The cave was quite dark. Arthur didn’t have a light source with him, so he could easily step in the wrong place.
Fortunately, Louise was there. She created a small flame in her left palm.
"Nice," Arthur said. "Good thing I have you here."
She had been very helpful so far.
"What was that about pictures and adding people as friends?" Louise asked.
"We Chosen Ones have ways to communicate through the system itself. You know, the same one that shows your level and stuff. I can’t really explain it very well."
The NPCs gradually learned more about the players. Arthur didn’t think he needed to hide that from Louise. She would find out eventually anyway.
The only thing players weren’t allowed to say or write was any information about them being players, Louise being an NPC, or this world being a game.
The system blocked it, and the developers had taken it seriously. They didn’t even allow players to use metaphors or other methods to tell the NPCs.
"How strange. Communication, coming back from the dead... This keeps getting more bizarre. Tell me, why do you want to find this Shadow Cloak?"
"You’ll see when the time comes. Relax," Arthur said with a small smile. "It’s not like I could survive here alone without you."
"That’s true. You have a point."
As they advanced through the cave, Arthur noticed the bodies of several creatures on the ground. They were some kind of bat, but much larger, almost like gargoyles. Those were the monsters inside the cave.
After killing a monster, Shadow Cloak received the EXP and loot, but the body took some time to disappear and respawn. It wasn’t that fast, so they could follow his trail.
It didn’t take long for them to finally find Shadow Cloak. The player was leaning against a rock, resting after fighting the bats.
As soon as Shadow Cloak saw the light from Louise’s flame, she quickly took a combat stance and drew both daggers.
"Who are you?"
A... woman’s voice.
Arthur had expected Shadow Cloak to be a man. The Shadow Cloak he had known in his previous life was a man.
’Did something change in this timeline, or did I find the wrong person? No, it can’t be the wrong person.’
The same nickname, in the same kingdom. It was too much of a coincidence.
"I’m only here to talk," Arthur said, raising his hands to show that he didn’t want to fight. "Can we talk? I’ll tell you right now, what I have to offer will make you the highest-level player, at least here in the early game."
Shadow Cloak was still suspicious, unsure how to respond.
"Your name is Cinder? Are you that crazy guy everyone is talking about?"
"That’s me."
Shadow Cloak stayed quiet for a few seconds.
"Alright. Let’s talk outside."
That had been easier than Arthur expected. At least she wasn’t against the idea.
Of course, telling her she could become the highest-level player had definitely caught her interest.
The three of them walked to the cave entrance, but didn’t leave completely. They stopped near the entrance, where there was enough light from outside. They were still far from the monsters deeper in the cave, and the cave protected them from the cold.
"What do you want to talk about?" Shadow Cloak asked, then added, "Or rather, why did you choose me specifically?"
Arthur couldn’t tell her that he knew her nickname from his previous life, but he already had an answer prepared.
"I checked the level rankings, and you’re near the top. That shows you have some skill. I see no reason to help weak players."
That was the truth. Arthur would grow stronger if the player using his item grew stronger as well. In other words, lending items to weak players who couldn’t progress quickly would be a waste of time.
"Thanks for the compliment, I guess," Shadow Cloak said, removing the hood that covered her face.
She had pale skin without a single imperfection. Her eyes were green, and her hair was black.
Arthur noticed her full, red lips. She was really beautiful, even more than he had expected.
Louise grew a little jealous when she saw how beautiful Shadow Cloak was. She didn’t say anything, but the angry look on her face gave it away.
"I’m a very skilled crafter. I’m willing to lend you two daggers that I crafted myself. They’re very strong items for this point in the game. They’ll let you kill monsters faster, aka more EXP. What do you think?"
"It does sound enticing," Shadow Cloak said as she tapped her fingers against a rock, "but what’s the catch? What do you want in return?"
She wasn’t stupid. Arthur wouldn’t just give her two OP items and expect nothing in return. No one would.
"Well, I’ll have to make a contract before we can discuss the terms," Arthur said with a smile. "Wanna see the daggers first?"
Showing her the weapons would entice her even further. That was Arthur’s plan. Once she compared her current weak daggers to the ones Arthur had crafted, there was no way Shadow Cloak wouldn’t want them.
Humans weren’t that difficult to control. You just needed the right thing to offer.
Arthur walked toward her and took both daggers out of his inventory. He handed them to Shadow Cloak. She couldn’t use or steal them since they were soul-bound to him, so there was no risk in letting her see the weapons’ stats.
She checked their stats. Her eyes widened as she read, and her hands started trembling. Arthur could have sworn he saw her salivating as she looked at the items.
"I want these," Shadow Cloak said. "What do you want in return? If you want, I can kiss you for these beauties."
Arthur didn’t know what to say. Her personality wasn’t what he had expected.
’A kiss from her wouldn’t hurt... Maybe I can put that in the contract.’
"There is one downside to using my items, though. You’ll earn 5% less EXP. Is that okay with you?"
There was no need to tell her about the attributes and skills Arthur would gain from lending her the items. She wouldn’t even know about them. But the 5% EXP reduction? She would notice that.
"No problem. So, what do you want in return? Tell me."
Shadow Cloak was already stroking the daggers as if they were her two daughters or some shit...