As the early morning began to dawn, Broken quickly logged into the game. The world was still and quiet, with only the faint sounds of nature breaking the silence. He trudged slowly towards the bonfire, his steps echoing slightly in the crisp, cool air. The warmth of the fire beckoned him, and he spotted RememberMe perched atop a log, his figure illuminated by the flickering flames. RememberMe stood up as soon as he saw Broken approaching, a wide grin spreading across his face.
“Hey, Master! You’re finally back,” he exclaimed.
Broken sat on a wooden log close to the fireplace and glanced around, his eyes searching for the other two players who had accompanied them.
“They logged out for a while,” RememberMe said, guessing what Broken was thinking and answering without being prompted.
Broken slowly nodded, a faint smile appearing on his lips as he watched the flames dance in front of him. The fire crackled and popped, sending tiny sparks into the air. A puff of steam escaped from his nose, a sign of the morning chill at the edge of the forest. He brought his hands closer to the fire and felt an immediate warmth spread across his skin.
Soon after, two female players emerged from the tent. The mage and the archer, with their distinctive outfits, joined Broken and RememberMe on the log, their faces bright with anticipation for the day’s adventures.
The dim, orange-tinted sunrise began to illuminate one corner of the forest, signaling that morning was approaching. The gentle light filtered through the trees, casting long shadows on the ground. They quickly began to prepare for the day’s hunt, gathering their weapons and checking their supplies.
“Let’s go!” PussyCat yelled eagerly as she tidied up the tent. “I’ve learned a lot; I’ll make sure to cast crowd control skills as much as possible, so I won’t be the target of the monsters, haha.”
“That’s right!” RememberMe agreed. “Only cast crowd control skills. Don’t attack. You really trouble me.”
Forev chuckled at the exchange between the two of them.
They spent the morning hunting in the forest, moving stealthily through the underbrush and coordinating their attacks with practiced precision. The sun climbed higher in the sky, and when it reached its apex, signaling midday, they decided to take a break and have lunch. Their virtual stomachs were growling with hunger, and they enjoyed being able to share the meal together beneath the shady tree.
“Broken, you’re so cool,” PussyCat said delightedly as they ate.
“If it weren’t for him, you’d already be stupidly dead by now, PussyCat,” RememberMe said sternly, his expression one of frustration.
“You’ve helped a lot, so I’ll be sure to share the spoils with you,” Broken added, appreciating the massive rewards he had gained from the assistance of the three people.
Until now, Broken had acquired a total of 12 common-grade monster cores and one rare-grade monster core – an impressive amount, considering he had obtained them all in a single day. His inventory was also filled with various items like monster meat, bones, and other spoils of his hunt, leaving it nearly full to the brim.
“It’s okay, Broken,” PussyCat replied with a smile, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “We don’t mind at all. It’s been a while since we’ve been hunting, just the three of us, so it’s kind of fun to have a new friend join us. It’s a nice change of pace.”
“Yes,” Forev chimed in, nodding in agreement. “It’s just that this warrior friend of ours,” she said, gesturing towards RememberMe, “tends to challenge people he thinks are weaker than him, which often leads us into trouble.”
“Hey, come on!” RememberMe interjected, raising his hands in mock defense. “What’s the point of being strong if you can’t show it off and bully the weaker ones? It’s just a game, after all. Hahaha!”
After finishing their lunch, they returned to their hunting, eager to complete their endeavors for the day. The thrill of the hunt drove them forward with renewed energy. Unexpectedly, they once again encountered a rare wild boar, which was at an even higher level than before—level 85. The sight of the powerful creature sent a jolt of excitement through the group.
“Man, I think these boars really like us,” RememberMe said before stepping forward.
In a surprisingly short amount of time, they managed to successfully defeat the monster. The defeated boar’s drop fell to the ground, sparkling in the sunlight as it shot through the air towards Broken. Everyone’s attention was drawn to the gold-colored item that shone brightly, something they had never seen before.
“Monster Soul Stone!” RememberMe screamed in excitement as the item swiftly flew into Broken’s body, merging with his avatar.
Enthusiastically, RememberMe exclaimed, “Monster Soul Stone! I can’t believe my eyes. How amazingly lucky you are, Master! I can’t believe I just witnessed someone getting a monster soul stone!”
Forev ran over to Broken, her face beaming with delight. “I don’t think the Monster Soul Stone is that rare,” she began, her voice filled with awe. “I mean, a few people have got it here and there, but of course, we haven’t even gotten one ourselves yet. I’m sure it has a very high value.”
“Yeah…,” PussyCat echoed, coming closer and clapping her hands together in excitement. “Broken, congratulations, congratulations…,” she said with genuine joy.
Broken withdrew the item from his inventory, and a bright gray crystal appeared in his hand, its surface shimmering with a magical glow.
[Rare – Wild Boar Monster Soul Stone Lv. 85]
PussyCat looked up in awe, her eyes sparkling with wonder. “That’s beautiful! Do you know what it’s worth?” she asked, turning to Forev for an explanation.
Forev thought for a moment, tapping her chin thoughtfully. “Monster soul stones are worth 100 to 1000 times more than monster cores. I’d say this one is worth between 5 to 10 gold coins.”
“Really?!” Broken exclaimed in shock, his eyes widening in disbelief. He hadn’t expected that the value of this item was so high; five gold coins converted to real-world currency was equivalent to about five thousand dollars—an amount far greater than he could make with his job.
“You look surprised,” Forev remarked with a smile. “I take it this is your first time obtaining a monster soul stone?”
Broken nodded slowly in response to Forev’s question, still processing the incredible value of the item he had just acquired.
“Ha ha ha ha….” RememberMe then replied, his laughter echoing throughout the area. “I think our contract has finished here, right, hahaha?” he said to Broken, who had defeated him in a duel 24 hours ago, thus fulfilling the contract that had made RememberMe his slave.
“Yes, I think I got a lot of help from you guys. Thank you,” Broken replied.
“I think this was a fun experience, Hahaha…” RememberMe continued, a mischievous glint in his eyes as he tried to glean more information about Broken. “And I wonder if you’ve leveled up really high after getting game boosting from us? Or are you still at level 26 like something happened? Maybe a bug happened to your account?”
Broken smiled softly and answered, “Let’s just say that I’m still at level 26, but I’ll leave it up to you how you view me. I really don’t care what other people think.”
Forev then began to chuckle at his response. “So, with your level, which is, if it really is only level 26, you’ll easily become a legendary with the luck you have.”
“Yeah…” PussyCat replied enthusiastically. “Oh my god, I can’t imagine anyone as lucky as you. You get so many monster cores and a monster soul stone in just 24 hours! It’s incredible.”
“Yeah…. I think from now on, I will call you the Legendary Broken Player,” RememberMe added.
“What a weird name,” Forev remarked, shaking her head slightly.
“Yeah, that’s so meh,” PussyCat agreed.
Broken then waved his hand and said, “Thanks. See you later,” and with that, he immediately hopped onto Polly, and rode away, the wind whipping through his hair as he disappeared into the distance.
“But wait!” RememberMe screamed in panic, watching as Broken moved further away. “Why don’t we add him to our friend list!” His voice was filled with urgency and regret.
“How could he want to be friends with you?!” PussyCat scoffed in disbelief.
“Yes, don’t you remember how you belittled him yesterday? You’re such an idiot,” Forev added.
“Oh c’mon, playing this game won’t be fun without bullying people. It’s normal for humans to make mistakes, haha. After all, I’ve done a lot for him,” RememberMe replied, shrugging it off with a nonchalant wave of his hand.
Little did Broken know that on this day, he had met two people who would become his biggest supporters both in the game and in real life.