Eternal Dream

When Alisa arrived back in Ashenburgh, the sun was already setting, and the merchants started the close their shops. She still wanted to turn in her quests that day, so she started to rush down the street towards the leather workshop.

Inside the store, Zandos was attending the last customer of the day, so she waited patiently for them to finish.

"Back so soon already?" said Zandos after his customer left. "I expected it might take you a while, for the wolves are quite dangerous, I hear. Oh, I hope my words have not offended you."

"It's fine," she said. "They can be a hand full if you aren't prepared or on your own, but I have my own ways. Only their alpha was quite problematic."

"Alpha, you say?" he asked astounded. "Gods, you are lucky to have made it back alive. Alpha gray wolves are incredibly rare but just as deadly. Of course, their value also exceeds that of their average brethren…"

"Well, don't get too greedy on me," she said. "You are right, I was indeed lucky to have made it back alive, and for the time being, I don't intend to face them again."

"Of course, of course, I was just dreaming for a little bit. Please excuse my poor behavior!"

"Anyway, I have the furs you requested. Take a look," said Alisa and placed all the hides she received on the ground.

"So many!" he said and inspected them. "And they are all top quality. Great! Here is your reward, as promised."

[Daily Quest: Furs and Hides has been completed.]

[You have received +2800 EXP.]

[You have received 1 silver coin and 40 copper coins.]

A completed quest would always bring a smile to Alisa's face. This was also the first time she had earned money in this new world.

"As for the rest of the furs…I am sorry, but we can only purchase twenty per day. You would have to come back tomorrow."

"Oh, I see. Are there any other places that would purchase furs?"

"I fear not. We are the only ones who are well versed in producing leather products."

Maybe asking them about their competition might have been a bad idea. Furthermore, it wouldn't be surprising if this would truly be the only leather workshop in this kind of town.

Alisa said goodbye and went to the butcher's shop. By the time she arrived, it was already dark and the store's sign showed that it was already closed.

"Damn it!" murmured Alisa and tried opening the door. Seeing that the door wasn't locked yet, she made sure to knock loudly as she went in before yelling, "Hello? Henmar?"

"We're closed!" yelled Henmar as he went into the store from one of the back rooms. "Hmm? Oh, it's you. Back already, eh?"

"Yes, I have your order ready."

"Not bad!" he said. "Seems like you are cut out to be a hunter, eh? Come with me then."

Back in the butchering room, Alisa placed down all the meat.

"Seems like everything is here. Hmm, top quality once again. Great work, great work! Here, take your payment."

[Quest: Meat of Twenty Boars has been completed.]

[You have received +2000 EXP.]

[You have received 1 silver coin.]

[You have unlocked Henmar's daily quests.]

"Thank you!" said Alisa.

"You earned it," said Henmar. "If you have any more boar meat, I am willing to buy twenty each day."

"Only twenty?"

"I have no need for more, but I am sure the other butchers would also be interested in trading with you. With the quality of meat you provide, it won't be a problem."

"I see. I'll do that then. Right, are you perhaps also interested in other animals?"

"Sure," he said and took out a pamphlet. "Here is every type of meat I am willing to buy. Take a look."

The pamphlet depicted all the daily quests available at Henmar's. The amount she needed to provide, the amount of cash and experience she would gain, it was all written down in the pamphlet. To her luck, the gray wolf was also among them.

"Ah, are you willing to buy the meat of gray wolves?" she asked. "I have some here."

Once again, she took out the meat of twenty wolves and Henmar inspected it.

"To think you could hunt crimson-fanged boars and gray wolves in one day," said Henmar surprised. "You must be stronger than you look, har har."

Alisa just smiled slightly. It was normal for them to think lightly of her. From the information she gathered so far, the average level of this town was 10, and she just caught up to them today. And from her looks, she didn't seem like a powerful individual. Alisa didn't mind. Being underestimated had its benefits.

"Top quality once again. You have proved that your work is to be trusted, and I am sure we will have a great partnership in the future, har har," said Henmar and paid her for the wolves meat.

[Daily Quest: Meat of Twenty Wolves has been completed.]

[You have received +2800 EXP.]

[You have received + 1 silver and 40 copper coins.]

As the levels of the monsters increased, so did the rewards she got for completing their quests. These three daily quests alone brought her already over half of the experience she needed for the next level. It was definitely a worthy endeavor, and she had enough loot to complete the quests another two times.

Alisa said her farewells and went back to the inn. As she was lying on her bed, she felt oddly tired. If she was truly a character in a game, she shouldn't get exhausted no matter how much she worked or moved around, but she did. It was difficult for her to understand how all of this worked. But that could wait for now, as sleep overcame her.

In the following days, she spent most of her time hunting monsters in the Blackwood Forest and completing the daily quests available in the town. Many people were asking for all kinds of materials: herbs, roots, bones and teeth, odd flowers and other plants for alchemy; fruits, nuts, honey, and the likes for the several restaurants; meat for the butchers; and furs and hides for the leather workshop. There was plenty to loot, gather and analyze. All of it brought her plenty of experience, and she managed to reach level 20.

She expected to level faster, but the necessary experience she needed for each level after level 10 increased tremendously. It was completely unreasonable. It was like the first ten levels were just part of a tutorial and the real grind started afterward. She couldn't even imagine how many experience points she would need for the last couple of levels. Just thinking about it gave her a headache.

But she wasn't grinding away all the time. Sometimes she would just wander the streets of Ashenburgh and watch the people doing their work and enjoying themselves. Sometimes she would simply observe the behavior of the monsters in the woods. If one took the time to study one's surroundings instead of slaughtering everything left and right, one would see how vivid the lifeforms in this world were. It was like they were truly alive and not just some written code, designed to imitate the behavior of real animals. And at other times she would just lie around and think about her life and her future. She missed her former life: her comfortable bed, her little hamster JoJo, and of course, her loving parents. She missed them dearly.

It was easy to be caught up in the negativity of your thoughts and emotions, and if you don't keep them at bay, they would drown you. At least she had her daily fights to keep her distracted. She took a look at her profile.

[Name: Alisa Adderley] [Title: None]

[Race: Half-Elf]

[Class: Wizard]

[Jobs: Herbalist (level 15), Cook (level 5)]

[Level: 20] [EXP: 100%]

[HP: 1070] [MP: 750]

[Strength: 10] [Stamina: 12] [Dexterity: 16]

[Intelligence: 84 (+1)] [Wisdom: 46 (+1)] [Haste: 10]

[Charisma: 12] [Luck: 12 (+6)]

Today would be also a successful day for her if it weren't for one little problem: she completed her quests and should have already reached level 21, but for some reason, her experience bar stopped at 100 percent. Even if she gained more experience points, she wouldn't level up. Not knowing what to do, she decided to consult with Rowen.

The Old Wizard Shop was the same as always when Alisa came in. Rowen was sitting at the counter, scribbling in a book of his. He didn't even notice her arrival.

"Rowen, I need your help!" said Alisa, but it was like he was deaf. "Rowen!"

As she walked over. Inky appeared once again out of nowhere and landed on her shoulder. He gently rubbed his tiny head against her cheek which made her chuckle. and she c.a.r.e.s.sed his soft feathers in return. Satisfied by her petting, Inky chirped in delight and flew on Rowen's head to give him a peck.

"What are you pecking me for?" he exclaimed and rubbed his head.

"Chirp! Chirp!"

"Oh, it's our little friend again, I see," he said as he looked up. "Forgive me for not noticing your arrival earlier. I was entranced in my work, you see."

"No offense taken. But will you be alright like this? What if an enemy approached you instead?"

"Enemy? Hoho, we have no enemies. But even so, I would notice those with ill regard. You don't have to fear for my safety, hoho."

"If you say so," she said. "Anyway, I need your help, Rowen!"

"Surely, I am always glad to be of help. What is the problem, lass?"

"I have already reached level 20, but I cannot advance no matter what I do!"

"Ah, to think you have already grown so strong in such a short period. You are brilliant indeed. As for your current dilemma…it is of no surprise. You see, level 20 is a bottleneck. It has been for as long as we can remember. Everyone who wishes to reach a higher realm needs the proper knowledge to do so. But I fear, there is no such knowledge in Ashenburgh. For that, you would have to join a school or guild."

"Is there no other way?" asked Alisa.

"No. The methods to reach the higher realms of magic are all well protected by the diverse factions of this world. Everything has a price!"

"I see…"

"No need to feel down. Joining a faction might be good for you. Meeting all kinds of people, going together on adventures, doesn't it sound fun? At least it won't be lonely, that I can promise, hoho."

"Then, can I leave again once I join a faction?"

"You can, but as I said before: everything has a price!"

"What kind of price?"

"It depends. Some would make you give up all the magic they have taught you, and others would just try to kill you. But the latter belong to the chaos factions. Not a bunch to mess around with! You are still young, so take your time to decide."

"What about you? Have you left your faction?"

"Me? No. I am already old, so I returned to my hometown to die," said Rowen as he lit up his smoking pipe.

"You are going to die?"

"Of course, we all shall die someday. I can feel that I don't have much time left on this earth, so I decided to spend the rest of my life in the place I was born and grew up," he took a puff and looked at Alisa's saddened face. "No need to grieve for me, lass. I have lived a long and fulfilling life. Every story needs to come to an end someday."

"It's just…weird to know that you won't be here for much longer."

Normally you wouldn't even think about a person close to you dying. How did her parents feel when they found out that she was going to die soon? She couldn't imagine it.

"Now, now, let's not talk about these mournful things anymore. It's not like I will fall dead anytime soon."

They talked for a bit more before Alisa left the store.