After returning from the hill, Mina couldn't stop playing with her little Female Dryad.
The tiny creature occasionally flew circles around her head before settling back onto her shoulder with a sweet smile. Watching her adorable companion, Mina found herself laughing over and over again.
But just before they entered the tavern—
Crack...
A faint cracking sound echoed through the air.
Everyone turned instinctively.
“My egg!” Tanaka exclaimed.
His Bird Egg was suddenly covered in tiny cracks.
Almost at the same time, Hana took out the egg she had received from the mysterious beggar. It, too, had begun to glow.
“Mine too!”
Reina immediately looked up at the sky.
“Quick. Back to the hill.”
“Why, Ms. Reina?” Aventura asked, having noticed them from a distance.
“The sky is about to change.”
After spending several days in the world of Cosmia, Reina had realized that time followed an unchanging cycle.
The sun always rose at the same hour.
The afternoons were always clear.
Clouds gathered as evening approached before clearing again at sunset.
Then, after night fell, the sky gradually filled with clouds once more until the next dawn.
Since the previous pet evolution had been affected by the time of day, Reina wasn't willing to take any chances.
They hurried back to the hill.
Before long, both eggs shone more brightly.
The cracks spread wider...
Until they finally shattered.
A brilliant white light flooded the hilltop.
Evolution Success!
NOBLE ROOSTER!!
A large rooster stepped out from the light.
Its feathers were pure white.
Its body was sturdy and muscular.
It wore elegant noble attire complete with a crimson cape.
Despite being a chicken, it carried itself with the dignity of a knight.
Tanaka jumped in excitement.
“Amazing!”
His pet's status window immediately appeared.
Defense: Extremely High
Damage Reduction: 10%
Tanaka could barely contain his smile.
“This pet is perfect for a Knight!”
Reina nodded with satisfaction.
“Your defenses are going to be even harder to break.”
A moment later, the second light flared.
Evolution Success!
SMART OWL!!
A small white owl slowly flapped its wings before landing gently on Hana's shoulder.
“Puk.”
Its soft little cry echoed through the air.
Surprisingly, Hana looked slightly disappointed.
“So... it's not a rare pet...”
Lisa smiled as she walked over.
“You're a Mage.”
“Smart Owl is actually one of the best pets a Mage can have.”
“Only about ten percent of these eggs evolve into a Smart Owl.”
“The rest almost always become ordinary Owls.”
Hana immediately opened her pet's status.
Mana Regeneration
Magic Attack
Magic Efficiency
Every bonus was focused entirely on improving magical abilities.
Reina smiled as well.
“A rarer pet isn't always the better one.”
“The next evolution from your egg can eventually become a Phoenix.”
“But a Phoenix focuses much more on physical Attack than magical power.”
“What would a Mage do with physical Attack?”
Hana thought about it for a moment before smiling.
“You're right...”
The Smart Owl flew in front of her face.
“Puk!”
It tilted its head with an adorable smile.
Hana immediately hugged the little owl.
“You really are a smart owl!”
Everyone laughed at the sight.
After both pets had successfully evolved, they returned to the tavern.
Inside, Aventura and the rest of his party were already waiting.
“Ms. Reina!”
Aventura immediately stood to greet them.
Before he could say anything else, however, his eyes fell on Reina's and Lisa's levels.
Lv.75
Every member of Aventura's party exchanged stunned glances.
“You leveled up that quickly...”
Reina simply smiled.
“We got a little lucky.”
Meanwhile, after continuing to level on their own since they had parted ways, Aventura's entire party had now reached Lv.65.
They spent a long time talking that evening.
Reina told them about the Ghost of Warrior, the Boss Chest, and how they had obtained the rare items inside.
“If you're planning to challenge it,” Reina said, “make sure every member brings a full inventory slot of Potions.”
Aventura nodded seriously.
“We'll do that.”
After discussing things for quite some time, several members of Aventura's party decided to travel to the capital and meet the Job Change NPC.
They switched their classes to Cleric and Mage, creating a more balanced party composition.
Although doing so reset all of their job EXP, they agreed that a well-balanced team would matter far more when facing future Bosses.
After the discussion ended, Reina, Lisa, the rest of their party, and even Aventura's group handed over all of the materials they had gathered to Yukio.
Ore.
Wood.
Catalysts.
Herbs.
Along with countless other rare crafting materials.
His inventory quickly filled to the brim.
For the time being, everything was stored in Yukio's personal bank as future crafting supplies.
While everyone else had been busy hunting, Yukio hadn't been idle either.
As a Craftman, he had accepted a growing number of forging commissions from players throughout Salia City.
His crafting success rate was far higher than that of ordinary players, and his reputation was steadily spreading.
If a forging attempt failed, Yukio wasn't required to compensate the customer, since everyone had agreed to the risk before placing their orders.
Whenever he found spare time, he also leveled up and gathered ingredients for brewing Potions.
He had now reached Lv.40.
Although his level was still much lower than everyone else's, his Craftman skills had already become one of the group's most valuable assets.
“I've got something too.”
Yukio took out a pouch filled with coins.
“My commissions have earned a total of 150,000 Coins.”
Without hesitation, he divided the money evenly among all thirteen players—including himself.
“Use it for Potions or anything else you need.”
Reina smiled proudly.
Even though Yukio belonged to a newer generation of gamers, he had truly embraced his role as a Craftman in this MMORPG world.
Once the atmosphere settled down again, Reina spoke.
“I want all of us to stop leveling at Level 100.”
Everyone looked at her.
“Once every member reaches Level 100, we'll help Yukio reach Level 100 as well.”
“Why Level 100?” Aventura asked.
“The party system only allows players whose levels are within ten levels of each other.”
“If the gap becomes too large, we won't be able to hunt together anymore.”
Everyone immediately understood.
Rian raised his hand.
“But how do we stop our EXP from increasing?”
Reina smiled.
“I'll reach Level 80 first.”
“Meanwhile, we'll save up until we have 2,000,000 Coins.”
“While we're waiting, we'll farm low-level materials so Yukio can craft items to sell.”
“Once we've gathered enough money and officially establish the guild, we can donate our EXP to raise the Guild Level.”
Everyone finally understood the plan.
They were no longer hunting simply to become stronger.
Reina's party would continue to grow.
Aventura's party would prepare themselves for future Boss battles.
And Yukio would build the economic foundation that would one day support their guild.
For the first time since becoming trapped inside the world of Cosmia...
All thirteen of them finally shared the same goal.