The appearance of two fully geared players along with a tamed pet made the newer players feel in awe just by looking at us when Dolly and I arrived on the scene. If this happened in a computer MMO, our entrance wouldn't be this dramatic and will just occur like a typical player arriving in the beginner's area. With the new perspective on things, it gives a heavier impact on the newer players.
"Holy crap, isn't he the one who finished off the boss in the final area? Also, that girl he was accompanying with, that was the magician that annihilates many enemies using her magic during the last battle!" one of the spectators said.
"Woah! Is that a pet you can mount?! Is there any similar pet available in the store for us to buy for real money?!"
"Idiot, if I remember correctly from what I read in some guides, the pets can only be obtained in methods like buying an egg and hatching it, getting an egg from somewhere else like in a nest is also viable and the last is the usage of taming and using some items used for taming a specific monster. If it was available, many players who spend money in the very beginning would already be riding on their mounts right now!"
That's when the other players also voiced out their reactions after seeing us. It caused everyone in the area to gather just to see us.
"Isn't this similar to the feeling of being a celebrity?" Dolly grinned.
"Popularity is cool but it is annoying. Of course, this attention is temporary so we don't need to concern ourselves with them all."
Hagane climbed on Leona's back but with difficulty due to the weight of his armor and shield. Still, he managed to climb up and get out of the eyes of the others.
"Holy sh*t, Manato! You are the one who cleared the Sandurk expedition! How come you didn't say so and throw a party with your friends? Isn't this enough to call for a celebration?"
"Meh, that is a waste of time. Also, call me Bladeheart while we are in the game and I will also use the names you guys have chosen. It would be best to avoid using real names to at least protect our privacy," I reminded Hagane.
"Yes, it would be troublesome for anyone knowing our names in real life. It would be fine if the guys who knew are real acquaintances but there are also different matters that might escalate especially if there are players who are ready to do anything once you provoke them," Dolly said.
"Oops, apologies guys, I am just so overwhelmed by everything that I am still processing how cool this place looks like. Forgive me."
"Apology accepted. So now, let's get to where we should raise your level for the next couple of minutes," I said and pat Leona as a signal that we need to fly away.
"Is it a dungeon?"
"Nope, it is a normal field but it is a Hostile field area which means every monster seen here will attack and will not just wander off unless you attacked first. Our target for you is to level up and reach level 15 here. If we are lucky, we might even get you some decent equipment that will be still useful up until level 25 and level 30 depending on how lucky you are with its stats and rarity."
...
We arrived in the Lycanthrope lair where the enemies have lower defense values but have a very high attack and have a very high crit rate. As someone who has gained info about this place in the past allowed me to know why this place is a good farming spot to level up to 15.
This hostile field is a very troublesome place especially for those players with classes that is very weak in terms of defense like for example, a magician. They might have high firepower but they can't immediately launch their abilities in rapid succession since most of the time, the lycans will attack, thus causing interruption to the casting. This is why, even if this place is a good place to hunt for beginners, it is also quite troublesome to hunt here without a party. If not careful enough, their claws will greet you and harvest your life.
"If the attacks are high, then how come I need to hunt here? Isn't that going suicide?"
"No. As a paladin, you have the highest defensive values out of all the classes since your class relies on some stats. Even though your class specializes in defensive methods and their defense values are off the charts, the paladin class can still deal with quite a pack of punch. With your stats for defense is very high, tanking the lycans would be a breeze to a paladin. Not only they can solo the farming process in the lycans lair but also gain `experience in fighting especially for first-timers."
"I remembered that I almost got defeated here without a tank player in here to catch the attacks for me. It was the worst area for squishy classes like me," Dolly said recalling her experiences.
"So, I will be fighting these guys alone?"
"Basically yes and no. You will fight alone but we will do support. Dolly will provide support if you are in danger and I will be in charge of healing you and giving minor buffs. We might not help killing monsters but we are helping on the sidelines. After all, fighting them with our levels will just one-shot them with just a slap in their faces," I said.
"Makes sense. Alright, let's do this!"
...
Hagane worked quite well and even though he still messes up sometimes, he has lived up to have a good defense and his attack power is also quite capable despite being a paladin. In just a few hours of fighting with a beginner shield and beginner sword, he climbed up to level 13 and finally gained the hang of being a tank in Alternate World.
"TWO MORE LEVELS LEFT!" Hagane said and as he continues to fight, the more he can unleash the ability to fight.
"It's getting rather boring right now actually. Don't we have anything better to do other than supporting him? I am also itching to fight monsters too!"
"Be patient Dolly. Our turns will come soon so wait for a bit. Hagane will be able to win that much already. We just needed to be patient and deal with it."
Then, a different Lycan appeared and this time, it is a bigger monster and has a bigger build compared to the lycans that Hagane has been killing so far.
"Woah, Woah, what the f*ck is that?!"
" A hostile zone boss. You will see them periodically while exploring this area. To be precise, once you hunted enough enemies, a boss will appear and they are well sought by many players because the items and equipment they drop are guaranteed to be rare or above rarities, and sometimes, they even yield some goods that will be very beneficial on production classes."
"So in short, this boss is a very good source of exp, gold, and items?" Hagane licked his lips.
"Yep, that's basically it. Do you want to retreat?"
"Me? No! We fight!"
[Werewolf] Level 25 (Hostile Zone Boss)
HP: 300,000/300,000
Attributes: Beast, Darkness, Humanoid
Not that strong and a bit weaker indeed. The HP pool is also quite small compared to some zone bosses. However, not that it has a small amount of HP for a boss doesn't mean it is an easy kill.
If they have some low attributes in certain areas, that only means the stats they have are perfectly balanced. In the [Werewolf] boss, if their HP and defense are low, then that means their attacks are just strong enough.
I grab a potion of Strengthening and Stone of Defense Potion before throwing them to Hagane.
"Wow! Thanks for the buff, man!" Hagane said.
The werewolf slowly walks out in the darkness and released its sharp claws. The moment he saw Hagane, he roared and run towards Hagane. But for Hagane, he used this chance to also attack.
"[Shield Bash]!"
BANG!
The werewolf took the brunt force of the [Shield Bash] in its head and due to that, the werewolf was stunned for a few seconds. With this chance, he started to pierce the werewolf multiple times and stabbing it, slowly reducing his HP.
When the werewolf was about to recover, Hagane immediately retreated and waited for another attack to take head-on.
"Change your decision this time Hagane, don't just tank them and expect to still stop the enemy like how you just did earlier. Attack while it is fresh!"
"Well, that is alright then! [Shield Crash]!
BANG!
The attacks that Hagane made are not that big but it was indeed quite a strong way to do it, however, the battle is not just over immediately. Hagane attacked the werewolf relentlessly and this time, he did it so fast.
"AWWWOOOOOOO!"
The Werewolf's white fur started to show symbols of red and other things. If that happens, only one this is sure, the boss has entered 100% rage mode. And for a tank like Hagane, this will be a very dangerous situation.