"The Golden Rabbit King was originally just a minor boss in the Newbie Village, only slightly larger than a normal Corrupted Rabbit. But one day, it was lucky enough to find and eat a divine fruit, the 'Seven-Leaf Carrot.' Its power increased dramatically, its fur turned a strange golden color, and it became the Golden Rabbit King, the strongest boss in the Newbie Village, far beyond the abilities of our novice heroes. The village was nearly wiped out by it. Back then, the mere mention of the rabbit struck fear into everyone's hearts."
'No way… a monster that strong?' Marcus thought, glancing at the Chief's pained expression. He wasn't joking.
"Fortunately, just as we were on the brink of destruction, the Golden Rabbit King suddenly vanished, and the Newbie Village was saved. Rumor has it that the Golden Rabbit King was captured by the lover of the son of the neighbor of a relative of a servant of one of the eight guardians of the demons, and is now kept as a pet to guard a magical place, the very place depicted on this treasure map."
'Relatives, neighbors, lovers… what is this, a soap opera?' Marcus resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
"The place on the map is said to be magical, full of unique things, and impossible to reach without the map's guidance. Now that you have this map, Stonehaven, you must make good use of it. But be warned, that wicked Golden Rabbit King is extremely powerful. Don't even think about challenging it before you reach level 50," the Village Chief advised.
"Don't worry, Village Chief. I'll work hard, train well, and get stronger. Once I'm powerful enough, I'll defeat the Golden Rabbit King and avenge the Newbie Village." He had to frame his intentions in the most heroic light, showing he understood the gravity of the situation.
"Good... good... Stonehaven. It is heartening to see you have such spirit. Keep up the hard work..."
'Seriously?' He thought there might be another reward. But with that, the Village Chief ended the conversation.
After putting the Rabbit Path into his inventory, Marcus pulled out the Fluffy Rabbit's Mask again. The stat bonuses were insane, a huge boost to agility and speed. He guessed he now moved and attacked as fast as a level 30 Assassin. Not bad at all.
He concealed the mask's red glow, grinned to himself, and slipped it on.
At first, nearby players only gave him curious looks, but soon the chatter started.
"Yo, that mask's kinda sick. Where'd you get it?"
"Dude looks like a horror movie Easter Bunny."
"Haha, nice drip, Rabbit Man! My girlfriend would lose her mind if she saw that."
"Bro, that's either the coolest or weirdest thing I've seen all day."
"Wait, is that a rare drop? Tell me it's a rare drop!"
…
Amidst the exclamations of other players, Marcus quickly pushed through the crowd and hurried towards the northwest corner of the village. Seriously? He hadn't expected that much attention. If things were already this crazy in the Newbie Village, he'd have to be a lot more careful once he reached the city.
Just as he reached the village entrance, he suddenly remembered that he hadn't dealt with the equipment in his backpack yet. Darn it! Those guys had almost made him forget his priorities. He took off the mask and hurried towards the herbalist's shop. That black bear sounded formidable, he needed to be thoroughly prepared.
Dragonfly Corp was truly ruthless with their prices. Small Health Potions and Small Mana Potions were bearable at 50 silver coins each, but other items were outrageously expensive:
Medium Health Potion: Restores 50 HP per second for 10 seconds. Shop price: 2 gold.
Medium Mana Potion: Restores 50 MP per second for 10 seconds. Shop price: 2 gold.
Town Portal Scroll: Instantly returns to the city when out of combat. Shop price: 5 gold.
Marcus glumly counted the 15 gold coins in his pocket. What could he even buy with that? He reluctantly purchased a Town Portal Scroll. He decided against the Medium Health Potions; he still had 20 Small Health Potions and 18 Small Mana Potions, which should be enough. It seemed that while prices were high, starting out wasn't too difficult, and self-sufficiency was achievable.
He then visited the Blacksmith's weapon shop. Level 5 equipment sold for at least 3 gold coins, but the shop only offered 1 gold coin for players' used equipment. Still a rip-off.
However, because of the significant price difference, players could profit by selling equipment themselves. Understanding this, Marcus changed his mind about selling all his level 5 gear to the shop.
Players could set up stalls at level 5. He found a busy spot, set up his stall, and loudly announced: "Cheap level 5 equipment for sale! Blue gear available! Blue gear 2 gold, normal 1.5 gold! Limited stock, first come, first served!"
Most players were currently around level 5, making it the perfect time to sell level 5 equipment. Moreover, players who completed the Blacksmith and Herbalist quests would have 2 gold coins. Consequently, the equipment in his backpack was quickly snapped up.
While the drop rate in the Newbie Village was relatively generous, the current situation was that all players were clustered together, with too many players and too few monsters. Therefore, equipment wasn't easy to come by. Many players at level 5 couldn't even get a full set of level 5 gear. Marcus, besides having high luck and easily finding equipment, also had the advantage of fighting higher-level monsters with no competition.
He knew his situation well and couldn't just dump all his equipment at once; that would surely attract unwanted attention from other players. This time, he intended to play Dominion discreetly, unlike before when he was always in the spotlight. Fame, he knew, could often be a burden.
After spending some time gradually selling off the equipment in his backpack, his 30-odd pieces of gear went unnoticed among the tens of thousands of players in the Newbie Village.
His first venture into entrepreneurship was a success. With over 70 gold coins in his pocket, he now had a small fortune.
He returned to the herbalist's shop and bought 10 Medium Health Potions for 20 gold coins. He couldn't be stingy when it came to potions; they were essential for survival. With his preparations complete, he looked at his current gear and strength. He was practically invincible in the Newbie Village.
He had two goals now: first, to kill the black bear and complete the Village Chief's Unique Hidden Quest; second, to quickly reach level 10 and choose his class. Wasting time on low-level monsters in the Newbie Village was not a wise move.
He ran to a less crowded spot at the village entrance, put on his Red Artifact Fluffy Rabbit's Mask, and stretched his limbs. Thanks to the mask's bonuses, his movement speed was now 7, making him incredibly fast, and his attack speed was 4. He tested it on a few small monsters; his attack speed and reactions were incredibly sharp. This feeling was surprisingly similar to real-life combat. Dominion was truly an amazing game.
"Black bear, I'm coming for you!" His voice brimmed with confidence.
But just as he was preparing for the big battle, a system notification popped up:
"Stonehaven, you have been in the game for 6 hours. Please rest and protect your health. If you remain logged in for 10 consecutive hours, the system will automatically log you out."
'Darn it!'
He hadn't realized he'd been playing for six hours. Dominion was so immersive, so lifelike that time had simply slipped away. The system notification pulled him back to reality, and right on cue, his stomach growled.
Alright, time to log out, rest, and eat.
Good habits were the key to success, in games or life. Now the question was; what to eat?
He lived with his younger sister, and as a guy, he didn't exactly cook. His sister had offered to handle meals, but after tasting her "cooking," he immediately hired a housekeeper, Mrs. Julia, to handle both the food and the cleaning.
Unfortunately, his sister had gone on vacation, and Mrs. Julia had taken a month off to visit her hometown. That left him completely on his own. Which meant instant noodles. Simple, quick, foolproof. Laziness had its own kind of genius.
The apartment felt too quiet without Amber's constant noise. Peaceful, sure, but maybe a little too peaceful. He found himself missing her voice, the way she'd barge into his room just to ask stupid questions or steal his snacks.
He wondered what she was up to now, probably annoying someone else on her trip. Out of habit, he grabbed his phone and tapped Lily's contact.
Lily had been his classmate in college, one of the few people who actually understood him. After graduation, they both ended up working in the same city, though she'd gone home for a short vacation.
Her face filled the screen after a few rings.
"Hey, Marcus. Eating dinner?"
Her voice had that same calm warmth that always got to him. Her hair was loose and soft around her shoulders, catching the light like silk. She smiled, that small, natural kind of smile that didn't try to impress anyone but somehow did anyway.
He felt something loosen in his chest just seeing her.
"Yeah," he said. "Instant noodles, as always."
"Living the dream," she teased. "You've been MIA for weeks. What happened to calling once in a while?"
"Nothing dramatic," he said. "Just… missed you, I guess. When are you heading back?"
Before she could answer, another face suddenly pushed into the frame, bright-eyed, grinning, and way too familiar.
"Amber?"