequipped her shield and prepared to sprint.

  "Wait," Kael called out.

  "What is it?" she asked, bouncing with anxiety.

  "Can you even make it back to the Starter Village in under an hour?"

  "Oh no! What do I do?" Hazel spun in a frantic circle.

  Seeing the poor girl’s distress, Kael gestured toward the remaining herd of buffalo.

  "Your solution is right over there."

  Hazel looked at the horde of massive beasts, and understanding dawned on her face. She turned back to Kael with a grateful smile, then skipped cheerfully into the middle of the herd.

  A moment later, she was overwhelmed by the stampede. Her body dissolved in a flash of white light as she respawned back in the village.