Chapter 71 - Flying Mount, and King’s Request

[Name: Arthur (#0769)]

[Class: Soul Artisan (SSS)]

[Level: 16]

[EXP: 1417/67000]

[HP: 820/820]

[MP: 460/460]

[Attributes:]

[Strength: 39]

[Agility: 83]

[Vigor: 38]

[Intelligence: 47]

[Free points: 30]

Those were Arthur’s base attributes, plus the 5 points he got from his City Explorer title. The extra AGI from contracts and gear didn’t show up directly in the panel, but it was all being counted.

Right now his contracts were giving him 20 AGI from Point Blank and only 6 from Azure Dragon, since the poor kid was still leveling up and wasn’t all that powerful yet.

That alone pushed his agility to nearly 100 points, not counting his gear or the free points he still hadn’t spent.

In other words, his power level was already high, but the obvious next step was to upgrade his equipment. That’s exactly why he wanted to clear the dungeon that had opened near the elven settlement.

As soon as they arrived in the city, teleported by Ray, Arthur went straight to talk to him about the shop’s profits.

"Can I collect my earnings yet?" Arthur asked.

Ray let out a small laugh. "Can we talk about this next week? It’s not a huge amount yet, since we used most of the profit to restock items and make improvements to production and the store."

Arthur was surprised to see how much Ray knew about how the shop was running, even without actively going there to check on things.

Either way, Arthur didn’t need the money urgently. He’d be crafting his own items, and he didn’t want to start a fight with Ray over it. Best to just go along with it.

"No problem," Arthur said, smiling back. "Is there anything I can do to help? How are things going with the invasions and the Rashk Kingdom situation?"

Ray stepped closer and lowered his voice.

"Actually, since you brought it up, how would you feel about invading the enemy kingdom and doing something for me?"

The way he said it sounded a little... dark, like he had something pretty extreme in mind.

"Depends on what you want. Can we talk up in your tower?"

Ray just nodded. The other players, fresh off the battlefield, were all celebrating the victory with the city’s residents and enjoying the rewards they’d earned.

They needed to rest. A fight that tense was exhausting, mentally and physically.

Honestly, Arthur wanted to rest too. One thing he’d been looking forward to was going fishing or doing something relaxing, but first he had to clear that dungeon.

Either way, he and Ray headed up to the tower, settled in on the top floor, and sat down to talk. Arthur accepted the glass of wine Ray offered him.

"I’ll get straight to the point. I noticed you can turn invisible and you’ve got a powerful bow shot. Basically a great assassin who can fire from a distance, right?"

Arthur frowned. "Where are you going with this? Or better yet, who do you want me to kill?"

It was the first thing that crossed his mind, and with the way Ray had said it, that was definitely where this was heading.

The most likely answer was that Ray needed a target eliminated, but the situation was even more complicated than that. The request had come from way up top.

"So, the king himself is the one looking for someone capable of doing this. And since it’s basically a suicide mission, he wants it to be a Chosen One."

"The thing is, no Chosen One knows the Rashk Kingdom’s language, and for some reason you’re the only one who does. I think you’re our only option."

[Alert]

[Possible long main quest that will affect the entire kingdom]

Arthur was stunned by what he was reading. His hands were already trembling with excitement. For the system to throw up a warning like that, the mission had to be massive.

And the only reason he’d been offered this mission at all was because of his unconventional spawn, which had given him every language in the game right from the start. In his previous run, this quest definitely hadn’t existed, or had shown up much later.

"The king himself wants someone for this? Interesting..." Arthur said, taking another sip of wine. "I imagine the rewards are huge."

"Certainly. However, it seems he wants someone who’s at least level 25, meaning you’ll need to get a bit stronger first. But given how fast you’ve been improving, I don’t think it’ll take long."

Level 25 wasn’t that far away numerically, but it would take some time to get there. The higher your level, the harder it was to climb. Obviously.

And the level requirement made sense, given what Arthur already knew about the kingdom.

The king and royal family’s palace was in a city at the center of the kingdom, and the area was level 30 territory. Players usually headed there once they reached level 30.

So Arthur would be going in a little earlier than normal.

"And I didn’t call you here just for that, of course. I figured you’d say yes, so I already sent a message to the king letting him know you’d be heading there within the next 15 days. Meaning you’re going to have to push hard to get stronger."

Ray paused dramatically, puffing out his chest like he was about to announce something grand.

"And, being as incredible as I am, I’m going to gift you the Pegasus I mentioned before. It’ll help you reach places much faster, which will definitely speed up your growth."

Arthur couldn’t believe it. A land mount was supposed to unlock somewhere between level 25 and 30, right when players started moving into the central part of the kingdom.

But flying mounts weren’t introduced until level 50. Some lucky players managed to get one between levels 30 and 40, but those were rare. The vast majority didn’t get one until level 50.

At level 16? That was absurdly early. This opened up so many possibilities for Arthur.

’There are so many places I can reach with a flying mount...’

That news got him even more excited than the main quest itself. It was the kind of reward any player would do anything to get.

"You’re serious?" he asked. "What’s the catch? Because this is way too valuable to just hand over like that."

Arthur wasn’t naive enough to think Ray was doing this out of pure generosity. He definitely had something to gain from it.

Ray smiled. "Well, like I said, I’m the one who recommended you to the king. If you complete the mission, I get a few things in return. So I need you to get strong fast and finish this task."

It was obvious Ray was getting something out of all this.

Arthur wasn’t bothered by that. If anything, the deal was more than worth it on his end. Getting a flying mount this early was priceless.

If it had been any other, less exciting reward, he might have considered turning the mission down or not putting much focus into it. But a flying mount was too big to pass up.

"I’ll take the mission," he said. "And I’m glad you picked me for it. This Pegasus is going to be in good hands."

Ray had to laugh at that.

"Good to hear. But please, actually complete what the king needs done. If you don’t, we’re both in trouble."

The king of Aldora, like the ruler of any kingdom in the game, was a bit... authoritarian, to put it mildly. If Ray had told him Arthur was capable and reliable, then Arthur would have to find a way to deliver. There was no way around it. Failing the mission meant going against the king and the royal family, and that wasn’t something a regular player could afford to do.

"I’ll do everything I can to pull it off," Arthur replied with full confidence. "This Pegasus is going to make my life a whole lot easier."

"Perfect. He’s where we left him last time."

Arthur thanked him and headed up the stairs to the top of the tower. That’s where the Pegasus was tied up. Ray had built a small stable for the creature up on the roof.

As soon as Arthur got close, the system chimed in.

[New magical mount acquired]

[Summoning horn added to your inventory]

[Would you like to name your mount?]

Arthur named the Pegasus. From that point on, it was called Cloud Chaser. A bit flashy and generic, sure, but Arthur liked it and stuck with it.

"Welcome to the team, my friend. I have a feeling we’re going to go on a lot of adventures together," he said, running a hand through the Pegasus’s mane.

And of course, being a gamer, Arthur had to show off. Fame was everything, after all. He climbed onto Cloud Chaser and soared over the city.

The moment he did, every player on the ground stopped what they were doing and looked up.

"A Pegasus! Who does that belong to?"

"Cinder, isn’t it? I’ve seen him flying on that thing before."

"Wait, seriously?"

This time Arthur didn’t just fly past in the distance. He brought Cloud Chaser down and landed right in the middle of the main square, putting it on full display for everyone...