Chapter 2: Do You Have a Baby This Big?
Huff... huff...
It was only after I finally squeezed myself out of the plaza that I let out a long breath. The crowd inside was overwhelming, packed to the point of suffocation. Just that brief moment had drained all my strength—if I’d stayed any longer, I might have perished right there.
Just wandering around the city felt like a grueling endurance test. Is this really just a game? Why must it be so torturous before I even begin to play? If this is how it starts, what awaits me ahead?
As I stood there, exhausted and panting like a dog, tongue lolling, I happened to lift my gaze toward the street leading away from the plaza.
What I saw there shattered what little spirit I had left. The street was packed with players, even denser than the plaza, forming a truly ‘spectacular’ throng.
Amidst the crowd, towering orcs clad in leather armor seemed intent on jostling with the human warriors in shining mail, creating a constant chorus of clashing metal. A handful of newcomers dressed in the same coarse black tunics as myself struggled desperately, tossed about like tiny boats in a stormy sea, stumbling from one side to the other, barely inching forward.
I forced myself to swallow, my throat burning, beads of cold sweat rolling down my brow.
My gaze rose further.
The immense city walls loomed close, as imposing as ever, yet now they seemed centuries away—utterly unattainable.
Crushed by the situation, I felt a few more strands of white hair sprout atop my head.
“What kind of damned city is this? How is anyone supposed to survive here?” I muttered under my breath, slumping at the junction between plaza and street. Leaning against the wall of a nearby shop, among a few similarly dressed newcomers, I tried to recover my strength as I cursed this bustling city of Frostveil.
My voice was quiet, but enough for the others nearby to hear. They looked at me with disbelief, then soon with sympathy.
In truth, anyone who’s spent a few days in "Age of Magic" knows that Frostveil City, inside and out, is teeming with quests and opportunities coveted by both veterans and newcomers. Its surroundings and ever-busy streets offer players every conceivable convenience.
Newcomers dreaming of advancing to warrior professions are especially drawn to Frostveil, yearning for what it promises.
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It could be said that being randomly assigned by the system to spawn in Frostveil City is a stroke of luck that might take generations to earn. Yet this fortunate soul isn’t grateful, but curses his fate here—simply unforgivable!
On the other hand, the sheer popularity of Frostveil does pose problems for newcomers. If you don’t quickly level up and improve your constitution, and if you fail to equip yourself with leather or plate armor, the surging crowds make the experience far more punishing than in the game’s early days.
The other newcomers nearby had clearly felt Frostveil’s terror, hence their shifting expressions.
...
“Scavenger Qilin!”
Suddenly, someone called out to me.
Startled, I looked up, instinctively responding, “Present!”
Scavenger Qilin was the name I’d chosen when creating my character—a name I’d carry throughout the game.
But how did anyone know my name? I hadn’t told even my friend, Xuefeng, that I’d entered the game, nor had any interaction with these people. How could they possibly know me?
Puzzled, I followed the voice.
A man and a woman who’d been talking with other players now stood before me. The man, refined in appearance, wore a suit of gleaming silver armor, looking mature and imposing. The woman was shrouded in a sky-blue mage’s robe, her face hidden in the shadow of a broad hood; if not for her delicate, graceful figure, I wouldn’t have guessed her gender.
The one who’d called my name seemed to be the warrior on the left.
I studied the pair, uncertain, and asked, “Did you need something?”
The warrior seemed momentarily taken aback by my question, exchanging a strange glance with the female mage (or so it seemed), before replying:
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“My team needs a leveling pet. What’s your rate?”
In "Age of Magic," having a low-level player in your party boosts the experience gains for higher-level members when hunting monsters. Experienced teams always recruit a few low-level ‘leveling pets’ to speed up their progress. Where there’s demand, there’s a market, and so the profession of leveling pet emerged—players hired for this specific purpose, becoming an industry unto themselves.
These two had come here to hire a leveling pet.
Seeing Scavenger Qilin, a level 0 character, waiting at the spot where leveling pets usually gathered for employment, they naturally assumed I was a professional and didn’t hesitate to ask my price.
Unfortunately, they’d approached the wrong person. For someone who’d never truly played a virtual game before, this profession was so specialized it could easily be misunderstood.
“A pet... You want a pet that big?” I replied instinctively, even though they didn’t seem to be joking.
The pair stared at me, dumbfounded, unsure what to make of my response.
A man standing nearby nudged my shoulder, his expression odd. “Brother, aren’t you a professional leveling pet? In this world, the lower the pet’s level, the higher the demand—and the price. As a professional, I wouldn’t want a level 0 pet hanging around me.”
“Huh? Professional leveling pet? There’s actually such a profession in the game?” I turned, bewildered. Over the past month, Xuefeng had told me a bit about this world—a world with many professions: warriors, mages, archers, summoners, but never anything about pets.
The other man realized his mistake and turned away, sneering, “So you’re a newbie...”
Well, I am a newbie, but did he have to say it so bluntly? That stings!
I #%￥#…％￥※
“So you’re new… What a pity,” the man and woman said, disappointment plain in their eyes. Understandable, really—a level 0 pet, clueless about everything, would be a liability even in the city.
“Never mind, Iron’s waiting for us outside. He says he’s found a pet. Let’s go.” As the pair spoke, I felt a spark inside and hurried after them.
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