Chapter 4 - Let's Play Again
Chapter 4 – Let's Play Again
Current Stats
Level 12
Kae Loredom
Foxian Trainee
HP: 290/290
MP: 68/68
STR: 25
INT: 17
DEX: 9
VIT: 9
LUK: 6
NEXT LEVEL 2260/17553
Weapon - Short sword STR+3 [Slime Core], [].
Helmet – Wooden Helmet VIT +4 [][][][]
Lord Beetle raised its insect body high and spoke to us in a barely intelligible screech.
"You've made it this far, but my dung beetle body and newfound power will protect my fellow beetles from you, swordsmen!"
"Lord Beetle can talk?!"
The hunter lunged back, shocked.
The Beetle swung its dirty body towards us, casting [Fire Blade], an AOE that covered most of the battlefield. LB didn't normally have that. That skill was likely a gift, courtesy of Rexia's blessing.
"Dodge to the right, Layla!"
I dived out of the way, but Layla took a critical hit of -358 HP.
Layla Valmort
Hunter (Ascension 2)
HP: 907 /1265
MP: 106/176
"Wow! That's some damage!"
"Yep, and it's a one-shot for me. But we should be able to win this fight. Stay strong!"
I circled the battle area, rolling out of the way of the [Fire Blade] wave skill. When possible, I returned fire too. My fireballs were still relatively weak against him, dealing around 60 to 100 damage. But I had the patience and endurance for a long fight.
[Eagle Dive]
Layla would shoot her arrows, giving around 200 to 300 damage per strike. She would be the key to this battle for sure.
"I want more dung on my body! The more dung around me, the better I can protect my fellow beetles!"
Lord Beetle rolled on the dirt, shaking the battlefield. A horrible stench saturated the catacombs, and we were both afflicted with [Blindness].
"Ewww, I've never heard an FA talk like this! It's gross."
Layla shivered.
"Yeah, I like them better when they don't have voice lines. [Blindness] only lasts a few seconds. Stay vigilant, Layla."
I could barely see the beetle due to my vision being restricted.
[Fire Blade]
"Layla, move to the right with me!"
I called out and she did, avoiding the spell this time. Blinded, Layla moved about and nearly fell off the circular edge.
"Wow!"
[Mini Fox]
I tossed my fluffy fox decoy. The hunter bumped it and fell forward, stopping Layla from falling off the edge and dying.
"Oh, you saved me, Kae."
After a few seconds, our vision finally came back, allowing us to see the entire battle area again.
"That was close."
I sighed in relief. I needed Layla here more than anything.
"Full assault Layla! We can win this!"
"Right. Kae!"
The battle waged on and I could see Layla getting used to the pattern of the FA. Her confidence was growing, using her skills with purpose and strategy behind it.
"You're doing great, Layla. LB's 75% dead. That means it's going to start using his heat beam."
As expected, the enormous Beetle charged its magic through its body, and the catacombs heated up from its spell. The ground below him lit up with a powerful magic circle.
"Be careful. This is an easy one-shot for our level."
I moved back, close to the edge, waiting for the right time to dodge. It was a little tricky, but I recalled there was a tell on the forums. When LB charges, its body will swing to the left or right. Depending on which way, players dodge the opposite way. The spell should stop before LB goes full circle.
But seeing the tell was the hardest part for newer players.
[Heat Beam]
"To the left, Layla!"
I called out as the beam shot to the right side. But she was too late and the ray incinerated Layla with -3571HP damage. Her character fell to the ground, dead.
Layla Valmort
Hunter (Ascension 2)
HP: 0/1265
MP: 106/176
"Dang it! I have a Keo Leaf for revival. Can you get to me and trade with me so I can come back to life, Kae?"
Layla begged.
I wasn't going to beat the boss without her. We both needed to finish this quest. As dangerous as it might be, I wasn't a mean player by any means either. We got in this together, we'll get out together!
"Sure, give me a second. I'll be right there, Layla."
I sent my [Mini Fox] to provoke Lord Beetle. The adorable small golden fox ran up to the FA and hit him on the side with its tail.
"Take that!"
The little fox squealed.
"Get away from me, little adorable fox! I will crush you!"
That gave me the chance to run to Layla and open the trade menu with her.
"Here."
Layla traded [Keo Leaf] to Kae
"There you go."
I revived her and she shoved a few potions in her mouth to max out her health.
"Be wary of that beam. I'll call out which way to dodge, so don't worry, we've got this."
"Sure, Kae. I'll keep up the DPS. Tell me when and I'll follow your lead!"
We continued our onslaught of magic spells and arrows as the LB cursed us with its horrible new voice lines. A mob of dark beetles spawned in, surrounding the boss. A staple for FA boss battles.
The dark beetles attempted to push us off the edge. This was getting a bit dicey.
"[Heat Beam] is coming, Layla! Dodge to the left. Follow me!"
Together, in sync, we moved to the left, avoiding the massive spell. The catacombs lit up with hellfire as we moved around the circular arena.
"Alright, I'll deal with the mobs, you handle Lord Beetle! I'll call out when to dodge."
Layla took out more damage and I had the elemental weakness for the mobs. It was only right that I dealt with them. Easily, I burned them alive, earning a good amount of EXP too. Maybe if this battle goes on for longer, I could get a few levels out of it.
KAE LEVELED UP!
Level 13
Kae Loredom
Foxian Trainee
HP: 323/323
MP: 78/78
STR: 26
INT: 20
DEX: 10
VIT: 9
LUK: 6
NEXT LEVEL 154/17553
+3 SKILL POINTS
"Nice, you leveled, Kae!"
"Yeah, it's not a bad spot for me to get levels. Since LB brings out 10 spawns at once, I can kill each for 600 EXP. 6k per round of mobs isn't too bad."
I scorched the mobs as Layla rained arrows down on Lord Beetle. Before I realized it, LB was on its deathbed.
"Kae, to the right!"
[Heat Beam]
I followed her command, dodging the massive spell barely. I got too caught up in burning down the mobs to call it out.
"Thanks, Layla."
"Mhm! This is the final stretch!"
[Eagle Dive]
HP: 0/0
MP: 1473/2760
[HP UP], [MP UP], [INT UP], [Sentient].
Lord Beetle screeched and fell onto its back. The bug shriveled up and curled. All its mobs died instantly too, alongside their leader.
"Oh, I want more dung! Such a tragedy!"
The bug crumpled to the dirt with a splat. Green bodily guts flew across the arena and Layla jumped back.
"Ewww, so gross. I hate this fallen angel. It's so gross!"
EXP + 75000
KAE LEVELED UP!
LAYLA LEVELED UP
Level 17
Kae Loredom
Foxian Trainee
HP: 482/482
MP: 128/128
STR: 28
INT: 26
DEX: 13
VIT: 10
LUK: 7
NEXT LEVEL 94/24553
+8 SKILL POINTS
Level 37
Layla Valmort
Hunter (Ascension 2)
HP: 1304/1304
MP: 189/189
STR: 10
INT: 22
DEX: 43
VIT: 15
LUK: 32
NEXT LEVEL 5353/64653
"That's some nice EXP. Too bad it's a story version. LB doesn't normally give that much."
Both of us were teleported back to the swordsmen's guild for a story to play out. It was a good time to catch my breath.
"Great work, Layla. You're good at the hunter class. You saved me there."
I held my hand up and she gave me a high-five. To think just a few hours ago we were fighting over loot. I put my life in her hands during that last callout.
"You're a great teacher, Kae! That was awesome seeing you fight. You know the game so well."
The muscular Ashley towered over us as she approached. I grabbed my tail for protection. Real-life Ashley was scary to deal with. With her beefy hands on her hips, she whipped that red hair of hers to the side and grinned like a true warrior.
"Good work, minions. Lord Beetle is dead, but he may return, so stay vigilant. Here are the badges of recommendation. With these, if you wish to go through the next steps and become a swordsman, you have my endorsement."
Quest complete.
Obtained [Swordsmen Badge]
Obtained [Heroes Amulet]
"Alright, put that [Heroes Amulet] into your storage when you get the chance, Layla. Don't sell it or get rid of it. You'll need it in the future. Great work today."
I stretched and then took out my comb. Gently, I brushed my tail. One day DEX will rise, but for now, my tail felt nice and silky.
"That was a lot of fun! But it was super odd how Rexia appeared and called you out by name, Kae. Is that part of the story?"
"I told you, Layla. We are trying to kill each other. Sorry, you had to get in between us in this death battle though. It made that boss harder."
She shrugged.
"I don't get it, but I'm having even more fun playing Keostar Online. Hey, want to check our shop, Kae?"
"Sure."
We both walked out of the guild and over to Sheen, Layla's trader. We opened the shop to see what items were there.
"Hey! It's gone! Someone bought the Blue King's Core for 19mil!"
The hunter jumped for joy.
"That's my first big sell, Kae! I can't wait to see how a million gold looks on my screen."
Layla logged off.
"First big sell?"
I put my finger to my lip as a sudden memory washed over me. The simple pleasantries from when I was a novice came back to mind.
"Huh?"
As if someone opened the floodgates to my mind, a lost memory popped into my head. I recalled working hard to advance my trainee to a trader.
"That's right…"
My chest twisted as my eyes lowered, reminiscing about how delighted I was that day ten years ago.
"How did I forget about that day? That was my first sale on Keostar Online..."
Sheen logged in.
"As promised, here's 80% of the pay. Thanks, Kae."
Sheen traded 15,200,000 million in gold to Kae.
"Hehe, I have so much money now! I don't know what to do with it all!"
Sheen looked at me as if I were lost in thought of a simpler time.
"Kae, are you there?"
I didn't respond for a moment and that might have prompted Sheen to call me out. Something was rummaging through my chest and instead of letting it stay inside, I spoke up about it.
"When I first started Keostar Online, I worked hard to make my first trader class."
After so long in this game, I forgot about this memory. But seeing Layla so happy, it all came bubbling back to the surface.
"I put up a few garbage items to sell and watched my shop closely. I was too tired that night, so I leaned on my desk and just looked at my first shop. I wanted to see my first ever sale on Keostar Online."
I turned to the crowds of Restoria. The city I used to love quite a lot back in the day. But I had to admit, over the last year or so, this place became rather foreign to me.
"I fell asleep at my computer and woke up to my shop gone and everything sold. I missed my first sell, but I had a private message from a player telling me my prices were all over the place."
I chuckled but my chest hurt a little when I did.
"But they bought it all anyway because they wanted to help me out. I even had a friend request from them too."
The corner of my eyes welled up and I looked away. I wasn't sure why such an uneventful memory was making me feel so sentimental.
"I-It feels great when hard work is paid off. And it feels even better when people help each other. That's just one of the many reasons why I liked playing this game."
I lifted my head and looked back at Sheen, Layla's trader. Wholeheartedly, I spoke to her.
"Thanks for helping me today, Layla. I think I forgot how fun it was, working with someone else."
Sheen logged off.
"Huh?"
I was confused by her character suddenly leaving. But I sat there for a moment, waiting to see if she'd come back.
Layla logged in.
"Oh, you're back."
"Sorry, I just thought it would be more appropriate if I said it with my hunter, Kae..."
Layla rubbed the back of her head and smiled brightly back at me.
"No problem! I want to do more quests with you! I had a lot of fun, Kae. Thank you for teaching me a lesson this morning!"
My tail was wagging. Kind of like how my old dog's tail would wag when they would get a pat and some attention from me. I had the hold my fluffy tight just to stop it from hitting passing players.
"Yeah, let's play again sometime. Are you still going to play for a little longer?"
I asked.
"No, Mom's been calling for the last hour, but I didn't want to leave you during LB's fight. I need to clean up and get ready for bed."
We both laughed and I held my tail tighter.
"That's fine. I'm going to do some grinding while you're away then. We can look at your skill tree more and optimize your character when you get back on, if you want."
My expertise in making a hunter will be tested, but that's the fun of it. And as promised, I wanted to help Layla get better and enjoy the game, like she helped me today.
"Don't you have to get off and do stuff too, Kae?"
I shook my head.
"I can't leave Keostar Online. I'm trapped in this world until I kill Rexia. But don't worry, I don't need to sleep or eat, and I feel motivated to keep grinding."
Layla shrugged.
"You're too fun. You'd better still be on when I get back then. I want to have more adventures with you, like I promised!"
Layla waved at me, and I did the same.
"Sure. I'll do my best not to be killed. Once you get back, I'll give you more stuff to sell too. And we'll continue our journey to kill Rexia!"
"Okay! To kill Rexia!
The hunter raised her bow to the sky victoriously.
"Bye-bye!"
Layla logged off.
"Bye, Layla…"
I waved then gently closed my palm. How I hoped she'd come back on and didn't vanish, like so many others I've known over the years.
"You're getting pretty chummy about killing me!"
Rexia appeared above me. She made me jump as my lingering thoughts were still at the forefront of my mind. With a cough, I cleared my mind and faced my nemesis.
"It's because I will kill you. It's the only way for me to become the god of this game and make Keostar Online harder and more fun."
I beamed at her.
"And I might even kill you with friends now."
Appalled, Rexia hovered away from me.
"You're such a jerk! I'm going to make your life a living hell, Kae Loredom!"
The bratty goddess disappeared once more. Her threats have fallen on deaf ears so far though. With a shrug, I looked forward to my next adventure.
"Alright, time to go back to the catacombs and grind. While I'm there, I can pick up the materials for other quests too."
Joyfully, I skipped back to the swordsman guild's catacombs. My steps felt lighter as my excitement to get stronger took over.