They sent a party request to Arthur. When in a party, the EXP was reduced, and the more members the party had, the less EXP each one received.
But the process of killing monsters was much faster, so even though they earned less EXP, it was still much better to level up in groups.
Being a solo player in Chronos Online wasn’t the best of things. There were some benefits, like not splitting the loot and not having to deal with people constantly talking to you—Arthur liked both things—but having a group was also nice.
For some content, having a group was a must. Not everything could be done alone. Well, at least not for ordinary players. Arthur still didn’t know how strong he could get with his class, but the chances of him becoming OP in the future were high.
Anyway, Tower was at the front, leading the way, a normal thing for a tank player. Suzy and Point Blank, the two ladies of the group, were walking beside Arthur.
"You’re still level 1? I thought that was a bug or something," Suzy said.
She could see his level, as he wasn’t hiding it. But considering how mysterious Arthur was, she thought that maybe he was using some unknown means to hide his true level.
"I am. Is that a problem?"
Tower looked like he wanted to say something, his head slowly turning around, but he remained silent.
"Not at all. You can still watch us fight the boss and help when you can."
They didn’t think Arthur would have the power to help them much in the fight. Understandable, of course.
Arthur looked the other way and smirked.
’I cannot wait to show them what I’m capable of.’
They eventually found something odd inside the forest. A small river, which wasn’t weird by itself, but there were lots of small tents around it, like a tribe or something.
Goblins!
Green creatures that were common in lots of fantasy settings. These goblins were all level 3 or 4, but they weren’t the ones Tower and his group wanted to kill.
Their real target was the bigger goblin standing at the far end of the tribe.
[Goblin Champion (Bronze Field Boss)]
[Level: 5]
[Warning: Way stronger than a normal level 5 monster]
The creature was a field boss. A field boss was a boss monster that could be found in the open areas of the world instead of inside dungeons or other special locations.
Most of the time, dungeon bosses were stronger, but that wasn’t always the case. Arthur remembered that there were lots of secret field bosses, and one of them was actually a long serpent dragon of the thunder element found on a mountain so tall that it touched the clouds.
That particular dragon was never defeated by any player. At least not during the time Arthur was alive.
"This is the boss," Tower said as he pointed his sword at the creature. "We need to first lure the normal goblins away and clear the area. This is a good thing. Maybe Cinder can get to level 2, at least."
Once again, Tower was trying to make fun of Arthur’s lower level. Arthur didn’t mind the guy. He wasn’t trying to be mean, just someone unhappy that a level 1 crafter was on his team...
Anyway, Tower started pulling some monsters away from the small goblin tribe. It wasn’t difficult for him. As a tank player, his class had a taunt skill from level 1.
He shouted, and a group of three goblins ran toward them. When taunting a monster, it was common for the monsters around the target to also come.
The game had that mechanic to prevent people from killing just one monster at a time with no threat of dying.
Tower entered a fighting position—an awkward stance with his shield up—and waited for the goblins to reach him.
’Players don’t have the coordination to fight properly.’
Those who had mastered martial arts in real life, like knowing how to properly use a sword, had better coordination and could get more out of the game.
Because of that, many players actually started training things IRL to improve in the game! At least the top players who were serious about having the game as their job.
But in the early game, most players were shit.
Tower didn’t know how to properly use a sword or his shield. The game assisted him, of course, but it wasn’t the same thing as someone actually skilled. Arthur could easily tell the difference, as he had seen so many great players before.
While the goblins were still running toward Tower, Point Blank nocked an arrow and started aiming at them.
Suzy, being a priest, channeled her first miracle to help Tower. She grabbed a small talisman and said her prayer.
"Minor Blessing."
A yellow light shone around Tower, increasing his defense by 10% for 120 seconds. It was a pretty good buff, and that was one of the reasons every group wanted a priest or a similar support class.
"Thank you, Suzy." Tower had a grin on his face, feeling way safer with her blessing.
Point Blank looked quite anxious. Ranger was one of the hardest classes in the game for someone who had never shot a bow before. That appeared to be the case for her.
"Just relax and wait for the monsters to stop running," Arthur said, placing his hand on her shoulder. "When they start attacking our tank, that’s the best moment to shoot."
Point Blank took a deep breath, relaxing her shoulders and arms. It was the first time someone was actually trying to encourage her. Tower and Suzy sometimes complained that she missed too many shots, but they never said anything good when she actually landed them.
The first goblin swung its wooden club directly at Tower. He placed his shield in front of him, using it to block the attack. The impact made his body slide backward. Just a few inches, but it showed that the goblin wasn’t that weak.
All the goblins had wooden clubs, the main weapon used by the weaker goblins. They attacked following a similar pattern. Tower used his shield to block another attack, but the third one hit him in the ribs.
He couldn’t block all of them.
[Attack blocked, -5 HP]
[Attack blocked, -5 HP]
[-15 HP]
The attacks he blocked still damaged him, but it was way less than being directly hit. Suzy was constantly checking his HP, ready to use her Minor Healing if needed.
Point Blank shot her first arrow.
"Piercing Arrow."
The arrow flew toward one of the goblins. It wasn’t just a normal attack, but her skill. Mana surrounded the arrow, giving it a faint bluish glow.
It hit one of the goblins in the chest.
[60 damage]
That was decent damage. Arthur knew the skill, so he also knew it had a longer cooldown. It was like the ’special’ skill of the Ranger class.
Tower also made his move, using Slash to attack one of the goblins.
[15 damage]
He was a tank, so his skills didn’t deal that much damage.
While facing the three monsters, he yelled, "Cinder, now is the time for you to do something. Or will you be useless?"
Arthur smirked.
He didn’t activate his Stealth. The Assassination skill would be a surprise for the boss.
But he unsheathed his sword and dashed toward the goblins.