Real money was more energizing than Red Bull. Isaac looked around at the nearby mobs and saw them not as enemies, but as walking, multicolored stacks of cash.
"I'm the only one farming out here? This is basically picking money off the ground…" he licked his lips.
Of course, while raking in cash was great, keeping up his strength was essential. After all, staying far ahead in power was the only reason he had the wilds all to himself.
"Level 1 mobs just aren't cutting it anymore. Time to push deeper."
Strangely, even though this area had higher-level monsters, Isaac hadn't seen a single player for over two hours.
"What the hell are players doing? Still stuck at level 1?" Curious, he opened a live stream from a popular in-game broadcaster as he wandered into the dense forest.
…
U291 Newbie Village was packed—truly a sea of humanity. Swarms of players were crammed together, shoulder-to-shoulder, and the chat was pure chaos.
"Aegis, why didn't you build more newbie zones? I logged in at 10:20, it's been two hours and I'm STILL stuck in the village!"
"That's why you shoved a gun in my face? Touch me one more time, you sweaty creep, and I'll castrate you in-game!"
"MOVE IT! How the hell are we supposed to get out? I need to level up!"
"Someone else came back into the village?! It's already way too crowded in here!"
"I swear, when I hit level 10, I'm switching to a Spiritwalker just to fly the hell out of here!"
"Spiritwalker? At level 10? You think you'll be flying that soon? Dream on! All three newbie villages share ONE level 1 main city. It's only gonna get worse."
Some who had made it out turned back and were horrified by the sight. One middle-aged player shivered—mass anxiety was creeping in.
"There's gotta be at least 100,000 people in our newbie village... Reminder: If you can't tag a mob, fine. But do not die. If you respawn back here, you're stuck again for hours."
Because of that, those who made it out refused to stray too far from the village—they had zero intention of dying and respawning inside that hellhole.
But outside the gates wasn't much better.
"Finally made it out! Solo player looking for a group—anyone, please!"
"LFG! Need 2 more for XP team. Must use voice chat, follow orders!"
"Can someone carry me? I've got a loli voice~!"
"Studio team looking for two clients—300 bucks per spot, includes full level-up service. Apply now!"
Every map area was swarmed. Every Hyenaman had at least a dozen players camping nearby, waiting to snipe the kill for XP Orbs.
When one Hyenaman was almost dead, the leader of a party shouted over voice chat, sounding like a battlefield commander.
"Alright, its HP's about to hit 20! We've got four people in striking range. Monkey, if you can't squeeze in, block the others! Everyone else, wait for my signal! 3, 2, 1—go!"
"Nice! We got it! 3 XP Orbs, baby!"
Killing in a party gave a bonus. Normally, a Feeble Hyenaman gave 10 XP Orbs, but a 5-person squad would each get 3 after bonuses and split.
More importantly, in a party, only one person needs to get the kill for the whole squad to get XP Orbs.
Just then, a squad near the village gate drew everyone's attention.
"No way! That's Crimson Pact! Their guild leader's already level 2?!"
"They've got two weapons in one party? There's no beating that!"
"Crimson Pact is definitely taking off now. We'd better step it up." Players with "RedSun" guild tags grumbled in envy.
"Easy to say. You know how rare Hyenaman weapon drops are. Unless someone sells them on the market…"
"That's why I've got my whole team monitoring the trading board."
Even though Hyenaman clubs were only level 1 gear, that +3–6 damage could make the difference when fighting over a kill.
"This newbie village is hell…"
Isaac watched the chaos on the stream and finally understood just how bad things were.
Grinding mobs? Impossible.
People were losing their minds over 3 XP Orbs.
"No wonder level 1 weapons sell for so much…" Isaac shook his head. He could only feel pity for the players trapped in that madness.
Back in the game, Isaac glanced around at the idle mobs. They strolled lazily through the forest, completely unbothered.
Now that all his base stats were 50% higher, he didn't fear anything below level 4. He could even punch up.
"Levels are decent—3 to 6—but there's not many. Maybe thirty total." He muttered.
If other players knew what Isaac was doing right now… they'd lose their minds.
"Still, higher levels mean more special mobs. I see four here… perfect. I'll just farm here for now."
He started with the special ones—to reset their timers ASAP.
[Robust Hyenaman (Level 4) killed. Gained 38 XP Orbs. Received Tier 1 Talent Shard x1. Received Star 1 Quality Evolution Point x1.]
[Sturdy Hyenaman (Level 3) killed. Gained 28 XP Orbs. Received Tier 1 Talent Shard x1. Received Star 1 Quality Evolution Point x1.]
...
The last special mob was a Level 5 Agile Hyenaman, and Isaac charged without hesitation.
–16!
The Hyenaman countered with a fast strike. –13!
Judging from the damage and HP, Isaac had this fight in the bag.
[Agile Hyenaman (Level 5) killed. Gained 50 XP Orbs. Received Tier 1 Talent Shard x1. Received Star 1 Quality Evolution Point x1.]
Nice. 50 XP Orbs!
[Ding! Item Acquired: "Worn Hyenaman Club" (Gray)]
The unique chime made Isaac's heart skip.
Another drop—possibly another 300 bucks?! He opened the item panel eagerly.
"Check item!"
[Worn Hyenaman Club (Gray – Junk)]
["The surface is worn, clearly used for a long time."]
[Attack: 4–7]
[+2 Strength | +2 Constitution]
One look and Isaac's heart started pounding.
This wasn't just a drop. This was a gem.
Not only was the base damage 1 point higher than standard, but it also came with stat boosts.
In Celestia: The Eternal Realms, every stat had its purpose.
+2 Strength meant +2 attack and +1 defense. +2 Constitution gave +40 HP and +40 stamina.
For Isaac, this was nice. But for a newbie player?
It was god-tier.
A level 1 player only had 6 attack and 120 HP. Even at level 2, they'd only gain +2 attack and +50 HP, totaling 8 and 170.
This club gave more attack than their base and nearly half their HP in a single item.
If that's not a legendary drop, what is?
Most important of all—no other attribute-enhancing weapons had shown up anywhere in the NA server.
Clearly, this thing was worth way more than $300. Way more.