BXBX NOVEL Chapter 187: Chapter 187 – Getting a Quest!
Station, or so it was called, was the hub where the mercenaries could take quests. An identification card was needed for that, but it was already covered for Max because he was part of the Stronghold Mercenary.
The quests were roughly divided into tracking, collection, and annihilation. The name was self-explanatory, and the collection was where a mercenary needed to collect monster materials or plants to submit to the hub. In short, it was the job Max wanted to avoid the most.
"So that's it! If you have any questions, you can find Jamal in the station! I will always be on the second floor whenever I am not on the quest."
After the explanation was over and the energetic guy, Jamal, introduced himself, the world seemed to stop, and Max's vision turned. When he realized it, the train had stopped, and the horn had been pulled.
Choo choo!
All mercenaries stepped outside, and now he could move his body. At that moment, the game's announcement rang.
[Free roam is possible.]
[Find an NPC with a question mark to continue a main quest.]
"I guess this is the real start of this game. And the menu options seem to be open too."
On the edge of his vision, a hovering screen could be spotted. When he focused on it, a panel appeared in front of him, with his character standing next to various slots filled with a sword, armor, gloves, greaves, and headgear. Two slots for the weapon on the left and the headgear seemed to be empty.
"Is this an equipment slot?" He asked curiously as he fiddled with the menu.
When he clicked the armor, another menu popped up, giving details of what he was wearing.
[Fur Armor – Rarity 1]
[An armor made from a monster's fur and leather, protecting the wearer from a slight cold. Defense +5]
The same screen appeared when he clicked on his sword. However, the status written was slightly different.
[Large Sword – Rarity 1]
[Steel sword created to hunt monsters.]
[Sharpness: 50]
[Durability: 89/100]
Feeling that he needed an explanation, he glanced at the chat.
— That's right. The rarity shows how rare your equipment is.
— When the weapon's durability hits 0, it will break! So be careful
— Certain monsters need weapons with a certain sharpness to cut due to their hard body. Well, you know
— That's right, this game has an equipment slot, unlike Knight's Journey.
There was also reputation under his character, which showed that he only had 10 reputations. This probably affected the quest he could take, he guessed.
Nodding in understanding, Max closed the menu. For the first time in this world, he found a game with this kind of menu. Not even V-Shelter Survival had an equipment slot, only an inventory list because the developer wanted to make it feel real.
So, this was fresh and interesting.
"Let me guess something. I can fix my weapon in a blacksmith or something similar to increase the durability again."
— You're right.
— Oh, right. Breeze is a newbie in the game! I kinda forgot
— That's right.
— You can fix it in the station also, they have a blacksmith.
— Naaah, you need to bash your weapon against the monster's fang to increase its durability
— No, Breeze. You need to destroy it. The durability will reset that way!
Sometimes, asking the chat was the fastest way to gain information about the game when one didn't want to go around and waste time looking for something. However, the information varied. The viewers loved to troll him, so he needed to filter it and find the right information.
"I am not a fool, chat. I won't fall for cheap tricks like using a monster fang or destroying my weapon. Do you want to see me dealing with the monster bare-handed, huh?"
After throwing a sarcasm, which was answered with 'yes' by most of his chat, Max exited the train and stepped into the station. He was instantly mesmerized and realized that the steam train was only a part of the wonder this station had to offer.
To explain it in one word, then it was massive. If an in-depth explanation was needed, then it could be called the hub of steampunk fantasy. Any steampunk and machine lover would surely love this place and didn't want to go home.
A robot made from a combination of steel that walked like an ape seemed to move a large crate of monster carcasses from the back of the train. A machine with the appearance of a tall pillar sorted everything.
Passing in front of him was a steam car, which expelled white clouds from the funnel on the back. Two people were sitting inside that car, with their baggage, such as weapons and armor, behind them.
Looking around, Max saw the blacksmith. A person with a hat was hammering a large greatsword on an anvil.
Just a few meters from the said blacksmith, a chef was cooking monster meat. The smell came toward his direction and tickled his nostril.
"It smells so good!" Max exclaimed.
— Heh, it also tastes heavenly
— It might come from a monster, but the taste is also a monster!
— it makes no sense. But the meat is so soft for something that came from a big body
— Big meat… I love it… Gimme more
— I think the one above me means other meats, but that must be my imagination
— No lewd, guys. Breeze hates something lewd in chat
— Some meals also increase your strength, just like viag– I can't say anything more than that.
Reading the chat, Max was tempted to try the meal. But that plan needed to be postponed when he saw the price written on the sign hung above.
"The cheapest is 150 Gills… I am too poor to even buy a meal."
His shoulders slumped in disappointment. Slowly, he moved his feet toward the large board near the station's entrance. Just a little glance and one could see the board extended to the ceiling, which was pretty tall considering a 5-meter-tall robot could walk around.
Stopping in front of it, he looked up and saw many quests posted. Among them, only 5 quests had white colors. Those were the quests he could take among the hundreds on the board.
'It's too little.'
Written on those quests were 'Reputation needed: 10'. Just as he had guessed, he needed a reputation to take quests.
Three of them were collections, and one of them was tracking. Max wasn't used to the game yet, so the latter was impossible.
So, there was only one quest he could take.
[Quest #178 – Hunt Raxor in Rabi Village]
[Reward: 500 Gills, Raxor's material, Reputation]
This quest seemed to be good enough. Not only did it had the highest monetary reward, but it was also an annihilation quest.
Max tore the paper from the board with a grin. While he didn't know what kind of monster Raxor was, there was surely a hint on how it looked when he arrived at his destination, Rabi Village.
"Let's take this one. I can't let the villagers be in danger any longer."
— This guy acts just, but I bet he only wants the money
— Ah, it's been a long time since we saw capitalism
— MONEY! GIVE ME MONEY! – Breeze, probably
— kekw. Greedy Breeze is back